The next day after her arrival Luz found herself trying to acclimate to the camp. But she had quickly engrained herself. Particularly she had become fast friends with Hunter.

Luz had picked up on the naming conventions of the Grim Walkers. Generally the Grim Walkers chose their own names after their thirteenth "Emergence Day", or they were given names based on characteristics or actions taken before then. The camp cook was named Cookie, not because he cooked but because when he was young he was infamous for steeling sweets from the kitchen. Other names were more hard to discern, the lieutenant that had ordered Hunter to look after Luz had been named Grimm, apparently for his own disposition, in Luz's opinion he was an asshole. Hunter was named after the holder of his galdorstone before him.

The day after Luz had arrived at the camp she and Hunter had discussed the nature of Grim Walkers.

They sat in front of small tent, looking into the fire. Hunter fiddled with a small hunting knife, polishing and sharpening it in cycles. It was dark like onyx, and so polished it shined like a mirror.

"Are you all family? You all look alike."

"Yeah," Hunter said, smiling through his chipped teeth, "We all come from a human, named Caleb. Caleb Wittebane. I guess you could say we are all Wittebanes."

"I'm sensing there is a but there," Luz said, picking up a stick and prodding the embers of the fire.

Hunter looked slightly uncomfortable. "Yeah… yeah there is," Hunter said, drifting off a bit near the end.

Luz waited for him to continue.

"So.. Okay, so Caleb was human right? Like you," Hunter said gesturing to Luz in general but also gesturing to her ears. He then gestured to his own ears, which were slightly larger than hers, and also longer and came to a definite point. "But we are not."

Luz waited again for him to continue, It was obvious that he was having trouble finding the words to explain himself to someone with no context for what he said.

"So Caleb found himself on the Boiling Isles something like 300 or 400 years ago, long time ago is what I'm getting at. He was brought here, by a witch, her name was Evalynn, and I guess they were friends. He seemed like a good guy, and they helped to protect each other. Eventually they fell in love. But Caleb had this younger brother, named Phillip. Phillip was some kind of soldier or something in the Human Realm, and he thought that witches were evil. So he followed Caleb, thinking that maybe he was kidnapped or something. But after a few years of searching he found out that Caleb had gone willingly and that he had married the witch. And…"

"He killed him?" Luz asked, sadly.

Hunter looked at Luz surprised, before relaxing again. "The way of things, isn't it? No one gets a happy ending."

"No I guess they don't."

"But anyways, I guess Phillip couldn't handle what he had done or whatever, and he blamed the Demon Realm for what he had done to his brother. For corrupting him or some such nonsense. So he hatched a plan to kill everyone," Hunter gestured to everything around him.

Luz looked around, seeing the hustle and bustle of the camp. People living their lives, going about business, brothers, friends, family. She couldn't imagine thinking that they were any less people than her dad or her uncles or anyone back home.

"But Phillip couldn't do it alone. He needed help. Maybe he also wanted to atone, maybe. He found old magic, dark magic, magic that no one on the Boiling Isles had used for hundreds or thousands of years. Not openly anyway. He took a bone from his brother and made a Grim Walker."

Luz's eyebrows raised, betraying her shock. "So all of you are…"

"Made from the bones of Caleb Wittebane. But things changed over time, Phillip tried to think of the Grim Walkers as family at first, like he was their uncle, but over time he thought of them more as slaves, tools to be used and discarded. He killed a lot of them, remaking them over and over again. For years. Some lasted longer than others."

"So why are there so many of you now?"

"Well…" Hunter looked around, almost as though he was scoping to see if anyone was listening.

"Last night, when we found you, you were being chased."

"Yeah by some kind of monster. Belos I heard you all call it."

"That's Phillip. He renamed himself Belos, tried to take over the Isles. He got close too. Maybe he would have, but something came up. Only about a hundred years after he arrived another human found their way here, like you did. I don't know what his name is, no one does. But he calls himself Bayaz. He was also some kind of soldier. He led Belos' armies, directed the creation of the Grim Walkers."

Luz was hopeful that if someone else human was here, maybe they knew of a way to go back. Maybe there were more humans here even.

Hunter continued, "But over time he saw what a tyrant Belos was, and how unstable he was becoming. Belos was extending his life by consuming palismans." Hunter whistled and extended his arm and a small red bird came to land on it. "Palisman's are made from Palistrom would and given life by witches. They are companions, best friends. You're almost bonded to them by your soul. Belos would drain the essence from them, giving him greater life, reinvigorating him and giving him youth."

The bird walked up his arm and nestled in the crook of his neck.

"But it made him unstable, both in body and in mind. Over time he became more and more a beast. One day Bayaz planned to overthrow and kill Belos, but even with a team of Grim Walkers, made in secret and loyal to him, Belos escaped and made his way into the woods. There was a time when some witches were loyal to Belos, and he led them as best he could, but his charisma could only get him so far, and with each palisman he consumed, and the longer it took to get each one, the more animal-like he became. I don't think there is anything of him anymore."

Luz thought back to last night, to the feeling of being watched in the wood, how she was chased. There was an intelligence there, but it was beast like, capable of strategizing in only the loosest of terms, of only finding something to feed on, something to sustain it just long enough that it could find the next thing.

"Didn't seem like there was much left last night," she finally said.

