I woke up the next morning to a gentle rustling as Carrigan was packing up his things. “Sneaking out?” I chuckled softly.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry if I woke you up.” He said. “I’ll be heading to the east gate with the eagzards. Hopefully we can find a few people to fill out the group, or a larger one to join. They won’t let you through with less than ten people, as smaller groups can be attacked by rocs.”

“Sounds good. I’m going to stick around for breakfast, want us to bring you something?” I asked.

“I already ate, thanks.” He said, tossing me a key. “Go ahead and turn in our keys if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing.” I nodded, laying back in the bed for a bit. “I’m going to enjoy a few minutes of comfort. I doubt they’ll have some in Outpost.”

“Just because they are technically in the monster lands doesn’t mean they don’t have a decent city.” Carrigan chuckled. “But no matter, we have some time. Take an hour, two might be pushing it. We’ll be stopping at Penultimate later today anyway.”

I gave him a thumbs up as he walked out the door, snuggling back into the blankets. While Vitae wasn’t nearly as bad as I had assumed a Medieval society would turn out to be, it still didn’t hold a candle to Earth. Back when I was a kid, I had enjoyed playing “camp out” in the back yard with a tent. As an adult? Not so much. Earth magic could help get rid of rocks, but it still could never be as comfortable as a bed.

“Bah, this is boring.” I muttered after savoring the feeling for a few minutes. “Let’s see what’s up for breakfast.” I rolled out of bed, packing up what little I had unpacked and heading downstairs. To my surprise, both of the demons were waiting for me. “Morning fellas.” I said as I slid into an empty seat at their table.

“Sean.” The both said in unison, nodding at me.

“Breakfast coming?” I asked, getting a nod in return. “I see. Well, Carrigan is taking our mounts to the east gate and looking for a group to join.”

“Good. I don’t like battling flying enemies. Far too agile.” D’Vorak said. “We’re already packed and ready. Know when Elendria’s getting up?”

“I’ll get her in a minute.” I said. “Never hurts to let the ladies get a bit more sleep.”

“Here, here!” D’Vaen said, slapping the table lightly. “That attitude will get you far my friend.” We all got a bit of a chuckle out of that, but it immediately stopped with the next words.

“Oh? What attitude are we talking about?” I heard Elendria ask from right behind me, as D’Vorak snorted his drink back into his cup.

“Just discussing a saying from back home.” I quickly improvised, giving the demons the glare that said they had better not contradict me. “Happy wife, happy life.”

“Mmhmmm.” She said, sliding her hand across my shoulders as she circled the table to sit across from me. “You sure about that? Elves have excellent hearing.” She smiled, but damn did she have a hell of a poker face.

“That’s my answer, and I’m sticking to it.”

“Thatta boy! Stay strong! It’s not illegal until you get caught!” D’Vaen grinned maliciously.

“Ha! It’s fine, keep your secrets boys.” Elendria chuckled. “But one day I’ll remind you of this conversation.” While my mind was screaming at me to affirm that I had no doubt about that, my mouth wisely just smiled back at her.

“Anyhow.” I said, blatantly changing the topic. “Carrigan is off to expand our group to at least ten to avoid the rocs in the pass. I’ll keep a lightning spell primed to see if we can repel them should they attack, but if that doesn’t work I think you three should all have something ready to bring the bird down.”

“You think we’ll be attacked?” D’Vaen asked, leaning forward.

“No, but since we were talking about sayings, here’s another one that I find is always helpful. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”

“We have something similar.” D’Vorak nodded. “Lokir loves to prank those who expect every encounter to be the same.”

“I can see that.” I nodded in reply. “Oh, breakfast!” My eyes lit up as a waitress dropped a platter with a few plates in front of us. Sausages, eggs, and something that looked like cubed potatoes sent a steaming aroma into the air. “Thanks!” I said, smiling at the waitress.

“You’re welcome.” She said, putting a bit of a saunter into her hips as she walked away. I turned back to see the others already digging in, though Elendria was giving me a bit of a glare.

“Rule 1.” I said before she could say anything. “Always be nice to those who prepare and deliver your food. There’s so much they could do to mess with it, and you would have no idea.” That seemed to mollify her a bit, and I heaped a plateful for myself. We ate in silence, enjoying the simple but filling food.

