His feet hurt, but he pressed on anyway. The well-traveled road was baked solid by the summer heat, and as long as he watched out for the piles of manure, the slow trek was uneventful. He adjusted the pack's straps to keep them from biting too much, rolling his shoulders and neck to work out the knots. He reached up under the makeshift eyepatch he had fashioned from some cloth and rubbed at his left eye. The cloth was a bit itchy, but he would rather deal with that than have too many questions. Simon had been right, the small village of Goldenvale had a quaint general store that was reasonably priced and happy for any business. A single silver tab had purchased him a pack, a bedroll, and a few more pieces of hardtack and dried meat for the road. He hadn't stayed long in the village and left before nightfall. Avdren had never traveled like this before, but thankfully, his parents had always been willing to spend gold on even the oddest lessons for him. He always loved finding new things to learn. Because of that, he knew a bit about navigation using the sun and the night sky, good places to look to set up camp, and possessed a small amount of knowledge about other survival tactics.
He supposed all the classes and tutors had been his parents' way of paying him back. He only truly existed to be a test subject for all their ideas and theories, to try and find a way to end the curse. Spells, potions, rituals, anything they thought could break it was done to him. They used him because they were afraid of killing themselves in the attempts. He was expendable,but they could always have another kid. Nothing had ever worked. When they lived to the north and he was still a baby, they had hired a cleric. From what he had learned, it hadn't gone well. When the man had attempted to cast a divine spell to cleanse Avdren's tiny body, the magic had created some kind of backlash. The cleric had died, horribly. They had left town shortly after that, fearing any sort of retribution from the temple or village. He was glad they had the sense not to try a cleric again.
The setting sun informed him it was time to find a camping spot, and he broke free from his thoughts to search his surroundings. The fields had given way not long ago to the sparse beginnings of a forest as the road began to climb in elevation. There was a mountain pass he would have to cross in the next few days, before dropping down into the lowlands again. By his estimate, it would be over a week of travel provided no incidents occurred. A solitary pine tree caught his eye and he left the road to investigate. The lowest branches were thick and heavy with needles, hanging low over the earth beneath and offering some shelter from weather and prying eyes. He removed his pack and flopped to the ground with a weary sigh before scooting back against the trunk. He wasn't hungry, which was helpful, as it meant his limited food supplies would last a bit longer. Avdren leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes, trying to process a bit of what had happened. Instinct told him that the Crintis Atrim appearing was also linked to the loss of his magic. From what he had learned growing up, the curse fed on a person's magical and physical energy. Having both would slow the decay, but only slightly. He suspected that due to the abrupt loss of magic in his body due to the snap, and the spell which was cast on him, the process of the curse had advanced a stage. Until he found a way to restore his connection to magical energy, he would begin to slowly lose a great deal of his physical strength and stamina. Taking too long would mean death for him. He reached over and unfurled his bedroll, rolling onto it and drifting off to sleep.
He opened his eyes to blackness. A void stretched before him like the mouth of some great beast, the surface appearing like glass submerged just below the surface of the water. He took a step and ripples formed around his feet. Another step and whispered laughter reached his ears. The ground cracked with an ear splitting snap. He looked down, catching sight of something moving beneath him. It was reflected a hundred times in the cracks, a monstrous form. With an otherworldly shriek it lunged toward him from beneath, maw opened wide to reveal a thousand needle sharp fangs.
Avdren jolted awake with a shout. His heart hammered in his chest and his breathing wouldn't slow. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his forehead on them, trying to fight the rising sense of panic. After a few minutes of trying to focus his breathing, he felt his heartbeat begin to slow. Shakily, he stood and packed his bedroll away, hoisting his back up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a palm. "What the hell was that.." He had never had such a vivid nightmare before. The young man looked around, peering through the low hanging branches at the early morning light. He didn't see anything strange, but in truth he hadn't really expected to. It was hauntingly obvious the curse had caused his dream, but his parents had never mentioned having anything similar. Their notes had never mentioned it either, which was even more strange. In truth, unless they were in public or hosting guests, his parents had never spoken to him more than was necessary. They usually kept meticulous notes though, about the experiments and what they learned. Avdren shook his head and pushed away from the tree, ducking between the branches and heading back to the road.
