I let out a sigh.
I’ll trust her on this. She hasn’t given me much of a reason to give her grief anyway.
I glance towards her again.
She catches me like before.
This time she doesn’t say anything, instead she just smiles.
I look away.
A few more hours pass and eventually something changes in the distance.
There are several wooden posts sticking out of the sand.
At first I think they’re broken fences, but as we get close I notice marks are carved into them.
Some sort of symbols.
"What are those?" I ask.
Sylvia looks towards them.
"Travel markers," Sylvia answers with ease.
"For what?" I question.
"Distance," Sylvia responds.
Travel markers? It really is interesting to learn about what people use out here.
She walks over to one and I follow.
There are several lines carved into the wood along with numbers I don’t recognize.
She points towards one of the symbols.
"This is the road marker for Mythos," Sylvia speaks up while looking at the marker.
"Mythos?" I question with a bit of confusion in my voice.
"A fort," Sylvia answers without hesitation.
Why does the name sound familiar?
There are more posts further ahead but they are barely visible.
We continue following the markers and the road slowly becomes less clear as sand covers parts of it.
The wind also starts picking up as I feel sand hitting against my clothes.
Sylvia pulls part of her cloak over her mouth.
"You might want to do the same," Sylvia suggests.
I follow her example.
"This normal?" I ask.
"Mostly," Sylvia answers.
The sky stays clear though.
No storms, dragons, or any problems really.
Eventually we reach a section where the land begins changing.
The sand becomes thinner and more stone appears beneath it.
There are also several black marks across the ground.
I stop.
"What happened here?" I ask with a bit of caution in my voice.
Sylvia looks down.
Her expression changes.
"I don’t know," Sylvia answers as she kneels down.
I crouch slightly.
The marks look burned.
My hand moves across one of them.
The stone is cracked.
I guess that can be expected as we start to reach the frontline.
"Dragon?" Sylvia questions.
"It is possible. This definitely means we must be close at this point," I respond with a serious tone.
~There are traces of flames.
How old?
~I don’t think that is something I can tell you.
It is fine. We’ll figure it out regardless.
I stand back up.
Sylvia looks around.
"We should keep moving," I suggest.
"It would be a good idea," Sylvia replies.
We continue.
The burned stone lasts for another few hundred feet before disappearing again.
This is probably going to become more common the closer we get.
The front lines aren’t just something Sylvia explained anymore... We’re slowly walking towards the remains of recent battles.
A few hours later, I finally see buildings in the distance.
Maybe five or six wooden structures surrounding what looks like a stable.
"There?" I question.
"That’s it," Sylvia answers.
The settlement.
As we approach, I notice several travelers sitting outside.
A few merchants, two people wearing armor, and someone tending to horses.
Probably not a bad sign. It could be quiet around here which would be a nice change of pace.
One of the armored men watches us approach.
His eyes go towards our swords.
Then to Sylvia, then back to me.
"Passing through?" He asks.
"Yeah," Sylvia answers.
"Where to?" He questions with a curious tone.
"Zameref," Sylvia responds.
There it is again, his face doesn’t change much, but he pauses.
"Fort Mythos?" The Man asks with a serious tone.
"Most likely," Sylvia answers.
The man nods slowly.
"Road is still open," The Man says.
I’m guessing the road isn’t always open.
"Was it closed?" I ask.
He looks towards me.
"Few days ago. It is better to be cautious sometimes," The Man answers with a laid-back tone.
It makes sense that they’d be cautious about some things out here.
Sylvia thanks him and we head towards one of the buildings.
Inside there are shelves with food and containers of water.
Nothing fancy, just supplies.
We refill what we used and buy a little more.
I watch the Silvi disappear from my pouch.
Money really does go by quickly. At least a lot quicker than I originally anticipated.
But Sylvia insists it will make the next few days less miserable.
I don’t know if I believe that yet or not.
After that we sit outside as the sun is beginning to set once again.
Another day almost gone. All of this traveling has been going by, but I wonder...
~Wonder what?
I wonder if the war in Zameref is going to be more chaotic than everything I’ve seen so far.
~Of course. That is where everything began.
I lean back against the wall and let out a sigh.
Sylvia looks towards me.
"What’s bothering you?" Sylvia asks with a concerned tone.
"Just thinking about what’s to come in Zameref," I answer with an honest tone.
"It’ll be fine either way. I’m sure we’ll make a difference out there," Sylvia assures me.
A comfortable silence settles between us after she says that.
But it isn’t complete silence. The people around us are talking and going about their lives.
Merchants selling things to travelers while some have conversations about Aerithel and even the dragons.
I look towards Sylvia.
She is staring towards the horizon as
I look towards the road leading away from the settlement.
She seems to be lost in thought now. I don’t think that’s something I get to see often.
Usually I’m the one who’s always lost in thought but I guess I’m also quite focused on what’s coming.
That’s what’s beyond the markers ahead.
Zameref.
And somewhere around there are dragons already moving through the sky.
Tomorrow we’ll be a lot closer to everything...
This will probably be closer to seeing exactly what Sylvia meant when she said the front lines were different.
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