The Rusty Step is wholly unimpressive. Nothing but dry reddish-brown earth baking beneath a hot autumn sun. In some areas, the ground is flat as a board. In other places, the dirt is packed into small hills that provide minimum shade. Little spots of green shrubbery break up the monotonous color. Large birds circle overhead, casting darting shadows.

“It’s…” William’s voice trails off, his manners failing him.

“It’s a shitshow. Dryer than my gramps’ chapped lips.” Arthur kicks the ground, coughing on the cloud of dust he raises. “Fuck! How is a seaman supposed to survive this crap?”

“For once, I’m with Arthur.” Alana stared at our surroundings with a disapproving smile. “We’re supposed to be here for two days. This is going to be…uncomfortable.”

“Dust is going to get everywhere,” Marthe complained with a slow shake of her head.

“You all are being too negative!” I say brightly, injecting some much-needed positivity into the gloomy mood. “Yes, it’s no palace but things could be far worse. The qualifier has already started. That means you’re being judged right now, including your whining. Am I right, Cloud?”

She chuckles. “Predators are revered for their strength and speed but no hunt is successful without patience and determination.”

“For those who don’t speak Temple, that was a yes. So, let’s get to work people.”

Alana snorts. “The moon might be blue tonight. Lou’s right. We have a job to do, no matter how unpleasant. First things first. Cloud, what can you tell us about these beasts? Can you tell us where to find them?”

“Giving you their direction is not allowed. I can only answer questions.”

“Fine. Question then. What type of shelter do they look for or make?”

Cloud grins. “They are excellent burrowers. They build large dens a man’s height beneath the ground, the large spaces connected by small tunnels few predators would dare to squeeze into.”

“Underground.” Alana scans the open surroundings and scowls. “That is as helpful as saying they’re somewhere. Can you be any more specific?”

“No.”

“Saints. Arthur? Looks like you’re working overtime.”

“Raahhhh! Have the waves washed away your mind? Randomly diving into the earth will eat through my mana faster than a seaman can spend his gold on the first night ashore. I’m amazing but you have to get me something specific, fuck!”

Alana huffs. “How about it, Cloud? Going to give us something specific?”

“Ask your questions.”

“Move aside, shiny.” Marthe motions Alana back and faces Cloud. “Can you tell us what the beasties eat?”

Cloud grins. “They mainly prey on insects. They circle corpses and feasts on the beetles drawn to carrion. Rarely, they will eat scorpions. Not often, as the poison in their stingers can stop a man’s heart in seconds.”

“What else?” Marthe asks.

“Your question needs more direction.”

“Cheh. Are they territorial? Will they fight off invaders?”

“Depends on the strength of the den. If the den is small, they will retreat through their tunnels. If the den is strong, they will push out other creatures so they can expand. They will challenge snakes. Even jackals.”

“Which sex is bigger?”

“The males.”

“Are the males aggressive over females or their young?”

“Yes to both.”

“Does any of this have a point?” I ask. We have been standing under the hot sun doing nothing for over five minutes. I’m not the only one getting anxious. William is shuffling his feet, too tactful to speak up. I’d have thought Arthur would have exploded by now but he’s content leering at Cloud, ugh.

Marthe raises a hand. “I’m working, shiny.”

I narrow my eyes at the dismissal. Luckily for her, Alana grabs my arm. When my frown doesn’t abate, she loops our arms together, giving me a look. “Just for you,” I grumble, turning away. I’m also hoping there’s a point to these seemingly random questions.

“Are they hostile to other dens?”

“Yes. When two separate dens meet, the alpha males will fight each other. The weaker den is subsumed.”

“What about dens destroyed by predators? Do they take in strays?”

“Rarely the males. They will take the females and the young.”

“Do they have predators?”

“Snakes. They are the only creatures brave enough to hunt them in their tunnels. Second to them are the birds of prey, quick enough to grab them while they are feeding. Beyond that, any creature that can get their claws on them.”

“Alright.”

“You finished?” I ask with a raised brow.

She scoffs. “Yeah. You act like you’ve never hunted a manabeast before.”

“I haven’t.”

She glares at me. “Should have guessed. The big idiot said he can’t do a wide search—”

“Who you calling idiot?!”

“—so like he said, we have to narrow the search. They eat carrion beetles. That means we don’t have to struggle to pull them out of their little dens. We can kill any thing and leave it as bait. Catch the ones that show up for dinner and then follow their tracks back to their den. Bait the rest out.”

Cloud hums. “We are all driven by our hungers.”

Huh. There was a point.

“Bait and trap. Okay, we have our strategy. We need to get moving. Establish a camp, hopefully next to a water source. Then we can go about searching for a den. If it seems unlikely, we can move on to baiting.”

“I’m just glad we’re finally moving.” I look at Cloud. “Don’t suppose you’ll want to point us in the direction of water?”

“No.”

“Thought so.”

Alana claps me on the shoulder. “You’re the fastest. We’ll stick to the road and keep our eyes out for any good shelters. Maybe we’ll come across a den if we’re lucky. You find us some water.”

Oo. Really accustomed to giving orders now, aren’t you? “Having fun bossing me around?”

“Maybe I would if you quit talking back,” she snipes but there’s no heat in her voice. If I’m not wrong, her lips twitch holding back a smile. “Get going already.”

“Alright, Alana.” I point a threatening finger at Arthur. “You better behave while I’m gone.”

“What do you think I’m going to do, huh?”

Nothing, because Bell is watching. My little imp casually settles at Alana’s heels. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Do you know what you’re looking for?” Marthe asks.

“Water. Nothing difficult about that.”

“…stupid shiny.”

“Don’t worry your pretty head, okay? I have this under control.”

“I’ll burn you.”

“I’m terrified.” I start backing away from the group. “Remember, it’s not a bunch a weasels we need to look out for. Other teams are about and I’m sure we’ve pissed off plenty of people between us.” Especially Mr. Prodigy. I’m not at all threatened by his four affinities but he could do a number on my team.

“We’ll be fine,” Alana assures me.

I know. Bell is here after all. My little saint, remember you are posing as an imp with a coefficient of less than two hundred. No opening the earth to swallow anyone…unless Alana or Cloud are in mortal danger.

[Not the redhead, Master Lou?]

Haah. No. She has made it quite clear that she has no intentions of getting along with me and I’m no hero. She’s pretty but not to the level where she can compromise my judgment with a smile.

Don’t bring up the boys. I would pray for Arthur to die in an ambush if I weren’t certain Alana would jump in front of the danger meant to kill him. Damn future saint.

I wave them goodbye before running off, making sure to keep a pace that isn’t too fast. I wait until I am far away enough that my figure is hard to track before speeding up.

A dust cloud forms in my wake as the surroundings blur. My eyes are on a swivel, searching for clumps of green. Marthe looks down on me for having no experience hunting manabeasts, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have natural knowledge. Plants need water to grow. Patches of green means the water needed to sustain them.

I bound to the top of a hill. A ‘film’ drops over my eyes, magnifying my vision. Hm, let’s see. A couple birds circling another hill, with squawks that sound like a madwoman losing her voice. A little further out is a pack of doglike creatures with oversized ears and spots on the lower half of their bodies. I can faintly hear their yips as they trot over the dry earth.

A suspiciously small hill. Can I call it a hill if it’s only a little taller than myself? Something’s not right about it. The top…is it too flat? Too smooth? I can’t be sure but there’s no problem avoiding it.

No sign of greenery but those doggies have to wet their muzzles somewhere. I quickly hop off my hill and sprint toward them. Looks like I’ll be done with my errand earlier than I thought.