The sound of the wind blowing through the trees. The critters rushing between the shadows. The scent of fresh air. The sky itself looked more vibrant than I remembered. Every hue upon the flowers, the untended and tall grass, glistening with morning dew.

  My head spun with all the fresh sights and sounds from outside the walls of Miriamsburg. There was nothing wrong with the city’s own, but beyond felt far more… alive. Every color, every shape, my mind wandered, wanting to lie down in the warm grass and take a brief respite…

  “Elma! Don’t fall too far behind, now!” rang out from a familiar voice.

  Upon hearing this, I jolted from my stupor and clamored to acknowledge my companion. “Y-yes, coming!” I stammered as I trudged my way next to him. My late rise had already delayed our journey. I only further sputtered meekly as I reconciled my thoughts. “Apologies, Ray…”

  He was quick to reply, “It’s fine, it’s your first time in Bisitan.” He smiled, seeming with amusement at my swift remorse, further adding, “If anything, I’m surprised your head’s on as straight as it is.”

  It was embarrassing to hear, even if he wasn’t intending to tease me. Even as I kept my daydreaming in check, I still couldn’t help but occasionally let myself think of all the sights right in front of me. Bisitan, the Whispering Woods…

  “Do you remember what we’re here for?” Ray’s query once more snapped me out of it, as I struggled to find my notebook.

  “Uhh…” was all I could muster. Still chock-full of drivel and notes about every little detail I could cram into it, from step-by-step guides on how to manage certain concoctions, to common terminology, I was nothing without it. It’d gotten so bad that I couldn’t recall if I noted down our briefing or not, until I finally found it near the latter pages… as expected it would be, considering its recency.

  “To… investigate what’s happening at Old Maggie’s orchard, correct?” I tried to paraphrase the lengthy brief to a baseline.

  “As long as you remember that much.” He chuckled a touch, which only furthered my anxiety and embarrassment, and I could feel my cheeks flush red.

  The Commission certainly didn’t seem like much at first glance. Old Maggie’s orchard is a well-known place by nearly everyone who lives in Miriamsburg, especially those on the northern end. The large swathe of land was almost solely dedicated to her ‘business,’ often maintained by a smaller subsect of paid workers. Volunteers see an influx, however, during Halftide and Stormtide.

  Since Halftide was beginning soon, many volunteers had already begun their mandatory agricultural work for the year at Maggie’s. According to the report that started the Commission, Old Maggie was convinced that some of the new employees were swiping the orchard’s product, and selling it for copper elsewhere.

  They talked her down after a brief stint, but no one knew how the crops were disappearing. Thus, Maggie sought a Commission with the Voyagers’ Guild to see if they’d be willing to help. A technically simple Commission, and yet…

  “Are you nervous?” Ray blurted it out as though he could read my thoughts. Of course I was nervous. It was my first ever Commission, and if I didn’t do well, it could hold me back from being promoted to Bronze…

  I meekly nodded. It was the only response he needed before placing a hand on my shoulder. “It’ll be fine, Elma.” He gave an encouraging smile as I listened intently. “You’ve done fine on the preliminaries, and were approved in the first place,” he stated, giving me a few pats on the back. “So keep your chin up, alright?”

  “I’ll do my best…” My racing heart betrayed me. With all of the stories I’ve heard of beyond, all of the studying I’d done, it was difficult to not be concerned and enamored. But nonetheless, I trudged on, notebook in hand, sling on my arm, pack on my back, and hat on my head. I had to try.

  After a few hours’ trek from North Miriamsburg, the orchard was finally in sight. I looked up beyond the trees, and where the sun rested in the sky. Roughly midday, possibly later, so we were making good time, I’d hoped.

  The orchard was, to be expected, filled with all kinds of different colors. With Halftide closing in, the leaves began to change hue, and the various fruits were ripe and ready to pick. Reds, oranges, blues, and purples; every delectable fruit I’d ever had was right here. And yet, I had to stay my growing appetite.

  Ray turned to me as we entered through the gates and recommended we go talk to Old Maggie directly. I nodded with his advice and followed him towards the abode in the nearby clearing.

  The orchard was larger than I anticipated. I’d seen photos before, but they rarely did it justice. Without the fences, it’d be hard to tell where the wilds of Bisitan ended, and the fields began. The trees climbed just as high, many of the nearby workers using ladders to reach the higher harvest.

  Ray made it a point to wave to every employee that we waltzed past, greeting them briefly, before moving on with our job. I chose to keep my head low and take stock of the situation. Apples, peanuts, cashews, blueberries, oranges, grapes, nearly every fruit I could think of was on display, and in vast numbers…

  But as soon as another bout of daydreaming began, I was once more jostled out of it by the realization that we’d made it to Old Maggie’s home. Particularly, Ray knocking at her door snapped me out of it.

  We heard a ragged voice from inside, yelling something to the effect of ‘give me a minute,’ but it was hard to tell because of the distance. Ray and I waited patiently as presumably Old Maggie approached the door, and opened it to see the two of us.

  And in a curt display, she barked, “Whaddya want?!”

  I let Ray take the lead, already startled by the seeming hostility, but Ray was unfazed. He replied in an ever-suave tone, “Greetings, Ms. Gounaris, my companion and I are from the Voyagers’ Guild.” He introduced me, and I gave a half-hearted wave. “We’re told you’ve been having some issues?”

  “Hm.” It was the only response that Maggie gave for a moment. It was clear she was sizing the two of us up, before scoffing, and opening the door fully for the two of us, moving out of the way. “Come in, and we can chat.”

  Ray thanked Maggie quickly, and I followed in his example clumsily, stammering over my gratitude, before we found our way inside. Much like the outside, it was humble and comforting. One might even find the word ‘rustic’ as helpful to describe it, certainly unlike most buildings in Miriamsburg proper. Commonly made from metals and stone, especially on the exteriors, rather than wood due to their durability, there was a strange… cozy feeling once inside.

  “Sit down at the table,” remarked Old Maggie, already moving to the kitchen as she continued, “I’ll fetch you two something to munch on.”

  Ray was quick to retort, “We’re quite fine, you don’t need to—”

  But Maggie interrupted him. “Ah, shut it, I don’t wanna hear it.” It was obvious she was insisting, and from that point forward, even Ray felt no place to argue further.

  Before we knew it, she was already exiting the side room with two plates of various foods conglomerated into one meal. Rice, peas, a salad, and what appeared to be chicken or some other poultry.

  Ray sighed, and said to Old Maggie simply, “Thank you for the meal, Ms. Gounaris, you’re very kind.”

  I once more followed suit in giving gratitude, “T-thank you, Ms. Gounaris…”

  As soon as we both started eating, she sat down herself and looked at the two of us. In spite of giving us a homely meal, it didn’t seem like she was keen on us wasting time, either, suddenly tossing the question, “Well, we gonna get on with it?”

  Ray and I both nodded, to which he led the conversation with a simple query. “What, exactly, has been going on?”

  Hearing the question, the old woman sighed and began, “I’m sure one of my employees told you two the gist, but I’m losin’ crops nearly every night now.” Her frustration was palpable, even to me. “I dunno what the blazes is goin’ on with it, or makin’ ‘em go missin’.”

  Ray took charge again over the conversation, as was his speciality, and inquired further on the details, “Is there any reason you suspected your employees at first?”

