They arrived at the caravan to find it contained a dozen pack mules and only two wagons. There were also six other men and women in simple clothes standing as if ready to go. This immediately caused some concern that Breanne took up with Endril. He explained they wouldn't need as many wagons this time, so he left them behind. When Breanne asked about the others, he explained they were pilgrims traveling with for mutual protection. He, in turn, asked Breanne about Heather, and she was introduced as Princess Hannah. Her story was she arrived on her own to accompany them across the sands. Endril stared at her intently for a moment before throwing up a hand, saying they would depart in ten minutes.

“I don’t like this,” Frank said when Endril was away. “He is too eager to get us out into the desert.”

“What can he do?” Quinny asked. “We still have the advantage of the goblins on our side.”

“What if he is leading us into an ambush?” Frank asked. “There could be thirty players waiting to attack us. Not to mention those six people could be working with him.

“And that guy in the shop said he was a bandit,” Heather agreed. “For all we know, he is associated with those terrible people that attacked us on the road. It might be worthwhile to keep an eye on him.”

“How?” Quinny asked as Heather reached into her pouch and held up the raven statue.

“I use this to watch and listen,” Heather said.

“And how do we explain where you are while you're flying around?” Breanne asked.

“Tell them I am asleep in the palanquin,” Heather said as another thought dawned in her mind. She felt a chill run down her spine even to think it, but it was a logical solution. “Look, if for some reason somebody demands to know where I am while I am a bird, just have Quinny use the statue to turn into me.”

Breanne looked at her with a sideways glance. “You practically had a panic attack the last time she did that.”

“And I will probably have another one,” Heather agreed as her head started to spin. “But it’s the best way to keep up the ruse.”

“I could be the bird,” Quinny offered. “I don’t mind the transformation.”

“Maybe you should do it that way,” Frank suggested. “You were upset when Quinny took your form.”

“I am going to be traveling in the palanquin where it will be logical not to see me,” Heather said at last. “You and Quinny are both walking outside. They will likely notice if she is missing for any length of time.”

“It makes sense,” he agreed. “But I would hate to see you so upset again.”

“We all would,” Breanne added.

Heather understood their concern even as she tried to understand her paranoia of Quinny masquerading as her. What about somebody else taking her form drove her to the brink of madness? It was a mystery like so many things, and she wondered if it had something to do with losing her identity. It was a thought that would have to wait for later as people began to move, making ready the line of mules loaded with packs and baskets.

They fell in line as Endril set the wagons to take the lead, with the mule train following behind. They were just about to leave when a voice called out and caused them all to turn.

“Heather?”

There he stood, his red skin glistening in the sun and curled black horns on the sides of a head of short black hair. He wore dark plate armor with the giant serrated sword in hand.

“Leet?” Heather said and glanced about to see if anyone from the caravan had noticed.

“It’s L33tk1ller,” he reminded as Heather folded her arms with a frown.

“Nobody is saying it that way,” she stated firmly. “You can be Leet or Killer, but I am not trying to sound out that silly name.”

“It isn’t silly,” he protested. “A lot of people spell their names like that online.”

“That’s because you could read it,” Quinny laughed. “But if you had to speak it, you just drop the spelling and sound it out.”

Leet shrugged and stepped up to Heather with a smile. “I’m glad you got away.”

“I got away?” Heather said with a raised brow. “What happened to you? We never saw you again once we ran off.”

Leet fell in beside them as the caravan moved along and explained what happened. He defeated Sargas, who was the cat person chasing them, and then saw goblins storming the town. He ran to the far side and hid in the woods, finally deciding it was better to head north than stay there.

“You defeated that guy? Wasn’t he someplace in the upper teens?” Quinny asked.

“I think so,” Leet said as he looked down at his sword. “But then so was I.”

“You were in your mid-teens?” Heather balked. “You were supposed to be low level. That's why you were sent to the graveyard to play.”

“I know, but I was bored, and they asked for people to go and play in the graveyard, so I went,” he replied. “I let the others do most of the fighting so nobody would notice I could one-hit everything.” He looked down the line of the caravan, his red eyes seeming lost in thought. “I always wondered what happened to you. What happened to your friends?”

Heather smiled and looked around, catching a look from Breanne that said, be careful.

“Leet, there is something I need to explain to you,” she said. “But you have to promise me you will never breathe a word of it outside of those here.”

“Why?” he asked.

“You have to trust me; it will make sense once I am done with the story,” Heather said and motioned him to fall behind, putting more distance between them and any ears of Endril’s. She then started her story, explaining what she was and how she became it.

“Moon did that to you?” he asked.

“I am afraid so, and now I have no choice but to hide and sometimes fight,” she answered and continued the story. She went on to cover all that happened afterward, even explaining how they fled to a hidden location but not telling where. She explained her new identity and asked him to refer to her as Princess Hannah from now on. He took it all with a simple understanding, agreeing to all her requests with no argument.

