The man awoke. He sprung up in a bed, like he was still on the battlefield.

'Nazrem!' he cried out. But the sudden pain in his chest snapped him back to reality. With a pained grunt, he laid back to his place and looked around. There were other beds beside his, all with white sheets. Some were occupied with other ill men and women. He realized that he was in a hospital of sorts. With a closer look, he also noticed that the other patients had only light injuries. Though most of them were unconscious. Their soul was ravaged by the sorcerer, no doubt.

With sadness in his heart, he tried to get up again. The pain was almost unbearable; he grunted as he brought himself up, but he needed to get through it. He needed to find his comrades.

'Hey, take it easy,' said a familiar, rough voice.

Wolf walked up to him. The veteran helped him to sit up as gently as he could.

'Wolf!' he grunted, relieved that his mentor is okay. 'Thank God you are here. Are you alright? What happened to Scythian?' After a little pause, he also asked. 'What happened to Nazrem?'

Wolf looked at him, with sadness in his eyes. Whatever the mage told him still lurked in his thoughts.

'That menace is gone, though I'm not sure if he was beaten or just bored. He left the city after he beat us and did not return.' In his mind, the swordsman remembered the picture of the Hollow's intervention. He could not see the creature, but he knew that it wasn't far away. The master of battle continued.

'As for Scythian, he lives as well. He is currently taking a walk on the balcony. There are gardens there. He is relatively unscathed physically, just like me. But he is upset by what the sorcerer told him, whatever it is.' His look hardened, and he went on. 'What were you thinking? Taking on a powerful mage head on? I know you can use some spells now, but you are not invincible! You endangered all of us just because of whatever history you have with him! You lost yourself completely in your rage again!'

The man replied quickly.

'Not completely,' he said. With a sigh, he explained. 'In the forest, I used my will to guide my anger. To fuel me so I could access my powers again. This time, however, it was the other way around. My anger led, but my will followed. I wanted to attack him. I wanted to see him suffer. To crumble him to the dust and scatter him through the wind!'

For a second, rage fueled his mind again.But in a second, he reminded himself that the mage is gone. And he calmed down.

The warmaster then continued.

'I see. Still, it was reckless! It is clear that you are not ready for a battle like this,' he saw his student lower his head at the realization. So he added. 'Yet.'

The man looked at him confused.

'You might not have been able to win this time, but you have shown great potential for it! The power you yielded and the way you fought were outstanding. From now on, we are not just going to travel together. We are going to train for battle! So the next time we meet this freak, we can put an end to him!'

The wanderer did not believe his ears. He sprung up from his seat.

'Next time?!' he asked furiously. 'If you failed to notice, we almost died! If it were not for the creature, the sorcerer would have cut us down like animals! Not just that, but look at these people! They are here because I started a fight I could not win. There is no next time here, Wolf. Maybe not even for our journey, but definitely not for another fight with Nazrem.'

The veteran was driven back by this reaction. Not from the words, but from the warriors eyes. There was so much hopelessness and fatigue in them. He never saw his companion like this. And this time he was sure that it was not a spell.

'Am I the one who fails to notice things here?' the warmaster asked. 'You say that we are only alive because our foe was interrupted. These people can say the same! Sure, they are wounded, but they live. What would have happened if you hadn't even tried to stop him? I'll tell you. This city would be in flames! Sure, there are losses, but you did make a-'

'WHAT ABOUT MY LOSS??' the ranger shouted. Those patients who were conscious turned their attention to the pair. But the man did not care anymore. Instead, he turned to his interrupted mentor.

'How many battles do I have to fight? How many wounds do I have to bear? How many loved ones do I have to see perish before me? How many roads do I have to travel until I get to the treasure, which may or may not even exist? How long do I have to fight for before I can finally rest? Im... I am tired, Wolf. I am not sure if I want to fight anymore.'

At the end of his speech, the man stood still. He let out all of his troubling thoughts. He wanted to cry, to collapse to the floor, but he could not. Something inside did not let him. His mentor helped him, punching him in the face and sending him to the ground. The sudden shock snapped the traveler out of his despair. The veteran started to speak.

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'You want to give up now?! Throwing everything that we did, that YOU did, out of the window?! Fine! Have it your way! Go, live, and die however you see fit! Who am I to try to stop you?' The battlemaster turned to leave, but he stopped for a moment. But the wanderer was not the only one who was upset after the fight. With a big sigh he added.

'I dont know if you heard it or not, but what the mage said was true. I am nothing more than brute. All I know is how to fight, drink, and repeat. That's all I ever was, all I ever cared. All everyone could see me for. Except for you. So when you came to that tavern, I just thought that maybe I could be more. Maybe I could be a mentor. Maybe by helping you to your goal, I could prove to myself that I can do more than split heads and slowly drink my life away. That is the real reason I joined your quest.' He turned back to his student on the floor. 'In the forest, me and that old bonerack told you that we believe in you. I still do. So decide. Will you be that man who got us out of that place and who fought against the odds in this city, or the scared boy you present now? I will stick around for a few days for the answer.'

