The farmer looked up, and his weathered face creased with curiosity. His shepherd's staff rested against his shoulder, and sheep bells announced their presence here and there in the background.

  Anzu dismounted and then helped Itani down.

  "We've just come from Lagash and have some business to take care of in Girsu. Is there any chance you could watch our horse? We shouldn't be long."

  He produced five silver coins, letting them catch the sunlight.

  "Five now. Five more when we return."

  The farmer's eyes widened slightly.

  "A horse, eh? Well, I'll be. I've never seen one of these before. It's as pretty as a picture."

  He reached for the coins, testing their weight.

  "Aye, I can do that."

  Anzu handed him the reins.

  "Just tie it to a tree. You don't need to do anything else."

  The farmer nodded, stroking the grey's neck.

  "She'll be safe here. You have my word."

  Anzu and Itani set off on foot toward the town's distant walls that shimmered in the heat. Girsu was maybe ten or fifteen minutes away.

  "Do you think the horse will be safe with the farmer?"

  "Well, it's better than bringing it to Girsu. I trust the old man more than the pick-pockets or muggers who are bound to be waiting for something like this in town."

  "Okay, yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense," said Itani, laughing all the way through.

  "So," Anzu glanced at Itani. "How was it? The ride?"

  She just continued laughing.

  "You can't even compare it to donkeys. It was the greatest rush I've ever had. Well, at least a positive one."

  "I guess it's true. Horses are magnificent creatures."

  They continued walking towards Girsu, whose walls were slowly rising in the distance, but so was the sun. It had become very hot. Even the sandy ground was radiating heat, keeping their shoes a little too toasty.

  "So..." Itani cleared her throat, "It seems as if you're fighting your magic sometimes when you're casting Blood spells. Or is that just my ignorance on the topic?"

  She was a bright one indeed. But it was just as possible that his spell glitches grew more noticeable as their severity rose.

  "You're not wrong, you know? Remember when I mentioned that something was wrong with my build back in the tavern? Well, it's not just the mana. Sometimes, the damage I deal is unpredictable, and I get blowbacks, too, as you saw before."

  Itani just listened and nodded.

  "I guess that's what happened with the mercenary who wore the bandana? A damage spike?"

  "Exactly."

  Anzu then stopped and caught Itani's elbow, making her look him in the eye.

  "But Itani... nobody, and I mean nobody, can learn about this, you hear?"

  Her face grew very solemn all of a sudden, and her shoulders tightened. Her mouth opened, but she waited for a moment before saying anything

  "Anzu... I would never do that. You are the Hero of Larsa. Are you kidding? I still haven't got over that part. Trust me, please. You don't realize how much the idea of you means to so many people..."

  Anzu placed his hand on his shoulder, suggesting that they should get moving again.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "Don't worry, Itani, it's no big deal, really. But I'm reluctant to walk around if I don't have a good grasp on my powers. But I will get to the bottom of this as soon as we get to my tower. Things will become clearer then."

  Anzu knelt on one knee and grabbed a fistful of the sandy soil from the ground, after which they continued their journey.

  Bringing the sand up to his face sent scents of dry soil and minerals to his nostrils. And there was even a resinous aroma to it. He could never have detected any of this in the game he'd played, but he'd read somewhere that this aroma intensified after rainfall.

  Fascinating. He slowly began to crumble the soil with his fingers and let the desert breeze carry it away.

  "You've never used Necromancy in our encounters, though, have you?"

  "Yeah, it's true."

  "I mean, the damage you output is terrifying just with what I've seen."

  Anzu gave a delighted cackle. Although he stopped himself as he heard what he'd produced. Witches from stories cackled. He was an Archsage. He really shouldn't do that.

  "You need to know that what I've cast so far have only been quick spells. If I had access to any of the proper Ritualistic spells that are written down in my grimoire, I could do so much more."

  Itani's ears pricked as she heard this. Her eyes focused on him.

  "And yes, for Necromancy, you always need an obsidian blade. I have a beautiful obsidian dagger, but just like my grimoire, it's locked away..."

  "...in your tower!" Itani added and laughed out loud.

