He found his rogueish companion by the north gate, leaning against its frame, casually blowing clouds of what smelled like tobacco smoke. There were still a few guards about from the night shift, but they were concealed in their tower, hidden nearly entirely from view by the heavy mist. Taymon was dressed in a thick and furry cloak, powdered in a fine coat of morning snow. He noticed Murphy, pulled himself lazily from the post, and snuffed his cigarette on the ground.

"Alright then mage" he said, greeting him with a nod. "Ready for a walk."

"Walk?" Murphy scoffed, a bit too loud for the morning. A guard he hadn’t seen on the outside of the gate poked his head around the corner, and shot him a dirty look. He put his hands up a little in an apologetic gesture, and looked back at the grinning Taymon. "Don't you have a ship?" He asked quietly.

Taymon chuckled. "Maybe one day, but right now I don’t. Can't chart one either, all full up it seems."

Murphy frowned. He could see the town pyre looming in the fog, not far from the north gate. "So you already checked then?"

"Got an 'ed start this mornin'" he replied smiling. "Checked the ships I did, not a spot on one of 'em."

"Are you sure you asked everyone?"

Taymon frowned. "Not my first escort, sir" he said with a hint of venom. "I make sure I do the job propper."

Murphy felt his O'jin’s uncertainty, but ignored it with a pat to Uundah’s head. He understood why the little creature was cautious, but figured he had a better grasp on people than the creepy rodent that rode in his hood.

"That's a shame" he sighed. "I hate walking."

"I believe there was a manner of slabs to be settled" Taymon said bluntly.

Murphy nodded, and retrieved his coin pouch. He handed the man the two gold slabs and tucked his pouch back into his cloak. The man's eyes watched him closely the whole time.

"Let's get goin' then'' he insisted, retrieving a small backpack from against the town wall. Murphy took one more look at the town, then they started down the path. It wasn't long until he couldn’t see the gate anymore, the fog and drift swallowing the sight behind them. The path was downhill, and the further they walked, the taller the outcroppings of stone grew around them. There were houses scattered about the hills, and the paddock fences of farms. While they walked, Taymon told him stories of his romantic exploits. Murphy was astonished to hear about how many people the man had found himself entangled with, considering he was particularly ugly. He decided against pointing out that flaw in the tale, because it was otherwise entertaining. Eventually they passed the town's last building, leaving the farm lands behind nearly an hour before. It was a guard tower, and it hosted a bored and cold looking man. He smiled and waved at them as they left off into the wilds.

~~

They stopped around midday to rest, and took a seat in the shelter of a willow tree. The path had ended shortly after they passed the last guard, so the walk had been rather taxing. There were willow trees scattered about the rocky bluffs, poking out from the thick snow. He was almost soaking through his cloak from the amount of time he’d spent trudging through waist deep slosh. Their chosen rest area was higher than the ground around it, and offered some rocks to sit on.

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He lit a smokey fire with some of the willow bark to warm his hands, and took a deep drink from his water skin. He was carrying it under all of his clothes and against his belly, making sure to heat it from time to time with his rune dice. Uundah also had a drink, and they settled their feet while Taymon searched the fog for a sign of the sky.

"It's gettin' thinner I reckon" he said, squinting in the direction they were walking from.

"That'll be nice."

"Be nice if I could dry my boots" the man groaned.

"I might be able to help there" Murphy replied cheerfully. He rummaged through his bag, and pulled out his cooking rack. He set it above the fire, and went for a quick search in the snow. He returned with two long sticks, and promptly fixed them to the rack.

"It's an old trick my friend Dondan showed me, but I doubt you know him" Murphy said pointlessly. He never much liked there to be silence between people. He took his own boots off, and hung them on one of the sticks. They dangled near the fire, but not close enough to burn. He did the same with his wet socks, and Taymon followed.

The atmosphere grew quiet and awkward again, so Murphy decided to read a little. Taymon quickly interrupted him as soon as he started.

"Sure do carry a lot ‘a things in those bags 'ay" he said, studying Murphy curiously.

"Never hurts to be prepared I think" the idiot Warlock boasted.

They stayed for a little while, so Murphy cooked them some food. He boiled some snow and added dried vegetables to it, along with some chicken that had frozen in his bag. When they were done eating, the fog had settled into the lower parts of the valley. It was also finally apparent to him that he was in a valley. The snowfall had come to an end, but the dark clouds insisted on blocking out the blue skies.

They set off on a much easier path, since they could actually see ahead. The bluffs led into a forest, and he was relieved to see a more familiar terrain. Before they reached the trees, they had a good view from the mountain they were descending. There were more rocky mountains beyond, but they looked to be some distance away. It was his first time standing on a mountain. He was so high up he could see the land rising up into the horizon, and it was a humbling sight. He made sure to stop and take a moment to appreciate the orange light of the afternoon peaking through the clouds, spotlighting the canopy treetops in a mesmerising display.

The light was waning as they trudged their tired feet through the first great maples and onto the forest floor. They'd spotted a river on their way down, so they walked along it, making an easier path. He used a rune from his dice to light the way for a while longer, until they found a good place to camp. Taymon suggested somewhere secluded, to make it harder for any monsters or animals to find them, and he agreed. They found a tree nearby the river with a tangle of massive roots sticking out of the dirt. They made for a good shelter, so they worked together to clear away the leaf litter and sticks, until they had a comfortable nook to sleep in. Taymon left to search the area, saying he wanted to make sure nothing else was settling nearby, and he requested for Murphy to start the fire.

After gathering the wood from around the tree, he nestled into their rooty cavern and got to work.

He was sitting on his feet, hunched over the fresh flames warming his hands, when he felt an almighty sting on the back of his head. He clasped at it and flinched, waiting for the second wave of pain, but it didn't come. That's when he realised the pain wasn't his. He spun in a panic to see Uundah laying face down, the wetness of blood flickering in the firelight on the back of his furry head. Above him stood Taymon, a sickening grin on his lips. He was pointing the barrel of a runed gun in Murphy’s face. Murphy was helplessly on his knees, and he held his hands out quickly, in a desperate attempt to defend himself.

"Stupid fucking Wark." Taymon sneered, before he aimed the barrel at Murphy’s gut, and pulled the trigger.