2 years prior

Valum felt kept drinking water, but no matter the amount he drank his thirst did not abide.

"Must be from the amount of dust in the ruins. I probably inhaled a lot of it while I was passed out." Valum thought to himself.

Gerrad whose wagon he saved did not speak much after they got on the road even though only two hours had passed. Value felt at ease around Gerrad the man seemed like a simple and fair minded man. Most importantly he didn't ask unnecessary questions.

The forest had become less dense as they came closer to civilization. The trees did not seem warped and gnarled like they were deeper into the wildlands. No one knew why the wildlands were so dangerous or the beasts were so much more fierce and volatile, but the further the blossoming kingdoms grew the more difficult each step was. Almost as if the land itself did not want to be tamed. Hence why the continent was called the wildlands.

Marberg wasn’t far from the ruins; it was no more than five days by caravan, but with just the two of them it wouldn’t take more than a day or two. The moon had hung low in the sky at this point and the sky began to brighten which was a sight Valum desperately wanted to see. For some reason he felt like he hadn’t looked upon it in many years.

A beam of light broke through the trees as the sun finally rose high enough to send ribbons of light into the narrow forest path. Almost immediately a sharp pain erupted all over Valum’s skin. Feeling as if fire ants had begun to bite his skin all over and his head grew hazy. “What is this?” Valum panicked backing into the wagon’s back and covering it with the blanket.

Gerrad turned to look at the covered up Valum in the shaded portion of the wagon. “You okay back there?” he asked with a mild look of concern on his face.

Waving his hand as if to sway away the concern that lingered in the air Valum coughed “No no it is nothing. Just not feeling one hundred percent. I am gonna sleep. I was awake all night before we met and didn’t sleep last night.”

Valum huddled himself into the corn as he stretched out his hand into a small beam of light only for the burning sensation to return immediately. “What is wrong with me?” he thought as he pulled his hand back massaging it.

Sharp white daggers flashed before his eyes followed by red...nothing, but crimson. “Could it be?” Valum paused as he thought about what had happened in the chamber. He had a vague feeling that it was merely just a dream after he slipped and hit his head, but the images in his head were so distinct he couldn’t help, but feel that it truly was real.

“Did I get infected with some disease? What will I do? Who will cure it? Can the temples do it?” he thought to himself rapidly asking questions to himself as he awaited for the sun to fall. Luckily the wagon would cut several days off his traveling and they would arrive in his town by nightfall. He gave a silent prayer to the goddess for being able to stay safe under the safety of Gerrad’s wagon.

The day passed by slowly since Valum could not seem to get himself to sleep at all; it seemed his long slumber from before had not entirely worn off yet. When the moon had risen he stretched acting as if he had just woken up and sat beside Gerrad as they grew ever closer to his destination the moon hung high in the sky he guessed it would be another thirty mins before they came to the small entrance of the town. Valum’s thirst was still growing, but it was still a fairly minor annoyance at best.

“Gerrad I want to thank you again for all your help. It has saved me a lot of headaches.” Valum thanked not bothering to look over to Gerrad.

Gerrad smiled as he kept the horses moving “Don’t worry yourself about that. When we get to the town gates I will let you off and I recommend you make your way to the BearTooth tavern.”

Valum’s smile faded as he heard the unfamiliar words. When he left his home it was a tiny settlement with no gates and was constantly vulnerable to goblin attacks. Furthermore the BearTooth tavern was not a thing.

“I’m sorry, but didn’t you say we were going to be passing through Marberg? I’ve never heard of a tavern called BearTooth?” Valum asked hastily.

“Well…” Gerrad looked at Valum with confusion “didn’t you say you were from there? BearTooth is famous around the northern territory as being the center for the adventurer’s guild. Duke Holmerd is famous for establishing the guild here.

The Blood rushed out of Valum’s face; he did not consider that he had been in a coma for longer than the previous imagined. For a town like Marberg to develop a gate and walls around the settlement he imagined it would take at least 1 to 3 years depending on when it had started construction and how complex they decided to make it.

“Ahh!” Gerrad let out a happy exclamation “you can see the lights of the towers ahead! Don’t worry Valum we will get you home before we can blink.”

Valum's mind had gone into a frenzy and began to think what might await him in the unfamiliar Marberg.