Zebulon felt it was an auspicious day to be setting out. The weather was good, the road was dry. As he strode steadily down the road, further away from the city, the air smelled fresh and green compared to the close, often crouded streets. He breathed deeply, savoring the scents. He had a good feeling about this job. It seemed to herald a strong beginning to his new life.

There were lots of other folk on the road today, which was hardly surprising, considering the good weather. Farmers and traders passed now and then, mostly heading towards the city. He smiled and nodded and occasionally greeted people as they passed. There were some other folks on the road who caught Zebulon's attention, travelers who were not the usual small folk, and who were all heading in the same direction as him. He spotted a lady of the city guard nearby, and further along, a young woman was talking with a tall green-skinned man. He was particularly struck by the lizard-folk woman and the harpy, however, each of whom was keeping to hereself. He was hardly a stranger to the world's diversity of people, having lived in the city most of his life, but he had only ever read about peoples such as those. He eyed each of them with curious glances, trying not to stare or be rude.

I should be focusing on the task to come, he thought, snapping his mind back to the apparent monster problem out on the peach farm. There is a high likelihood the problem is theives or some similar mischief, he mused, but in case some creature is involved, I should be prepared. He pulled his spell book from the pouch at his hip and began to peruse its pages. Hardly paying attention to his surroundings any more, he was soon muttering quietly to himself as he walked on, thinking about which spells might be best to use.