The company made a detour on their way to a little town, where they needed to restock their supplies. When they got close, Scythian got excited.

'Look, my friends,' he said, pointing at a big sign hung up between two buildings. 'There's a festival in town! What a joy. We could certainly use some fun and relaxation.' One could already tell from his face that he was planning the whole night right there.

'There is no time for that,' said the wanderer. 'I'm sorry, Scythian, but too many things need to be done. We are here to get supplies and then move on. It will still take too much time as it is to get ready. We can't afford another detour.' In his head, he was already going over the places they needed to visit and what they needed to get from them.

'Oh come now, lad, one night is not the end of the world. You need to refill your soul as well as the supplies. Look, even Wolf does not argue with me!' He made a pointing gesture toward the veteran.

'It is true that we need to focus on the journey and cover as much distance as we can. But this time, the old man might be onto something. We've had eventful days. And I could use a beer,' said Wolf, a little pained that he had to agree with Scythian on something.

'See?' Scythian turned to the man. The ranger sighed and answered his old mentor.

'No. We do not have time for it. If I want to find the treasure, I need to do it as soon as I can.' He went into the town at double speed, cutting a path for himself through the crowd. His companions followed, but Scythian caught his attention with a sentence before one of the shops.

'Honestly, if you were my age, I would start to think that your memory is in decline. First, you forget the lessons of Wolf, and now, you forget mine. Remember how we met, my friend? It was a similar situation then.'

The traveler, while not stopping, started to remember. He thought back to his to-do list back then, which he made in a little town not unlike this one, and his way out.

The man was in a hurry on this sunny day. He stumbled into this town by accident. He was happy and sad at the same time. On one hand, he managed to get some food and water for a low price, even making some extra money for monster trophies slain on the way. On the other, getting all this done slowed him down. Now he needed to run to make up for the lost time. He could not afford to slow down. 'I should be there by now,' he thought. 'I'm already behind everyone else; I have to hurry!' He did not want to stop for anything. That's why he bumped into an old man at the edge of the town. In his hurry, he said something resembling an apology, but it was no more than an automatic response of a golem.

It only came to mind because the man was somehow in front of him on the road.

'Ahoy, my young friend,' greeted the old warrior, while simultaneously blocking his way. The man had to stop, which irritated him.

'Hey. Could you move a bit? I'm kinda in a hurry.'

'Oh yeah, I felt that just now,' said the old fighter. The man just wanted to be on his way.

Still, he took a moment to analyze him. He wore dark blue battle armor over his whole body (with no helmet attached). From his face, anyone could tell that he was not young, but for his age, he was clean. Clearly, he liked to be presentable at all times. His beard was nicely shaved, his hair was brushed, both were grey. Something the man noticed though was his stance. It was elegant, and he looked like someone who could fight at a moment's notice. His spear on his back reassured that also. The man responded.

'Ah, so it was you. Look, I'm sorry that I bumped into you here.' He took out two gold pieces. 'Take this as an apology. Then I shall be on my way. Deal?' He wanted to avoid a fight. Avoid using the sword.

'Oh, I'm not here because of that, lad. It happens, no worries.' waved the old hero. 'Where are my manners? My name is Scythian. Pleasure to meet you.' He reached for a handshake. The traveler shook it but then asked again.

'Nice to meet you, but now I really need to go.'

He tried to move out of the way, but Scythian moved with him. Then he moved the other way, but again, with the elegance of a dancer, the old man blocked his way. Then the man took a feint move and did a spin around the fighter, getting behind him. Only to find that at the end of the maneuver, the old warrior was still before him.

'Haha. Nice moves. No doubt, you are a fearsome swordsman,' laughed the spearman. The man was confused and angry. He touched the hilt of his sword, instantly getting scared and pulling away from it. 'Do not pull it out!' he said to himself. Still, he was annoyed but finally asked.

'Alright, what do you want?' He looked at Scythian.

'Me? I'm just curious. Why are you in such a hurry? You're running about as if the world would come asunder if you stopped,' the elderly fighter asked the man jokingly.

'If you must know, I'm on a journey to find something. And I can't spare any minute until I find it.' The traveler still tried to find a way out of this conversation.

'You're after the treasure, aren't you?' asked the elegant fighter. 'Don't worry, I'm not one of the competitors. It's just the most logical reason. Still, I fail to understand why you can't stop for a little on a beautiful day like this. No offense, but the bags should be on your back, not under your eyes. When was the last time you slept?' Scythian looked a little concerned.

'I slept enough! I slept on...' the man wondered. When was the last time he slept or rested? He quickly pushed away those thoughts and said, 'What does it even matter to you?' The ranger raised his voice a little.

Scythian thought for a little and asked:

'Have you ever heard of the creatures known as the living corpses?'

'Yes, I have,' said the man. 'But they are just rumors. According to the myths, they are like a plague. One appears and starts infecting people until the town is nothing more than a husk, a place where there is nothing else but them. Why?' The wanderer noticed something on the duelist's face. His face saddened.

'They are not just rumors. They are real,' said the old fighter with a face that the man knew too well. There was a little pause in the conversation as the old man's motivation became clearer.

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'I'm sorry,' said the wanderer finally.

'The myth is wrong on one part though.' he continued, 'The infestation begins while they are still alive. They are created by people being impatient. By wanting to jump to the goal, by wanting to have everything and feeling left behind by not achieving it already, not even noticing that the most important part of their goals are the changes and experiences on their way there. They become a mere imitation of a human being. They become completely hollow.'

