Dear Emilia,

  Hope this letter finds you well. I know it's only been a few days since my departure, but the trip has been going well so far. Should you wish to reply, you can send a letter to the guild in Tejen, which we should reach in about thirty days. Address it "Valiant Cry - Heron" so they know it's for me.

  Please send my best regards to Marcus, and let me know how life is going for you. I still have you in my thoughts and pray to the Creators for your safety.

  Heron

  Heron looked over the letter once more. "This seems fine, right?"

  "I don't know what you expected it to be." Icarus shrugged. "You could write about the road, the sparring sessions with Richard. But I don't think Emilia would be interested in that."

  "You're right, I guess. Well, it definitely feels better reading it than what I had in my head."

  "You wanted to journal your experience, which is fine. But I suggest making a proper journal rather than writing it all to her. You can also submit quest journals to the guild archives."

  "Wait, what?"

  "When we reach the guild in Tejen, you can request access to their library. It contains reports and journals from adventurers—both guild members and other prominent ones."

  "Whoa, that sounds interesting. With snowtide coming, I might actually have time to read some of it."

  "I think you should probably focus on administrative literature first. You're missing the education citizens get, which could get you in trouble if you're unaware of certain rules."

  "You're right. But hopefully I'll get to read some adventurer tales too. There must be fascinating stuff in there."

  "Reports that are part of encyclopedias are definitely worth reading. Some of the creatures out there are really hard to beat if you don't know what you're doing."

  "Yeah, the only ones I've ever heard of are Murmacks. You know, the giant fish heads on human-like bodies. The scariest part is how much of their body actually looks human."

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "Well, if folk tales are to be believed, most of those monsters were once human. But there are no records from the Church that would corroborate such theories, so you can believe what you want."

  "I'm not going to go against the Church's teachings. Besides, I don't want to imagine what those people would have gone through to end up like that."

  Icarus moved toward his bedroll. "True. So, are we done with your letter? Can we go to sleep? Don't want to give May an excuse to poke inside since she's on watch duty now."

  But just as he spoke, May's head poked into the tent. "Someone mentioned me?"

  "Took you long enough. You've been outside the tent for the past hour." Icarus said.

  "No, I wasn't." May tried to lie.

  "May, let's not play that game. You know full well I detected you the moment you came into my spatial detection zone."

  May grinned. "Fine. Hikki, I have to say, it's a nice letter."

  "Thank you..." Heron paused. "Hold on, you were listening in?"

  "Of course I was. Why else would I be outside your tent all this time?" She laughed.

  "You know that's an invasion of privacy, right?"

  "Don't worry, Hikki. I won't share anything. And if I thought it was something I shouldn't hear, I'd have plugged my ears immediately."

  "That doesn't make it any better." Heron groaned.

  "Sure it does. I'm happy you have someone to write to. Some people are all alone in this world, so you're fortunate to have a pretty lady waiting for your letters. Hopefully, it all ends well for the two of you." She smiled at the thought.

  "It's not like that." Heron lowered his head. "And I made sure it never will be."

  "I'm sure if she's available when we get back, you can make things right—if you want it to be like that. You just need to learn how to communicate with girls. It's not that complicated."

  "I can't tell if you're being serious right now." Icarus shifted on his bedroll. "I have trouble talking to you about basic things, let alone romance and relationships."

  "Well, we're not compatible for those."

  "I never said I was interested in you. I'm saying your brain doesn't process what I say half the time."

  "Are you saying I'm stupid?" May pouted.

  "I'm saying you don't try. If something isn't clear from the get-go, you don't even bother."

  "Hey, let's not argue. It's getting late." Heron raised his hands. "I'm fine with May listening in, and I'll try to communicate better with everyone, not just Emilia. But I may need your help. Can I count on you?"

  "Sure, Hikki." May's cheerfulness returned instantly.

  "I'm not a social person, but I can theorize and give opinions on the matter."

  "Well then, it's settled. I'm counting on you." Heron turned to May. "And you should probably get going. If Richard wakes up and doesn't see you guarding the camp, you'll be in trouble."

  "Right, off I go then!" May's head disappeared from the tent opening.

  "All right, everything's packed. I'll ask Almir to show me how to send the letter tomorrow when we reach the village."

  "Then let's get some sleep so we don't need many breaks."

  They turned off their lamps and settled in for the night.