"Come away, O human child: To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand

  For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."

  William Butler Yeats, Irish Poet

  For two days Milly, Calista, and Rain travelled west, moving through tall grasslands interspersed with low bushes and groves of willow, popular, and oak. They found themselves jogging for hours on end, their increased agility and toughness placing them at the peak of human capability.

  Milly found it exhilarating. She had been out of shape her entire life, somehow both overweight and malnourished. But now, after two weeks in the God Contest, she felt strong. She relished the deep, comfortable breaths she took as she ran, and marveled at how her feet danced with ease over the rocks, roots, and gopher holes along her path. She leapt on top of large boulders that dotted the landscape and climbed the tallest trees she could find when they stopped for a rest. And when she reached the top, she would gaze out across the dynamic and colorful prairie and breathe in the scent of wildflowers and sage.

  She found herself on top of one of these popular trees now, as the sun rose on their third full day away from the Tower. She watched a bison herd in the distance, headed towards a nearby lake where waterfowl dotted the still blue waters, ducks and loons dipping down below the surface to feed.

  In that moment, as she stared out at the world around her, she felt grateful to be alive.

  “How’s it going up there, beautiful?” Calista called out, staring up at her from the ground.

  But perhaps that was not the only reason she felt that way.

  It had been four days since their night on the beach, yet Milly still found herself blushing whenever Calista called her beautiful. Blushing, but also filled with doubt.

  Her physical appearance had not changed since that first day. Increasing her strength did not give her muscles. Increasing her agility did not make her skinny. She was still overweight, her few muscles buried under the fat on her limbs and stomach. Her greasy skin were now covered with two days of sweat and soil, and her hair was so tangled that she feared it would be impossible to brush.

  She ran her fingers through the edges of that tangled mess, unconsciously trying to work out some of the knots as she looked down at Calista. “Does she get more stunning each day?” she wondered, her thoughts straying. “The grime of the road did not diminish her at all, like it does me. The sweat on her skin and the dirt in her hair just makes her more beautiful.”

  Milly felt the dark thoughts clawing in the corners of her mind, as if waiting for a moment of weakness. The chaos of the first two weeks had kept the worst of her depression at bay, but her demon had found traction once again in these moments of peace. She could sense it happening. She knew the signs. But like the tide, she could do little about it. She could only watch as it flowed in, covering up the momentary peace she had found.

  The worst of it happened at night when Calista wrapped Milly gently in her arms and fell asleep. Milly would lay awake for hours, wondering how much longer it would be before Calista realized she was not worth it. Before everything fell apart, as it always did.

  Milly shook her head, trying to dislodge the intrusive thoughts. “Calista makes me feel happy,” Milly whispered, scolding herself. “So why can’t I just be happy?”. Perhaps it was time to set aside her pride and talk to Rain about finding a replacement for her depression medication.

  “There is a river canyon up ahead,” Milly shouted back, studying the lazy zigzagging landmark that split the prairie in two. Gentle, tree-covered slopes flowed down to a broad, slow-moving river and then up the other side. “Maybe fifteen minutes away. We’ll need to cross it. There is no way around.”

  “Any monsters?”

  They had been battling goblin patrols for two days straight. At first, they fought every one that crossed their path, driven by a desire to grow stronger. But after Rain and Calista hit level fifteen, the goblins were too easy to defeat and no longer helped them level up. Now they tried to avoid the patrols.

  “No, it looks all…wait,” Milly hesitated, spotting a faint trail of smoke emerging from the canyon. “Looks like there might be a campfire by the river.”

  “More goblins?” Rain asked, curiously. Rain was standing atop a small boulder, focused on its centre. Her hand was outstretched and glowing orange, the iron particles slowly being drawn from the boulder and coalescing into a tiny ball at Rain’s feet. The gift of the metal magic talent she had taken when she reached level fifteen.

  “I don’t think so,” Calista said quickly, hands clutched around her crescent pendant. Each time they had encountered a goblin patrol, her pendant had released more information, until Calista had been filled with an encyclopedic knowledge of the creatures. “We have not seen any goblins, or signs of their activity, for several hours. I think we have moved beyond their territory.”

  “Then it will be something new,” Rain concluded.

  Milly marked the location of the smoke in her mind and quickly climbed down from the tree, jumping the final ten feet to the ground. She landed at Calista’s side with a hearty thump.

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  Calista looked down at Milly’s feet. “If you break your ankle, I’m not carrying you,” she teased.

  Milly gave her a half-hearted smile and leaned up for a quick kiss. Calista laughed and obliged.

  “Let’s head for the fire then,” Rain said as she plucked the tiny iron ball from the ground and placed it in her inventory. “Lead the way, huntress.”

  * * *

  They stood at the top of the canyon, watching the small camp at the bottom of the slope. It was nestled within a bend in the wide, gentle river such that its waters flowed around three sides. There was a central fire for communal cooking, surrounded by a circle of a dozen hide tents. Fish lay drying on lines, with collective pots and pans strewn about the camp in haphazard piles.

  “They only arrived a few days ago,” Calista said, pointing out the newly trampled grass and freshly dug firepit.

  The creatures themselves were what drew Milly’s curiosity. She counted twenty, though they moved about the camp so much that it was difficult to keep track. There were men, women, and children, though unlike any she had ever seen.

