You finally understood what your training was for.
The elder encouraged you to look about, to see what the monsters and demons had done; you nearly could not stomach the horrors you beheld. The entire village was in ruins; buildings were reduced to rubble, footprints longer and wider than you were tall lie marring the fields and unpaved roads. Every once in a while the wind changes directions, blowing up from the south, carrying the vile scent of the beast hordes.
The elder warned you about the monsters and their peculiar, yet unceasingly effective choice of tactics, and you tie a cloth over your face to protect your senses from the foul wind. You wonder for a moment if its already begun its mind-altering effects, but you shake your head. If you think that way, you may never be able to believe in your own thoughts again. Disgusted by what happened here, you proceed to the gates.
A massive crater marks the entrance of the town, the plaza is simply gone, and though the gate was intact, the walls on either side were simply gone; in their place stood two massive craters. You adjust the heavy pack on your shoulders and turn to the elder. She smiles weakly at you as you approach, worry plain on her face, but the pride in her eyes is unmistakable.
"You are the one that will succeed where we have all failed. Maybe if we were given another hundred years we could've..." She stops the thought and shakes her head. "It doesn't matter now. It's time to face the facts, they recognized us as a threat, and then they dealt with us." She spits on the ground, and her battle-hardened muscles tighten beneath old scars.
The wind picks up again, so you check the seals on your make-shift mask. Not perfect, but good enough for this distance, you don't even register a scent.
You place a hand on the elder's shoulders. "I will beat them to the other cities, Elder. It's as you said, they are an army, and I am one. I can move much faster than they can."
She does not reply, and her gaze seems distant.
You shake her shoulder, alarmed, before crying out, "Elder? Is everything okay, Elder?"
She grabs you by the wrist before driving your arm behind your back, and contorting the limb into a painful hold, you turn with it reflexively, as you were taught, and she stays one step ahead. You land hard on the ground staring up at her. She plants a boot on your chest.
"Always be ready, student." She smiles down at you warmly. "I just hope this is the right thing to do."
You push her booted foot off of you and she helps you to your feet. "It's the right thing to do, teacher -- It will be a hard journey, but you've taught me how to succeed where the others have failed. I am ready."
Her eyes fade back into that blank stare to the south. "You need to depart, child, and I need to get back inside, this wind is getting to my old bones, but first, take this with you -- you will need it much more than me." The elder pulls a pendant from around her neck and holds it up in front of her. It glows softly in the dusty ruins of your old village. "This is the will of our people, wherever you go, we will be with you. Child, remember your goal -- warn the other cities, and mount a defense. Do not go south, you are not ready; by the time you arrive, Xinnar will already be lost, and you will be overwhelmed..."
Her face contorts with worry or regret, either afraid for the fate of the world being left to your hands, or ashamed that she could not do more to help. She holds the pendant before you, focusing on it for a moment. Its glow grows more intense until it shines a bright white.
You take it and place it in a small pouch at your belt. You bow your head in thanks and tears well in your eyes. You feel sad to leave your teacher and your village behind, but also daunted by the path ahead. You fall to your knees under the weight of your duties and bow your head. "Thank you, Elder."
She gestures for you to stand and pulls you into a fierce hug. For the first time in your life, you hear sniffling come from your teacher. By the time you end your embrace, her tears have already dried, though her breaths come quicker than normal. You think you hear her voice quiver in her parting words.
"Be safe, Child."
Current Status:
MP: 100/100
Gold: 0
Inventory/Equipment:
Steel Rod
Makeshift Face Mask
Traveler's Clothes
Traveler's Boots
Glowing Pendant -- +50 MP if your MP would hit 0.
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