Ten minutes after we had begun fleeing from the Inrel Demon, I couldn't hear the Torpels anymore, and a cursory glance had shown there was nothing following us. Haltir didn't show any signs of stopping, though. With a pounding headache and tired as if I hadn't slept in a week, I was having a hard time holding on to the mount, my pack, and my ax as I constantly bounced in the saddle.

"I think we can slow down a bit now," I groaned.

"No," Haltir said, shaking his head sharply. "That thing will track us for a long time this close to the sea. We need to get as much distance between us as we can."

Getting the image of bloodhounds in my head, I grimaced at the prospect of moving at this speed for an extended time.

"What is it anyway?"

"A monster!" Laurel snapped, interrupting Haltir, who looked at her with sympathy, a knowing pain in his eyes.

"Inrel demons don't usually come anywhere near Grammanite," Laurel continued, her voice flat now. "The border guards exterminate any of their outposts. This one must have been a forward scout. We need to warn the local wizard at Crouhal."

I wanted to ask Laurel what made her so upset, but seeing her glare at the rocks in front of us, gnashing her teeth, I decided it could wait for another time.

"Tell me about wizards," I asked instead, hoping to get her mind off of whatever she was reliving. It must have worked.

Laurel and Haltir looked at me, one in disbelief, the other slightly amused.

"I keep forgetting how little you know," Laurel finally said. "Wizards are singlestatters. They are incredibly rare and a prized possession for any ruler."

"Singlestatters?" I asked, slightly confused. Someone with only strength or intelligence? That didn't make sense. My status showed those things, but they were derived. I'd mostly ignored them since I'd found they only gave a sum of other things I could actually increase.

"If you summon your status, those attributes are all the same color, right?" Laurel asked.

"Yes." I didn't even have to look to know that was the case.

"That's the case for most people. You get born, get your status-window, and as you become older, you increase your body and mind which is reflected in those attributes."

Laurel's face had stopped contorting as she was explaining things to me. A quick look at Haltir showed he was staring at her in mild surprise. We had slowed down considerably too, still going faster than was comfortable, but at least we could speak without shouting all the time.

"But for some people, it's different. They are born with a single attribute highlighted."

"Cursed," Haltir said.

Laurel snorted. "What? You're one of those people?" Then she turned to me and shook her head. "They aren't cursed, just different!"

Haltir grumbled something, and I saw him shake his head angrily.

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"It means they can only increase values that relate to their highlighted stat. For strength, they can only increase muscle mass, coordination, and stamina."

"And fat," Haltir suddenly said, a serious look on his face. "People always forget that one!"

Laurel ignored the soldier and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"There is an upside to having one stat, and it's why every singlestatter is valued. What is your muscle mass right now?"

The sudden question took me by surprise, and I summoned my status window. As soon as I did, a crystal clear ping rang from it that was different from anything I had heard before. Energy surged through me, washing away the fatigue and the headache and leaving me fresh and rested. It was similar to what happened if a stat increased, but far, far more. It reminded me of what it had felt like at the start when my values had been lower, and every increase held far more value.

"Congratulations!" Laurel and Haltir said in unison as if practiced.

They heard that? Before I could ask, my eyes drew to the sparkling solid gold bar behind my stamina and the text behind it.

> 31/33: Muscle mass

> 03/120: Fat

> 30/40: Coordination

> 30/30: Stamina [Maximum reached]

> 06/10: Learning rate

> 429/444: Knowledge

> 04/30: Beauty

> 01/60: Grooming

> 07/60: Well spoken

I was almost so distracted that I forgot to look at the thing I came for. Thirty-one muscle mass, I noted quickly.

"Which one was it, boy?" Haltir asked, looking at me bright-eyed. "With what we've been doing, it has to be either Stamina or Coordination!"

"Stamina," I responded.

"That's your first one, isn't it?" Halter laughed when I nodded. "Confused again? Well, I'm sure teacher Laurel can explain!" He smiled at Laurel, showing he didn't mean it badly.

"Just because I've gone to the academy, and you know nothing, doesn't make me a teacher, old man!" Laurel sniffed, but her eyes were gleaming happily.

Was being a teacher a special thing here? Back on earth, ninety percent of the teachers had been virtual instructors, and only the best and the dullest had real teachers until they got to universities.

"Let's finish the singlestatter explanation first," she said. "What is your muscle mass?"

"Thirty-one," I responded, wondering if it was alright to share these, even if it was with people I'd come to think of as friends.

The last time I'd shared my values was with Eliandra, and she had said she had roughly the same maximum as I had until Flowheart had taken back her class.

Haltir whistled while Laurel blinked in surprise. "That is high for someone who has only been here for such a short time! You must have had a good basic value."

Recalling what the values had been when I had started, I shook my head. "No, everything was one."

"What?" Haltir shouted as he turned to me. "You're telling me that when you were in Sart, you started with one in every value? That is impossible!"

