Dawn and I stopped for a quick breakfast at a clearing. We ate slowly and didn't talk much. I didn't try to pry into her life before being captured, because that would only remind her of what she had lost and would undo my attempts at humor. Instead, I looked at my little green arrow forest guide.

“Say, do you eat food? You're welcome to have some.” I said and it darted from side to side. “No? Hmm. I guess you survive off the mana around the trees?”

The arrow bobbed up and down in a yes gesture.

“Can you absorb my energy, too?” I asked, curious.

It hovered and didn't move for a moment, then wavered slightly from side to side.

“Maybe, huh?” I chuckled and held up a hand. “Want to try?”

It wavered again and hovered for several moments, then it floated over to my hand and landed. I felt something like a needle prick my Presence. If I had to compare it to other experiences I've had, it was like being bitten by a mosquito. A second later, the green glowing arrow changed to bright blue.

“Hey, I can see it now!” Dawn said as she stared at my hand. “Wait, what kind of woodland spirit is that? It looks like an arrow!”

“It took that form to make it easier to show me the way.” I said. “It's quite helpful, isn't it?”

A moment later, the blue arrow fell over on my hand.

“You killed it!” Dawn exclaimed.

“No, it fell asleep! Food coma! Ha ha!” I laughed and listened to it. “It's even snoring!”

Dawn leaned in to listen and she laughed, too. We finished eating and I put everything away using one hand and held the arrow against my chest with the other. It took about ten minutes before the arrow started to stir. Its energy flickered and then it darted out of my grasp. I wasn't surprised to feel its embarrassment.

“It's all right.” I said. “I should have warned you it might be too much for you to handle.”

The blue arrow hesitated for a moment, then bobbed slightly up and down as if reluctant to agree.

“We're headed to the closest town on the map, then to the crack on the other side.” I said and showed it the map again, just in case it needed the reminder. I motioned for Dawn to mount the horse and I tied them all together in a train again. “Ready?” I asked the blue arrow as I climbed onto my horse behind Dawn and the arrow bobbed confidently. “Then lead on, my friend.”

It quickly flipped around and pointed off to the left. We followed it through the forest and reached the town half an hour later. I knew something was up when the streets were cleared for our passage. When the edge of my detection range passed over the Protection tree, I saw a group of four guards and the five elders were there waiting for me. As we came closer, I concentrated on them and understood what was going on.

“Dammit, we're about to gain some babysitters.” I grumbled.

“I'm not going to ask how you know that.” Dawn said.

We rode through the town and stopped in front of the Protection tree. Before I could say anything, one of the guards stepped forward and held out a piece of paper.

“I know what it says.” I said and took the paper without reading it. “Oh, and thank you all for the proper greeting of a guest.” I said sarcastically and saw them all stiffen. Some even stopped breathing momentarily. “Didn't think I would know that, did you?” I asked and frowned. “Each time I meet more of you, you keep disappointing me, over and over.” I looked at their nervous faces. “Didn't Queen Orella inform you of my status? Did you think you could skip it because I'm a man?”

None of them respond and I pointed to the woman that sat in front of me, and she was clearly in view.

“What about a woman? You can't greet her properly?” I asked and they stayed quiet. “Despicable manners.” I said with a stern voice and some of them winced. “Do you have any prisoners?”

“No.” One of the elders said. “Nor did we have any.”

I didn't feel the Presence waver, so I nodded and looked at the four guards. “Get your horses and try to keep up, if you can.”

Almost as if they had been waiting for that command, four horses were led out to the street and the guards mounted them and gave them a speed boost.

“Forest guide, lead us to the next crack, please.” I said and the blue arrow flipped over and pointed down a side street. All of the elves around us were startled at my words.

“That... it can't be...” One of the elders mumbled. “It's blue.”

“I hope the revelation that I'm a friend of the forest makes you feel even worse about insulting me.” I said to them. “You had better not send word to the other towns and cities about this. If you do, I'll know it. I want to see who actually greets me honestly and who will act as you did.”

The elders didn't say anything.

“Give me your word, placed on the life of your Protection tree.” I demanded.

“No!” One of the guards exclaimed. “You can't... if they break that vow...”

