The morning was one of those sunlit-fog mornings. The valleys between the hills held a thin layer of the soft white and the early sun had trouble reaching the ground with the steep angle it sat at. Normally, I could just fly above and enjoy the early rays but due to the reduced visibility, I decided to stick with the caravan.

I sat on a wagon that was more like a box on wheels than the modern cars I remembered from time before. The dwarves had taken a large steel plate reinforced with a few bars and put an axle on each end. The front wheels were able to shift left and right to steer the vehicle while the back axle had a motor powered by vis fixed to it. The crystals had to be refilled regularly but with the dwarves all having minor enrichment, they were able to keep going without much of an issue. On top of the plate, they had put a large box for storage. This time, the whole caravan held stone with only a bit of space in every wagon reserved for supplies. In front, one dwarf sat, hands on the steering wheel. One guard was next to him and one was on another seat at the back. They had rain-covers in the form of impregnated leather to pull out from the steel box. Currently, those were not in use. The apprentices mostly used some leftover space in the wagons and usually had a more experienced merchant there to teach them.

The wagons were rather fast, at least compared to walking. With their short legs, the dwarves were really slow walkers. Not like I was much faster without my wings. But I had wings. I could still fly faster than they moved even without my wings of darkness. But just sitting on the wagon was kind of nice as well. I could let my thoughts wander without worry, thinking whatever came to my mind. Right now I was devising a plan for a new magic device. Something small and simple like my supersensory matrix, just for keeping my feathers dry. I was not fond of the wet drops forming every now and then as we moved through the fog. Though my heart was not in it. I only ran by feeling and tried to burn some ideas into my head so I would not forget them.

I also kept up my duty, slowly swivelling my head, turning this way and that way to look for danger. Again, my heart was not in it. The animals that used the hours of dawn or dusk to hunt would not pose a danger to seven steel wagons armed with two guards each. These guards were not quite like the town guards. They had much more mobile equipment. I would have taken them for a band of rogues if I did not know better. They wore leathers and scaled armour, each and everyone carrying a belt of throwing knives or axes. A melee weapon was also included and on the wagons, they stored a bow or crossbow next to them. It was unlikely we would get into a fight soon but they looked ready nonetheless.

The morning had been quite bittersweet. Saying goodbye to Safrah and Vivi mixed with the excitement of new places. Now that the excitement had died down with the somewhat slow speed of the transporters, I was really trying to avoid brooding. The last month and change had been some of the most enjoyable time between both of my lives. As far as I remembered the time before, at least. Making friends, learning new things both about magic and about dwarven culture… I had so much fun. But I was confident exploring more of the world would be equally or possibly even more fun. Especially when I could return to tell my tales.

For now, it was time to explore the world. The fog lifted within about an hour and the day turned to a sunny blue-sky autumn. Most trees nearby were turning into all shades of yellow, red and orange. A few evergreens here and there only added to the multitude of colours. I took to the skies soon after and drew slow circles over the caravan. It was quite nice to just let myself glide on the currents.

Nothing much happened the first day and we settled into a circular camp cordoned off by the wagons. I watched the guards set up an artefact a few metres around them. It was a thin brass wire connected to a stake every few metres. Some mana flowed through it permanently in a circular motion. I was a bit worried about the flux build-up but then realized, being constantly on the move would make it easier to discharge during the day. When I asked one of the guards, he told me they had three sets of the artefact and were able to switch out any overloaded parts if needed.

The campsite itself was more of a large tent by now. The dwarves had fastened a few leather covers to the wagons and held them up with a few pokes towards the middle. There was a small hole above the fire they used to make dinner which was less to let out smoke and more a result of the design. Somehow all the dwarves had a mug of ale in their hand and were happily chatting about all kinds of unimportant things. Servin soon approached me with a small pot and a heating plate.

“Here. You can use this to make tea for yourself. You have enough vis to supply it, right?”

I bobbed my head.

“Thank you.”

The merchant left me to it as he made sure everyone was getting settled in properly. I observed the dwarves a little more while waiting for my tea to get ready.

