I can’t believe it, Wolf thought, still shocked at how the whole mine incident played out. Other than miasma there really were no other dangers down there.

He silently sat in the mine administrator’s office while Anna gave her account of what the two of them had found.

“... the silver in the so-called ore vein you found is refined and tested positive when examined with Detect Magic. It was definitely magically enhanced,” the young noblewoman meticulously explained. “We have no way of determining which spell was used, but its Order is extremely high. You will most likely have to invite a True-Namer to examine that tunnel...”

Hells, I’m a True-Namer and I have no idea what’s going on down there, Wolf grumbled inwardly while staring at the manager’s dislikable face. Maybe they have to invite someone that knows the True Name of Silver, or something like that to figure out what’s going on. Hmmm, would Lord of Silver be extremely greedy?

“... my advice would be for you to halt the mining of that silver for now. We don’t know why it’s down there, or whether a repeat of this incident might happen. As for coal, there’s no indication of any threats to your miners, and they may resume excavation without worry,” Anna concluded her report, but glanced at Wolf with a very subtle smug smile.

Yeah, yeah, fine, you were right, Wolf silently replied to Anna’s silent ‘told you so’. I admit it. Now can you please wipe that self satisfied smile off your face?

Wolf couldn’t help recalling how he was forced to use a complicated combination of Hurricane Wall, Phantom Hand and Detached Eye to move the caged canary around the mine tunnel and test for dangers. Eventually nothing happened and, despite Wolf’s protest, Anna had them enter that tunnel.

Wolf originally wanted to send the foreman first, but Anna didn’t want to bother with going to fetch the man again. Ignoring the fact that Anna was perfectly willing to use a manling as a canary, and didn’t do so only because of convenience, Wolf was angry that she was ready to risk their lives on account of laziness. However, Anna was adamant.

When he saw the ‘It’s my mission’ look Anna gave him, Wolf didn’t have the strength to argue anymore and stopped paying attention to the conversation.

Instead his mind wandered as he kept imagining the thing sealed behind that silver barrier. He wanted to know who’d made the seal and how much silver had actually gone into building it.

While Wolf wondered whether he’d ever reach the point where he can just waste a mountain of silver on a Spell Formation, the conversation ended. He only got the cue when Anna got up from her chair and the sleazy Yoki fellow politely bowed to her.

Wolf was about to ask ‘how’d it go’, but managed to stop himself. He was in the room the entire time, and yet couldn’t stop thinking about that Spell Formation. Why was he so drawn to it? Why was he so afraid of whatever was on the other side?

Is it–? Related to me? he wanted to ask himself, but never got to finish the thought.

“It’ll take us ten or so days to reach your mission objective, right?” Anna suddenly asked.

Wolf blinked, then focused on Anna’s question, completely forgetting the unasked question.

“Yeah,” he said after a slight pause. “We could make it in five days if we used Greater Fleet of Foot and if I stopped tutoring you in the afternoons. But we could take it slow, I don’t think we’re in that much of a hurry. So, are you satisfied with how things turned out here?”

Wolf seemed a bit out of it, but Anna guessed it was his male ego getting bruised after she was proven right. Maybe now he’ll listen to her more often. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to drive the point home.

“It feels good to be right,” she said, trying to appear like an impartial wise-woman. “And I’m glad I didn’t listen to you back then. Imagine intentionally failing a mission after coming so close! There wasn’t even any danger!”

Anna once again started that argument, but Wolf didn’t take the bait. The fact that nothing happened doesn’t mean that there was no danger involved. Instead of arguing, Wolf decided to focus on the positive things.

“I’m just glad we’re safe,” he said, changing the topic. “The only problem is you didn’t get much in terms of training.”

“That’s all right,” Anna said with a confident smile. “So, I’ll just follow you on your mission and get some experience there.”

Hearing those words Wolf’s eyes instantly turned stern. He shook his head with an icy expression.

“Out of the question,” he rejected without giving it a second thought. “I’m hitting a band of professional warriors–” Given how weak you are, most of them should be able to kill you in a single exchange.

