John didn’t sleep that night. No one did. Everyone moved about the camp quietly keeping to themselves.

John donned his gear and sword. He walked to meet Ivan and the guards at the wagon.

“This is one day I hope to forget. But it needs to be done.” Ivan nodded and climbed the wagon with Willis. The dragged Logan off. He refused to lift his feet, so they dragged him by his arms. Ivan threw him on the sled they had attached to a horse and tied him down “I don’t feel like dragging him the whole way so I grabbed the sled you’d made to haul the deer a few days ago.”

“That’s fine. Let’s get this over with. We need to get this done so we can get past it and continue on.” John said quietly. It clearly weighed on him.

They left the village and headed west. The grass was still wet with dew, and animals could be seen in the distance on rocky hills. The trek was quiet. The trek was solemn. The only noise that was heard was the grass they moved through and the sled being pulled behind the horse.

They eventually arrived at the tree line. They undid the sled and tied the horse to the tree. John and Ivan pulled the sled farther into the forest as Willis and Sara followed. They traveled a short distance when the party stopped.

“As good a spot as any. Let’s get it done.” Ivan said matter-of-factly and went back to the sled to retrieve Logan who quietly whimpered.

John rolled a decent log over to the group. Ivan and Willis pulled Logan over to it and placed his head atop it. Ivan removed his gag.

“Please. I lied! I don’t want to die! There’s more of us! I can take you to them. Please don’t kill me! Please.” Logan openly sobbed.

“No sense tryin’ to get us to believe ya now. And as you can see. We can handle ourselves.” Ivan put his foot on his back to keep him on the log. “Too late for that. Nothing you say will convince us.” Logan continued to cry.

John walked over and unsheathed his sword. “I will make it quick. That’s more than you deserve. You’re not the one who is going to have to live with what’s done here. We will. We will have to live with your decisions and the consequences we chose.” John raised his sword.

“Pl-please. Have mercy,” cried Logan, snot and spit falling to the log.

John closed his eyes. A single tear rolled down his cheek. He opened his eyes and brought the sword down quickly. Logan’s head rolled to the ground. Everyone was still for several minutes.

Ivan was the first to speak. “I know that wasn’t easy, but it needed to be done.” Ivan looked around. “Let’s not linger. I’d like to get back to the camp. And Marie.” He held a small smile.

“Go ahead. I want to walk around a bit. Clear my thoughts.” Ivan looked at John. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll have Willis walk with me. If he’s willing.” John looked at Willis who nodded. “See? All good. I’m just not ready to face anyone at the moment. We won’t be gone long. I’ve been meaning to scout the Forest. What better time than now.” He held a small grin.

“Ok. But don’t be gone long. I expect you two back by the time the sun is highest. Ya hear me?” Ivan furrowed his brow. John nodded yes. Ivan huffed, grabbed the sled, and he and Sara headed back to River’s End.

John and Wills headed farther west. His goal was to walk a while and then head south. He tried not to think of what he’d just done.

“I have to say. I was expecting more of the Unknown Land. It’s quite boring.” Willis had picked up a stick and was knocking it against trees as they walked.

“Unfortunately I agree. It’s rather disappointing,” said John. “We’ll go a little farther and then turn south.”

They made it a short distance before coming to a small opening in the Forest. John looked left and right noticing that the clearing went both ways. He crouched down and pulled away clumps of grass.

“A stone path. Come see,” John said to Willis. He crouched, and together they cleared a small area from one side of the small clearing to the other. “Well built. I think it’s actually a road. It’s wide enough for a cart to pass on it easily.” He looked up. The sun was still behind them, so he had a general direction of which way they faced. “I wonder. The mine is northeast of here. Do you think it could go to an abandoned village?” John was excited.

“It could. It would make sense. They would need somewhere to live.” Willis looked the other direction. “It heads generally south towards the river. I say we follow it. See where it goes.” He looked at the path again. “It’s mostly clear. We could run. Otherwise we may not make it back before Ivan would like.” Willis smiled. John didn’t hesitate. He took off at a run southward.

They ran south on the path avoiding fallen trees and bushes that had grown in the path.

