Sylvia soon appeared next to Buddy, and she was surprised to hear what he had to say. She asked "Red smoke? Oh god...What could she have encountered...?"

Whether or not Buddy answered her question or not, after the answer or a bit of silence, she told him, "She's not the only one who had an interesting encounter. While you two were gone, a dwarf who was hunting bandits stopped by and asked about the Iron Bandits. I gave her the information about them, and a sandwich, and she told me about a crimson werebear guarding a magic tree that gave healing honey, and she went on her way,"

"It seems to be an exciting night for everyone." Buddy says dully. He turned to glance at Elena, who yawned and still seemed tired. "There are, perhaps, better ways to communicate with your allies. After all unlike myself, your voice works just fine with them. I tried to convey to Pylia that I understand her and can speak, however she understandably did not recognize what I was trying to communicate. Don't squander your opportunity, Sylvia. Appreciate the ability to allow your words to be conveyed to others, before you lose that chance like I have." Buddy seemed to remember something, but whatever it was he didn't seem to say much else about it. "Seeing Pylia in that distress seemed to awaken another memory. I cannot imagine it is a good one."

Sylvia nodded in agreement and she answered Buddy, appreciative of his advice and still guilty over her decisions, "I won't. I just...was trying to think ahead I guess. If I ever get separated from you guys and needed to communicate to you in Astral Form...I'll be sure to talk to her tomorrow,"

She then perked up at the mention that the distress had awakened another memory. However, at the mention that it wasn't a good memory, she became a little more cautious. She asked Buddy, with that caution showing, "Do you want me to possess you and draw out that memory? I can understand if you don't want me to, but...if you want to remember, I'm willing to help out..."

”No.” Buddy said plainly. “As I receive these memories, there are emotions behind them I do not fully recognize as my own or not. Context that I only have one perception. They are slowly returning to me, but I need time to understand. I will come to you when I believe a possession is needed.” Buddy looked over back to you, then to Elena, and back to you again. ”Though I am curious. As I have only been with you all for a few days, what are your thoughts about the others? They seem to put a lot of trust in you.”

Sylvia nodded at his answer and explanation. When he said he’ll come to her for possession she answered, “Alright,”

After he answered she went back to keeping watch. She turned her attention back to Buddy somewhat surprised by his question. She took a minute to think over her answer. She chuckled and answered, “Believe it or not, Buddy, but I’ve only known them for a few days as well,” She then started, “I met Pylia first. At first she seemed pretty harsh and she was pretty wary of everyone around her and their intentions,”

She then commented to herself, “She might still be suspicious of others now,” before she continued,

“But, I got to learn about her. There’s no doubt she’s a good person. She just wanted a friend and to do good in the world. I’d like to think we’re close friends, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she thought otherwise, especially after what just happened...”

She continued, “Then we met Ferric and Mica. Ferric is definitely selfless, and he would fight for Mica if he had to. There’s no doubt he’s strong. Especially after seeing how he got rid of a hobgoblin. Then, we met Shortfang. I’ll admit that I don’t know anything about kobolds, but when I first met him, he had been imprisoned because another adventurer falsely accused him of stealing her stuff. The fact that he wasn’t hostile despite the circumstances is a good indicator that he’s a good person, just misunderstood just because he’s a kobold. He waited while I proved his innocence. He probably would have gotten himself out if he had his stuff though...”

“As for Andras, Elena, and Andrews...I just hope for the best for them from now on. The bandits killed the mother and wife of the family right before we met you,”

Buddy continued to keep a look out, quiet as he contemplated things. "It was not by chance that you found me, I imagine. Nor for you to find these people. I am certain we will meet more in the future. I am curious to know what sort of company you attract. So far they seem an honest people, I merely have doubts because... I do not understand myself. My origins. My purpose. If you were meant to find me, what does that make me?" Buddy looked skywards into the night, still deep in thought. "I would like to think that regardless of who I was, I will be a heroic person as long as I am here with you. You are obviously on a journey, and I would want to make sure that you have the strength to do good during your quest, and to never be tempted by the powers of darkness. Yes..." Buddy held a hand over his core, as if he was feeling something. "Yes, that is what I believe."

