The next morning, Lahab awakens with the dawn, and stares at the sky as it lightens, slowly but surely, huddled in the warmth of the blankets she has swaddled herself in. Across from her, beyond the fire she made the night before, lies the amnesiac. He is young, to be all alone in the world, but she supposes that is one thing they have in common. The other is that neither of them is certain what their future might hold. It is enough to persuade her to allow him to travel with her.

Besides, she tells herself, an extra pair of hands may be helpful, if my journey is to be successful.

Though she knows Ildenwood better than anyone else could possibly – apart from her father, who was no longer – and has activated the defense they had worked so very hard to implement, it is best to keep going. Forest of Deceit could hold those of weaker wills forever, but there is always the chance that those following her tracks are more strong-willed than she expects, and if that is the case, she can only hope that the forest will swallow them before they can escape.

One can never underestimate their opponent, the voice of her father sounds in her mind.

As she has done for the past decade, she calls upon her book to show her the forest’s condition.

Ildenwood Forest Health Good Visitors 3 Enchantment Forest of Deceit Domain Control

The visitors mean that, apart from her current travel companion, there are two trackers following her. She isn’t surprised, of course, but somehow she’d thought that they would send more people after such an important artifact. It is suspicious that there are only two, and her instincts are rarely wrong. She will need to keep her wits about her. She is relieved, in any case, to see that they aren’t harming her forest.

She has already put away her blankets and cleared up the dying embers of the campfire when the young man awakens. He does so with a sudden shake, and seems startled, then he looks around at his surroundings and at her and covers his eyes with his hands. A loud groan follows. Perhaps he thought last night was all a horrible dream.

“It is a lovely morning, is it not?” she asks, and goes about her business, making her way down to the river nearby to wash her face and parts. She rolls up her pants and her sleeves, and gets to work. Arms, feet, neck, scalp – all are washed in the cold water of the river, and she sighs contentedly as she dries off on a nearby rock, listening to the rush of water and soaking in the sun.

An early morning wash with cold water has reinvigorated your spirit!

You have gained +2 Energy.

The man stumbles into view, his eyes panicked, and upon seeing her his expression becomes tinged with embarrassment. “I thought you left,” he admits, his voice cracking. “I… have no idea where we are.”

“Do not fret, my friend,” she tells him, holding back an amused laugh. “I would not leave you behind, not once I’ve given my agreement that we may travel together. Are you well-rested?”

“Yes,” he says. “Thank you. For everything.” His eyes, a strange, yellow-hued pair, are solemnly genuine. “And – I took another look at my book, but still there is nothing there. Except that the Energy has changed, and even I can understand that’s because I’ve slept.” He hesitates, then asks: “Do you know what it means to be Cursed?”

“A curse can come in many forms,” Lahab tells him. “In some cases, it may be as simple as touching, using, or eating a cursed object. In others, it can be a relatively common curse cast by a witch or spellcaster. In the rarest cases, it is a curse made uniquely for the victim, and can unfortunately only be undone by the caster.”

“So, either I ate something I shouldn’t have, touched something I shouldn’t have, or angered someone I shouldn’t have,” he sighs. “If only I could remember.”

Lahab has other questions for him, questions she knows better than to waste time asking now. She wants to know why he cannot see his own information, what his title means, and why his Energy and Intelligence factors are the only elements that have been disclosed. Even to her high-tier inspection ability, for someone like him, who has no knowledge of the world, to have such a powerful shield…

There is more than meets the eye to this stranger. He might have great power lurking within.

“Perhaps, if we can understand the effects of the curse, we can understand what kind of curse it is,” she suggests, rolling down her sleeves and the legs of her pants. “If it’s a common curse, it’ll be simple enough to have it removed by any spellcaster. If it’s something you ate – well, nature will take its course. Those particular kinds of curses aren’t meant to last forever.”