With that, he left. Leaving the traveler with his thoughts.

After a while, the man started looking for Scythian. But before he could find him, he was found by the mayor of Paxfort. From him, the traveler learned that he was unconscious for 3 days straight, while his companions were not. During this time the mayor talked with Scythian, and as a reward they would not just give them all the supplies they needed, but they forged new armor for him as well. At first the traveler refused. He lost the fight; he certainly was not worthy of such gifts, but the leader of the city was insistent. In the end he gave in, as he needed something to go around in, and the armor sounded far better than some rug. In looks, it did not differ much from the previous one (a touch of Scythian no doubt), but it had more plates, covering his entire body. All the while being somehow lighter than the one before. Its handgrips, upper hands, and leg part had little spikes on them, useful for drawing blades away from cutting his limbs. Also, it had a detachable cloack, light green, just as his own raincoat. It was definitely a masterpiece. After he changed into it, he thanked the mayor for his kindness but asked that they hold no feast for them. Instead, he asked that they use that effort for rebuilding the town.

After that, he finally found his old mentor in the balcony of the hospital. When the old spearman noticed him, he had a smile of relief on his face. And concerns in his eyes.

'Oh my lad, is it good to see you walking again! How do you feel? I see that the mayor found you with his gift. I gave them some advice; I hope you like it.'

The man smiled. They walked up to the windows, from which they could see the city at large.

'Im fine. And yes, I had to accept this. They wouldn't let me go until I did. But it is a good armour. So thank you. Though...,' he stopped for a moment. 'I might not have much use of it. Have you spoken to Wolf?'

Scythian's face soured a little.

'Yes, I have. He told me of your little fight too.'

Then, the man told his old mentor his thoughts. His fatigue, his hopelessness, everything. For a while, there was silence between them. Then the old squirrel started to talk.

'You know, the sorcerer wasn't wrong. I did fail my son. I should have been there for him, but I was too busy with being a squire to the knights. Not realizing what is becoming of him and the other townsfolk. I was so caught up with my own goals that I was not there for my own son! And in the end, I failed both Gallahad and him. I lost it all,' the old spearman stopped for a moment, trying to get himself together. 'That is why, when I met you, I thought that maybe this is my chance to make it right. Maybe I can be there for you and prevent that the same fate to fall upon you. To at least try to make it right, to help another soul. But I understand if you feel like that it is not for you anymore.'

He looked at the buildings.

'You know, you could have a good life here. I think many people would offer a job for you. You could have a cozy little house, friends, maybe even a family. There is honor in a simple life, and if it feels right for you, then you should take this chance.'

The wanderer sighed. What his friend said was true. Paxfort would be a good place to settle down. However.

'And whats then, Scythian?' he asked. 'Be an everyday folk, living the same day by day by day? What you say is intriguing, but would I be happy? Would that still be me? I started this journey because I knew that my life back then could not stay the same. If I stop now, could I live with myself? Or I would poison my days thinking about "what would have happened if I continued?" or "was my goal really that far away, or I just gave up too early?" The thing is, while I am tired and scared of what can happen tomorrow, I am also scared of what happens if I dont even try to find it out. After all, who am I without this goal?'

Scythian listened. For the first time in a while, he did not have an answer right away. Nor did he have to. These questions were for his pupil to answer.

'I understand your struggle. You are at an important crossroads now. Take your time with figuring it out. But know this: whatever you choose, whatever your final verdict, I will support you. Because I still believe in you, lad. And I know you will make the right call.'

With that, Scythian left. Leaving the man alone with his thoughts.

The wanderer was on the balcony for a long time. After a while, he was alone with the view. Or almost alone. The Hollow was there also.

Its prey was down. Alone. Desperate. Lost. It walked closer to the man. Closer. Closer. Until it was...

Right beside him. It looked out of the window to the city. Then to the traveler. They stood there for a long while. The sun was starting to set, covering everything in a golden light.

Finally, it spoke.

'We should go,' it said.

The warrior looked at it.

'Where? To do what? Do you know what option I should choose? To stay here or to go? Or do you finally have an answer? Do you know now what would fulfill you? Do you know where the treasure is? Do you know what tomorrow holds?'

There was silence. Than, the answer.

'I don't know.'

The man cuffed. But then it spoke again.

'Exciting, is it not?'

The man was surprised for a moment. He thought about these words. With a simple smile, he nodded at the creature.

They then rejoined with his mentors. Wolf and Scythian were waiting for the choice their student would make in front of the hospital.

When the man joined them, he had one final question for the day.

'Who wants to eat?'

With that, he headed to the city. The guides looked at each other and laughed, joining the traveler.

He did not know the answers. He knew that his and Nazrem's paths would meet again, however. And he knew that he would have to travel a long way until his goal.

But he knew that no matter what happened, he was still here. And that he will fight on.