The brothers ran into the forest. Orthok grinned at me. “Always the same with the boys.” With quick steps, he caught up with the covered wagon and hopped on the back. Sitting with his feet dangling, he tapped invitingly on the wood beside him. “The first rule of a traveler: never walk when you can drive!”
I joined him. “Was it all made up?” I inquired cautiously.
The hunter looked at me with a contemplative expression. “Not all of it. We actually had to fight a bird like that once, only it had nothing to do with a wood pigeon. It was really lucky we had Swon with us, or we wouldn’t have all returned home.”
He was silent for a while. “Magic... it’s unpredictable. In the wilderness, small springs, and rarely large ones, spring up and magic flows from them. This magic changes plants nearby, when these plants are eaten by animals, the animals are also changed. The longer this goes on, the worse the effects are. The magic creatures become bigger, stronger, more dangerous. When the magic discharge directly hits an animal, it's the worst. The plant stage is then skipped and a true monster is created. The others, the altered creatures commonly called monsters, are harmless cuddly animals in comparison... Fortunately, in these parts, so far away from the devastation, it happens very rarely...”
Orthok seemed to be lost in thought. I didn’t want to let the conversation die down, though. “What is the devastation?”
Now he was a bit surprised, after all. “You don’t know what the devastation is? Even in the islands, word should have spread.”
“Um... I grew up pretty isolated,” I improvised. “My guardian didn’t think much of education, so I’m afraid I have some gaps in my general knowledge.”
Apparently, this explanation was sufficient for the hunter. “The Devastation... It was a long time ago, several centuries, maybe even over a millennium... The mages of our world were much more versed in magic arts then than they are now. But just as strong as their thirst for knowledge was their lust for power. Some of them did not even shy away from Forbidden Magic in their quest for even more power. Others, who were more prudent, tried to stop them. It came to a great war of magicians. Their armies met in the middle of the continent for the decisive battle. Inconceivable forces were unleashed, entire forests were uprooted or burned, lakes and rivers froze or evaporated, gigantic bottomless fissures gaped open in the earth, lava-spewing volcanoes rose from nowhere... What remained after this orgy of violence we now call the Devastation. The magic there is still going crazy. Pillars of fire move across the ground, you can freeze to death on a hot summer day, spontaneous portals appear that lead who knows where, and sometimes strange creatures come out of them...”
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“And who won this terrible battle?”
“Nobody,” Orthok laughed listlessly. “The damned archmages managed to wipe each other out, along with their entourages. The only ones left alive among their disciples were those who were too weak or too incompetent to go to war. They tried to preserve as much knowledge as possible, but they never reached the old strength and with time, more and more seems to be forgotten. Perhaps it is better that way...”
“Have you seen the devastation with your own eyes then?” I asked curiously.
“I have,” his face darkened. “I will never forget that experience for the rest of my life. If you want to hear my advice, don’t even come close to Devastation! It is unpredictable, mean and deadly.”
“Then why do people go there?”
“In search of fame and fortune. The monsters there are strong, but they also give valuable spoils. And in the ruins of ancient cities, you can find treasures and sometimes magical artifacts, they are much sought after. But most of the time, you can only find death.”
After these words, the hunter didn’t feel like continuing the conversation. We continued in silence. My eyes fell on his quiver, which lay between us on the wagon floor. Just like the bow, the quiver was of high quality workmanship. By now I had gained an impression of the state of technology in this world. Ordinary things that a person like Orthok had in his possession were usually simpler. Such high quality had to be...
I activated the Magic Gaze. The quiver faded together with the rest of the surroundings, only the amulet of the hunter, which I had already noticed yesterday, glowed yellow on his chest. Hm, apparently the quiver wasn’t magical after all... Wait, hold on... I looked again more closely. At the bottom of the quiver was an intricate symbol that seemed to glow ever so slightly. It was barely noticeable because it didn’t have the vibrant colors of the other magic sources I’ve seen so far. The glow was almost colorless, reminiscent of... what on earth did it remind me of?
At that moment, Tim and Bob burst out of the undergrowth onto the road. Their hands and mouths were red from berry juice. Tim proudly lifted a long branch in the air with a dozen large mushrooms impaled on it. “Hey guys, you wouldn’t believe how many mushrooms we saw!” shouted Bob cheerfully to us. “Dinner is served!” They climbed into the truck.
“Way to go!” Orthok slapped him on the shoulder appreciatively. “Speaking of dinner, how about a little snack, Rieg?”
We had been walking for a couple of hours and hunger was indeed starting to make itself felt. At the next small clearing, we stopped for a break.
The sergeant took out his dagger and cut two loaves of bread and three of the sausage rings into large pieces, which were quickly snatched up. After the long ride and in the fresh air, the simple meal tasted wonderful. No one spoke, everyone was busy chewing. For dessert, there was an apple for everyone.
When only crumbs were left of the meal, we continued on our way. Rieg solemnly handed the reins to the boys and lay down for a nap in the covered wagon. Orthok told us not to wait for him and disappeared into the woods. While the horses leisurely followed the road, I leaned my back against the side wall of the wagon and closed my eyes. After the stressful two days, I still needed some rest. The sounds of the forest and the murmuring of the brothers further ahead formed a relaxing acoustic backdrop, the vehicle rocked gently back and forth beneath me, and so I was soon asleep.