Finally, the story continues. What is it again they say... home sweet home? That is not always the case, sadly. Just ask Wesley. Hope you enjoy :3

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Chapter 35 - Return to Paravil

By the break of dawn, I became the first of us to awaken and witness the rays of sunlight, entering the forest through the barrier of leaves above. We had all settled down in these woods, falling asleep where ever we could make ourselves comfortable. The first thing that caught my attention, was that the sorcerer Archimedes had apparently returned while we were sleeping. He was sitting on the ground and leaning up against a broad tree, resting while having the book between his arms, clinging onto it. His head nodded slightly during his slumber. It still puzzled me why he had to leave in such a hurry last night, but I was just glad to see that he had returned, safe and sound. Everyone else were scattered in the area, laying somewhere at the forest floor, sleeping with small amounts of withered leaves and branches covering their bodies. The birds were singing. Personally, I had pushed away the moisturized leaves to lay on the wet soil underneath, resting my head on a small patch of moss. That way, my body was enclosed by the small piles of withered leaves that came out of it. It was the most effective way that I could feel comfortable, when forced to sleep in the wilderness. Even though I’ve tried it a few times in my past, it’s a pretty uncommon experience to me.

The only person who didn’t seem to be together with us, was our courageous tribal warrior Zephyr. Due to his size and appearance, it’s hard not to notice when he’s absent. But I am a fairly quick learner. So while still laying down, I just rested the back of my head in the soft patch of moss, gazing up into the crowns of the trees. And there he was, hanging upside down from a branch high above the ground, keeping his body covered by the wings. Bats of all kinds are cursed by having numerous dark rumors attached to them, but I personally find them very fascinating. I’ve never been the type of guy who believes in all the gossip that is passed around. Zephyr was somehow holding onto the thick branch with his feet and claws while sleeping, in the same way that he did back in the tavern. The humongous spear that he always carries around had been stabbed into the tree’s log, hanging out horizontally only a few meters below where Zephyr slept. Drops of water were still falling from the leaves above, feeling like small wet kisses upon my face. My body felt greatly rejuvenated at that point, after a decent nights rest. But it was also about time that we moved on. Our time is short, and if my theory about Sean’s goal is correct, disaster is about to strike us hard.

As the first person having woken up, I yawned and stretched out my sore limps, catching the cracking sound going through my back and shoulders. My body tend to feel awfully stiff after having slept. But the next moment, I left the little nest I had made between the piles of withered leaves, and went out to wake everyone else up. Despite of his somewhat disturbing burst of energy last night, Paul was ironically the hardest person in our group to wake up. At first, I couldn’t even make him pay attention, as he just rolled over onto the other side. The second time I called out his name and shook his shoulder gently, he snapped at me with anger in his voice, before going back to sleep again. Some people can really be so difficult to deal with in the morning. Everyone else seemed to be awake already, but Paul was still sleeping soundly. At this point, I was dangerously tempted to kick him or something, because we don’t have time for this bogus. But I could imagine that he’d probably not wake up in the most pleasant mood if I used a method like that. Once having noticed me standing there being clueless, the sorcerer Archimedes suddenly walked up to my side, holding the closed book under his arm. He lowered his sight and looked at Paul still laying on the ground, slumbering without a single care in the world. Then he turned his head towards me and raised his left eyebrow, before asking me a question.

Archimedes: Are you having a problem here?
Wesley: Paul is completely knocked out and won’t get up.
Archimedes: Say no more. Let me handle that…

The lemur observed Paul for a short moment, stroking his chin gently, seeming very thoughtful. Then a sinister smirk suddenly appeared on his face as he came up with a great idea. He stretched his arm out towards Paul, and his gloved hand begun to glow for a moment. My eyes blinked by surprise as I watched a small flame ignite on Paul’s exposed rabbit tail, burning gently. He grumbled silently but eventually woke up. And once he noticed his tail being on fire, he instantly bounced back up on his feet and screamed. The next moment, he ran around in circles, flailing with his arms like crazy. It was first several seconds later that his brain finally snapped out of the panic, making him stop instantly to beat his tail repeatedly with his gloved hands, smothering the fire. Right after the fire had finally become extinguished, Paul raised his head and send Archimedes a scowling look. A small amount of the fur on his tail had become singed, and even though the fire was gone, it still smoked gently. But nothing serious happened, he just became startled. Once Paul had recovered from his state of panic, I just couldn’t help it but to giggle, before bursting out in laughter. Only a few minutes later, my contagious laughter made the others join me, laughing with me. Even Paul chuckled a little while he brushed his tail clean of the black soot left behind.

Wesley: Haha, are you awake yet?
Paul: Sure am. So much for my beauty sleep.
Wesley: Sorry about that, we couldn’t wake you.
Paul: It’s alright, I know it’s quite a challenge to wake me in the morning. I’m a heavy sleeper. But don’t worry, I’m up now.

