Harri's contract had ended just the day before the battle. Now the militia and the rest of the mercenaries were on the open field fighting the orcs. At first it seemed like they would be able to hold their lines, but the mercenaries were fighting for coin. When the realisation of probable defeat came, most of the mercenaries abandoned the fight. Better to live another day and spend coin in a tavern, rather than dying for someone elses cause. After that it was a massacre. The orcs pierced through from the middle like an arrow. Adding insult to injury their forces were able to flank them on both sides. As the orcs spilled the villagers blood, Harri kept on watching from the hill. He was taking mental notes on how these orcs fought, if it ever happened they would cross swords on the battlefield. He had told he could have won the battle against the orcs to the mayor and leader of the mercenaries, but for a fee of course. Of course he had not been sure if he could or not, but from experience it was more than probable that he was right. They didn't pay so Harri left in the morning of the battle.

Now the worst and best part would start again. There was a long trip from the southern border to reach a city, even settlements were few and far between. In the past years Harri had traveled these lands and more and more often settlements that used to farm in peace had been destroyed. Now only a few stood up, but it seemed more like a matter of time than anything, their destruction was inevidable. Harri had packed a good package of food supplies with him, mostly dried goods, but a few items of fresh food also. It wouldn't last the whole trip, but it would be enough to start with. He could always hunt for more.

The breeze was getting unusually cold for the south at this time of year, but Harri had been prepared and bought grease from the settlement. It would help against the stings of the cold, but not the cold itself. As he traveled around in paths well known to him, he couldn't help thinking of the past. Even the woods surrounding had seemed different for the last five years. It was like the trees and the flowers had lost their color and now were just resources. It was a dark world for sure, but Harris mind made it even darker. It sustained him. It was like out in the battlefield. He'd rush in to a situation and see if he could survive. It was reckless, but it had made his survival instincts stronger. Harri had to prepare for the night. It is always dangerous to sleep in the wild, but more so now that the dead are necessarily not dead anymore. In the past 5 years he had adapted and learned new skills from hunters, elfs and other travellers on the road. He chose a place that fit the criteria. He was a few days away from the nearest town, unless that one had seen the same fate as so many others.