The thought existed on an instinctive basis. Behind the scenes, his progression had all the signs of supernatural hands. His experiences felt too convenient, too smooth in certain untenable ways. In the absence of evidence, the notion remained as mostly a gut suspicion. Nonetheless, he'd learned to trust that feeling of late.

This recent reveal caused him to reflect on those indistinct ideals. Perhaps it had been a case of paranoid delusion; to think to have gained the guidance of a shaper's wild favor.

Was there a will behind the rules that governed the system - and if not, had he mistaken cold neutrality for dark intention? An answer his skeptical mind found suitably difficult to fathom. But for now, it was enough to see the connections with more clarity than before.

The background grew sparser as they made their way to Drake Tail Pass proper. Temperate vegetation sprang up amongst avalanche rock from homes on high. The lichen-gown victims laid hollow in the shadows of their upright descendants. There was no sign of the common beasts or monsters found in the valley, but a trickle of voices did cause them concern.

Quintin used the trees, debris, and mountain rock to sneak closer for a better view. Vissitri rolled his eyes, putting them both under a shroud of invisibility instead. The sound nullification being a nice bonus touch on loose ground.

After a bit of walking the voices intensified, until the conversation could be heard. "...the scouting? Damn if I know. Juss' glad it's not headin' our way."

Another gravelly voice spoke up, in response to the other, "Ai, we've enough on our plate as is. Take'er easy Danny, Paul. I'm headin' on home, don't let them lowland bandits snake up on ye- Ha-Ha Ha. Bastards as slimy as yeller' adventerin' soup!"

The crunch of bootsteps and a respectful reply made the departure known. "Yes Sir! You can leave the guard duty to us, Sir!"

"Sir!" the first voice's salute fell to a whisper, "Dammit Paul, why ya' gotta go make me look bad with that respectful yap?"

Danny, Paul, and the retreating back of the 'Sir' from their mouth came into view. It was a small outpost built beside the entrance to Drake Tail Pass. They all wore the same steel chest plate with pickax embossment, as well as conquistador-like helmets.

Paul sat down on a stool beside one of two firepits the small encampment had. "Oh come on! Besides, isn't it awesome how he can do a week-long stint by himself? That man deserves all our respect!"

"Hmph. Y'ask me yir a bootlicker," Danny kicked up a knocked-over stool to sit, "but it's too bad we had to make a deal wit' them lowly bandits, what wit' our problems n'all."

There wasn't much stopping Quintin from sneaking past them now, but he felt their conversation might bear unexpected fruit. After all, he'd been away from civilization for nearly two months by now. The amount of critical information he didn't have made him pause to hear more of their talk.

Paul considered his guard companion, likely searching for words that wouldn't make the week more grueling than it had to be. "You have it right on one account. If those 'creatures wrapped in darkness' that Cassida spoke of didn't exist, there's no way some lowly bandits could takeover the pass from us PanQuil Defenders!"

"Bah," Danny exclaimed, "yir killin' my buzz with all them words'n such. Jus' shut up'n watch the Tail, will ya'?"

With that, the irritable guardsman left for the opposite sides fire pit to the absolute dismay of his companion. It wasn't all bad news though. Their conversation had given Quintin a new [Quest], one that he was more than willing to seek out. His previous experience with them informed his excitement at the prospect. After all, [Quests] gave far more benefits than he would otherwise gain without—granted he could complete the deed.

[Quests]:

[Completed]:

—[Mystery of the Amphitheater]

[Active]:

—[Nyathamon's Quest]

—[Contract: Goblins in the Cave] √: turn in.

[Along Came Some Bandits]

-Rank: Uncommon

-Action: Optional

1. Clear out the bandits residing on Drake Tail Pass.

2. Optional: find out the reason why they're there.

—oDiscovery: Quest change.

[Rewards]: EXP. and Gold.

The [Quest] appeared simple enough at a glance; kill, subdue, or appease some bandits. However, the treacherous mountains presented a complication that might make the trial a miserable ordeal. He just had to wait and see how harrowing the fight was when the time came.

Even with the intermittent grind along the way, he hadn't taken a [Level] from any of it. In his eyes, this became a prime opportunity, a chance he couldn't throw away. A part of him still felt constrained by the crushing exertions of Sozzelrift. He wanted a proper return to form, and what better way than to exercise his fists on some lawless bandits.

The bottom of Drake Tail Pass laid many hours below them. It was a narrow downward corridor that led out to Nagelroot Hills. From there, a course to anywhere became possible. But first, Quintin had some business to attend to. Bandits made their base somewhere along this dusty trail, and he held a firm determination to meet the challenge.

He threw all those immediate concerns to the back of his mind, a vicious focus came to life at the prospect of a straightforward brawl. As headache-inducing as those worries were, a few good knocks to the head sounded like a golden cure to him.

They made their way through the outpost. Though in truth, it was more like two roofless half-shacks on either side of a road. Regardless, the guards were none-the-wiser to their passage and simply busied themselves, occasionally doing stretches and other wide-eye maneuvers.

Most of the time, Quintin spoke to his emerald companion mentally. Now was no different, "So I got this [Quest] from listening to all that, I wonder if you want to have some fun in a bit?"