Adolin woke up earlier than he planned.
He couldn't sleep.
With the caravan escort coming up in a few hours, sleeping now felt like a waste. It would take away the last bit of time he had to himself. He knew it was a bad call. The lack of sleep would ultimately work against him. Still, he chose to stay awake. It would be better for his party members. Of that, he was sure.
He stared out the window for a while. There wasn't much to see. A few people passed by, and a guard patrol moved through the street. That was it.
He got bored quickly. Back then, when he did this, he always had something to fall back on. Books. Crafting. Even just playing with his cat.
Now…
He had nothing to help him pass the time. He needed a few hobbies. Things he could do alone. That was important. He already wanted to study convenience spells, but he didn't have any. And creating them… wasn't possible. Not yet, at least.
Everything he knew about magic, most of it, was built for destruction. For killing. There were a few spells that did other things. But even those, he had learned because they made killing easier.
That left him lacking in convenience. Starting with the most important one.
A spell for the perfect tea.
He really hoped she hadn't forgotten.
That alone would make the escort a lot more bearable.
Soon, more people started filling the streets. The day had begun.
It was time to prepare.
Starting with his gear.
He still had no idea what was in the bag. He just trusted Lissandra and hoped it was the right call.
After a moment, he pushed himself off the bed. He grabbed the bag, set it on the table, and opened it.
On top was a black cloth with silver embroidery. He took it out and let it hang from his hands. It was a heavy cloak. Waterproof, from what he could tell. The embroidery gave it a clean look.
Adolin liked it.
He looked out the window. The weather was clear, the sky bright. No signs of rain.
Yes. It would rain.
He put on the cloak and pulled the hood over his head. It was heavy, but it didn't slow him down. And it looked good.
He chuckled.
That was reason enough.
Too bad there wasn't a mirror.
He wanted to see his face. He knew what he looked like from Dareth's memories, but he had never seen it himself. He should fix that. For a moment, he considered using a water spell. Then he gave up on the idea.
The next item in the bag was a bedroll. Nothing special. He set it aside and started laying the rest out on the table. Rope. Waterskin. Rations. Bandages. Two small knives. One for skinning, the other for everyday use.
The bag had only the essentials. But it was missing a lot. Hopefully his party members would have what he didn't. He couldn't afford anything better. At least he got a good cloak out of it.
He packed everything slowly, then filled the waterskin using mana control. It was the most efficient way. It didn't require him to talk to anyone about the nearest well.
A few minutes later, he was ready.
He left the inn.
It didn't take him too long to arrive at the west gate.
The gate stood before him. It was crowded. Far more than he would have liked. The guards had increased their presence. At least a dozen more than before. Three lines stretched out ahead. The noble line moved the fastest. Even faster than those on foot.
Adolin stood in an isolated corner, away from most people. He was supposed to meet someone at the gate, but he had no idea who. Glancing around, he only saw guards, merchants, adventurers leaving on quests, and people entering the city in search of opportunity.
Like Dareth.
A few minutes later, he noticed a figure walking toward him. Dressed in a dark mage's robe, with pink embroidery that looked like flowers. As she got closer, Adolin started to notice more.
Jet black hair tied back. A pink hairpin in the shape of a butterfly. She strode toward him, a pout on her face.
She looked familiar.
She stopped in front of him, arms crossed. "Follow me."
She turned and walked toward the gate.
Adolin followed after her.
She looked annoyed. Maybe even displeased with him. He didn't know why. Still, he was certain. It was Revel. The one he met last night.
She moved toward the gate, with Adolin behind her.
At the front, she flashed a card to the guard. Adolin tried to catch a glimpse of it, but couldn't make it out. The guard took a moment, studying the card.
"Lady," he said, bowing his head slightly as he stepped aside.
Then they were out of the city.
It was faster than Adolin expected. The noble carriages took longer to pass than they did. He wondered for a moment if Revel was part of the nobility, but quickly dismissed the thought. It didn't really matter to him.
She strode ahead of him without looking back.
They followed a path leading north of the city. To his left stood the walls, while to his right stretched a cleared plain for several hundred meters, ending in a lush green forest. The path was made of cobblestone. Not the best to walk on, but better than the uneven ground of the Demon Continent.
He would get used to it.
Adolin didn't mind if Revel was mad at him. Or maybe she wasn't. He still wasn't sure.
She didn't speak to him. That part felt peaceful. Aside from the pout he could feel from a few steps ahead.
It took them a few minutes to leave the outskirts of the city.
