|
Final Fantasy XI Official Web Site
Allakhazam Final Fantasy XI
Linkshell Community
Vana'diel Atlas
Older Entries
|
A light breeze enveloped the adventurer as he stood in the doorway. He felt a small shiver run down his spine, although he did not know whether it was because of the wind or because of what had just happened. As he teetered on the edge of the step, for a second he thought he was dreaming or that he had imagined everything. Yet he had heard the capitaine’s request, and had no doubt in his mind about he should do. He turned around and saw her looking at him, with a tiny smile on her lips. She looked like the same capitaine he remembered, but he felt like everything about her resonated happiness. Somehow at that moment he knew everything would be alright, all his problems would be solved, and things would go back to normal, and he could not help but smile back.
The adventurer hoped that now that the tension had disappeared, they could have a proper conversation. As he approached her, he saw the capitaine grab her big mage hat off the floor, and he assumed she wanted him to sit next to her. So the adventurer sat on the floor, although he did not face her but instead faced the door like she did. His armor was still a bit wet, he was beginning to feel hungry, and the floor was not his preferred sitting area, but he nonetheless enjoyed sitting there. He felt calm, and his mind was at ease, but in his bliss he barely realized the relaxing effect their reunion was having on him. For a few moments they sat there in silence, enjoying the view of Jugner Forest out the door.
Perhaps out of a sense of privacy or awkwardness, or because there was something to do outside, the Royal Knight of the outpost excused himself and went out the door. The silence inside the outpost continued, although the adventurer did not notice. Even if he had, it was not the first time they had sat together without talking, and, he hoped, it would not be the last. Gradually, the gears in his brain slowly began to move, and he wondered if they would talk after all. The adventurer hated being so prone to worrying, but he had been that way for as long as he could remember. Besides, he wanted to know what the capitaine thought of the incident in Windurst, and the image of her injured right hand gnawed at his brain.
Deciding that the silence had lasted long enough, the adventurer began to do the talking. As he recounted what had occupied his time since he left Windurst, he jumped from sentence to sentence without much pause. It was unusual for him to hear no response from the capitaine, but he nonetheless continued to barrel through his story as fast as possible. He managed to get through all his recent happenings incredibly fast, although, upon finishing, it seemed to him that he had lost touch with the conversational rhythm they had. The adventurer also conveniently glossed over all the anxious thoughts he had as of lately, thinking that talking about them would make him look weak.
When the adventurer fell silent again, those same thoughts nagged at him once more. He felt like he was holding something back due to fear, but as usual he could not think of what that something was. While he thus wrestled with his thoughts, the only noise he could hear was his own breathing and the beat of his heart as his anxiety mounted. The capitaine did not begin to recount her story immediately, as he expected. This caused him to sit there and fret even more. It was thus while he restlessly worried that perhaps he had said something offensive or ridiculous that she asked him how he felt. As his mind was a mess at that moment, the adventurer was caught off guard.
He had trouble forming an answer, or at least an answer that would satisfy the capitaine. The adventurer did not want to resort to simple and short responses again, but could not think of anything better. When he finally answered, his one word response evoked a sigh from the capitaine. Immediately snapping out of his messy thoughts, he turned to face her and apologized for his tactlessness. With a sigh of his own, the adventurer explained that he had gone through quite a mental ordeal since Windurst. His thoughts had reflected his uneasiness about himself, and magnified those feelings while he worried about her. Seeing her now had made him feel incredibly better, but there was still something bothering him.
The adventurer wanted to know what had happened that made her run out of Windurst like she had. He felt he deserved an explanation, especially after all the trouble he had gone through to find her again. It was now the capitaine’s turn to hesitate to respond, and after a few moments of silence he began to suspect that he would not receive an answer. Indeed, as the capitaine began to speak again, she ignored his query, instead talking about the places she had visited during the last few weeks. She had seen deserts, glaciers, tombs, and met many other people in her travels. She had trained and honed her magic skills, felling many great beasts in those faraway lands, and had obtained a hefty amount of gil to boot.
