The outskirts of Furbrough were in no way unique or special, just like every village that dotted the countryside; the fields of Furbrough were used heavily for agriculture. A facet of life that Rohl had grown well accustomed to. He could recognise the majority of the planted crops just from the first offshoots of life that had begun to breach the soil.

Broccoli, cabbage, potatoes. Hard to believe I may never again have to labour for days to harvest it all.

But with such thought threatening to bring back memories that would surely leave tears glistening in the corner of his eyes, Rohl quickly put his entire focus on putting one foot ahead of the other and nothing else.

However, the monotony of such an action may have helped him transverse great distances but it did little to fend off any boredom and with such boredom came the threat of Rohl's thought wandering back to that of his family.

Fortunately, with the beauty of the countryside surrounding him, Rohl could at least keep his mind focused on its entrancing visage. The dirt path he stood on was encircled on all sides by a mix of flat plains, rolling green hills and endless swathes of thick forests.

If he squinted hard enough, Rohl was even sure he could make out the outlines of the Carpagian mountain range to his far north. A place Rohl knew not to visit alone.

Yet those mountains were fortunately not an immediate concern; no, the only thing on Rohl's mind now was the approaching fork in the road and what it meant for him.

One goes to Elmon; the other would take me to Shrewsborough.

But even if Rohl had the strength to take the left path and return to his home, the posted soldiers likely would have made that a challenge.

Just a few minutes down the road to Shrewsborough stood a somewhat formidable-looking guard station, one that had most certainly not been there when Rohl had last visited this area. Whilst it did little to prevent anyone simply going off-road and avoiding the patrols, it did clearly send a message; Shrewsborough was off limits. And given how the several posted guards were staring at him, Rohl was not included in the list of people able to pass through.

No way there's not cavalry patrolling the fields. If I hadn't already made my choice, this would have settled it.

After one last longing look towards the sealed-off road, Rohl finally found the strength to turn away and continue along the dirt road towards Elmon, but with the sky beginning to darken, Rohl had more immediate concerns than returning to his travels.

May as well rest now, nowhere safe than a place with guards patrolling everywhere.

Given the possibility of a monster attack and no one to take the night watch, Rohl had no choice but to make camp just a short distance away from the guardhouse. A small comfort given the night that lay ahead.

With no real supplies, Rohl had no choice but to huddle up within the roots of a nearby tree, pull his blanket up tight and hope his choice of location would keep away the worst of the elements.

As if I needed more reasons to stay awake at night.

With an almost constant whirlwind of emotions and thoughts battling for dominance within him, Rohl could do little more than stare at the star-filled night sky and wait for sleep to finally overcome him. And with the traumatic experiences Rohl had been put through, that sleep didn't come too difficult, especially since his body still ached and creaked from his previous lack of movement.

But even with his body's deep desire for rest, his entrance into Morpheus's realm was not an easy one. With his mind full of the terrible experiences he had suffered, his dreams were not a safe place to be and so, only after multiple failed attempts at sleep and several dreams cut short, was Rohl finally able to seep enough for the darkness of night to be replaced by the light of day.

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Unsurprisingly given his rather pitiful attempt at sleep, Rohl awoke with groggy eyes and stiff legs. Yet with his urgent goal in mind, Rohl ignored this and pushed onwards towards Elmon. He did at least have a small ration of hardtack to keep him occupied with as he walked, it was hardly the tastiest edible meal for breakfast, but it would do, especially since he couldn't exactly afford anything better or hunt an animal for that matter.

And so, with little more than the clothes on his back, his ukatar and some rather tasteless rations, Rohl continued his journey towards Elmon. A day-long affair that left Rohl with little more to do than walk and be alone with his rampaging thoughts.

Of course, no matter how hard he tried, his swirling mind wouldn't settle until he finally confronted what had been bothering him and with little other choice, Rohl finally put his mind towards what lay ahead.

I should reach Elmon in a few days, complete the ritual and say goodbye but then what?

Rohl had very little going for him and few goals other than letting his family rest peacefully and taking revenge on the sacrilegious beast which had hurt them. But that was easier said than done. Even with his unknown blessing, he was far outclassed by even the low-tier monsters never mind a sacrilegious beast. He had no real training and even less combat experience; what chance did he have against a monster even the gods would think twice about smiting?

I have no money, no real weapons and nowhere to go. I don't have any belongings to sell, the Uttas Guitar could fetch some money, magically shrinking and enlarging instruments aren't exactly common but it's the only thing I have to remind me of them.

There was only one option left to him, one that Rohl had always wanted to partake in, but still, he had never imagined his journey into adventuring starting like this. His dreams of the day were far different than this, a fact that only added to the despair Rohl usually felt.

But in truth, becoming an adventurer was his best option, it would provide money, combat experience and a way to get stronger until he could eventually take his revenge.

But I still have to get accepted, what if the guild says no? Even if I get in where do I sleep, eat, and recover?

It only seemed natural that Rohl needed a second job whilst he worked his way up the adventuring ranks but there came another issue.

What can I do?

It was doubtful the fortress city had a high demand for farmers and given that was Rohl's only speciality, it did put him in somewhat of a pickle. However, the slight rustling sound his ukatar made as it shifted around in his pocket did seem to hint at other alternatives.

It was possible given his past experiences that he may be able to make enough money as a bard to help offset some of his expenditures, failing that, he could trade his skill in exchange for a room and meals. Rohl was somewhat sure he had the talent for it as well as the ability to find such an arrangement given the desire for inn-based bards, yet there was one issue, however.

He didn't have it in him. How could he sing and bring a place to life when he barely had the motivation to do more than walk in a line and think of what he had lost.

Any words he sang would be meaningless and with that thought reverberating within him, and so Rohl loosened his grip on his ukatar before rushing to use it to shield himself from the sharp claws bearing his way.

Where the wolf had come from or how it had snuck up on him, Rohl had no clue, all he did know was how close it had come to taking his life without so much as a struggle. Yet the fight had only just begun, and the advantage was in the wolf's corner.

Its bearing weight was pressed down hard on his chest as Rohl's arms struggled to keep the ukatar pressed between the wolf's sharp jaws and his vulnerable neck.

Even on a day when Rohl was well rested and in top condition, he would have struggled to beat back the wolf's powerful body, and now after so long stuck in an unmoving sleep followed by days of hard travel, Rohl was no match for such a powerful beast. With every second that passed, the distance between the wolf's jaws and Rohl's neck began to dwindle.

God dammit, it's so heavy, fuck.

No matter how he strained to keep his ukatar pressed between him and the wolf, he couldn't hold back its weight. Every second he fought to push the wolf back, was another second where his arms got ever more drained of their already dwindling strength.

And with the beast's saliva dripping slowly onto Rohl's neck as its biting jaws continued to snap at him, Rohl couldn't help but shiver at the fate that seemed to be awaiting him. His heart was beating rapidly but even such a rush of adrenaline did not give him the strength to force the wolf off of him.

Pushing with all the strength he could muster did little more than take the wolf back an inch and with that last push failing, Rohl could do little more than attempt a last-ditch escape attempt. If he could just slip an arm out from under its weight and reach the dagger roughly strapped to his waist, then just maybe he would not end up as little more than wolf chow.

But before Rohl even got the chance to roll the dice and put his faith in such an attempt, the choice was taken from him.