We rode hard the next day, only stopping briefly for the horses to rest and have a drink of water. We were following the coastline, so there was a saltiness in the air the entire time.

I was surprised at how much the coast changed as we travelled. Near the city, the shoreline had been mostly sand. There were occasional rocks, especially surrounding the town itself, but overall it was smooth. Now, the land dropped into sheer cliffs that led down to the water.

While riding, I used Arcane Foraging once—curious about what might be near the ocean—and immediately discovered a major flaw.

The whole ocean glowed blue.

This was where I discovered a feature of the skill I hadn't known existed until now. I was able to essentially tone down the glow of the ocean—or so I thought. It turned out that all the really abundant items were now toned down as well.

I still needed to test it with something rarer, but if I could dull the glow of the common items and highlight only the rare ones, it would make the skill a lot more useful.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky began to darken, we finally saw the first sign of the army's location. In the distance, several smoke columns rose into the sky, along with a steady glow near the horizon.

"Are we going to go straight there?" I asked, watching the lights in the distance.

"It's best you don't sneak up on a camp at night," Hari said, stepping up beside me.

"Would they attack us?" I asked, confused. This was the army—I didn't think they'd just lash out randomly.

"No, but Liane is going to scout out what we're walking into. We'll intercept them in the morning. In general, it's best to avoid approaching any camp at night if they don't know you. It puts everyone on edge," Hari explained.

"That makes sense. I just... I really want to go straight there. We're so close," I said honestly.

"I get that. But another few hours won't hurt too much. Now—training time," Hari said, turning to me.

I just groaned.

I ended up putting four points into Endurance, mostly because I wanted more stamina. This training was leaving me drained every night—but I was seeing improvement. I still couldn't land a hit on Hari, but at least I wasn't leaving myself wide open every time I swung.

Slow and steady.

For dinner, it was Buvul steaks with mashed tubers, and I made a creamy garlic sauce to go with it. I'd wanted to make some pastries, but I was far too tired. Despite that, I still couldn't sleep. I was too nervous about tomorrow.

I pulled out Char's book and started flipping through it.

"You okay?" Micca asked, sitting down next to me.

"Yeah, I think so. Just nervous," I said, eyes still on the book—though I wasn't really reading. My mind was elsewhere, wondering how tomorrow's encounter would go. Would George even want to talk to me?

"You'll be fine. Your friend will be fine. You'll see," she said softly, patting me on the back.

Nothing much was said after that. I just watched as Crisplet continued building what looked like a tower. It was fascinating to see, because unlike Milo's smooth, single-piece structures, Crisplet was forming individual pieces of coal like bricks—raising the tower layer by layer.

***

I had a restless sleep that night. When I finally gave up and got up in the morning, I saw that Crisplet's tower had reached all the way to the roof. All the little bricks of coal he'd used were now fused together into what looked almost like a pillar of molten lava and ash. It even appeared bone-like?.

"Morning, Crisplet. Your tower looks really badass—I like it," I said, getting a burst of embers in reply as Crisplet emerged from the entrance hole at the base.

I waved to Milo and Jen, who were on watch this morning. I knew we wanted to get on the road early so we could catch the group before they started moving. Keeping breakfast simple, I pulled out some dough to make fresh rolls and followed that up with scrambled eggs from the supplies Jen and Micca had bought.

As I was cooking the rolls, I couldn't help but wonder—would I eventually be able to put them on a pre-made rune and just add the final magic word at the end? Could I have runes on the bread?

Something to consider later.

Breakfast was a success. Everyone enjoyed it, and while packing down camp, we got to see Crisplet's full creation as Milo's stone faded away. What was left looked almost like a skeleton made of coal, intertwined through the entire structure Milo had built.

"Wow, Crisplet. You went all out," I said, staring at the framework he'd left behind—just before it all collapsed into ash and was carried away on the breeze.

"Right, let's get moving. Remember, let me do the talking. Micca, you're the merchant. Once we know who George is, you'll need to ask for him," Hari explained.

Micca just nodded as we all mounted our horses.

***

In under an hour, we had the camp in sight. It was much larger than I expected—there had to be hundreds of people. From here, they all looked to be moving slowly, and it seemed like they were packing down.

As we got closer, I began to notice more and more details that concerned me. The group was moving very slowly. It looked like a large proportion of them were injured.

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"What's wrong with them?" I asked as we rode.

"They sometimes force them to march day after day, without rest, until they reach the town. This breaks a lot of people—mentally and physically," Milo said, and there was a clear hint of disgust in his voice.

We started making our way along the outer edge of the camp. I was on the lookout for George, hoping we might spot him early. So far, I hadn't seen him. To a lesser extent, I was also looking for Darren or Brandon, since they had been with him when he left.

It took a couple of minutes of weaving through the camp before we found our way to where the leaders seemed to be stationed.

It was easy to spot—they were the only ones with horses, besides the wagons.

"Greetings," Hari called, dismounting from his horse.

"State your business," the older man said in a stern manner.

"We're the adventurer's party, The Polite Company. We're currently on a job for a merchant," Hari said, gesturing to Micca.

"We're hoping to come to an arrangement to acquire someone in particular—perhaps have a more private conversation?" He added, looking around as Micca and Milo dismounted as well.

The man looked over us all, his eyes lingering on Crisplet for a moment before he gestured toward the tent behind him for Hari, Milo, and Micca to follow.

"Would it be alright for my party to seek out the individual while we work out the details?" Hari asked, putting on a giant smile.