  Old Maggie seemed a bit displeased with the question, her brow furrowing briefly. “They talked me out of that idea, but I still think it could be one of ‘em.” Her accusatory stance was more than obvious, and it’s a wonder they even managed to talk her down from the idea. “I’m not awake durin’ night shift ‘cuz this body can only work for so long these days, so if someone was gonna steal, it’d be then.”

  It made sense from a surface level. Ray also seemed to agree to an extent, but I didn’t want to make a judgement call too soon. It must have shown, because quickly Old Maggie looked confused as she made eye contact with me. “Somethin’ you wanna get off your chest, girl?”

  “A-ah, no, Ms. Gounaris, I apologize…” I tried to defuse the situation as best as I could. “I guess since it is harvest season, it would be the best time to try something like that…” I placated and agreed with her stance, if only to get her off of my back.

  But none of the other employees ratted out the perpetrator, and in a job like this one, everyone was needed to contribute. It struck me as odd that they wouldn’t have been found out already, since so many people rely on this job for their livelihood.

  However, even as I toiled in my mind over all of the possibilities, Ray was swifter to come up with a possible way to solve our plight. “Ms. Gounaris, if it’s not too much to ask, would you allow us to stick around tonight?”

  For her part, Old Maggie seemed interested. “If it helps get this settled quicker, I don’t care.” Her hand dismissively shooed us away from her abode, now that we were both finished with our meals. “As long as I can stop losin’ crops, and stop losin’ volunteers.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Gounaris,” said my companion, standing from his seat, and giving a wave before continuing. “We’ll talk with the workers around and see what we can do.”

  Maggie’s only response was a scoff as she promptly took our plates and we excused ourselves from her stead. Once beyond the doorway, Ray turned to me and once more seemed to know what I was thinking before I’d even spoken a word.

  He always had a way of clocking me without much effort, which I wasn’t certain whether it was my fault, or simply him being good at his work. Regardless, he broke the momentary silence. “I’m sure you’re not thinking it’s the employees?”

  I shook my head. It didn’t make much sense considering the circumstances. All of the employees, including the volunteers, were already well-compensated, whether by Maggie herself, or Miriamsburg proper. Even outside of that train of thought, difficult as it was to prove, it wouldn’t be so obvious. This wasn’t planned.

  “Well, we’re at least in partial agreement.” He placed his hands onto his hips, and looked to the orchard, still hard at work. “We should go and see if we can’t find anyone who’s been on the night shift recently, and hear what they’ve got to say.”

  “I-I’ll let you take the lead.” I didn’t want to get in the way of an Advisor, after all. Talking is what they’re best at.

  We were led across the acres of healthy fields, being pointed this way and that between myriad different workers, volunteer and otherwise. I noted down the conversations as best as I could muster, at least so Ray and I could later go over the details.

  Inevitably, the common threads were found: upon more than one occasion during night shift, workers have reported seeing “figures” out near the northern outskirts of the orchard. It’s often been too dark to see, and few, if any, have approached to get a better look for fear of harm. Their line of thinking was sound, even if it made our job more difficult.

  Inevitably, we discussed further, but his conclusion was mixed, and anything I could consider got muddied. Bandits, employees, I tried to rack my brain to no avail. I didn’t want to make a hasty judgement and mess it all up.

  Considering the circumstances, I started to get nervous. We should have had some kind of idea by now, something to work off of, but instead I was sat there, useless. I didn’t know how Ray had the ability to stay composed.

  We didn’t talk much more, and got what rest we could between then and sundown. I tried to prepare things we may need, but didn’t know where to start. General concoctions were hard to come by, and expensive. Was it the right time?

  Before I knew it, I’d spent more time worrying and less time preparing myself. And by nightfall, I hadn’t a single concoction to my name.

  I looked to Ray, who seemed entirely unbothered by the circumstances, and asked, “W-what are we going to do…?” I was scared about the situation. What if things went wrong?

  But he looked at me with unwavering confidence, and shrugged. “We wait.”

  “Huh?” I was almost dumbfounded by the simplicity, and fell into an anxious rant about all of the things that could go wrong. Bandits could attack, the employees could get restless, predators could strike…

  As I was continuing, though, Ray placed a hand onto my head. “Calm down.” I stopped myself and nodded, his tone soft, but clearly demanding. “This is part of figuring everything out.”

  “B-but what if—”

  He didn’t even let me finish, cutting me off with a flick to my forehead, which hurt enough to leave a bit of a sting. “If it was going to be dangerous, they’d have already gotten more antsy than this.” But he didn’t stop there. We began to walk through the orchard once more, and he explained that if it was bandits, they were more interested in running than raiding. If it were animals, they were probably here for food. If it were employees, we’d catch them in the act.

  No matter what, we were at the advantage. I felt my cheeks flush again, having spent so much time attempting to devise a complex answer to a simple problem. “Sorry…” I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself, but it did little.

  This hadn’t been the first time Ray had seen me like this. I hated feeling so inferior. He was there to teach me, but I’d still yet to listen to a word he’s said. My first ever Commission, and I didn’t know how to keep myself in check.

  Ray let out a sigh upon seeing that my mood hadn’t improved. “Come on, Elma.” I didn’t know if he paused because he struggled for words, but it was brief. “I’m going to need your help watching and listening.” Once more, a hand reached my head, but he tried to affix my gaze forward, rather than being glued to my feet. “There’s no protocol for this, you’ve just got to pay attention.”

  He was right. Not every situation was going to have a meticulous method to solve it. Even as much as I trained, everything I was taught, the end result was I still wouldn’t be able to immediately solve every problem with a final answer from the jump. I slowly nodded, attempting to keep my eyes high and wide as we kept watch over the orchard.

  It was still surprisingly busy, all things considered. A generator kept lights on across the fences, and a few notable employees still tended to the crops. I kept a headcount as we walked, ending at fifteen as far as I could see. I looked to Ray and asked how many he counted up to that point, just in case, and confirmed my count: fifteen.

  In spite of the fields still being tended to, however, its atmosphere was far different. The moons occasionally peeked through the treeline. The leaves still rustled in the gentle breeze. The chirping of crickets joined in the chorus. Even in the dead of night, the stories didn’t do it justice.

  The calming breeze and long walk helped me move on to some extent. Ray was right, this was part of figuring things out. The best to be done was to simply keep an eye out.

  A few hours into our little ‘patrol,’ I ended up spotting a worker with a lantern backing away from something. I tapped Ray on the shoulder and pointed them out. “Is he alright?”

  He assessed the situation far faster than I could, and held his index finger to his lips. I nodded, getting a grasp of what he meant, and kept watch of my step as we approached. When we’d closed the distance, Ray firmly grasped the worker’s shoulder to let her know someone was there.

  The seemingly panicked worker looked at the two of us, and whispered, “Th-there’s something out there…!” Our attention was immediately drawn, and I could scarcely make out vague figures. I wasn’t entirely sure of what they were, but there was more than one.

  Ray looked to me to see if I had an assessment, which caught me off-guard, but I tried to stay composed. “I can see something, I think three different creatures…?”

  “Human or otherwise?”

  “Hard to say…” I replied in a somewhat disappointed tone, but I didn’t have time to consider that.

  Ray was swift to pull his spear from his back, and begin to approach. “You’ll have to be my eyes.” He began to approach, and I followed in tow. “Warn me if they seem aggressive.”

