Pudge adjusted his pack and looked around at the crowd of beastkin that had come to see him off. He was grateful for the turnout, even if he didn’t quite understand it. After all, he’d only been a visitor in the town for a couple of months, but in that time, the residents had accepted him as one of their own. That gave Pudge a sense of belonging he hadn’t felt since his mother had died, and even that was only a memory that had been blurred by his infancy and the passage of time.

To see him off, the village had put together a celebratory feast that had ended with dancing, drinking, a general merrymaking. Even Yoree, with his dour self, seemed to have had a good time. However, there were a few people who hadn’t seemed to be in quite as good of a mood as the rest of the residents.

Flick had already tried to convince Pudge to stay, largely because, by defeating the trials, he’d proven himself a powerful warrior. And given his relatively low level, he was only going to grow stronger, and quickly. So, in terms of the town’s defenses, Pudge was considered a valuable asset, and Flick had offered him training, a position of importance within the village, and whatever else he could want.

Sasha had taken a different tactic. Instead of begging him to stay, she’d tried to convince Pudge to allow her to accompany him on his impending journey. Over the past few weeks, he’d spent a fair amount of time with the girl, and he’d discovered that Sasha felt stifled within the village. She had an adventurous spirit, and she wanted to explore the wider world. Her father had forbidden it, though, claiming that it was far too dangerous, and she rankled at the restriction. In Pudge, she saw a way out.

Heron and a few of the town’s other leaders had made pitches similar to Flick’s, but if the familiar boarkin couldn’t convince Pudge to stay, they stood no chance at all. And they seemed to have known it, though more than one had informed him of the dangers that awaited an errant beastkin who wandered out of the Pale Moon Territory. But that couldn’t dissuade Pudge from what he knew he had to do.

“Where will you go?” asked Flick, ending the question with a slight snort.

Pudge pointed to the east. “That way,” he said.

“Are you certain? The dangers…”

Pudge nodded. Everyone in town had gone on and on about how dangerous the outside world was for beastkin, and while some of their stories were troubling, Pudge didn’t feel as if he had a choice in the matter. Certainly, he could have spent a few more months hunting with the town’s warriors and growing stronger, but every moment he spent away from Zeke felt like someone was ripping his heart to shreds. It was only bearable if he didn’t think about it. If he dwelled on the distance between them, panic gripped his mind and threatened to incapacitate him completely.

No - he physically needed to find Zeke.

But from an emotional perspective, the need felt even more urgent. The people of the Pale Moon had embraced him as one of their own, and he certainly appreciated it. But they weren’t family.

Zeke was, and that simple fact was enough to spur him along.

Once it had become clear that Pudge had no intention of sticking around, Flick had bent his will toward easing Pudge’s journey. Not only had he provided maps and advice on which areas to avoid – there were a great many of those – but he’d also given Pudge plenty of supplies, including daily necessities like a waterskin and some rudimentary camping gear as well as enough rations to last him at least a few weeks. Hopefully, Pudge wouldn’t need to dip into those stores, but he intended to move quickly, so hunting might not always be possible during his journey.

“Just like that, eh? East,” said Flick, shaking his head. “No destination in mind?”

Pudge shrugged. “Not really.”

He’d gotten better at speaking, but he still didn’t find it entirely comfortable. Often, he felt self-conscious about his lack of ability, but no one in the town had looked down on him for it. Even so, Pudge felt more comfortable using as few words to communicate as possible. So long as he got his point across, it was fine.

Perhaps when he reunited with Zeke, he would have a chance to better develop in that respect. For now, though, he had other things to worry about – like safely crossing hostile territory.

The Pale Moon Territory wasn’t massive, but it was sizable enough to support the thousands of beastkin that lived in the town. There were other settlements in the area, but most were barely big enough to be considered hamlets. These small settlements functioned as hubs for nearby farms and little else.

Beyond their borders was seldom explored wilderness that was populated with powerful monsters and myriad deadly creatures. That went on for hundreds of miles until the land became more settled, eventually crossing the borders of established countries. To the north were the elves that mostly kept to themselves. To the west were the militant orcs who had waged more wars than the rest of the realm’s races combined. And to the south were the mountains populated by dwarves, gnomes, and a hardy brand of humans.

