'Perhaps this won't be so bad, a life of adventure with these guys could be fun. Better than living out my new life on a farm I guess.' She thought to herself when the Dwarf spoke up.

“You still need a name. I think I'll call you Dust. It matches with your fur, what do you think?" She said to the dire weasel.

'Dust? Hmmm…well it is sort of fitting. Sure, why not? I'm happy enough with that being my new name; I hadn't even thought about it till now anyway! Dust it is!' The weasel leaned in close and gave the Dwarf a lick on the face.

And thus began her adventures, once living as a Human, now as a beast. Dust was now on the move!

One Week Later

KRACOOOOOOM!!!

Thunder roared through the sky as lightning shot through the dark clouds.

'When I left so willingly for adventure…this was not what I was expecting.' Dust thought to herself as she sat in the mud and rain.

The once Human now Dire Weasel was miserable, absolutely miserable. Utterly soaked and out in the open while harnessed to a big covered wagon. Her large feral form rooted in place thanks to the very much magical collar bound snug around her neck. They had slipped it on her just before they left the barn that was her birthplace, or rebirth place? That detail was still a little confusing.

'Least they could have done was let me seek shelter…' She thought to herself quite irritated.

The collar compelled her body to do what they ordered her to do, and took those commands almost literally at that! Try as she might, she couldn't break its hold. The collar was probably the worst part of her current situation, worse than the bit and bridle she also had to wear over her snout even! The runner up being stuck outside, left in the elements while her 'owners' were off in some dry dungeon nearby; doing who knows what. Dust went over the past week in her head, as she didn't have much else to do but shiver and sulk in the rain.

One Week Prior

Right out of the gate when she was bought the trio had slapped the collar around her neck. She was less than amused, but helpless to stop it. Right after that she had a harness put on her, thankfully it wasn't too tight or uncomfortable; then hooked up to their covered wagon.

All that training Tim put her through paid off, she was able to pull the wagon without a lot of difficulty. After a full day of travel, they had set up camp. Dinner that night had been rather light, much to her annoyance. However, she was able to pick up on some interesting details about her owners that night. This trio of Adventurers were freelance, it told her that there were indeed Guilds for Adventurers.

'Well things are more like what I'm familiar with than I thought.' She'd thought to herself.

It also told her that being freelance meant a much tighter budget. Much tighter. They had spent a good chunk of their coin just to acquire her! Evidently, they had their horse stolen some days prior. She was their best choice for a replacement. No one would want to steal a Dire Weasel, right? …Right?

It meant they were light on supplies, and Dust needed a lot more food than a horse did. She wished she could just hunt for her own food, that likely would help with their income. But none of them seemed to think about that, the collar around her neck also suggested that they didn't trust her to not just run off. She was an investment in their eyes. If only she could communicate with them, maybe then they would be more trusting that she wouldn't just leave them high and dry.

While lying near the campfire she had been able to listen in on the trio; and learn some more about them. The Human was named Rex, he seemed to be the leader of the trio. Probably the youngest member too, not counting Dust herself. Late twenties at the youngest, he didn't seem super chatty, not quite gruff but not overly friendly either. He must've had some rough younger years to be like that, even so there seemed to be an underlying kinship with the other two.

'They had to have been traveling together for quite a while.' Dust had thought, 'Maybe he'll warm up to me over time.'

The Dwarf, Nirra was the most animated of the trio. It was difficult to gauge her age though, but Dust got the impression she was older than Rex was. She was talking almost a mile a minute as she gnawed on a piece of bread. She was very energetic and cheery, the lush Dwarven beard on her face partially covered in bread crumbs from all her talking. Dust could barely keep up with it, but she seemed to be reminiscing about some past adventure.

'I hope I can get in on that at some point. Just pulling a wagon around isn't my idea of adventure.' Dust had thought with a huff.

Nirra had taken a shine to her right away and seemed to delight in spoiling the Dire Weasel. Ever since they had made camp, she kept showering Dust with pets and affection. Dust couldn't exactly refuse, it was nice. Better than nice really, she suspected her weasel brain was largely responsible. The petting and scratching just set her alight with pleasurable feelings. The Dwarf was probably the biggest reason she decided to really come along. Even if she technically had no choice over her sale, she still went along willingly, better to avoid trouble when possible.

That left the Elf… Qildor, and Dust really, REALLY didn't like him. Right away he had called her an 'it' and a 'beast'. Sure, she was a beast, but the tone he'd used was rather demeaning. And since then, her dislike of him only grew. His attitude screamed superiority complex, and he certainly made no effort to hide it. How Rex and Nirra tolerated it at all was a mystery. Qildor certainly made a point to throw insults at Dust at every opportunity, oh how she wished she could speak. She had quite a few comebacks for him. But he didn't try anything physical, Rex made a point of stopping him when he tried. Plus, anytime she growled at him Qildor backed off.

After dinner and spending an evening inside the wagon it was back on the road come morning. The road through the forest had been pretty dull for Dust. Just trees and the dirt road. Hardly exciting, at least until they had reached a town in the late afternoon.

It was a pretty simple town, wooden buildings with some brickwork mixed in here and there. People milling about doing their business. Exactly what would be expected of a sleepy little town. But for Dust, it'd been amazing.

'Civilization does exist! Simple but still!' Dust thought to herself as she looked around.

