The wagon squeaked and the twigs underfoot cracked as Rob guided the horse down a narrower, less-traveled path.

  This is probably the right choice, Blorbo begrudgingly admitted to himself. They were already three days behind schedule, and Silverleaf was nothing but a name at this point. For all they knew, he was just another pompous snob like Bimbleton, tossing money around like confetti and overestimating his own taste in furniture.

  Lena, sitting at the front of the wagon, stretched her arms. “So, tell me, Mister Grushkin, how far exactly is your boss’s pce?”

  The grushkin in question was still tied up in Anders’ magically conjured chains, his stubby legs dangling over the wagon’s side. “Still a distance ahead,” he muttered. “We live in the abandoned mill down by the fork in the river.”

  Lena perked up. “Oh! I know that pce! Rob, remember when we went looking for wild pears and found that creepy old mill? I told you there were weird noises inside.”

  “That was five years ago, dear,” Rob answered. “I doubt the noises were made by orcs.”

  “O-oh…” the grushkin spoke. “You know that pce?”

  “Only people who have never left town don’t know.” Lena winked.

  “Maybe you misremember it. It’s going to be further than you think!” The grushkin answered a question absolutely nobody asked.

  “Yes, yes! You misremembered!” The second grushkin, who had just awoke, immediately chimed in.

  “I wouldn’t have known had you not snooped around and told me around it,” Rob said.

  Lena narrowed her eyes as the wagon rattled deeper into the woods. The trees thickened, their gnarled roots twisting across the ground like nature’s own tripwires. The sounds of the pin wind had faded behind them, and the path ahead was barely more than an animal trail.

  “This is suspiciously deep,” Lena muttered. “I don’t remember the way to the mill being this deep.”

  Lena, you idiot! He just spilled it earlier. Need I spell it out for you? You’re being tricked!

  A notification popped up.

  [NEW SIDEQUEST UNLOCKED: A Keen Eye! (2)]

  Objective: Use your Perception to spot the suspicious hiding figures in the woods.

  Reward: +1 PER per suspicious figure spotted.

  Failure: None

  I knew it, we’re being led into an ambush! Not that it matters! Finally, training that doesn’t involve me getting myself destroyed.

  Anders eyed the thickening trees. “How far away from the main road are we?”

  Let me see… Nope, nothing. Just leaves. More leaves.

  Oh! I see one, I see one! Never mind, nothing dangerous. It’s just a hungry bear.

  “Maybe three miles?” Lena mused.

  Wait. A hungry bear? Wait, wait, wait, wait…

  “Secluded enough,” he replied. Then he moved.

  Blorbo barely saw nor heard him. One moment, the old man was seated next to the sacks of cabbages, looking every bit like an aging grump with no energy left to care. The next, his legs bent, his coat fred, and he vaulted off the wagon in a single jump.

  What the—

  Blorbo didn’t even get to finish the thought before Anders disappeared into the underbrush. He could only hear one rustle of the leaves. One.

  Rob pulled the reins and slowed the horse. “Should we—”

  Then Anders reappeared.

  Not alone.

  Two grushkins were tucked under each of his arms. Their tiny legs were still kicking.

  “Let me go, let me go, let me go—!” one shrieked, wiggling furiously.

  “Shut it,” Anders said ftly. He stomped toward the wagon, his captive grushkins thrashing like fish caught in a net.

  [SIDEQUEST FAILED: A Keen Eye (2)]

  All suspicious targets have been captured.

  Lena blinked rapidly. “D—Dad? What the hell?”

  The first grushkin, still tied to the wagon, stared in sheer horror. “H—how did you—?! You’re OLD!”

  Anders dumped them onto the ground. “They were waiting to ambush us. Wait here. I’ll deal with the bear.”

  “What bear?” She asked. But he’d already darted out of sight.

  “Your Dad might be a Stealth Mage, Lena,” Rob told her. “It’s a highly advanced sub-branch of Wind Mage; at least I think that’s how it works. Still, I didn’t expect him to be that ridi—cough—culously fast.”

