“Damn it!”

Spence opened his eyes at the sudden sound. It took several seconds for him to process where he was, then the hard ground reminded him. He wiggled his toes to confirm that he wasn’t back in his bed on Earth. He lay on his side facing Morgan, who had also just woken. A dim light illuminated the tent. Caleb stood at the doorway looking out, and Trey sat on the other side of Morgan.

“Still not a dream,” Caleb said in response to Morgan’s exclamation.

“What time is it?” Morgan asked.

Caleb looked at his camouflage watch. “It doesn’t look like time works right here, or we’re not in the same time zone. It says ten o’clock. I’d say it’s around six o’clock, although it’s hard to know when you can’t see the sun.”

The four slowly rose and packed the tarps and ropes. They all took turns disappearing behind a nearby hill for bathroom duties. Spence’s stomach hurt and burned from lack of food. His mouth and throat were also so dry he could barely swallow. This would be a short-lived quest if they didn’t find the town soon or at least a stream.

They set out trudging down the old trail. Nobody wasted time or energy on talking. At one point, Caleb knelt and picked up a small stone off the ground and placed it into his mouth. “Suck on a pebble, and it will make you produce saliva and help thirst.”

Spence found a small round rock and tried it. It seemed to help, but he wasn’t sure if the effect was real or psychological. The landscape was just as barren and lifeless as the day before. The sky was also still gray and the air cool. No breeze stirred, though, which helped. They stopped at what they guessed was lunchtime to take a thirty-minute break beneath a tall tree. Spence’s legs and feet were aching.

“Is this a cool adventure for you, Spence?” Trey asked.

“It’s a little sketch at the moment. But it will get better when we find the town and get some food. And it beats the heck out of you pushing me around in my wheelchair.”

They began walking again and hiked for a few more hours. Finally, when they crested a large hill they had been gradually ascending for some time, they saw a town in the flat valley on the other side. A square wooden wall surrounded the entire perimeter, with tall, square towers at the corners and on both sides of the gates in each sidewall. All the buildings visible were also wooden. The road led to the open gate in the front.

“Oh, now this is cool!” Spence exclaimed. He experienced a rush of exhilaration. It resembled a town from Warcraft. Spence fished his phone out of the front pocket inside his robe and snapped a picture. Morgan and Trey repeated the act. Caleb just scowled, shook his head, and continued walking.

The light had faded from the sky when they entered the gate. There didn’t appear to be anyone in the towers. Lamp poles stood at regular intervals down the dirt streets, and Spence soon realized flames burned inside and not bulbs. The street they walked on was the widest and appeared to be the main road through town. Several other smaller streets bisected it, with fewer signs of foot traffic. Most of the buildings were two or three stories tall. Signs hung above many of the doors, indicating what kind of business they housed. They didn’t see many citizens out. The ones they saw appeared human and were all dressed in similar drab, crude coats and cloaks. They did seem to be tall, though, but not giants. Some wore short swords and daggers, but no armor was visible. Most were male, and Spence didn’t notice any children. They received many stares and some pointing and whispering, and everyone gave them a wide berth down the street.

“How do we find Titus?” Caleb asked the group.

“There should be an inn or tavern on this main street. That will be the place to start,” Spence responded confidently.

“And how do you know that? Did I miss the directory?” Trey said.

“Six hours a night of online fantasy role-playing games,” Spence responded.

Soon they came to the largest building they had spotted so far, a three-story square structure on the right side of the street. A lamp shone on the sign hanging underneath the roof of the long front porch. It read Elysian Inn. Six stairs led up to the porch, which was lined with a half dozen empty wooden chairs.

“Weird. Elysian is out of Greek mythology,” Spence said.

“You’re weird,” Trey replied.

Caleb ignored them and headed up the stairs; the other three followed close behind. Swinging double doors, like the saloon doors in the Old West, led into the building. Caleb pushed them open and entered the crowded, boisterous room within.

The interior also resembled an Old West saloon. A long wooden bar stretched down the left wall. Most of the stools were occupied, and two people served drinks on the other side. The remainder of the room contained a mixture of round and square tables. Chandeliers of candles hung around the room, and candle-filled sconces lined the walls. The air hummed with conversation and frequent bursts of laughter. The inhabitants all appeared human, except the ones standing were at least seven-feet tall and very broad. Trey looked small by comparison. Most dressed in plain clothes—shades of beige, brown, green, and gray—that appeared made of canvas or wool and looked a few hundred years older than Earth’s current fashion. A few males wore leather armor shirts, and short swords and daggers were the only weapons visible.

“Half giants,” Morgan whispered.

For a moment, Spence thought they could slip in unnoticed, despite their weapons and dress—but just for a moment. “Looks like the next quest has begun!” a grizzled old Nephilim behind the bar shouted when he spotted the party. He was closer to average height.

Somehow, the entire room heard the Nephilim’s exclamation. The buzz stopped, and an uncomfortable silence ensued. All heads turned, and all eyes gazed upon them. Spence nervously surveyed the room. The faces were rough and weathered, and none appeared to be less than forty years old. There were a few women scattered throughout the room, most wearing long, faded dresses. Just the servers had colorful, low-cut dresses and wore makeup. The women were all well over six feet tall. No children were present. After what seemed like minutes, the heads turned, the conversations resumed, and the noise returned.

“Not exactly a hero’s welcome,” Trey said.

Caleb led the three to the bar and in front of the speaker, who still stared at them. “Excuse me, sir. What do you know of us and our quest?”

“Don’t know nothing of your quest,” the Nephilim grumbled, aggravated at being addressed.

“But you said something about the next quest beginning,” Caleb continued.

“Aye. It has. And you are the questers.”

“Then how do you know we’re the questers?” Trey asked.

“Doesn’t take a wizard to notice your height, clothes, and weapons.” The Nephilim turned and began walking away.

“Wait! Do you know where we can find Titus?” Caleb called out.

“Far corner.” The Nephilim disappeared through the door in the wall behind the bar.

“Seems nice enough,” Morgan said.

“Told you he’d be here,” Spence said. He turned with the others to examine the far corner of the room. Most of the tables were full, with four to six patrons each. A round table sat in the far-left corner with a lone person behind it. The person wore a gray cloak and a gray wide-brimmed hat pulled down close above his eyes. The shadows mostly hid his face, and he stared at a large wooden mug in his right hand. Spence immediately thought of Strider from The Lord of the Rings.