Even though those words were left unsaid, Anna was still offended by the harsh rejection. Why couldn’t she help Wolf with his mission?

“But–” she started, but Wolf didn’t want to hear any of it.

“This is not negotiable,” he said slowly, pausing after every word, before he continued speaking normally. “If those people aren’t wicked they would kill you in a second. I don’t even want to think about what would happen to you if the reports I’ve read are true.”

Wolf couldn’t help but remember what Natalie, Rina and Tommy had gone through before he’d delivered them to Oakwood Freeland. Those memories alone were enough to cause Wolf’s rage and murderous intent to soar, even though nothing happened to Anna.

Anna didn’t know what Wolf was thinking. However, she could clearly see the way his face changed. That silly, lecherous face of his suddenly turned extremely ugly from anger.

I was just asking. You don’t have to act like a child throwing a tantrum, Anna sulked inwardly, but after insisting so much on autonomy on her mission she couldn’t say anything if Wolf didn’t want to take her with him.

“Fine, I don’t want to be a burden.” Even though Anna tried her best, she couldn’t help oozing some resentment, which went right over Wolf’s head.

“Thanks for understanding,” he said as he visibly relaxed. “Let’s go.”

***

Eight days later Wolf was walking alone, skulking through a dark forest. The night was supposed to be bright, illuminated by a full moon, but a light spring rain was falling and the clouds completely obscured the skies above. In another quarter of an hour he would reach the area in which he’d Scried the Band of the Fox.

Yesterday afternoon, when they’d arrived at the who-gives-a-damn village in the boonies, Wolf inquired about the mercenary group. The rumors proved without a doubt that these people were real villains. The gang’s brutality was a thing used to scare children and adults alike, and Wolf saw no reason to let such scum live.

He originally just wanted to sneak up on them, check if there were any innocents in the camp, and if not cast a Call of the Netherworld or two and be done with the whole affair.

However, in that who-gives-a-damn village in the boonies, an incident happened which changed his mind.

I can’t believe they are so out of the way they don’t even have an inn, Wolf still grumbled. It’s not like I’m asking for much. I just want an inn in which the innkeeper would say “Good day, Sir. We only have one single-bed room.” Is that too much to ask?

But no, they saw us and immediately treated us like kids. We’re fourteen! Well, Anna is and I’ll be fourteen in a couple of months, so it’s basically true…

Wolf kept silently muttering curses at the elderly couple who had offered Anna a bed. There was even an old lady who offered him to stay at her place.

Even after Wolf explained that he was there to kill people, those villagers treated them like children. Wolf had naturally wanted to refuse the offer. He’d rather sleep next to Anna in a forest clearing than sleep alone in some moldy old woman’s home.

However, before he could reject the improvised shelter they’d been offered, Anna accepted the offer with a graceful smile. Then, when nobody was looking, she grimaced at Wolf and stuck out her tongue to mock him.

The youth had no idea how to react. When they were free to do any obscene thing anyone ever came up with, Anna acted chaste, shy and serious. When there were people around she teased him like crazy and if he’d made any kind of advance she would most certainly call him an improper pervert.

He didn’t know why, but Wolf wanted to pummel someone. Those unlucky someones were the members of the Band of the Fox.

Wolf awakened his senses fully as he approached the camp he’d scouted out in the morning. He could just barely make out the rustle of leaves and the soft soggy sounds of boots on wet soil.

Unlike the other camps he’d hit so far, Band of the Fox’s guards moved around.

However, there was also someone who didn’t move. They remained stationary above the ground. The unknown person was some fifty meters away from Wolf, two meters up, hiding in the trees which had started leafing a week ago.

If it weren’t for the Find Creature spell, Wolf would’ve likely failed to detect the stationary sentry until it was too late.

Wolf patiently hid until the footsteps of men on patrol grew too faint to be heard. However, in the ten minutes he’d been waiting he noticed a problem. Every three minutes or so the sentry would let out a hoot similar to that of an owl. A cuckoo would answer, followed by a nightingale’s call further in the distance.