When she talked about her activities, her face beamed with happiness. The adventurer was glad to see her happy, but, very thoughtlessly, felt resentful he did not share her memories. Some of his fondest recollections as an adventurer had been their early trips just outside San d’Oria. Since he met the capitaine, she had been an important part of his life, and he did not want to lose that. He tried not to betray his feelings with his face, but after a quick glance the capitaine stopped her story. She did not ask him what bothered him, as she probably knew, but tried to address his worries. She explained that she had a good reason for running out of Windurst like that, although the time was not quite right for her to say what that reason was.
When the capitaine said this, her face turned serious, and this in turn affected the demeanor of the adventurer. The puzzled adventurer, at least for the moment, stopped worrying about himself and instead about her, lowering his head as he submerged himself deep in thought. Perhaps she had incurred a great debt that needed to be repaid promptly, or worse, someone close to her had passed away. She still had not said anything about her injured right hand, so perhaps that is why she had run away. His brain, as usual, raced far ahead, thinking the worst possible things immediately. Then suddenly he felt her left hand on his head, and when he looked up he saw her face with that tiny smile again.
With a calm voice and her hand still on his head, the capitaine asked the adventurer to stop over-thinking. They had been distant for a while, and what she wanted most at that moment was to sit and enjoy each other’s company. As he prepared to respond verbally, she signaled for him to remain silent, and then turned her gaze once again to the peaceful scene out the door. The adventurer had trouble doing exactly as the capitaine asked, but at least for the moment he kept quiet and looked at Jugner Forest with her. Once again, the outpost fell quiet and the relative calm of the forest flowed inside. The serene scene overpowered the adventurer’s thoughts, and after a few moments he was smiling again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once the shock had worn off, the adventurer managed to mumble out a nervous greeting. The capitaine, seemingly in high spirits, answered cheerily. Unlike the adventurer, she was not soaking wet, which probably meant she had been in the outpost for some time, before the storm appeared. Deciding that this was a perfect moment for a long talk with the capitaine, he knelt down in front of her in order to continue the conversation, but also because he felt uneasy standing over his friend. She immediately continued with the conversation, asking all sorts of questions. The capitaine asked about what he had done since their last meeting, and especially about his companions standing on the opposite side of the small room.
The adventurer wanted to tell her every single thing that ran through his mind at that moment, everything from the moment he had left Windurst to their chance meeting just now. Instead, he found himself silent. He had trouble understanding how she could be so cheerful now, after a long disappearance, and worse, after she did so without an explanation. His feelings raced from disappointment to anger and then guilt in a split second, and he felt curses make their way up his vocal chords. Not wanting to cause a scene, he mustered enough words to say that the group was heading toward Jeuno, and then fell silent again. The capitaine did not look satisfied with the answer, perhaps expecting one of the long rants the adventurer usually performed.
Trying not to let his hurt feelings dictate the extent of the conversation, the adventurer asked about her right hand, which was bandaged. When she answered with the same lack of verbiage that he had just used in his own response, dismissing her injury as nothing, he felt a shiver run down his spine. Obviously her response was only imitating his, but nonetheless he was worried. He wondered in silence if their friendship had ultimately withered, left unattended for so long a time. Perhaps, despite his opposition to their drifting apart, the two had inevitably outgrown each other, and the breach was now impossible to mend. He felt miserable, but could not find the words to express his emotions.
Just when the adventurer was beginning to utter a few whispered words to the capitaine, Kashell called him to rejoin the group. The adventurer looked back at the group and nodded, then faced her again. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, but at the ground beneath his feet. Still kneeling, he touched her left hand and whispered a wish of good luck, then got up and walked towards Kashell and the others. Upon approaching, the adventurer was interrogated by a few of the less prudent members. Before the adventurer was able to answer, Kashell reprimanded the curious interrogators, explaining that it was not their business to ask such private matters. After promptly apologizing, the group awaited Kashell’s reason for the sudden reunion.
