Zia roamed the Shale Steps surrounding forest, knowing in her heart she made the right decision. Her friends might've been hurt by her peeling away from them so suddenly, but it was for the best.

Really, it was.

They didn't understand just how bad things could get in that village if she stepped foot in it. Mothers would hide their young children, and the more disobedient little shits would throw rocks at her to test if her stone skin would crumble to bits or crack like an egg. It would do neither of those things, but it would still hurt both her and their chances of finding anything out. Husbands and wives would take up their arms because she was cursed and they were scared and fear leads to anger-anger towards anything that looked like it could be a threat. Anything-Like her. These people had been through enough.

She didn't want to start any fights with her presence.

She wandered through the brush and skirted around the twisting roots of trees. She listened to the sounds of the forest as she strode through it, searching for any signs that a large creature could have been through this way. But she didn't take note of anything larger than a chittering squirrel.

She hopped up on the edge of a fallen oak, she fingered the breakage, it had rotted through. She straightened up, shaking her head. The tree fell naturally as far as she could tell. Zia slid down its moss covered bark as she eyed the mountainside in the distance through a gap in the tree line.

Monsters and Mountains went hand in hand. She rested the palm of her left hand on the hilt of her obsidian blade. She should know. Her amethyst eyes hardened. Memories rushed to the forefront of her mind, but she did her best to push them away as she walked in the other hills direction.

She didn't want to think about when she was a girl. All the times when the villagers would trap her in the mountainside mines when her papa went away on a trip. She didn't want to remember how they said she didn't belong in the village. How they were good people and that they didn't deserve to be plagued by her and her damned curse.

She leapt off the edge of a tall rock landing effortlessly on the ground underneath the small ledge. She adjusted her gloves, double checking that they were secure, as if that would do anything to squash her thoughts down and rid her of her memories of the past. Memories she wished she could forget.

She didn't-

There was someone behind her.

She drew her swords, body mirroring the blades in her grip as she spun around. She sliced downwards, gold sparks leapt between the two ores as her obsidian colored blades met the silver metal of Vax's daggers.

"Easy! Zia, Fuck!" Vax's arms strained with effort to keep her swords from slicing into him. "It's just me!"

He didn't have the strength to shove her off. The half elf's knees about to buckle from the force of her blow. Zia was stronger than him with her cursed strength. But as soon as it registered who she was about to slice Zia backed off.

"Could you have slashed any harder?" Vax inspected his daggers edge. An almost imperceptible chip in the metal. "Fucking Hell."

"It's your fault for sneaking up on me." Zia murmured, holstering her swords. She looked away lip curling. "...maybe you should get stronger daggers."

Vax's eyes narrowed. "Somehow I don't think my daggers are the problem."

"No?" Zia smiled.

"No. My daggers aren't weak." He stepped beside her brushing his shoulder against hers. "You're strength is just insane." He nodded in the direction she'd been heading. "C'mon, we need to head towards that fallen pine on the hill over there. Some village kids said some giant flying creature knocked it down."

"We're going off the words of children?"

It was good she hadn't gone then.

"Did they say anything else?"

"They said that they'd love to meet my stone friend."

Zia stopped. "You told them about me?"

"Might've mentioned you a little."

"Vax."

"Pike tried to leave a blessing on their house. It wasn't exactly reassuring. Didn't like them looking scared. So, I told them about you hunting for the monster in the forest with your sharp swords."

"You shouldn't have done that."

"Why not? As soon as we kill this creature those people are going to be grateful to you."

"People are never grateful." Zia denied, not towards her.

"Well, maybe today's the day that all changes."

Zia pressed her lips together as they walked on. No. Vax was wrong. It never changed. It never would change. She was cursed and that's all that ever mattered to people, it's all that ever would.

No matter how many times they moved when she was growing up the ire's of the villagers never changed. So why would they now? People were all the same. Mean, cruel, horrible-too good to breathe the same air as her. It was her fault really. It had to be. She made them react that way. She made them uncomfortable, and scared, just by being there. She didn't belong. They made that clear.

Birds squawked overhead as Zia and Vax united with the rest of the group.

"Found her." Vax announced as they stepped out onto the path.

