The howls of the Gloamwolves continued as Becka led the way with her determined jog and a high held torch. The mournful sound sent chills up Glenn’s spine. Despite Becka’s earlier caution, he needed to fill the silence with words.

“So you’ve decided to become a Ranger?” Glenn asked.

Becka scoffed as they jogged. “Hardly.”

“But you have a Ranger Skill now.” If Becka chose any Class other than Ranger, she’d never be able to use [-Tracker’s Vision-] again. Only unclassed could use Skills outside their Class, and once one reached Level 6, one had to choose a Class before one could gain further experience.

“I’ll have plenty of Skills to select as I Level,” Becka said calmly, though she measured her words as the two of them jogged. “I’ll simply Level Harmcaster to 6 with my dagger.”

Glenn couldn’t help but gasp at how inefficient that sounded. “But you won’t have an offensive spells! You could lose out on two whole points of Divinity and Wisdom by doing it that way!”

Becka shook her head as they jogged. “Always theorycrafting. I’m not sure what makes me more thirsty, your keen intelligence or those big muscles. It’s going to be a long three months.”

It took Glenn a moment to catch up, mentally. In three months it would be Becka’s Birth Day, and she’d then be 16 just like him, which meant the Laws of Levos would no longer apply and ... oh. Oh!

“Becka!” Glenn said. It was obvious what she was implying, and now was hardly the time.

Becka’s smirk grew. “Turning 16 is going to be so much fun. You’re not the only one who chafes at the Laws of Levos. I have a lot of pent up energy.”

Glenn shook off his rapidly heating cheeks and ... other things ... and focused on the path ahead. Was Becka trying to make him fall on his face? A dark night where they were off to rescue a young girl hardly seemed the time for saucy talk that scrambled his brain.

Yet he knew Becka had an ulterior motive for heating his blood. She didn’t want him pining over the Skill Point she’d forever sacrificed because she wanted him focused on rescuing Azalea. As excited as he was to finally be with her as they both wished, three months from now, he focused.

“I’m sorry you had to give up your Skill Point like that.” Glenn jogged easily alongside her. “But we’ll make your sacrifice mean something. We’ll bring Azalea home safe, I promise.”

Becka glanced sidelong at him, her brown eyes warm. “I know that.” Her smile softened. “But it’s still nice to hear you say it.”

“And we can get you an Enchanted dagger once you reach Level 5. I’m certain my mother would do it for us, and we’ll be able to afford it with what we’ll be making in Life Crystals.”

Becka shushed him and looked ahead. “Worry about that later. Worry about Azalea now. What’s done is done, and ... Vox’s Tits!” Becka stumbled to a stop.

Glenn stumbled to a stop beside her, clutching the straps of her pack tightly to make sure nothing inside clattered. “Don’t blaspheme.”

Becka glanced at Glenn and pointed almost due west into the menacing trees. Her pale face looked as grim as he’d ever seen it. “Azalea diverted here. That idiotic little girl just traipsed off the Safe Road into the six-cursed woods. She skipped off to die no less than twenty minutes ago.”

Glenn might also have cursed. He almost did. Instead he tightened the strap of Becka’s pack around his shoulder so it was almost painful, to minimize the chance that the pack would bounce and make noise as he walked, and turned his eyes to the woods. “Lead the way.”

He didn’t tell Becka to go back to Wolfpine. Becka would never listen anyway, and they needed her Ranger Skill to find Azalea. Even in twenty minutes, a little girl could skip a very long way.

If he and Becka died in the woods tonight, it was doubtful anyone from Wolfpine would find their ensouled bodies before twelve hours elapsed. Despite the very real risk of forever death, Glenn knew they’d both chase Azalea as far as it took to save her from the Monsters.

That was what Adventurers did.

Becka strode off the Safe Road with her dagger out and her torch raised, passing right by a Safe Stone. She walked into the shallow grassy hill leading down to the Deepscorn Woods. Glenn followed a few steps behind, clutching his [Bronze Training Sword] tight enough to hurt his palm.

Faced with the threats in the woods, even his [Ring-Mail Armor] felt so impossibly thin. He focused beyond his worries. They were moving west. He set his internal compass.

Glenn had found no Gloamwolves through eight hours of searching today, but their damned howls were much closer now. Any minute, the tormented scream of a little girl might join them. Becka moved into a fast walk as they entered the woods, and Glenn kept right with her.

In the dark, in the night, the natural beauty of the Deepscorn Woods felt very far away. Trees that looked strong and warm during the daytime seemed foreign and angry in the night, and their thick interlaced leaves stole the last of the moonlight. The only light they now had came from the smokeless torch Becka held high. Ominous dark pressed on sputtering red.

Yet Becka kept walking with the same confidence she’d shown since she emerged from Wolfpine, ducking or diverting from her path only to avoid a low hanging branch or a particular troublesome root. She moved unerringly in a single direction, west. The woods were dark enough, and the leaves thick enough, that they had no moon or stars to guide them.

While it was easy to get lost in the woods without sky or trail signs, Glenn knew Becka had other signs to draw upon. He could only imagine what she was seeing right now. He’d read descriptions of every page of Card’s Book of Classes and Skills, and [-Tracker’s Vision-] was described as creating ghostly, frozen copies in the path that the targeted subject had passed.

Becka must be seeing frozen copy after frozen copy of Azalea Whitetalon skipping through these woods, and the thought of how creepy that might look made Glenn shudder. Yet Becka never slowed and never faltered, and Glenn smiled at her determination. He really had chosen the right partner, both to defeat Monsters and to keep him warm during cold nights on the road.

Yet Glenn’s eyes failed to pierce the darkness. He followed Becka with no idea where they were, and eventually, he could no longer contain his worry. “How close?” he all but whispered.

“Five minutes,” Becka whispered back. “We’re catching up.”

“So she’s still alive.”

Becka raised her torch higher. “Well, she certainly was five minutes ago.”

====

Long and winding roads connect the towns and village of Balarel, and along these roads stand pillars holding Safe Stones created by Builders, a Townsfolk Class. Safe Stones are blessed by Kya, Goddess of Duty. These stones are anathema to Monsters, Demons, and Desouled. Travel on a Safe Road is therefore perfectly safe for even the youngest of Balarel, so far as the Safe Stones hold.

While there are rumors about Safe Stones failing on occasion, such stories are spoken of in hushed tones and strongly denied by the Church of Celes. Those who have witnessed such intrusions risk the wrath of both church and Politician if they spread such stories freely. So, any recorded instances of Safe Road failure remain gossip whispered quietly among trusted friends or, often, not at all.