Finding the next clue wasn''t overly hard: still smoking ruins had the habit of standing out like a sore thumb. Why she didn''t pay attention to the probably most out-of-place feature in the basically new Greenskin collection-of-hovels (that was the correct translation the Elves used for every non-Elven settlement), she couldn''t exactly understand. A Perception of 16, Good Vision, and an [Observe] of 80% should be enough for that, no?


    On the other hand, she probably did notice the building but paid no attention to it. Yes, that was it! How should she know, Greenskins didn''t build it like that on purpose? All those non-Elves had, after all, these strange habits of… Living, not accepting their Elven overlords as overlords, not following the superior Elven way of life, or being non-Elves.


    She did notice, however, that the ground around the ruin was littered with gemstones. So, her Stats, Perks, and Skills worked just fine, after all!


    Why there were gems scattered around, she could only speculate. It was probably either some "cultural" thing of non-Elves or that accursed Traveler did something perverted again. She drew a blank on how one could do perverted things with gems, but it was the most likely explanation. Since it was done by a Traveler, it had to be something perverted.


    A mating ritual, maybe?


    ‘You could put Skill Points in any foreign [Culture] or such’


    At least some of the voices had a sense of humor. Why would an Elf need Points in any foreign-related Skills? Most customs were about bashing each other''s heads with clubs, with the winner finding a big rock to stand on and throw poop around. Maybe while slapping his chest and growling. No need to waste expensive Skill Points for that!


    Anyways… After noting the remains of some Traveler mating ritual (or was it a post-orgy orgy?), Shinead surveyed the ruined building. Something powerful exploded there, there was no question about it. She was reasonably sure, the perverts weren’t able to pilfer such explosives from her or that traitor Guillermo’s ragtag group.


    So, logically, they probably found some magical artifact in the hoard and started to play with it, like the idiots they were. However, there were no remains to be found, and her survey indicated, that the party didn''t leave on foot either. Again, logically, there were two possibilities left: they were completely annihilated or by some miracle, they managed to teleport out of the city.


    After checking her magical compass, only one possibility remained.


    How could it be possible?! What kind of Luck was needed to find a working teleporter, start playing with it, and succeed? All the while no one knowing anything about magic?


    No wonder, Travelers were considered a scourge, and they were hunted down without mercy! Shinead shuddered at the thought, of what would happen, if those pesky extra-Arkadians were left to their own devices. One Heroes’ Party was dangerous as it was, but imagine multiple ones, not even counting solo morons or unsupervised Crafters! Absolute chaos! Mayhem!


    Well, as long as the Heroes were outside of the Domain, it would be all right, but the destruction would splash over sooner or later, she was certain.


    There were enough cautionary tales!


    Like the one crafter, who tried to build a “newk”, just because it was fun, and he could. She was shown (as most of the important people) the crater, that once was a secure research facility.


    No, killing Travelers on sight (or at least putting them under constant supervision, and killing them later) was for the good of all of Arkadia! Or, more importantly, the Domain.


    Well, she already planned to kill the Traveler (and his party of perverts) off – probably only after, she had a little bit of fun – but now it was an obligation! No person, who would find and manage to operate an old teleportation array, while being a magical dud could be left alive! If he managed that, there was no limit, to what kind of other long-lost treasures he may have found!


    Maybe even something, that could turn whole societies on their heads! Of course, not Elven society, that would be impossible. Start wars! Give those non-Elves restricted knowledge!


    If, no, when she completed her self-imposed task of single-handedly saving all of Arkadia (and more importantly, the Domain) from the machinations of a depraved Traveler, there would be legendary legends, epic poems, wonderful paintings, and spectacular statues waiting for her!


    As it was her due.


    No rest for the undead! Onwards into the setting sun! She struck a heroic pose, before setting out. The whole awesomeness of her departure was only slightly marred by the fact, that the sun wasn’t visible, it was actually morning, and she started in the wrong direction initially.


    Of course, artistic license would be able to cover up that blunder of the sun.


    Navigating the Valley wasn’t getting easier, she found. While she tried to keep a westerly course, the Valley’s weak fabric deposited her to different parts constantly. Once she gained a glimpse of the sea, another time she could have sworn, there was a sprawling city, full of life behind the next bushes.


    Another time she arrived at a majestic river, just to lose it, when she rounded a few trees – just to arrive at the same river days later. On the Western bank.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She even came up on the ruins of a once invincible Elven hilltop settlement! And the ruins of collections-of-hovels of other species.


    The most disturbing find was a huge cemetery, with gravestones and mausoleums as far as her superb eyes could see. What species left it behind, she only could guess, but it was most likely Humans. No Elf would put proud Elven dead into the ground, and Greenskins ate their dead.


    The disturbing part wasn’t the existence of the graveyard, or that uncivilized species were putting dead people into the ground (well, that one was disgusting), but how new the whole thing looked. It was almost like someone tended to the whole area.


    Unfortunately, her compass pointed directly across the storage of dead people.