But the east was the most dangerous because it was populated by a particularly vicious tribe of ogres that had managed to create an alliance with a cunning nation of trolls. Together, they had forged a formidable nation of powerful warriors, and while their society was rudimentary, they were advanced enough that few would chance a journey through their territory.

Which was precisely what Pudge intended to do, though he’d charted a course that would only require him to skirt the edges. It was the long way around, but he wasn’t so arrogant that he thought he could traverse the area without alerting the owners. The biggest problem, as he saw it, was that his route would take him through a region known as the Dead Mire – a reportedly dreadful swamp that most sane people would avoid.

Pudge didn’t have that option. If he wanted to reach Zeke without adding thousands of miles to his journey, he had little choice but to traverse the Dead Mire. Still, he didn’t look forward to it. Not only was it host to all the normal dangers posed by a swamp – venomous creatures, terrain that would trap the unwary, and the unpleasantness that came with any bog – but the trolls themselves were always a threat. The only good thing about the swamp was that the ogres avoided it for the same reasons everyone else did, and instead only maintained a loose presence.

“What are you looking for out there?” was Flick’s next question.

“My family.”

Flick narrowed his eyes and let out a snort. “Family? You didn’t mention that,” he said. “Once you find them, you could bring them back here and –”

“Maybe,” Pudge said, knowing good and well that he would likely never return. If he’d intended to settle down and create a life for himself, he might have considered it. However, that was never his goal. Like Zeke and the others, he intended to ascend until he couldn’t manage it anymore. Partially for his own power, but mostly because he couldn’t fathom an existence without Zeke. They were family, and Pudge knew that Zeke would be lost without his companionship and support.

Besides, Pudge hadn’t seen any humans in the Pale Moon Territory, so he didn’t expect that Zeke – or Talia, for that matter – would be welcome. The beastkin lived an isolated life, partly out of necessity, but mostly because that was what they preferred. Flick had intimated that beastkin were not only hunted in the outside world, but even when they weren’t, they were rarely accepted by the other races. Staying apart from the rest of the world was preferable for all involved.

Pudge wasn’t altogether convinced that the whole world was arrayed against people like him. After all, Zeke had accepted Pudge without a moment’s hesitation, which only proved that humans – and hopefully all the other races – weren’t all bad. But even if they were, Pudge had no intention of hiding away. Not only did he need to find Zeke and Talia, but he also knew that nobody ever grew stronger by seeking safety above all else. If people wanted to oppose him and his friends, then they would be dealt with accordingly.

That was how things had worked in the Mortal Realm, and Pudge had no reason to expect anything different now that he and his companions had ascended.

Or perhaps he was just naïve. He didn’t have the experience necessary to make a valid judgment. Instead, he could only address the issues in front of him. Once he was reunited with Zeke, they could figure out how to move forward together.

Over the next few minutes, Pudge endured the well-wishes of everyone with whom he’d interacted over the past few months. He knew some of their names, but most were relative strangers he’d only met a single time. All had treated him with kindness, though, for which he’d be eternally grateful. However, his gratitude wasn’t enough to keep him from moving on. After all, so close to his departure, Pudge’s mission to find Zeke was foremost in his mind. So, though the goodbyes were fairly quick, his impatience made it feel like an eternity.

Eventually, though, the time came, and he found himself marching down the road that would lead him to the east. It was a narrow thing, barely more than a trail, but it served its purpose, and over the next few hours, Pudge covered quite a lot of ground. By the time the sun set, he’d reached his first destination – a tiny village known as Mistvale. There, he stopped for the night, taking advantage of the hospitality of a family of badgerkin before moving on the next morning.

Over the next week, Pudge gradually worked his way across the Pale Moon territory. A couple of times, he stayed the night in small settlements, but most often, he made use of the camping gear and slept outside. And though the lack had never bothered him before, Pudge found that he much preferred sleeping in a bed.

However, on the eighth day, he wasn’t concerned with his sleeping arrangements. Instead, he was far more worried about the fact that, for the past few days, something had been stalking him through the increasingly dense wilderness.

