Walking down the road leading away from the town that was no longer her home, Lucinda had been trying her best to push her thoughts to more positive things since the recent upset she'd suffered; It was proving to be extremely difficult. Had she been able to become a Shifter without anyone realising, she was fairly sure she would have lingered in Kloip for a while. Not only had that option been torn away from her, but even lingering in Prilemia was unlikely to be a good idea.

Having almost reached the edge of the forest that followed along the road leaving town, Lucinda was startled out of her brooding by a voice.

“Oi!”

The voice wasn’t Waflaw’s, but it was familiar. Turning in the direction it had come from, Lucinda found the man named Lawrence walking up the road behind her. His appearance was vastly different to how she’d seen him before: his face an amused smirk, his clothes mostly hidden by a leather jerkin, and his waist adorned with a sword.

“What do you want!?” Lucinda asked angrily, enraged by the presence of such a lying scoundrel.

“Isn’t it obvious? You think we'd just let you leave?” Lawrence replied with an incredulous look upon his face. “You should have taken the generous offer the High Cleric extended to you.” he continued, his face returning to an amused smirk.

“Leave me alone. I'm not going back!" She turned to start off away from town once more.

"That's where you're wrong. I'll be taking you back whether you want me to or not. 'Course, if you come willingly, I won't have to hurt you quite so much."

The man's threatening tone gave Lucinda pause. Looking back she was met with another amused smirk.

"No… You wouldn't…" she stammered.

Another bark of laughter emerged into the air.

"I would, I will, I am." Lawrence drew his sword. "What's it to be? Yes? Or all sliced up, and then a yes?"

Oh crap! He’s serious.

Lawrence began advancing towards her with sword in hand. “Wait! I’m not even of age!”

The man laughed wildly at her words. “Oh, you poor naive thing. Outside the walls of your precious little town, such trifles never stop anyone.”

Lucinda stood frozen to the spot as her imminent demise seemed to draw ever nearer.

“Leave her be,” a new voice called out.

Hope blossomed within Lucinda’s chest, she’d recognised the voice immediately. It was Waflaw. He had emerged from the forest north of the road, dressed in his usual robe and leather armour, but now with a small club in hand. At his side stood his animal companion, the stag, Wollow.

“Ah, this is perfect! We’ve been looking all over for you, Druid. Could hardly let the monster that led this poor girl astray go free could we?” Lawrence replied, seemingly unconcerned by the shift in numbers.

Waflaw moved to Lucinda’s side. “You okay?” he asked her.

“Yes, and glad you’re here,” Lucinda replied, as her racing heart slowed down a fraction.

“Good.” Waflaw nodded. “Try to stay behind me. No telling what he’s capable of.”

“You two done are you?” Lawrence asked with mock sincerity. “Time to die then.”

Lucinda tensed as Lawrence suddenly charged. With sword in hand, the wiry young man sped across the intervening distance, his sights set firmly on Waflaw. He was almost upon the Druid, when Wollow dashed between them, forcing Lawrence to change targets or be skewered by the stag’s antlers.

“I really hate animals,” Lawrence announced with a sick smile.

With seemingly little effort, Lawrence weaved around the animal companion unleashing two quick slashes of his sword as he did. Wollow took the hits directly, and backed away with a startled bleat as he brought his antlers to bear in defence against further attacks.

Since Lawrence had made his first move, Waflaw had begun casting spells immediately, and by the time Lawrence had fended off Wollow, the Druid has finished two back to back casts. The first had his skin take on the appearance of hardened wood, while the second had released a glowing light, but showed no other noticeable effect.

Free from interference, Lawrence unleashed a new series of horizontal slashes straight at Waflaw, causing Lucinda to gasp in terror as she witnessed the assault. Waflaw, however, seemed unperturbed, and made no effort to block as he instead swung his club in retaliation.

Lucinda’s fear turned to excitement as she saw the club swing match up with a sudden attack from Wollow, completing a potentially deadly pincer attack against the would-be assassin. Yet, despite how well executed the combined attack looked, Lawrence easily deflected Waflaw’s club as he dodged out of the way of the approaching antlers.

“I’m going to enjoy wiping that stupid grin off your face, girl,” Lawrence called out.

Idiot. He’s just giving Waflaw time to cast more spells!

Which was exactly what Waflaw was doing. With an intricate dance of rapid hand movement, Waflaw unleashed a new spell, causing a small tidal wave of dirt to erupt from the ground. The wave surged up to tower over all present, as it powered towards where Lawrence stood with a rumbling of muddy earth.

Lucinda clenched her hands in anticipation as she watched the magical attack reach the despicable man. But her desire was met with dismay, as Lawrence blinked out of existence just as the wave hit, re-appearing in front of it unharmed and looking hideously smug.

Lawrence’s smugness lasted less than a second, as Wollow charged into him antlers first, sending him sprawling as the loud blow sounded out through the surroundings. Lucinda marvelled at the timing of events, and was then further amazed when thick roots sprung out from the ground, coiling around Lawrence’s prone body before he could recover.