    Just to make sure, she wasn''t followed, she ducked behind a few bushes, but when she emerged, the cemetery was already gone. What a pity, she was prepared to fight the most likely evil and high-Level caretaker! Absolutely! Nothing and nobody could stand in the way of a determined Elven operative!


    ‘Coward.’


    ‘Stop lying to yourself!’


    ‘What a waste of good ectoplasm.’


    The voices were cranky assholes again. Ducking behind bushes was just due diligence, even if doing so contained the danger, she would emerge somewhere completely different! Hopefully… Ehmmm… Regrettably far away from the graveyard! Yes!


    ‘Self-deluded moron.’


    It sounded like the voices were disgusted by her. No matter, she would show them, all of them, not just the voices! She would cause so many accidents, flog and bind up so many submissive Humans, that a Red Happened would get a new meaning! Whole countries will weep! At least those, who aren’t gagged at the moment, or were liking her shiny, thigh-high leather boots!


    She needed to get Mr. Woody back as soon as possible.


    At least there were animals and monsters, she could dispatch to reinforce her superiority to the voices. Being able to turn incorporeal at will, and place some lethal sneak attacks was actually fun. The wildlife was unable to smell her in her ghostly form – on the other hand, her physical form probably had an odor, that scavengers found irresistible.


    What that smell could be, she had no idea. She definitely didn’t stink like a week-old corpse, that was for sure. Elves don’t stink.


    ‘When was the last time, you took a bath?’


    ‘You know, you are a week-old corpse?’


    Idiotic voices.


    If that lowly and perverted Vampire didn’t stink, it was impossible, that a glorious Elven undead would stink! And, she was fresher!


    So, it was probably just her magnetic personality.


    If Shinead were a zoologist, she probably would have found a Valley a fascinating research object. With how weak the fabric of space was, it would be worth a thesis on how territorial beasts could maintain their territory. Or how said territorial beasts transited to nomadic, or how beasts and men could navigate the labyrinth of space successfully.


    Unfortunately for Arkadia''s scientific community, Shinead wasn''t a zoologist and didn''t care about science in the first place.


    She did, however, slaughter her way through countless rare animals, beasts, and monsters on the verge of extinction. If she had at least collected the remains or taken her time to examine her prey, some minimal value could have been saved for all eternity. In this case, she was just a rich prick, out on safari.


    At least, she gained a Level!


    It was a testimony to Shinead''s dedication, that she managed even that much – since Arkadia obviously didn''t reward the perpetrators of the next extinction event. Innocent monsters were probably cornerstones of the local ecosystem.


    Anyways, despite the urging of the voices to put her hard-earned Skill Point in frivolities like [Culture: Greenskinian], [Etiquette: Greenskinian], [Laws: Greenskinian], or at least [Speech: Greenskinian], she allocated every last Point to [Knives]. She wasn''t going to the Greenskin horde''s lands to party or make friends, but to save Arkadia from the clutches of a perverted Traveler!


    Besides, Elven culture and language were good enough for her grandma, so it was good enough for her too. If those barbarians wanted to talk to her, they should have learned Elven.


    Killing wildlife got easier after she Leveled, anyway.


    For a time, she debated with the voices to follow a stream Southwest, but in the end, she won. Naturally. The stream went Southwest, but her target was due West – why she would detour in the wrong direction, the voices couldn''t logically explain. If space was shot in the face with a crossbow bolt anyway, it was more logical to keep going in a set direction, and not wander around, searching for picturesque streams and glades.


    The voices just groaned in the face of her superior intellect.


    Usually, listening to random voices in your head isn’t a good idea, but ironically Shinead managed to acquire reasonable voices. Voice of reason is a real thing, but usually, this consists of friends, relatives, or superiors, who tell you, you are a dick or moron – you may or may not listen, but in the latter case, they will get fed up sooner or later. In this case, any shrink would have been able to make a comfortable living out of dealing with Shinead. Most freshly turned Undead had some severe mental health issues, but mostly their creators, friends, and relatives could help with optimizing the newly acquired Perks.


    In Shinead’s case, she had the misfortune to turn undead in the middle of nowhere, only watched over by a bunch of extremely bored ancient beings. That, and she had a few screws loose even before.


    All in all, this was a situation, where she should have listened to nice voices, telling her what to do.


    Since she didn’t listen…


    What felt like years, but probably was closer to a month, she finally managed to exit the Valley in Greenskin lands. Right in front of her was a beautiful lake, with some cliffs on the other side. Even with all her issues, she was able to appreciate a picturesque sight – the only thing, marring the experience was a butt-ugly structure on one of the cliffs, overlooking the lake.


    Well, Greenskin architecture was objectively repugnant, even Human hovels had more grace. Not much more, but at least a little bit.


    Just for the ugliness of it, she debated burning it down – to the displeasure of the voices. Just as she decided to leave it aside – her compass told her, the perverts weren’t there, and it would be a waste of time; no, the voices definitely didn’t persuade her – flute tunes started to emerge from nearby bushes. She would have called it suspenseful.


    “Freeze, Treesquezer! Identify yourself!”


    She was sooooo burning down that structure!