  I squinted as hard as I could without completely hampering my eyesight, and kept a pace or two behind Ray. Considering the darkness, and wishing not to alarm them too much if they were hostile, we elected to not bring the lantern with us. The worker also stayed back at Ray’s behest.

  Thankfully, it wasn’t the sight that tipped me off, but the sound. Slight squeaking could be heard, along with foodstuffs being demolished. From apples to other delicious treats, it was obvious to tell whatever invaders had made their way, here, were enjoying a pleasant evening snack. I moved closer to Ray, and said quietly, “I think it’s just a couple of Gnabits.”

  Upon hearing that, Ray made it a point to no longer hide his presence. He walked without much fear towards the three creatures, and they ended up scurrying off just as he got close. They sounded much larger than the average rodent, but I withheld anything further until we got a closer look.

  “Easy enough.” Ray slung his spear back over his shoulder, before turning to me. “I think they left some scraps behind.” He also waved down the worker who even found the situation in the first place, hoping for them to bring their lantern along. Mostly so we wouldn’t have to use ours, I was sure.

  After I finally had some light to work with, I crouched down. Sure enough, there was a variety of different unfinished fruits on the floor. Most notably, most were rather large. Melons of different sorts with large bites taken out of them. I made it a point to roll some of them over, and flipped through my notebook for anything that’d be useful.

  And sure enough, my original idea was right. “These are Gnabit bite marks.”

  The employee looked confused. “They’re big enough to be anything, are you sure?”

  “W-well, there’s some… room for error, of course.” I didn’t want to make sweeping statements, as we still didn’t have everything, but I pointed to the aforementioned melons across the ground. “But they’re hollowed out primarily by scraping, which implies buck teeth.” A couple more page flips later to help confirm my suspicions, and I continued on with my hypothesis. “They’re fairly large, but docile.”

  Ray joined in to give his own ideas into the mix. “And the employees not scaring them off would explain why no scraps were really found.” He rubbed his chin. “They were probably finishing ‘em off pretty quick, or taking what they could home.”

  I nodded. It was validating to hear him echo exactly what ran through my head. But now the question remained of what the plan was. So, I turned to Ray. “What now?”

  “We should see if we can track the Gnabits back to their den.” I noted down the details of the bite marks, but he continued to speak to me. “Do you think you can manage that?”

  “A-ah, well…” I wasn’t too sure. Gnabit tracks were notoriously hard to keep track of, but if they were fresh, it’d be easier. I weighed it back and forth, and back and forth, until inevitably I realized a crucial detail.

  Ray didn’t receive much training in tracking.

  He didn’t ask to test me, he was asking purely to rely on whatever expertise I had. I felt butterflies in my stomach again. The pressure once more loomed overhead, and weighed my shoulders down like a ton of bricks. My finger rubbed against the paper of my notebook nervously, and I tapped my pen for a moment against it. “I-I…”

  The words got caught in my throat for a moment. It was terrifying to think of placing that much pressure willingly on myself.

  But such was the life of a Voyager, in the end.

  I tried to take a few deep breaths, and finally managed to barely squeak a proper response. “I’ll do my best, Ray…” I shakily stood up, but I felt my legs buckle for a moment.

  But my companion, my mentor, was there to pick me up all the same. He grabbed me under the shoulder, and propped me up proper, and gave an encouraging smile. “Lead the way, then.”

  I buried my nose into my notebook, and began to look around the scene of the ‘crime’ for any trace of footprints or other identifiable trails. Considering the Gnabits’ size, I didn’t imagine it’d be a difficult endeavor. Sure enough, I managed to spot something I assumed resembled an indent in the dirt. Before long, I pieced together the other two’s prints, as well, and traced their path out of the orchard and into the forest.

  Some groups of Gnabits travelled in groups, but often only as a family, so I found it safer to assume this was just one family of potentially more. I noted down my hypothesis, but soon locked my eyes back with the trail left behind.

  My notes kept me in check. The procedure of keeping up with a trail was arduous, but necessary. It sometimes wasn’t as simple as seeing an indent in the dirt. Grass and other foliage could get in the way, and if it was a hard surface, or a small animal, there was nothing to be tracked. Luckily, these Gnabits left other clues of their presence.

  An occasional bite to eat out of a nearby plant, noticeably dull claw marks on nearby rocks, and consistent pieces of fur down the trail. These were the culprits, and they seemed to be heading north, deeper into the woods.

  I wasn’t sure how long this trail was going to go on for, but I assumed, considering the hour and recent scare, they were likely going back to their den to rest for the evening. That made the job a touch easier, as it was likely to be a straight path north.

  Ray and I didn’t talk much on the journey there. My head was too caught up in keeping track of all the details, and Ray didn’t seem to have much to say. I did notice that he seemed to keep the light close to me in case I needed to inspect closer. I didn’t need to ask him.

  After a decent trek, I managed to spot in the distance what appeared to be something resembling a little hole. I could hear some squeaks and other noises, and finally I spoke to Ray again. “Could you hold the light a bit closer over there?”

  He nodded, and held his arm up a little bit just to get a better look. Inside were three Gnabits, with long front teeth. Within the den were a few familiar scraps of food, from melons to apples. We’d found our culprits.

  Before they became too startled at our presence, we stepped away. My brain got to work on attempting to make sense of the situation, and Ray seemed to also fall into contemplation after.

  I let out a frustrated sigh, and vented a minor frustration about the sequence of events. “It just doesn’t make sense.” We were far enough away from the den that I didn’t have to concern myself about volume too much. “We walked for nearly thirty minutes, that’s ages away from the orchard!”

  Ray shared in my stupefaction. “Which means they must’ve thought it’s more worthwhile to go all the way down to the orchard.” He rubbed his chin, and I adjusted my glasses in tandem.

  “Is it… a stretch to say I don’t think it’s their fault?” Fault was hard to find in wild animals, anyway… However, in this case, the concept of ‘fault’ was more about whether they were being invasive, or being invaded upon.

  Ray began to walk around the area as we spoke, and I stuck near him. “It wouldn’t be the first time.” Soon, he found what appeared to be a small clearing with ample room, and started to take his pack off. “A lot of things can get critters riled up.”

  “What are we… doing?” I tilted my head as I saw him continue his actions. I followed suit in removing my packs, the weight being lifted off of my shoulders like nothing I’d felt before. A relief only attainable after becoming so used to suffering…

  “Setting up camp.” He was quick to reply, and pointed towards my bags. “Grab me the stuff for the tent, and then get the fire started.”

  I obliged, giving him the tarp and the supports, before moving to grab a host of grass and nearby sticks. My heart was pounding, because it felt like one misstep was going to be a danger… More importantly, though, it was hard to contain my excitement. I’d never been camping outside before.

  I dug a small pit into the ground with my trowel, and then moved about a foot away to create a second one. I then dug underneath the two, and created an air passage. I followed the instructions closely in my notebook, until it was time to really get it set up.

  I picked up the drier grass and sticks, and other miscellany that’d be good to stoke the flame, and set it into the pit in the center of camp. The final step was to hope it worked out, as I found my lighter from my pack, flicked it on, and watched as the grass and leaves lit the rest up, and we had a working flame.

  It was relieving. Even better, I'd succeeded in keeping it hidden. Much of the smoke wasn’t rising terribly far, and the light wasn’t very visible. It’d serve just fine throughout the night.

  Ray finished his side of things, too, and turned to see the fire. He sat down after having set up our sleeping kits, and warmed himself up. “You did well, Elma.”

