[center][h1]Jarek[/h1][/center]

As Jarek continued to progress up the mountain path with increasing speed, his attention was soon taken by the scene of a ruined village. He had traveled far since leaving home, but never had he seen such destruction. He could only guess what had the power to do something like this, but maybe he was getting ahead of himself. Maybe it was an accident, or some sort of natural disaster. These thoughts did little to convince him, but it helped ease his fears a little. Part of him wanted to explore the village, learn of its secrets and wonders, but he had a mission, a quest that he had promised himself not to abandon until he had seen it through.

He let out a small sigh before turning back to the path and continuing his journey. As he did so, he noticed a traveler up ahead, staring at him. It was only for a brief second, more of a glance than a stare, but he was certainly looking at him. Who would be travelling this road, though? What sort of person in their right minds would be journeying to see some infamous mage whose tower was resting on a ley line? Then Jarek looked a little closer. The being above him seemed more a creature than an actual person. He had fur, and pointed ears, like a dog almost. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he had heard of people doing experiments to create beast folk, be it out of research or to create unquestioningly loyal servants. Maybe this was one of those, or maybe he was just some race that Jarek had never set eyes on. He [i]had[/i] lived a rather sheltered life up until this point.

The being ahead cast one more glance back at him before quickly running up ahead. If Jarek didn't have his suspicions before, now he was almost certain that the beast had ill intent. Afterall, it was on a road never traveled by anybody meaning to bring any good to the land, or at least, that's what the rumor told him about the path. Slowly, Jarek blended into the scenery by the side of the road, watching ahead for any other people, hoping to be able to see them without them seeing him. Maybe it was just one too many days travelling alone, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the creature he had seen would play a major part in his confrontation with the mage.