“Ugh, I couldn’t eat another bite.” D’Vaen said, slipping back in his chair and exhaling.

“I hear that.” I said, copying him. “Let’s sit here for a minute, then head out to check in on Carrigan. Everyone got everything packed up?” They all nodded, and D’Vaen and Elendria slid me their keys. “Alright, I’ll be back.” I said, heading over to the counter.

“Doreen?” I asked the elderly lady wiping down the counter.

“That’s me, how can I help ya?”

“Just returning the keys and looking to square up our bill.” I said, sliding the keys over.

“Ah, figured you would be by soon. You’re all good hun, your buddy paid everything earlier. The only thing left was to return the keys.”

“Appreciate that.” I turned to walk away, but stopped as a thought struck me. “Say, Doreen. We’re heading out to Outpost through Penultimate. Got any recommendations for where to stay?”

“Not particularly.” She shook her head. “Been out there a few times myself, but there isn’t much out there. It’s all basically the same level of room and service. So long as you don’t end up paying more than what you did to stay here, you should be fine.”

“Appreciate it.” I said, nodding at her and heading back to the table. “Everyone ready?” I asked.

“Yep. Trouble with the innkeeper?” D’Vaen asked.

“Not at all. Was just asking her opinion on staying in the next two towns. Should be similar to here.” I said, as we made our way to the door as a group. We made very quick time heading towards the gate. Most of the pedestrians weren’t quite up yet, and the merchants that were moving their inventory around all had a wagon and thus were taking the roads. After about a ten minute walk, we came to a courtyard just inside the gate. Carrigan must have seen us, as he started heading our way with a few humans in tow. They had the look of hunters about them, covered with green cloaks and sporting bows with a rather large quiver.

“Sean.” Elendria hissed, grabbing my hand. “There’s something about those men. Don’t trust them.”

“Hmmm?” I asked. “Is this just a gut feeling, or something more?” I asked.

“More.” She said. “I’ve been practicing my soul sight, and theirs seem, slimy, somehow. Not shadow, but not good people.”

“Alright.” I said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. I didn’t have time to say anything else, as they arrived.

“Morning, glad to see you get here so quickly.” Carrigan said. “These are the Thompkin brothers. They have a group of four ready to move through the pass, and they also ride eagzards so we won’t have to slow down at all.”

“Nice to meet you guys.” I said, nodding to the humans. I couldn’t detect anything unusual about them, even up close, but I wasn’t about to discount Elendria’s abilities. “Mind if I have a word with Carrigan in private?”

They shrugged, and I pulled Carrigan off to the side while everyone else headed over to load up the mounts for the ride. “Carrigan, is there nobody else we can move through the pass with? Elendria’s getting a bad vibe from them.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but they seem fine to me. Besides, the rest are all wagons loaded down and pulled by horses. It’ll take us all day to make it through if we team up with any of them. If we go now, we can make it through and possibly head on towards Outpost.”

“Can we take some precautions?” I asked.

“I suppose so, but we are fine. We outnumber them, and our group is stronger. Two powerful mages, two ranged, and a second tier mage with Elendria. If they try something in an enclosed area, they won’t stand a chance.”

“I still-“

“It’s fine.” He interrupted. “We’ll keep an eye on them, and when we get through just fine I’ll buy the first round. I know she’s had some bad issues with men in the past, especially humans, but she can’t keep blaming that on everyone.” He slapped me on the shoulder, and headed off towards the group. “They even offered to lead us up the path, so we’ll be at their backs.” He said as we got nearer, though that didn’t seem to comfort me for some reason.

“No go?” Elendria asked, giving me the puppy dog eyes.

“Sorry, Carrigan seems determined to make it through with the fastest group possible. Just keep an eye on them.”

“Oh, I intend to. Don’t worry about that.” With those words, we headed out. The Thompkin brothers in the lead, having swapped out their green cloaks for a light gray variety that blended in very well with the rocky surroundings.

