The next day, the three set out together, on the road towards the mountain. As they exited the city gates, people waved them away. Evidently, the tavern lady had spread the word that the three heroes were leaving on a quest, and half the town showed up to send them away. Some had even given gifts, a rich widow gave a small bag of gold to each of them, the tavern lady supplied bread, Auntie Myrtle sent them blankets and cloaks to keep them warm. Best yet, as they were getting handshakes and pats, Ember detected nobody shying away. 

The trip to the next small village was only a half days journey out. The three started in mid morning, and thought to be in the nearby farming village before evening set in completely. If they could find nowhere to take them in, they decided to stay in the nearby forest. 

The day started off well, the three exchanged backstories and chatted for a while. Soon the conversation dwindled down to a minimum. As they walked, Ember realized that none of them had the experience to defeat the giant, and even combined it might not be enough. That giant had the power of chaos on his side. They would need to train as they went. 

Ember started running through some of the spells she already knew. Anything that had to do with water or the cold was often a weaker spell in her hands. Fire was her specialty, the heat that licked up her fingers when she cast the flames felt energizing and natural. The lights she cast would soon sputter or die quickly, but when she cast shadow over something it was bound to last. She practiced as she walked, making a small flame burn patterns into the ground and then extinguishing it. 

For lunch, the three munched on wild blackberries that grew along the road. Ceaser, who flew or walked along beside them, accepted the berry treats, but Ember knew it would not sustain him long. 

"Idril, Mayabelle," she called. They stopped and turned to listen. "Ceaser can't keep munching on these forever. He needs meat of some kind." The other two nodded, glancing around as though there would be a steak somewhere. 

"We need to go into the forest so he can hunt something," she said, gesturing into the woods. 

The forest should be safer during the day, Ember reasoned as they turned off the trail. Travelers were advised never to go into the forest, just in case there might be a rouge owlbear lurking or even a pack of hungry wolves. Surely in the daylight they would be just fine. 

They trudged through the thick grove of trees, hoping to find a river with fish or to scare up a squirrel out of its nest. A flapping of wings sent Ceaser launching off the ground in pursuit. Mayabelle crouched down to pick a few flowers, Idril hunched over on a rock and Ember started collecting a few mushrooms to eat later. 

Suddenly, Ember heard a rustle from a bush nearby. Quickly, she shushed her friends. They looked around in confusion at Ember. Tensing, she pulled her sword from her sheath. Out of the brush sprang a human sized creature, snapping and snarling at the three. He had the head of a massive hyena, fangs shining with saliva, yellow eyes trained on the three, shaggy hair raised on his thick ugly neck. His face was decorated with scars and his ragged clothes were stained with blood. One of his clawed hands held a club and in the other was clasped a spear. He growled and charged straight for Mayabelle.