Things seemed to be warm and homely in the town, a couple hundred residents possibly. It was her best guess anyway as they continued deeper into town. She'd wished she could look around freely, but she was forced to keep on the road and pull the wagon over to the Inn. She couldn't make out the writing on the sign, understanding the language was quite different from reading it.

'Scheisse... If I hope to even try and communicate, I'm gonna need to learn how to write at the very least. That's…gonna be very difficult without understanding the alphabet of this language.' Dust thought to herself, she was distracted enough to not notice she was being unhitched from the wagon.

“This'll be our home for the night. At least you get a warm stable tonight eh Dust?" Nirra said as she scratched the giant weasel's ear.

Dust couldn't help but rumble and lean into the scratching, 'As long as it's warm, dry, and reasonably clean I'm happy.'

“I'll get us rooms; you can take the…animal to the stable." Qildor said as he sneered a bit at Dust.

The weasel stuck her tongue out at him in response before he headed into the Inn.

“While you two are busy I'll see if there's any jobs and/or supplies we could scrounge up. We're running real low on coin and food." Rex said as he went through the supplies in the wagon.

“Sure, thing Rex. I'll get Dust settled and catch up with you." Nirra nodded to the Human as he walked off, “Come on Dusty, let's get you settled in. I bet you're tired from pulling that wagon all day."

'I bet she'd be shocked if I said I wasn't. All that training Tim put me through really paid off. I could keep going!' Dust rumbled to herself with a bit of a smirk.

But she let Nirra lead her to the stables. They weren't big or fancy, but they were nice and clean. Then she was again left on her own, her temporary stall being a bit more cramped than she was used to. But she could deal with it, the mild itch of the obedience collar (as she decided to call it) around her neck was another matter though.

'I really wish they didn't feel the need to put this thing on me.' Dust thought to herself as she scratched at an itch under the collar, 'Wonder if I could force it off?'

She only halfheartedly tried to pry the collar off, it was likely better to get one of them to get it off her instead. Left alone with nothing to really do in the stable she settled down for a nap. She was startled awake by Nirra sometime later, it was getting dark outside from what she could tell.

“Wakey, wakey Dust, time to get going. We got a job." Nirra said as she got Dust out of the stall, “We're getting an early start."

'At this hour?' Dust tilted her head confused but complied.

She didn't really get an answer though, aside from an early start. She was just led back to the wagon and harnessed to it once again, then it was off down the road again. The trio sat in the wagon talking about this job of theirs but it wasn't making a whole lot of sense to Dust. Something about investigating a ruin not too far away, but for what purpose Dust couldn't say. They didn't go into detail about it, at least not loudly enough for her to hear clearly over the sounds of the wagon. And so, the next few days just went like that. Dust pulling the wagon, then stopping for camp late in the night, and back on the road.

Then after roughly three days of that they stopped. It was early in the day when they stopped. Dust looked around a bit confused as to why they stopped, there didn't seem to be anything around of note outside of the trees and foliage.

“Dust, take the wagon down that path there." Rex said as he pointed to the side of the road, giving a tug on the reigns a bit.

'Oh, there's a trail.' Dust thought as her body moved on its own.

There was indeed a partially overgrown trail off the side of the road, just big enough for the wagon to fit through. Dust pulled the wagon through, feeling the tingling of the collar as its magic compelled her body.

She hoped they'd give her a command to stop soon, she didn't like the feeling of being a passenger in her own body. It felt utterly wrong, perhaps because she was intelligent and aware? She couldn't really explain how it felt wrong or why.

“That clearing over there, that's our stop." Rex said.

Ahead there was indeed a clearing, Dust pulled the wagon through the trail and into the clearing. It wasn't very big, the wagon barely fitting inside as Dust carefully turned around so that she and the wagon were facing the way they came. Rex was smart to suggest it, in the event they needed to leave in a hurry. That one trail was going to be their lifeline in case of an incident. Dust got a look around once she stopped, there wasn't much around. Though as she looked, she started picking out bits of stonework scattered about, buried and/or overgrown. Something used to be here, what it was she couldn't tell. But it was clear that these ruins were here for a long time.

“You are not to move from this spot until we get back understand?" The Elf said in a gruff tone as he got out of the wagon, “So sit and behave."

'I hate you.' Dust thought as she glared at Qildor as she was forced to sit on the spot.

“We shouldn't be long!" Nirra said as she grabbed some gear from the back of the wagon and jumped out.

“Alright, let's get in and get out. Sooner we can get done here, sooner we can get paid. We need to resupply in a bad way." Rex said as he got out of the wagon himself.

“We know the drill, Rex. Relax a bit, will you?" Nirra rolled her eyes.

“Always in a rush, don't use your short life as an excuse." Qildor huffed.

“I'm in a rush because we need supplies. Or would you prefer to starve, or eat twigs and berries until we get to the next town?" Rex replied with a stern tone.

'Bit harsh but mans got a point.' Dust thought to herself as she watched the conversation, 'Not to mention I have to rely on you all for food because of this damn collar.'

The weasel huffed as she sat in place. Now that she thought about it, she was starting to get quite hungry. A strong craving for meat in fact, fresh, juicy meat, and a lot of it. Deer would be amazing right now, Dust started to drool thinking about a nice venison dinner. Reminiscing about the occasional time she treated herself to such a meal in her old life, before being snapped out of her thoughts.

“Be ready to move at a moment's notice, just in case." Rex said as he looked at Dust.

'Like I have a choice.' Dust grumbled.

With that the trio walked off into the bushes leaving the weasel alone.

