The wooden wagon full of passengers violently bounced down the dirt road before pulling up next to the gate of the village of Overlook. The portly half-orc driving the cart grunted as he got down onto his feet and started walking towards the back.
"Awright, you lot, this is the last stop," he said, waving off the passengers. "Don't say I never did nothin' for ya'."
The group of passengers started shuffling, a few of them looking at the town with the kind of tired you get when you haven't slept in your own bed for too long. The sweet smells of grass and wildflowers filled the air instead of the stone and sweat of Falconspike. A deep breath allowed the travelers to finally lower their shoulders and relax away from city life. The last passenger hopped off next to the driver, his face covered by his hood, the familiar clink of metal armor coming from under his cloak.
"How much to go further?" he asked in a hushed tone. He reached into his cloak, producing a leather pouch that he moved around in his hand, letting the driver hear the coins rubbing against each other. "And how fast can we leave?"
The orc looked at the pouch and back up at the man before smiling.
"Money can't getcha everything, son," he said as he uncovered some of his supplies and started unloading them to a boy who ran out from the guard station. "I'm headin' back to Falconspike. Yer welcome to ride back with me."
"I'll pay you anything you want," the human said, a bit more desperately now. "Certainly you have business in Cold Home, or perhaps Qogi?"
"Nope, jus' Falconspike. You got yer money there, just hire one o' them gutter mages to teleport ya," the orc said moving his fingers around like he was casting a spell. "Be quicker anyways."
"I would if I could, but that's not an option," the human said quietly. "Listen, I could be a powerful ally if you help me, maybe once Iā"
"I cOuLd bE a PoWeRful aLlY," the orc said mockingly, elbowing the boy helping him unload crates. The boy smiled and nodded politely before rolling his eyes as he walked away. "You'd think you were the Shadow Lord or sumthin'."
The orc walked off laughing as the human stood there for a moment before tucking the pouch back into his cloak. He sighed, then looked at Overlook.
As he took a few steps forward, he was suddenly overcome with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that stopped him in his tracks. He felt his cheeks and eyes begin to tense, as water began to well up in his eyes.
He brought his hand up and dried them before examining the several rings and amulets on his person. Then he saw it, a small silver locket with engravings on a simple chain. He moved his hand slowly to it and held it tightly in his hands. He closed his eyes and focused on it, waiting to feel the familiar thump-thump of a heartbeat.
Nothing.
He quickly opened the locket to see the small drawing of a Shadar-Kai. Her eyes were soft and blue. But the blue was fading. Then, once the blue disappeared completely, the entire picture faded away.
He stood there, staring at the open locket in his hands. His shadow moved around him until it was long on the ground and stretched across the road. Once the sun set, and the twilight began to fade, so did the shadow.
When the moon came out from behind the windmill, casting light on the gate once more, the human was gone. Setting off on a path forward on his own.