Sylvia listened as he spoke. He was right...In some way, she had been guided to her friends thus far, and she had been able to meet mostly good people. The exceptions were the Iron Hammer Bandits. She couldn't help but blush a bit when he mentioned that he thinks that he will be a heroic person so long as he is around her. Wasn't it a little too much credit to her? She smiled when he mentioned that he wants to make sure that she doesn't fall to the temptations of darkness and she has the strength to do good. She told him, "Thank you, Buddy. That kind of help will be...well, very helpful,"

She then looked up towards the sky as well, and she commented, "I don't think my journey will be an easy one though..." She then looked to Buddy and she told him, "I think I should mention...Before Pylia and I met you and Shortfang...I had a vision...about a black dragon. It's out and about with its own horde of monsters. I've warned the first village I was in, Cassari, and I was asked to ask Duke Erod Blackbane to send warriors to protect the village. I'm also hoping to learn about the Black Dragon's weaknesses from him, since he's apparently fought a black dragon before,"

"A black dragon? Hmm. Though my memory is missing information, a dragon... Is a rare creature, is it not?" Buddy pondered this thought. "Right. Drakes. Wyvens. That sort of thing, I think, are common in this world, but a true dragon... And a black one seems ominous. And Duke Erod Blackbane slew one. I hope this is true, if the dragon returns. I certainly hope you won't have to fight such a creature. They seem terrifying." Buddy's voice was plain as usual, but seemed more so now. It was like he was trying to hide something. "But for you to dream of dragons, surely this is a cruel fate. They are portents of destruction, if I remember correctly. What part you'll play... We shall have to see." Soon Elena stood up and walked around the corner. "I need to do some business, Buddy. Stay on watch please." Buddy looked at her and then back to you. "That does remind me, you may wish to clean yourself when we get the chance. We both smell of blood and gore."

Sylvia nodded at his first question and answered, “I think so...I heard that one hadn’t been seen in sixty years,” She listened as Buddy spoke out loud, and she raised an eyebrow when she noticed he seemed to be hiding something.

....Was...he scared too? She couldn’t blame him if he was. She answered him, “It was terrifying to see, and that was just the vision. What’s even scarier about it, was that a magic item confirmed that it wasn’t just a dream. The dragon was actually flying across the ocean when I had the vision,” She silently agreed when he said that they’ll have to see what part she would play in all of this.

She watched Elena leave around the corner, and she turned her attention back to Buddy when he made his suggestion. She laughed a bit and answered, “Good idea, Bud. Wouldn’t want to offend the Duke, huh? Hopefully there’ll be a place we can bathe in Gransys,”

"Indeed." Buddy was back on watch when Elena returned. "I wonder how those in the city would react to me. The guards seemed curious, but they did not approach. I hope my appearance does not cause any distress in the city itself. I understand I don't look quite... Humanoid." It wasn't long before Elena went to wake up Shortfang for his watch. He crawled out from his burrow as she went back inside. "Yaaaaaah! Mhmm... Hiya Buddy. Anything interesting happen?" Buddy looked down at Shortfang and spoke to him. "Sylvia is standing right next to me as a ghost. Pylia ran off and was visited by mysterious creatures that turn into smoke. Then Elena took watch and relieved herself around the corner. You also smell rancid." Shortfang just smiled and raised his hand up at Buddy. "Quiet night yeah? Shortfang gunna make more bolts. Watch, okay?" The kobold sat down with a stick, a knife, and various bits and parts that he was going to turn into crossbow bolts, working on them in quiet as Buddy stood watch.

