As they trekked back towards the road, Abby flinched at every stray sound. Her eyes darted around, trying to catch anything out of the ordinary. Though she only found the sights and sounds typical of a night in the forest, it did nothing to assuage her frayed nerves.

“You’re really worked up, aren’t you?” Zeke said, ignorant of just how much danger they were currently in.

“You should be, too,” she said. After crushing the crystal spider automaton, Abby had searched the mysterious man, only to find nothing of note. However, without the spider that presumably was the reason they hadn’t been able to identify him, he was revealed to be a level eighteen. His name was still a mystery, though to Abby, that didn’t matter. She’d heard plenty of stories about the organization to which he belonged. “The Crystal Spiders are incredibly deadly.”

“He didn’t seem so dangerous,” Zeke said, stomping his way through the forest without a care for stealth. “He was only level eighteen.”

She shook her head, saying, “Individually, they’re no more dangerous than anyone else. Higher average level than most organizations, sure – but that’s not what worries me about them.”

Indeed, the man had died without much trouble. The spider automaton that had crawled out of his chest was a bit worrisome, but it hadn’t been difficult to deal with either. The real issue was the threat they wouldn’t see coming. If the leadership of that organization were to find out what happened…

Abby shuddered as she imagined assassins poised in every shadow.

“They’re an organization of spies, assassins, and thieves,” she explained. “Most people think they’re a myth. I only know they’re real because the guild used them for information a few times. That spider automaton is their trademark, but if very few people outside of their organization ever see it…not and live, at least. I don’t even know if you’d survive a bite. Not even with your leech skill going.”

“Oh,” Zeke said, pushing forward. “Well, that’s going to complicate things.”

“Not if they never find out,” Abby said.

He stopped so quickly that Abby was yanking her hatchet free of her belt before she even knew what was happening. She crouched in a fighter’s stance, ready for whatever Zeke had seen.

Zeke turned on her, saying, “Do you really think I can let something like this go? Can you? That man had clearly contracted those goblins to abduct those people. Who knows what he had planned?”

“And you want to find out,” Abby guessed, relaxing a bit and replacing her hatchet.

“I do,” he said. “But…I’m not good at that kind of thing.”

Abby let out a laugh. Zeke was an exceptional, if incredibly unpolished, warrior. What he lacked in technique, he usually made up for in pure stats. But he was anything but subtle, and if she let him carry out an investigation into the activities of an organization as dangerous as the Crystal Spiders, he would doubtless end up dead, regardless of his many gifts.

“What?”

Abby shook her head. “Nothing,” she said, stifling her laughter. “It’s just that the way you said that, it was like some big reveal. As if I don’t know you well enough by this point to know good and well that your idea of subtlety is not to scream while you’re swinging your club.”

“I’m not that bad,” he said, his jaw flexing in annoyance.

“Sure,” Abby responded. “But you’re right. If you try to investigate, the best-case scenario is that you just don’t find anything. Worst case? You end up poisoned in your sleep. It would be better if I ask around. I know a couple of people who might be able to put me on the right track.”

“So, you’re not going to argue with me about it?” he asked.

“Of course not,” she said. “Why would I do that?”

He shrugged. “No, it’s just that normally you point out how I don’t owe anyone anything, and that we should just be looking out for ourselves. You usually come around to doing the right thing, but…well, I’m glad we’re on the same page, I guess.”

Abby glared at him for a long moment, her first reaction to become angry, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that he was right. Before she’d met him, Abby had been almost completely self-interested. Sure, she’d help people, provided that it didn’t inconvenience her too much. Or if they paid the guild for her services. But now, she’d just committed to something incredibly dangerous for no more reason than because it was the right thing to do.

Was it Zeke’s influence on her? Maybe. Or was it just that she liked the feeling she got when she did something selfless? When she went above and beyond, regardless of the danger, and came out on top, a definite sense of pride came with it. But more than anything, it made her feel more human, more connected to other people, than she had since being reborn.

And it didn’t help that she’d made an incredible amount of progress in her own path. When they got back to Beacon, Abby would evolve her race and open herself back up to leveling again. On top of that, she’d picked up a title, a new hatchet that most people would kill for, and the support of an ally who could help see her through to the end. So, even though her primary motivation hadn’t been self-improvement, she had definitely come out the other side stronger than ever before.