"His territory is here on the fibula, and each month it gets smaller. We drive him closer and closer to the edge. Officially, we in the scouts are attempting to apprehend him so Bayaz can restore him and the Boiling Isles can have an Emperor again."

"Why the lie? People can handle the truth."

"Never said they couldn't. But I don't know. Bayaz is smart, maybe he thinks that most people couldn't handle knowing that the man history reveres was conspiring to kill them. Also maybe is gives his regency legitimacy. We've had some divisions in the past. The fibula is Belos' territory, but it isn't uninhabited. The Cult of Belos also lives here."

"Cult? Like religion?"

"Kinda, sorta, maybe? It's more like a cult of personality, people who think Belos was cursed by Bayaz, who don't buy into the truth. They try to protect Belos thinking that one day either the curse will wear off, or they could cure him. It's led by a coven of witches, primarily a small demon and a witch named The Raven."

Hunter shivered. "The Raven is bad news. One of the most dangerous witches on the Isles. Only the Owl Lady and Bayaz have a chance of going toe-to-toe with her."

"The Owl Lady?" Luz asked. What a buch of corny ass nicknames.

"She's a rebel. Terrorist really. She lives in a house up near north most part of the ribcage. Leads a gang that likes to steal and terrorize."

"What does she want?"

"I dunno. No one knows. Anarchy? Her own kingdom? It seems like she just hates Bayaz."

"Anyone else I should know about?"

"The Blights control the Western Arm, old nobles from even before Belos. They are masters of Abomination magic, as well as technomancy. An army of replaceable borderline unkillable soldiers guards them. The political control is with the wife, Barroness Odalia, and Baron Alador. I hear their daughter Amity is a monster on both sides, on her way to becoming the fourth most powerful witch on the Isles."

Luz sighed, politics, militaries, borders and everyone with their own vendettas. Sounds like home already.

Luz breathed out and said, "Okay that is enough politics and history. How's about geography. Where are we?"

"The fibula."

"And the fibula is south of the femur. I know enough anatomy to know that. So if you know anatomy you should be able to find your way around the Isle's."

"Yes and no, you'll know where things may be in biological or anatomical distance from each other, but the Titan isn't lying in an anatomical position. He's sprawled, because he's dead. So Like… like the arm?" He points to the large structure on the horizon raised to the sky. "Like technically the fingers are farther from the shoulder, but on a map, they are geographically the same. Because when he died, his arm laid in that position above the shoulder. So I if I said, 'Report to the most distal region of the arm,' you wouldn't read the coordinates the same on a map. And also just because you know terms and a lot of towns correspond to them, doesn't mean you know everywhere. Hexside, Bonesborough, Gladius, these words don't tell you where they are."

Luz laid back on the grass in a huff. So much to learn, so much to know.

"You'll get it with time. I've had my whole life to learn, you just got here," Hunter said, trying to comfort Luz.

"Thanks Hunter." Luz said, bringing herself up to rest on her elbows.

Hunter was about to say something else when a Guard came up to them, "Hail Little Brother! Hail Luz the Human!"

"Slate, what do you need?" Hunter asked, standing up at once.

"It is not what you can do for me, but what you can do for the Top."

"Huh?"

"The Commander needs to see you. Both of you. In the tent, now." Slate had a lopsided grin. Partly it was because of the long jagged scar that made it look like he was always grinning like he knew something you didn't, but Luz sensed a mischievousness behind it.

"Right!" Hunter said saluting sharply.

Slate waved a hand dismissively, "None of that now. Git."

He turned and walked off. Hunter reached down, offering his hand to Luz, "C'mon. If the commander wants us, then it has to be important."

Luz grasped the hand was shocked how easily Hunter hoisted her off the ground. Kid was stronger than his skinny frame betrayed. Witch thing or Grim Walker thing? Luz filed it away for later.

They walked, navigating the small but sprawling camp until they came to the large tent they had seen last night. Again two hooded and masked guards stood holding spears.

"Halt Little Brother, state your name and purpose. You too, human." One said from the left.

"Oh come on, you know the Commander wants to see us. I doubt there is another human here," Luz said.

"Yeah yeah," the guard on the right said, "But we have procedures for a reason human. So shut up, we weren't talking to you to begin with."

Hunter cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah, um, Cadet Hunter, reporting as ordered."

"Permission granted. Welcome Hunter, come inside," the Guards both pulled a flap aside and Hunter and Luz went in.

Again the large table and map lay in front of them, and the commander stood, holding a letter which he was reading.

Hunter marched purposefully forward and boldly stated, "Cadet Hunter, reporting sir!"

The Commander made no move to acknowledge him. He finished reading the letter and sat it down. Luz recognized this for what it was, a dominance tactic. He would acknowledge Hunter when he was ready, not a second before. It let everyone know who was in charge.

Finally he turned to hunter, "At ease, Little Brother. Welcome."

Hunter relaxed and asked, "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Both of you," the commander started, "Last night I dispensed a flyer to The Heart, to let Lord Marshall Bayaz know what we found out here. He arrived early this morning, before dawn and found the Lord Marshall awake. Bayaz sent him back here with a word." The Commander held up the letter he had been examining when they entered.

It bore a short message, "Send her to the Heart immediately."