Now

AHH-CHOO!!!

'Fick mich… I think I'm getting sick.' Dust groaned, wishing she could wipe her snout.

She wasn't feeling great now. It'd been hours since she was left alone, most of that time was spent in the storm.

'I swear if I die to exposure, I'm going to ruin whatever Deity thought this was funny!' Dust sneezed again, 'This life sucks!'

Dust was too busy focusing on wallowing in her own misery to pay attention to her surroundings. She wasn't as alone anymore as she thought she was. Several creatures were moving in from the surrounding woods. Dust jumped as she heard a loud howl.

'Ah scheisse… it figures something would happen.' Dust perked up and looked around for the source of that howl.

She didn't have to look hard or wait long. It was a pack of wolves! Normal ones by the look of them. Grey, white, some even brown, all together and stalking towards her. At least a dozen in total!

'I'm so fucked right now!' Dust thought to herself, stuck as she was in place.

Her body was heating up now, a welcome feeling from the cold rain. Her heart was pounding as adrenaline kicked in. Her body tensing and shaking more now, fear starting to grip her. She was helpless, she couldn't fight back, let alone move! She could only watch as the wolves got closer, just feet away now, and they looked very hungry.

Then suddenly Dust could move! The tingling vice of the collar's magic suddenly lifted; the dire weasel almost fell over as her muscles suddenly relaxed. She grunted as soreness hit her body from nose to tail.

'Owwww…what happened? I can move all of a sudden, maybe a fail-safe of some sort? Keep me from actually being killed?' Dust thought for a quick moment.

She didn't dwell on it as one of the wolves growled and lunged at her in that moment. On instinct Dust swiped at the wolf with her large paw.

WHAP!

She got lucky and managed to strike it in the side, knocking the wolf out of the way.

'If I'm going down, I'm taking as many of you with me as I can!' Dust snarled as she stared down the wolves.

They weren't deterred however as they moved to surround her. Luckily the wagon protected her rear, keeping them from getting at her from behind. They growled and lunged forward some, biting and gnashing teeth at her. Dust growled and snapped back at them, while she had freedom of movement again, she was still stuck. She was still tied to the wagon; and due to the rain, she was also stuck in the mud. Dust only had one paw free, the other three were very much stuck in the mud still.

The wolves seemed aware of this fact and howled as they leapt at her. Raking her with fangs and claws. The dire weasel snarled and shook herself, throwing the wolves off her back. Dust growled as she swiped at the wolves as best she could; her hide seemed tougher than she thought; their claws and teeth certainly hurt but they hadn't managed to draw blood far as she could tell. She knew that wouldn't last forever though, especially with how relentless the wolves were being. But she would be damned if she didn't try to hold out as the wolves again jumped on her.

'You'll have to do better than nip at me!' Dust thought as she shook them off and swiped at them again, 'I'm not gonna just sit by and be your lunch!'

FWOOOSH!

A ball of flames shot by scattering the wolves for a moment

“Begone filthy mongrels!" Exclaimed a familiar voice.

'Perfect timing! Took you long enough!' Dust glanced to her side in time to see Nirra charge in bashing one of the wolves out of the way with her shield.

Rex was also present, charging in with his sword. Dust also caught sight of Qildor in the back, preparing another spell with his staff. The sudden arrival of reinforcements put the wolves on guard. They started backing off to regroup, before Qildor unleashed another bolt of fire.

“Back off foul beasts. Or face incineration!" Qildor exclaimed as he prepared another one.

The wolves seemed to take the hint finally and ran off in search of easier prey. Dust sighed in relief now that the danger had passed.

“Nirra help Dust get free of the mud, Qildor help me dig out the wagon. Let's get out of here before the storm gets worse." Rex said as he put his sword away and got to work.

“Really? I have to get even more dirty?" Qildor groaned but did as he was asked.

“Right on!" Nirra said as she rushed over to Dust, “How're you holding up girl?"

AHH-CHOO!!

Dust grumbled as she sneezed again, 'How's that for an answer?'

“Oh, you poor thing! Don't fret Dusty, we'll get you all warm and dry before you know it!" Nirra frowned upon realizing Dust's state.

The Dwarf wasted little time in digging Dust free of the thick mud. Dust wiggled and shifted her limbs, their combined efforts paid off and she was quickly freed!

'Finally! Being stuck in mud sucks!' Dust groaned to herself as she finally stretched her limbs and shook some of the rain out of her fur.

Nirra laughed a little and helped work some of the mud out of Dust's fur, “We're gonna have to give you a bath soon. If we're gonna get all this mud out of your fur girl."

'I'd welcome a proper bath.' Dust thought to herself, finding the idea very pleasant, 'I don't think I've had a real one since I've been in this world!'

“Wagon's clear, let's get going." Rex said as he climbed into the wagon.

“There should be dry ground not too far from here." Qildor added as he climbed in as well.

“Let's hope so, I think Dust might be getting sick from exposure." Nirra remarked as she boarded.

“Pfff… It's an animal meant for the wild outdoors. It's fine." Qildor waved off the remark.

'You try sitting still for hours in the rain, see how you feel!' Dust growled and shot the Elf a glare as she started walking.

The dire weasel grunted as she pulled the wagon. Between the stiffness in her body and the wagon having a hard time getting traction in the mud; she was having a rough go of getting it to move. Thankfully once they got out of the clearing it started getting easier, the trees sheltering them from the brunt of the rain. She was ready to just drop and sleep, but she managed to keep herself going. The collar wasn't even compelling her this time. Dust walked along the narrow path back to the main road, the trio were silent in the wagon.