Sylvia shrugged and she answered “I think as long as you’re with me, and don’t show any sign of hostility, I don’t think the guards will mind you too much. They might be surprised, sure, but they probably won’t do anything if you’re not a threat,” She then remembered how Shortfang was accused just because he was a kobold, and she added with dread, “I just hope we don’t encounter any jerks who preemptively judge people by race,”

She watched as Shortfang took over and she noticed how Buddy answered as though he was talking normally, only for it to go unheard by Shortfang. She commented after Shortfang went to make more bolts, “Huh...He really didn’t hear you,” She then asked Buddy, “You can use the journal to give him that answer if you’d like? I can keep watch while you write,”

"It's fine. I don't have anything too important to tell him." Buddy says dismissively as he continued watching for danger. It was a largely quiet night, aside from howling of wolves in the distance, but none ever came close to the group. Shortfang focused entirely on making his crossbow bolts, moving with such precision and skill it was almost artful. At some point during the watch Buddy asked a question. "Beyond combat, what other skills do you possess? They may prove useful in the future."

Sylvia was quiet after hearing his answer at first, before she shrugged, “Okay. Just know that you are free to use the journal as your voice, as much or as little as you like. We can always buy another journal if you fill those pages,”

She was quiet as she remained on watch. She had to admit that Shortfang’s skills in making the bolts was impressive. She kept an eye on the distance when she heard the wolves in the distance. When Buddy asked his question, she had to think about her answer for a moment.

“Well...Off the top of my head, I can cook and play the flute. I can talk to people if I have to, but I would not say I’m charismatic enough to sway crowds. I am pretty good at hiding and being quiet. I’m pretty good at noticing small details. I can pick up on people’s body language and general context to guess what they’re thinking. Oh! And I do have a little experience with gymnastics, but that was quite a while, and I quit learning it. Plus, I haven’t really needed gymnastics here so far...”

"Hmm. Those sound useful indeed. I think before, in my old life, I was more... Agile. I think I've also adapted to newer ways of living too but... Seeing you in action made me wonder if I received similar training to you before. Or if the abilities I have right now are suppose to be the skills I possess. It is hard for me to say. But. At the very least, should anything happen in your hypothetical restaurant, I shall not be the only once bouncing around." Buddy said jokingly, or as jokingly as he could in his dull monotonous cadence.

Once more the watch would go by uneventfully. When Shortfang's two hours were up, he yawned, patted Buddy goodbye, and went back to sleep in his burrow. The last watch would also go by uneventfully as the sun soon rose. Buddy went to check on the mules who were safe and sound as before, and returned to you. "The morning has come. I can hear some movement within, I believe the others are awakening too. Shall I go look for some firewood to cook breakfast?

When Buddy mentioned that the skills she listed were useful, she asked with a tilt of her head, "You think so?" She honestly thought the skills she had were underwhelming in comparison to everyone else here. Pylia's ability to conjure up healing good berries and make healing potions are certainly much more impressive in Sylvia's opinion.

She listened as he talked about his own abilities before and the abilities he has now. She had to admit, that was quite a quandary. The memories she saw when she put on the ring implied that he had always been heavy hitter, she thought, but the memory where she learned the Satyr Stance definitely was different. Was Buddy really a monk in the past...?

When he made his joke, she couldn't help but laugh a bit, despite the monotonous tone. She joked back, "I might be too busy cooking to do any bouncing,"

Soon enough, Shortfang's watch ended, along with the last watch and the sun rose. She smiled at his offer and she answered, "That would be great, thank you! I can wake up and start the prep work for breakfast in the meantime," She then headed towards her body and woke herself up. Once she was up, she she would start prepping for breakfast by slicing vegetables and scrambling eggs. She planned on making omelettes for breakfast this morning.

You weren't the only one who was awake. Seemed like Andras and his family got up first, nursing a bit of a hangover. Andras excused himself to deal with it while Elena tried her best to clean up. Andrews himself volunteered to help you since he was entirely sober. By the time Buddy returned with a few sizable branches to make a fire, most everyone else was awake too. Shortfang stayed on guard to make sure nothing would come jump them in the morning while Ferric and Mica got the mules ready. Pylia helped start the fire and put sleeping gear away. All in all, a fairly busy and calming morning.

