There was a lot of teary-eyed well-wishing and goodbye over the next few days. For all that Circe spent most of her time outside the village proper, most villagers knew her well and cared for her. I had to remind myself she had only spent the last two years learning witchcraft and lived with her parents before.

It was a little awkward to say goodbye since I could simply fly back any time I wanted. The humans seemed to lack that awareness and gave all kinds of pointers I might not even need. They meant well so I let them work out their feelings. With my family, there was only a short goodbye after a preening session.

I had brought over one flux scrubber from my workshop two days prior. It was simple to set up. Putting it down next to the cauldron would let it draw in the flux waste. The vis storage inside was expensive for a backwater human village but nobody had to know it was in there. I gave Mira two spares as well. That should be enough to figure out a use for the essence formed as a side product. I was curious what that would be.

Now, it was time to leave Greypeak. I looked over at Circe sitting on the back of the mercenary cart. She had become a proper [Witch], taking [Familiar Bond] and [Brewing] as her starting Skills. I heard very little of the process but a few painful screams and cries had reached the tower. Mira was the only one there to take care of her but by morning she was energetic and cheerful as ever. That was yesterday with most of the time spent getting [Herbalism] as a general Skill. [Ritualism] was far more difficult especially with her Skill only ever reaching level two.

Behind us, two carts full of village products stood ready, the four men and women coming along double-checking to make sure everything was secured. One cart was full of grains. They were held in bags about the size of a human child and twice as wide. There was a lot of it. The second cart had a number of smaller things in boxes. I knew there were some clothes, some simple tools, wooden figures, pelts and other things but those were not the main product. It was families making a little bit extra to buy things they needed. The village carts were pulled by four oxen each. It would be a long journey. A whole week of slow meandering through the plains.

“Everybody ready?”, Joachim called out from the front.

A chorus of voices answered him and soon we were on our way. The oxen trotted forwards, pulling the weight steadily uphill.

I considered flying up and circling above but decided to stay when I noticed how nervous my friend was.

“You good?”, I asked.

Circe looked at me and smiled.

“Yup. Just… feels weird.”

I nodded.

“It always does. Even when you know you can go back any time you want.”

“You get used to it”, Joachim said.

He sat right in front of us.

“Wanna sit up front?”

Circe took him up on the offer and soon they were talking about travelling and the mercenary life. I decided to take the chance and get some air.

“Tell us if you see something coming”, Joachim said as I took off. I acknowledged him with a hoot.

The camp that night was simple. The warm late-summer air and cloudless night meant there was no need for tents so only a bonfire was set up after placing the wagons in a half-ring. More stories were exchanged, this time I joined in as well. I told a slightly altered version of the battle Vivi and I had with the stag and his herd. Ludwig nodded open approval at how we trapped him and took out the key target first. When I ended on finding out my friend had gotten hurt, Cerberos asked if she had gotten better so I told them that was how I went to the dwarves for the first time. From there, more tales were asked for but I decided I was done for the night and would tell another one the next evening.

The journey itself was perfectly calm and normal. No surprises jumped at us, no beasts or bandits were brave enough to attack our group. On the fourth day, we came upon a fork in the road. West would lead us to another village while north was the way to Brookfrid.

“How many villages are there out like that?”, I asked Joachim.

“In this part of the country, not many. I think we have four?”

“Five”, Ludwig corrected, “There’s Treeline in the east.”

“Right. I always forget about that one.”

“Sounds like it borders the forest.”, I said.

“The Deep Green, yup”, Joachim said.

“I didn’t see a village when I flew that way.”

“Oh, it’s so far out it has its own separate road. It only really is part of Eterios in name. I haven’t ever been there.”

“Huh. Maybe worth a visit…”

Joachim laughed.

“I don’t think there’s much there but sure. You’re pretty fast, after all.”

“What else is in this… area?”

Joachim looked to Ludwig for help. The [Scout] sighed.

“Brookring, the territory governed by Lord Ekos, has its big city, Brookfrid, five villages around the south and east border and two towns towards the north-west and west. It’s mostly farmland, producing crops and animal products. There’s a mine in Bergfrid, the town to the northwest. It’s mostly just iron, though. And a lot of stone.”

“I see. Thanks.”