“Yes, if anyone here breaks the vow, they will forfeit their Protection tree.” I said. “Do you have the moral fortitude to make such a vow? Can you keep your ignorant mouths shut for a week?”

“How dare you insult us!” One of the elders spat. “You shouldn't even be here in our lands!”

“Yeah... but, I am. I'm also here as the queen's guest. I'm also saving your pitiful people from all the creatures that have been attacking you for hundreds of years.” I responded. “So, which one of us is acting unreasonably right now? Hmm? Tell me.” I looked at their shocked faces. “TELL. ME.”

“W-w-we a-are.” One of the other elders said in a low voice. “I make the vow that none of us will say anything, for one week, about how we treated you.” She said and looked at my face. “Upon the life of our Protection tree.”

Everyone was covered in a soft green glow and the Protection tree shuddered. One of its high branches snapped and it plummeted down to the ground between us. Just before it hit, it stopped and glowed brightly for a moment, then it reformed into what could only be a divining rod. It split in two, and one floated over to the elder and the other floated over to me. We grabbed the pieces at the same time and I felt the immense life inside the tree.

“If we break the vow, the rods will dry and wither.” The elder said and tucked the rod into her robes.

I nodded and slipped the rod inside my coat and put it in the inside breast pocket. Without a word, I turned the horse around and followed the blue arrow down the side street and the four guards followed me. We were out of the town a few minutes later and then I brought the horse up to full speed. We could run full out now, because the next crack was close to the road.

The elves couldn't keep up. By the time they reached where I had stopped and left the horses, I had already cleared out the creatures around the crack, closed it, and was showing the loot to Dawn.

“How many elves died?” Dawn asked, her interest more than idle curiosity.

“I counted a hundred and twenty bodies in various states of decay.” I said and saw the delight in her eyes. “The mantis-like things had taken all their heads, too.”

“You killed... the comikas?” One of the guards asked. She looked tired and her horse looked haggard. “All of them?”

“I wasn't going to, then they decided that I looked like a tasty snack.” I said and walked over to her. “Your poor horse.” I said and pat it. “I'm sorry my petty revenge affected you so.”

The horse neighed at me and I chuckled.

“Yes, there's a mana tree right over there.” I said and pointed. “I will wait for you this time.”

The horse sauntered in that direction with the surprised elf still in the saddle.

“Hey. Hey! Let me off first!” The elf woman exclaimed to the horse and I chuckled. The other three guards slipped off their horses before the horses sauntered over as well. The guard on the first horse climbed off when her horse started grazing the mana-fueled grass at the base of the tree, and came back over to us. I checked the four horses in my train and asked them if they were hungry. They all shook their heads. I gave them brief pets and stood off to the side with Dawn.

It took half an hour before the horses were recharged, and the guards had stood there in awkward silence. None of them had tried to engage us in conversation and I didn't encourage them. With Dawn there and their previous mistake in not greeting us, it was too much of a social hurdle for them to traverse without apologizing or admitting they made a mistake. The horses came over to me and not to the guards, to their surprise.

“I want to conduct an experiment.” I said to the guards. “I need one of your hands.”

“You are not maiming one of my bed sisters!” One of the guards exclaimed and I laughed.

“I only need a loan. I don't want to keep it.” I said. “Thanks for volunteering.”

“Wh-what? But... EEP!” The guard let out a girly shriek as I levitated her over to me. The other guards reacted instantly and drew their swords and stepped forward.

“Relax.” I said in a calm voice and I saw their stances lose their firmness. “Watch.” I formed my Presence around the elf woman's hand and placed it on the horse. “Speed boost the horse, please.”

The guard opened her mouth to say something, then she thought better of it and did as I asked. As she did, I put my own Presence into the spell effect. Her green mana changed to blue energy and covered the horse, and I didn't have to touch either her or the horse.

“I suspected it would work, considering I've used Presence Hands to feel as if they were my actual hands.” I said and without the guard's permission took her to the other three horses and had her cast the spell again. “Thanks.” I said and let her go as I absorbed all the Presence I had used.

“H-how...” The guard looked at her hand and I could tell she was surprised that she had cast the spell four times and had only used the mana needed for just one spell, not realizing I had supplemented her.