“We’re close to the river. I can smell it!” John shouted from ahead of Willis. He came around a small bend in the road and stopped. A short distance away, next to the river bank, were the ruins of a small village. “Wow,” gasped John.

Willis ran up beside up, putting his hand on his shoulder while leaning over. “Shew you run fast.” He stood up. “Hmm. Not much left of it. Some crumbling walls. I can make out the shell of a building or two.”

“Assuming it’s from the same time as the mine, there won’t be anything left.” John looked up in the sky. “We’ll bring a group back tomorrow to search it. It’ll give us a chance to scope out the river too as we walk, or run.” John beamed at Willis. His sense of adventure had reinvigorated him. “Let’s go!” John ran to the river and turned east at a full run. Willis struggled to keep up as they traveled back towards the village.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They followed the river until they exited the Forest. The river was full of large rocks and rapids.

I wonder why they settled there and not out here in the open. Unless they wanted it to remain hidden. Then why build it by the river? Who knows. It’s been abandoned a long, long time. I hope it has some secrets yet! That’s what an adventurer lives for! John continued to daydream as they entered the village proper. John quickly sought out Ivan as well as Mani and Yara.

He found the duo of adventurers first and Ivan near the western wall beginning to build another tower.

“Ivan! You won’t believe what we found in the Forest!” yelled John, all thoughts of the day’s earlier events having vanished. “Come down here real quick. It’s exciting. Everything we live for!”

Ivan climbed down the ladder and joined the three waiting for him. “What’s that? Some pretty gal finally?” He laughed.

John gave him the stink eye. “No. An abandoned village. Right next to the river!” The three looked surprised. “We were walking and came upon a stone path hidden by overgrowth. We followed it to a village. I’m pretty sure the other direction went to the mine.” Ivan looked at him with interest. “Tomorrow, us four and Drew are going to go search it. We need something to take our mind off the past few days. This is perfect!”

“Why not now? There’s plenty of daylight left. We could take horses, search it, and still be back by dark.” Yara scraped under her nails with a small knife.

John looked at Ivan with excitement. He shrugged. “Ivan you up for it? She’s right. It won’t take long.”

“Nah boy. But you four go. You better be careful though. Riding that horse could tear out your stitches.” John grimaced. “I want to get this mostly finished.” Ivan thumbed over his shoulder.

“Ok. Ok then. Let’s head to the pen to get horses. Drew is probably at the sawmill. I’ll stop by and get his gear, and we’ll head out!” John took off at a run through the village stopping where Drew was camped. Yara and Mani walked to get their gear then followed him.

John snagged Drew from the sawmill not allowing time for him or Vin to argue. He simply said he’d explain on the way. They joined Yara and Mani at the horse pen. They mounted their horses and headed back to the abandoned village.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I told you I didn’t want to hunt anymore John.” Drew looked perturbed.

“We’re not. I promise. Just wait and see.” John was excited.

Considering what he did earlier, something must have happened in the meantime. I doubt I’d handle it that well. What am I saying? I’d be a blubbering mess. He better not be lying to me. Drew thought to himself as he took in the surroundings.

When they got near the Forest, John finally told Drew what they were doing.

“We found an abandoned village next to the river. We found a path in the Forest. We’re checking it out.” John smiled from ear to ear.

“And you didn’t think that was important to tell me?” Drew glared at him.

“You wouldn’t have come then!” John laughed.

They continued next to the river, following it to the village. The crumbling wall and buildings soon came into sight.

“I haven’t seen anything like that in years. Not since we traveled to the far south in the Anara Desert. There were a lot of abandoned villages there. It had once been lush rainforest, but the desert slowly crept farther north claiming more land and the towns along the way. The heat ate everything,” said Mani.

“I don’t think heat’s the issue here,” Yara replied looking around. “This place looks ripe for the picking. No one for miles and miles. Yet here it is, abandoned. There’s got to be a bigger story here. With a mine still full of ore, no way should they have left.” She hopped off her horse. “Eyes peeled people. Might be some critters lurking around.” She jumped over a crumbled portion of wall and disappeared into the village.