'Did something happen in those ruins? Or are they just that tired?' Dust thought as she walked along.

Things were quiet as she pulled the wagon along, luckily the mud wasn't as thick on the main road, making it easier on her to pull.

“We can shelter there for the night." Rex said suddenly, pointing ahead to a sheltered alcove of sorts.

'Oh, that'll work.' Dust agreed as she eagerly went for it.

It wasn't long after that camp was set up. A nice fire was going, Dust laying on her side as close to it as she could dare. Just absorbing the heat from the fire, she was grateful that Nirra set out a blanket for her to lay on. She sighed as she glanced at the trio. They were busy eating in silence, all three of them looked exhausted. Just what happened in the dungeon? They didn't seem hurt, just drained. The dire weasel decided to just put it out of her mind, she was much too tired herself to try and focus on them, or even try to eat anything. Soon enough she drifted off to sleep to the sound of the rain.

Three days later

They were back in town now and when they had arrived, they were met with applause. Whatever Dust's owners had been hired on to do was a success apparently. Rex was talking with the town mayor? Headman? Leader? Dust wasn't sure who they were, but they seemed to be the one in charge. Nirra led Dust back to the stable, while Qildor wandered off somewhere.

“Well now that we're back, and more importantly paid. We can relax a bit." Nirra said as she stopped in front of the stable and looked Dust in the eyes, “Know what that means for you?"

'I get a decent meal for once?' Dust thought as she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as best, she could.

“You. Get. A. Bath!" Nirra grinned as she booped Dust on her nose with each word.

'That was my gonna be my second guess.' Dust rubbed her snout at the booping.

While she would have preferred a nice meal, a bath was also welcome. She still had mud caked deep in her fur, especially her legs and underside. Nirra unhooked her from the wagon, then got her out of her harness, the bit and bridle were also removed, and even the collar was taken off! Dust was quick to rub along her neck where the collar had been.

'That feels sooo much better!' Dust rumbled softly, 'Now if they could keep it off me that would be wunderbar!'

“Alright, she's all yours. Be gentle with her, she's still a young one." Nirra said.

'Wait what?' Dust snapped to attention.

There were two young folks waiting outside the stable, a young boy and girl. They looked to be young teens by her guess. Each of them had a bucket and a thick looking brush in hand.

'Oh.' Dust stared at the pair.

“Behave now Dusty, they'll clean you up." Nirra said as she walked away.

'Right, so how is this going to work?' Dust eyed up the pair again.

The pair looked at each other before nodding and dumped their buckets over the Weasel.

'FUUUUUCK THAT'S COLD!!!' Dust yelped and shuddered as she was suddenly soaked in cold water.

She was not prepared for it to be as cold as it was. It startled the teens for a moment before Dust calmed down, she noticed that there was some sort of soap mixed into the water. Sudsy bubbles were clinging to her now soaked fur. Seeing that the big weasel calmed down the teens got to work. Using their thick brushes to scrub through Dust's fur, getting all the dirt and grime out a bit at a time.

Dust did her best to remain still as they brushed her clean. It actually felt rather nice too! She let out a soft rumble and shut her eyes and let the teens do their work. Raising a leg now and then as they worked to clean her legs and paws one at a time. After a while (Dust wasn't paying too closely to how much time passed) she was encouraged to get on her back so they could clean her belly. Dust was happy to do so, rolling onto her back. The teens continued their work, scrubbing the thicker mud from her underside. The brushes felt even better on her belly, she rumbled and splayed out as she was cleaned.

'This is actually rather nice, cold water aside.' Dust thought to herself as the brushing ended.

The teens brought out more buckets and poured more water over the weasel, washing away the suds and grime from her fur. She shuddered as it was also cold, but not as jarring as before. The teens instructed Dust to get back on her paws, and doused her in more water once she did so. Soon enough the giant weasel was clean, if still wet from the water.

'Thanks for cleaning me up.' Dust thought as she shook all the excess out of her fur, soaking the teens a bit.

They just laughed as they got wet themselves, pleased with their handiwork. The teens then walked Dust into the stables and to an available stall. She happily lay down in the hay to just relax. The return trip to town hadn't been as enjoyable as the trip to the ruins. After being stuck in that storm, her body ended up quite sore. Not even sleep helped her recover, but now she could get some proper rest. The giant weasel let out a yawn and stretched as best she could in the stable stall before nodding off for a nap.

One Month Later

Dust was pulling the wagon along a cobblestone road; farmland was stretching out on either side. Tall wheat and corn growing tall and ripe for harvest (at least she assumed it was). They were heading to a city, Astuvila from what she had caught from the trio's conversation. It was still a couple weeks away, but they were closing in on a farming town to rest for the night. The sun was still pretty high in the sky, so they were moving at a leisurely pace.

“Ow! What the…? Where did this acorn come from!?" Qildor exclaimed as he rubbed his head.

“Maybe a bird dropped it?" Nirra offered.

Dust smirked to herself as she walked. She knew where it had come from. Over the past month Dust had made a couple of interesting discoveries about herself. During the quiet, dull points of their journey, the giant weasel had occupied herself with more than just her thoughts. She stared trying to put her human level intelligence to work on communication. Dust knew that she didn't have the necessary vocal structure to speak verbally. The lack of access to books also kept her from trying to figure out reading and by extension writing. That didn't really leave her with much else.

