Chapter 18 - The Destination

As they continued through the Arkalo forest, Peter began wondering about the logistics of coming back home.

Going to the Tarlands at this point seemed easy enough at this rate. The Elf could accomplish whatever she needed, he could get his blood gem, and Maya could finally go home. But what happens on the way home? Just the same route, same experiences? Would this journey really change them for the better? She never did explain why she needed to go to the Tarlands. Maybe she just needed to harvest some magical mushrooms or something, and hired him and Maya just for protection against the Tarland populace. But nobody keeps their identity protected over magical mushrooms. She didn't seem like the simple adventuring type, either. Whatever she needed to find in the Tarlands... he had a feeling it wouldn't be as simple as finding an object or killing an animal.

He sighed. What happened afterwards didn't really matter. Sure, the walk home could be really awkward, but worrying about that wasn't useful. He thought back to what he told Scala, about his old life. He spent most of his life worrying about the future, about what had to come next, or if it didn't come despite his efforts. That kind of thinking was what probably killed him, stopped him from doing what he could in the present. That couldn't happen right now. First, the Tarlands. Then, he'd handle what would come of it afterwards.

Then again, the Elf was right there to answer his questions. If she refused to answer, then that was that. But it couldn't hurt to ask.

"What're we going to find at the Tarlands?" He asked the Elf.

"Soot and dead trees. Nobody lives at the Tarlands, except those who have something to hide."

"That's not exactly what I meant. I was thinking more about enemies. What do we have to fight there?"

"I'm not sure."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really. Not many documents exist of the Tarlands, and fewer come back from the experience after going in deeper. As a result, there's lots of conflicting information. I've never been there myself. I've never had a reason for going until now."

"Huh, I see. Unknown territory... I don't know if I like the sound of that."

"You shouldn't. If it's unknown territory, anything and everything is possible. We could be heading into a land where its inhabitants can't be killed. That would be very difficult to navigate."

"That would be true. I know you didn't want to elaborate when we set off, but I've gotta ask again: what're we doing there? Just finding an item, or are we killing somebody there?"

She didn't respond for a minute. Then, a nod. "Since we're getting close, I should explain properly. There's someone there, hiding in the Tarlands. Someone everyone wants to kill. Someone I need to kill. On him is a golden amulet. I'll take that amulet, and I'll bring it back to Phegolan. And with that amulet, I'll be able to buy our freedom again."

"Freedom? You're a wanted criminal in Phegolan?"

"No, not a criminal. But I am being hunted. That's all I will say for now."

He decided to let it be, despite his curiosity over the word 'our'. After all, she never pried into his blood mage status. He wouldn't pry into her circumstances. He looked over at Maya. For the entirety of the journey, she hunted animals. More specifically, animals that didn't attack them first. For every single fight so far, she hadn't acted, because she didn't need to. She did good on quests, so he knew she wasn't defenseless. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if she was truly ready to meet the challenges that the Tarlands seemingly presented...

Just then, an arrow flew past his head, landing square in the ground.

The trio looked up. Another cloaked figure, standing on a tree branch, holding a bow and arrow in their hands. "You made a wrong choice to come here, strangers!"

Great, more bandits. And just when he thought none could exist like this.

"Are you going to hurt us?" Maya yelled.

"Of course! Not unless you hand over your items!"

She cocked her rifle and aimed up at the bandit.

"Hah! You can't hit me from up here! Not with that flimsy flintlock-"

She pulled the trigger. Instantly, the bullet hit the bandit and sent him falling down, crashing onto the hard earth. The Elf looked at her incredulously. "I didn't know you had that in you," she said.

"I've shot and killed people before. Not all the time, but sometimes, pulling the trigger is necessary. I don't want to explain anymore."

The Elf. "I understand. Then, let's keep going. We don't know if their buddies are gonna come for revenge."

They continued on, everyone except Peter ignoring the bombshell Maya dropped on them. This was the first time he heard her ever mentioning that she killed people. He supposed that the bookstore of Holdenville didn't really provide opportunities to divulge personal tidbits like that, but it clashed heavily with his image of her. He couldn't imagine the same person he saw crying at the birthday party killing somebody like that. He shook the thought from his head. That didn't matter right now. The most important thing was making it to the Tarlands.

And at the very least, the bandit encounter taught him that she could at least handle herself.

. . .

One day later, they found themselves at a wall of trees.

Unlike most of the forest, the trees grew together, clustering up tightly like a wall. It was still crossable, but they'd have to squeeze through them to get to the other side.

"Are your guns loaded?" The Elf asked.

After a quick check, Maya and Peter nodded.

"Good. Be weary of everything. We need to stay close, more than ever. Are we clear on that?"

The two nodded again.

"One more thing. It would be a shame if anyone died now, but if anything happens to me... go back to Arkalo. Don't come back for me."

Peter was a bit struck by that comment. "But why?"

"By the time you'll have come back, I'll have already died. Besides, this is my quest. If anyone has to die, I should be the only casualty. I don't like the idea of others suffering because of my actions."

Silence.

"Can you at least promise me that?"

Reluctantly, the two agreed.

"Alright. Then let's go."

The Elf went first, with Maya and Peter following her. They grasped their weapons tightly, not wanting to lose them. After three minutes of constant moving, they came out the other side, standing on a thin patch of grass extending from the wall.

And, only a couple of feet in front of them, the Tarlands sat in front of them.