Isaac had been trying to let Walter have his secrets. Their guide, and his fellow reincarnator, had been more than forthcoming with everything that Isaac had asked. Things like; the specifics on his artificer setup and why Gypsy was referred to as the 'false-vixen', were just things that Isaac felt inclined to give Walter the courtesy of not asking. As he walked around the side of the dead giant cat, who had just made an attempt on Walter's life, Isaac stopped where Gypsy had clamped down in order to help drag the corpse off of Walter. Isaac ran his fingers over the cut and crushed shoulder as he traced each impact point of Gypsy's teeth. "Walter?" Isaac began and looked up from the annihilated shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Walter replied and pulled a hunting knife out of his coat and handed it to Isaac so the dark mage could help him skin the giant cat, half of the blood had already pooled on the ground.

Isaac took the knife but then shook his head. "That's not," He began but stopped himself as he just decided to act like Lenna and get straight to the point. "Is Gypsy real?"

Walter froze for half of a second before he just looked at Isaac like he was crazy. "What?" He asked like he had absolutely no idea what Isaac was referring to.

Isaac and Lenna glanced at each other and a silent message passed between them: 'He's going to pretend nothing is up. Something is definitely up with that giant fox-shaped murder machine.' Or something to that effect.

"The dryads were referring to her as the 'false-vixen'." Isaac reminded Walter. "What does that mean?"

Walter looked like he was trying to come up with a reason for around a second before his eyes met Isaac's again. "They don't like her because she isn't a normal fox and not even technically female, in a sense." Walter replied. His reply was the best kind of lie and all three of them knew it, a misinformed truth by a technicality.

"She's the only one who I haven't noticed taking a bathroom break." Isaac added.

"She doesn't like people watching. Foxes bury their shit." Walter very easily explained away.

"Her bite force was astronomical." Isaac continued and patted where Gypsy had bitten the cat.

"The cat's weak and half starved. Also, most red foxes are around fifteen pounds or so and only a foot and a half tall. Gypsy's three feet tall and a hundred pounds. Her bite's gonna be a bit strong compared to what you'd expect from a fox." Walter continued trying to make her seem 'normal enough' to Isaac and Lenna. Neither of them were buying it.

"She crunched it like a grizzly bear." Isaac countered. "She's the size of a large wolf, assuming that her bite force would be roughly equivalent is normal. A well fed, every angry, alpha wolf can't crush a shoulder who's joint is the size of my head like that."

Walter knew that it didn't matter what he said, Isaac and Lenna would still be suspicious of Gypsy. He sighed. "She's real enough, okay?" He told them. "She doesn't age, not really, and she isn't technically alive. But does that really matter?"

Isaac paused. "Not really, I guess." He agreed. "It just seemed like a rather poorly kept secret."

"Anything or anyone heavily attuned with life and nature would and have realized it." Walter confessed. "I just try to keep who knows down to a minimum ya know?"

"You didn't actually explain anything." Isaac countered.

Walter walked over to Copper, flipped open a saddlebag, and pulled out a leatherbound book. "Here, read this." He told Isaac and handed it to him. "I took a gander at writing my own autobiography. Most of it doesn't make a good story, but the adventure that started with a full bank account, and ended with an empty one and Gypsy at my side was one that I figured would make a decent read."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Isaac took the book with mild surprise. He didn't expect Walter to just give him everything related to Gypsy in one go, considering how hard he had tried to dodge any concerns about her. "Thanks?" Isaac said, unsure if that was the correct reply.

"But, you are helping us skin this first. You can read it tonight while I'm catchin' zees." Walter told him and gestured towards the giant cat that still needed taken apart. Isaac really wanted to just open the book and start reading but Walter had a point. If they wanted to get to the next rest stop before sundown, they had to hurry.

Isaac, Lenna, and Walter got to work and managed to strip and pack up most of the Silent Stalker corpse in around an half an hour. The work wasn't perfect, far from it, and there were still at least two bullets somewhere in the meat, but it was good enough for a rushed job. Copper had to cut loose for a little while to make up for their missing time and by the time they arrived at their next planned resting place, the forest had started to come alive.