Lahab doubts it was something he ate. Ingested curses are often used as pranks. They are harmless, and the ones she’s studies do not have enough power to make one forget so deeply that they are not aware of their own identity – and certainly not enough power to shield them from their own Guidebook.

“So… this curse could potentially last for the rest of my life?” he wonders, and she can hear the fear in his voice.

“Yes, it’s possible, but I can’t say for certain – not until we know what kind of curse it is,” she reassures him. Lahab nods at him and asks, “What are its effects? Ask your book. There are many questions your book can answer, if only you know to ask them.”

“Alright,” he mutters, furrowing his brow in concentration. He summons his book. “What are the effects of the curse?”

Lahab waits patiently while he reads the information the book provides him with, and wonders when they will reach Samat. For now, the journey through the Ildenwood will take days at least, and she isn’t in a position to waste time. The bundle, which she has placed just beside the rock upon which she sits, is both the most dangerous thing she has ever held, and the most wonderful. She has to do this right – she cannot let them win.

But she spends time on this stranger because… because she doesn’t believe in coincidences. She doesn’t believe in chance. Finding him in the forest the day before had not been simple fortune. If life has taught her anything, it is that things – particularly peculiar things – always happen for a reason.

“Share with Lahab,” the man says, and Lahab snaps back to the issue at hand – but they haven’t much time, and she needs to get to two of them back on the path to Samat as soon as possible, for there will be others scouring the entire region for her soon, if not already. “Yes,” he confirms.

Guidance materializes before her, and she sees the Wanderer’s cursed affliction details.

Wanderer's Curse

Classification ??? Caster ??? Effects Energy (-2) per hour Life Force (-5) per hour Strength (-1) per day Amnesia

“Hmm...” This is troubling. She has never come across such a curse, and she has studied a plethora from one of the many books her father used to bring home from his travels. More pressing than that, however, is the lack of information, and the fact that the Life Force is being drained at such an alarming rate.

If I assume that he has an average amount of Life Force for a healthy young man his age – around, perhaps, 800 LF – and he has definitely lost approximately 75 LF during the time that I’ve known him, that means he’s already down to 725 LF. At most – because that’s assuming that the curse was not effective prior to my meeting him, which can’t possibly be the case…

“What is it?” he asks her, worried.

“Never mind,” she says, though she can’t help the frown on her face as she considers this new information. “We must continue on to Samat, and there you may find some aid. It is another day’s journey, and I may know of a spellcaster who can help you.”

She stands, ready to make her way back to their small camp and continue on the road hidden to all but herself. He steps in front of her. “Please,” he urges her, and his yellow eyes once again remind her of something – an animal – and she cannot quite place them. “You saw something – what? Tell me.”

She hesitates, but decides that he has a right to know, especially if her suspicions are correct. “It is a fatal curse. We must find out how much Life Force you have,” she tells him. “I don’t know when you were cursed, but in the time that we’ve been traveling together, you have sustained a loss of about 75 LF. The average amount of Life Force for humans naturally depletes as years go by, but not at this rate...”

She strokes her hair, tugging through the knots. She’d never enjoyed mathematics, but this time she grudgingly assesses the situation.

“We shall assume that you have only a few days remaining, at the rate at which your Life Force is being depleted by the curse, and given that we have no inkling how much Life Force you started with, or how much the curse has already stolen,” she tells him. “All the more reason for us to continue on our journey. We must make it to Samat in time to find someone who may be able to lift the curse.”

She picks up her treasured bundle, its weight a welcome relief in her arms, and walks quickly back to the camp. The Wanderer follows her, silent. She can tell his mind is elsewhere.

“Days,” he mumbles, and Lahab has to steel herself. Feeling bad for his regrettable circumstances won’t get them anywhere. Besides, she’s already lost too much time trying to help him, when she could already be half a day closer to Samat than they are.

“We’d best get moving. Samat is still another day’s travel, and time is of the essence now more than ever,” she states simply, and the two of them are soon on their way once more.