Day 8
Morning
The wind brought a few rain clouds but in the end no rain fell on this bald head.
We met the Fortress Commander and delivered the Lord's order.
The boy was really intelligent and responsible and in just a few minutes he not only provided us with the promised 20 soldiers but also horses and supplies for our travel.
Taking advantage of his good faith I explained the exchanges I had to do on our way here and he agreed to allocate one more soldier to help me undo the exchanges and give all items back to their original owners, saying it would be a good training for the recruit.
Happy with our exchange, I thanked him and at noon of the same day we departed the city.
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Day 8
Night
The wind blowing on my bald head suddenly made me remember I forgot my new hat at the inn lounge.
Considering we rode through all day, I thought it was too selfish of me to ask to go back just to protect my bald head so I stayed quiet.
Soon we made camp and slept at the side of the road.
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Day 9
Afternoon
After waking up early and departing again no event happened until afternoon.
As we decided to take a break for lunch we saw at distance a child running toward us.
Chasing after her there were some hairy fellows whose plain image translated to bandits.
The 20 men quickly got on their horses and charged to aid the poor girl.
Because of the distance I couldn't see well, but it seemed like they finished off the bandit cleanly and charged again our of our sight.
We decided to wait for them where we were and sure enough 2 hours later they came back bringing along more than 20 bound bandits and a merchant caravan.
The merchant chief was fairly rich and very polite. We had lunch together and he presented us the child we saw as his daughter. After a pleasant chat he discovered we were heading to the same place so he asked us for permission to accompany us, which we happily agreed.
Unfortunately because of the bandits attack some carts of their caravan had some parts broken, so we took the rest of the day to repair them before proceeding.
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Day 10
Morning
The weather was clear and my bald head shinned brighter than ever.
As we approached Otron City we met a group of traveling elves.
They were using magic to travel, making them faster than our horses. Truly an incredible sight for a baldy bumpkin like me.
The guards stopped the elves and asked a few question just to ensure they were not bad people.
The elves leader presented himself as Geo and looked like a trustworthy gentlemen.
Geo told them he was in an urgent mission and needed to report urgently to our Lord.
As an act of good faith, he showed the Elven Royalty emblem as proof of his words.
Seeing the emblem, the guard leader nodded and ordered us to open the path.
For a few minutes we watched the departing elves, then we also continued our way.
I wonder what is so urgent that requires the use of such an elite group of magic warriors...
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Day 10
Afternoon
We finally arrived at Otron City
The merchant insisted in rewarding our help, inviting us for dinner.
Since it was already afternoon and if we departed now we would need to camp out we decided to accept his offer and stay on his house.
Did I say he lived in a house? That was the biggest mansion I ever saw! Just the front part was enough to house more than half my village. Full of paintings and statues, it was a place worth of a King!
As night arrived his servant prepared a huge banquet which was thoroughly devoured by us in less than an hour. After than there was a show with beautiful girls dancing and playing songs.
I have to say, live in the City is truly different!
If only I was 20 years younger and a bit more hair, I would have so much fun...
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Day 11
Morning
As we left the merchant's house, he presented me a brand new hat. Truly a very polite person, that merchant!
With my bald head covered by my brand new hat, the Sun was frustrated and his rage shinned brighter than ever.
Last night seems to have been great for the youngsters as they were barely able to ride their horse.
At a pace a bit slower than before, we proceeded through the path toward Blimery Mine.
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Day 11
Night
As the Moon rose in the horizon we arrived at Blimery Mine.
The place was as simple as I remembered it and there was not enough rooms in the Inn for all of us so I volunteered to sleep in the stable.
My proposal was readily refused by the youngsters who said they were younger and should cede space for the older generation.
I said there was no need but they insisted.
In the end the Inn owner talked to the Mine Chief and they were able to find some rooms in the other houses.
PS: The food here was really bad, so I sneaked some rations from my backpack.
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Day 12
Morning
We departed in the morning as the Sun rose from behind the mountains.
The morning wind blew on our faces as we once again rode our horses, making us shiver in cold.
And as the temperature started to rise we reached the broken bridge.
To our surprise it seems like someone built another bridge in it's place.
Although it was just a temporary rope bridge, it was more than enough for all of us.
One by one our horses crossed the bridge and then it was our turn.
Compared to the log's bridge, this rope bridge shakes too much!
I almost lost my brand new hat as I lost my balance, making me hold firm on the ropes.
With this last challenge complete, we were finally just a few hour home.
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Day 12
Afternoon
Words fail me as tears run down my face.
Hell, maybe that's the only possible word to describe this scene before me.
All my years of hard work vanished, consumed by a fire that covered the whole village.
The fields that sustained us for generations were now bare of any life and all our treasures and memories now rested below the ruins of what was once my paradise.
Luckily there was no traces of blood nor corpses in sight.
The guards investigated the ruins and discovered traces of a huge group heading up the mountain through the mountain path.
Two guards were chosen to scout ahead while we searched through the village.
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Day 12 night
The scouts came back full of bruises, but no heavy injury.
They reported a battalion of orcs ahead, over a hundred.
They seem to be guarding or sieging the Dungeon's Cave.
Which one was unclear...
The leader decided to head back and ask for reinforcements.
Knowing there was no way for the 20 guards to win against the hundred orcs, I clenched my fists and held the horse reins again.
Now that this catastrophe hit the village and all villagers had disappeared, I feel powerless as I can only pray for their safety and wait.