“I have a lot of trouble with players,” he said after she was done. “I picked a Vahlu devil as my race, and that means I straddle the line between hero and monster player. Some players don’t care, especially paladins, and they attack me.”

“What is it with paladins?” Heather said with a roll of her eyes. “That class must attract jerks.”

“I have met a couple that were fine,” Leet replied as he turned over his sword. “But I have met more that think they are some kind of judge dread. They think that because Kevin is a paladin, they have the sacred duty to enforce his laws on everybody.”

“I am sorry you have had to deal with that,” Heather said as she thought about some of her own encounters with paladins. She was, however, reminded of Skullman, who, despite being a paladin, turned out to be a very good player.

“Are you sure telling him was a good idea?” Breanne asked, interrupting their moment.

Heather nodded and introduced the two of them, then explained how Leet saved her during the escape from Moon’s town. She was careful to point out that many of the people Moon sent turned out to be friends.

“I mean no disrespect to you,” Breanne said, addressing Leet. “But Hannah must be very careful about who knows her secret. If others found out, they would come on droves to drag her to Kevin’s feet.”

“I understand,” Leet replied with a sincere, almost innocent voice. “But why aren’t you in hiding now?”

Breanne gave Heather a look, but Leet had risked his life against Moon's men and been polite whenever she met him. He didn't feel like the devious type, so she explained they were returning something they found. It was stolen, and they have since learned where the owner is and decided to take it back.

“You guys are really nice,” Leet said when she was done. “I wish I had people to play with like you.”

“I am beginning to see there are good players all over,” Heather agreed. “But they are bullied and overshadowed by the bad ones so that they are hard to notice.” She looked at him as he stared straight ahead, his red eyes lost in thought. “So, why are you here?”

“Me? Endril hired me to guard the caravan while they crossed the desert. I am supposed to make sure none of the mules get eaten by sandworms.”

“Ha, I knew it!” Quinny laughed as Frank gave her a worried look.

Leet paused at her reaction but went on to explain how he was immune to the heat and didn't need to drink water, so working in the desert agreed with him. He was familiar with the small town they were headed for and described it as a fort on the edge of the glass. He hadn't worked for Endril before, but he was the only one looking for help, so he signed on for one trip.

“Moron!” Endril called from ahead, causing all eyes to look as he came storming back. “I don't pay you to drag your feet at the back talking to our guests.” He walked right up to Leet and pointed to the front of the caravan. “Upfront, where the danger is. If I lose a single mule, I will make you pay for it.”

Leet nodded and wandered ahead as Heather and Breanne looked to Endril in surprise.

“Was that necessary?” Heather asked in shock.

Endril smiled as if pleased at her reaction and gave her a smirk. “I hired him as a guard before we left. I did tell you I had one good man, or I hope he’s good. Those infernal types are hard to read.”

“He seems nice to me,” Heather said with a slight smile.

Endril’s smirk turned into a shrewd glare before rubbing at his chin. “I don't need nice; I need capable. There are great dangers in the desert, and I need to know he can do more with that sword than carry it.” He then turned to the others and gave them a stare like he was considering them. “You should spread out down the line, particularly around the pack mules.”

“What?” Frank asked in shock as Endril started to smile.

“Have you forgotten our agreement?” Endril asked with an almost pleased tone.

“What agreement?” Breanne snapped. “We told you we would accompany you as far as the glass.”

“No, you agreed to be guards as far as the glass,” Endril pointed out. “You and that red-skinned moron are here to work, not talk all day.”

Breanne looked at Frank, who sighed and rubbed at his helm. “He did say he needed to some guards. I guess we agreed to help him.”

“You see,” Endril said with a toss of his chin. “Now start guarding, or you can walk back now.”

Frank looked at Quinny, who shrugged and offered to take the right, moving ahead to the middle of the column. Frank followed suit, taking the left as Breanne glared at Endril.

“I don’t recall you mentioning payment for our services,” Breanne pointed out. “If you hired us, there had better be compensation.”

“There is. Free passage to the glass with access to the water and supplies I have with me to see you there,” Endril said and tipped back his hat, and turned to Heather. “Now, what role do you play? Where are your talents best suited? I can think of a few good uses for you.”

“Oh, no. I made no bargain with you,” Heather snapped. “I am here of my own accord doing my own thing. If you want to play this game, I will hire them to protect me and leave your silly caravan behind.”

“Ha!” he laughed and pointed at her. “You have no supplies save for what's in that little cart. You will be out of food and water in two days.”

“Except that there are places to get water along the trail,” Heather argued. “All you are offering us is a faster trip by allowing us to skip some of the stops.”

