Familiarity may breed contempt, but the more I got to know the two humans, the less of a potential future snack and more of part of something greater they had become. The opposite was true for all the Villains I had known in my life. Even those who were technically family, I detested what they truly were. The care and compassion from the Mage and Ranger had surpassed anything I had gleaned from prior relationships. Maybe it was the selfless nature of those who pursued goodness that allowed them an open heart. Vulnerable, but truly living.

“Really?” Florence wrinkled up her nose. “You want to go for that one?”

I nodded. Without prejudice, it was probably the least favorable option. But I had prejudice - especially now that my secret was known by the pair. The thought of going against those I once knew had been a sticking point when I was worried about my cover being blown. Now it felt like an inevitability that I should end things I had a hand in nurturing. Atone for my part in blighting this land.

“Yes. We will discuss this later if you can trust my judgment.” Bringing up the gritty reasons in public probably wouldn’t do too well with my desire to keep some privacy.

Her eyes read my face, and she looked to the Ranger, who gave her a nod. “Alright,” she sighed. “We’ll go for Ratticus. Which is a terrible name.”

Clint nodded and removed the two other options. “I don’t think we’ve sent anyone over to him yet. Uh - a lot of groups pass over the giant rat stuff.”

I tilted my head. “Seems more like adventurer work?”

“Mhmm. Although if they’re an F Rank rat, then… well, there are reasons for these things, right?” He attempted a smile but was hardly convincing himself, let alone us. “Oh, take this to the stables - you’ll be sorted for transport.”

He slid a coin across the counter - made of a dull silver with the Guild emblem embossed across the top. I gestured for Jakob to take it, knowing that I’d probably lose it.

“It doesn’t have any monetary value - I’m required to say that. You’re basically requisitioning from them, but don’t go overboard; otherwise, there will be all sorts of complaints, and you don’t want…” He leaned forward and whispered. “You don’t want the boss to be in a bad mood.”

“Seems like more your problem than ours,” Florence smiled with a wink. “But we already have our transport in mind.”

What I wouldn’t do for a properly covered wagon or even a stagecoach. Traveling in style was a luxury, but it wouldn’t do well to be seen as flaunting what little power or influence we had scraped together. Petal and the basic wagon would do for what we needed and seemed to make the Mage happy - which was almost just as important to me as my desire to have a cushioned seat.

“I wish you luck,” Clint defaulted to a script as Florence had disarmed him, before he shook the awkwardness away. “Truly, I hope to see you all return once more.”

I gave him a short bow, and we turned to leave - once again, I caught the table looking over at us. Either we were just the only thing of interest in the room, or they needed some polite manners beat into them. Not wanting to tempt fate, I hoped that we wouldn’t come across them again anytime soon.

“We have enough rations for a few days, but I don’t think we can get much in terms of supplies.” I sighed and looked around the town as if an answer would leap out from the shadows.

“There are options,” Florence pulled her dull crimson cloak tighter around herself. “Some Parties have financiers - but they’d usually dictate which Quests we can do.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“We are also short two members,” Jakob added, “although both our predicaments make it difficult to choose capable individuals.”

“Yes,” I gestured for us to walk towards the stables. “There’s an ulterior motive for us to go after the undead.”

“Oh?” Florence raised an eyebrow.

“I know someone nearby, or at least I used to. They may still be there.”

“A Villain?” The Mage whispered, leaning in closer to me. The streets were relatively clear of any potential idle ears, but I appreciated the discretion.

With a brief glance behind us, I was relieved to see the other Party was not following us. “She was, once. Didn’t Rank very highly, and then decided to remain… neutral?”

Florence narrowed her eyes but didn’t press the issue further.

“What about the rat?” Jakob asked, his eyes searching the windows of the building we passed, his cloak obscuring most of his face.

I sighed, knowing how this was about to sound. “A prior pet.”

“Of yours?” He turned to me now.

“In a manner of speaking. He is essentially an emboldened Giant Rat - so I can understand the lack of desire to go fight him.”

We traveled on, silent for a while. The slight rain pattered against the roofs around us as the occasional townsperson hurried through the drizzle. Still, something weighed in the back of my mind, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Frustrating to a large degree.

Eventually, we made it to the stables, where the gruff man shoveling piles of hay from one place to another stopped to greet us. After showing him the coin, he seemed less enthused at our return - but was contented enough that we wanted Petal and the wagon again rather than some of his more materially expensive options.

“Straight to… the monastery, then?” Florence tilted her head as she brushed at the mane of Petal.

“If you know where it is,” I shrugged. My knowledge of the area was rusty. Map reading was never one of my strongest abilities as I found over time, things seemed to change so much. Boundary lines of various kingdoms, villages and towns destroyed or rebuilt, new forests, and old monuments to dead gods. Past my estate, I hadn’t kept up with current affairs.

“I think I know,” Jakob fidgeted and withdrew a rolled-up parchment from his pack. Rolling it out against the side of the wagon - it was a map of the local area. “Don’t ask where I got this from.”

Florence growled but didn’t press the issue. Better to have it than not at this stage - and if there were no consequences from the acquisition of the page, then I could easily turn a blind eye to the assumed theft. He didn’t seem the sort to murder over a map, at least.

“That should be a couple of hours with the wagon, I think.” My face contorted in an attempt to read the markings.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Quite local, in fact. Surprising that it comes down to us to save the day.”

“Well, you said you hadn’t fought undead before. A lot of Villanis are in that wheelhouse, especially in this corner of the world. You don’t want your first experience to be when it’s life or death.”

“Plus, gold!” Florence added, giving Petal a gentle squeeze. “I know the Heroic life isn’t full of riches, but it’d be nice to not… struggle so much.”

I nodded, although I couldn’t relate. Instead, I helped the pair hop up into the wagon and led it to the main road. As was tradition, I took a last glance around the town before we headed out. Partially hoping for a glimpse of the reason for my odd feelings about this area. I did not receive this information, but I noted that the other Party had now been standing off amongst the middle of the town, not explicitly looking our way - but the implication was there.

“What did you think of the others in the Guild?” I lifted myself into the back of the wagon as the Mage began to usher it forward.

Jakob turned and narrowed his eyes out at the group. “They certainly had an attitude about us. I don’t recognize them, though.”

“Same,” Florence agreed. “I’m not sure if they were adventurers or Rankers.”

Regardless, they smelt like trouble to me. Whether they had a whiff of my true nature or had a bone to pick with us for more insidious reasons, it didn’t matter. Nobody glares that menacingly without untoward actions in mind. Perhaps I was reading into it a little too much. Experience reassured me that they were bad news. Prickly competition was common in the Villain world, and I hadn’t expected to see it so early on in my Heroic life.

But as always, it was human nature to be jealous and covet things. We had just returned triumphant in a Quest that was said to have killed a couple of Parties. Perhaps surviving members of one of the attempts were now in that group? Or they could just be wanting to test their mettle against capable Rankers? It wouldn’t do my mental state well to dwell on the dozens of reasons we had seemingly drawn some amount of ire from the group.

There would be plenty of bad actors along the road ahead; we would just have to do our best to endure and overcome.