When they had defeated the monsters, Ouzo turned to Primus, still panting. ‘Did I pass the audition, master?’ he asked. ‘Do I make the cut?’

Primus looked away. ‘I suppose…’ he mumbled.

‘Yeaaaaooowwwww!’ Ouzo howled with glee, punching the air. His hat fell off and he bent down to pick it up. His tale was was wagging on the outside of his red pantaloons.

‘Enough of that!’ snapped Primus. ‘You can come with us, but you have to behave yourself. None of that wolfishness.’

‘But I am a wolf,’

Primus grumbled into his beard, and set off walking up the road again, kicking up dust. The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon on their left, and he had already said that he had wanted to make more progress today.

The rest of them followed him.

Ouzo, apparently unable to take a hint, bounded up alongside Primus as they walked. ‘So where are we going, master?’ he asked eagerly. ‘Are we going to beat up some more villains and crooks? Or investigate a hidden cave to find some treasure? Or go and seek out a really, really big monster to defeat?’

‘None of those things,’ said Primus. ‘We’re looking for my Granddaughter.’

‘Huh?’

‘I suppose I had better fill you in seeing as you’re going to be travelling with us,’ said Primus. He seemed to have gained a new level of respect for the druggist after the battle, despite his continued rudeness. ‘About a month ago my Granddaughter, who lives with me because her parents–my son and daughter-in-law–died when she was little, suddenly ran away from home. She left only a note saying that she urgently needed to head North for some unknown reason, and not to come to look for her. Naturally, I set out to find her at once. I am old, so I had to procure some hired help for myself for my protection and to take care of my needs on my travels–he pointed At Horatio, Ceres and Egea–which thankfully I was able to find quite quickly at a local tavern, but that slowed me down a bit. Ever since then, we’ve been on the road, pursuing Olivia, and we’re getting close to catching up with her.

‘But why?’ said Ouzo.

‘What do you mean, “why”?’ Primus almost stopped walking, but in the end only stuttered in his march.

‘Why are you pursuing her?’ asked Ouzo. ‘It sounds as though your cub is ready to leave the pack and strike out on her own as a lone wolf to gain her independence. Why would you seek to prevent her from doing that?’

‘What? Don’t be ridiculous! Olivia is only a child!

‘How old is she?’

‘…eighteen.’

‘Hmmm. I am not sure if I am remembering the difference in human and wolf years correctly, but eighteen human years means she is full grown, does it not?’

‘Sure does!’ Egea piped up helpfully from behind them where she walked next to Horatio on the road.

‘Less noise from you please, merchant!’ Primus called back.

‘If she is full grown,’ Ouzo went on, ‘you should let her find her own way now as a lone wolf. I am sure

‘Enough of this prattle!’ Primus snapped. ‘What do you know? You’re just some pitiful Wolf Clan shopkeeper I’ve picked up because my trader is obsessed with gold and my healer thinks that her religion means we have to take on board every lost soul that bats their eyelashes at us! Olivia may be “full-grown”, but she is still young and it is highly dangerous for her to be travelling through Gard on her own. I will not have the purpose of my travelling questioned! If you’re going to stay around you’re going to need to do what I tell you!’

‘Okay then, master. I will help you on your journey. I am just grateful to be a part of Brave Balamb!’

‘Of what now?’

‘Brave Balamb!’ said Egea, picking up her pace a little to walk alongside the mage. ‘That’s our new band name! I came up with it last night!’

‘No!’ said Primus. ‘We don’t have a band name because we’re not a band!’

‘Oh. Really?’ said Ouzo. ‘I was under the strong impression that you were a band.’

‘We are a band!’ said Egea.

Primus opened his mouth to speak again.

Egea held up a finger and waggled it. ‘Uh-uh-uh,’ she warned. ‘“At our mercy”, remember?’

Primus turned red, and he looked as though he was about to lose his temper with her, but just then some more monsters appeared on the road ahead of them, which was actually a welcome distraction.

Random battle 2.