Without waiting a moment further, Kashell described the plan for the group. The Galka warrior asked if anyone could still hear any rain or thunder. After a short pause, and since no one did hear any more rain or thunder, he reasoned that the storm has passed or at least died down enough so that they could now continue to Jeuno. Though the path would still be muddy, Kashell and some of the others expressed their preference to gaining as much ground in their journey as possible instead of spending the night in the small outpost. As they further discussed what to do, the Royal Knight in charge of the outpost opened the door to check the weather, and reassured everyone inside that the storm had indeed passed.
Seizing the opportunity, Kashell instructed everyone to gather their belongings up and prepare to head out. While everyone was thus busy, the Galka pulled the adventurer aside to talk with him. Kashell had correctly sensed that something troubled his Elvaan friend, and it was due to the capitaine’s presence in the outpost. Not wanting to pry, Kashell told the adventurer that he was not permanently bound to the group, and could stay behind if he so chose. After all, Jeuno was not far away, and the rest of them could make it safely to the Grand Duchy. Kashell let the adventurer know that the group would be leaving soon, so the adventurer would have to choose quickly.
The adventurer thanked his friend for the consideration, and took a minute to gather his thoughts. He glanced back towards the capitaine, who was looking out the door as the sun began to cut through the remnants of the storm. Despite her injury, and their previous cold exchange, the capitaine still appeared content. Her demeanor only confused the adventurer further, and he was having trouble coming to a decision. She was sitting there, her big mage hat now on the floor, squinting a bit from the light of the sun and holding her right hand up to her chest. The adventurer was thoroughly unable to decide, and worse, he began to see each of the members of the group slowly filing out of the outpost.
The adventurer’s eyes darted downward as he concentrated on his dilemma. He had sold himself on the idea of visiting the Grand Duchy almost as soon as the group had gone past the walls of San d’Oria. For a long time he had heard of the Grand Duchy and his curiosity had already propelled him this far. Surely it would take him much further. As he began to rationalize his decision even more, he took a few steps towards the exit of the outpost. He told himself that originally he had gone on this trip to stop worrying about the capitaine, and since he knew now that she was ok, he could continue guilt-free. Not once, during the whole time he thought about going, did he look back at her.
The adventurer could now see back out into the forest. As Kashell had predicted, the path was muddy but passable, and soon enough things would be sufficiently dry to continue moving at a fast speed before the sun set. He noticed that as he approached the door, everything seemed to move in slow motion. After another step, his mind began to race yet again. Perhaps the capitaine wanted him to stay behind, to talk things through. Another step forward, and he figured that if she felt that way, she would have said something already. Finally, the last step brought him straight to the doorway of the outpost, staring out into Jugner Forest. He did not dare to look back at the capitaine.
The adventurer hesitated for a few moments in the doorway. He could see Kashell and the others already heading away from the outpost, though they were not very far yet. Even without running, he could catch up to them very easily, and he finally decided to go after them. He felt a great urge to turn back one last time, just to make sure the capitaine was ok. Taking a deep breath, he resigned himself to the idea that their friendship would never be the same. He determined that the best thing he could do was to continue to Jeuno, hoping that perhaps in the future things could be different. As he at last began to take the first step out of the outpost, something stopped him. Her barely audible whisper asked him to stay.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning the adventurer woke up with a terrible headache. He promised that never again would he drink like the night before, although in the back of his mind he knew that was not true. Looking around his sleeping area, he saw some trees that had provided shade for the group while they slept, although most other details about the land still appeared blurry to his eyes. Most everyone was knocked out on the ground, sleeping merrily while the adventurer began to feel sick. Kashell was awake and seemed to be guarding the area, paying no attention to his sleeping friends. The adventurer carefully stood up, feeling the world around him crush his head like a San d’Orian grape.
Walking towards Kashell, the adventurer was greeted by the Galka warrior, who pointed at the pot of pebble soup nearby. Apparently Kashell had cooked it to help with the inevitable headache of the members of the group. The adventurer nearly vomited from bending down to grab a bowl of the soup, but once he began to eat it his headache gradually disappeared. As his mind cleared, he began to recognize the area where the group had camped. The trees and grass meant they were not far from San d’Oria, but nonetheless he felt slightly lost. Kashell must have noticed his puzzled look, as he told the adventurer that they were in the border region between the La Theine Plateau and Jugner Forest. They were safe in the area, since many travelers passed through there to get to the Grand Duchy of Jeuno, just like the group was now.
