The day moved quickly with new company, or maybe their pace had picked up with the added Tiers. Did one of the knights have a Traveling Skill? Was that a thing?

When Cassidy finally remembered to check, Tiers 4 and 5 hung above the knights' heads in big red letters. That was certainly enough for them to pick up a useful Skill. However, she wasn’t sure if it was mental exhaustion from Berthold talking all day, something he’d never done in her company, or if they really had increased the pace and worn her out. But by the time it came to set up camp, she was more than grateful for the break. Eager to get some sleep with a divided watch.

That’s not what happened though. According to Norcross and the rest of his knights, large groups like this could sleep peacefully. Animals were to afraid to attack them and their Tiers would keep bandits away.

She didn’t trust the camp size to keep animals away, for all Norcross claimed differently. He said that was the point of traveling in large groups. Instead she assigned herself sentry duty… for the full night. She sat on her blanket for a cushion and leaned against a tree, bow drawn with an arrow lying next to her in the dirt, Koda and Sugarbear slept to either side. She stayed like that the whole time, eyes drifting shut only to shoot open, just like those nights she slept with a broken leg and no drugs to soothe it. It was the same for the next night and the next.

She’d gone two days without rest by now. She let the experts set the camp. Joined them for a meal. Oddly silent to Bertold’s confusion who was use to the constant harping. He again looked over the knights and reevaluated Cassidy. Apparently, she could be intimidated. He made no mention of her sleeping arrangements, just falling back on the assumption that Initiates were weird. Their travelling companions noticed though. While they formed opinions of their own, assuming she’d gone through some rough attacks in the night, they were too considerate to mention them. So, she stayed that way throughout their travel, stuck in her own world, listening to the sounds in the darkness.

They were only two days away from the city when it happened. Hours before dawn, that telltale sign; a gentle whoooosh. She froze and tracked it as it circled the camp. Nocking the arrow in her bow. Drawing it as she followed the sound. Norcross woke to her actions, readying for an attack even as he was blinking the sleep from his eyes. He didn’t hear anything but he saw her. Normally tanned skin pale against the darkness. She was kneeling, pursuing something invisible in the night. He tried listening but didn’t hear anything, watching her instead to see when it would get close. She was still turning in yet another circle when she froze for a moment and the arrow was loosed, flying deadly through the night. It rustled leaves as it passed by trees and sailed through their branches. That small noise woke his fellows and then it struck… something and a wallowing cry was accompanied by the drop of the heavy body. A flint-nosed bat by the sound of it. The image of her, bow drawn stayed for a moment before he stood to investigate. Sharika came with him as they tread through the dark to the struggling creature. It wasn’t as close as he’d assumed. That bolt had to have passed several trees and their branches with no sight to line up the shot. Again, that image flashed. He didn’t know how she did it.

It was hardly a threat though. Not worth a nightly watch. He bet it’d fly away once it realized the size of their party. If not, it’d only be a small scuffle to deal with the creature as it attacked. It’d do more by waking its prey rather than actually injuring anyone.

He brought this up with Cassidy when he returned, trying to be as delicate as possible out of consideration for her fear. She flat out rejected him. She didn’t buy it. That thing had circled them several times. It wasn’t running anywhere and he was seriously arrogant if he didn’t think it’d do any damage when it attacked. Weren’t knights supposed to be smarter or was that the price of power? It made you overlook the simpler things? There was only one night left now. She could hold that watch. Besides, just like that pain with her broken leg, there was no sleeping unless she knew what was happening around her. She’d recover once they got to the city. He walked back to his spot shaking his head at her paranoia. What had Bertold told him? She was an Initiate. Initiates always turned out weird.

Shakira watched him as he lay down. A small hesitation before she lay down as well. It looked like she wasn’t so certain of his words either. He closed his eyes, debating again how many it took for a party to sleep safely on these roads. That’s when he remembered. A Tier 1 might not survive a Flint-Nose Bat attack in their sleep. Certainly not in the way a Tier 4 would. But by the time this occurred to him, his thoughts were too scattered by sleep to wake up and organize any sentries, leaving Cassidy alone to watch the night.

Norcross woke up with the hint of a thought just out of reach. He tried to grab at it but saw his fellows were already climbing to their feet and followed suit. He moved to the remnants of the campfire and watched as Edel got it going. Sharika returned with some fresh water. Over the last few days, they’d all come to appreciate the unique mix of teas Cassidy carried with her and looked forward to them over breakfast. The girl was of course, already up and moving. It seemed that no lack of sleep ever stopped her, let alone slowed her down. Her dogs were still climbing to their feet, stretching out their long bodies in the glistening sunrise. Berthold was the last to get up, yawning at everyone’s movement before pulling some travel rations out of his bag to share over breakfast. He too seemed oddly skilled in the culinary arts and the group had appreciated slowing down to travel with these two. Not to mention the stories. It was hard to remember they were low Tiered.