Waflaw moved over the bound man without hesitation, while Lucinda waited and watched with bated breath.

“Someone in town gives you orders. Who is it?” Waflaw demanded.

“You think this will hold me? Soon as I’m free, you’re dead! Both of you!” Lawrence spat out in answer.

“You’re a fool. Tell me what I want to know and I might spare you. Refuse, and you die.”

Waflaw’s words were followed by an audible tightening of the roots around the man’s waist, causing him to grunt in pain.

“Who do you work for?” Waflaw shouted.

A sick laugh burst out of the man's lips.

"Your threat means nothing to me! Nothing!"

“Final warning: tell me what you know.”

If the man was afraid, he didn't show it. He laughed again, then spat in Waflaw's direction. Grinning madly, he spoke. “Go fuck yourself.”

Waflaw let out a weary sigh just before the roots holding Lawrence started creaking with increased effort. Lucinda felt a knot form in her stomach as she realised what was about to happen. The man's laughter continued in spurts, but decreased in volume as the roots constricted his chest. To Lucinda's eyes, he really did seem indifferent to his fate – at least at first. A few unpleasant crunches heralded the change in his attitude, silencing the fearless, mocking laughter and producing wild and desperate thrashing instead. But, his efforts were in vain, and with an especially sickening crunch, he gasped out a last breath and went still.

Lucinda felt bile rise in her throat, even as she tried to still her racing heart. In just a few short minutes she’d had her life threatened by the man who’d accused of her a deed most foul, before he’d been killed before her very eyes.

“Lucinda!” said Walfaw sternly, snapping Lucinda's eyes from the dead man. “We need to get off the road, come on.”

She watched as Waflaw hefted the body of Lawrence onto Wollow’s back, then began following closely behind him as he made his way directly off the road into the forest beyond. They walked for a good few minutes before Waflaw finally stopped and turned to her.

“Sorry you had to see that,” said Waflaw.

“You saved me… I thought I was going to die.”

“You’re safe now, don’t worry about it. Though, you should be thanking Saseligan. He told me about what happened, and suggested I keep an eye out for you here.”

"Saseligan…? I thought…"

"He sends his apologies, sounded pretty sincere about it too. From what I heard, there wasn't anything he could do to help you out in the courtroom."

"No… I know. I knew… But… I don't understand, this!" Lucinda motioned towards Lawrence's body.

"You're not the only one. High Cleric wanting you back, sure. But, forcefully abducting you? Saseligan mentioned things have been a bit strange around here recently."

"Yes, the arsonists. I heard… Oh! Oh-no… Father's going to be removed from the council! They'll make him, now that I've run away…"

"Hmm, I suppose they'd have a right too…"

"Why didn't I realise sooner…?" Lucinda interjected. "I… No, it wouldn't have mattered… But, this means… With Father off the council, they'll execute them. He said that could mean war!"

"That is troubling. Still, there's not much we can do. I'm a wanted man, and you're not exactly welcome here anymore either. Sorry, Lucinda, we'll just have to hope it doesn't come to that."

"You're a wanted man?"

"Sadly. Corrupting a young woman with Shifter training doesn't go down well in these parts."

"…I’m sorry you got caught up in this.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, it’s not your fault. Doesn’t bother me much anyway. I’m a wanderer. I’ll just wander away to somewhere a bit more inviting.”

“What about me?” Lucinda asked hesitantly.

“Well, that’s up to you, isn’t it. I’m happy to stay here for another few days or so, help you get started with your new class, and teach you what I can. After that, you’re welcome to come with me, or forge your own path closer to home.”

“But, what will I do?”

“As a Druid, or Shifter, whatever you want to do. That’s one of the perks of our class: few responsibilities,” Waflaw replied with a smile. “You could do what I do, wander around living off the land, offering help to those that appear on the way. Or you could take up the common Druid cause of keeping the natural balance in order, as many of us do. By that, I mean joining a circle, a small group of Druids working towards a common goal. Or you could take up a more generalised occupation, by joining up with a group of adventurers, or even signing up for soldier work.”

“Hmm…” Lucinda replied, considering her options.

“Or anything else you can imagine, really. But, no need to rush to a decision, your birthday was in two days time?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Right, that gives you a bit to decide if you want to come with me or not, and after that as much time as you need to come to any other larger conclusions. I wouldn’t try to force it though, many people go through a good portion of their life before deciding on what they want to do, and if you can’t decide just try things out for a bit.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

“Good, well I think we’ll head north. There’s a village I stopped by at on my way here, about a day’s walk away, friendly enough, and more importantly, isolated. That should give us a chance to celebrate your coming of age without worry.”

“No alcohol this time please…”

“Oh come on, don’t try and tell me you didn’t enjoy that last lot.”

“I passed out!”

“That’s all part of the fun! Come on, I told you, you have to enjoy it while you still can. Well, let’s see how you feel about it tomorrow.”

“What about him?” Lucinda asked, pointing towards Lawrence’s body once more, which was now lying on the ground a short distance from where they stood.