There were small groups here and there but they were not really separate, just preferred constellations of friends or family, I assumed. I felt a little out of the loop with everyone being somewhat busy talking to each other when I spotted one group of three apprentices repeatedly looking my way while whispering about something. With the bustle in the camp, it took some effort but I could still make out what they were saying.

“You don’t say!”, one of the two girls exclaimed, “we have good ears too and I could never hear us whisper from over there.”

The guy shook his head.

“That owl is a magic beast. You don’t know what aspect it has.”

“What aspect she has”, the other girl reprimanded him, “And I say we just go over and ask. What’s the worst that could happen? She’s big buddies with that Holden. He can judge someone’s character.”

A sharp look from the guy made her lower her voice again.

“Like, we can just ask, right?”

She batted her eyelids at him and with a deep sigh he resigned to his fate.

“Fine. But! You ask. And if she doesn’t want to be pet, you won’t complain! Think about it. If I walked over to you and asked if you let me pet you, would you say yes? Especially without knowing me?”

The girls both tilted their heads and their ears flicked back. Then they spoke as one.

“Yes?”

Another sigh before, with a, “Come on”, he stood up and walked over, the two girls following him.

The dwarves made their way over through the camp and I decided to ignore them as I poured my tea. The bowl was easy to hold in my shadowy tendrils and I was just taking my first sip as the trio arrived.

“Umm.”, the guy began, “Hello there. I’m Drov and these are my little sisters Harra and Selvie. Do you mind… if we join you?”

I looked up. Three dwarves watched me with expectant faces, the girls fidgeting with the hems of their shirts. Then I nodded and bid them to sit with a wing.

“Thanks… Uh… Fio, right?”

The dwarves sat down and I looked at the guy once more. He was short with a youthful face. Most likely they were just barely adults, if even.

[Identify]

Species: Felt-Ear Dwarf (adult)

Age: 23

Name: Droy Kinis

Gender: male

Level: 20

Huh. 23 was older than I expected. Still, Kinis was the name of the merchant clan, right? His sisters were two and three years younger respectively, the one at twenty years reading (youth) in her Species. So dwarves were adults at 21? Interesting. It was definitely not the drinking age since I saw her hold a mug that was clearly filled with ale.

Finally, I gave him a nod to answer his question.

“I heard you can use telepathy but is it difficult?”

Should I? I had a connection with Servin running permanently for the duration of the journey so I would be able to warn him if anything happened. A second one was not really a problem.

A few moments later I spoke into Droy’s mind.

“It’s not terrible if it’s not too many people.”

“Ah”, he exclaimed. His surprise was well hidden, as expected of a merchant’s apprentice. He turned to his sisters.

“She has a hard time talking to many people.”

I scoffed.

“You would have a hard time if I talked to all of you.”

When he looked back at me in surprise, I pulled my facial feathers into a grin.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine”, I sent.

“Rrright…, so…”

Before he could get to the point the youngest sister jumped into the conversation, unable to hold herself any longer.

“Can we pet you?”

I met her expectant eyes, full of interest and youthful excitement. And I held her stare. And held it. And held it. And held it just a little longer.

She was squirming uncomfortably and just as she was about to look away, I shook my head.

“I don’t like to be pet”, I sent as explanation to the guy.

The girls got the message and sagged backwards, their ears falling flat. It was kind of cute but I would not give in.

“That’s fine”, the brother said and turned to his sisters, “See? I told you it would be impolite.”

The girls nodded meekly.

“I won’t mind if you stay, though”, I sent.

With a smirk, he faced me again.

“Then we’ll take you up on that offer.”

“What offer?”, the elder sister asked.

“That we can pet her if we become friends!”

He looked at me with a large grin. I clicked my tongue three times. Well, no matter. If we really became friends, it would be fine. Once. And I had my experience notification to see when it was the case.

“Yay!”, the sisters exclaimed together and rubbed the sides of their heads to each other, “Let’s be friends!”

This trek might not be so boring after all.