"Aye, that's fine. Just don't interfere with anything," the man said, walking into the tent with the others close behind.

Liane and Jen both looked troubled as they glanced around, but aside from exhausted faces and limping soldiers, I couldn't see what was bothering them. Taking our chance, we started making our way through the camp.

It took a while before I spotted anyone I recognised—and the moment I did, I couldn't help but yell out.

"Darren? Is that you?" I called, dismounting quickly.

It was him. At least, I thought so.

But if I'd ever thought he was skinny back at the orphanage, right now he was barely skin and bones. His face was gaunt, hollow—he looked like a shell of his former self.

"Trevor?" Darren's weak voice called out.

"Yes, it's me! What happened to you? Where's George?" I asked, staring at an old acquaintance who looked like he'd been through hell.

"Uh… I don't know. He collapsed a few days ago and was thrown into a wagon. I haven't seen him since. You have to help us, Trevor… I haven't seen Brandon in nearly two weeks." His voice cracked, and I could see the tears in his eyes.

I stared at him, completely at a loss for words. Without thinking, I pulled out one of my rolls—one of the regeneration ones.

"Eat that. I'll look for the others. You said the wagons, right? Try to make your way to the centre, where the rest of my party is; we'll try to get you out." I turned back to my horse.

I didn't need to say anything to Jen or Liane. They'd heard it all—and now they both looked furious.

As we approached the wagons, several very healthy-looking soldiers stepped into our path.

"You can't approach the wagons without express permission from the Colonel," one of them said, blocking our way.

"We're looking for two people. They were taken to these wagons," I said, trying to keep diplomatic.

"Impossible. Without the Colonel, you're not allowed near the wagons. Move along," the man repeated flatly.

"Fuck this," Liane muttered.

A moment later, she vanished—and then all three soldiers collapsed to the ground in quick succession.

"You didn't kill them, did you?" I asked, stunned.

"No. Just a very strong sedative to knock them out. And a little cut," she replied as we moved past toward the wagons.

The first thing I noticed was the smell—and it was awful. Worse than the orphanage latrines. I nearly gagged as we got closer.

Looking into the first of the three wagons, I saw something that made my stomach turn. They were packed with people—piled in on top of each other. I couldn't even tell if some of them were dead or just barely alive. All of them were beaten, bruised, and covered in cuts.

None of them had the energy to move. Some were completely limp, crushed beneath others. And yet, no one cried out. No one even blinked.

"What in the hells is this? Are they killing them?" I hissed, looking desperately for George but not wanting to leave anyone behind.

"Can we help them?" I asked, turning to Jen and Liane. Both of them looked incredibly pissed off.

"No. We can't help them all. We don't have the supplies," Jen said.

I'd already moved to the second wagon and found what I thought might be George. He wasn't moving; his eyes were closed and his skin was almost grey.

"George!" I practically yelled, climbing into the wagon from my horse. Sable wasn't happy about it, but she put up with it.

He didn't react. Several people squirmed in pain as I climbed over them trying to reach him. The stench hit me—an overwhelming mix of sewer and death.

I moved the two people piled on top of him to make space. Feeling his skin, I could tell he wasn't dead, but he must be close. I was scrambling for something to give him. I did not have any health potions, and he wouldn't be able to eat in his current state.

Pulling out a couple of glass vials of spider soup I'd set aside for Liane. They gave regeneration, and the liquid was pure, so maybe it would help.

I opened George's mouth—it was practically dry—and slowly poured in the liquid.

It took an uncomfortably long time before he swallowed. By then we'd attracted attention; more veteran soldiers were coming over to see what was happening. Liane and Jen intercepted them, and so far nothing had escalated.

I lifted George to carry him out of that hellhole. He was shockingly light. He'd always been heavier than me, but now he was like Darren—just skin and bone.

Because he was still unconscious, I lowered him over Sable's back and tried to balance him there while I climbed down. I didn't see Brandon anywhere, which meant he must be in the last wagon.

I had to check.

The smell from the final wagon was almost entirely of death. Peering over the side made my stomach turn—at least twenty corpses lay inside.

I spotted Brandon's face. It's a sight I'll never forget.

No one deserves this. This is wrong.

A voice cut through my thoughts. "Hey, you can't be here! Put that soldier back!" a man yelled—and then chaos erupted. More veteran soldiers, the guards for this caravan started arriving, and when they saw the three knocked-out men, they turned hostile.

In the distance, I saw Hari, Milo and Micca emerge from the tent with the older gentleman we'd spoken to. Jen and Liane seemed to have a plan; they rode straight toward the soldiers, ignoring the yelling.

I wasn't going to stick around, even though I wanted to help the people in the wagons.

As we rode toward the tent, a guard lunged at us. I didn't see much, but a nearby campfire burst into a red-and-grey ash cloud that engulfed the guard. He choked, dropped his spear, and struggled to get out.

"Thanks, Crisplet," I whispered, and Crisplet shot me a serious look.

When we reached the tent with Hari, Micca, and the older man—who I assumed was the colonel—the man spoke in a hard voice. "You've trespassed against the kingdom's forces. That is a crime. Surrender, or we will be forced to act."

Jen and Liane didn't stop. They rode straight at the group.

I lost control. Having seen the wagons full of bodies, I shouted, "You killed them!"

The old man spat on the ground. "I killed no one, kid. They killed themselves by being weak. But I'll be spilling your blood today if you do not surrender immediately."

Surprisingly, Hari stepped forward and removed his shield from his back. He said very clearly.

"That won't be happening, I'm afraid."

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