Shakira was eyeing her now empty cup before she turned to Cassidy. “Say, what’s your Skill Levels?”

“Shakira!” Edel and even Fremont scolded in unison. Cassidy looked around in confusion.

“Is that supposed to be private?”

This time Norcross spoke. “Extremely.”

She turned around to glare at Bertold.

He had his arms raised as if to fend off an angry animal. “When a Tier 1 takes out a pack of Tier 2 wolves as if they’re nothing? I stand by my question.”

Shakira cut back. “I just wanted to know how an archer got this good with tea. I mean, its top shelf. You have to admit it’s odd.” The others looked away, not wanting to forgive Sharika but asking the same questions themselves.

Cassidy looked around and decided it was best to tell them. She’d been silent up to the point of rudeness so far. The least she could do is admit why she had good tea. “I knew a lot about tea from my old world and brought some of those plants with me. That and an average of 7 in Cooking and Alchemy did the rest.” Shakira was nodding along.

“That makes sense. I never thought I’d get to drink otherworldly tea before.” She admitted with a grin before frowning. “The Alchemy is strange though. That’s not a usual skill for someone in your profession.”

“An Archer?”

“Well, yes. But I was thinking more of a Ranger. Archer’s are usually more stationery and teamwork based. Ranger’s tend to work alone or with animal bonds.” She sent a pointed look to Cassidy’s Companions. Cassidy looked them over too. She did do a lot more than just use her bow. Was it so weird that her Skills included Alchemy?

Shakira looked back as she juggled her cup in her empty hand. “If you have much more, you could earn some decent credits selling at the more high-end shops. In fact, I have some recommendations.”

Cassidy shook her head. “I just have enough for personal use. I’ll keep that in mind for the next time though and bring more. If you’re around maybe you could show me those shops then?” Her voice had gotten softer as she spoke but Shakira was still able to hear it clearly across the campfire.

Her face lit with a grin. “Sure. That would work out.”

Everyone packed quickly and they hit the road. Norcross spoke up as if just now remembering something. “We’ll be reaching the city tomorrow evening. That puts us just two days out. The perfect time for bandits so stay sharp should something happen.” He made a pointed effort not to look at Cassidy and Bertold. They should be safe surrounded by Tier 4’s and 5’s but he wanted them prepared just in case. Answering affirmatives sounded around him.

The group kept to the same pattern. Norcross and Fremont stayed in the saddle while Edel and Sharika stayed on the ground. Most were silent as they went back to the path but for Shakira. She was whistling away some happy tune that intermingled with the birdsong floating through the air. It was actually quite lovely and no one asked her to stop. The morning turned into a gentle walk. They didn’t run into any predators. The animals knew to stay away from this part of the path. It was the most travelled section and usually the starting point for many hunters. Besides, few would dare attack a party of this size.

Conversation started up again when they hit noon’s break. All it took was Edel asking Bertold a question and the ball started rolling. Bertold was more than happy to answer any of their questions, Cassidy noted with a wry smile. And it usually turned into tales from some of Bertold’s more exciting adventures. He’d already run out of material about Cassidy for which she was infinitely grateful. Edel and even Shakira seemed happy to listen along, a break from the tedium of walking or relistening to their own companions’ stories once more. Fremont and Norcross were harder to read as they just kept watching the path ahead, expressionless.

It was coming close to time to camp when they noticed a bend in the upcoming road. Berthold stopped talking without comment and everyone seemed a little tenser. Cassidy didn’t have to ask why. She’d been ambushed by enough bends on her own trails to know this was where trouble was most likely to appear. She dropped her hands to Koda and Sugarbear’s heads and they perked up, noses to the air.

As the party approached, her dogs let out a little whine, their pace dropping. Norcross may not have looked her way but she could still feel the question in the air. Her dogs didn’t act this way on hunts. They acted this way when storms rolled through and catastrophes hit. Koda began rubbing his head on her leg for comfort. She whispered. “They’re not reacting to a threat. Something bad has already happened just beyond this bend.”

Norcross nodded and sent his horse forward to lead the party. Sharika and Edel mounted up and all four surrounded the weaker members. Norcross was frowning. There was something strange on the wind. Everyone’s faces turned grim and Cassidy didn’t want to admit what was on the other side. But they all moved forward and in the end… she couldn’t turn her eyes away.

Bodies. Bodies lay littered across the road. Some had gotten farther than others, but it was clear to see the epicenter was the hacked apart carriage. Men in steel, their armor cleaved to pieces, lay in formation around it. What Skill had that strength and moved so quickly they didn't even lose formmation? Arrows stuck from weaker areas in their joints. Those that made it farther were in finer clothes, taken down by slashes to the back or arrows in their hearts. The blood had already turned rancid in the sun. Bandits.

