Jertann was a good fighter; and based on the limited interaction, a good brother and a friend as well. But observant, he was not, as evidenced by the way he walked forward toward the beast that the group had just downed, uncaring of the large group of rivals that was walking toward us, their weapons raised to make a point – and not a friendly point. I looked at Karak, who just shrugged in resignation. Clearly, it was not the first time. I sighed, ignoring my desire to complain even as I could see the growing chaos. I was the one that picked Jertann as my access to the growing militia-gang situation that was going on, which meant I wasn't in a position to complain. Silas proved to be more observant of two, and halfway onto the beast, she poked Jertann's side, getting his attention. "It's going to be fun, right," I said to Karak as I took a step forward. Karak didn't say anything, but he wasn't good enough to hide his surprise as he wa

I didn't do much for a while as I walked around the camp. I just sauntered while taking deep breaths, trying to control that sudden flare of anger.I didn't question the presence of the overwhelming flood of fury. With everything going on, it was a natural response, and even I had limits when it came to compartmentalizing my emotions. Sometimes, no experience helped. One just needed to let the shock run its course.If I was still back on The Old Realm, I would have retreated to my cabin in the woods, enjoying some nice cigars and a bottle of top-shelf bourbon while looking at the stars. A day or two, alone, and I would calm down.Pity, it was not a luxury I could afford at this point. Not just the cigar and scotch, but staying alone for a day or two. Not in a world filled with monsters… I decided to take the next best thing, and decided to have a walk around the camp…I took note of the mood of the people, some calm, some panicking, some angry; yet everyone was busy

The move back to the red camp was without issue. I moved, with Master Qimir following me. He didn't seem to be in the mood to speak, and I didn't prompt him, letting him process his impromptu recruitment. Though, my reputation didn't extend to the rest of the people, at least not yet, as people ignored our presence until I put on my armband once again.Once I put my band, things changed, and people started putting some distance, even if it meant creating some traffic for other carts, showing that the unaligned was getting restless in the situation. But, no one tried to talk with us, so we just walked.Then, we neared the section dedicated to the red group, where the carts stood much closer, with some sentries vigilantly observing.Sentries who made sure to step away to avoid even looking like they were blocking my way. Considering that the earlier troupe had clearly referred to me as a warrior, their tenseness was not a surprise. I wondered whether Jertann spilled someth

With the disappearance of the sun came the time to camp once more, as most people lacked the necessary perception to kill the beasts in the dark. They still attacked, of course, but the lack of movement meant much less intensity; especially with most of the attackers drawn to the huge bonfire.As we moved, the camp was in chaos around us once more, with tents being erected, carts being repaired in a hurry, forges being set up to repair weapons… A chaotic mess, making me glad that would take only a week to arrive at our destination."It was a good day," Jertann said, exuberant despite his exhaustion. "Now, let's go eat. I hope this new cook is as good as you say it is," he said."Not the best food I had eaten, but certainly better than the others in the camp," I answered and led them toward it. As I walked, I noticed many eyes on us, most of them focusing on me. I was getting famous in the camp, an inevitable consequence of my extended show.Silas separated from the g

The distance between the nearest inner camp and our camp was a bit more than two miles — which meant that it was about three elatriss in their measurements. More importantly, the walk was the only time I hadn't been disrupted by the constant attacks of the small beasts.Ours wasn't the only camp in our immediate surroundings, and bonfires of the outer camps were enough to attract most of the beasts when combined, and the rest was killed by the archers that were patrolling around the inner camp — showing no sign of rationing their arrows for bigger threats, displaying their logistical superiority.The visitors had lined up in front of two guards that were wearing metal armor. We lined up as well, Karak on the front, with two pieces of carved wood already in hand. Others had similar items in hand, and the guard was stamping them as they entered — and taking half a denica of silver as payment.Then, we were inside."We should be out before the camp starts to gather, tha