After the excitement of the admittedly short fight, the dwarves made to bleed out the wolves bodies. Servin shouted out orders and soon we had a small camp up, even though it was only early afternoon. The merchant walked up to me.

“Good job there. The timing was a bit unlucky but we got some additional merchandise so it’s all good.”

I accepted his praise. Reconnecting our minds still took a moment. I was pretty confident at this point he was doing something against it. Maybe a Skill of his or maybe some active action. I did not take offence. He was right to be cautious of something invading his mind.

“It worked out in the end. I spotted the city. I would estimate another three days until we reach it. Maybe four if this is where we are stopping today.”

“That’s good. We made good time so we’ll take the break to dismantle the corpses for transport. Some of the meat will go into dinner tonight. Would like a bit for yourself?”

I shook my head.

“I’m fine. I have enough.”

My storage was not really diminishing since I hunted for fresh food most days. The forest held plenty of prey for me.

The dwarf took off soon after to overlook the camp’s construction and take a look at the bounty. I thought about taking off again to keep an eye on the forest. Maybe the pack was just waiting for us to let our guard down. But before I could spread my wings, the three siblings walked up to me. They were significantly more cautious than the last days but there was also a hint of admiration. I let them come while forming a connection with each. The continuous practice the last days had helped me keep the telepathy up with more people simultaneously. At the same time, the siblings had gotten used to the heightened exposure to vis and flux. As long as I did not talk too much, which was just fine by me.

The younger sister was the first to speak up.

“So, uhm. Thank you. That was a strong attack. I think? The guards said it was really good you came back this quickly.”

I encouraged her with a nod. The girl was trying to hide her fear or overcome it. I was not sure. Her big sister hugged her arm.

“That it was”, she said, “You really helped us out there.”

Her smile was broad. I gave a soft chuckle and a “Thanks” which managed to lighten the mood even more.

Finally, they settled down and started rapid-firing questions about what they had and had not seen me do. It turned out my stealth was really good even in daylight. I assumed on a less cloudy day this method of fighting was not going to work as well. I might have to find a way to better blend into my surroundings. Some sort of camouflage would be great. I sort of had it with the upgrade to [Mingling] but that only applied to aspects. Or to hiding in plain sight. Could I mingle with the sky and just appear as a passing bird to observers while picking opportune moments to attack?

[Mingling]: An [Assassin] is a master of getting to their target unnoticed. You have learned to mingle with groups highly differing from yourself without being suspected of harmful thoughts. Improves ability to learn languages and adapt to social norms. Targets can be aware of your presence and still unsuspecting of your intentions.

1st Breakthrough: Mingling with living beings was only the first step. You have found a method to mask your presence by hiding beneath a layer of aspects aligning to your surroundings.

Reading through it once more it might be possible but something told me I needed to upgrade the Skill more. Level four as a Breakpoint hinted at a second one down the line. I wondered where it was?

The dwarven siblings did not stop talking even after I had explained everything thrice, leaving out only the details of my Skills. At least we had found a different topic since they had slight headaches from all the telepathy. I was absently listening in while keeping a lookout on the building of the camp. I met Servin’s eyes and he gave me a thumbs up. I looked back at the dwarves talking. There were definitely other apprentices helping in setting the camp so why…?

“Don’t you have to help set up camp?”, I asked at an opportune moment.

The siblings laughed it off.

“Not this time”, the boy answered, “Pops told us to keep you company. He said, and I quote ‘Keep the owl happy and we’ll be sure to profit in the long term.’ I think he expects you to be a big player in the Dwarven Hills within a few years.”

His sisters nodded excitedly.

“We’re not of much help anyway. Not much Strength yet. Most of our helping would be to learn what’s needed for a journey like this and that can be done on the next leg as well. Or the one after… How long are you staying with us?”

I clicked my tongue. Well, at least they were honest. Friendship might have to wait a little longer. I wondered if I had these kinds of reservations for the whole journey and did not get the experience for making friends because of that. But then again, I was leaving soon.

“I’ll be staying in Serrington until Stormbringer shows up. I’m planning to investigate his trail.”

That silenced the dwarves. Their mouths could hold a rodent whole so far had their chins dropped. I was expecting to surprise them but this was a little more. There was some actual panic in the dwarves’ eyes.

