Closed.

Dhea turned to the Gate and shouted for it to open, knowing that they had to leave. She looked back at the Orc and smiled viscously in thanks, before pulling Rhain through the doors with her.
 
The Gate swung open with a thundering noise. Rhain rushed through it as Dhea followed. They were out of Khare and into the night, the torches of the City remaining behind the Wall. As the Gate closed they were plunged into darkness, the path illuminated by moonlight only.

Dhea was hungry as she had not eaten the whole day and her muscles ached after the combat, now feeling all the numerous minor wounds on her arms.

"There's a clearing close ahead. If you make camp there, you should be able to see if any of those Goblins approached." Rhain spoke with a finality and then confirmed the suspicions. "I'm not going to travel with you, I'm faster on my own."

Dhea knew nothing about the path ahead and Baklands were a terrible place. However, she had Courga with her and his presence would heal her wounds if she prayed to him.

- Say your goodbyes and rest.
- Optional: Pray to Courga.
 
Dhea took Rhain’s hand gently, her touch full of kindness. She was scared for what was ahead, but she was also worried for her assassin...friend. She knew he would not stay with her, so rather than fretting over him, she squeezed his hand.
“Stay safe, Rhain.”
She offered him a smile, before dropping his hand and taking a step back. Nope. She couldn’t be too familiar with him.

And then, she went over to the space he recommended and took a moment to pray to Courga. She couldn’t do much while she was this worn out and injured.
 
Part III - The Baklands​

Dhea's two week journey had taken her through the Shamutanti Hills and the treacherous Cityport of Khare. She had faced monsters, traps, certain death and the undead, but now she stood on the edge of desolate wilderness - Kakhabad, the country of the Archmage himself. There was no time to lose. To survive, she must be bold, act quickly and have faith in every step, although every step will almost certainly lead her further into a trap.

Towering mountains, dead plains, tangled forests and the wide waters of Lake Ilklala all lay between her and the Xamen Road. Out here food was scarce and every resting place was dangerous. There will be no villages, no inns and no aid. She will have nothing but her weapons, her gold and her courage.

Dhea awoke in the middle of nowhere, between withered trees. She had eaten and slept and felt fresh for the journey ahead. When she inspected her pack before moving on, she found a rolled up piece of cloth, and when unfolded it proved to be a map.

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It could have been slipped into her pack by Rhain, other explanations were not plausible.

She only had one road to follow in this part of her journey, the one that would lead her over the hills. As she started her ascent she could hear a whooshing sound overhead. Something was circling above her. A big bird of some kind. It looked like it was about to swoop down on her.

- Run.
- Ready for an attack.
- Cast a spell.
 
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Dhea looked up and took a step back, before turning and running. Hopefully she could find cover and avoid the bird creature. Or at least confuse it and let her get a good shot towards it. She already knew that this place was horrifying, but she could survive it. She always found a way.
 
The Sergeantmaster had spoken to Dhea about Baklands and the plains of Baddu-Bak. Once, long ago, this land thrived, prospering in the warm shadow of the Fortress of Sorcerers, high in the Zanzunu Peaks. Then something changed. They said that the last refugee to reach Khare from the Plains declared only: "They are all gone." The North Gate was sealed and the Baklands left to die.

Dhea would now have a chance to see what happened to the Plains, even though she had never seen them in their prosperous times. But she needed to get rid of the pestering bird before that.

The bird swooped down as she ran, its talons clawing for her, missing her by a thread. It let out a frustrated shriek, but as Dhea ran blindly, turning around to look at the attacker, she tripped on a rock and went sprawling on the ground. The birds circled overhead, preparing for another swoop, as two more just like it joined her in the air. They must have been really hungry.

As one, all three dived down for Dhea... then, quite suddenly they broke formation. Something else was shimmering into visibility, in their very midst.

- Crawl away.
- Wait and watch.
 
Dhea was terrified. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her hands stung from slamming into the ground. She wasn’t fully sure what was going on, if what had stopped the birds from attacking her.
She thought for sure that she was dead.

She wanted to see what had saved her.
 
In the air above her the strangest of battles ensued. The wing of one vulture snapped upwards like a branch. A second one was ripped into feathers by invisible claws. The last vulture escaped with a shriek until there was nothing left but her invisible saviour.

There was a rush of air just in from of Dhea. Whatever it was, it had landed. She could hear the movement of unseen, feathered wings.

"Can't you tell what it is?" Courga's growling voice inside her head. "It's one of yours. A Goldcrest Eagle from Analand."

The creature slowly became visible, until it was fully revealed in front of her. It tilted its beak, its intelligent eyes looking at Dhea. It was so big it could carry her in its talons easily. Goldcrest Eagles were unique to Analand, but were not usually mingle with people. Not to mention that they could disappear from sight at will.

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- Bow.
- Talk to it.
 
Dhea stood, her eyes going over the eagle. She almost smiled at seeing it, before bowing. She had respect for this majestic creature. And it had saved her life. She was thankful for that. Showing even a modicum of respect was the least she could do.
 
The Eagle opened its beak in reply and something fell on the ground. A message cylinder. Whatever it was it must have contained something of vital importance, otherwise the King would never risk compromising her position like that.

I hope this letter find you in good health, my friend.

From the mere start of the letter, Dhea knew that it was not the King who wrote it, it was her Sergeantmaster.

Unfortunately, I have no good news, but am writing to you in order to warn you about the dangers ahead. You have done good in Khare, but your mission has been discovered. The eyes of Mampang have spied our plan and word is on its way to dark fortress.