But then a few weeks back, Dust caught wind of Rex reacting to her trying to think of something to say to him. She noticing him asking if anyone had said something to him; or rather whispered to him. She had tried to reach out again but it didn't work. She was certain that he had heard her, perhaps she wasn't quite able to get it to work yet.

Further attempts didn't yield much results thus far. She suspected that it might be that collar they were so quick to put back on her neck. But it was a certainty that Dust was starting to develop some form of telepathy, barely a whisper for now. In time she hoped it could improve, and in the process, she picked up on another nifty little skill. During her attempts to be heard telepathically, she noticed that with some practice and focus she could actually move small objects around with her thoughts.

Little things like pebbles and in this instance an acorn. It took a lot of effort for such small light objects though. In fact, it gave Dust quite the headache, but seeing Qildor get confused by small objects hitting him in the head was well worth it. She hoped that would also get easier and stronger with practice as well.

Aside from those surprises things had quickly become rather routine. Pull the wagon along the road, stop to make camp, stop at towns along the road. Pull the wagon to a job, then back, then move on. Dust was quickly growing very bored of it all. For her it was just so mundane, since she wasn't really included in the activities. Being the wagon puller wasn't what she hoped it would be. Seeing new towns (and soon a proper city) was nice and all, but that would only satisfy her for so long. So, she found some entertainment in harassing Qildor to make up for it. At least for the time being, Dust hoped to get a proper line of communication going soon.

It would be wonderful to actually hold a conversation and not just be talked at. She was also quickly realizing how lonely she felt. Sure, she'd been traveling with three people for over a month now, but being unable to communicate was weighing on her. Especially at night, she wished she could just lay back and chat with the trio (and also throw some insults back at the Elf).

“Pick up the pace a little Dust." Rex said as he gave the reigns a shake.

'What's the hurry all of a sudden?' Dust thought as her body picked up the pace.

“It's still pretty early, we got time. Why rush?" Nirra asked.

“There's a storm coming in from the west. I'd rather we get into the town before it hits us." Rex explained and pointed to the west.

Indeed, there were storm clouds rolling in, they looked especially dark. Flashes of lightning in the distance as well.

“Huh, yeah we should pick up the pace then." Nirra said.

“Yes, we should. Lest our steed get sick again." Qildor added with a huff.

'Yeah, fuck you too.' Dust growled as she picked up the pace a bit more, 'I'd rather not be stuck out in the rain with you either.'

“Ignore him, Dusty." Nirra said as she elbowed the elf.

“Ow." Qildor grunted and rubbed his side.

“Knock it off you two." Rex sighed.

Dust just shook her head and continued following the road. The town they were heading to was finally coming into view. And not a moment too soon, as faint rumblings of thunder started coming their way. The storm was getting closer.

Luckily, they reached the town before too much longer. The sky beginning to darken as the storm blocked the sunlight. Dust was amazed by it as they got closer. More so by the people, up till now she had only ever seen Humans and an Elf here and there. But here there were Centaurs! She spotted a pair of them finishing up work out on the fields. And what looked to be some satyrs? Fauns? Dust couldn't really remember the difference between the two. But hey new races encountered!

Everyone in the town was busy locking everything down for the coming storm. Rushing past the wagon, ignoring it for the most part. Markets getting closed, folks getting their laundry off the lines, shuttering windows and so on.

“The locals are certainly prepared." Qildor commented.

“I'll say, even the town guard is well geared up." Nirra added.

'She's right. They seem pretty well equipped for a farming town. Maybe this is pretty popular merchant route or something?' Dust thought to herself as she looked around.

As they got deeper into town Dust caught whiff of something. It took her a minute to pick up on what it could be. It was the scent of burnt wood, but different from a fireplace or pit. The scent was much stronger than that.

“Look, those houses." Rex said he pointed ahead.

“Whoa, there must've been a fire." Nirra said.

“Or something else." Qildor commented.

'Ominous.' Dust thought as she also spotted the houses.

Several homes along the main street were completely devastated. Charred ruins were all that was left. There seemed to be a path of destruction along the main road, as the houses behind and near the ruins were unharmed.

“Qildor, go see what the locals can tell you. Nirra and I will get rooms at the Inn and speak to the Innkeeper. See what they also might know." Rex said.

“Yeah, I'll speak to the Guard. This was almost certainly not natural, or an accident." Qildor agreed as he jumped off the wagon.

“Be quick about it. That storm looks like it'll be quite nasty." Nirra added.

The Elf just waved her off as he walked off.

“Let's hope their stable is sturdy enough to weather the storm." Rex said as he guided Dust towards the Inn.

'Yeah, I'm not interested in getting crushed in my sleep.' Dust huffed.

Dust pulled the wagon to a stop in front of the Inn, she looked at the sign out of curiosity but still couldn't read the writing.

“Is that the Innkeeper?" Nirra asked aloud.

“Looks like it. Let's have a chat with him." Rex said.

Dust sat and watched as the duo got off the wagon and approached the Satyr? Faun? She still was deeply confused on the distinction. He had been talking with one of the Town Guards. The Guard left just as they approached the Innkeeper. Luckily for Dust, she was close enough to at least listen in on the conversation.

“Afternoon sir, are you the Innkeeper?" Rex asked.

“Y-yes, I am. Travelers needing a room?" The Innkeeper asked, the poor man jumping a little at their approach.