So, maybe it was everything coalescing into a whole that made her decision to investigate the Crystal Spiders so much easier. Or perhaps she just didn’t want to disappoint Zeke. The man was adorably naïve, but it was difficult not to want to live up to his skewed sense of responsibility.

“Maybe you’re just rubbing off on me,” she said. “Besides, we’ve got to keep progressing, right? And it seems like you’ve got a nose for finding the most powerful path.”

He ran his hand through his short, brown hair. “Yeah,” he said. “I guess I kind of do. But that’s almost never my goal. Sure, I want to keep progressing, but most of my decisions are based on doing the right thing.”

“Maybe that’s the world telling us something,” she responded. “Either way, we need to get back to the road and find Reginald. If goblins are willing to come this far into Beacon’s territory, other monsters might, too.”

With that, the trio – Zeke, Abby, and Pudge – hurried back to the road as quickly as they could. The trek was thankfully uneventful, though Abby found that she was still incredibly jumpy. Rather than smother it, she embraced her paranoia; if someone or something were to attack, she wanted to be ready.

Finally, they found their way back to the site of the original slaughter. The burnt out husks of the carts were still present, but the bodies had been removed. A mound of freshly churned earth lay to the side of the road, evidence of where the people had been buried. However, there were no people present.

“Over there,” Zeke said, pointing down the road. A good distance away – maybe as much as a mile – there was the telltale illumination of a sizable fire. “Guess they didn’t want to camp so close to…here.”

Abby said, “Yeah. Understandable. Let’s go.”

They three took off, with Zeke in the lead, Abby in the middle, and Pudge taking up the rear. Abby wasn’t certain, but she thought that the bear cub had grown significantly over the past day. Perhaps his size was linked to his level; a quick inspection told her that he’d gained another, and had reached level eleven. Whatever the case, the cub was quickly reaching the point where they didn’t have to worry about protecting him. In fact, with the way he’d taken those goblins apart, it wouldn’t be long before he was the one protecting them.

With their enhanced constitutions, their strides quickly ate the distance. But the closer they came, the more Abby felt that something was incredibly wrong. The fire was too big. The smells all wrong.

So, when Zeke shuddered with the impact of a half-dozen crossbow bolts, Abby wasn’t as surprised as she might’ve been. In a fraction of a second, she was darting to the side of the road, already unlimbering her bow and conjuring an arrow. Zeke went the other way, growling in pain as he yanked the bolts out of his torso. Pudge followed him, his own growls mirroring Zeke’s.

Abby wove through the trees, moving from shadow to shadow. Ever since joining the Champions of Light, Abby had worked as a scout, and while she didn’t have any skills associated with stealth, she’d long since learned how to move through a forest unseen. She wasn’t the best, but there was a reason she stayed as busy as she did.

The closer she drew to the fire, the more distressed she grew. Just like what had happened at the other convoy of wagons, Reginald’s cart had been overturned and set alight. Three figures, cloaked in black, huddled nearby. Corpses lay scattered about. Abby cursed under her breath. The people they’d worked so hard to save were already dead. She and Zeke had only bought them another hour of life. Or perhaps they’d saved them from a worse fate, considering that the prisoners were clearly meant to be taken elsewhere.

Using every ounce of stealth she could muster, Abby found a likely tree, then shimmied into its branches. With her increased elevation, she could see everything so much more clearly. Reginald’s body lay near the prisoners, partially hidden by his burning wagon. He’d been a good man, perfectly willing to keep to himself. Abby had appreciated that. And now he was dead, likely because of their actions.

Abby’s fury ignited, enveloping her in a way she’d rarely felt. These people needed to pay. Nocking an arrow, she quickly sighted in on the three men, one after another. However, she didn’t fire right away. There might be more in the surrounding woods. And besides, she wanted a distraction so she could make the most of her concealment.

A moment later, a black-cloaked figure – limp, beaten, and bloody – flew out from the tree line to collide with the burning wagon. Cinders erupted into the air as burning splinters flew in every direction. Zeke charged out of the woods, his face twisted with rage. A second later, the men reacted, raising crossbows from within their cloaks. They fired.

Zeke jerked to his right, avoiding a couple of the bolts, but he couldn’t dodge them all. He staggered, but his momentum carried him forward. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. The black-cloaked men had coated their crossbow bolts in a poison powerful enough to affect even Zeke. Abby shuddered; if that was the case, it would kill her in seconds.

