As Li marched over the familiar terrain o another deep patrol mission, she couldn't help but wonder why they still even bothered to waste time on that. It had been years sin undead was entered the st time. These beasts clearly didn't want to have anything in on with humans anymore. turies had passed sihe Fall, and although there was a brief period of all-out war, there had been minimal iioweewo races that have now shared this world.

  The Elders kept rambling on about ‘vigince’—like chasing shadows in broad daylight, if you asked her, especially when it came to the undead. If entered, their every move had to be monitored closely. Supposedly, they were dangerous and uable. Not that they saw them often. Or ever. That "if entered" part was the most important, right? What were the odds?

  Let's say they truly wao keep the undead at bay. Wouldn't it be more reasoo get closer to the pces of their tration? Like the legendary Old Cities, where danger lurked around every er? Li had never been there, but ers loved to tell stories if you offered them a free beer.

  That should be a worthy mission for experienced rangers like Li. But they never went there.

  I years, though, something has made the Elders ge their stanow, any uhey found had to be delivered baountain View, supposedly for observation and experiments. And Li couldn't help but think there was more to the story than what the Elders were letting on.

  Every time she thought about that, a neverending procession of questions swirled in her mind, begging for ahat never seemed to e. All she got whenever she dared to ask were stern gres, and disapproving hushes. As if she were an i child. It didn't matter that she was a highly trained professional with over ten years of experience. In town's power structure, she was just a mere cog in the mae. Expected to blindly follow orders from her superiors without questioning their opinions or ands.

  Years have passed since her first mission outside of their small town. It happened when she was twenty. And even though her tendency to question authority had nded her in this positioing directly to Korin, she couldn't really pin. He was petent enough, and the job was better than most, even with Korin's almost one-dimensional approach to leadership.

  The current patrol was monotonous, nine days without anything even mildly eaining. Their final objective was to check a series of old, abandoned s in the Southern Forest. There was a small town here before the Fall. And while it was unlikely for the uo visit these ruiructures, it was worth cheg for any signs of activity. Nowadays, most of their problems were caused not by the undead but by humans. Not all of them lived iowns. And then, the retioween humalements were not always entirely peaceful.

  With an effort, Li stopped daydreaming and carefully sed her surroundings. A lot of time passed sirolling had bee sed nature to her, but sometimes, she got distracted. And it was good practice to stay focused oask at hand. Even while Li didn't expeything unusual to happen, her job was to be vigint.

  The forest was full of autumn colors as the trees shed their vibrant leaves onto the ground. The aroma of deg foliage filled the air, adding a hint of sharp sweeto the crisp atmosphere. Everything seemed normal. B. She puhrough a pile of leaves, earning disapproving gres from her fellow patrol members.

  "Bones and bark, this is ridiculous,” she muttered. “Same old forest trails, same old shadows. We’ve been sg off more foxes than undead out here.”

  Li took another deep breath to relish the smell of the forest. But then, she stopped abruptly, signing to the others to follow her example. There was something there. A st that was out of pce.

  "What's wrong?" Korin said impatiently.

  Li spoke in a hushed but urgent tone. “I smell smoke,” she murmured, eyes narrowing. “Forest wit would tell ya, no one lights a fire this close to the town...uhey’re on a patrol or up to no good.”

  "I hope it's not just your imagination," said Korin. "You just were so sure that we are alone."

  But Li knew better. Her sharp senses never failed her, especially in situations like this. Stress always heightened her perception.

  Without another word, the rangers cautiously followed Li toward the source of the st. As they neared an old , Li's suspis were firmed as barely noticeable smoke rose above its half-ruined roof. Someone was inside, probably breaking the w and endangering themselves and others.

  Li got closer to the building, trying to look inside ahrough the cracks in the wall. The fire almost went out by that moment, the dying embers making the shadows shift i was hard to see who was there—a human or...?

  But it should have been a human. It was on knowledge that the undead weren’t supposed to have any teology or even mastery of fire. It was on knowledge.

  Suddenly, the fire woke up briefly, the st drops of ifer resin fueling it. And Li saerson curled near it, catg the retreating warmth.

  Li gestured for everyoo step back. When they were at a safe distance, she expined: "Hard to say who it is. But they started a fire, it 't be an undead, right?"

  "The procedure is the same, no matter what," said Korin. "ture them first, check whether it's a human or an undead, and decide ter. We 't leave here without making sure."

  "Are you really going to capture it, if it's undead, or...?" said Li.

  "You know the tradition," answered Korin. "It demands we kill it."

  "But you also remember the orders of the Elders, right?" asked Li.

  "Biight," said Korin nonittally. "Let’s call the foxes and haul her back before she starts spitting sparks or something."