Paul turned his head and looked over his shoulder while wiggling his small slightly singed bunny tail, to confirm for himself that no harm was done. But there was never any danger involved in this. It was only a tiny spark of fire, and I have faith in that Archimedes had everything under full control. But all the noise that we’ve made down here had apparently awoken Zephyr, who was still hanging with his head upside down on a branch high above. With no hesitation, he let himself fall from the branch and grabbed the shaft of his spear on the way down, flipping in the air so that he landed on his feet. Being fairly large and muscular, the heavy landing send a tremor through the ground, causing some of the withered leaves to rise and catch wind. He was left in a crouching position for a few seconds, but then he slowly rose to stand straight, before releasing a soft sigh. His eyes revealed that he too was still pretty tired, and probably not too pleased with having been awoken. While standing straight up, he pressed the bottom of the spear’s shaft into the soft soil while holding onto it. His face expressed great confusion with a small touch of concern.

Zephyr: What is all this ruckus about?
Wesley: Sorry about the rude awakening, Zephyr. We’re just messing around. We’ve got to leave very soon.
Zephyr: Fair enough. But before we go, let’s see if there’s anything edible to find in this forest. I’m starving.
Paul: Yeah, me too.
Sinqularis: Well, let’s go find some food then.
Archimedes: Don’t worry about me, I seldom have any appetite in the morning. I’ll just remain here in our camp.
Paul: Alright. We’ll leave you to guard the camp. Let’s go, people!

Everyone except the sorcerer Archimedes left the camp to search the forest for food. Zephyr and Raksasha suggested that we should attempt to hunt some of the critters living in this forest, in hopes of having fresh meat for breakfast to roast in the bonfire. I honestly found this idea very appealing, but unfortunately, we simply don’t have the time to prepare the food properly. So we were forced to see what other alternatives this little forest has to offer. Fortunate for us, it didn’t take more than half an hour of rummaging through the woods, before we discovered bushes rich with wild berries. It was like heaven for starving bellies. Once my eyes had scanned the bushes surrounding us, it became clear to me that the most dominating fruit in the area was raspberries. But there were also a small amount of juicy blackberries to be found, granting us the opportunity to pamper our tongues with more flavors than one. The five of us quickly approached the bushes and plucked the berries within our reach, eating them shortly after having grabbed them. It’d take a lot of such small fruits to satisfy a persons hunger, but thankfully, it didn’t seem necessary to worry about quantity. Despite of their small size, their sweet juice felt very stimulating once it made contact with our tongues.

When we finally had managed to tame our hunger by feeding on these wild berries, it seemed like the five of us had only cleared about slightly less than half of the fruits. So there was still plenty of berries left for the wildlife living in this forest. Then we were ready to make our way back to the camp, where Archimedes was waiting for us. Once we came back and pushed our way through the growth of the forest, we found the sorcerer sitting on a hollow log, reading the mysterious book as always. Certain things about that lemur was becoming awfully predictable at this point. And I still don’t understand what he gets out of staring at blank pages all day long. I’m starting to worry that the sorcerer might suffer from a touch of lunacy. But when he saw us enter the camp, he instantly closed his book with a slam and rose from his seat, seeming like he is aware that it is time for us to leave. It was very early morning, and the sun was somewhat more shiny than the day before, despite that there were still a fair deal of clouds covering the sky. Some of them were pretty dark, making me suspect that we risked getting caught in yet another shower of rain, if we were unfortunate enough. But we’re in no position where we can allow such petty things to intimidate us. Once having returned to the camp, we swiftly regrouped and left the forest, with the intention of returning to the road leading north. Our journey continues once again, and this time, towards a very familiar location.

Right after having made our way back to the rough road, we noticed that the heavy rain from last night had left many puddles of water behind, making it somewhat less comfortable for our barefooted friends to travel. The sunlight reflected in the wet blades of grass on both sides of us. Unfortunately, the heavy moist in the area has attracted a lot of mosquitoes, that stalk us in swarms in hopes of feeding on our blood. It wasn’t difficult to sense them coming though, because they made a habit out of buzzing right next to my ear, just before making an attempt to sting me somewhere in my face. That is pretty much the only part of my body that was exposed and vulnerable to their intentions. There was no way that they could get through or under my armor. I couldn’t help it but to feel sorry for our tribal companions, since everything they had to protect themselves from those bugs, were their skimpy loinclothes. But surprisingly, they didn’t seem to care about it like the rest of us. I can imagine that they are used to enduring various bites from insects, back in the enchanted forest from which they came. So they’re probably somewhat more resilient to such things compared to the rest of us.