I shrugged, not sure what the problem was, nor how to prove what I said. "It's the truth," I finally grunted.

"Bah! No need to turn angry," Haltir said. "I've just never heard of someone that-" suddenly he stopped, his eyes widening and his mouth hanging open. From the other side, Laurel was staring at me in shock. It was the second time in a short while, and I sniffed, definitely getting annoyed now.

"By Cinderage's flaming balls, you're in a resurrected body…" Laurel mumbled, examining me from top to bottom as if it was the first time she laid eyes upon me.

"Yes, so I've been told," I said.

"That's going to be trouble," Haltir said. "If we meet anybody who knows the real owner of that body, they are going to start asking questions."

I'm the real owner, I was about to shout, then stopped, knowing it wasn't true.

"Do you know whose body that is?" Laurel asked, and I shook my head.

"The chances that we find anybody that will recognize you are small, but still… We will have to ask the wizard in Crouhal to contact the capital."

I frowned. "How will that help?"

"They will try and locate the next of kin of the origi- of the previous inhabitant of your body," Laurel said.

She cleared her throat, something I'd never heard her do and which reminded me of my uncle Larry. He usually did that if he lied or was going to lie.

"If we are lucky, none are alive anymore," she finally said lamely.

"And if they are?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"They will either demand compensation, or…" Laurel frowned, and she fell quiet, her gaze drifting off.

"Or they will request that you are removed from the body to see if the original inhabitant will return," Haltir completed her sentence, staring straight ahead.

"That's ridiculous! The Guidar wiped away the previous soul," I shouted.

"Yes. But they don't know that. They will think you are a demon that has taken hold of the body. It happens a lot around the east coast. If the demon is removed, there's a large chance the previous soul resurfaces," Laurel said.

"I am not something that can just be exorcised," I hissed.

The other two didn't respond, and we continued in silence.

"Is there anything we can do to stop them from trying to wipe me away?" I finally asked, wondering if I shouldn't just stay outside of the city to prevent all of this crap from happening.

"You're a Prime, and one from a new Deity," Laurel said. "If Rathica comes forward to tell them what happened and how it won't bring the original soul back…"

I didn't reply. With what Rathica had told me, I was getting the feeling she wouldn't be able to help me at the drop of a hat anymore. It was unlikely that she would be able to just fix things.

I suddenly had a completely different idea and looked at Laurel. "Isn't there a way to change the way I look so nobody will recognize me?"

She blinked in surprise, then cocked her head as she examined me. "Normally, I would say no, because there are spells carved into the gates and entrances of all major cities to undo shape-changing and illusions. But… you've been doing a lot of weird things."

Weird things? I could barely hold back from laughing as I thought back to everything that had happened to me in the past year.

There has gotta be a way to change my look enough for nobody to recognize me, I thought as I remembered the massive library. "Is there a temple in Crouhal?"

"There should be a few. Why?"

After a few moments of collecting my thoughts, I began explaining about the library. To my surprise, Haltir just nodded as if he already knew. Laurel just gaped, and as I described the number of books and spells, her eyes began glittering. It was the first time I'd seen her like this, and I heard her mumble her now-familiar curses as a wide grin plastered across her face.

"So we just have to get you into the city and close to that entrance," Haltir said. He turned to Laurel, who was zoned out as she stared at something behind my head.

"Laurel!" Haltir snapped, and two dark eyes suddenly snapped back to reality.

"What?" she asked.

"Can we get him into the city without anybody noticing?"

Laurel blinked, seeming to think about something, then slowly, she began nodding. "I might know a way, but we will have to get there first so I can verify something."

For the rest of the day, we began discussing the details of how we would get food and clothing for potentially thousands of people. When it was almost night, all of us were tired beyond words from the forced trip, but far in the distance, a massive gorge between two mountains was visible. In the middle sat a keep that spanned the breadth of the gorge, blocking any passage. Although it was hard to see from as far as we still were, I had a distinct impression it was massive.

"Let's find a place to camp," Laurel said.

"Why? We can make it and rest in bed tonight?" I said, pointing at the keep ahead.

"They don't allow anyone in after nightfall," Laurel said, and I almost groaned.

Another night on the cold, hard stone, I thought as I tried to remember the last time I'd slept in a soft bed. It had to have been with Eliandra in Orlion. As I thought of Eliandra, my thoughts began to drift off, and as Haltir took charge of finding a camp spot, I followed after, yawning. Before I knew it, I was lying on the ground, looking at the sky. Before I could even wonder who had the first watch, I drifted asleep.

--

The first thing I thought as I woke up was that something must have happened. I felt the sun on my face, which meant I hadn't been woken up for either the second or last watch. Trying to listen for something that would suggest trouble, I just heard soft snoring. Opening my eyes, I saw the side of the boulders we had used as cover.

After a moment, I still heard nothing, so I slowly moved into a sitting position, looking around. Haltir lay with his back against the second boulder, the three goats close by, blocking the rest of the surroundings. I didn't see Laurel anywhere. Was she on guard?

