Sihey had already done an expedition into the wilds not long ago, there was little to slow them dow came to pag up in the m. By the time they had finished loading up their wagon, Lisryn arrived with her guardians and four warriors pulling another cart filled with mana stones, just as with the st trip.

  This time, the guards beside Lisryn introduced themselves immediately, revealing that their names were Narath and Brigid. Oddly, Brigid carried a staff that looked as if it was still alive, having branches with leaves drooping down from the top, simir to a willow tree. Narath had a more typical on, a two-handed maul slung across his back.

  After linking the wagons together so that the powered one from the spire could pull them both, they begarip. A different gate was used to exit the city this time, though they were temporarily deyed in their attempt to leave. In an unusual situation, one of the ining wagons had broken a wheel while driving through the gate and tipped over, spilling several crates of metal all the way across, blog norian traffic.

  While it wouldn’t do to have Padins of the Church of flict be seen pig up things from the ground, the mages had no such issues. Niphru simply used his force magic to carry the bars to the side and stack them o the damaged wagon, while Thomas used earth magic to shift the metal by f a wave from the stones posing the road. Viera joined Miana in trying to use water magiove them with assistance from Richard’s air magic, though they had much more difficulty aually resorted to moving them by hand.

  A quarter of an hour ter, the path was clear and they could finally be on their way again. Lisryn was quite irritated by the dey, but the others mao soothe her by remindihat they could travel much faster than st time sihey didn’t o avoid the roads. Due to this, they would still reach their destination much quicker than their prior journey.

  Along the way, those who had received items spent time practig with them, growing used to what they could do. Miana quickly learo rapidly uremely thi powerful beams of water, something that previously took signifit effort. While the bag took time to refill itself, she could easily remove water from it to store in her old tainers, letting her refill it to use the on funore effectively for multiple attacks.

  Richard’s bdes were desigo be powered by small mana crystals, which Lisryn’s guardians were able to spare. Once powered, they became much easier to lift with air magic, assisting by drawing air upward to mostly teract their weight. This allowed them to turn into a whirlwind that blended anything it came into tact with, slig it dozens of times per sed.

  Meanwhile, Viera did her best to learn from the books she had been gifted. When she wasn’t busy reading, she speime trying to burn the grass alongside the road, fog her light magito as small of an area as possible.

  Two days into their trip, they caught up with a small army bearing the symbol of the king. After a moment talking with Morris, they split to either side of the road to allow the group to pass. Morris then expihat their leader had told him they were sent to ehe leader of the town of Misty Valley would step down, willingly or not.

  Apparently a leader willing to igheir own peoples’ plight was expected to attempt to send their troops out to try to stay in power. The king’s men were equipped with the highest quality metal armor from the capital, as well as havirained intensively for years, however. Additionally, they expected that if they had to face the town’s troops in battle, there would likely be a fair hat would refuse to fight.

  Sihe group was going to end up ahead of the soldiers, they didn’t anticipate any problems trying to pass through the town, though they did stay wary just in case they were wrong. Eventually, however, they did reach the town, finding that there were rumors about all the people passing through, but no one seemed aware of what was actually with their lord betraying his duties.

  Though they stopped for a short while to top up their food, the journey was quickly resumed, Lisryn leading them to the vilge of Cracked Rock two branches down the road. Apparently roups had already beeo those vilges, and more would be arriving ter. She was unsure if anyone had reached the vilge they were approag, however.

  A few days ter, they arrived, easily seeing why the vilge had its name. There was a small rise to a pteau above the pins, with deeply cracked walls, aside from where a ramp had been carved along the side. Fortunately, the ramp was far from being too steep for the magically-powered wagon to traverse, and they quickly made it into the vilge proper.

  Unlike most, there were no walls around this vilge, their raised location already serving the same purpose already. After a quick talk with one of the wandering vilgers, the group was directed to the elder’s home, just a few houses away.

  Ohey met with the man, they learhat one group from the church had already arrived. Apparently, the vilge was retively fident in their defenses, and the force headed into the woods to try to cull as many of the creatures as they could. Hearing this, they decided to do the same, with Brigid remaining behind to assist the vilge if it was required. The group tinued onward, leaving the wagohe ramp and gathering their supplies in the packs they had brought for that purpose.

  Ohey reached the forest, Niphru took the lead position, simir to st time, though with much more care than before, and not relying on any illusion. Just a few minutes of travel ter, he had to leap out of the way of a most angry pore. This one had mutated to have six legs and a number of much thicker spines fag forward from its body, rather than just the normal backward-fag ones. It also seemed to have quite sharp teeth, revealed when it let out an irritated hiss.

  Niphru figured that this was no serious threat, so he wouldn’t bother the others. Instead, he simply tossed one of his foxfires at its head, quickly burning it to death. He was halfway through burning the corpse whehers caught up with him and inquired as to what had happened.

  Ohey had been informed, the group agreed with his assessment and waited for him to finish disposing of the body. Not much further, they were ambushed by a shough Niphru spotted it early a midair with a pne of force, resulting in a rather limp body dropping to the ground. Another quick toss of foxfire, and it was being disposed of as well.

  Their enter came nearly an hour ter, and was muutated than anything they’d seen prior. After a moment of iion, it appeared to have started as a deer, but it had ged quite siderably as it aged. The most striking difference were two long bded limbs reag over its head, ected just above its front legs. It also had a mouth full of fangs to match, and a crazed, bloodthirsty gre. Along its back were long fins attached to several spihat curved backward aipped with barbed spikes. As if that was not enough, its hind legs were topped in boney armor.

  Since he spotted it before it saw him, Niphru quickly sidered its likely strength and hid himself with an illusion, sending a message through his link to Dawn. Due to this, they would be able to arrive prepared for bat, and aware of what they were fag, so there wouldn’t be any surprise.

  A moment ter, a jet of water dug deep into the shoulder of one of the bded limbs, and a storm of bdes sped toward it. This was then followed by a spike of rock smming into its side, though it splintered against the durable hide.

  Seeing his allies attaiphru joined in with one foxfire to the fad ao the rear, along with peppering its arms with dozens of small white bolts of fire. As the beast roared and spun toward them, he followed up with a pne of force beside its head, stunning it for a moment as it smmed into the barrier with enough strength to break it.

  The nce of rock caught it mid-roar and caused it to choke, followed by the line of water sshing across its eyes. Meanwhile, the rest of its head burned in unquenchable fire. One arm hung limp, while the other twitched before the creature leapt toward them. Lisryn calmly swept her hand tht, hitting it in the chest with a bst of air intense enough to topple it onto its injured side.

  Richard’s bdes, their target now against the ground, redirected toward the deer’s neck, each opening the wound from the prior just a little deeper. A moment ter Viera shouted a warning, followed by a bird that looked closer to a metal dart smming into the ground, smoking from where Dawn had hit it sihey were keeping watch together.

  A momehe mangled creature dropped back to the ground, its final attempt to stand ending as life fled its eyes. W together, Dawn, Miana, and Niphru quickly burhe carcass to ashes before they moved on.

  Shard