I walked in contemplative silence through Lucard Pass, no longer fearing that this place was cursed, as I had just killed the likely culprit of those rumors.

  My mind was reeling from the events that had just unfolded and the startling revelations that followed. It would be some time before I could truly sort through my thoughts and find peace within them.

  Val, ever present in my mind, knew I needed time to process everything. Her betrayal severed any semblance of trust I had with her, but at least she was now willing to share more about her past. I suspected there was more to her story, and someday, I'd find a way to pull the whole truth out of her.

  Every step I took away from that damned cave was a step further away from the sad and broken girl I left behind. My stupid conscience was screaming for me to go back for Tara, but I resisted the urge to do what my heart felt was right. Tara was too dangerous and not killing her was a mercy on my part. I told myself that was enough. Plus, I had no experience helping someone detox from drugs. All I knew was that it would be unpleasant and would take days that I wasn’t willing to waste.

  Tara’s quest may have come to its horrible conclusion, but I fully intended to make my way to Danver. Technically, it was lizard territory, but most real fighting was west of the mountains, and Danver lay on the east side. Undoubtedly, I would cross paths with a few Players, but everything would be fine if I kept my head down and didn't interact.

  Hopefully.

  I eventually came to a long tunnel carved directly through the base of a small mountain. Before the day’s twisted events, I might have been nervous about entering the tunnel, but now, I just didn’t have it in me to care. Inside, the borehole was smooth, to the point where it almost felt polished. Without a light, I had to keep my hand on the tunnel wall and hope I didn't trip over a stray rock or get attacked by some monster.

  When I finally left that darkness, I was surprised to see a much different path ahead. A few healthy pine trees poked out of the hard ground, and vibrant flowers grew wherever they could find purchase. The path curved to the right, with part of the mountain wall carved out to make room for the twisting road; there would be no more tunnels from here on, which was fine with me.

  I followed the path steadily for another hour before a crow tried to peck out my eyes.

  I had felt a strange sensation like I was being watched, and then the damned thing came from behind and hit me in the back of the head with enough force to almost knock me down. I reached up to try to rip the bird off my head, but it dug its claws in deep, and I cried out in pain.

  The crow leaned over my forehead and hammered its beak at my face. Luckily, the first peck missed my eye, slicing open my eyebrow instead. I put my hands over my face to protect it from the relentless pecks.

  I had one useful thought before panic fully set in. I activated a Devastating Strike and punched up at the bird, careful not to hit myself. My fist demolished the crow, shattering its bones and sending it flying from my head in a mess of gore.

  A microsecond later, another scream of pain escaped my lips, and I reached up to my scalp to discover the crow's talons still embedded in my head. I punched that bird so hard that I blasted the damned thing's socks off.

  I winced in pain as I freed my scalp of the leftover talons. Head wounds bleed a lot, and I could already feel the sticky warmth dripping down my neck. I ripped off a small cloth from my travel blanket and wrapped it around my head, hoping to stem the flow of blood.

  "What the hell was that?" I asked.

  ‘Are you talking to me?’ Val replied.

  "Who else would I be talking to?"

  "I don't know how you humans think. One second, you're giving me the cold shoulder, and the next, you're asking stupid questions.’

  "Can you please just answer the question before I bleed to death?"

  ‘Well, since you asked nicely, I will answer. You were attacked by a bird.’

  "I know that!" I said, growling in frustration. "Why did it attack me?"

  ‘Since crows do not typically attack people at random, I can only assume you found some way to piss it off. That, or a warg is nearby.’

  "I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything to offend the bird, Val. What's a warg?"

  ‘A warg is a human who can see through the eyes of other animals. Some wargs can even take control of their bonded pets.’

  "Well, where's this bastard at? I'm going to pay him a visit."

  ‘Hmm. One moment… Okay, I just scanned a quarter-mile radius around us, and you are the one person I detected.’

  “Can't you scan further than that?”

  ‘In ideal circumstances, and if I focus my scan in a single direction, then yes, but we are currently surrounded by millions of tons of stone. If there is a warg, it is likely out of my range. Although, since you killed its bonded pet, I would imagine it is on its way here now.’

  "That bird attacked me. I didn't do anything!"

  ‘The bond wargs have with their pets can be quite profound,’ Val said. ‘If there is a warg, it will come for you.’

  I picked up my pace, leaving the scene of the crime behind me. "So, these wargs can be strong?"

  ‘Strength can vary, but yes, a warg can be a formidable opponent, especially to someone with your….limited talents.’

  "Hey!"

  ‘I only mean that your in-game skills are limited. Once you gain more levels, you'll have far more options to bring to battle.’

  "You're not giving me much confidence, Val."

  ‘I apologize if the reality of the situation offends you. If you feel like you must hide, I understand.’

  I reached up to my tender head. "I’m not going to hide.”

