Maps were great, especially in a world where a GPS or any other modern location system was absent. Guided by nothing but the road ahead, a map, and a compass, Adam and Ruk made steady progress to their next destination.

The village of Casmont was located to the far west, near the unexplored lands known as The Western Expanse. It was founded as a frontier settlement, serving as a jumping point for explorers and pioneers who dared to go further west into unknown lands.

Though it seemed like the village of Casmont was important in a logistical and strategic sense, not much investment was poured into developing it any further. Instead, resources had otherwise been diverted to several other villages which were not as far, turning those settlements into fortified strongholds or walled towns.

Thus, the village of Casmont was left to its fate. Once the goblins attacked and destroyed it utterly, the Kingdom sent no aid. Carnos, despite his efforts, was too late.

Adam couldn't help but shake his head as he read through one of the scrolls Carnos had given him. At first, he had assumed that every scroll was an important legal document, but it turned out the branchmaster had left some extra things for Adam to read.

This particular scroll was labeled 'The Records of Casmont Village." A straightforward and informative piece that briefly discussed the history of the village before its demise. Whoever wrote this was obvious in their carefulness to present all the facts surrounding what happened to the village, giving the impression that they lamented the horrible fate that befell it.

"At least someone else cared to record it." Adam muttered under his breath.

"There something wrong?" Ruk asked, overhearing his partner's words.

"No, not really. I'm just bothered by what happened to the village we're traveling to," Adam said honestly, "It's as if their lives were nothing more than fodder. Barely worth the trouble to help."

Ruk nodded, understanding where his human partner was coming from. "They said there's monsters everywhere in this new world. Full small and big beasts. It's sad what happened to them, yah."

The orc then pulled down his ax from his shoulder and held it high with one arm, "But with you and me together, we can avenge the humans and their village!"

Adam smiled at Ruk's gesture, knowing that his orc partner meant every word he was saying, even if his tone betrayed the seriousness of his thoughts.

Avenging the fallen. That didn't sound too bad to Adam, but that would mean using his powers for violence yet again.

Adam was still on the fence about using his powers for aggression, but seeing the state of this world, the cruelty that prevailed over every corner, and the dangers that lurked in every corner and rooftop, he had begun to seriously reconsider.

The walls of Port Silvershore disappeared behind them as they made their way through a dirt road flanked by wide fields of wheat, barley, and other crops. Wherever Adam looked, he saw vast stretches of farmland going beyond the horizon, with farmers toiling away over the fields. Each field of crop was divided by lines of trees, providing shade for the occasional weary farmer.

Adam also noticed some narrow streams and irrigation channels funneling some much needed freshwater from a nearby river, allowing the water to reach further inland and feed the most isolated fields.

There were also some orchards and gardens besides small farmhouses and barns scattered about, linked to by other paths that branched away from the main road.

As they went further beyond the fields, Adam and Ruk came to behold vast grasslands divided by wooden fences. There were herds of livestock grazing over the fertile grass, uncaring and stoic to the world around them. The sun shone bright above their heads, causing the animals to occasionally dip themselves in small and shallow ponds or to lie down under a few sprawling trees.

There were pigs, cows, sheep, and even goats. Adam had never seen goats before, those that were alive and whole at least.

Adam had seen his fair share of farms back home, but all of them were vaster in scale and scope, helped by machines and treated with the wonders of modern fertilizer and pesticides.

The fields Adam was seeing now were anything but. They were vast, yes, but instead utilized farm animals and simple devices over large tractors. They used manure rather than manufactured fertilizer and had little in the way of pesticides. Not in the modern sense at least, but he sensed a few mixtures and powders here and there. Maybe they were magical.

After living in a city for most of his life, Adam never truly appreciated the rural way of life. Sure, he was somewhat familiar with the supply chains that kept the world fed, but he never truly grasped the reality of it all. It also didn't help that his life fell apart before he ever had the chance to explore his old world on his own.

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But now, he was beginning to see the appeal. Urban centers such as Port Silvershore would not be able to sustain themselves without the vast fields of crops and gardens of vegetables that supplied them with much needed food.

Food, after all, was worth more than gold.

Speaking of food, their own rations were enough to last a month. Though Adam wanted to buy more, he was reminded by one of the farmers he was dealing with that bringing too many supplies would make their journey a lot more cumbersome, even if Ruk was there to lend his strength.

Instead, Adam opted for the more expensive but otherwise best solution. Magic crystals. Tuned to release freezing air, Adam bought a few for a large sum of gold coins and had them placed inside some of the crates and barrels. He also paid extra for some crude insulation for the crates and barrels which was better than nothing.

At least their extra equipment was not as expensive. Waterskins and bottles could be refilled, though they also brought a barrel of fresh water with them just in case they found few water sources along the way.