With everyone moving and bustling about, you tried to finish making those omelettes quickly. Unfortunately, between rushing and using a somewhat worn out wooden spoon, your omelettes aren't... Too great. Your first few batches were rather burnt and didn't contain the fillings correctly, and the second batch was much runnier than you had wanted. Not to mention you ran out of vegetables half way through and, due to your haste, didn't have time to cut up anymore, so the last two omelettes were somewhat under cooked and plain. But food was food.

"Mhmm, eggs! Looks yummy!" Shortfang said as he grabbed himself a plate of burnt omelette, coughing a little as he scarfed down his portion.

"Crispy? Very... Interesting way to do it." Andras commented as he also took a burnt omelette, adding a bit of extra salt to help cover up the taste.

"Well you know as far as quickly made breakfasts goes, this isn't bad! Warm food is always good for the belly." Ferric said encouragingly as he ate one of the runny plain omelettes, also putting a helping of salt to give it a bit more flavor.

After eating and killing the flame, the group was finally ready to move forward. It was only going to be about a five hour's trip to Gransys from here. They need to stay on their toes, but it was open fields from here on out. Shortfang squinted more as the sun started coming up, covering his eyes with a basket. "Shortfang gunna look with Syfr eyes! Shake me if trouble find us." Everyone loaded into their respective vehicles. Notable, when Pylia got onto the wagon, she wrapped herself in her cloak and leaned up against a box, going back to sleep.

Sylvia was disappointed with how her omelettes turned out. Maybe omelettes were a little too complicated for a quick breakfast for now...
Before she could even warn Shortfang that the omelette was burnt, he already scarfed it down. The runny omelettes weren't exactly great either. When Andras made his comment, she chuckled hesitantly and apologized, "Sorry. I messed up on the cooking here," She gave a grateful smile to Ferric when he gave his encouraging comment. She too added salt onto her omelette.

Soon enough they killed the fire and they were on their way to Gransys. Only five hours away...they were five hours away until they reached the city and she could deliver Chief Arduo's message to Duke Erod.

She looked to Shortfang when he said that he was going to look for danger through Syfr's eyes, and she nodded when he asked to shake him if there was danger. She looked back to Pylia and noticed that she had curled back up and fallen asleep.

Sylvia couldn't help but wonder if she had scared Pylia to the point that she couldn't sleep...or was it the red smoke creature? Either way, she decided to let Pylia rest while the group continued on. While Sylvia traveled with the group, she kept an eye out on the immediate surroundings, ready to shake Shortfang if there was any sign of trouble or danger coming.

It was a long travel forward in mostly silence. Occasionally Ferric and Andras would shout to each other about something, but aside from that things were peaceful. Gransys looked rather pretty during the day; there were various stone structures and ruins dotting the casts fields, and when the crew got to the crest of a hill, you could see the sun reflect off the ocean waters to the east. It was almost strange how close to shore they always were; if they had a boat they could’ve made it to Gransys in two days, three tops.

Eventually Pylia would awaken from her nap, yawning some more before drowsily asking if anything had happened so far. She still seemed tired, though she splashed her face with a bit of water from her waterskin.

Sylvia would jump a bit when Andras and Ferric started shouting to each other about something. Sylvia quite honestly enjoyed the peace for now. She had a feeling it wasn't going to last, so might as well enjoy it. She looked to the ocean and at the thought of sailing to Gransys instead, she shook her head. The journey on land was worth it. If they had taken a ship, she and Pylia would never have met Shortfang, Buddy, Ferric, Mica, Andras, Elena, Andrews, and the other friends they met along the way. Besides, at this point, she would not be surprised if there were sea monsters they would have to contend with if they took a ship there.

She looked to see Pylia wake up from her nap. She answered Pylia as she washed her face, "Nothing happened. It's been pretty peaceful so far,"

Remembering what Buddy said last night, she decided that she might as well talk to Pylia while she had the chance. She asked Pylia, "Hey, Pylia, can we talk? ...About last night, I mean,"

Pylia looked away and towards the toad ahead, deep in thought. “Yeah... I guess we can start with how or when you were able to do... All of that stuff last night.” She seemed somewhat tense as she spoke. Like she was prepared to get hit by something. “The ghost writing... Did you... Have you always been able to do that or...”