  My pace increased, and I continued to make my way through the pass. There wasn’t much further to go. My eyes and ears were on sharp alert, and my body remained tense, ready for action.

  After some time, I began to think Val was wrong about the warg. That all changed when Val said, ‘An NPC is waiting for you around the next bend.’

  “What?” I thought to her. "What happened to your quarter-mile range?”

  ‘I’m not scanning all the time. It had been a few minutes since my last one.’

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Is it the warg?”

  ‘Probably,’ she said.

  “You don’t know?”

  ‘It’s not classified as a Special NPC, so I can’t tell. To me, it’s nothing more than a blip on a map.’

  I was so close to being done with this hellish journey, but of course, there had to be one more obstacle in my way. There was no way around it, and I refused to turn back. My stubborn streak would get me killed someday, but that day wasn’t going to be today.

  Cautiously, I stalked forward, staying close to the inner wall. Once I passed the bend, I saw him. And he saw me. In the center of the road stood a little boy. It was hard to guess his age through the ragged clothes, dirt, and grime, but I would guess around eleven or twelve from his height.

  “Uh, Val,” I thought. “It’s just a little kid.”

  ‘It’s the warg,’ Val said. ‘Just look at its eyes.’

  His eyes were a dark yellow, but other than that oddity, he looked like a normal child to me. Well, a normal child who had been living in the woods alone for a few years.

  “What should I do?” I thought to Val.

  ‘I would recommend killing it.’

  “I’m not going to kill a kid.”

  ‘Fine. Try to reason with the feral boy. Don’t come crying to me when he bites your throat out.’

  I raised a gentle hand. “Hello,” I said. “Do you need help?” Surely, he would trust a dirty, blood-soaked stranger who just killed his crow.

  The boy just stared at me, eyes dark and full of anger.

  “Was that your bird? I didn’t mean to hurt it, but it attacked me.”

  He leaned forward and hissed at me.

  “Okay,” I said slowly. “So, I’m going to walk past you, alright?” I had both hands up in a sign of peace. “I’m sorry about your bird, but if you were in my place, you’d have done the same.”

  I shuffled slowly toward him, hoping he would stay where he was and let me pass. I kept my eyes locked on his, ready for anything. He glanced above me, and I looked just in time to see a bird twice the size of the crow diving toward me at an outrageous speed.

  Instead of running, I leaped at the kid, but he darted away. Unfortunately for him, he darted toward the hewn wall of the cliff and had nowhere to go. As fast as I could, I reached out and grabbed hold of his nasty shirt. I pulled him toward me and wrapped my arms around him, holding him like a hostage.

  I ignored his scratches and kicks and chanced a glance up. The bird, a falcon of some kind, had abandoned its divebomb and circled above us.

  “Okay, kid,” I said. “If you can speak, now would be a great time. I don’t want either of us to get hurt.”

  “Let me go!” the boy shouted as he tried to stomp on my foot, but I was wise to the trick and stepped back before it could land.

  “Give me a reason to let you go!” I shouted back. “Because right now, I can’t think of one.”

  “You killed Isis,” he said. “You killed my friend.”

  “Your friend tried to kill me first. Or was it under your control? Either way, I had no choice.”

  “You’re one of them,” he said. He tried to stomp my foot again, but I dodged it and held him tight. Just to be careful, I glanced up, and the falcon was still circling, eager to peck out my eyes the moment it had a chance.

  “Whatever you think I am, you’re wrong,” I said. “I’m just a traveler.”

  “Liar! No one comes here except for them.”

  “Who are they?” I asked, struggling to hold on to the slippery kid. I wondered if he was referring to Sabbatha and her ilk.

  “Hunters,” he said.

  “Hunters? Look, kid, I’m not here to hunt any of your pets.”

  “Not them. Me!”

  ‘I think I can shed some light on the situation,’ Val said, deciding to be helpful. ‘Wargs are viewed as an abomination. There is an unregistered guild in Danver called ‘The Hunters.’ They believe it is their duty to rid the world of unnatural beings. Wargs, witches, werewolves, that sort of thing.’

  ‘Thanks, Val.’ That was surprisingly helpful.

  “I’m not one of them,” I said. “You have nothing to fear from me.”

  “Liar!”

  “Look, kid,” I tightened my grip around him to arrest his struggle. “I’m just a regular guy, I swear. I will not hurt you, and I can prove it. I am going to let you go. Please, do not attack me or send that bird to do your dirty work. If you do, I will be forced to defend myself.”

  I relieved some pressure from his chest as a sign of good intent. “I’m not a liar. I’m not a Hunter. I just want to get through this godforsaken mountain pass. I’m going to let you go, and whatever happens next is up to you.”

  I released my hold, and he scrambled away. The falcon let out a shriek above me but continued to circle.

  Once he was out of reach, he turned back to me, eyes darting in every direction, like this was all some trick.