“Hmm,” Endril replied and rubbed at his chin. “And how do you know that? I don't recall you being there as we discussed the matter.”

Heather realized her misstep and quickly corrected it, suggesting she had discussed the trip with her friends before joining the caravan. He seemed to accept this explanation but continued to study her as if searching for something.

“very well, but I expect you to help if we need it,” he replied. “Nobody travels in my caravan for free.” He looked to Legeis and the Bone Champion and told them to guard the rear before turning and heading for the front.

“I can’t believe I let him trick me,” Breanne said with a distasteful frown as she and Legeis came to Heather’s side.

“It’s alright, none of us thought about it. We were so focused on getting across the desert we didn’t think about the terms,” Heather replied. “At least we will be rid of him when we reach the glass.”

“So you know that red guy from before?” Legeis asked as he thumped along, pulling a cart laden with two barrels of water.

“Yeah, I met him in Moon's town, and he played in Frank's graveyard a little. He was always a nice and soft-spoken guy,” Heather said but wondered. Just because he looked devilish, she wasn't going to assume he was bad, but then just because he was nice, she couldn't assume he was good. Moon seemed nice, and she turned out to be terrible. Still, he came to her defense with nothing to go on, trusting in his limited exposure to her. She believed that he deserved the same trust even with her limited understanding of him. She pondered that thought while climbing into the palanquin as the caravan began to move.

They made their way out of town into a bleak landscape of rocky sand and desert scrub. There were occasional trees that looked like withered things with tiny leaves on gnarled branches. In the distance were a few sharp crags jutting out of a rolling landscape of reddish sand. Under their feet was a meandering road of stones worn by years of traffic and blasted smooth by blowing sands.

An hour into the journey and the landscape was more of the same. It wasn't rolling dunes of sand but a barren place of rock and dust. The caravan traveled down a winding trail that skirted the edge of a bowl-like depression studded with sharp rocks and twisted trees. The one thing of beauty was a hardy purple flower reminiscent of lilacs growing on long stems in the arid wind. Twice they stopped when they encountered tracks of a large animal crossing the trail, but both times the creature was long gone.

Heather began to indulge in the cold foods and drinks to avoid the heat, envious that Leet didn’t feel it. Quinny snuck back and joined her in a nibble, carefully lifting her mask to chew on a cookie as Breanne shook her head.

“You don’t need to eat,” she scolded.

“NO, but I do enjoy the flavor,” Quinny said. “Don’t you like chocolate?”

“Of course I do, but I feel no compulsion to eat such things.”

“Suit yourself; that just means more for Heather and me,” Quinny laughed.

“You never eat anything?” Heather asked, continuing the thought.

Breanne let out a sigh and looked ahead as if the notion pained her. “I went so long without normal food I sort of lost the taste for it,” she admitted. “Now, I fear if I indulge myself, I will find a ravenous need for it.”

Heather saw her logic, but this brought up another question. She recalled hearing about what banshees did eat during some of her first days in New Eden. She couldn't remember if Frank told her or she saw it on her panel, but if she was right, they drained people somehow. She asked Breanne what it was, and she turned back with a sad expression.

“A lot of undead feed on what the game calls life force. All living things exude life force, and we can absorb it by touching them, much like Frank can absorb strength. Thankfully I can absorb it from almost anything that is alive, including plants, but I leave them withered and dying. It's one of the big ways you can tell a ghost type undead is haunting an area. The plant life will look sick.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Heather said as she thought of how spooky places always looked like everything around them was dying. “But, if you feed on a person, how long does that last you?”

“It depends. I can use that energy to heal if I am wounded, which is frequently the case with a player. If I somehow manage to feed on a player and drain them completely, I will be fine for about two days per player level. The problem, of course, is no player will lay down and give up their life force without a fight, and it takes a few seconds of draining to drain a level. It is very hard to hold on to a player long enough to drain many levels.”

“What if you have to feed on plants?” Heather pressed, eager to know more.

Breanne reached out and touched a tall spiky plant beside the trail. Instantly a white mist seemed to curl off its surface, spiraling into her hand as the leaves wilted and drooped.

“A small plant like that will keep me satiated for about an hour,” she replied. “Something large like a tree will keep fine for a day. However, most undead like myself can feed on the area around us, slowly seeping sustenance from all the plants so as not to drain any one plant too much. We will drain them until they look sickly and dying but not quite dead. Then we won't be able to draw any further energy unless we intentionally touch them.”

“What happens if you drain somebody completely?” Heather asked with a morbid curiosity.

“They die,” Breanne replied with a smile. “And once I gain a few more levels, they will raise again as a creature known as a haunt, a sort of lesser banshee.”

“Hmm, more minions for the army,” Heather said with a smile.

“What army?” Legeis asked as he listened in.