A tree branch whipped out at Walter and Copper as they raced for the campsite. It was only a minute or so away but they hadn't made it in time. The wildlife was left entirely unmolested by the forest but mortals were very much not. Walter's hand snapped out with an effort of will and focus. The branch was stopped cold as he forced more mana into the low level telekinesis spell than it was built for.

Lenna flashed a blazing orange in the dusk light that hung deep over the forest. The root that had reached out to take her was burned to ash on contact.

Isaac backhanded a vine that snapped towards his face with a fifth level spell's worth of death flames and the entire plant was almost instantly turned to ash. He did not notice the second one coming until it had wrapped around his ankle and yanked. He needed a moment to recover from using as much mana as was safe for him in his current condition. His feet were yanked out from under him and he was pulled towards the edge of the forest faster than either of them could react.

Isaac was nearly impaled by a branch from a nearby tree but he hit the vine that had him by the ankle with a second level spell's worth of mana, just enough to turn the part that touched him to ash, and then shadow-stepped back onto the path near Lenna right as the branch shot through where he had just been.

"Shit." Isaac swore. "This is why you told us that we wouldn't be safe to travel after dark."

"Yes and no!" Walter called back as Copper ate up the last hundred yards to the campsite. "Something has them riled up!"

"Probably the lindwyrm." Lenna said what they were all thinking and torched another branch that went straight for her heart.

"Shamesh, bubble." Isaac ordered his shadow as it opened up and a rather dapper bone butler emerged. Shamesh did as he was ordered in an instant. A Reality Bubble formed around them with a large hole at their feet to allow mana to still easily flow through the area.

"What a strange place." Shamesh commented. "Might I ask where we are?"

Isaac gave Shamesh a quick rundown of what had happened since the last time he had been summoned, while they made a rather peaceful jog to the campsite. When they arrived, Shamesh was allowed to cancel the bubble just as Isaac was getting to the part when the duo and Walter had left.

"Ah so the companions that common civilization finds concerning at best, and horrifying at worst, are allowed to come out into the open?" Walter commented when he saw Shamesh.

"That's unnecessarily rude." Lenna told Walter.

Walter shrugged. "I didn't mean it to be." He nodded towards where Gypsy was curled up. "She's made of metal, mostly anyway." He told Shamesh. "What's your story?"

"Do you know what's got the trees going crazy?" Isaac questioned Walter before he let the comment about Gypsy being made out of metal sidetrack him too much.

"Hold on." Walter told him and walked over to one of the trees surrounding the resting point. He placed his hand on the tree and closed his eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked the tree gently. He stood there with his eyes closed listening to the leaves rustling in the early night breeze for well over a minute before he finally pulled back. "The balance is off." He explained. "The zoo animals have started killing each other off. This ecosystem was very purposefully built, but it was made with hunting in mind so a few kills here and there doesn't make much of a difference. Every predator being pushed out of the largest territory has done exactly as much damage as it sounds. The trees, not knowing any better, are lashing out at everything that isn't supposed to be here."

"But that tree's fine." Isaac commented and gestured towards the tree right next to Walter.

"Campsite trees are different from forest trees. Which are different from roadside trees." Walter informed him. "Each kind has its own temperament and rules."

"Are they going to be like this in the morning?" Lenna wondered.

Walter shook his head. "No. The roadside trees aren't allowed to act out during the daytime, only the forest trees can." He replied.

"That's good at least." Isaac said with a nod. "So, what was this about Gypsy being made of metal?"

"Read the book." Walter told him and then turned to Shamesh. "Well, you aren't a lich."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, I am Shamesh, retainer of the Lord of Darkness and servant to the V'Nova Wexler household." Shamesh introduced himself with practiced ease.

"A very well spoken servant and retainer." Walter complimented him. "Almost too well spoken. I'm Walter Walker, the Engineer, and your master and mistress's guide."

As Walter went about his evening chores, he and Shamesh talked. Walter asked him a ton of questions and the skeletal retainer did the same. They had been at it for a few hours and it was soon time for Walter to try and get some sleep when Isaac seemed to remember something. "Can you enchant Shamesh's clothes with impact resistance?" He cut into Walter and Shamesh's conversation.

"Yeah." Walter easily agreed. "For a fee, of course, but yes, I can, starting tomorrow."

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