The adventurer was amazed that, despite the group’s drunkenness, they had made it this far along in one night. He wondered how far they would have made it, had they not been drunk. As he imagined an alternate tale to the previous night’s events, the image of the capitaine appeared in his mind. He remembered the person who attracted his attention just before entering the bar, and wondered if perhaps he had missed the capitaine yet again. Suddenly, one of the members of the group sat up and ran as far away from the camp as possible, bending behind a tree in the distance. It was obvious what he was doing, and Kashell’s laughter at the other member’s misfortune snapped the adventurer back into the real world.
Eventually everyone else in the group woke up, and ate through the rest of the pebble soup. After a few hours everyone gathered their equipment and began to walk into Jugner Forest. As the adventurer entered the forest he felt the climate change. The air was heavy with humidity, perhaps as it was at lower elevation than the La Theine Plateau. Willow trees dominated the landscape as far ahead as he could see, and there were patches of mist here and there. As he had never been in the forest before, the adventurer was a bit surprised at the dramatic change of scenery, but once everyone else moved ahead he followed diligently. After a few minutes of walking in the forest in silence, they all heard something from above.
The cloudy sky growled at the group, as a mad orc would, and soon rain began to pour down on the forest. Luckily the trees provided enough cover for the group to avoid a total soaking. Slowly, they inched their way down the path through the forest. Looking ahead, Kashell mentioned to the group that until the weather changed for the better, avoiding unnecessary battles became their priority. In inclement weather, elemental spirits appeared, and one alone could bring down an unprepared party. With the weather at the moment, they might have to deal with Thunder and Water Elementals if they were not cautious. The adventurer began to understand why Kashell had warned the group when he managed to get a view of the clearing ahead through the rain.
A couple of large Forest Tigers braved the rain in order to devour what looked like a goblin’s corpse. They gnawed and ripped through the flesh of the dead goblin as if it were Selbina butter, and appeared to be completely absorbed in the feast in front of them. Everyone in the group quietly circled the clearing, maintaining a clear view of the tigers at all times. Although this meant going through some thick brush off the path and getting covered in what they hoped was just spider webs, they managed to make it past the felines. The tigers were either oblivious to their presence, or preferred to ignore them in favor of the meal. Once around the clearing, the group continued forward, albeit a bit faster.
The adventurer’s perceptions of his surroundings heightened after the close encounter. He nearly jumped every time excess rain fell from a tree branch, and after a few times of doing this Kashell touched him on the shoulder to calm him down. The adventurer nonetheless remained on alert, keeping an eye out for beasts hiding in the thick downpour. Although he expected most of the animals in the forest to hide from the heavy rain, it appeared that the wildlife thrived on it. Far ahead he could see what looked like giant mushrooms, but when those same mushrooms began to move he realized he was looking at Funguars native to Jugner. Those half-fungi, half-animal beings had always made him queasy, as he failed to understand how the two different species could coexist in one body.
Slowly he followed behind the rest of the group, while Kashell led the way down the path, or as close to it as they could stay. The rain forced them to stick to the trees, and this sometimes meant avoiding the path to stay dry. The ground was oversaturated, and soon they began to leave footprints on the mud behind them. It was thus while everyone had their eyes focused on the ground, to avoid getting stuck in the mud, that they felt the ground shake. At first the adventurer assumed he had imagined it, or that perhaps it had been a particularly strong bolt of lighting striking nearby. But when another tremor reached him, he rapidly looked up, and saw something that nearly made him scream out in terror. A tree to his left began to move parallel to the group.