  “Well, it really wasn’t a lot…” I couldn’t help but feel I was still reliant on my notes and instructions.

  But Ray was swift to retort. “A few months ago, you didn’t know how to set up even a basic fire, but now look.” He pointed at the firepit I’d created, dragging my attention to what he viewed as an accomplishment. “I didn’t have to tell you a word.”

  “It’s a lot easier when I have a notebook…” I still didn’t find it easy to accept. Ray was able to set up the entire tent with no outside help.

  He kept smiling at me regardless. “Everyone has their own method, Elma.” He took out a travel ration from his own pack and split it in two to share with me. “Someday, you’ll do something without flipping open those notes, and you won’t even realize it.”

  “It’s not quite the same, though, is it?” I hadn’t taken a bite yet, still wanting to air my thoughts to my companion. “What if I can never stop using them?”

  He once more had a quick response, ready to go. “You’re still learning,” he said, tossing a stick into the fire to ensure it stayed nice and active before continuing, “Someone else will cover for what you can’t do, and for everything you can, you’ve either got it here—” he tapped his head, before swiftly moving to point to my notebook, “—or there.”

  “I… guess so…” I didn’t have a reliable way to combat what he said. Instinctively, I wanted to. It didn’t feel right to be the only person I knew relying on detailed instructions like this.

  “Learn to take a compliment, too!” Another quick flick to my forehead was swift to follow. “Be a bit kinder to yourself.”

  “Oww…” I once more treated the wound by rubbing it gently. “Hitting me isn’t a good way to get that across…”

  What he said nonetheless lingered in my mind. I began to idly chew through my half of the ration, considering his words. Being kinder to myself would only lead to ego and mishaps… right? Becoming so full of myself that I can’t discern mistakes from arrogance.

  “You started at Silver, right?” I broke the long silence, and attempted to silence my thoughts with a conversation that’d been lingering for quite a while. My companion’s beginnings.

  I realized I knew precious little about where he started, and how he became the Voyager he is today. He finished chewing his final bite of the ration, and said, “I did, why?”

  “Was it… difficult?” Simply getting to Bronze felt like an endeavor. Starting at Silver and getting into Gold was incomprehensible to me.

  Ray responded in kind, “In a manner of speaking.” He pulled another snack from his bag, and began to chew on it idly. “I was expected to have my head on straight from the get-go.” He proceeded to shrug. “But I suppose if it’s all I’ve really known, it’s hard to gauge if it’s easier or harder than where you’re at.”

  “But it must have felt really stressful, right?” The thought of coming in with no training, no tests, nothing, and being expected to excel immediately was terrifying.

  He sighed, and I could see his eyes look into the fire properly. “Ironically, my wall was never Silver, or even Gold.” He laid himself on his back, looking towards the trees above, and noticing the moons hanging directly overhead. “Mistakes are expected at Silver, just less prominent.” His words flowed, and it was as if I could hear the memories rushing back through his mind. “Palladium’s my wall.”

  I laid down onto the grass, too. Both our gazes were locked to the sky and the stars. “You can’t make it past the qualification?”

  “Actually, no. I’ve made it to Palladium before, but I guess I didn’t want to stick around.” The idea was confusing. I’d never even considered dropping a rank, purely because I had nowhere to drop down to.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Why not?” I was interested in him continuing on, but I didn’t want to seem like I wanted him to feel uncomfortable, and swiftly added, “I-if you’re alright with talking about it.”

  “It’s no trouble,” he said, unmoving from his new spot. Eyes up, back to the ground, and nothing but the breeze and crickets keeping us company. “Gold is something I can deal with. I’ve got responsibilities, but I guess I just felt… overhwelmed.”

  I hadn’t heard a lot about his past. Especially in regards to employment, the only thing I concretely knew after my short apprenticeship was that he was from Saint Meldron, and that he started his career at Silver, rather than Bronze, like most.

  My thoughts obviously not being able to reach him, he continued to divulge more. “You’re expected to perform at Gold, to be competent and act as a guide. You get set with Silvers and Bronzes all the time, and train Irons up to where you’re at.” From what I remembered, I was his first protege. “But at Palladium, not only are the responsibilities greater, but you’ve got more eyes on you.” His tone became more and more somber as he spoke. “You go from something simple into a small-time celebrity, and everything you do is scrutinized. After all, there’s less people at Palladium and higher than there are in Bronze alone.”

  “Did something happen?” It was the only question I had on my mind. Was it something that caused a sudden change, or…

  “Not really.” His tone was certain. He’d clearly already deliberated it before, time and time again. “But everything from that point forward is a big deal. And every mistake I made hurt. Before long, I couldn’t take it.” He let out an exasperated sigh. “And once I felt I couldn’t handle it, I asked to get moved back down to Gold.” He finally turned over, and made eye contact with me. “Now I’m doing what I want to be doing: being a guide for others.”

  For a moment, it truthfully shook me to my core. The idea of being scrutinized for every little thing. Expected to perform, not just by yourself and the people around you, but by many others watching your work, it was a terrifying thought. And I wanted to end up there…

  “Is it really a good idea for me to climb the ranks, Ray?” Now, my gaze returned to the stars. “It’s all so stressful, and complicated, and if just Palladium is like that, imagining what Diamond and Carbonado are like…”

  “Being a Voyager is a complicated life.” He was honest in his response, at least. But he didn’t stop himself so quickly. “But I became one to see the sights, hear the sounds, and help where I could. Talk with people outside, set up outposts, protect others…” Just as quickly as his resolve wavered, I could just as easily feel it return in his words. “...I guess being Palladium was just too much of that for me.”

  “What’ll happen if I make it to Palladium?” I didn’t want to have to leave him behind. It was only an apprenticeship, but Ray’s company always brightened my day. I felt comfortable, secure, and he looked out for me. Someone I could call a friend.

  My words finally surprised him. Written all over his face, he clearly wasn’t prepared. “I’m not sure what you mean?”

  I shrunk a tad upon hearing that. It was hard to upkeep my confidence, but I wanted to lay my feelings bare. “I want to… catch up to you. And eventually be someone who can stand beside you as an equal. What happens if I outpace you?”

  His gaze seemed lost. I didn’t want to pressure him for an answer, but I wanted to hear one regardless. To be left alone would be difficult, and it wasn’t just about needing a guide. I wanted to keep my friend.

  Eventually, he let out a sigh, and was the first to break eye contact. “How’s this, then,” he sat himself up before continuing, “If you make it to Palladium, I’ll make the jump back up with you.” And with a defeated smile, he held out a hand.

  “You sure that’s okay…?” I already felt like I pressured him for that answer in the first place. I didn’t want him to feel like I was an obligation in spite of my feelings.

  But he looked unbothered, and said, “I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t, Elma.”

  I looked at his hand, and ignored it. I moved to give him a soft embrace. “It’s a promise, Ray.”

  I felt my sudden display of affection reciprocated, but he tore himself away quickly. “Alright, alright, enough of the sappy talk. You’re taking first watch. If you can’t even do that, you won’t even make it to Bronze.”

  “R-right…” I pulled myself away and we both prepared ourselves to begin to take watches. Considering how late it was, I was surprised at how energized I still felt. I didn’t imagine Ray felt much different, so I assumed he was simply going to relax his eyes for a bit.

  I needed to stay vigilant all the same. So, I plopped myself down next to the fire to maintain it, and keep an eye near the den of Gnabits.