“That doesn't matter.” I said and looked at the guards. “Mount up. We have lots of towns and cities to visit and only eight more cracks to seal.” I pat each horse on the way back to mine and Dawn had already climbed on. “I'm sure you're confident enough to ride alone now.”

“I don't know how to ride.” Dawn said, her face slightly red. “I'm infantry.”

“You might pick up the skill by the time we're done, then.” I said and climbed up behind her, then decided to tease her a little. “At least you didn't lie and say you just wanted me to keep holding you.”

Dawn opened her mouth to deny it, then she whispered. “It wouldn't be a lie.”

I chuckled and put my arms around her to take the horse's reins. “Forest guide! Onward!”

The blue arrow whipped over to the right direction and we followed it. When we reached the next town, I wasn't surprised to get a cold reception, similar to the one where I had picked up the guards. I could tell that they had heard from the other elders and weren't told about what had happened. I looked into my coat and the inside breast pocket to see the divining rod was still intact, and I nodded mentally. I asked about the prisoners and they denied any involvement, so we moved on. We stopped at a city next and were greeted ambivalently and they led out a prisoner. The man looked beaten to within an inch of his life; but, he also looked clean and well fed.

I slipped off my horse to greet the man. “I'm terribly sorry.” I said and took the man's hand. “As soon as I knew they had other prisoners, I had them stop working on you and release you.”

“Who the hell are you?” The man asked.

“I'm Hunter. I'm also Queen Celestina of First Sothen Kingdom's Personal Vassal.” I said and touched the badge on my chest. “I'm questing here as compensation for entry into the lands.”

“Why aren't they trying to kill you? Or me? Or her?” The man asked and looked at Dawn.

“They tried.” Both Dawn and I said and he widened his eyes.

“Truth.” The man said. “Then what...”

“Long story short, I defeated a princess and earned safe passage, then I threatened to kill them all.”

The man continued to stare at me and I chuckled.

“No, they don't want to test my resolve.” I said. “You can ride the second horse.”

“What? Are you daft? I can barely move!” The man exclaimed.

“You seem fine to me.” I said with a smile and waved toward the horse and made steps for him to climb. “We have to wait until we stop for lunch before I can give you some clothes and equipment.”

The man frowned at me and it looked like he was going to argue, so I poked his chest where his broken ribs used to be. “ARGH!” He reacted automatically and tried to step back, then he realized he hadn't felt anything. “What...” He pat his chest and then checked his face and his legs. “What... how...”

“I've gotten really good at subtle healing.” I said. “Ready to go?”

“By the seven hells I am!” The man nearly yelled and was up the stairs and on the horse in a flash.

I absorbed the stairs and climbed back onto my horse behind Dawn, then I looked at the elders. “I hope to never see you again.” I said. “Forest guide, the next town please.”

It whipped around and pointed in the right direction and I held in my laughter at the surprised faces of all the elves around me. It was becoming one of my favorite effects. We left that city and moved on to the next town and the next, whose receptions ranged from non-existent to tolerance, then we had to divert into the trees.

We stopped for lunch at the first rest area we came to and I was sorely tempted to not feed my guards. I couldn't in good conscience not feed them though, especially since I was above the act of starving people, so I used one of Unodae's field recipes and prepared a nice salad to start. Everyone stared at me as I cooked... actual food... in the middle of a forest. It surprised them all, especially the two humans with me. I fed the elves one of their staple dishes of broiled slug in a log and served chicken and potatoes to the humans. I wasn't going to give Dawn the slug, not after her reaction to just hearing about it. That would have been a bit too cruel.

We all ate in silence and I had a hard time blocking out how grateful everyone was for an actual meal. I also felt that they had expected dry rations for lunch and perhaps a stew or something for supper. I always liked to exceed people's expectations, mainly because it kept them thinking and wondering what I would be doing next. It also made them concentrate on me and not about their current situation.

This was especially fortuitous with Dawn and the man, whose name was as generic as his class. Fred the Fighter. It wasn't short for anything, either. Fredrick? Frederico? Freddie? Nope. Just Fred. In fact, just mentioning his name could have been something better, angered him. I soothed this anger as I outfitted him in light metal armor. It wasn't a full set of plate mail because he hadn't learned how to use that type of armor yet. He thanked me for the loan before I could tell him it was a loan, so I gave him a slight nod for his astuteness. He grunted and told me that he was from First Sothen Kingdom.