Heather smiled as she explained how they were slowly accumulating more and more minions. With the addition of the goblins, they now had a small army ready to fight for their safety. If Breanne could add some ghosts to the roster, they had an impressive force indeed.

“The problem is so much of our undead are low level,” Breanne said. “We can only spawn higher things inside our lairs with the treasure rooms.”

“Don’t forget the golems,” Heather pointed out. “And my call to the dead spell upgrades in one level. It will allow me to summon skeletons warriors instead of skeletons.”

“Speaking of that,” Breanne asked, giving her a wary glance. “How many points did you spend on power upgrades for your skeletons summoning?”

Heather smiled broadly and replied, “Just a few.”

“Ha, I bet she put like fifty in it,” Quinny laughed.

“Well, she does get more per level than we do on account of the three classes,” Breanne said.

“I put a lot of points in it,” Heather teased. “But we are always trying to keep what I am so secret I don’t dare use it now.”

“There is no way to use it without shouting to the world what you are,” Breanne agreed.

Heather thought that was sad. She shouldn't have to hide what she was or be punished for a choice she didn't make. Even as she mulled that thought over, there was a cry from ahead as several of the men leading the muless pointed skyward.

They saw it coming with on a pair of black wings so wide they looked like sails. It resembled a giant bat with long hooked claws and a head like a shark. Its body was covered in thick brown fur, but the wings were webbed and stretched wide. It dived on the caravan as men and animals wailed, those claws spreading wide to attack.

“What is that?” Heather gasped as the beast that was larger than a wagon swooped down and grabbed a man before flapping wildly to climb into the air. She felt a desperate need to help the poor person, but only Breanne could fly, and nowhere near fast enough to keep up with the beast.

Legeis fired a rocket as Breanne pelted it with shadow bolts to little effect. The cause looked hopeless as the monster gained altitude until a flash of red light caught their attention.

Leet ran to the side to meet the beast but hadn’t arrived fast enough. When it snatched the man and began to climb, red flames burst from his back and turned into burning wings. He leaped after the monster; his wing beats, leaving clouds of smoke in his wake. With surprising speed, he tore after the beast, racing it skyward as his sword began to burn with an orange glow.

“Wow!” Heather exclaimed at the display as Leet collided with the creature. A sword slash singed fur and turned it around as the monster tried to rake him with its free claw. The two spiraled in the sky, battling it out, making it impossible to fire on the creature. Like a firework display, Leet released an arc of flames with the swing of his sword. More hair singed, as did the flesh of the monster's wings, causing it to make a terrible wail. The creature grew tired of being burned and threw the man in its claws at him before turning to flee. The poor man flew over Leet and began to plummet as Heather covered her mouth in shock. Leet dived after him, folding his wings to gain a terrible burst of speed. They watched spellbound as the two forms came closer and closer to the ground. Leet caught the man twenty meters from the rocks and had to spread his wings wide to slow his reckless descent. He managed to soften it but hit the ground with a roll, cradling the man to keep him from injury.

Heather ran ahead to see if either of them was injured as the terrified man crawled away. She placed a pulsing heal on him and then turned to Leet, who laid in the sand breathing deeply as the fire of his wings went out.

“Is he alright?” Leet asked between gasps.

“He will be fine,” Heather said with a smile. “Are you hurt? I can heal a little.”

He smiled and leaned up and looked over himself. “I don't think so. It never managed to get a hand on me.” He started to climb to his feet as a barking voice called out, making Heather groan.

“Excellent job, now stop wasting time and get up!” Endril shouted. “We have to be away before that sand hunter returns with more of its pack.”

“Hey!” Heather cried and turned on him. “He just saved the life of one of your laborers.”

“Bah,” Endril cried. “Easily replaced. “Besides, had he been alert, he would have seen that creature coming and prevented it from attacking.”

“None of us saw it coming,” Heather scolded. “You can’t expect him to be everywhere.”

Endril didn't react to her harsh words until she was through, then stood straight and pointed back at her. “I should remind you that I agreed to take you on this caravan for our mutual protection. You might be exempt, but your lackeys are in my employ until we reach the glass,” he pointed out with a sneer and turned to walk away. “If your not busy tonight, I would like your company for dinner. Don't be late; it will reflect badly on your friends,” he added without looking back.

Heather stared at the back of his head as she seethed with rage. Who was this person to think he could issue a veiled threat to force her to socialize with him? She had a good mind to kill him and animate his corpse to use it to serve them food but shoved that rage aside and looked to Leet.

“I guess you had better go,” she said with a sorry expression.

“Yeah,” Leet said and rubbed his head. “It was good seeing you again.” He waved and headed off, returning to his post at the front. Heather nodded and turned back to the others, making her way to the palanquin as she tried to remember if she had a spell to spoil food.