As the sun rises Lore leaves The entrance of a cave; holding his hand over his eyes as the sun hit them. Today, Lore would continue his hunt for the Demon Lion. He felt determined he would find it.
Lore checked his water pack, and then headed further into the desert. The sun's rays beat down on him for hours, until he found himself at an oasis. It was small, only a few palm trees and bushes growing in its vicinity.
Lore took out his canteen and drank deeply. Then he set off once more.
Hours passed, and Lore became increasingly tired. His body ached, and his muscles burned with fatigue. He slowed his pace considerably, taking care to watch for any threats.
Finally after another hour of walking, he spotted some ruins ahead. There was no doubt that these were the remains of a city or town. Lore decided to make camp for the night. He needed to rest, and regain his stamina.
Lore entered the ruins cautiously. It was dark inside, so he lit a torch from his pack and held it high above his head.
A large building loomed in front of him, and he walked toward it. Once he reached the structure he could tell that it was made of stone, with massive pillars supporting the roof.
There were many doors leading into the main chamber, which was filled with rubble.
Lore climbed over the debris and searched for a way to enter.
Lore found some wood, and started a fire, and then made camp. He ate his food quietly, trying to conserve energy for tomorrow.
After finishing dinner, he went to sleep early, exhausted from the day's events. When he awoke in the morning, he packed up his things and left.
Lore traveled for days, searching for signs of the demon lion. He kept his distance from civilization whenever possible, because he knew that people might be tracking him. If word got out about the creature, then every knight in the kingdom would want to kill it.
When Lore finally came upon a village, he decided to stop. He needed supplies before continuing his journey.
It was late afternoon when he arrived at the outskirts of the settlement. He approached slowly, wary of any potential danger. A group of men stood near the edge of town, watching him. They wore leather armor and carried short swords in their hands. One of them pointed at Lore and called out to the others.
"Hey, look at this guy! What is he? Some kind of weirdo?"
The crowd chuckled, as if they all agreed.
Lore stopped and waited patiently, wondering why they were staring at him.
Lore ignored the group and walked further into town. He needed to find a place to stay, and get some information. After finding an inn, he asked the owner where to go for answers.
"Follow me," said the man behind the counter. "I know a few people here."
Lore followed the man down a narrow alleyway between buildings. At least ten feet deep, and fifteen wide.
On the other side of the alley was the market of the town. People walked along the streets, buying and selling goods.
"This way," said the man, pointing towards a tavern.
Inside sat a small group of men playing cards at a table. Two women also occupied seats at the bar.
The man led Lore over to the table and introduced him to everyone.
One of the card players was named Bostin, a dwarf wearing chainmail. He had long hair tied in a ponytail and a beard that covered half of his face. He was a gruff looking fellow, but he spoke softly, never raising his voice above normal conversational levels.
Another member of the group was a man known as Scorn. He was tall and lanky, with thinning brown hair. He had sharp features and piercing blue eyes.
The third person was a woman, who was sitting next to Scorn. She wore a white dress and her blonde hair hung loosely down past her shoulders. Her skin was pale and she wore heavy makeup on both lips and eyelids.
She smiled at Lore as he entered the room. It made him feel uncomfortable.
"You must be our new recruit," said Bostin.
"No, actually, I'm just looking for information on the Demon Lion. My name is Lore."
Scorn nodded. "That's right. We've heard rumors about this creature from the south."
"Rumors are all we have so far," added Scorn. "But word has gotten out that it's headed north. That means it might come across us soon."
Bostin grunted. "It will be interesting to fight such a powerful beast. A real test for my skills."
"What makes you think it's coming here?" asked Lore.
"We haven't seen anything yet. Rumor has it that it killed a caravan of merchants heading up the road last week."
"Where were they going?"
"Northwest, I believe."
A sudden thought crossed Lore's mind.
"Did you say northwest? Are you certain?"
The man nodded. "Yes, I am positive."
Lore glanced over at the crowd of onlookers. They appeared confused and concerned.
"Do you know which direction it went?"
The man shook his head. "Not really, no."
Lore sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected much more from them.
"Thank you for the information. However, I'll be hunting that monster down." Lore said confidently.
"I don't doubt that you can take care of yourself," replied the man. "Just remember though, if you get caught up in a situation beyond your control, then run away."
"Don't worry about me, stranger. I'll be on my way. I must gather supplies." Lore took his leave, and then went and resupplied his food and water rations. After that, he decided to head out, and find a place to stay for the night.
***
In the early dawn, Lore departed and headed to the west. His goal was to find the tracks of the Demon Lion, or at least figure out its general location. He'd already gone a fair distance, and he hoped that it wouldn't take too long before he found some sign of the beast.
He traveled for hours, off the normal path. The sun beat down on Lore, and the temperature felt like Lore was in an oven.
Dusk began to fall, and the desert grew cold. Lore was just about to make camp for the night, when Lore looked down a sand dune, and saw tracks moving north, and slightly west.
There was only one thing left to do: follow those tracks.
***
The next morning, Lore awoke feeling refreshed after sleeping under the stars. He stretched his muscles, and made ready to continue tracking the Demon Lion.
His first step was to go northwest, towards the tracks he had spotted yesterday.
He followed the trail for a good hour, until he came upon another group of people.
"Excuse me," said Lore politely.
"Who are you?" asked one of the men.
"My name is Lore, and I'm looking for the demon lion."
"Why would anyone want to kill a demon lion?"
"Because it attacked a merchant caravan last week, killing many."
The man laughed. "So you're going to try and hunt this thing down? You've got a lot of nerve, boy."
Lore smiled. "You might have underestimated me, friend."