Moving towards the goats, I looked around for a sign of her, but it was quiet.

Haltir groaned softly, and his eyes flashed open. "What is wrong?" His voice was still dull from sleep, and he had big wrinkly bags under his eyes.

"Where is Laurel?"

Haltir's eyes narrowed, the sleep dissipating immediately, and he got up, looking around. "She didn't wake you for the last watch?"

I didn't answer but climbed around the goats, looking for signs of a struggle. There were none, and all I found were the traces of us moving here.

"I see her," Haltir said, and I spun around to find him atop the boulder. He was looking in the direction of Crouhal.

"She is talking with what looks like a border patrol," he continued as he climbed off. "She looks fine. Let me pack up, and you get these things moving again."

Pack what? I thought as I looked at the three packs lying beside the goats. Feeling the stress fade away, I stretched, my back and shoulders cracking, and I groaned contentedly.

A few minutes later, the three goats were ready, and Haltir and I climbed on. I could see Laurel in the distance, talking with a group of three mounted, heavily armored, and spear-wielding Grablons. At first glance, they looked to be riding horses, but as we moved closer, I saw they were a more nimble version of the charbulls we had seen pulling the carts in Orlion.

Haltir whistled, looking at the mounts with clear envy.

"What are those?" I said, keeping my voice low.

"Cindermares! You only rarely see those outside of Gramanite, mostly owned by some rich brat or royal bastard." Haltir sighed as he looked at the left one, whose rider seemed to be doing most of the talking. "That one looks like it's at least seven or eight years old. He must be an officer."

As I wondered what age had to do with anything, the patrol had noticed us, and they and Laurel were turning towards us.

"These are the companions I told you about… Alir..." Laurel fidgeted as she said the others' names, and I was surprised. What was going on?

The three Grablons were in the meantime gaping at the mounts, one of them going so far as to dismount his own cindermare and walking around Haltir. He made sure not to get too close.

Alir was gazing at my mount before turning to Laurel. "Thank you, Laurel, for warning us beforehand about… these things. We will continue our journey now. Perhaps we can have a drink after nightfall?" He spoke in a smooth voice that showed he was used to getting what he wanted, and it matched well with his ruggedly handsome face. His hair was short and well maintained, and he nodded to Laurel, who grinned at him.

"That sounds like a great idea, Alir!"

I cringed at the repeated use of names. It sounded forced, and I couldn't wait to ask Laurel what was going on. As Alir turned to nod at us before leaving, I saw he was missing his upper left hand and had an old hand-length, jagged scar across his neck that ended just below the ear.

Not sure what to say, I nodded back, which seemed to be agreeable as he smiled and turned his cindermare around before galloping away. Eli would have some choice words for that showoff, I thought with a grin. The cindermares had refined versions of the charbull's heads, and reddish sparks came from their noses as they ran. From what I could see, they were all female, which would match the name.

"Made friends already, teacher?" Haltir asked with a grin.

Laurel stared back and just shrugged before turning to the keep with glittering eyes. Not the reaction I had expected.

"Alir?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Since when do grablons use names?"

"Since our deity returned and vaporized some of the ruling elders in a fit of rage," Laurel said as she moved towards the free goat and climbed on.

"What?" Haltir exclaimed, mirroring my thoughts, including the dumbfounded look perfectly.

Laurel began moving towards the gates of Crouhal, waving us forward. "I'll try and explain, but I don't know much more than what I just told you."

Dammit, Rathica. What did you do? I thought as I nudged my mount into a trot.

"Explain?" I said as I fell in line with Laurel, wondering if she was having second thoughts about following Rathica now her racial deity had returned.

"Alir told me that... Nimron," Laurel looked around after saying the name as if expecting something to happen. When nothing did, she sighed and continued. "Our... the ancient Grablon Deity came back shortly after we left Orlion. He wasn't happy with how we had handled things in his absence," Laurel sighed deeply. "By Cinderage's hairy balls, that's an understatement. Nobody here saw it, but the news is that he destroyed the Vorchalian mountain range to make a point."

"Because you weren't using your names?" I asked. It didn't surprise me that this Nimron guy got upset about that, but I hadn't imagined he would just start to blow things up. I wondered if his short fuse was why he was locked away. Rathica never did tell me why that had happened.

Laurel didn't respond, and as we moved closer towards Crouhal, I began noticing the damage on the keep walls. Black blotches and deep gouges ran from the bottom all the way to the top as if something clawed its way up. Which they probably had.

"At least there is one good thing that's come of this," Laurel said suddenly.

"Which is?" I asked.

Ahead of us, shouts came from guards at the gate, and a moment later, a smaller gate in the main port opened up. Before a fully armored Grablon stepped through, I glimpsed a massive celebration that was happening on a center square. Tables filled with food and people dancing and mingling.

"It's going to be easy getting you into the city unnoticed," Laurel said.