The shores of Lake Hydon were not sand, but fat stones made round and cozy by eons of placid current. Viv’s boots made sloshing sounds as she moved forward at a sedate pace through the clear waters, avoiding the thickest underbrush. There was no hurry. The sky was blue and pink with no hint of rain. Mana had also returned to the levels she expected from populated lands. The flows and eddies of the wild woods had settled into the tame pulsation she associated with her travel through Enoria. In the distance, she thought she could see the tall gray towers of Losserec. Chimney smoke trailed up from a much closer point, beyond some trees to her right.

Viv knew she was not metaphorically out of the woods yet, and she kept an eye out towards the trees. The presence of a nearby settlement indicated that there were no major monsters around since those tended to be quite territorial. Nevertheless, it only took one stone to the skull to become beastling food so she kept her guard up and her shield on her arm. The thing was rather heavy but by the gods was it durable. She poked at it. The many symbols adorning its face helped remind her that, although she was alone right now, there were plenty of people who knew her and had appreciated her enough to try and keep her alive.

It took a good hour of traipsing through shallow waters and the occasional patch of bulrush before she finally found a fishing spot. There, near the water, a small structure stood, barely large enough to protect someone from the rain and store the odd wicker basket. She followed the small trail inland until midday, stopping to eat one of her last eggrolls. Her relief was immense when she came upon a palissade. The village had small patches of leafy vegetables growing around its walled buildings. The plants were protected by traps, if the dead harrien hanging limply from a snare was any indication. Viv looked around and saw that a young man was bringing buckets of water to the field. He was poorly dressed and a little thin. A straw hat hid most of his features.

[Laborer apprentice: not dangerous, one who works hard to learn a trade. Dull. Determined.]

Well, time to meet the locals. Viv took a few steps forward to be visible and announced her presence.

“Hello.”

The young man yelped and turned, stumbling on his bucket. He fell, while their content spread to drown a nearby lettuce. Viv showed her hands in the universal sign for ‘I am not trying to kill you just yet.’ It took a few seconds for the lad to stop hyperventilating.

“Please do not be alarmed. I am just trying to find my way to Losserec,” she said in the most calming voice. Her leadership skill radiated soothing energy until her would-be host stopped shaking.

“Right, sorry,” he said.

Viv waited until he stood up and tried to brush off his trousers. Unfortunately for him, wet mud won that duel. He walked sheepishly closer to the solid gates and stopped, eyeing the edge of the forest with suspicion.

“Errrr, you’re alone, right?”

“Yes, as you see.”

“Oh, alright. Let’s go see my Ma. She’ll have my hide if I don’t finish watering the garden.”

“Got marauders around?” Viv asked to make conversation.

“What? No. Very calm around here.”

‘Ding ding ding’ went the alarms in Viv’s head, but she quieted them for now. Why would a boy ask her if she was alone if there were no marauders around? Because he had some common sense, Viv’s more civilized aspect answered. Even in safe towns, it would be unwise to open your doors to strangers. She settled herself and watched the young man open the gate by unlocking a wood mechanism, probably something to keep the wildlife at bay. She followed him in but kept her shield fastened to her forearm, just in case.

What she had taken for a village was really more an estate, all of its buildings cobbled together from local wood in a rather poor fashion. Even the half-buried house of the unnamed spider village had been better made than those, though there was certainly order and cleanliness. Viv judged that whoever had settled there didn’t have the skills and knowledge to build a house and had tried their best anyway. Another garden filled a quarter of the courtyard, with an outhouse and garden shed sitting against the outer wall. Some of the small ostrich-like creatures she had seen in Kazar walked in an inner courtyard nestled between two one-story structures. It smelled like shit, which was expected when the main fertilizer tended to come out of assholes. A man was chopping wood with precise strikes while a woman hung clothes on a rope. Another was leaning against the wall of the largest block, right in front of Viv. They all stopped when she arrived.

She didn’t like the glint in the eyes of the leaning man but that was fine so long as he kept his hands to himself. She was just passing by.

“She’s lost. I’m bringing her to Ma,” the boy explained. The pair just stood silently while the leaning man pointed a thumb at the door next to him. A couple of steps made of stone and mud led up to the least rickety part of the compound. Viv followed them to a large room filled with tools and bags made of dried plant fiber. A few leather rucksacks and barrels completed the warehouse look. A door to her right led farther in while a large desk – if one were lax with the definition – occupied the back of the room. Behind that desk was a corpulent woman with gray hair. She was inspecting an iron bit between two fingers.

“A lost traveler, Ma.” the leaning man said in a mocking tone.

No. No, fuck that, Viv said to herself. She coated herself in the sneaky cloaky right as her danger sense informed her something was coming from behind. The woman’s face, which had turned into a vicious sneer, now displayed an expression of intense fear.

“She’s a mage! A mage!” she yelled.

Viv kneeled and called the newest spell in her collection. Something smashed into her protected neck and disintegrated as it came.

“Get her!”

“I’m trying, Ma!”

“Hive,” Viv whispered, and the small bubble of hexagons closed upon her like an egg. Something else smashed against it with no discernible result. It might have occurred to Viv that she was not truly in danger. In fact, many things could have occurred to Viv if she had been in any state to pay attention. Instead, she brought up her status to check a single line, a lonely piece of information she had to confirm before doing anything. Her mind wouldn’t let that go.

Divine spark: luck