  I held up my hands. “See. I’m not attacking you. And hey, so far, you're not attacking me. That’s a great start.”

  Slowly, I lowered my hands. “My name’s Ethan. I’m a farmer turned soldier turned freelancer, and the only thing I want to do right now is make it safely to Danver. What about you? Do you have a name?”

  His squirrely eyes settled on me. He looked nervous, unused to common decency from men. “I’m Kitz,” he said quietly. His eyes widened, like he was surprised to hear himself say the words.

  We were making progress.

  “Do you need anything, Kitz? Are you thirsty? I have water.”

  He backpaddled a few steps, and his back bumped against the cliff face. It looked like he was trying to sink deeper into the rock and escape this conversation, but he surprised me and nodded, licking his lips.

  I smiled and pulled out my waterskin. There wasn’t much water left in it, but I’d survive. I held it out to him. “You can have the rest.”

  Kitz eyed it suspiciously and, in a flash, snatched it out of my hand. One second later, he had it open and drank deeply until it was empty.

  The dirty little warg looked at the waterskin and stuck his arm out for me to take it back. He was staring very hard at his feet while he did this.

  I took it gently, pulled out a piece of jerky, and held it out to him.

  He shook his head. “I don’t like meat.”

  “Do you like bread? I’ve got a little left, although it’s hard as a rock now.”

  He nodded quickly, so I selected it from my inventory and tossed it to him. Giving up some of my last rations wasn’t a big deal. Val could lead me to a water source, if necessary, and I’d find something to eat eventually.

  The bread may have been dry as a brick, but Kitz scarfed it down in seconds.

  “How long have you been living out here?” I asked.

  Kitz looked away from me. “A long time.”

  I didn’t know why I was continuing this conversation. I should have taken my free pass and skedaddled. But the injustice of Kitz’s pre-programmed life was too much to ignore. I couldn’t change what he was, but I felt compelled to protect him. He was only a child, and his role in this world was to suffer. I might not have been strong enough for the real fight yet, but there were other ways to combat the cruelty of the Triarchy, even if was as simple as offering a kid water and bread.

  “Is there anyone who could take you in and keep you safe?”

  He gave a sad shrug. “I don’t know anybody. And I don’t like being inside. This is my home, and I want to stay.”

  “I’m sorry, Kitz. I wish there were something I could do to help you.”

  “Can you kill the Hunters?”

  I almost laughed at what I presumed was a joke, but the sincerity in Kitz’s eyes stopped me. He was serious.

  Killing all the Hunters was not something I could achieve, nor was it something I wanted to do, but perhaps it was possible to stop them from coming after Kitz. I could tell them I killed him, but they may require proof like an ear or a hand. There might also be a way I could get their guild shut down, but I remembered Val had said they were unregistered, which could mean they weren’t subject to enforcement.

  There were options worth exploring, and I was a Player. This world was designed for the Players, not the NPCs. Players came here to rescue little kids from the well, to save the damsel in distress, to become a hero. That was the point.

  I had to at least try. If I couldn’t figure out a way to save Kitz, I could always burn their guild to the ground. That would at least slow their operations for a while.

  I looked at Kitz, and his eyes flicked to mine. In those eyes, I saw only a scared little boy who was being needlessly tormented by the system. All he wanted was not to live in fear.

  Even if I couldn’t help him, I could at least give him some hope. “I can’t fight them all, Kitz, but if I can find a way to stop them, I will. I don’t know how, and it could take a long time for me to figure it out, but I will try.”

  When his yellow eyes met mine, I could see they were wet with tears, not tears of sadness, but tears shed from hope.

  “Thank you,” he said in a whisper.

  “How will I find you?” I asked.

  “I see a lot.” He smiled and pointed up to his falcon. “If you come back here, I can find you.”

  I nodded. “Okay, Kitz. Stay safe out here.”

  He waved shyly at me before sprinting away. Poor kid.

  A notification appeared on my interface.

  NEW QUEST INITIATED

  I flinched from the AI’s voice. I didn’t even realize I was taking on a quest.

  HUNTED

  Save little Kitz by stopping the Hunter’s Guild from pursuing him. I don’t care how you do it; just do it. You will fail this quest if a hunter kills Kitz or if he dies of natural causes beyond your control. There is no time limit on this quest.

  ‘I cannot believe you just did that,’ Val gasped, popping into existence before me.

  “I got a quest. Isn’t that a good thing?”

  ‘This quest is way above your level,’ she said. ‘You should let me find quests for you, so you get the best rewards without doing something that will get you killed.’

  “Why didn’t you try to stop me then?”

  “I cannot see dynamically generated quests, at least not when they are generated on the spot like that. Your conversations created the quest. I recommend you ignore it and let me guide you to appropriate premade quests in Danver.”

  I touched the tender wound on my scalp. It was still bleeding. “Let’s just get the hell out of here."