They passed a few guard patrols, and a merchant caravan with a dozen carts filled with vegetables, clothes, and even spears. A few merchants had set up just outside the walls, selling directly from their carts.
Adolin glanced at them.
He did want to check, but he didn't think Revel would stop.
"Nothing to say?" Revel said without turning back.
Adolin didn't like where this was going. He didn't want his prediction from the day before to be right. This Revel was better than yesterday. But it still felt wrong to ignore her. At the same time, he had no idea how to answer that. What was he supposed to say? He didn't even know why she was mad at him.
Adolin cleared his throat.
"You didn't look like you wanted me to talk," he said.
"I don't."
Adolin frowned.
That only made it worse. She was definitely mad about something.
Should he apologize? He wasn't sure. It might make things worse.
"Sorry," Adolin said.
Revel did pause for a moment, then she continued. "Do you even know how much you scared me?"
He had no clue.
"Not really," Adolin said, scratching the back of his neck.
Revel turned again, looking at him. "A—" She stopped, then turned away, her shoulders tensing as she walked. "A lot. If the church had found out about us, it would have been over for my family. Without the healing magic of the priests, my family's land would be gone."
That did make a few things clear to Adolin. It wasn't like he meant to scare them. He just wanted to get it over with, so he could spend some time alone. He hadn't even said anything. They made that part up on their own.
Still, it was interesting.
"Why?" Adolin asked.
Revel turned again, her head tilting slightly.
"Why? Do you not know what my family does?"
Was he supposed to?
He wasn't sure. Lissandra hadn't said anything about the party he would be joining. Except that they were her students.
"No."
Revel studied him for a moment. "My family defends the northern territories. Against the corrupted." Her chin lifted slightly.
That explained the fear. At least part of it. But it also raised more questions.
Adolin thought about the corruption. Vague memories from Dareth surfaced, but they weren't useful. Only that something dangerous came from the north. And that the kingdom held it at the borders.
"Corrupted?" Adolin asked.
Revel's eyes narrowed. "Are you joking?"
"Sadly, no. I have no idea what the corrupted are. In Grest, the only thing I had to worry about was the harvest." He paused. "That was it."
"Southerners," Revel said, rolling her eyes. "Living far from the north must be nice," she muttered.
Adolin heard it. He didn't mind. He just hoped he could learn more about the corrupted.
She turned and started walking again, her pace steady. "The corrupted are invading our world. From a different dimension." She spat to the side. "Vile creatures. Everything they touch is corrupted. All life extinguished."
They stepped aside, letting a carriage pass. Revel didn't speak until it was gone.
"The Violet Forest. The one my family is known for…" She exhaled. "It's gone. Corruption took it. As it did most of the north."
"I'm sorry," Adolin said.
It did feel bad. And he would have liked to see the forest, if it really had violet trees.
Revel didn't respond.
"Do you get it now?"
"Yeah."
Revel snorted.
"We're close."
She pointed toward a building along the path.
"They're waiting for us at the inn."
He wanted to learn more about the corruption, but now didn't feel like it was the right time. Revel was already in a bad mood. Asking more would only make it worse. So he left it for later. They were in the same party. He would have time to learn more about the corruption. And the other realm. He could also look into it himself. The next time he found a library.
He had dealt with a few cases of corruption in his old world. There was one that the necromancers used. It withered and destroyed life. Another stole life force from everything, feeding the creatures from the dark continent. Dealing with corruption was hard. There were too many ways to corrupt life force or mana. And dealing with it required life force, divine magic, or time.
The ones that needed time were the worst. The land couldn't be used for hundreds of years after it was corrupted. Time reversal spells existed, but they were more dangerous than they were worth.
Cleansing with divine magic was just as bad. The user would be bound to the god that answered. Using life force wasn't any better. It required the mage to sacrifice their own lifespan.
And even then, it wasn't enough. If the creatures weren't wiped out, the corruption would return. Dealing with them always came with high casualties.
They were close enough to see the details. Above the door hung a wooden sign, the name carved into it. The Faraway Inn. A dozen tables were spread across the front, most of them occupied. To the right stood the stables, filled with horses and carts.
If Adolin had to guess, this was where merchants stopped before entering the city. Or before leaving it.
The closer they got, the smell of manure grew stronger.
Adolin clicked his tongue.
"There," Revel said, pointing toward a table closest to the path.
Adolin followed her gaze.
Lira sat there.
Two men with her.
"Our party," Revel said.