“Yes, three of us. And a space in the stable for our Weasel." Nirra confirmed as she pointed to Dust.

“I'm afraid I only have one room available at the moment. M-many of the Townsfolk are staying inside for the time being." The Innkeeper explained as he tried to calm himself, “Will that be, okay? Th-there's plenty of space in the stable however."

“We can make it work, that won't be an issue." Rex nodded, “We also saw the burned buildings, what happened?"

“Was it an accident or something?" Nirra asked.

“Oh… that. Y-yes, we had an incident. Most terrifying." The Innkeeper said with a quite visible shudder.

“What was it?" Nirra asked.

“A Fire Lizard I'm told. It…It came rushing in from the forest beyond and attacked the town!" The Innkeeper exclaimed, “The roars it made were haunting to say the least!"

“A Fire Lizard? I wasn't aware those were present in this region." Rex said a bit surprised but not frightened.

“They're not, or so I've been told. I'd never seen one before yesterday." The Innkeeper said, “If…if it weren't for the Guard things would have been much worse than a few lost houses!"

“No one was killed?" Nirra asked.

“Not directly no… An elderly couple, as well as two families succumbed to their burns this morning. They'd been trapped in their homes by the flames, it took us too long to get them out... A lot of other people were badly hurt, but those were the only losses. At least…last, I had heard… I've been so busy settling folks into the Inn. N-no time to ask about the injured. Our healer has been working since last night to treat the injured. He and his apprentice have been working non-stop. The Guard suffered the most though, fighting off that beast. But they managed to drive it off." The Innkeeper explained with a frown, “We're hoping that it won't return anytime soon. Especially with that storm coming in."

“Are you prepared if it does?" Nirra asked with concern.

“As prepared as could be. With our proximity to the forest, we're used to Earth Lizards wandering nearby. Trying to get at the livestock." The Innkeeper explained, “They're rather easy to fend off. But this…this thing. It just wouldn't back down until the Guard managed to seriously wound it."

“That's very unusual." Rex rubbed his chin.

“Yeah, those things usually won't give up till their prey is dead or they are." Nirra added, “Are the Guard going to hunt it down?"

“I was just asking one of the guards about that very thing." The Innkeeper nodded, “But he said that too many of them are in no shape to face off against it. Let alone track it down right now. They're more focused on shoring up our defenses and helping the wounded."

“Where's the town Headman?" Rex asked, “I'd like to speak with them. See if we could handle this for you."

“I think he's in the square just down the road. They set up tents for the wounded. My Inn isn't open enough for them to be treated efficiently. As I understand the matter. So, I opted to house those who lost their homes instead." The Innkeeper said, “The least I could do to help."

“Thank you for your time. We'll be back shortly to bunk down before the storm." Rex nodded, “Nirra get Dust settled, then meet me in the square. Chances are Qildor will already be there."

“Can do. I'll meet you there." Nirra nodded.

'A Fire Lizard? Sounds scary. And we're going to hunt it down?' Dust thought to herself as she was guided to the stables around the back of the Inn, 'Rex didn't sound scared of the thing. Has he dealt with one before?'

“You'll be nice and dry in here for tonight, Dusty." Nirra said as she unhitched the giant weasel from the wagon.

'I hope so, after last month I hate rain.' Dust rumbled.

“Now, now don't be like that. You're a big girl. You'll be just fine." Nirra said with a laugh as she guided Dust into one of the vacant stalls.

'I'm plenty big, doesn't mean I have to like bad weather.' Dust huffed as she plopped down in the stall, 'May as well take advantage and get lots of rest. If we're going to be hunting down Fire Lizard tomorrow.'

Nirra smiled and closed her in before leaving the stable.

Dust sighed and stretched out. At least now she had something to look forward to other than pulling a wagon day in and day out. Still, the idea of going after this thing made her nervous. If it caused all that damaged to a town, what sort of hope would she and the trio she followed be able to do? She could feel the anxiety build up in her chest. Hopefully Rex knew what he was doing, plus they had Qildor. Sure, he was a complete and utter asshole but he was a mage! And a powerful one at that if his boasting was even half true. Maybe it wouldn't go too badly? The giant weasel sighed and did her best to calm down and get some sleep.

The Next Day

Dust grumbled and stifled a yawn as she walked ahead of the trio. She didn't get much sleep. Her anxiety made it hard to nod off, and by the time she had the storm hit. The pounding rain, howling winds, and crack of thunder kept her wide awake for most of the night.

When morning came Dust awoke to an argument between Rex and Qildor. She was still groggy but, she was able to pick up on the tail end of the conversation. Rex did accept the job of hunting down the Fire Lizard. And he wanted to take Dust along for additional help. Qildor on the other hand was opposed to the idea.

“I still don't see the point of dragging that thing along? All it's good for is pulling the wagon." Qildor protested.

“First off, we can use her to track the Fire Lizard. Second, she's about the same size as one. We can use that as an advantage." Rex said, “She's coming along and that final."

“…Fine. If it gets us all killed that's going to be on you." Qildor sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“I'll go get her." Nirra said as she entered the stable.

“She seems to like you most. So, she shouldn't harm you when you wake her." Rex nodded.

“I don't think she'd harm any of us. Well… maybe Qildor." Nirra remarked.

The Dwarf was surprised to find Dust already awake and waiting expectantly, “Well you're up and ready to go. Sleep well?"

'I slept like absolute scheisse!' Dust grumbled and huffed as she was let out.