As the morning wore on he eventually removed the cloak and stuffed it into his pack. The heat was oppressive, and leaving on the warm garment was a poor idea. He pulled out a bit of bread and nibbled on it while he walked, a small part of him bemoaning the real meals he had to leave behind. It was necessary, but a week of only bread, dried meat and water was going to get old. He had no hunting equipment or cooking utensils, and only knew a small bit about edible plants, so there was little hope of any warm meals until he reached his destination. The distant sound of a horse startled him from his thoughts and he turned to glance back. A small wagon was headed in his direction. Avdren continued walking until it drew near then stepped to the side to give the driver room. Instead of passing him however, the man slowed his horse to a stop and cast a look down. "Oy, what are you doing out here lad? Town be in the other direction you know." The driver gave a friendly but curious smile, chewing on a stalk of grain.
Avdren laughed, "Yessir, I know. I'm headed north though. I have some family to visit just over the pass."
"The pass? You're headed into Tharnshire then? That's a long walk on foot ain't it?" The man, who Avdren could now see was a farmer, scratched his scraggly beard in thought.
"Yeah, I suppose so. Should take me about a week, I'd wager." He pushed at the dirt with a toe.
"Well son, best climb aboard then. I'm heading to the army garrison at the border. I might be able to shave a day off your journey." The farmer gestured to the seat beside him. "I'm David, by the way."
"That's very kind of you sir. I don't have anything to repay you though." Avdren climbed up into the offered seat. "My name is Avdren, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"No need for payment son, it's no trouble for me." The two shook hands before David gave a gentle snap of the reins to get the horse moving again. After a few minutes, the farmer spoke up, breaking the silence. "So, Avdren, if you'll let a man pry a bit. What made you decide to head north? And what happened to your eye?"
Avdren shifted in his seat, before deciding a bit of truth wouldn't hurt. "My parents died a while back, and left some things I need to take care of. I have some relatives in Tharnshire who can help me get it all sorted. So, north I go." He tried to keep his tone light, but a bit of emotion crept in." As for my eye, lost it in an stupid accident a few weeks ago."
"Ahh." David shook his head. "Sorry to hear that, friend. Death may be a part of life but it never gets any easier. Sounds like you've had a hard time recently."
"That's all right, they weren't always the best to me. I can't say I'm entirely sorry they passed, as dark as that sounds. They were my parents though, and I did love them. I hope they find what they deserve on the other side. As for my eye, well, I guess I have two for a reason."
The tone of his voice caught the farmer off guard a bit. "Well, I guess I'm sorry for different reasons then son." The pair descended into silence for a moment before Avdren decided that perhaps a lighter topic would help change the mood.
"What about you David? Why are you headed to the garrison?" Avdren glanced in the back of the wagon as he spoke, his gaze taking in the large sacks that were piled in neat rows along the length of the bed.
"Well, that's a far simpler question than I asked you." The man chuckled. "Officials in Agrenon are responsible for helping to supply this garrison, much like other large cities help to supply their closest soldiers as well. It's a general law in Theonaght. The way Agrenon handles it is by sending out certain supplies themselves, such as weapons, armor, fish and other various items. Then they contract out with us farmers on the side to send a portion of our stored harvests over. We rotate through each week, and this week was my turn." David adjusted himself in his seat and grinned. "Pay is good, and I'm happy to help out the men and women protecting me."
"Makes sense. Sounds like a good deal for everyone." Avdren relaxed in his seat, letting his mind turn to other things as David began to whistle a tune to himself. They were definitely making good time, and Avdren's feet were glad for the break.