She had been out for many days without a home to return to, more an outlaw now than a bandit, and a nameless outlaw at that, no one recognized her, but sometimes that's for the better. The woman had been low on cash for the past few days, and no one had come by that was rich enough to rob. She lay back, lethargic from eight hours of nonstop travel, and stretched until the tips of her fingers reached the opposite end of the rock. It was one of those days where everyone's inside because of the heat and humidity.

"What's the use..." she mumbled, eyelids growing heavy, head snapping up occasionally in a futile attempt to keep from falling asleep. Trying to find something to focus on, her eyes trace the outline of a cumulonimbus, a good sign. Most people ran and hated the rain, but not her, she would live under a rain cloud if given the chance. The woman lifted her hand up to her face and stared at the blue outline of a drop of water above three ripples of water, the only spell she knows now is Kindness Drops, but it does serve her well.

A small amount of rainfall began, she rolled off the rock and grabbed her backpack, hoping the traveling and the water would keep her awake until the next city. What was the next city, anyway? She unlatched to pack and held up a map, yellowed with age and use, and traced her finger across a shining blue line to the carefully done calligraphy, gazing at the words Greenhill and hoping to remember the correct path so she wouldn't have to take the map out in the rain again, for fear it might be ruined or have the ink run. She stuffed it back into the pack and set off.

Luck met the woman about halfway down the path, a traveler was laying on the side of the road, seemingly asleep. She approached the man, but drew back when the stench of blood crept to her nostrils, slash marks like those of a wild animal ran across his chest and stomach, and a few teeth marks on his neck. The woman tightened her grip on her weapon, a ball and chain, and searched the man for any cash. 12,978 potch was recovered. Normally, she held more respect for the dead, but today was a special occasion, and even if she did she would bury the body, but monsters were out and about, and they would be attracted to the smell of blood. So she kneeled onto the ground and recited a prayer for his safe passage into heaven.

"... may God always hold you in his hand but never close it too tightly, safely ride the boat into the light, friend, and thank you from Lo Wen Daremo," it was a prayer she had heard at burials many times before. And it was customary to state both first and last name at the end, she never understood why. But Lo Wen's last name was not her true name, she had given herself one to forget about life in Two River with her wicked devil-woman for a mother and vegetable for a father. Daremo fit her, it meant nobody, perhaps someday she would be worthy of a true last name, but never today, and not tomorrow.

Lo Wen stood up and squeezed water out of her outfit, smoothing it out as best as she could afterwards. Sighing, she moved on the path again, it had now become a muddy river from the rain, which had been coming down heavier and heavier since she first started traveling, but hey, at least she wasn't tired anymore. She flung her wet hair that hung in strands down her face aside and focused on how long it would take to make it to Greenhill. Twelve minutes? Five if she ran. But she didn't want to get one of her four only outfits even dirtier, and the splashing through mud puddles would not help much. Lo Wen ran anyway.

It took a bit longer than five minutes to finally reach the edge of the city, she paused under the gate and dried off best as she could, hoping to run to the inn as fast as possible, change, and eat. The inn was close, fortunately, and she walked quickly into the shelter and safety of it. The innkeeper looked up, judging Lo Wen from her appearance, almost looking through her, and his eyes softened, it was another traveler, just like the others, who had come in out of the rain to stop at one of the finest places to rest in the entire continent, she meant no trouble. Unlike the soldiers who constantly stopped by.

"Welcome, young lady, to stay for a night is 100 potch, but three nights is 250, how long would you like to rest at our fine hotel?" he smiled at her.

"Three nights, thank you," Lo Wen said, dropping a few shining coins onto the table and receiving a key from the man behind the desk.