“The capital of Eterios is directly on our northern border as well. The king doesn’t hold a separate territory, only the city itself. He mostly just makes sure the five territories work together and the lords stay in line.”

“And that works?”, I asked.

“Mostly?”, Joachim said, “There’s been one guy they executed for corruption, I think? When was that, three years ago?”

Ludwig nodded.

“Lord Ekos may not be a good man but calling him evil would be wrong as well. He does really like his women young, though.”

“What?”, Circe flinched back.

“Not that young”, Joachim said, “Like, in their early twenties. He’s fifty himself.”

“Ugh…”, my friend shook her head in disgust.

“They get paid a ton to work as maids but are expected to give… extra service.”

I clicked my tongue.

“Not really the topic”, I chided, “Circe is twelve.”

“Right, sorry.”

“It’s fine”, the girl said, “I know about the birds and the bees.”

That made Joachim laugh out loud.

“Good! I didn’t want to have that conversation with you.”

The conversation shifted towards normal topics again. More stories were demanded but I was nearly out and we still had a few evenings. Instead, Joachim started telling about another adventure of his team. I was not very interested in how he managed to hunt down a particularly nasty pack of rabid dogs and took to the air again.

The grassy hills had turned flat over the last few days. The groves spread out thinly here and there had gotten sparse but also increased in size. There was a small forest between every kilometre of grass and rivers. Two or three times a day we could see a large farm in the distance tending to fields all around. If I flew a little higher than normal, I could make a large black blot in the distance. That had to be our goal, Brookfrid.

And today, I spotted something else. Maybe one day’s journey north, a group of three carriages moved along the road. They stood out with their red and black paint. A few riders put up a vanguard and the at the rear was a cart. It looked like we would meet sometime around afternoon to evening. And I had a good guess as to who they were.

I soon returned to our little caravan and landed next to Circe as Joachim was telling a heavily embellished tale of how he took down three dogs with nothing but a broomstick. Apparently, he had also been wearing nothing but a loincloth. I let him finish before speaking up.

“I saw something”, I said.

Instantly, the man turned serious.

“What and where?”

“A group of carriages, about a day north. We’ll likely meet by nightfall at the latest.”

“Carriages? Any coat of arms?”

“Painted black and red, I didn’t see any heraldry.”

“Must be the Church”, Ludwig said.

“They’re early, huh?”, Joachim mused.

“Honestly, we’re just slow”, Ludwig said, “We took way too long in Greypeak.”

He turned to me.

“Better you don’t go up again. They might try to shoot you down.”

“Eh?”, Circe made, “But why?”

“They’ll think she’s a monster, and for good reason. Until we explain, they’ll be cautious.”

“Anything I need to know?”, I asked.

Before I could get an answer Joachim put a hand to his mouth and hollered to the back.

“Guys, let’s go a bit faster. Looks like we’re meeting Paladins tonight. I don’t want that to be after dark.”

The villagers on the back carts called their agreement and everyone pushed the oxen to trot a little faster. Not that it was very noticeable.

“Right”, the leader said to me, “Let’s see… Best to just stay quiet at the beginning. They’ll definitely figure out you’re warped as Lud did. But you’ve got leverage with your dwarven citizenship. I’m gonna give them the report and then they’ll likely want to talk to you in detail.”

“You do not have to worry. You are not a [Thaumaturge]”, Cerberos said, “They will want to know about your node but that is not an issue. Just be truthful.”

“I heard they’re some kind of… central government?”, I asked.

“Sort of”, Ludwig said, “They lend legitimacy to the [King] or [Queen] and confiscate any thaumaturgical evidence. What for, nobody knows. I think they’re just greedy but…”

“They fight for the good of the world”, Cerberos said harshly, “I told you many times.”

“Yes, yes, Cathedral-brick. I know.”

The [Hunter] snarled but was silenced by Joachim.

“Don’t”, he said, “Both of you. That topic stays quiet, remember?”

The men nodded after a moment.

“Good”, Joachim said, “Let’s just keep calm. You’ll see what the Paladins are like by evening, Fio.”

I nodded. Circe seemed giddy, bouncing a little in her seat.

“We’re really going to meet Paladins!”, she said.

I just huffed.

‘I hope it’ll be fine…’, I thought to myself.