Echoes of Forgotten

Campfire Shadow

The first crow of a rooster echoed through the early morning air, the sun still hidden beneath the horizon. Veoford made his way to the west gate, walking for about fifteen minutes until he spotted the gate in the distance—and a familiar silhouette waving at him. It was Fina.

"Hey! Veo!" Fina shouted, her voice loud in the quiet dawn.

"Hey, it's too early for shouting. And what's with the 'Veo'?" Veoford replied in his usual calm manner.

"It's your nickname now. Veoford is too long, so it's 'Veo' from now on," Fina grinned.

"Whatever," Veoford muttered, his calm demeanor barely masking his slight annoyance.

"What? Is our nonchalant Veo getting annoyed?" Fina teased, her tone playful.

"Shut up," Veoford said, trying to maintain his composure and not fall into her taunts.

"You’re teasing him again, Miss Fina," Dianaim said as she arrived, walking up to the gate.

Fina immediately hugged Dianaim. "Big sis, good morning! Veo was being mean to me!"

"You didn't greet me like that," Veoford commented dryly.

A bit flustered, Fina asked, "What? You want a hug too?"

Startled, Veoford quickly shook his head. "What? No, no. That's not what I meant."

Dianaim chuckled. "Stop teasing him, Miss Fina."

"When did you two get this close anyway?" Veoford asked, raising an eyebrow.

"While you guys went your separate ways, we girls went shopping and prepared for this adventure," Fina replied.

"Miss Fina invited me along, and I couldn’t resist," Dianaim added with a smile.

"I see. So that's what happened," Veoford said, nodding.

"What about you? Did you even prepare?" Fina asked, giving him a look.

"I'm always prepared," Veoford replied confidently.

As they continued talking, Dianaim noticed a large silhouette approaching from the distance. It was Kollr. She waved at him.

"I got lost and went to the south gate," Kollr said as he arrived.

"It's alright. You made it just in time," Dianaim reassured him.

"Speaking of which, where’s Penrod?" Fina asked just as the first bell rang, signaling the start of the day as the sun began to rise.

"He's late again," Kollr muttered.

"Hey!" came a distant voice. They turned to see Penrod running toward them, waving as he gasped for breath.

"Sorry, everyone! I overslept," Penrod said, still catching his breath.

"Geez, Penrod. You need to buy a cuckoo bird," Fina said with her arms crossed.

"Every time we meet, you’re out of breath," Kollr added.

"Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s get moving," Veoford said, urging the group forward.

The party gathered their gear and double-checked their supplies. Since no carriages traveled west toward the Torac Mountains—an area known for dangerous monsters—they knew they’d be on foot. As they passed through the gate, the first rays of the sun hit their faces, marking the beginning of their journey. They walked steadily, taking short breaks along the way. By noon they started searching for a river to set up camp.

“So, are we really going to travel through Mount Torac?” Penrod asked.

“Yes. It’s much faster than going around, which would take months,” Veoford answered.

“But people say it’s full of dangerous monsters, and there’s even a wyvern nest,” Fina added with concern.

“We don’t have much choice. Wyverns hibernate from winter to spring, and spring has just started. I’m guessing they’re all still sleeping. If we do run into one, we’ll just have to run,” Veoford explained.

Once they found a suitable spot near a river, the party set up camp. Fina began preparing ingredients for a meal while Dianaim helped her. Penrod went off to hunt, returning with three horned rabbits. Veoford gathered firewood and started a fire, and Kollr fetched clean water from the nearby river. After lunch, the group took a rest. Fina dozed off under a tree, while Kollr and Penrod napped on some large rocks. Veoford sat by the unlit campfire, reading one of his books.

"You brought books on this journey?" Dianaim asked as she approached him.

"Yeah, they help keep the boredom away," Veoford replied in his usual calm tone.

Dianaim looked into Veoford’s eyes and asked, "So, what’s your reason for taking this quest?"

Veoford met her gaze. "I already told you, it’s personal interest. Besides, you haven’t told us yours either."

"Mine is to find a criminal," Dianaim said, her expression turning serious. "I can’t share the details, but that’s my reason."

"It’s your turn now. What’s your reason?" Dianaim pressed.

Veoford closed his book and stood up, gathering his thoughts. "My reason is—" Before he could finish his sentence, a rope suddenly shot out from behind him, wrapping around his foot and pulling him to the ground. Dianaim quickly looked in the direction the projectile had come from and saw a group of red, reptilian kobold bandits.

Without hesitation, Veoford grabbed the two daggers from his waist and cut the rope. One of the kobolds threw a dart aimed at Dianaim, but Veoford reacted swiftly, deflecting it with one of his daggers.

"Wake the others," Veoford said firmly.

Dianaim nodded and rushed to wake Kollr and Penrod. Fina, startled awake by the commotion, stood up.

"You interrupted my beauty sleep. You’ll pay for this," Fina said, her frustration clear.

"They are just, lizard brain!" Kollr taunted the kobolds.

"I still want to sleep though," Penrod yawned.

"You can sleep after this," Dianaim said, a determined look on her face.

"Kekekeke! Get the water woman—she'll fetch a high price!" the kobold leader cackled, licking his dagger.

And thus, the party found themselves in their first battle together as the harrowing wind began to blow.