In six days we'd traveled, we made great time. The skies were bright and clear, there were few travelers on the road, and we were more fit than we had been just a few months before. We hardly had to stop for breaks. I was even beginning to believe Vral might have been right about us arriving early. We'd taken the fork to the northeast the day before, and, to all of our relief, it was even smoother than the road to Galden. At the rate we were going, we'd make it to Lynn in fifteen days.

  "What's the first thing you two want to do when we get there?" Tristan smiled as she walked, her eyes sparkling in the light.

  "A hot meal, a good bath, and a comfortable bed. In that order." Vral responded without any hesitation.

  Those did sound good. "We should find Elna first. That way, we don't have to worry."

  "Did Farvad give you her address?" Tristan's eyes met mine.

  "He couldn't remember the street name, but he drew me a picture of the house and gave me the general area. He said it was on the northwest side of town, just off the main street."

  Vral shook her head. "That damn gnome. Hopeless, I tell you." Vral stretched her arms out and yawned.

  "His memory has improved, but he's still forgetful. It'll take a lot more time and healing before he's whole." Tristan said through her own yawn.

  "I just hope we get there in time. I'd hate to be too late." The thought had nagged at me for days. I knew I couldn't move any faster than I was, but the thoughts wouldn't relent. Maybe we shouldn't have rested that second night. Should I have spent time jogging instead of walking? If they found her before we got there...

  "If the goddess smiles upon us, then we'll arrive in Llyn with time to spare."

  "What's gonna convince her to come with us, though? It's not like she knows us. I wouldn't head out with a trio of nobodies for any reason. If she hasn't been attacked, it's not like she'll believe us without evidence."

  "Farvad gave me his amulet. Said she'd recognize it."

  "Sure, but he's not exactly reliable. Who's to say she doesn't just shake her head and shut the door on us?" Vral put her hands on her hips. "What do you think, Tris?"

  "She has a point," Tristan said, chewing on a nail. "Not to disparage the gnome, but may need something else as proof."

  Admittedly, I hadn't thought it all through. In my mind, the quest would go easily. We'd arrive in Llyn, find Elna, take her to the grove, meet Tristan's mom and get her blessing, then head back to the temple. It seemed easy in my head. However, the girls weren't wrong. There would likely be any number of complications, just like in our first quest. I needed to account for them while we traveled. "You're both right. We'll have to come up with something."

  "Well what if—"

  "Shhh." Vral held up her hand. "Do you all hear that?"

  I listened to the forest around me, but I didn't hear anything. "I don't hear anything."

  "Exactly." The goblin looked around, her brow furrowed.

  I listened again. She was right. It was quiet. The constant chatter of birds was missing, and there weren't even any crickets or locusts chirping. The trees seemed normal around us, if a bit stunted, but it was as if the forest was empty.

  "I see something up ahead." Tristan was squinting up the road. I tried to follow her, but I couldn't see a thing.

  "Your elf eyes always impress, Tris." Vral looked up at me. "I can't see anything. You?"

  "Nothing." I continued forward. "Let us know if it looks dangerous."

  "I don't think so, but I'll let you know."

  It didn't take long before I could just barely make out whatever it was. It was big and mishapen and a beige color.

  "It's a wagon," Tristan answered my thoughts. She'd been doing that more often lately.

  "That's the first one we've seen since we hit Stormrider's Trail. Maybe we can hitch a ride?" Vral sounded hopeful, but a click of Tristan's tongue dampened those hopes.

  "I don't think so..." Tristan said, squinting again. "I only see two or three people, and it looks like the wagon's on its side." As we got closer, she added, "Yeah, three people. Two dwarven men and a human woman. The wagon's definitely on its side."

  "Shit." Always something.

  Vral's hand found her swords as we approached the fallen wagon, her muscles coiled for attack. Tristan drew her mace, and I did the same with my sword in shield.

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  It took another hundred yards before we were close enough to make out the details. The wagon was made of wood but wasn't painted or adorned with anything fancy. It reminded me of an Oregon Trail wagon more than anything. A few boxes were piled up on the side of the road, and the two men, both barrel-chested dwarves with long black beards and thick unkempt hair, had succeeded in tipping the wagon back over. A pair of oxen were tied to a nearby tree and were being tended to by a tall, broad-shouldered woman of maybe fifty.

  One of the men wiped his forehead and took a swig of water. When he did, he seemed to notice us for the first time. Cupping his hand, he called out to us. "Ho! Travelers!"

  Stopping where we stood, we assessed the situation. Vral sniffed the air around her, and Tristan bent her head. She did that when she was listening intently. Neither seemed to find anything out of the ordinary because both looked at me expectantly a few moments later.

  "Hail friend!" I called out. I didn't know exactly what to say, having not done this before, but it was probably fine to wing it. "Are you three in need of assistance?"

  The dwarf nodded. "We're in much need. If you call us friend, come and speak with us."