About half an hour had passed by since we left the forest, and we had finally managed to shake off the swarms of mosquitoes, making them give up and leave us alone. While we traveled as a gathered group, Zephyr, Raksasha and the shaman were having a lengthy conversation to pass time. Archimedes was reading the ancient book while walking as always, so he was too distracted to participate in the conversation himself. But in the back of our group, Paul and I were walking side by side, having become completely silent. We had noticed that the surroundings around us had become more familiar. It made our hearts skip a beat or two. Because we knew that we were getting very close to Paravil now. We were going home. But not to the home that we used to know. Neither of us were looking forward to see the ruins of our beloved hometown again. That town is nothing but a tremendous graveyard now, where good memories have been buried. And once we step into that area again, the memories will awaken from the dead and haunt us. It’ll be emotionally challenging for us. But if we don’t find the courage to enter the broken gates of Paravil again, then our king might fall, and our last hope of survival might be lost forever. It is possible that Sean was just bluffing, but I’m not taking any chances with a fearsome threat like this.

We’ve now left the road heading north, switching to an alternate path that leads directly to our target, through an open area with many steep hills. It was very close. I could feel it. There were no signs directing us in the right way, but it wasn’t necessary. I’ve been here before, and I knew the way from this point. These were the same hills that I passed through, back when I attempted to make my way home from the meadow, being the same day that the town of Paravil met a fatal end. I knew in my heart that I’d never forget the day where I found my hometown engulfed in flames. It felt like everything that I had accomplished in that town throughout the last many years, was smashed and grinded to smithereens in a matter of a day. Even if we somehow came out of this ridiculous war alive, I’d have to build my life back up from scratch. There were only minor fragments left of how my life used to be, and the lich kings destruction had already ensured that things will never return to what it once was. The forces of death will inevitably leave a scar upon the planet that will never heal, but how severe the damages become, depends on how well we do in our attempts to fight back. And even with our new powerful allies, it still feels like we’re having the odds against us.

Something unexpected happened that left me slightly surprised. The moment before that the path we traversed lead us into the hilly terrain, Archimedes suddenly closed his book and carried it under his arm, seeming like he knew that we were close to Paravil. This baffled me, because none of us had told him of its location. Could he by any chance have been here before? Taken into consideration that he seemingly has chosen to become a wandering traveler, I can imagine that he has probably visited many places before he joined us on our quest. In either case, he certainly made it clear that it was not only Paul and I that knew which way to go from here. The town of Paravil and the glorious castle of Lionheart was strategically build in this grassy valley, because they knew that the hills surrounding it could be used to their advantage. The steep hills made it difficult for an opposing army to attack and easy for a defending army to hold them back. Even back in the days where the only wars held were between mortals, the castle standing proudly in Paravil was famous not only for housing our king, but also for being highly defensive and nearly impossible to siege. But that was before the demons and undead joined forces four years ago, and brought devastating powers that far surpassed the strength of a mortal man. The great walls of King Lionheart’s castle is crumbling, and once they collapse, it’s over. Before the massive invasion of demons and undead, the castle was known for only having one weakness, being the fields of wheat behind it. Those fields were appropriate to launch an attack by, but it could only be done effectively at specific times of the year, or the wheat itself would slow the enemies down. Unfortunately, we needed those fields to grow our crops, since they supplied us with a dependable food source.

We’ve now arrived at the top of the tallest hill in the area, giving us a great view of the entire valley. And from here, it should be possible for us to see the remains of Paravil and the kings castle. But once I adjusted my sight in the right direction, I couldn’t believe my own eyes. My jaw dropped and I stared. The town had been rebuild and the king’s castle had been repaired, looking more magnificent than ever. I could even see people walking in the streets! Living people, handling their daily schedule, without a care in the world. I was just about to burst out in joy, but something didn’t seem right. With my head leaning slightly forward, I raised my hands and pressed the palms against my eyes, rubbing them softly. And as I opened my eyes again to take a second look, my mind had returned to reality. The town was ruined, the castle heavily damaged and not a single person was walking the streets. This is how the town was back when Paul and I embarked on our journey. What I just saw was apparently an illusion born out of my fond memories from the past, blended with the harsh reality of the present. I sighed. My sudden burst of joy fell to the ground like a rock. Only a moment later, I felt someone placed an arm on my shoulders, in a friendly manner. It was Paul.

Paul: I know how you feel, old friend. We need to be strong.
Wesley: Yeah, you’re right. The memories just suddenly surfaced inside my mind and left me kinda downhearted.
Paul: I think it’d be best if we somehow put our feelings aside and focus on our task ahead. The king’s safety must be prioritized.
Raksasha: Is that your hometown down there?
Wesley: It was. But now, it’s nothing more than a pile of rubble. The undead struck us hard and fast, leaving only very little standing.
Paul: Do you see that damaged castle down there behind the town? That’s where our king is. If Wesley’s theory is correct, then we must make our way to the castle and find the king before Sean does.
Sinqularis: Then I say that we should get going.
Zephyr: Agreed. We’ll handle this together.

From the top of the tallest hill in the valley, we all stood side by side, gazing at Paravil for a moment in silence. The wind was howling, and made my long hair flow. My sword was unsheathed, held in my hand. Everyone had their weapons prepared. Because once we pass through that broken gate, anything can happen, and it’s impossible to predict what we might encounter. I can only hope that we’re not too late.