The trip wasn’t too hard, and we were making fairly good time. Even though the road was mostly gravel, it kept a low grade and switched back several times to make it easier for the wagons that were no doubt making their way up behind us. The eagzards were in a bit more playful of a mood, gently nipping at each other as we headed up the trail. Probably just the crisp, clear air. The two hours it took to reach the pass went by in a hurry, though we kept mostly to ourselves.

The pass itself was rather anticlimactic. Several geomancers must have gone through and smoothed out the walls, as it was nearly a pristine road with walls far enough apart to pass three wagons through, with a little bit of room to spare. “This is the most dangerous part.” One of the brothers said, pitching his words so they carried back to us but weren’t too loud. For our part, we simply kept moving forward and increased our vigilance. Even with my mana detection stretched to the max, I still was uncomfortable. WE were high enough that there weren’t any creatures about, and so the pass was eerily silent. The only sounds the clacking of rocks as they shifted under the claws of the eagzards. We were a quarter of the way through the pass when the attack came.

“LIGHTNING BOLT!” I shouted, launching a powerful attack nearly straight up. The roc was outside of my mana detection, and was trying to use the sun to hide its approach. That oddly enough was what saved us, as I saw its shadow on the ground.

“KREEEEEE!!!!” An angry screech was the response, and I turned to see a massive bird with yellow and white feathers hovering with massive beats of its wings nearly a hundred feet away.

“Hurry! Through the pass, it’s our only choice!” Carrigan shouted.

“Piercing shot!” D’Vorak unleashed a skill that caused his arrow to glow with a green light, only for it to shatter against the feathers of the roc.

“Arrows won’t work. Carrigan and I will hold it back. Elendria, create some cover for us.” I ordered, shifting around to face the bird that had decided we weren’t much of a threat.

“Lightning bolt!” Carrigan blasted its chest with a spell of his own as it came just a bit closer, but that didn’t dissuade it.

“Frozen canopy!” Elendria turned the open air pass into a tunnel with a ceiling of ice, but I didn’t think it would hold the bird for long. It was large enough that the hooked beak would likely take a limb off with a single bite. It kept creeping closer, screeching every so often.

“We can’t hold back against it Carrigan, something’s not right.” I shouted as our eagzards slowly backed towards the safety of Elendria’s magic. “Stay away from lightning, they are resistant. We might have to take it out.”

“Lightning is my most powerful spell, what do you suggest?” He snarled, sending another bolt at the bird.

“Let’s see how he likes this. Plasma bolt!” I hadn’t had a chance to use plasma in combat before, and was reluctant to because it tended to drain a good bit of mana, but desperate times called for it. Normally a plasma spell would use light’s amplification properties to really boost the flame aspect, but I felt we needed more. Instead of using regular fire, I did a three way combination. Fire with air supporting it to create baneflame, boosted with the light element to create a true plasma. A foot long spear of white hot flame rocketed away from my hand, draining 500 mana in one cast. The roc had no chance to escape.

“EEEEIIIIIIIEEEE!!!!” It shrieked in pain, the sound so loud everyone covered their ears in pain. The white crest on its chest blackened and flaked off, revealing blistered red skin beneath. That was all I could see before the bird vacated the area, still shrieking its displeasure at us.

“Everyone ok?” I said, turning and heading down the tunnel Elendria had formed.

“We’re good, but those bastards took off at the first sign of the bird.” Elendria said, glaring at Carrigan.

“We were attacked by a giant roc! You would have fled too if you had the chance, I don’t see why you’re giving me a glare.” He said.

*Thunk*

We all looked up to see a new bird had slammed into the barrier Elendria had erected, and was madly smashing it with its beak!

“Argue later, escape now!” D’Vorak yelled, turning his eagzard and heading deeper into the pass. We swiftly followed him, as the roc screeched in anger that we were trying to get away.

“Do they seem unusually persistent to you guys?” I yelled.

“Yeah. I can see two more circling above.” D’Vorak answered, and I winced as we were nearing the end of the protection Elendria could give us. Without the sides of the pass to anchor the ice onto, it wouldn’t be able to withstand the attacks of the birds.

“What now?” Carrigan asked, pulling up short. “We’re going to be sitting ducks on the side of the cliff face.”

“I’ll see if I can drive that one away with another plasma bolt, but if those two remaining ones come at us we’ll have to switch to actually trying to kill them.”

