"Adrian, you didn't hurt anyone, did you?"

[i]No, I didn't hurt anyone, Mother.[/i]

"Are you lying to me, Adrian?"

[i]No, Mother, I wouldn't lie to you.[/i]

At the time, North Vaces was nothing but rundown and dirty. How it could be considered a kingdom was the question many Vayers often contemplated. North Vaces was isolated due to the surrounding sinkholes and dangerous underground volcanoes, not to mention numerous thieves and murderers; it wasn't safe for children to wander too far from home. Adrian was a mere child then, not appearing any older than twelve elven years. Though he was warned about the bad state of the kingdom, he was bewildered by such a thing. It was his own kingdom, wasnt it? This world he was raised in. So why could he not explore? Why could he not play? His mother would always fret, saying how much she loved and cared about him, telling him to stay inside. She promised she would play with him as long as he stayed indoors, and she begged him to study instead of digging imaginary buried treasure. Adrian's childhood was starved due to the life he was born in, but as he stood there looking his mother in the eye, he wished he hadn't lied.

He wished that he'd known then his mother would fall ill, and that he'd confessed to the things he done. Still, telling the truth would have served to change nothing. Maybe it could have changed his fate--perhaps instead of an advisor to the king, he would be servant to a blacksmith, and perhaps instead of winning a successful negotiation with South Vaces, North Vaces could have been attacked, massacred. Perhaps, if he had told the truth about throwing the stone at the boy, his father would have stayed, and if his father had stayed, perhaps his mother would not have fallen ill. Could his father's abandoning have something to do with his mothers sickness, and was everything that was happening now simply some form of karma for that lie he had told so many years ago? Adrian was no longer the brutish half-breed, but a man of composure, and as he stepped through the unfamiliar forest, he reminisced these things to keep insanity from overcoming him. 

It was dark, but somehow not just dark. It was a darkness Adrian felt he could trip and fall into, a darkness that would swallow him whole and leave him unknown and forgotten. Not only that, but he was being watched as well. His footsteps were slow and hesitant, and his pale fingers pushed away any twigs that could potentially smack him in the face. His dark clothing and long dark hair made him seem to almost blend into the darkness, and he frequently glanced down to make sure that this was real, that he still existed. Adrian had no idea how he'd woken up in this place. Had he been sleep walking? Was this a prank pulled by bandits? That wouldn't be a surprise, as many bandits had played tricks on him in the past out of revenge. Although, it had never reached this extent. Was it them watching him now? The creatures with the red eyes, surely they were of no danger? If so, they would have tried to harm him by now.

[i]Keep thinking,[/i] he told himself. He had to think about something, anything. He couldn't let himself be afraid. The moon; that was something he could think about. He could think about how there was a moon, yet it was so dark. He could think about whom the identities of the creatures could be. Henry, who thieved many times but was never caught until just last year? He could be the mastermind behind all of this. He killed and raped young women, and was currently behind bars but it was possible for orders to be sent to others out of the dungeon. Of course they'd come after a man of justice such as Adrian himself. Low-life criminals never give up. He still had his spear, so that was good, though he'd hoped he'd never need to use it. What else was there to think of? He did not wish to reminisce any longer, for there were only bad memories, so he instead glanced at the moon once more. It was big, round, and beautiful, and he was heading straight towards it.

With rising hope, his pace began to pick up speed. Perhaps there was a way out of this place somewhere up ahead. The creatures did not seem to make any advance towards him, and this realization helped him to clear his head. His right hand kept a tight grip on his spear, and he pushed forward, stepping on unknown plants and strange bugs. As the distance between the spot he had woken up at and wherever he was heading towards grew, a faint light appeared ahead. Adrian sighed in relief, almost chuckling to himself. He did not know where the light led to, but he was grateful that he'd no longer be here.

[center]★ ★ ★[/center]

Reaching the clearing, Adrian took a look around cautiously. There was but one building, and it appeared to be an inn or some other form of housing. [i]Strange, what would an inn be doing here?[/i] It was no longer dark, and Adrian wondered if it had all been some kind of dream. He didn't remember waking up; he didn't even remember falling asleep. He headed toward the haven, picking a stray leaf out of his hair and tossing it to the ground, as his footsteps made hushed noises against the grass. Upon a closer inspection, the half-elf half-orc noticed that there were others already there. There seemed to be a young girl and another creature, and Adrian grimaced at the thought of having to speak with them. He had gotten used to only speaking with his king, so to talk to others he found would be a bit of a pain. Instead, he stopped in his tracks and waited, observing from afar. Perhaps someone would come out of the inn and provide some answers.