Too late have I discovered unwelcome eavesdroppers in our midst and now news of your progress is being carried toward Mampang by the Archmage's most trusted servants - the Seven Serpents.

By now they will have reached the Baklands and here they will divide to complete their journey separately. If you are still able, seek them out, for they too must stop to rest and eat. Destroy the creatures before they reach their goal and so you weaken the Archmage himself.

Find Shadrack the Hermit for advice, for nothing moves through the Baklands without his knowledge.

All our hearts are with you.

The Eagle had already rendered itself invisible, and a gust of air reached Dhea as it took off, back to Analand. She would not make that journey yet.

- Destroy the message.
- Keep it.
 
Dhea looked at the message, taking a moment to let everything sink in. Destroying the message would be safer, smarter.
Her fingers trailed over the words for a moment, her mind etching them into her brain.
And then, she started tearing it up.
Even though destroying her friend’s words killed her a little, it was always the safer option.
 
After ripping the note to shreds, Dhea rejoined the north road. Before her, the Baklands stretched away to a dim horizon. It was a huge and wild place and it will be very difficult to lace the Serpents on her own. Courga chuckled in her mind.

"Afraid? You should be. These lands are filled with death. Don't let them change you. The Baklands were rich and prosperous once. One man destroyed them. You mortals tend to do that."

- Ask about the Archmage.
- Continue ahead.
 
“You know, even though I’m going after the Archmage, I don’t actually know all that much about him.”
Dhea scratched the side of her head and sighed.
“Would you be able to tell me more about him?”
 
"The Archmage was scared enough to destroy this whole land." Courga replied. "And do you know what fear it was? It was his fear of you. He foresaw your coming and destroyed the Baklands, to better fashion a trap for you. Quite a welcome, don't you think?" The God hissed in disgust. "Make him pay for it."

Before she could question it further, its presence faded from Dhea's mind.

About half an hour of walking later Dhea saw a deep black line across the earth up ahead, halting her steps just in time to see that she was at the end of a sheer cliff. A few loose stones disappeared over the ledge, clattering down.

- Look for a way down.
- Rest.
- Cast a spell.
 
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Dhea looked at the cliff, before getting down on her stomach and shimmying a little over the edge. She wasn’t going to risk being knocked down there, not yet.
She was looking for a way down, but she didn’t like her chances.
 
The edge was too steep to be easily scaleable. Dhea also did not have a rope in her pack and there were no visible handholds down the cliff to which she could hold on. The drop was some five meters, which was not too bad, but would definitely hurt.

- Drop off.
- Cast a spell.
 
Dhea thought for a moment, eyebrows slightly furrowed. She was mentally flipping through her spells and settled on one. She tried to cast a spell of weightlessness, intent on using it to make her decent a little easier.
 
Her whole body felt light as a feather as she took a step forward. She did not plunge down, but simply floated gently until her feet touched the ground below. The foot of the cliff was punctured by little holes that looked like warrens of Hillfoxes or whatever kind of animals dwelt in those wastelands.

Leaving the shadow of the cliff, Dhea stepped across the plain. A few clouds scudded across the sky. These were the Pits of the Baklands. The landscape did not look as fearsome as expected, but it was mostly empty. The air was dry and dusty. No monster could hide here.

- Rest.
- Go north.
- Go east.
- Go northeast.
 
She continued following along the old road. As the morning moved on, the wind begun rising. The road snaked across the dust bowl. In the distance she could make something through the haze - some kind of a tower. It flickered strangely, but perhaps it look like that only due to heat and dust.

"Excuse me." A young voice called from behind her.

But as Dhea turned around she could not see anything but a deserted road. Warm wind whistled around her. The plains suddenly felt emptier than a moment before. The line of the road curved gently as she followed it.

- Search through the rocks.
- Walk on.
 
Dhea frowned and she adjusted the way she was standing. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her sword and she started searching through the rocks.
But not before casting a spell to sense danger.
 
The spell revealed that the rocks were quite safe and no creature or trap was hiding behind them. She also knew that good pebbles could be a useful ingredient in spell-casting, but they had to be the right shape and size. Most of them on that spot were either too angular or too narrow. But there were one or two suitable ones buried among the rest. She had to reach and in order to dig them out of from underneath the rest of the rocks.

She would now be able to cause small focused explosions with the pebbles, though she had only two of them.

The road forked further on with one part sneaking up the mountainside to the east and the other path leading north up to the tower she saw in the distance. There was an oddly shaped rock in that direction a little further on.

- Go north.
- Go east.
 
Dhea shifted and looked at both directions, debating for a moment. The tower intrigued her, but continuing was also important. She nibbled on her lip, before heading north. Who knows what was in the tower.
 
She continued toward the tower, though it was very far away.

The underfoot turned into rock and scree. The heat of the sun was starting to get bothersome. Dhea passed through the shadow of a large rock spire that stuck from the earth like a claw through cloth. The rock was a single, shattered spire, perhaps once a part of the mountain range to the east, but separated from it by the passage of years.

At the base of the rock was the mouth of a cave. The remains of an ancient firepit could be seen from the entrance. No sounds came from the cave, it looked to be empty. There were some sorts of marking on the wall above it. She could not see them clearly from the entrance.

- Inspect the cave.
- Continue ahead.
 
Dhea decided to inspect the cave, because at the very least she could rest for a moment inside.
And the markings were interesting, even if she couldn’t see them properly. Perhaps that was part of the allure for her.

With a soft breath, she stepped inside, still resting her hand on her hilt in case of danger. She looked around, eyes wide and wishing to take everything in at once.
 
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