“I’ll keep an eye out on the trail ahead. I doubt those brothers are done with us.” Elendria snarled.

“Right, good idea.” I nodded, hopping off my eagzard. “Gimme a second, then we’ll start making our way down.” As soon as I neared the edge of the protective ice, a massive roc head filled the gap. Hanging upside down like that would probably be a bit comical in any other situation. As it screeched and tried to bite me, I tried to time it so that it would clamp down on a shot of baneflame, but my timing was just a bit off. Instead the blue flames burst around the beak of the roc, singing the feathers nearby. With a screech of pain, it took off, circling above for a bit.

“Good enough!” Carrigan said, bringing my mount forward. “Hop on. Elendria and D’Vorak, you guys head down first. Sean, get on your eagzard and bring up the rear.” Already in motion, we let the eagzards have their heads as they were moving down the mountain. I tried to keep an eye on the rocs above, but it was hard doing that while keeping my seat.

“Aw, fuck this.” I growled out, pulling my eagzard to a stop. Looking up, I could see all three rocs had gotten close enough that I could risk it. Mentally thanking the system for creating and giving the chants to whoever managed to unlock a spell, I took a calming breath before attempting my next attack. Even with a mana pool near five thousand, I could only do this once.

“Cast off burst from the very stars themselves. Sear your way across the icy void, reducing even the planets themselves to burning cinders should they dare to cross your path. SOLAR FLARE!” While I was intoning the chant, a massive golden circle had appeared above my hand, pointing straight up. I slumped back in my seat as 3,500 mana was spent in a single instant, launching an expanding cone of plasma that started out at twenty feet across. Seeing their death approaching, the rocs screeched in terror and immediately aborted their circling. I sighed in relief as I watched them head off in search of easier prey.

“Icy prison!” I turned and nudged my eagzard down the mountain, catching up to the rest of the group within moments. Around the next switchback, Elendria had one of the brothers bound in a cage of ice too small for him to draw any of his weapons. “Did you take care of the birds Sean?” She asked.

“Yeah, though I’m a bit low on mana at the moment. What happened here?” I asked.

“This one was concealed, waiting for us with ill intent. He couldn’t hide his soul from me, so I imprisoned him.”

“That ain’t how it is.” He tried to explain.

“SILENCE!” Elendria roared. “Even if you were just hiding from the rocs, like I know you are going to try and claim, why did you send your mount on with the rest of your brothers? Hmm? No answer?” She rapidly fired the questions at him, and each one caused him to sink deeper into himself.

“D’Vaen, can you rid him of any weapons?” I asked. Before he could answer, we heard the clatter of plate mail making its way up the trail. Instantly, everyone was on guard. Carrigan and Elendria had spells prepped, while D’Vaen had palmed two throwing knives and D’Vorak had an arrow on the string, but didn’t draw it just yet.

“Easy there, travelers.” The leader of the group spoke up, holding his hands away from his weapon. “We saw the rocs attacking, and simply came to help. We’re from the guard down in Penultimate.” The two demons relaxed a bit, but Elendria and Carrigan still kept something at the ready. To our surprise, the remaining three Thompkin brothers were being kept in the middle of the formation of soldiers.

“So what’s the deal with the Thompkin brothers there?” I asked.

“Well, these boys have a habit of losing half their group to roc attacks as they head through the pass. We can’t ever pin anything on them, as most of the evidence is destroyed by the birds.”

“I see. Well, we managed to catch the fourth one for you, and hopefully we can get some answers when we get back to town. Do you guys mind bringing him back? I would really like to get off the side of this mountain.” I said.

“Sure thing. Dalton, James. You two go ahead and get brother Casey there, and then we can all head down to safety.” Two soldiers headed forward, and Elendria released the prison when they were close enough to grab him. Luckily for Casey, he didn’t make any threatening movements, as Carrigan was giving him a glare that just begged for him to make a stupid move. The guards were professional, however, and swiftly removed all his weapons and had his hands bound with leather straps. A quickly muttered spell I couldn’t quite catch from one of the robed men in the group, and black lines of runes had bound themselves around the chest, arms, and throat of Casey. Satisfied that he was under control, we all made our way down the mountain in silence.