She followed Nirra out, and before long they were on their way. Rex had been smart to forgo bringing the wagon, after all the rain it would be too muddy for it. Even so Dust had to walk ahead of the others. Rex discussed the plan with his companions, leaving Dust to just listen in.

“Dust should be able to pick up on its presence. Once we engage it, we need to keep it distracted long enough to make an opening." Rex explained as they walked.

“Weak spot is the throat, right?" Nirra asked, “If I get lucky, maybe I can crush its throat with my mace!"

“I should be able to pin it down with some spells. Such creatures are resistant to most magic, but a few well-placed ice spells should do the trick." Qildor said, “I've got a few I've been meaning to try."

“It should work, meanwhile I'll draw its attention with Dust." Rex nodded to Qildor and Nirra, “We'll hold its attention so you can cast your spells. Nirra, you hang back and wait for an opening. If we're lucky we should be able to take it down swiftly."

“They did say that it was pretty wounded also. So, it may not be too difficult to finish off." Qildor commented.

“True, but they do heal quite fast. It may be almost recovered by now." Rex pointed out, “Let's just be cautious about this."

“Yeah, the folks in town kept talking about how huge it was." Nirra said with a shrug, “A challenge would be nice, but I'm happy to take a simple job before we get to the city."

'Why are we going to this city anyway?' Dust wondered as she started to tune out the conversation, 'More jobs? Bigger ones?'

Hopefully she'd learn why when they arrived there. For now, she had a job to do. She'd never seen a Fire Lizard before obviously, so she didn't know what to look out for in terms of scent or signs of its passing. She'd just have to guess and hope for the best. She sniffed at the air, taking in all the scents around them as they entered the forest. Unfortunately, Dust was still inexperienced with hunting and tracking, she couldn't pick out individual scent trails. On top of that the storm from yesterday made everything smell damp and earthy, no she'd have to just try and listen for it.

As they walked deeper into the forest, she took in all the sounds. The buzzing of insects, the chirps of birds, an occasional deer or similar animal, the drippings of rain from still wet leaves. Dust took this all in, letting her instincts take the lead as they moved ever deeper into the forest. It all sounded normal to her, peaceful even, at least on a surface level.

After an hour of walking Dust suddenly stopped, that sense of anxiety was coming back all of a sudden. Much worse than the day before in fact! Her body was frozen, she could feel the fur around the nape of her neck stand on end. Something was up, her instincts kicked in hard with a panic response! That's when she noticed it, the forest had gone dead silent, no birds, no insects, no animals moving through the forest.

'Fick mich, es ist hier!' Dust looked around in a panic.

It had to be close for her body to be practically screaming at her to run and hide. But she couldn't see it.

“Why'd you st-" Nirra started to say when Rex held up a hand.

He slowly, and silently drew his sword. Nirra nodded quietly and readied her mace and shield, while Qildor stood ready with his staff.

“Where is it?" Nirra whispered.

“Not sure yet but stay on your guard." Rex whispered back.

'Does it know we're here? Why we're here?' Dust thought as she did her best to get herself back under control.

CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW!

A bunch of birds suddenly took flight startling everyone. They all looked around for any sign of what spooked the birds but nothing could be seen.

“Could it be watching us right now?" Qildor asked in a hushed tone.

“It must be by now. But why can't we see it?" Nirra asked.

“Perhaps it's more than a Fire Lizard? Something about this doesn't seem right. It should have rushed us by now." Qildor said.

“It just might be something different." Rex agreed.

'Well, that's just wonderful.' Dust thought as she kept her eyes focused on the forest, 'Now I'm more worried!'

Dust's anxiety only grew from what Qildor and Rex were saying, if this wasn't what they were told it would be then what was it? Something easier to deal with? More? Something unknown entirely? Her knowledge of this world was so minuscule that it could be anything she could possibly think of, or even worse than anything she could think of!

FWOOOSH!

“Get down!" Rex yelled.

And not a moment too soon! A huge plume of flames shot right over them as they all ducked for cover.

RRRRRAAAAAAAWWWWWR!!!!

Dust very nearly wet herself in panic as she tried to cover her ears from the roar. It was so loud and deep that she could feel it in her core! The others likely felt it too! When she looked up, she finally saw it. A great reptilian beast, it was massive! Easily several times her own size, it towered over the group as it started to emerge from the trees. Crimson scales adorned its whole body, underbelly taking on a tan color. It had wicked looking spines along its back as well as around its almost draconic head. It stared at them for a long moment before letting out another roar.

RRRAAAAAAAAAWWWWRRRR!!!!!!

“That is most definitely not a Fire Lizard!" Nirra exclaimed.

“Not it is not. I've never seen a creature like this before!" Qildor exclaimed in shock.

“Doesn't matter, we need to take this thing down! Now!" Rex pointed his sword at the giant creature, “You're not attacking anymore towns!"

FWOOOOSH!

The beast, whatever it was wasted no time spitting out more fire. Qildor jumped in its path and used his magic to create a barrier, the flames spread out and dissipated quickly on contact.

“Nirra, Dust, circle around the beast and divide its attention. Qildor new plan! Hold back and charge up your best spell. We'll give you an opening, hit it hard!" Rex ordered.

“Right!" Qildor agreed as he ran back to get some distance from the beast.

“Come on Dusty, let's give this overgrown lizard something else to focus on!" Nirra exclaimed as she ran towards its left side, while Dust ran towards its right.