  But for the first few hours, all was silent. Nothing but the breeze and the occasional sounds of bugs or other small critters roaming about.

  Considering the sheer silence, I took the time to concoct a few flasks. I’d purchased a few ingredients a while back, but I wasn’t certain as to what we’d encounter. So, I wanted to wait until we had a better idea of what we were up against before attempting to cook anything up.

  I placed a portable pot I kept with me over the fire and let it boil for a moment to make it optimal for mixing. Then, I opened my notebook for a few recipes I had recorded.

  First was a simple healing solution. I took the necessary honey, and mixed it in the water until it was dissolved properly. After, I crushed together enchanted salt with dried chilies. The salt was enhanced with Regeneration magic, since it conducted the energies well. The chilies were designed to be enhanced after being dissolved in the concoction. The honey ensured it was swift to digest, and it worked properly and quickly. All of it in water to ensure it was at least drinkable.

  It certainly didn’t taste great. It didn’t even fit the mold of ‘medicinal,’ but the salt ensured that it healed wounds nearly instantaneously. Truth be told, it was a swift and simple concoction. While not the most effective regenerative, it made for a quick fix in a time like this. Other, more efficient ones would need significantly more time, and some of the ingredients came from hard to reach locales, like the tropics or the Wyrdwud.

  A vigorous stir was necessary to be certain that the honey didn’t rest, and actually dissolved, alongside the other ingredients, but after a five minute cook, I proceeded to give it a quick taste, recoiled, and nodded. I was certain it was ready, and I spread it between a few flasks. Four in total. I’d give Ray three when he awoke.

  Next came a repellant, of sorts. It was one of the most basic ones learned in the preliminary exams for Voyagers specializing in alchemic studies, and being a Survivalist, I expected it to be the best fit. Foraging for ingredients and using them on the fly felt really good in my head… but I wasn’t sure how well it’d work out in the field.

  Another pot of boiling water, and another run with the mortar and pestle. This time, no thickening agent was applied. Additionally, since I anticipated the threat of predators, I decided to use stronger odorous scents. I applied multiple into the concoction, from lavender, to garlic, among others. I mixed and waited for it to be dissolved, quietly stirring, not as vigorously as last time.

  In due time, the water had changed color, and it was ripe to place it into their necessary flasks, and add the finishing touch. Another set of enchanted salts were necessary, but this time with Revision, rather than Regeneration. The intent was for the Revision to change the state from a liquid to a gas right as it’s released, creating a pungent scent. The issue, of course, is that this effect would take place immediately as it was placed.

  I placed each of the concoctions into their flasks, and gave each a small pinch of enchanted salts. I then tried to quickly close each one with a waxed cork. Unfortunately, instead of the five bottles I desired, I only ended up with three. The other two turned to gas too quickly, and I was left in a quick coughing fit, even in spite of listening to my reminder to wear a mask.

  I tried to consider others that might be necessary, but I became too worried about using too many ingredients, and not having enough space or bottles. I decided to not make anymore, and removed the pot from the fire to let it cool down before putting it back into my pack.

  Then came the waiting game. The whole process took a little while, not exceedingly long by any stretch of the imagination, but as much as I attempted to keep vigilant, the truth of the matter settled in. This was to be the boring part of the job.

  Thankfully, I wasn’t one to mind the quietude. The light from the moons now hung overhead as it seemed to be midnight. My gaze travelled up each and every trunk, down the branches, to the leaves. Each and every inch felt like a brand new sight. I’d never seen the forest from so close before, and certainly never at night.

  The chirping of critters, the soft breeze, the crackling flame. Away from the amenities I took for granted, from traditional heating units delivered from Yugonian engineers, to easy cooking appliances reverse engineered from the Zenith era. I felt my mind slip into daydreams yet again.

  What more lied beyond? Down in the southern reaches, beyond the Apulonian Tropics? Further west, beyond Bosque de Luna and Saint Meldron? High up north, beyond Old Yugon and the Wyrdwud, above the glacial shelf and beyond God Mountain? What lied beyond the eastern oceans of Miriamsburg’s coasts?

  Becoming a Voyager to see the sights the world had to offer. It was my purpose. A purpose I shared with many others. A purpose that many, subsequently, shared with me. Something that unified us together under a common goal of discovery. To bear witness to a world far greater than ourselves, and inevitably give others a chance to partake in those delights.

  Bisitan’s constant whispers danced across its breeze, and serenaded my ears. My daydreams began to turn into a lullaby that threatened to put me to sleep. It’d been a long day of travelling, and in spite of my endurance training and prior energy, I still had a long way to go. The constant anxiety certainly didn’t help matters, and I felt my body beginning to fall asleep.

  I figured it’d been roughly an hour and a half or so since Ray went to sleep, and decided I could try and see if he was prepared to take watch for the remainder of the evening.

  That was, of course, the initial plan. The reality quickly settled in, however, when something caught my attention. Not just one set of footsteps, but multiple, and seeming to dart across the underbrush. The panting and snorting tipped me off, too, and it seemed far too organized to just be a group travelling through for the night. Far too large to be something to ignore.

  I tried to stumble over to Ray in the tent, and tapped him on the shoulder. For good measure, I whispered hurriedly in his ear. “Ray, wake up, wake up, wake up…!”

  “W-what…? Elma, what is it?” He shook awake, not taking much time other than to stretch for a moment. He quickly took his spear in hand.

  I began to pull him up, and pointed outside. “S-something’s outside, a bunch of something…!” I was struggling to find my words, and it was the best I could muster.

  Upon hearing this, he stood himself upright, and placed a hand, silently warning me to stand behind him. “Turn on your lantern, I’ll take point.” He put both hands on his spear following his command, and I took up position only a pace or two behind him.

  I switched on my lantern, and followed his cautious lead. The further we went from our camp, the clearer the sounds became. Snarling, panting, and what I could only discern as barking. “A group of Bestials…” I said, trying to identify the situation.

  “You sure?” He turned to ask me, and I hesitated for a brief moment, but managed to give a nod. If nothing else, even if I was wrong, it was good to be cautious.

  We both attempted to be as quiet as we could muster, but our haste made it difficult. We felt the crunching of grass and leaves underfoot, the snapping of twigs, and the heels of our boots hitting rock. Now wasn’t precisely the time for care.

  Thankfully, it appeared we weren’t noticed. First stop before anything else was the Gnabit den. And sure enough, before we even needed to check further, a group of multiple Bestials was circling the den of Gnabits.

  The rodents were holed up in spite of their size, and were in an advantageous position, but it’d only be a matter of time before the Bestials managed to dig them out, or simply wait until they needed to leave. And the Gnabits were an easy meal once they were out and starving.

  I looked to Ray, and awaited something resembling a decision. I didn’t want to see the Gnabits get hurt, but I didn’t know what to do. Ray, however, whispered his idea. “They’ve likely got their sights set on just the Gnabits. How many are there?”

  I took one more look, getting a grasp of every one of them as best as I could. Two were directly in front, one atop the den clearly attempting to dig through, and two more were circling and waiting for the moment the Gnabits cracked. “F-five… Maybe one or two more just to be safe?” If they were waiting further into the darkness, there was no chance either of us would see them.

  Ray nodded, and spoke his plan. “They’re not expecting competition, so if we swoop in and make aggression our first priority, it’s likely they’ll back off.” He looked to me for confirmation. While studious in his own right, he expected me to have most of the knowledge on fauna and flora.