  The women in the camp were humanoid. They were four feet tall and wore colorful dresses that reached their knees. Their hair was interlaced with flowers, each displaying a unique color and pattern. They glided across the camp using a pair of butterfly wings that sprouted from their backs, though they could not fly more than a few feet off the ground. Even from this distance, Milly could hear their high-pitched, joyous giggles as they puttered around the camp, preparing the midday meal or tending to the few children that ran about.

  The men, if that was what they could be called, were five-foot-tall frogs-like creatures. They wore no clothing and their green skin and white spots sparkled in the sunlight. They stood on two feet but hopped around camp when they moved. Many were swimming in the river, propelled by their webbed hands and feet, and would toss river trout up to the women in the camp to be dried. Deep croaks joined the women’s laughter, creating a unique and enjoyable symphony that spread across the canyon.

  “Prairie fairies,” Calista said, pointing towards the northern end of the camp where two couples were teaching their children how to swim. She clutched her crescent moon pendant as she tapped into its knowledge. “They are nomadic, roaming across the prairies in small groups. They move on from an area once every few days. The woman possess some earth magic, and the frogmen can spit paralytic or hallucinogenic poison. As the chill of winter approaches, the women use their earth magic to bury their men and male children in the mud to wait out the cold while they stand guard above.”

  “Are they…enemies?” Rain asked, feeling uncomfortable with the notion as she stared down at the playful children in the camp.

  “I don’t know,” said Calista, releasing her pendant. “My talent doesn’t tell me if creatures are good or bad. Just what they are and what they can do.”

  “If Xavier were here, he’d say that every creature was just a bucket of experience waiting to be collected,” Milly muttered without thinking.

  Calista and Rain looked at her in horror.

  “I’m not saying I believe him,” Milly protested, waving her arms in denial as she realized she had spoken out loud. “It’s just something Xavier mentioned on our first day. He had a very black and white way of looking at this world.”

  Milly watched the children playing in the water with their parents, a fairy mother carefully breaking apart two children who had started to fight. “We have only encountered creatures that wanted to kill us. But I do not believe that Lun…that the AI Director would create a world populated only by such creatures. There must be more to this world than to kill or be killed.”

  They watched the camp in silence for a few more minutes, until the children emerged from the water and were carefully wrapped in woven cloths by their mothers. They were led towards the fire, where a simple snack of fish, berries, and insects awaited them.

  “They are adorable,” whispered Rain, her eyes wide as she watched the children devouring their lunch.

  “We should leave them be,” Milly concluded. “We can cross the river somewhere else. There was another bend in the river a mile to the south. Maybe the current is slow, and we can…”

  Milly suddenly spotted movement in the woods below, moving quickly towards the encampment from the west. She nudged Calista, pointing towards the movement. It was difficult to see from this distance, but they caught flashes of the white furred creatures running on two legs through the woods. It was enough for Calista’s Companion of Artemis talent to activate.

  “The Wolf Clan of the Silver Lakes, slaver class wolves,” recited Calista as the knowledge entered her mind. “The Wolf Clans are the dominant force in the lands between The Goblin Expanse and the Forgotten Fens. There are five wolf clans: Silver Lakes, Callous Claws, Single Pine, Winter Winds, and Erosion of Hope. The five clans are at war with each other for dominance, which is a constant drain on their resources. The slaver class wolves in each clan are tasked with…”

  Calista hesitated for a moment, watching the wolves growing closer to the prairie fairy encampment. “…are tasked with acquiring slaves to use as battlefield fodder or to become food for their armies. While wolves of any class are dangerous, Slaver Class wolves are known for their brutality and lack of remorse. They will kill those who have little value to their cause, such as children and the elderly. They…Milly!”

  Milly had leapt forward the moment Calista had mentioned the children, running down the slope towards the encampment. She moved forward without thinking, her eyes flaring with fire as Salem’s Fury built within her.

  Rain and Calista quickly followed, and the trio dodged thin trees and low bushes as they scrambled to reach the camp before the wolves arrived.

  “I don’t disagree with your judgment, Milly” Calista reproached, driftwood spear in one hand and a circular shield of light in the other. “But next time perhaps wait until we have prepared.” Calista focused for a moment and felt Pinga’s shield snap into place around each of them.

  “At least the description of the wolves was without ambiguity,” Rain said, dagger in one hand as she fumbled in her satchel with the other. “They are the bad guys. Well…bad wolves.”

  Panicked shouts and croaks erupted from the camp. The fairies had spotted the wolves and were scattering in fear across their camp. The crack of breaking branches echoed across the canyon as the wolves accelerated, stealth abandoned, their bloodthirsty howls drowning out the cries of the fairies.

  “Shit!” exclaimed Milly, leaping over a row of thorny bushes and ignoring the scratch one left on the back of her thigh. “We are not going to make it. They are faster than us.”

  A few moments later, the sound of the wolves breaching the camp reached them.

  Calista formulated a plan of attack. “Milly, head for the centre of the camp. Protect the children and draw their attention. Rain and I will hit them from behind.”

  “Be careful,” Milly said, eyes on Calista. “I don’t want to spend another night healing you.”

  “You won’t, beautiful. That’s not how I want to spend my nights with you,” Calista replied with a wink, before she and Rain veered off left to circle behind the wolves.

  Milly wished she had time to think about what Calista had said, but a few moments later she emerged into the camp.

  Into the chaos.