'Verdammter kragen! This stupid collar isn't letting go of its hold! It did last time! What gives!?' Dust growled, both as a threat to draw the attention of the giant lizard but also in frustration.

The collar was forcing her to follow orders to the letter, that wasn't very good for a battle situation. Especially now! Dust nipped at the lizard's side, making it snarl at her and swipe a heavy paw in her direction. It took all the willpower she had to force her body to evade the swipe. Otherwise, she might have lost her head!

'This thing is going to get me killed! I need it off! NOW!' Dust ground her teeth in frustration, adrenaline coursing through her body now.

She saw Nirra also moving in for a strike, hitting the lizard hard in the side with her heavy mace. That seemed to do some damage as it snarled more in pain than irritation that time. It took a swipe at the Dwarf but she nimbly ducked the strike, hitting it again in the elbow. Rex meanwhile went for its vulnerable neck, jumping forward with a downward strike.

CLANG!

The blade however bounced off the thick scales that guarded the top and sides of its neck.

“Shit!" Rex swore as the lizard lunged at him with wide open jaws.

Nirra managed to jump in and tackle Rex out of the way at the last second.

“Thanks!" The human said as he recovered.

“No problem, looks like that sword of yours isn't going to cut it here." Nirra said as she rolled to her feet quickly, “My mace seemed to hurt it, but I couldn't break bone."

“It was worth a try, let's just keep it busy and hope Qildor can finish it off in one move." Rex got ready for another strike.

'Rex! Get this thing off my neck!' Dust thought hard as she avoided another swipe from the lizard and jumped on its shoulder.

The giant weasel tried digging in with her claws and fangs, but the scales were too thick. She was easily shoved off with a casual shrug of its shoulder.

'Nirra's right, those scales are tough! I couldn't even get a good grip.' Dust struggled to think of a way to work around the collar, but nothing she thought of or tried worked.

WHAM!

Nirra struck the lizard hard in the jaw, stopping it from spitting out more fire at the trio.

“Get clear!" Qildor shouted.

“MOVE!" Rex yelled as he quickly fell back with Nirra.

Dust quickly ran for cover as well, diving behind a tree.

“HYAAAAAAHAAAA!" Qildor raised his staff high before bringing it down quickly, pointing its head at the lizard.

The staff glowed a brilliant blue before it unleased the built-up magic.

FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!

A powerful beam of blue magical energy shot out and struck the lizard, obscuring it from view in a flash of light and frost.

BWOOOOSH!

There was a small explosion as ice erupted from the point of impact, freezing everything nearby solid. As the frost cleared it was evident that the lizard was frozen in a thick layer of ice.

“Got it!" Qildor huffed as he dropped to one knee.

“Nice one Qildor!" Nirra cheered.

“Let's shatter this thing and head back into town." Rex said as he brushed himself off.

'Damn, you guys really are a team!' Dust looked at the ice and frost coating the area, she was impressed.

CRCK!

A series of small cracks appeared across the frozen lizard.

“Uh-oh…" Nirra gulped.

CRAAACK!

More cracks started appearing, growing larger.

“You must be joking!" Rex readied his sword again.

BOOOOOM!

RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRRRRRRR!!!!!

The lizard broke free from the ice with a thunderous roar, scattering chunks of ice everywhere. It seemed more pissed off than hurt too!

“All that and it just made it madder! What the fuck is this thing!?" Nirra exclaimed in shock.

“Don't know, don't care! Let's just kill it already!" Qildor shouted as he readied another spell.

“Dust, hit his flank!" Rex ordered, “Nirra with me."

“Right!" Nirra nodded as she followed Rex's lead.

Dust followed through with the order chomping at the lizard's side, trying to get her fangs past its scales. She had an idea of how to get past them, but the collar kept hindering her. It stopped her from following through on her own ideas.

WHAM!

Dust wasn't paying as much attention as she should have. She let out a loud yelp as the lizard's heavy paw made contact with her side. The giant weasel crashed right into a tree as she was sent flying. She groaned in pain where she lay, it was a struggle to get back up.

'Fick mich…that hurts.' Dust grunted in pain as she stood up.

Her chest and side were burning with pain now, she couldn't tell if any bones had broken or fractured, but she certainly was going to be bruised before long. She had enough of this. She quickly turned her gaze on Rex and focused hard.

'Alright Rex, I need you to listen to me! Hear my thoughts!' Dust concentrated hard as she could on Rex, she needed to be heard.

'rex…Rex…REX!'

“What?" Rex looked around confused for a moment, who's voice was that?

'Rex! It's me! Dust! Listen!' It was that voice again, clearly inside his head.

“Dust?" Rex glanced in the weasel's direction more confused.

She was staring at him, intently in fact.

'Yes! You heard me! Listen to me, I need this collar off me. I can't fight with it on me.' That voice continued.

“Are you seriously talking in my head?" Rex asked aloud, as he ducked a swipe from the lizard, and struck back with a swing of his sword.

'YES! NOW STOP GAWKING AT ME AND GET THIS DAMN THING OFF ME!' It certainly sounded like it could actually be Dust speaking right into his mind, but how?

Rex was having a hard time concentrating on the lizard with this sudden information. Dust rushed up to him and got right in his face now.

'REX! FOCUS! HELP ME SO I CAN HELP YOU!' That voice screamed in his skull now.

He had to make a choice, and quickly. It was going to be a gamble, but he had to make a snap decision. In a split second he made his choice… 

He removed the collar!