The younger sister caught her wits first.

“That’s insane. Isn’t that super dangerous? Like, worse than thaumaturgy can be?”

I tilted my head.

“Not really. At least I would not say so. If I got really close to him, maybe. But even then, I don’t understand the deeper secrets of thaumaturgy and I can’t tell you how dangerous it can get. I would not know if Stormbringer or taint would be worse for a city…”

I trailed off as I noticed I had lost them. The boy showed a strained smile, trying to keep things together.

“Well, I guess that means we won’t have much more time with each other. A few weeks at most.”

I tilted my head. Weeks?

“We’re staying in Serrington for a month. That’s how long it’ll take to sell our stone and stock up on new wares. We’re also having a few days off for everyone after every part of our travelling. Just makes everything easier for the next part when you’re well-rested.”

That made sense. I was not really sure what to expect from the city. Servin had talked about tea and brewers and when I had done my scouting earlier, I had seen a huge circular wall protecting a wide expanse of fields around the actual houses. It was clear why they needed a lot of stones. There was probably a lot of maintenance to be done.

“I see. You’ve been to Serrington?”

The dwarves nodded.

“Then, why don’t you show me around a little once we get there?”

“Of course!”

The dwarves had gone back to normal by now and once again slipped into small talk and bickering. It was honestly kind of fun to just listen to them. But I was unsure if or where to take part so I resorted to non-committal noises and gestures. The siblings did not seem to mind, at least. Thus, night came quickly and everyone got some rest.

Three more days passed without much of interest happening. On the fourth day, Servin told me there was no need to scout from the air. We would reach the city shortly after noon. This close, the local guards would keep the more dangerous beasts culled and we had little to watch out for. Instead, he wanted to talk to me about the future.

“So, Fio, how did you like to travel with us?”

His face showed a curious smile as if he genuinely cared. With knowing him for a little over two weeks now, I believed he did.

“It was nice. I could have made the journey much faster on my own but the company was nice and this means I’m not gonna be on my own once I arrive at my destination.”

I truly felt that way. Exploring everything was nice but it was much better to not just see culture but be part of it. I would make sure to try and get close to some people every time I went somewhere new.

“Then how about becoming a permanent member of our caravan?”

I could see from his grin he did not expect me to agree so I just shook my head.

“You’re way too slow to keep up with me”, I haughtily decreed into his mind.

The bellowing laughter was infectious and soon most of the dwarves around were chuckling even without knowing the context. I had pulled my facial feathers into a grin as well.

“Worth a try. It always is. That’s what we Kinis are. Opportunists. We take what we can wherever it comes from. Now, I hope you’ll allow me to host you within our inn until you’ve found where to go next, at least. What do you say?”

I bobbed my head.

“Of course. I already asked the siblings to show me around the city once we arrive. Though… Do you know if Stormbringer’s arrival will be seen from the city? I want to investigate his trail after enjoying the dwarves’ hospitality a little more.”

The merchant raised an eyebrow.

“Ooh? Interesting. Yes, Stormbringer will be difficult to miss. His summer passing is a rainstorm which can be confused for regular rain from this distance but his winter passing always brings the first snow along with his blizzard. Be careful! He is very dangerous to even be around!”

The stern eyes had taken on a look of concern. He really worried about me, huh?

“I know. I’ve seen him.”

For a split second the dwarf showed a hint of surprise on his face but it was gone just as quickly.

“Good. Then I won’t worry too much. Stay alive, okay?”

With my affirmation, the dwarf was satisfied. He went back to steering the wagon and started humming a tune. I looked around, not sure what to do with the rest of the morning. By noon we were going to be in Serrington and then it was time to explore a new place.

My eyes swerved right and met the guard sitting next to us. He was staring at me. Hard. To the point where I was not sure if his brain was still working.

I waved a wing in front of his face and he snapped out of it.

“Ah… sorry…”

I did not mind and turned to my thoughts.

“Stormbringer…”, the dwarf shuddered.

Was he really that bad? I was only going to follow the trail. I had no plan to catch up to him or even the feathered wyverns that followed. The danger should be manageable if not negligible.