  Anzu couldn't help but laugh again himself.

  "Yes, a lot will change once we get to Larsa. And I can't wait to be honest. I'm missing my full set of gear."

  The walls of Girsu were looming large now, emanating tiny amounts of steam as the scorching sun dried their rain-stricken bricks. There was now just a small plantation with date trees they had to pass first.

  "I do have another errand to run in Girsu. It'll just be a brief visit to the local archives. I need to check something about this bounty business... I don't understand it at all."

  "Sure. That's handy, actually, because I'll need to pop over to a fletcher. I've only got a few arrows left."

  "Great. We'll make the most of it then."

  After entering Girsu, they headed straight to the bazaar. While Lagash was a proper city, Girsu was a much smaller town, and this came in handy since it meant the bazaar and most other venues would be much easier to navigate. There were fewer people there, and since the buildings were also smaller, they radiated less heat.

  The bazaar had about a dozen or so stalls. Anzu immediately identified the wheelwright in the corner of the square, where a large wheel was tied to a wooden pole.

  As soon as the man at the stall saw them approaching, he lifted his head and offered a wide smile.

  "What'll it be, folks? I'm guessing wheels," he laughed out loud.

  "You got it," Itani responded, matching the merchant's smile.

  "We're looking for a standard Mesopotamian wheel, with four feet in diameter. For a carriage," added Anzu more seriously.

  The wheelwright jumped up from his stool and began to rummage through a large wooden box located towards the back of the stall.

  "Gosh darn it, a four-footer for a carriage..."

  He produced a wooden wheel, showing it to them.

  "I got one right here, but she needs hammerin'. I gotta add a bronze paddin', see?"

  The man showed them a thin sheet of bronze that wobbled as he moved his hand.

  "I need to attach it to the wheel, and then it's yours. Let's say I have it ready in an hour?"

  Anzu looked at Itani, and they just nodded to each other.

  "That would be perfect for us, actually. What about the price?"

  The wheelwright pursed his lips and looked at Anzu and Itani from head to toe.

  "It's 35 silver, since you're such good-hearted folks," he laughed, unable to maintain his attempt at seriousness.

  It was a deal.

  The merchant was kind enough to direct Anzu to the town's archives and Itani to the closest fletcher. It was odd that you couldn't buy arrows at the main bazaar. But then again, it was a very cramped square, unlike in Lagash. Not that she missed the city.

  Not one bit.

  In fact, an odd sensation was present that she wasn't really used to.

  Getting captured by the Mardukists and then ripped off by Shikku sounded a lot like the life she was used to in Lagash. Always being on the lookout for danger around the corner.

  But this time, she got out of both situations unscathed. In fact, she was traveling on horseback, and alongside the Hero of Larsa.

  That last part hadn't quite sunk in yet. It would eventually, certainly. But not yet. Some time was needed.

  Her previous doubts about Anzu's mysterious past and background were now mostly gone. It made perfect sense that somebody like that would be concealing his identity these days. Maybe her hope to grind with the Sage she met just a day ago wasn't stupid at all like she initially thought. Perhaps this was a way for her to be a part of something greater if she followed him. Nothing else apart from a slow grind was possible in the tyrannical regime of the day, anyway, and a pitiful existence afterwards.

  But there was something else. The Hero of Larsa was nothing like what she imagined. His power was terrifying; that much was certain. But he was also a person. He had always been touted more as this ideal: the pinnacle of Sumerian achievements. But in reality, he was very down-to-earth, and this was a very pleasant, if surprising, discovery.

  If he happened to be on a quest to at least partly fix Sumeria at some point, then that was worth following, regardless of whether XP was involved or not.

  From a shady part of the street, lips suddenly smacked in that unpredictable way they do when one starts talking after a period of silence.

  "Well, well, a dark she-elf Ranger, wearing blue leather armor," the voice cackled, "I've found you!"

  Itani dodge-rolled to the side for several feet, pulled out her bow, and immediately nocked an arrow.

  After a pleasant few moments in Girsu, she was immediately back in Lagash, defending herself from a threat. Had Anzu's memory suppression spell failed on the priests? Had they tracked them already?