  “It’s… it’s probable that, like most predators, they’re usually averse to an actual fight, so getting ambushed is more likely to make them back off.” I confirmed his suspicions, and figured it was the best plan. We couldn’t simply kill them for no reason. However, scaring them away to get a better grasp was the best of both worlds.

  Ray gripped the haft of his spear tight, and I tried to prepare myself. He began to count down.

  “Three…”

  I tried to remember everything I had on hand. My sling, repellent that I didn’t want to waste if I didn’t have to…

  “Two…”

  I elected to pick a few rocks from the floor, and place it into my trusty sling to help scare them away. What else was there…?

  “One…”

  “W-wait…” I fished out something I intended to give him before he awoke. Three regenerative potions. “Drink these if you’re hurt.”

  He nodded, and turned back, and finally spoke the magic word.

  “Now!”

  He charged forth with his spear, and I took a pot shot at the one on top of the den while following behind. While only a hit to its side, the Bestial was clearly not expecting a fight to come from nowhere. Ray, for his part, screamed as he made his way forward. His presence in a room extended to more than just conversation.

  He took the liberty of getting close enough to one of the two in front of the den, and gave it a nice, hefty poke in the side with his spear’s pommel. A direct hit, and one that had the Bestial yipping with pain. The ones near the den all became wary of our presence immediately, but the ones circling us weren’t nearly as afraid.

  I spoke up to Ray, shrinking a touch behind him. “There’s still two circling… Keep your eyes out.” They were always the most patient, waiting for any kind of opening to exploit. This often made them the most dangerous, forgetting about them once had led to the demise of multiple others. Or, so I’d read.

  Ray and I began to strafe around the remaining ones, watching and waiting for the other two to show themselves while the other three were still on guard. If they got the pounce on us, it’d mean one of us would find ourselves in grave danger.

  I found another set of stones from the ground and hastily put them back into my sling. Suddenly, I heard barking. “Ray, to your left!”

  Before the Bestial had even begun to move, I felt as though it was a sign it’d begun to pounce, and Ray quickly turned his attention. In one fluid motion, his weapon made contact again, smashing against the Bestial with a loud THWAP, before he quickly reset himself. However, he called out just as quickly to me. “Watch your right, Elma!”

  And in a last-minute call, I was able to turn and see the other making its way directly for me. Less than five meters away, I pointed my sling forward, and let loose a hail of stones. A direct hit on its head, as it recoiled back, and found itself moving towards its comrades. Nothing but surface level wounds, but it was more than enough.

  My companion took more opportunities to make more noise. Banging his spear against a nearby tree, letting out grunts and wails, letting them know he meant business. While initially, they seemed prepared to pounce once more, his presence and our prior successful attacks were more than enough to get them to back off, and rush back towards the forest. Their easy meal was no longer worthwhile, and a few Gnabits wouldn’t feed them.

  As soon as they were out of earshot, I found myself letting out a sigh of relief. The situation went far smoother than I thought. Ray, on the other hand, seemed unbothered towards his own peril, and looked to me immediately.

  “You alright?” He placed a hand onto me. In spite of the fact that I wasn’t struck, and they scarcely even got into range to do so, he still ended up checking for any scratches.

  “Y-yes, I’m fine, Ray.” I pulled away when I assured him, before looking back to the Gnabit den. “Did we… do well?”

  “I’d say about as well as we could have.” He moved his hand to ruffle my hair through my hat, and continued. “For your first fight out in the field, good job.”

  I wasn’t used to receiving this much praise, and struggled to respond. But, I found the best words I could muster. “I don’t think I could’ve done it without you…” I rubbed my hands together nervously. It was the truth, if I’d been alone, I wouldn’t have made it that far.

  He didn’t seem to respond to that, gave a smile, and looked back towards the den. “Seemed like a pack of Fangbestials.”

  “Were they just looking for an easy meal?” I rubbed my chin, considering the possibilities.

  Ray, however, had a different hypothesis. “Their hunting ground’s expanded.”

  “What makes you say that?” I looked at him, puzzled.

  “They ran further north, for one, but for two, these Gnabits probably don’t move nests very often.” He pointed to the rather sophisticated dirt den they had set up. “It stands to reason they wouldn’t want to set it up in a hot spot, and yet, here comes a pack of five looking for a meal.” He scratched his own chin. “Doubly so, they’re looking for the hard-to-get ones, not just easy pickings.”

  It did seem odd they were willing to try and drag them out of their den, rather than search for another group to hunt elsewhere, or just wait for a better time. “Which means… not enough prey?”

  “Or the prey that’s there has been pushed out.” I pulled out my notebook and took stock of the situation.

  Gnabits suddenly appeared down south at the orchard to partake of Old Maggie’s harvest. Gnabits only appear during the night. Bestials looking for prey attack a group in their own den. It seemed like a potentially logical conclusion, but we didn’t have enough data. If this was a case of Bestials getting overzealous, it could end up becoming a much larger problem.

  By all intents and purposes, we found the issue with the Gnabits, and could report back. However, I looked to Ray once again, and said, “If we just leave things as they are…”

  He cut me off by finishing my own thoughts. “They’ll probably keep coming down.” He sighed, and shrugged. “Nothing to do but keep digging, eh?” He rested his spear on his shoulder, and looked to me to see if I was ready.

  I nodded earnestly. I didn’t have the authorization to continue the investigation, but as a Gold Voyager, he did. Even if it meant more paperwork for him.

  He took out a small recorder, and turned it on before beginning to walk. “This is Ray Alfaro, ranked Gold. Myself and my protege, Elma Barak, ranked Iron, took a Commission to investigate Maggie’s orchard. We’ve come to realize the situation may be more complicated due to incursion from nearby predators, and as such, I am authorizing our continued investigation and solution to the problem. I will take responsibility for any reprimand due to this action.”

  He then turned the recorder off with a click, and gave me a nod. And thus, the two of us went deeper into Bisitan to attempt to find what was causing this problem.

  First came the necessity to track where the Bestials were coming from. We knew they’d gone north, but the question of how far became the true test. I decided to use the same tactic from before with the Gnabits on the Bestial’s tracks. Nothing like good old-fashioned tracking. I pulled my notebook to be sure what they looked like, and how best to keep track of the trail, before leading the way forward.

  The trek was long, roughly as long as the trek from the orchard to the Gnabit’s den. Soon, we came upon what looked to be a grove. Naturally formed, it was bountiful in what it offered in the way of wild berries and vegetables. I continued to look towards the ground underneath, though, and realized a complication.

  “The tracks split off here…” I said to Ray. It was hard to tell where they went after this. However, that meant there was a potential conclusion: this was around where the Bestials’ homes were.

  Ray looked at me and responded, “Let’s look around a little more.” He kept his spear in hand, and looked across the grove briefly. “Keep an eye out, and don’t stray too far. If this is their house, we’re in a dangerous spot.”

  I nodded once again, and took a deep breath. If the Bestials really had chosen here of all places, it was no wonder that the Gnabits were having trouble getting food. With Halftide on the way, wild foods were sure to become scarce soon enough, and competition was fierce. A grove like this was a perfect feeding ground, but something had clearly gone awry.

  We began to investigate further, and the two of us located more tracks from the same species of Bestial. Importantly, though, we also still noticed tracks from other fauna. Grazers or Broncials, and other Gnabits, it was clear to see that this place was still populated heavily.

