Michael approached Cliff and Sophia. "I hate to disturb you, but I have the feeling that we are being followed. I believe we can shake our pursurer at the next town. If we leave now, we can make it before sundown, so if everyone is ready, I suggest we go."
Michael looked at the map. "With our current heading, and rate of travel, we should reach the next town by sundown. From there, we can travel northwest to reach the mountains where the Devine Dragon lived." He raised his head and stared inth the forest. "That's odd. Thought I heard someone coming. Must be hearing things." Michael went back to studying the map.
"Ok, that's understandable. But you still have to get some rest. In the meantime, I will plot out where we should head next."
"Almost thought you wouldn't make it Cliff. You had better get some rest though, you can't get very far in that condition." Michael pulled out some of the leftover deer meat. "Here, eat this. It will help you recover your strength."
"There is an ill wind on the horizon." Michael thought to himself, staring toward the mountain range in the distance. Michael stood up and pulled out his map.
"That's ok. At least my father died doing what he loved, adventuring. But life must go on I suppose..." Suddenly, there was a noise, coming from the bushes. "I have the strange feeling something, or someone, is watching us." Michael whispered as he drew his weapon. Then something jumped from the bushes, and Michael began to laugh. What he thought was a monster, was in fact, a rabbit. "Well, I suggest we get some sleep. We will each take turns taking watch, so that we don't get killed in our sleep. I will take the first watch."
"Thanks, Kai. I have been doing this sort of thing since I was 10. Spent most of my live on the road, with my father, till he died a few days ago. Didn't even get a chance to give him a proper burial, as I got attacked by a monster trying to get at my dad's corpse. I do better cooking in a kitchen though. The times when my father and I would stop in a town, I would take jobs at the local inns, most of the time, being a cook."
Michael ventured away from the camp site. He came across a deer after some time. Cautiously, he approached the deer, and in one swift stroke of his mace, he knocked out the deer. Michael brought the deer back to the camp, skinning the deer with a small hunter's knife along the way. He started to cook the deer over the fire that Kai built, and they ate the deer meat.
After some distance, Michael stopped. "We make camp here." He handed Kai some wood and flint. "Here Kai, you build the fire, while I go hunt down something for us to eat."
"Be careful, this forest can be dangerous at night. Stay on guard, so we don't get ambushed. We will travel for a while, then stop and make camp." As Michael said this, he pulled out his mace, ready to fend off attacks from monsters.
"Ok, now that you are here, we will head north toward the mountains where the Devine Dragoon resided. If you get tired or hungry, let me know, and we will stop." And so the group headed north, into the forest.
"Good. If you have any business to take care of before we leave town, take care of it now. I will wait outside the town gates if you need me to."
"Hey Kai, that was a nice song. Are you ready to go?"
"We waited long enough for Cliff. If we are going to go, we must leave now. He can catch up with us later. I will wait for you outside the gates."
Michael sat at the bar, with an ale in hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a drunk hassling one of the waitresses. He approached the man. "What seems to be the problem?" "Mind yer own business, boy. This ain't got nothin' to do with you." The drunk spat at Michael "It is when you are hassling people for no reason." "I said back off elf-boy!" He said as he pushed Michael. "What did you call me?" Michael said in an angry tone. "You're just asking for trouble elf-boy." The drunk said as he reached for his sword. But he never had a chance to draw, as Michael decked the drunk with a well-placed punch. "No one calls me an Elf." Michael said as he threw the drunk out. "Don't ever let me catch you around here again, or I will cause you so much pain, you will never be able to show your face in the light again!." Michael said while watching the drunk run away. Everyone watched Michael as he walked back to the bar and sat back down to drink his ale.
"That's ok, but I would like to hear you sing sometime. I guess I will go back to the inn for now to wait for Cliff."
"Do you know any good songs?"
"The flute was given to me by my father. I don't know where he got it though. As for the song, I always heard him humming it, so I just started playing it."
Michael quickly stopped playing and put the flute away. "Oh, I didn't see you there Kai. Did you finish what you went to do?"
Michael walked outside after eating to get some fresh air. He pulled out his flute and started to play a song his father had taught him. It was called Dragon's Requiem. "For some reason I always feel at ease when I play this tune." Michael thought to himself as he played.