Norcross refused to let anyone dismount to check the bodies. He already recognized Alesha from the noble house Chiemel. She must have been returning from the South. It was amazing she’d traveled so far with such few guards. Then again maybe they’d already gone through losses. He rode his horse closer and looked over the woods, judging where the attackers had come from. This was outside his jurisdiction. He’d have to tell Victoria first thing. She hated getting night calls. She’d hate this even more.

He looked back over his shoulder and said in a level voice. “We already know what happened here. We’ll keep going till we’re well away from this place before setting up camp. Then I’ll tell the Inquisitor first thing once we get to the City." They all nodded and moved on. Cassidy couldn’t get those images from her head. She was afraid she’d be stuck with them forever.

That night, Norcross did set a watch and he left Cassidy out of it, “...on account of all the sentry duty she’d already put in.” That earned him a laugh, even from Fremont, but Cassidy just frowned before finding a place for her dogs and her to sleep.

Bertold was wondering again at Cassidy’s behavior as she took Norcross’ orders quietly and lay down for the night. Nothing like the bully of a girl he knew. A realization came and he scanned the group. There must be a big difference between addressing a stranger on one’s own property than there was in being surrounded by them in a foreign world. All of a sudden, he was worried for her once they hit the city. He never dreamed anyone could ever take advantage of the girl he knew but now he wasn’t so certain. He looked across the campsite. At least he was glad Shakira and Norcross had taken an interest in Cassidy. They should be able to protect her long enough for her to get her confidence back.

Cassidy had dealt with plenty of blood by now, but she just couldn’t get today’s out of her mind, and the images kept flashing. She scrunched up her eyes and tried to think of a distraction. Priorities. She ran through a list of priorities for once she got to the city. First and foremost, new dagger. Something she could fallback on when the attackers pushed past her bow. Second, Masteries. She needed to know more about them and the void. Hopefully she’d get lucky and find someone to teach her, but she doubted it. A glance over the others and she kept her decision to remain silent. If Skill Levels were sensitive enough to avoid then something like Void Mastery must be an absolutely forbidden topic. It was too dangerous to share with others. Even if she was beginning to trust them. Third, was armor. She was tired of getting beat up every time she made a slight mistake and it looked like things were only going to get more dangerous for her if she insisted on living in her woods. Fourth, was the Alchemy. It’d help her remain self-sufficient. With those all lined up she just ran through them again and again until, finally, she was asleep.

The morning still held yesterday’s solemnity. They didn’t linger over breakfast but packed up tight and headed out. Edel and Shakira stayed mounted this time. But they had barely hit the road before Shakira decided she’d had enough of the morbid silence and convinced Edel to share some of his bawdier tales. They even pulled Cassidy’s mind from yesterday and left her blushing. Bertold was laughing outright while the others smiled at the tales; they knew them by heart now. It didn’t seem to diminish their enjoyment. Cassidy felt her eyes were opened as this calm gentleman let loose one after the other, filling the morning with tears of laughter.

The sun was lowering itself over the horizon when they drew near to the city. Just a mile out and Cassidy was enjoying her first view. The buildings were a lot simpler in design than she was used to and she saw a lot more wood than stone, absolutely no metal. Plus, nothing within the first few layers exceeded three stories. She saw some buildings off in the distance that might be higher but wasn’t sure. The wall was impressive though. She’d never been to a walled in city. It didn’t seem… hygienic. She remembered her credits. Was 3000 a lot or little? She glanced at the group. It seemed rude to talk about money and she figured she’d find out soon enough. Plus, there should be a lot more coming in once Bertold sold their inventory. She might not get along with the man but it seems outside his character to cheat her.

Norcross reined in beside her. He’d become a lot more talkative since the night she took down the bat—in that he talked to her at all.

“This is the established city of the North. All trade goes through it to the other, smaller cities and towns. Its official name may be Eraetoeom but everyone just calls it the Northern City.” He looked down at her. “We’ll settle in for tonight but tomorrow I’ll help you register with the Adventurer’s and give you my recommendation.”

Shakira frowned as she overheard this. After everything Bertold had said she wanted to give the girl a recommendation! But if Norcross was going to back her, there was no point in any of the rest of them lining up to add on theirs. Instead, she tried to think of other ways to establish a relationship with this oddly quiet girl. There weren’t many women who went into the field of adventuring and chose to stay after their first few brushes with death. Hell, there weren’t many men who did either. Shakira didn’t want to lose this chance at a new ally, even if she was just Tier 1. Besides, it didn’t sound like she’d stay that way for long. She thought with a smile.

Maybe drinking? The best ideas always came out of taverns! With a wicked grin, she looked forward to settling into their inn.