And doing a poor job of it, which told Pudge all he needed to know about his follower’s identity.

As it drew closer, Pudge readied himself. Then, when he judged the time was right, he used his newest skill, [Netherclaw] as he swiped in the right direction. The moment he embraced the skill, a giant version of his own hand bloomed into existence. But it even outside the discrepancy in size, it wasn’t a perfect match. Mostly black, but pulsing with rivers of red energy, it seemed only partially solid. At five feet long and just as wide, it was enormous, and as he slashed his hand in a horizontal motion, it burst forward.

But at the last moment, he caught a scent on the wind.

Panicked, Pudge redirected the skill, but with it already in motion, he could only do so much. The black claw tore through a stand of trees, shattering trunks into kindling as it swept forward with undeniable force, only to dissipate an instant later.

With every point of agility he could call upon, Pudge rushed into the maelstrom of splinters his skill left in its wake. His heart thundering in his chest, he frantically searched the area until, only a second later, he saw Sasha’s familiar form. In a slight depression, she was curled into a tight ball, with her knees in her chest, but she seemed to have escaped the attack unscathed.

But Pudge knew better than to attribute it to luck. If he hadn’t minutely redirected the skill, it would have ripped her to pieces, the same way it had torn its way through those trees.

Speaking of which, a series of cracks echoed through the forest before the tall pine trees started to fall. Moving as quickly as he dared, Pudge scooped Sasha into his arms and sprinted from the area. It was just in time, too, because the entire area had come alive with the sound of toppling trees.

Pudge narrowly avoided one, but was knocked aside by another. As he rolled, he curled his body around Sasha in attempt to shield her from harm. In the process, Pudge took a multitude of cuts, and when he was pummeled by a particularly large branch, he felt a few ribs break. But all he could think about was keeping Sasha from harm.

Finally, he stumbled free of the storm of falling trees and skidded to safety after sliding down a shallow slope. His flight had only lasted a few seconds, but those moments of danger had left him feeling a sense of exhaustion. So, he activated the borrowed version of Zeke’s new skill, and a few weak tendrils of yellow energy enveloped his body. It wasn’t enough to outright heal him – not anytime soon – but it cut the pain by a significant degree. With a sigh, he released Sasha and let her roll away while he spread his arms out wide to enjoy the relief.

“It occurs to me that I probably shouldn’t have been sneaking up on you,” came Sasha’s relieved voice.

Pudge turned to face the girl, noting that she was wearing heavy, leather traveling gear and had a pack similar to his own upon her back. She lay only a few feet away, a chagrined expression on her face.

“Why?” he asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? If I’d made a little more noise, maybe you wouldn’t have –”

“No. Why have you followed me?” he asked in a terse rumble.

“Oh. That,” she said, sitting up. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Like that, she looked incredibly small. “Sorry. I just…I’ve always wanted to see the outside world. So, I…I ran away. There’s so much more out there than our little town. I want to see elves and dwarves and…and humans, too! They can’t be as bad as Master Heron claims. I know it!”

Pudge sighed. “You want to come with me,” he reasoned, already annoyed. He wouldn’t mind the company, but having someone along who couldn’t sneak as well as him would make things that much more difficult.

“I do. But I can earn my keep,” she insisted. “I can hunt. I can scout. And you saw in the Trials that I’m good with magic, too. I promise, I’ll…you won’t regret bringing me along.”

Pudge considered it. Even if he refused, there was every chance she’d follow him anyway. And that would be even more dangerous than if they stuck together. Besides, while she wasn’t exactly worldly, she still knew more than him. Perhaps that would prove valuable. And finally, he’d never really been alone. Back in the Radiant Isles, he’d always had Zeke, Talia, or Abby to keep him company. And the prospect of crossing thousands of miles alone wasn’t one he would enjoy. At least Sasha would fill that void.

“Fine,” he said, climbing back to his feet. As he did so, he started checking the contents of his pack, and to his surprise, nothing had been broken. Sasha did the same, though she wasn’t as lucky. Her own camping gear hadn’t fared so well, and much of it was broken.

She asked, “So, where are we going?”

“East,” was all Pudge said. Then, he slipped on his pack and started walking in that direction.