Unfortunately, Fred was from one of the towns that had been hit the hardest by the vampire infestation. He didn't like hearing that he had missed the purge; but, he was happy that it had been dealt with and he wanted to be dropped off there as soon as possible. I informed him of my current task and its necessity, then I told him the estimation of how long it was going to take, based on how quickly I had already closed three of them.

“You've still got to visit each town, too?” Fred asked, and I nodded. “Is there anyone else being held?”

“Two more, here and here.” I said and showed him on the map. “We can't get to them for another three days to a week. At least.”

“You could have had them bring them to you.” Fred said.

“What are the odds that they would match where I'll be, considering even I won't know until I get there?” I asked. “It's much better to pick them up while passing by.”

“Plus, he can talk to the elders directly and see if they killed anyone and hid the evidence.” Dawn said.

“What difference does that make?” Fred asked.

“I gave my word that I would kill the elders and anyone responsible if they did that.” I said.

Fred looked at my blast shield and then barked a laugh. “You're a hard ass. I like it.”

Dawn laughed. “Just wait.” She said and pointed to the map. “There's another crack a few hours away.”

“It's a sight to see, is it?” Fred asked.

“He scared me the first time he...” Dawn shook her head. “You'll see.” She said and glanced at the elves nearby. “You'll all see.”

I packed everything up and the elves were very surprised that they didn't have to boost their horses. “Don't worry about them. They're good for a while.” I said and we mounted the horses. “Whenever you're ready, Forest guide.”

The blue arrow popped up from where it was resting on the horse and flew out in front of us and pointed.

“In your opinion, would taking the road around be faster or slower than going through the trees?” I asked. It wavered slightly in the air, then it pointed through the trees. “A direct route sounds fine by me.” I said and we all followed it into the forest.

Dawn had been right in her assumption that Fred and the elves would be astonished at my antics. The next crack was in the center of a giant beetle nest. The best part about it was that I didn't feel any hostility from them at all. They stood about four feet tall and were six feet long, and I calmly walked right over to them. The elves gasped and hollered at me for risking my life, and I stopped myself from laughing because I didn't want to startle the huge armored creatures.

When I was barely a foot away from one, it skittered away two feet and then stopped. It left me exactly the room I needed to get by. When I passed, it moved back to where it was. I smiled and kept walking towards the crack and the beetles parted like water around me. They formed back into a solid mass when I stood in front of the crack.

“He's not gonna... is he? He can't be...” Fred mumbled.

I gave him a little wave and jumped into the crack. The elves screamed as I was swallowed by the gaping maw illusion. Two of them stood to come after me with their swords drawn, and the other two grabbed on and held them.

“He said to stay back, no matter what.” One of them said.

“It ATE HIM!” The elf she held yelled.

“I doubt something like that could...” She stopped talking when the illusion looked like it split and folded back in on itself, and I was revealed, perfectly fine.

“I told you.” Dawn said with a smile and pushed Fred's shoulder.

“I've been rescued by a madman.” Fred said with a huge grin on his face.

I walked back over to them and the beetles parted once again to let me pass. “Let's mount up and get out of here.”

“What?” One of the elves looked at the mass of giant beetles and then at me. “I thought you were going to kill everything!”

I laughed. “What for?” I waved at the beetles. “I'm sure if you want to attack them, they will be more than happy to fight you... then eat you.”

She looked angry for a second, then she sighed. “I have to report this.”

“You're reporting everything else, so that's okay.” I said. “I only agreed to close the cracks. I never said anything about killing everything that came through.”

“You would leave us vulnerable?” Another elf woman asked in disbelief.

“I'd leave you to fend for yourselves, since most of you hate having to deal with outsiders.” I said. “Or are you comfortable with having a man... from the outside no less... saving you?”

She closed her mouth because she couldn't answer honestly. If she did, she would insult me no matter what she said. She thought it was safer to remain quiet, only she didn't realize that staying silent also answered my question.

“We better go before these passive creatures decide that we're threatening them.” I said and I climbed onto the horse behind Dawn. I saw Fred's huge grin and returned it, then we left to go to the next town.