Through for most of the group the their trek through the forest had been mostly silent, except for the rain and thunder, seeing the Walking Tree made every one of them utter sounds of disbelief. The tree’s steps shook the ground with great force, and droplets fell from other trees’ branches with every vibration. Everyone remained motionless as it walked by the group, not even turning to glance at them. The long, old face on the front of the tree stared straight ahead, crossing the path. The rain and thunder continued to provide the only sounds, while the Walking Tree moved toward a large group of other trees. Once it stopped, and no further pulsations along the ground were made, not one of them could recognize which was the tree they had seen move.
Disturbed by this last encounter, they decided to move forward a bit faster, though still cautiously. The rain and thunder began to let up, so that moving under the willows was not as necessary as before. After following a curve down the path, Kashell quietly stated that the outpost was ahead. The outpost in the forest would provide them at least with a place to rest, hopefully also allowing them to continue during dryer weather. Although no one tried to race to the outpost, nevertheless soon everyone was at its door, waiting to be let in. The friendly face of a Royal Knight of San d’Oria welcomed them, and they stepped into the dry and warm room. After thanking the hospitable knight, they huddled towards one of the corners.
Everyone took out a portion of their supplies to eat, as much to regain their strength as to combat the cold of the rain on their bodies. The adventurer looked around the sparse room out of curiosity, and saw someone else seated on a chair on the opposite wall. The person was reclining on a chair, with a big mage hat on, probably to keep the rain away from their face. Then he noticed the person had a bandage wrapped around their right hand. Instinctively, he stepped forward to offer curative magic with the wound, and the person turned her head up when she saw him approach. The adventurer, surprised, waved to the capitaine, who sat in front of him with a smile on her face.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a few weeks of no contact from the capitaine, the adventurer’s worry was unbearable. No matter how hard he tried, he always seemed to be a few steps, or hours, behind her. People in San d’Oria saw her, but no sooner was she in town than she was back out, and the adventurer had trouble catching up. He had tried many different things to keep himself busy, including exploring every inch of Ronfaure, egging orcs on to attack him, and visiting Ranperre’s Tomb more often than anyone else he knew. Despite all his efforts, he was beginning to feel sick with worry, and a bit slighted, although he felt guilty.
Thus when the opportunity presented itself, the adventurer welcomed a change of scenery. He overheard a group of warriors were going to travel to the lands far to the east, heading to the Grand Duchy of Jeuno. Hearing that word brought memories of Susu back to the adventurer’s mind, and before he knew it, he was offering his services, humble though they were, to the warriors. The group accepted, although some voiced the opinion that someone like the adventurer, who had not seen proper battle in a long time, might be more of a liability than an asset on the journey. Deciding to test his abilities, a few of the group stepped forward for a quick sparring session.
The adventurer’s brain was already committed to going, so he followed the group outside the castle walls, where some sat and others laid down their weapons for the match. After setting his items down, the adventurer stretched for a few seconds before walking in front of the group awaiting his first opponent. A human, smaller than him but bulkier, assumed a fighting stance a few steps in front. The human swung first, going straight for the adventurer’s torso. Quickly sidestepping his attack, the adventurer elbowed his adversary on the left side of his face. Although the adventurer made sure not to hit with all his strength, the human stepped back.
As the human charged at him again, the adventurer drew his hands in front of him to protect his abdomen, and felt the air escaping his lungs as a punch dug into his side. Reeling back, the adventurer then felt another hit graze the side of his face, and without thinking about it struck forward with one of his arms. The adventurer saw the human crouching in front of him, holding his face. After asking if the human was ok, the adventurer heard a noncommittal grunt, and the human walked back to his weapons. Relaxing for a second, thinking that the trial was over, the adventurer did not notice the big green figure walking towards him.
After wiping off his sweat, the adventurer was ready to sit and rest when he noticed everyone in the group looking behind him. As he turned around he came face to face with the first Galka he had met, although he had seen them before, especially in his recent trip to Windurst. The Galka smiled at him, took a fighting position and then motioned for the adventurer to begin the match. Finally understanding what was going on, the adventurer also adopted a brawling pose, and with a forceful swing struck one of the Galka’s arms, which parried the blow. The adventurer recoiled at the hit, feeling as if he had struck a rock.