I have around three minutes after I kill the scout before they sound an alarm, Wolf thought and then prepared for the next cycle of bird calls as he slowly neared the tree in the darkness.

“Hoo, Hoo,” the guard sounded.

Now! With that thought, silence swallowed everything around Wolf.

***

Larry was in for yet another boring night.

He hated sentry duty. Count to two hundred then hoot. Nothing but hooting in a silent night for hours on end. He’d stopped counting even before they’d left the Swordcrane. Back then, they were entangled in skirmishes with orcs. In those dark forests the monotonous hoot at the count of two hundred had become a habit.

Sometimes he even woke up at night, hooting like an idiot.

Patrolling was better. True, he had to remain mostly quiet, but at least he didn’t need to act like a damn fowl.

He could even exchange whispered jokes and drink a bit of watered down wine when walking the rounds around camp. And most importantly, you don’t get cramps from squatting and a sore butt from sitting on the damn uncomfortable branches.

“You have to become one with the tree,” Boss often said with a hearty laugh. But Boss never had to become one with the tree. He was becoming one with the two bitches they’d caught three days ago.

Inwardly grumbling and wondering when he’d get his turn, Larry noticed something had gone wrong. He’d just let out his call when the world around him turned silent. Is something dangerous about to happen? the sentry wondered.

This wasn’t the tense silence of an orc raiding party sneaking through the forest. No, this was something much more unnatural. Larry immediately rubbed his gloved fingers against each other, but he couldn’t hear the leathery sound.

Damn it! It’s Silence! the sentry thought and hurriedly leapt off the tree.

“We’re under attack,” Larry yelled midair.

Unfortunately for him, even though he’d shouted at the top of his lungs he failed to produce a sound.

Instead Larry saw a midget catapulting straight towards him. The diminutive manling swung his empty hand at Larry like it was a hammer, but he lacked the reach.

Huh? A halfling? Those were Larry’s last thoughts as a fancy-looking sword appeared in the “halfling’s” empty hand and cleaved his skull in two.

***

Damn! These guys are much better than bandits! Wolf thought while storing the blood, which gushed towards him, into his Ring of Holding and then tossing it out.

The youth was amazed with how quickly the mercenary had realized what was going on. Not to mention that he’d even managed to jump off the tree. If his luck was better and had he jumped away from Wolf his scream might have alerted the entire Band of the Fox. But that was a what if.

Wolf now had three minutes to handle everything before the owl missed to check in.

He was in the zone of absolute silence for a bit more than a second and he immediately knew something was wrong. But Wolf had no time to admire how meticulous these people were.

He was already rushing towards the cuckoo which, if he’d estimated correctly, he should reach in a minute.

I think I can get rid of all three of them, Wolf confidently thought while dashing through the forest. I’m really lucky with how dark it is tonight. If it weren’t for the overcast sky, the sentries would’ve spotted me running around like this.

Wolf was trying to figure out what to do. Should he remain in Silence after the three minutes were up, or should he dismiss the spell and try to imitate the three bird calls he’d heard a dozen times tonight?

While he ran various scenarios through his mind he suddenly picked up a faint bluish glow. Wolf was running straight at it, too fast to break in time. The boy jumped to the side, crushing several saplings as he rolled on the ground, ripping his travel clothes in a dozen places.

As he’d gotten closer the glowing patch turned into a faintly glowing hemisphere.

Alarm, the youth realized immediately. The report stated that the Band of the Fox had two Mages. Apparently those guys are in charge of security.

Wolf wanted to check whether this was a Spell Formation or just a spell, but he didn’t have time.

He silently thanked his father for teaching him to always have redundant detection spells active, then made a detour around the warded area. After bypassing the spell, the young man continued towards the cuckoo. He was about a hundred meters away with only a minute left. Wolf had just come to terms that he wouldn't be able to kill all three night-birds when another unexpected thing happened.

Find Creature suddenly started flickering erratically, with the spell’s target constantly shifting left and right. And the spell no longer pointed two meters above ground, but rather remained on ground level.

Wolf immediately understood what this meant, the cuckoo was no longer the closest manling.