Mani smiled and looked at John. “This. This is why we came out here! The Unknown!” He dismounted and chased after her.

John laughed. “I hope there are some treasures left here.” He slowly dismounted the horse and stretched. “Ugh. That hurt worse than I thought it would.” He waved Drew forward who approached hesitantly. They followed after Mani and Yara.

The entire village was in ruin. John doubted they would find anything worthwhile unless it was metal like the box they had found before. They scoured building after building finding only remains of pots, some ceramic pieces, and a few rusted tools. John approached one of the buildings to the far west. It was L-shaped and only had two walls remaining standing.

“Wonder what it was.” He was answered a second later. It had been a blacksmith. Near the one wall which had obviously been a furnace was a large anvil. “That must weigh a ton! No way can we take it with us today, but what a find! They’re expensive as all hell.” He walked around the corner and his eyes got big. In what would have once been in barrels now sat piles of tools and unfinished weapons on the ground. “Not exactly a treasure trove, but everything will help.” He rummaged around in the piles. He left the building and went to the building closest to the river.

“Hey guys! Over here!” John yelled for the others to join him. It was a decently sized building, but what was fascinating was the steps he saw that hopefully led to a cellar.

“We didn’t bring any torches. Didn’t think we’d need them in the middle of the day. It’s pitch black down there,” said Yara, disappointed.

“I have Dark Sight, but it won’t work in no light. That’s ok though. We need to come back anyway. I found an anvil and piles of tools and unfinished weapons. If anything, once we get a working forge, they can be melted down and reforged into something. Did you guys find anything at all?” John asked, hopeful.

“Broken ceramics that probably held food. Some bits of metal. A ring. Nothing useful like you did.” Mani pulled out the few items he had found. “We’d like to come back tomorrow and search more thoroughly. I’m thinking these people left in a rush. No way would they have left all that stuff you found. And with that mine nearby? Something must have happened.”

John nodded. “This was a beneficial ending to a crappy day. If you can find a way to get that anvil back, I’d greatly appreciate it.” He looked north. “We still have light left. Let’s go north following the path I found. Maybe we’ll find something interesting along the way. I’d also like to see where it comes out.” They mounted their horses. John led the way down the overgrown road.

They found nothing of interest until they got to the edge of the Forest. They found what remained of three or four buildings. They quickly went through them. They found a few small piles of ore that, at the time, was probably waiting to be transported. From the east, they weren’t visible being just inside the Forest. The road continued north until it met the mountains. They followed it until eventually it was indistinguishable from the rocks around it. They came upon the pile of rocks left by Stanley indicating the mine entrance.

Yara, Mani, and Drew talked about the sights and the significance of what they’d found. John instead thought about what it meant to his village. I still don’t get why they built the village there instead of simply building it south of here in the open. The amount of work it must have taken to clear away all those trees! And then to build the road? No way they could have used the river as a means of transport back east. Or maybe. He paused. Maybe they didn’t want to be seen from the east. Maybe they’re from the west! Could there be a civilization to the west? That would be amazing! Perhaps a group of settlers like us who decided to keep going. I don’t know if I should be excited or scared if we come across them. If that’s even what is happening here. It doesn’t make much sense to me.

The rest of the trek home was only interrupted once in a while by Mani or Yara taking off to kill an animal they saw. By the time they got back to the village, they had five rabbits in a bag and a small deer hung across Yara’s horse.

As they unloaded the animals, John saw another house had been erected by Saul. It only needed a roof. At the nightly meal, he told all the villagers of their discovery. Many expressed interest in what was found with some even wanting to go see it.

I guess everyone is an adventurer at heart, snickered John. By the time evening came to a close, some of them had decided to take the wagon and use the road from the north to reach the village. “I can’t believe how quickly everyone moved on or forgot about what happened earlier. Having been part of this world for a while, I guess I can see how death is just another part of their life.” He sighed. “It does seem to happen quite often, and gruesomely at that.” He looked around making sure no one had heard him. “I really need to stop talking to myself. I’m starting to turn into Drew.” He laughed to himself and went to bed.