Then the Galka struck him on the chest, pushing the adventurer back until he nearly fell over. Regaining his posture and his breath, he barely had time to put his hands up before the Galka, who was rushing at him, punched him again and sent him flying back. As he was falling, he could hear a couple of gasps from the audience, and when he landed he heard a low thud, and a groan escaped from his mouth. The adventurer sat up and, as he saw the Galka run towards him, got ready for another blow. He pulled his arms up again and braced for impact. After a few seconds of waiting, he opened his eyes to find the Galka extending his hand to help the adventurer stand up.
Once up, the adventurer dusted himself off while he thanked the goddess that match was over. Although he had not been hurt, he knew the next day his body would ache. The Galka warrior threw his arm around him and congratulated him on a good match, while the adventurer grimaced in slight pain from the tight embrace. As they approached the group, the human who had sparred against the adventurer approached him with his hand out, and after the adventurer shook it, he began to feel like the group as a whole had accepted him. Everyone started introducing themselves, but the adventurer was not able to catch their names except for Kashell, the Galka.
Some of the group expressed their surprise at the endurance of the adventurer, saying that he was one of a few number of people who were not knocked out when facing Kashell. Perhaps it was only the adrenaline rush from the spar, but the adventurer felt proud of his accomplishment. He and Kashell jokingly punched the air, pretending to prepare for another match while some of the others laughed. Although he did not realize it at the time, it had been a while since the adventurer had spent much time in a group like this. Parties were different, since most of the time the members quietly went through the motions of battle. But this felt like an actual bond.
Carrying their equipment, the group decided to head back into San d’Oria to make sure they had all the supplies they needed, and also to knock down a few ales at the pub. Though the adventurer had been anxious to get out of the city, coming back in with the group relieved his stress, and soon his mind was at ease. While the rest of the group continued to joke around on their way around town, Kashell and the adventurer hung back, a bit more serious but nonetheless having fun. The two shared a bit of their fighting expertise with each other, although it was clear that Kashell was much more experienced than the adventurer.
As they neared the Rusty Anchor Pub in the port, the group expectedly became more excited. Most of them were now singing, quite loud and out of tune, causing a bit of a commotion. Kashell and the adventurer decided to stay behind a bit, if only to avoid onlookers’ views as they made their way into the pub. When he reached the door after the others, the adventurer looked around to see if anyone was staring. Although no one was looking at him, someone standing near the opposite edge of the water caught his eye. For a second he thought he saw the capitaine, but reckoned it was someone else. Just then, Kashell opened the door of the pub and called him inside. The adventurer looked back again as he stepped into the pub.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shortly after exiting Regine’s shop, and promising to come back soon, the adventurer found himself walking down the steps toward the port in San d’Oria. The port, as usual, was busy, and people ran back and forth carrying packages, and others stood atop the airship platform, waiting for their transportation. The air was dry despite the body of water nearby, but perhaps that was due to the low temperature. Port San d’Oria was basically a large stone cave, perpetually under the shade, with access to water and air routes. It seemed to the adventurer that the port contained the strangest characters in all of San d’Oria, from the religious zealots near the water’s edge, welcoming travelers with their creeds, to the drunks coming out of the pub.
Despite all the activity around him, the adventurer’s mind was still concerned with his friend. The capitaine had left in such a hurry that he assumed it had to be very important. He felt sad, but the more he thought about the situation, the more he realized there was nothing to do about it. Despite his uneasy feelings, he reasoned that she had always come back, or found a way to rejoin him. After a few stressful minutes, his brain was having trouble coping with it all, so he decided to try to relax by taking a walk outside the city, in the Ronfaure woods. At the very least, the clean crisp air there would help him unwind, if only for a bit, and then he could worry about what to do next.