  “He did say something about stealth the other day.”

  A notification showed up.

  [NEW SKILL UNLOCKED FROM OBSERVATION: Flow Step (Level 1 Basic-level Skill)]

  From observation? I barely saw the old man move!

  You have witnessed an experienced practitioner move with near-weightless precision. While stationary, your bance control has slightly improved.

  Oh, wow. So I can stand better now. Amazing.

  Not long after, Anders emerged from the trees, patting off his sleeves like he’d just finished a casual stroll rather than whatever absolute nonsense he had just pulled.

  Rob, reins still in hand, raised a brow. “So? Did you beat the bear?”

  Anders scoffed. “Beat it? It’s a bear, Robert. I’m not wasting high-level spells on something that can be scared off with a loud noise.” He waved a hand dismissively. “It was just a sun bear, anyway.”

  Lena blinked. “A what bear?”

  “A sun bear.” Anders climbed back onto the wagon, exhaling like he’d just had to deal with children. “They’re small. They’re stupid. They have no idea how to process loud noises, so I just yelled at it and made myself look big until it ran away.”

  Blorbo could only stare. That’s it? That’s all it takes?

  A question mark appeared atop Rob’s head. Blorbo clicked on it.

  [NEW SIDEQUEST AVAILABLE: Sun Bear Diplomacy] Objective: Repel a sun bear with your words alone. Reward: +1 PER, “Bear Whisperer” Title. Failure: The bear does not leave.

  Accept: YES/NO

  Wait. This wasn’t supposed to be a quest for me to take. I have no mouth. It’s probably supposed to be for Anders.

  The old man’s so quick he finished the quest before it appeared.

  Anders jumped into the wagon and immediately turned a sharp eye toward the bound grushkins. “Alright. Enough pying dumb. Where’s the Spoon Sage?”

  The grushkins exchanged nervous gnces.

  One of them stammered, “W-we told you! The abandoned mill by the river fork!”

  Anders scoffed. “Yeah? And that’s why you were leading us straight into an ambush?” He leaned forward. “Try again, leafheads.”

  The second grushkin gulped audibly. “W-we, uh… look, we were just following orders! We were told to stall you!”

  “Oh? By who?” Anders asked smoothly, his voice the exact opposite of smooth.

  “By the Spoon Sage!” The third grushkin, who had remained mostly silent until now, blurted out.

  Anders smirked. “Ah. So he is expecting us.”

  The first grushkin squirmed against his chains. “No, no, no, not like that! He doesn’t even know who you are! He just—he just knew someone was coming! He told us to dey any travelers that looked like trouble!”

  Anders let that sink in. He tapped his fingers against his knee, nodding slowly, as if considering his next move. Then he lunged forward.

  The grushkins shrieked in unison. “GAH—OKAY, OKAY! HE’S NOT AT THE MILL! HE MOVED!”

  The second one nodded rapidly. “We were supposed to send you the wrong way so you wouldn’t find him!”

  “Where?” Anders bared his teeth as he moved his face so close to one of the grushkins.

  “This way!” A voice called out from behind. Everybody turned their heads, except for Blorbo because he had no head.

  It was Ducaz.

  NameBlorboRaceAnimated Furniture (Table)CssNoneLevel3EXP39/100HP28/35MP3/3CP21STR15END18AGI23PER21SkillsAppraisal (Level 1)

  Adjustable Angle (2 Degrees)

  Opportunity Sense (Level 1)

  Surface Agitation (Level 1)

  Synchronized Sitting (Level 1)

  Forked Tongue (Level 1)

  Surface Wobble (Level 1)

  Massive Leap Under Duress (Conditional)

  Retribution Counter (Level 1)

  Flow Step (Level 1)

  SpellsSawdust Puff (Level 1)AuraUseless Gloved Fool (Permanent)

  “Sacred” Presence (Level 1)

  InventoryA Pair of Wooden-Colored Socks