  It was anxiety-inducing being in a space with so many active predators, but I tried to put it off as best I could, until I heard the rustling of leaves. Something had rushed past.

  Panting, snarling, but this time not focused on something else. I backed away and looked into the darkness of the woods. Before I knew it, each and every bush felt like it reflected ten thousand hungry eyes. As though every last one of them was ready to make me their next meal.

  “Ray…?” I turned around, and noticed he had found himself in a similar position. No, perhaps worse. He was already surrounded, at least ten of them closing in. They made no immediate movement to pounce, his presence scaring them briefly, but it was only a matter of time.

  I wasn’t sure what to do. Did we rush in too recklessly? No, it was just a few Bestials, we could surely handle it…

  …or so I initially thought.

  From the shadows once more, something loomed over the rest. Even on all fours, it stood taller than my companion, and positively dwarfed me. Two piercing eyes stared, reflected from the light I kept on. Its brow furrowed, its fangs laid bare, and drool leaking from its lips. A low growl was audible even over the constant breeze.

  “Elma…” Ray backed his way towards me, and I stood still in shock and horror. He spoke again as he realized I was paralyzed. “Elma, you need to go.”

  “W-what?” My eyes widened, I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.

  But it only impassioned him, and he demanded once more. “Go, Elma! I’ll be fine, but you need to get out!”

  “I-I, but…” I couldn’t even properly form a sentence. The circle closed in on us more and more, and any second, they’d be ready to pounce. And as I looked about, I knew I wasn’t going to make it out, no matter how much he wanted me to.

  “Shit…” It was the first time I’d ever seen Ray flustered. He was always so calm and composed, an anchor whenever I felt lost or confused. Now, both of us were in the same shoes.

  They all couldn’t have been more than a few meters away. I tried to think of something, anything, but nothing came to mind. It was all going wrong.

  Even as they encroached, however, my companion still found it within himself to fill his voice with passion. “If there’s anything you have, now’s the time!”

  It was as if the weight of his words shot through the anxiety like a silver bullet, clearing my mind. An Advisor’s job, first and foremost, was to direct and guide their team. And as soon as my mind calmed, I remembered as clear as day what I could try.

  The repellant I’d made earlier. I pulled two out between my fingers, and handed one to Ray. “Throw it!” I yelled with urgency, and tossed one of the ones I had directly into the Bestials approaching me. The flasks shattered upon impact, and the noxious fumes contained within burst from their confines and permeated the air. The breeze carried it across the grove, and soon enough, the snouts of each and every creature before us scrunched up.

  Both our eyes were watering, as were theirs, and as quickly as they were tossed, multiple of them retreated into the woods, scared off by the disgusting scent.

  “Good, thinking, but keep on your toes!” Ray coughed for a brief moment before readying himself. The majority of the Bestials ran off, but a few remained, including the massive foe that may have been causing our plight. “We’ve got much bigger problems ahead of us.”

  “R-right!” I took back up my sling on my arm, not certain what I could contribute, but hoping to do what I could. Unfortunately, while the other Bestials were more than hindered, the massive one seemed only enraged.

  However, as soon as I felt the fear settle back in, Ray seemed far more confident in the situation than before. No longer surrounded, he leapt into the fray directly at the beast. He took a thrust at its paw, grazing it. It noticed the aggression and attempted to back away, but Ray still drew blood. A clean blow.

  I loaded a chunk of stones into my sling once more, and looked as one of the remaining smaller ones that stuck around attempted to finally pounce. I aimed as best as I could, and landed the stones directly on its side, the pain knocking it off its course. It circled back around and backed away from him. “I’ll try to keep the others off of you!” My fear was still palpable in my words, but I nonetheless needed to try my best.

  Just before I could load more, though, one of the other three lackeys launched itself at my compatriot. “Watch out!” I called out as fast as I could, and just in the nick of time, as he managed to turn towards the pouncing foe, and step out of the way of its jaws.

  The third seemed ready to stay back, but it finally came time for our massive problem to make its first move. It charged at Ray with full-force, and since he had to turn away to dodge, he didn’t have a proper defense. The Bestial took a massive bite out of his shoulder, and I winced as he cried in pain. Thankfully, they didn’t dig deep enough to penetrate his armor, and he managed to escape its vice grip, if only barely.

  I finally managed to find a new set of debris to load, and just as I did, Ray called out to me. “Give me an opening!”

  “O-on it!” I aimed directly for the large one’s head, hopefully disorienting it enough to give Ray a clean strike. Another loose, and a loud THWAP rang out. A direct hit once more.

  My mentor wasted no time in following off of my success, the beast reeling for a brief moment, and once more trying for the paw he grazed earlier. This time, the thrust landed true, piercing through the hide. It let out a loud yip, doubly so as Ray tore his spear away. He stepped back to give himself more room against the inevitable onslaught.

  The other Bestials were intent on grouping up to fight, and the third finally found the courage to strike. While he deftly avoided one, the other two caught him, one on his forearm, and the other at his leg. Now they were the ones to draw blood, as he struggled to fend both off, gnawing at his less armored legs and arms.

  The massive beast was rearing for another massive blow, this time trying to pin him underneath its sheer size. I wasn’t going to let that happen, as I pulled out the last of the three noxious flasks I had, and tossed it directly onto Ray. The stench was awful, and was sure to cling to him and his clothes after, but especially due to the close proximity, the two Bestials clinging onto him let go. Ray was given enough time to leap out of the way of the pin.

  But it didn't stop there. It was relentless in spite of its injury, and continued to clamp down with its jaws over and over again, trying to catch him. Ray was barely dodging, but found a moment’s reprieve after it placed too much weight on its injured leg. It buckled under its own weight, and he was given an opportunity.

  A counterattack found its way directly into its other paw, a clean thrust and a deep wound. It caused it to fall forward for a moment. The last Bestial that had yet to retreat once more attempted to strike him, but Ray ripped his spear away once again, and interposed the haft of his spear between him and the Bestial with a loud THWAK. While certainly not dead or unconscious, it struggled to stand for just long enough to give him the opportunity to look back to the actual issue.

  The large Bestial, with both of its front paws injured, stood once more. It was limping, but the wounds weren’t deep enough to stop it from moving entirely. And it was keen on defending its territory.

  It didn’t even bother to consider retreating as an option. Just as it stood back up, it charged forth again. It looked almost feral, instincts honed from a long life, and countless fights.

  Ray was almost too slow, but he managed to jam the hilt of his spear into its jaws to hold it back. His feet were spread apart, but he was being pushed back further and further. And with each passing moment, it was only a matter of time before he lost his footing, and it got the upper hand.

  I looked at all the options around, and struggled to find anything to help. Another shot to the head would disorient it, but it may not give enough time for him to escape. Ray was looking worse by the minute, and if he went…

  …No, now wasn’t the time. I loaded my sling once more, but tried to search for a different avenue, something more concrete. Each second was precious, but I couldn’t find a solution. Just as I began to panic again, I heard him bring me back down to reality, even through the pain and struggle. “Rrgh! Look for another loose— aaagh— loose anything!!” His arms were giving way.

  I looked about one more time, observing my surroundings as best as I could. The branches were too small, there was nothing on the ground, nothing came to mind. Suddenly, at the edge of the grove, something caught my eye.

  A tilting boulder, secure in the floor, ready to roll. I needed them to be in position to let it loose, so I called back. “Just a bit further back!”