The adventurer’s culinary experienced had not quite worked out as well as he wanted. He felt guilty that he had run out on Susu like that, but planned to write her a letter soon, once he had decided whether he would go back or not. He also had wanted to check out Windurst’s magic shops, as the federation was a good place to find many rare spells, but that would have to wait. A million other little things picked at his brain while he made his way out of San d’Oria, towards Ronfaure. He was walking absentmindedly past all the places he wished to see again when he was away in Windurst. When he finally reached Ronperre’s Gate, he snapped out of it and looked back longingly at his hometown.
Although the kingdom of San d’Oria was steeped in old, some would say outdated, traditions, the adventurer was glad to be home. Elvaan were strongly tied to this land, and he was no exception, even if he could not explain why. Perhaps it was just nostalgia for days long gone, when San d’Oria was the strongest nation in all the land, and not just a place full of history. What he felt was not pride, but contentedness. His old meeting places with friends, the alleys he would use as shortcuts to get around and even the many steps where he had unwittingly fallen filled his head with happy memories.
After a short but content sigh, the adventurer turned towards Ronfaure and began to walk into the woods. As he did so, a young male warrior ran hurriedly past him, probably eager to begin his training in the woods. Though the adventurer paid no more attention to the warrior, seeing him reminded of his earlier days, although it had not been that long since he ran out of San d’Oria to Ronfaure expectantly. Shaking his head, he wondered why he was so preoccupied with the past. Granted, he was home and that inevitably would make him think of the past, but what he wanted was to stop thinking.
Despite his armor, and his abilities as a fighter, the adventurer felt helpless. Despite his sword and his magic spells, he felt powerless. Surrounded by the woods of Ronfaure, he saw himself as insignificant, and yet the thoughts in his insignificant mind seemed like an insurmountable wall. He longed for the open space behind that wall, where his mind would clear, when he wouldn’t have so many things to worry about. Maybe coming back home had been a mistake, and maybe coming out to Ronfaure was also a mistake, but he was here now. He wanted to go back, to do things another way, although he was unsure that the outcome would have been different.
Ghelsba awaited him, west of Ronfaure. Orcs were mindless creatures that operated simply on instinct, and the adventurer hoped that being around them would make his thoughts disappear. As he entered the orcish outpost, he saw a number of the beasts standing around the altar area which he had visited before. A couple of the orcs saw him as he made his way deeper into the outpost, but chose to ignore him. The adventurer was a bit concerned that no orcs had followed him, but rather than thinking about it, which he wanted to avoid, he headed higher up the hills, towards the heart of the outpost.
In a few occasions he walked right in front of other orcs, who would normally jump at him with the weapons in the air, but this time they completely disregarded him. Despite his best efforts, he was beginning to worry that perhaps the outpost was laying a trap for unwary adventurers, and he hesitated about going further inside. He spotted the orc chief’s hut from afar, but failed to see anything of interest. Disappointed, he sheathed his sword and stood there, in the middle of the outpost, surrounded by orcs. It seemed they were as unwilling to participate as his mind was. After taking a last look around, he sighed and began walking back to Ronfaure.
Something was bothering the adventurer, and it was not simply the lack of interest of the orcs or his memories. There was no easy way to tell, but he knew deep down he had a proverbial thorn in his side. Back in Ronfaure, the woods welcomed him and covered him soothingly with their shade, but his mind was elsewhere. Blades of grass rocked back and forth with the gentle breeze blowing through the valley, and the sky was a clear blue he had not seen in a long time. Yet all this imagery around him did nothing to calm his mind. Ahead of him the young warrior he had seen earlier was running back to San d’Oria, but behind him trailed a couple of goblins. Without thinking, the adventurer prepared an arrow and shot one of the beasts, while the youth ran inside the castle walls.
Turning now to face him, the goblins hissed and ran at the adventurer with weapons in the air, and he swiftly cut one of them down with his sword. Meanwhile, the other goblin prepared to strike, but he parried the blow and struck the back of the goblin, killing it. He ran towards the castle, to check on the youth, and found the bruised warrior sitting just inside the walls. Casting curative magic, the adventurer healed the kid’s wounds, and received a smile and a thank you for his help. While his brain had calmed down during the battle, it was back to its former state now. The first thought in his head was that he wished the capitaine were back.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|