"Lovely for you two to join us. Right. Let's get a move on. Maybe we can face this fucker before these clouds open up. " Vex started walking past the aforementioned broken tree.

"Good to have you back, Z. Missed you back there." Pike gave Zia's thigh a pat before she made to follow Vex.

"I wasn't gone that long," Zia remarked a single hand placed on her hip.

"It was long enough." Percy spoke up, walking up the hill to her side.

"I guess." She turned away and quickened her pace to be far ahead of him. As well meaning as his words had been last night they couldn't be applied to every situation. Things had gone better in that village without her presence. Didn't Percy see that? He was smart. Really smart. So why was he giving her a hard time for making all their lives easier?

Her amethyst eyes landed on the broken tree. She focused on the jagged edge of the rough bark. Something seemed off about it. The way it splintered...

"It never saw it coming. Spent all its life watching over the village. Never expected it would have to watch out for itself." Keyleth came up beside her. "The poor thing."

"Keyleth, it's just a tree." Zia frowned at her.

"Yeah, well you're just a rock." Came the druids quick reply as she leaned on her staff.

The statuette felt a stab of pain pierce her heart at the Druid's words. Her eyebrows shot up as her lips pursed. Just a rock? Really?

Before Zia could dignify Keyleth's comment with a response of her own Vex was calling them over. Trinket found something.

The bear sniffed at an indentation in the trail.

"Good job, Trinkie." Zia's lips quirked up, walking over to scratch behind the bears ear. The bear deserved a reward sure, but maybe she was just trying to distract herself from Keyleth's words.

"Zia," Vex narrowed her eyes. "Don't distract him. Trinkets busy. You can give him scratches later."

She waited for Zia to pull her gloved hand away from trinkets fur before she examined the indentation he'd discovered.

"The tracks are too muddy to discern. But it looks like it took to the air and flew along the coast."

Zia looked to the cliff face. Fuck, were those scratch marks? Whatever this creature was it had some pretty sharp claws to be able to mark that stone.  She did not want to find out what it could do to her skin.

Yet, Vox Machina kept moving. Walking right towards wherever the beast may be lying in wait. They followed the scratches on the cliff face. The path was long and winding, the terrain steep, uneven and jagged.

Zia watched as Keyleth slipped just ahead of her, the half elven Druid almost losing her staff if not for a quick save from Vax.

"Zia," Percy caught her arm. She'd been so focused on Vax and Keyleth she hadn't noticed she was about to go over the steep edge and tumble down herself.

"Shit." Zia breathed leaning back blinking her eyes as she took in the drop before her. She looked back at the white haired man just behind her. "Uh, thanks Percy."

His hold on her arm fell away once he was sure she wasn't in danger of skidding down.

"Lost in thought again?" He studied her.

"Mm. No, not this time. Just focused on the wrong thing, I guess." Zia replied. She didn't stay in his hold for long. She couldn't let the gap between her and Keyleth get too big. Vex would be pissed if the rest of them weren't keeping up.

She slid down the jagged mossy stone.

Percy was right on her heels.

"Tell me something."

"Hm?" Zia hummed, head tilted.

"After we're through with killing this creature, am I going to be able to convince you to join me for a spot of wine?"

"Percy, you know how I feel about taverns..."

"Yes, well, would your answer be the same if the table were to be on the opposite side of the window?"

Zia's eyebrows furrowed. "Huh?"

"Just...think on it, Zia." Percy squeezed her shoulder.

Zia blinked watching him go ahead of her.

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And this was chapter 7 peoples! I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter we finally finish episode 1! It'll be out sometime in the next two days! (If by some chance you don't see an update remind me! Cause that means I got preoccupied with watching my puppy and have forgotten to post it 😞). Anywho, I split this chapter up in two cause I just really wanted to update again and didn't want to rush the fight scene. Also while you waiting here are some questions!

1. Thoughts on this chapter? I'd love to know what you thought of it!

2. Do you think Zia was right for peeling away from the group or do you think she should have just stayed with them?

3. Do you think Zia and Percy are gonna be good together or should I pair her with someone else?

4. How old are you? Just wondering what the age range of my audience is

5. What are some things you'd like to know about Zia?

6. If you could give Zia one piece of advice what would it be?

7. Anything else you'd like to ask, rant and or tell me!