“Right, almost forgot. I’ll just take whatever items of value he might have, then we’ll leave him here for nature to reclaim.”

Lucinda didn’t object as Waflaw began searching the pockets of the fallen man. She wondered what had happened to the man’s sword, but soon noticed it poking out of Waflaw’s pack. Before long, Waflaw completed his search and stood up.

“Nothing incriminating on him, not surprisingly. Just a few coins, and little else. Right, let’s be off. You ready to leave this all behind?”

“I guess so…”

“I know it must be hard, but try to focus on the good here. You’re now free to go off on a journey of your own making, travelling the world as you please.”

Lucinda could only nod in reply as Waflaw gathered his things, preparing for their trip north. They set off moments later, ignoring the roads and continuing through the forest. As they walked, she couldn’t help but notice how easily Waflaw seemed to lead them, never once stopping to check a map or compass; unerringly leading them towards the distant village. Or at least she hoped that was the case.

After several hours of walking at a decent pace, Lucinda was starting to feel quite hungry.

“Could we stop for food? I could do with a short rest.”

“We need to hurry if we want to make it to the village tonight. Why don’t you hop up on Wollow for a bit, and eat while we walk.”

“Is that okay?”

“Sure, he’s a tough animal. I doubt you weigh much of anything anyway.”

Wollow stopped as Waflaw finished speaking, allowing Lucinda to climb up on his back with out too much difficulty. As she had expected, his back was nice and soft.

“Thank you, Wollow.”

Taking some dried biscuits from her pack, Lucinda began eating quietly as Wollow resumed walking beside Waflaw.

“He would appreciate it if you could wipe those crumbs of his back when you’re done,” said Waflaw, with a grin on his face.

“Oh, sorry,” Lucinda replied, sweeping the crumbs she could see off of Wollow.

After finishing her meal, Lucinda stayed sitting on Wollow for a while, before guilt got the best of her and she started walking once more. They’d started their journey quite early in the day, but as the light started to fade, Lucinda started to get slightly concerned.

Finally, only a short time after the sky had gone dark, Waflaw pointed out the village in the distance, which was visible thanks to a number of lit torches scattered around the outskirts. The village itself was quite small, with less than two dozen or so buildings of various sizes haphazardly strewn about the area.

“The inn’s this way.”

“They have an inn? In this tiny village?”

“It’s pretty common. Good way to bring a bit of coin into the smaller communities.”

Waflaw lead her to one of the largest buildings in the small village, which was located close to the centre. As they reached the front door, Waflaw knocked loudly. Then when no one answered he knocked again. Finally, just after the third knock, the door opened, revealing a large burly man with a scowl across his aged face.

“Oh, it’s you again. Come on in then.”

“Such hospitality! I knew there was a reason I came back here,” Waflaw told the man that seemed to be the innkeeper.

“Do you want a room or not?” the man asked.

“Sure do, two beds would be ideal.”

“Not a problem. Second door on the left is free, take it. How long you staying?”

“Two nights. Say, it’s my apprentice’s coming of age tomorrow, do you think you could scrounge up something special for an evening celebration?”

Lucinda was surprised when the scowl on the innkeeper’s face, which she had been starting to assume was permanent, shifted to a small but friendly smile.

“Congratulations, Lass,” he said, before turning back to Waflaw. “I’m sure my wife can whip up something special for you, she’s quite a skilled cook, and I’m sure she’d be honoured to provide for such a joyous occasion.”

“I’m looking forward to it, especially after the slop you served me last time I was here.”

“Pff, what does a man that spends most of his time living in the wilderness know about good food?”

With a chuckle Waflaw motioned for Lucinda to follow him upstairs to their room. It was a decent enough place to sleep: fairly spacious, a window on one side, with two neatly made beds. As she sat down on one of the beds, Lucinda couldn’t help but realise she might not get to be so picky in the near future, unless she decided to pursue a career that paid well.

“Any idea what time you were born?”

Lucinda frowned in confusion momentarily, until she realised what Waflaw meant. The coming of age event occurred after exactly 18 years since the person in question was born.

“In the early morning, I think.”

“Good, that’s fine then. How are you holding up?”

“Okay, I think,” Lucinda replied with an attempt at a smile. “I don’t think it’s caught up fully yet. That I can’t ever go home, or visit my parents when I’m in the area."

“I know it might be hard at first, but it’ll be okay. There isn't really anything stopping you from seeing your parents again anyway. If you'd rather not risk travelling in Prilemia, you can always invite them over the border to Chakog'mar."

“Yeah, you’re right,” Lucinda agreed. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all any of us can do,” Waflaw smiled in response. “Let’s call it a day shall we.”

“Okay, goodnight.”

Returning her words, Waflaw laid down on his bed, and to Lucinda’s great surprise, was asleep in mere moments. Lying back in her own bed, Lucinda had too much on her mind to consider sleep, the recent horrible events warring with the excitement she felt at finally reaching her coming of age.