  He took a step.

  “A bit further!”

  Another, almost tripping.

  “A bit more…!”

  Another step, and I had to stop myself from firing prematurely. He was at his limit. This had to work.

  “One more!”

  Just as he took the final step back, he tripped. I let loose my sling at the last second, and the massive Bestial threatened to pin him on the floor and devour him.

  But my sling struck true. The boulder being propped up only by a few vines was let loose, as it rolled directly down the hill, and made direct contact with the massive creature. It was pushed off, and sent flying alongside it, before both sat still in the center of the massive grove.

  Ray stood up, panting, but ready to keep going, while the Bestial, beaten and worn, wasn’t going to give up the fight.

  Ray took his spear in hand, and braced himself. And without any fear or hesitation, the monster charged forth once more. It felt no need to run, but Ray had more than enough distance and time.

  And without more than a moment’s pause, he thrust his blade through the heart of the wounded beast. For a moment, it kept moving, chomping and snarling and barking, pushing him back once more.

  But before long, it grew limp. Its weight almost threatened to pull him off his feet as it fell down, but he pulled his spear out before it could.

  Soon, the both of us were left panting and exhausted. Him, due to injury and exertion, and myself due to fear and at least more work than I was used to. The last Bestial that survived saw its supposed pack leader had fallen, and scurried off, finally, not wanting to take its chances.

  I rushed over next to my companion, and looked to the corpse of the massive Bestial.

  He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that I was alright, but our gaze inevitably returned to the obvious. In spite of our triumph, it felt bittersweet seeing it lay there. The finality settled in.

  “Is it… normal to feel unhappy after something like that?” I asked.

  I saw him kneel down, and place his hand on the side of the massive beast. He responded, “Some people feel weird the first few times, and then become used to it.” His fingers ran through its coarse fur. “Some people view it as a sport, and it helps them ignore the reality of it.” It felt strange, seeing something truly… gone. “Ideally, we wouldn’t have to kill anything, or anyone.” His voice was filled with gravitas. A conversation we had yet to have.

  It seemed like he’d already been through these feelings already. Many, many times. “But, sometimes it’s a necessity, either for something else to survive…” Before long, my eyes could hardly wander to its lifeless gaze. “...or simply for us.” Perhaps it was a sense of faux empathy for a living being, or something more. “The least we can do is try and use what we can of what we fell.”

  I didn’t want to leave, but as soon as he pulled out a dagger, he looked at me and said, “There’s no shame in not staying for this part.” I considered sticking around, felt it was almost an obligation to do so, but soon enough, I nodded, and waited a bit away from him.

  I’d heard stories of people being happy after such things, celebrations from successful hunts. Sometimes people would come into the guild halls while I was studying for a drink, and talk about their exploits that day or night.

  But, perhaps that was also just a way of coping with taking a life. Perhaps the celebration is some people’s way of telling themselves it was worth it. The ‘sport,’ or the protection, or something else perhaps lets people ignore that feeling. The ‘necessity’ was likely common, and I attempted to remind myself of it for the next several minutes. It was necessary, but I couldn’t have been sure.

  It’d been a long, long night. I looked up to the stars again above the trees, and saw them a little dimmer. The moons, too. The leaves were a little less colorful, the breeze, more frigid. Eventually I heard Ray walking over to me. I saw a massive pelt slung over his shoulder, and I could see bits of the carcass behind him.

  For a moment, it all felt a bit less glamorous. Remembering it, limp and lifeless on the ground, no glory or glamor in the act. As explosive as the conflict felt, it all disappeared in an instant. The adrenaline was gone, and the sorrow was all that remained.

  I became a Voyager to be enamored with the sights and the sounds. To love and cherish the land around me. To witness its beauty and splendor. But, I was quickly reminded that no job is all glitz and glamor. No matter how much of a dream it feels like, there’s always a piece of it that’s easy to hate.

  I hung my head low until we made it back to our prior camp to collect our sleeping kits and tent. However, my gaze wandered over to the family of Gnabits as we passed by, huddled in their den again. Barely visible, they looked safe and secure again.

  Because of our actions, they’d be able to move back to their grove to eat safely, and nature would once more run its course. Perhaps even without our intervention, it would’ve, but seeing that felt heartening. Relieving that they’d be safe.

  One of them saw me. It stared into me, its beady eyes clearly cautious for a moment. But for that one moment, its brown gaze felt more vibrant than before. The whispering winds once more lulled me forward, comforting me as I stared back.

  Perhaps all of those colors wouldn’t return as they did. Maybe my view of the world was forever tainted. But if I could make a difference like that, maybe it’d be worth it in the end. So long as I could still see those colors, after all was said and done, and that I did my part to protect them, maybe I could endure it.

  I lifted my pack back over my shoulder, and turned back away. Ray and I proceeded to head back to the orchard, late as it was. The two of us were itching for actual rest, and would prefer not to have to camp out in the wild again.

  After another small trek, we found out that some of the workers had been awaiting our arrival. One of them ran up to us, and noticed the pelt. “A-are you two alright?” he asked, looking us up and down. Ray was worse for wear, but I was physically fine.

  Even still, he nodded. “We’re fine, just need a bit of rest. Would you allow us to stay here?” One of the workers turned towards the housing area.

  “I can lead you down, just follow me. The rest of you, keep working.” One of the workers led us down the path to housing, and she pointed us over to a few free rooms. The other workers nodded in agreement, all of them returning back to what they’d been doing. Had they been concerned about us that entire time?

  The two of us followed her, and were shuttled into our rooms for the night. The worker explained she’d get Old Maggie in the morning for us before leaving us to our rest.

  We went to sleep without complication, and when we awoke the next morning, we said our goodbyes to Old Maggie and the orchard, and made the long trek back to Miriamsburg after a brief talk. We discussed having other Voyagers set up repellant around the orchard, and also potentially around the nearby grove to ward off predators for a brief time while they figure out their situation again. We then received our signature of approval from Old Maggie on the Commission sheet, and only now needed to turn it in at the guild desk.

  It was a quiet journey. Neither of us felt the need to say much, only occasional small talk between breaks. However, Ray would speak up as we made it to the outer wall. “Good job, Elma.”

  I smiled upon hearing those words. “Couldn’t have done it without you, Ray.” And I mustered a proper grin. In spite of the somber finality, I felt emboldened to continue my journey as a Voyager.

  “Why don’t you just let me take the commission down? You can run home and get some proper rest.” I was quick to shake my head at the suggestion.

  “No, no, that’s… probably not good.” I pointed to some of his lingering scrapes and cuts after having been nearly mauled. “You’re still hurt. I should take it down.”

  He responded quickly, however. “You want to deal with the report?”

  “Ah…” I’d forgotten about the after-commission report. But I still managed to muster after, “F-fine, but I’m not letting you go alone. We can both head down.”

  He sighed in defeat and shrugged, not wanting to argue, and we both made our merry way down to the Voyagers’ Guild in north Miriamsburg.

  My first real Commission was left on a bittersweet note, but I was only just starting. There was bound to be more in my future. Not every commission would end like this, and some may have sweeter endings, and simpler beginnings.

  But I knew that wouldn’t always be the case. Difficulties would arise, and if I learned anything, it’d be that I needed to be prepared for that. And be prepared for many more things, too. Expanding my knowledge, keeping prepared, and studying harder.

  In the end, it’s often the best a Voyager can do.