The trees finally thinned out and fell away completely, leaving MJ and Liam standing out under wide open skies where the wind blew dry and sharp. This was the Barren Lands: rolling plains of pale dusty earth, scattered patches of that super dense hardwood the whole realm used for ships and defences, and very little shelter from the burning sun or cold night. They were tired, low on supplies, and every step carried that heavy ache of leaving Jamal behind. They were checking an old dried-out well for water when a voice called out from off to their right: “Don’t reach too far down. The edges crumble easy around here.” They spun around hands going straight to their weapons—until they saw it was just a young man leaning against a great thick tree trunk, holding a hatchet and watching them calm and steady. This was Allen. “Yer a long way from wherever you call home,” he said, walking over slowly so they knew he meant no harm. “I’ve been watching you track for an hour now. Running from something… or looking for someone?” “Both,” Liam answered honestly, lowering his blade just a little. “Our friend got taken in Ludendron. We’re heading toward Necrokeep to find help.” Allen nodded slow like he’d expected exactly that. “Things have been getting real wrong around here lately. Weird shadow beasts coming out at night, caravans vanishing, and word came down from the Monarch Empire that King Donald Zimmerman has called every lord and captain to gather at his capital immediately. Everyone knows something huge is about to break—we just don’t know exactly when it’s gonna land.” He led them back to his small hidden homestead, shared what food and water he had, and told them his own story: how he was just a boy when the terrible plague swept through these lands, how he’d used every trick and clever idea he had to help defend his village when all hope seemed lost. “I don’t have an army,” Allen said, sharpening his blade by the fire as dusk rolled in. “But I know every path, every hidden waterhole, every safe spot for miles around here. And honestly? I think I’d rather be heading your way than staying here waiting for whatever is coming next.” MJ looked over at Liam, who gave one small nod. They’d set out looking for one lost friend… but now it looked like they were starting to build something much bigger. Far off on the horizon, bright signal fires suddenly blazed up one after another, stretching from border to border all across Mechrion. It had begun.

Chapter 11: Off To The Horizon