The man was struck by that word. Hollow. He started to feel his heart being strangled by something for a moment. Scythian noticed it but did not say anything.

'Thank you for the concern. I promise I will think about it, but now I have to go.' The man still wanted to get out of there, even if he could feel his eyes wanting to shut and his legs wanting to rest. 'I will rest when I'm there.' he thought. The elderly fighter thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

'Alright, let's try something different then.' He proceeded to pull out a little bag of gold coins from his pocket. 'I have a little game for you. See that tree over there?' He pointed at a tree not far from them, in the middle of a field. It looked serene. It cast a shadow on the grass, ever so comfortably.

'Yeah, what about it?' The man turned to his conversation partner.

'I have this bag of gold if you're willing to lie down there for an hour and rest. And if you don't feel better after that, I will give you the gold and we part ways. But if you do feel better, you will help me spend this money on tonight's revelry in the town. We will drink, laugh, who knows, you may find yourself a lady friend!' Scythian winked at the man (who in response rolled his eyes), but nevertheless, he seemed confident. The man couldn't help but laugh a little.

'Oh yeah. Rest and sleep in the presence of a complete stranger. Tale as old as time,' said the traveler. There was no way he would not be robbed.

'My boy, we have been talking for a while now. Don't you think that if I had ill will against you, I would have attacked you by now?' asked the old spearman.

The traveler thought. On one hand, it would not be wise and would delay him from his quest. On the other, he could use the money and it's the easiest way to get it. Plus, the old man had a point, he did not threaten him so far. Of course, it could be part of his plan. 'No matter. I will pretend that I am asleep for an hour. If he tries something, I will get rid of him and keep the gold.' he thought.

'Fine,' said the warrior finally. 'One hour. No more. After it, you will pay me and I will move on. Deal?' He reached for a handshake.

'Deal!' said Scythian, shaking the younger one's hand.

They made their way to the tree. The man lay down beneath it, in the shadow. Scythian took his place at the base of the tree. The restless young one closed his eyes. His mind was still racing.

On plans, on what to do. On places he needed to pass. On setbacks. On obstacles and people he met. On situations, both in the past and possible ones in the future.

On... how good the sun felt on his skin. On how calm everything around him was. On how meditative the sound of the wind and the songs of the birds were. On how many places like this he had passed so far, never stopping, always hurrying. Never taking time to get to know people, thinking about what exactly he was looking for. Appreciating the things he had done and the things he had been through. Evaluating their effect on himself.

'How long has it been? How long has it been since the last time I stopped a little?' He dropped his guard, he started to feel himself drifting asleep. Little by little.

But... there was this feeling still. That he was lazy. That he should not stop. That he was worthless now, that he wasn't working on his goal. He started to drift away to the land of dreams. He barely managed to open his eyes, just for a little. But on the other side of the road, he saw something. Just before he fell asleep, he saw it. As if a shadow came to life.

He woke up, looking at the sky. It was twilight, the sun had almost set. He felt full of energy, his eyes did not want to close anymore, his soul refreshed. He sat up and looked to the other side of the road. He did not see the creature. 'Maybe it was a dream.' he thought. But the feeling was there. He checked his things, everything was in order. He smiled a little. The old man had won. He turned to him.

'Good morning, lad. Did you sleep well?' smiled Scythian.

'As a matter of fact, I did. I feel much better. You were right. I needed the rest. Thank you for insisting,' the man smiled back.

'My friend, you and many young folks your age are on a journey. But many of you forget that the journey itself is just as important as the thing you're looking for. Be patient with yourself. Take some time off to rest. Changes and lessons are something you should not hurry with. You look like a fine lad, you will get there with time. You can't properly train a muscle if you stretch it too hard!' He said it with such passion, which completely overwhelmed the man. 'I just wish someone would listen to my experiences. I'm not getting any younger and would like to pass on my knowledge to the new generation.'

The wanderer smiled and said:

'Well, on this road, I will need much advice and will need to learn many lessons. I could use a guide, if you're up for it.'

Scythian looked surprised, but he was happy.

'Sounds like a fine deal.' He got to his feet. 'But first, I believe I won our little bet. So how about we start spending the money?'

'Sure thing,' said the guided one, as they headed for the town.

Back in the present, they finished with all the errands, and now stood in the town square. The man could not help but smile at the fine memory. Wolf got him out of his thoughts.

'Are we going or what?' asked the master of battle.

'On second thought, maybe we could stay in this fine town. It's not every day we find a festival and we have money to spare for it.' He turned to Wolf.

Scythian did not say anything. He did not have to. His smile spoke for him.

'Are you sure? This will make our trip longer,' asked the veteran.

'You can't train a muscle properly by stretching it too hard. Come on. I already picked the tavern.'

That night, the company had the time of their lives. They talked with each other, telling stories of their travels, both to each other and to people around them, especially Scythian, who was happy to share with the crowd around him.

They laughed at the faces of some drunk men who wouldn't leave the young ladies alone as Wolf scared them off. They danced to the songs of the band, most of all the man, who after the struggles of the past days was happy to ask a girl from the crowd to dance.

And as he took a break, with his tankard in his hand, he noticed something lurking in the shadows, watching him. He raised his drink toward it. It was still there. But for the moment, the feeling was a tiny bit easier.