The fact that Mr. Mule was even able to pull the load was surprising, but Adam still helped their beast of burden by passively using his telekinesis to minimize the overall weight of the wagon.

He achieved this with the same method he used to ease the burden of carrying a large backpack by having his telekinesis lift the wagon from the bottom, minimizing the pull of gravity and therefore lessening the weight.

It was an inconsequential use of his powers, needing only a fraction of his focus in order to achieve even when considering the heavier load the wagon carried.

All in all, Adam spent a lot of their money making sure that they were as ready as possible. After all, it paid to be prepared than to find oneself under-equipped for whatever hurdle they came across.

As they made their way past the grasslands and ranches, they eventually reached the outer sections of a great forest.

Unlike the woodlands that stood between the fields and grasslands, the forest was tall and sprawling with dense vegetation and other undergrowth.

That said, it was not spared from the needs of the people from Port Silvershore. Tens of thousands of tree stumps came into view as the Rukdam Duo neared the wall of trees, evidence of extensive woodcutting throughout the season. There were also a few shacks and huts scattered here and there between the stumps, but Adam sensed no minds residing within.

After two hours under the last gasping breaths of the summer sun, the Rukdam Duo passed into the shade of the Wetwood Forest. It was the nearest and smallest forest near Port Silvershore, but was nonetheless a place not worth underestimating or taking for granted.

As expected from a dense and wet forest, it was teeming with insects. The worst of which was the mosquito.

And as the afternoon came and the sky above grew dim, Adam and Ruk found themselves searching for a place to make camp.

They found a small clearing nearby - tucked away amongst the trees - and decided that they would set up their camp there.

After Ruk hacked through the tall plants and low hanging branches towards the clearing, Adam pulled the wagon aside and removed the harness from Mr. Mule. The weary animal shook its neck and grunted in relief before proceeding to find the nearest tree and sitting there. The mule knew its priorities.

It took Adam a few minutes to erect their tents. One for each of them. Ruk, meanwhile, cleared the surrounding foliage to allow them some more room while also gathering a bunch of dry branches and sticks.

Surprisingly, the tents Adam bought were compact and easy to assemble. Made and stitched with leather and linen and supported by sturdy wooden poles, the tents proved to be robust in shape and structural integrity.

With the tents assembled and standing, Adam went to work making a small fire in the middle of their camp.

After gathering a few stones and placing them to form a small circle, Adam piled Ruk's plunder of dry sticks and branches in the middle.

Finally, it was time to set it alight. Normally, Adam would either use a lighter, some matches, or a hand drill. He mostly did the hand drill for fun during the times he hiked with family, but in this situation, there was a better and faster way to make a fire.

Adam sat down on his knees, snapped his fingers, and the pile of dry branches and stick burst into a bright flame.

Ruk stared in awe at the now crackling fire, amazed by the ease in which Adam moved to create it. There were no incantations, no magic circle, and no prayer. His partner, a young human, made a fire by just snapping his fingers.

The young man acted as if it was no big deal. For Ruk, it seemed like the human did not know how powerful he truly was. Though the orc only somewhat understood magic, and he certainly did not understand his partner's strange powers, he still had a warrior's keen senses.

And he sensed a great strength within Adam. One that could one day bring any of his foes to heel, if he so wished. Despite that, Ruk also saw Adam for what he truly was.

A broken human trying to prove himself. He saw it in the young man's eyes. That blank, wayward stare he sometimes wore on his face whenever a situation was turning problematic.

Adam may not have noticed it, but he had a terrifying gaze whenever his mood soured for whatever reason.

The Rukdam Duo sat around the campfire as the afternoon grew darker with each passing hour. Despite that, it was time for the two to eat.

Adam had cooked up some much needed lunch. For Ruk, he had roasted an entire chicken around the fire for half an hour. For himself, he had fried two eggs and some sausages on a metal pan with oil made from animal fat. They also had some bread to go with their meat.

Though crude and lacking some spices, the food was delicious and filling. And that was most important.

"Human," Ruk muttered as he bit down on a chicken leg, "You are strange indeed."

Adam looked up from his own meal and tilted his head, "Hmm? How so?"

"You are not bothered by my presence all that much and you are skilled in ways I have not yet seen in a human." Ruk explained.

Adam shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe you haven't had the chance to know a lot of humans then. There are a lot of other people who are better than me."

Ruk shook his head, "No, you do not understand. If it were any other human, you would have already gone a dark and terrible path."

Adam stopped his chewing and stared at Ruk with wide eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I lost my family too, some moons ago. I'm here to honor them. To keep their memory," For the first time since they got to know each other, Ruk gave Adam a soft yet bright smile, "You honor yours too, and that makes you, my brother."