  At their direction, we moved toward the wagon. As we got closer, I took the men in. They looked remarkably similar to one another, but one was an older version of the other. Probably a father and son, if I had to guess. Their shirts were torn and frayed, and both carried an axe on their belt. However, I didn't get the sense that they were a threat. They had the open expression of simple laborers and weary travelers, and they leaned heavily on the wagon as we approached. Whatever happened to them, they'd definitely taken a beating.

  "Greetings friends." I held my hand up as we approached. "I'm Alex. This is Tristan and Vral."

  The older dwarf took my hand. "Well met. I'm Borun ko Odarun, and that's my son Eadrun. Out by the trees is Vassa." The dwarf took in my companions, but his eyes narrowed when he saw Vral. "What brings you three out this way?"

  "We're on our way to Llyn." Tristan answered.

  "Adventurer's, then?" The man eyes us with more interest. "And capable ones from the looks of it. Have you time to help us?" The man looked hopeful.

  I looked at Vral and Tristan. Tristan nodded, and Vral's eyes lit up. That told me what their answers were. "Of course. Talk to me, Borun. How can we help you?"

  The older dwarf breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the stone." The man clasped his hands and looked downward before continuing. "To be perfectly honest, we ain't really sure ourselves. All we knew was we were heading down the road, and then suddenly something struck the wagon and flipped it over. One of our wheels cracked, and we got battered 'n' bruised." Pointing at a deep gouge in the side of the cart, he continued. "Before we knew what was happening, some type of foul creatures darted out of the woods and stole some of our gear. We'd been hoping to sell our wares in Galden, but half of our equipment is up and gone. I hardly think we'll afford to return to Galden at this rate."

  As the man talked, Vral had wandered over to the broken wheel and knelt next to it. Sniffing the ground for a moment, she whipped her head around. "Smells dead."

  The dwarves looked at one another. "Dead?"

  Vral walked back over to us. "Old dead. Dust and bone."

  The woman perked up and walked around the wagon to us. "I told you two fools we should've gone the long way round. I'd bet my best plow we've run afoul of whatever lives out in the ruins."

  "They'd never roam this far away from the ruin."

  "You've heard about all the activity in these parts of late. Witches and the like. Who knows what they've stirred up." Turning her attention to us, she added, "I told these louts not to cross the Ruins on our way here. No reason to go up Stormrider's when we could've taken another two days to go across the hills. But no one listens to me, damn it." She glared at the dwarves. Her brown, greying hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. It almost bristled as she fumed. "Gonna ruin us for good if it turns out some undead beasts made off with our livelihood. Ain't gettin' none of that back."

  "Undead, huh?" I'd read about them when I studied with Arden. Fueled by negative energy, most undead like skeletons and zombies were mere automatons running on preprogrammed commands. While their presence corrupted the natural world around them over time, the effect was small and easily missed. Generally, the undead weren't intelligent creatures though. Attacking and stealing from a wagon was outside of their mental faculties. Unless they had someone commanding them, like a more powerful undead, or a mage, or a priest... "Did any of you see anything else when the creatures attacked?"

  The group shared a look, but after a moment shook their heads. "No, not as such," the older dwarf replied. "It was fast. Barely got a chance to look before they fled. The only thing I know is that they went east."

  "Toward the damn ruins," Vassa added while throwing eye daggers at Borun.

  "What's done is done, Vas. Let it go." Eadrun wrung his hands.

  The woman huffed and marched back to the oxen.

  "Tristan here is a priestess. With her powers and our help, we should be able to get your things back." I clapped the man on the shoulder. "Tell me, do you remember how many attacked you?"

  "No more than six. They hit quick, then split."

  My mind drifted to Elna. "If we recover your things, would you have enough room to carry us to Llyn?"

  "Aye. It'll be tight, but we can manage. It's five days ride from here."

  Five days? Even if we spent four days here, we'd still get to Llyn before we'd planned to. I nodded to the man, then looked at the girls. "We doing this?"

  "You know it." Vral grinned. "I've been wanting to test blades after all the practice we've put in. Some dusty old undead'll be perfect training dummies."

  "Of course," Tristan added. "I don't like the idea of leaving undead behind us when we can do something now."

  "Then let's do this thing." Turning back to Borun, I said, "My good man, we accept your quest." I held out my hand to seal the deal.

  "You got a heroic class?" The man asked, eying my hand.

  "Sure do. Guardian."

  Borun nodded and took my hand in his. "Good. No contract is needed, then. Consider the quest yours."

  As he spoke, a notification popped up in my vision.

  You receive the quest [Ghouls Just Wanna Have Funds][Ghouls Just Wanna Have Funds]:

  "You girls get that?"

  Both Vral and Tristan nodded. It was useful being partied up.

  "So, the keep is to the east then?" I pointed toward a patch of forest that looked darker and more forbidding than the rest.

  "Yeah, maybe a half day's walk east of here."

  "You know anything else about it?"

  The dwarf shook his head. "All I know is that it's an old ruin from the fourth age. Dark things hide in ruins from that time. Be wary."

  "Noted." I nodded to the man. "Will do."