With Zeke slowed, his opponents spread out, backing away as they reloaded their crossbows. They knew better than to let him close the distance. Even weakened, he was strong enough to end them. And unless he could close, his [Leech Strike] would be useless.

Abby ground her teeth in frustration and indecision. There were at least two more enemies in the forest. Another bolt slammed into Zeke’s side, confirming Abby’s thoughts. Yet another flew wide, burying itself in the conflagration that had once been Reginald’s wagon. Abby saw its flight and tracked the trajectory back to its source. There – forty feet down the road, just past the tree line – Abby saw the shooter.

“Got you,” she whispered. Then, she loosed; the silvery arrow streaked across the road and into the shadows, burying itself in the cloaked man’s neck. Knowing she’d just announced her position, Abby leapt from the limb, grabbing onto another and utilizing her impressive agility and dexterity to use the limbs as a makeshift highway. And only soon enough, because the moment she vacated her position, a crossbow bolt pierced the trunk of the tree that had provided her with concealment.

As an archer who’d progressed far enough to unlock the martial path, Abby had an inherent understanding of a projectile’s trajectory. So, the moment she saw the bolt hit the tree trunk, it was child’s play to find the shooter. So, as she leapt from one tree limb to another, she conjured another arrow, nocked it, and fired. It flew true, propelled with unnatural speed by her skill [Gust of Wind], slamming into the shooter. He staggered, surprised at the silvery arrow suddenly protruding from his chest. An instant later, he fell to the ground, his heart ruined.

Abby didn’t take the time to revel in her victory. Instead, she continued along the limbs, intent to assist Zeke. The moment she got a clear view, she realized that it was entirely unnecessary.

Pudge had circled around, preventing the cloaked figures from retreating and allowing Zeke to catch up. He didn’t look great, each step a chore. Another couple of crossbow bolts were embedded in his chest, but he paid them no heed. He was furious. Determined. And his enemies had nowhere to run.

Abby nocked another arrow and fired, taking one of the figures in the leg. He staggered, which was all the opening Zeke needed. His mace crushed the man’s head, and Abby could’ve sworn that she could see the vitality being snatched away. She fired again, this one burying itself in a different figure’s stomach. It took two swings for Zeke to dispatch that one, and already, he looked healthier.

Pudge charged in, leading with a swipe of his claw. It raked across the lone figure’s back. Flesh and blood splattered through the night air, mingling with the man’s agonized scream. Zeke stood over him, yanking crossbow bolts out of his chest and sides. How many times had he been hit?

Abby leapt down from her perch, then quickly found her way to her allies. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“’Tis but a scratch,” he said, forcing a smile. However, his face was pale, and she could tell that he was in agonizing pain. “Seriously, though – that poison is a bitch. I can feel it eating me alive. I’m pretty sure it’s not going to kill me, especially after I deal with him.” He used his mace to point at the fallen figure. “But I think I might need those healers in Beacon you’ve been talking about to really get rid of everything.”

“You’ll be dead before you make it a mile!” the prone man growled. His hood had fallen aside, revealing a sharp face only a mother could love. His beak-like nose was too big, his eyes too watery, and his mouth too thin. He smiled, his teeth coated in blood. “You have no idea who you’re messing with!”

“Crystal Spiders, I’m guessing,” Zeke said, kneeling beside the man and opening his shirt. The man tried to stop him, but he was too weak to do more than put up a nominal fight. Zeke ripped the cloth aside, revealing the shimmering spider tattoo Abby expected. A second later, Zeke drew his knife and stabbed it into the tattoo. The sound of shattering glass filled the air, followed closely by the man’s agonized screams. It was music to Abby’s ears.

Zeke grabbed the remnants of the man’s shirt, then pulled him closer as he said, “Now, you and me are going to have a little talk. Abby, take care of the other spiders. Don’t want them getting loose and biting someone.”

Normally, Abby would’ve bristled at being ordered around, but she recognized the look on Zeke’s face. It was the same one he’d worn when he discovered the cave full of cocooned bodies. Then, he’d had no one on which to take out his frustrations – not immediately, at least. Now, he did. And Abby wanted nothing to do with what she expected to come next.

So, she turned and walked toward the other fallen assassins. Only a few seconds later, the man’s blood-curdling screams assaulted her ears. She ignored them, focused wholly on her task.