Mulo's Mission

Destrus woke the next morning in a cramped candlelit room. Mulo had been hospitable enough to allow Destrus to spend the night at his residence. The place was really just a cellar in an abandoned district of the city, and Mulo was open about the reason he opted to live here.

“Eh, I like to stay out of the way. Low profile, ye know?”

~

Before sleeping, the two had talked of the help that they might be to one another. Destrus told Mulo about his desire to bring his son back from the dead, and the dark-furred creature nodded pensively. “Very pricey, that kind o’ thing. But it’s out there. Yer going to need plenty of these.” As he spoke, Mulo procured and displayed a pearlescent coin from his pocket.

Mulo went on to explain what Destrus could do in return for some local currency. “First thing I noticed about ye was that axe on yer back. Ye know how to use it, don’t ye?”

Destrus nodded.

Mulo continued, “I’m sure what ye’ve seen so far of the city has ye impressed, but the real grit is a way’s below. This place is built on caverns older than time, and they’re home to some terrors that I wouldn’t mind introducing to that axe o’ yers. Don’t ask if it’s legal, but there’s good coin in a bloodhoof’s tusk or a ragawall pelt if you know where to sell ‘em, and that’s my expertise.” He laughed and continued, “But I’m not much o’ a fighter.”

Destrus caught on quickly, and he immediately agreed to the proposition. He spent the rest of the evening listening intently to Mulo’s descriptions of the creatures found below before eventually succumbing to sleep.

~

By the time Mulo woke, Destrus was already eager to set out for the caverns. Mulo had promised to take him as far as a nearby tunnel opening left by a building collapse. Before they set out, Destrus thought to ask for more of the strange food Mulo had offered the day before, remembering the strength it gave him.

Mulo shook his head. “Fresh out, I’m afraid. I suppose ye’ll have to earn yer own keep from here on.” After a pause, he winked and said, “Can’t say I’m surprised ye have a taste for it though. It's called greymeat, and it is the good stuff.”

It didn’t take long before the two arrived at their destination; what once must have been an impressive brick building was largely reduced to dusty rubble. Mulo pointed with a stubby paw towards a dark chasm lined by collapsed sections of brick wall. “This is where I leave ye. Good luck, Destrus.”

Destrus thanked Mulo and pulled a lantern from his pack, lighting the wick before descending into the cavern. Though he was nervous, he felt more sure of himself than he had since he began this quest. There was now hope in his heart where once he held only grief.

The narrow tunnel wound such that it wasn’t long before sunlight failed to penetrate the darkness. At first, the only sound came from Destrus himself: his footsteps on the dry stone, the dull thud of his axe against his back, his deep and measured breaths. Gradually, the tunnel widened and grew damp. The sound of dripping water occasionally echoed throughout the cave.

As he continued, Destrus thought about how long it had been since he had left Estelia—and human civilization—behind. Truthfully, he couldn't recall how many days he had spent travelling to reach the Pale City; had it been weeks or months? He fought against the guilt he felt for having so recklessly abandoned his wife, who now must be doubly suffering. The creeping guilt only deepened Destrus' resolve in his current mission, and he silently swore mercilessness against any beast standing between him and a successful return home.

Destrus eventually came to forks in the tunnel as well as great cavernous expanses. He was careful to remember the path he took, but the anticipation of combat occupied most of his thoughts. Mulo had warned him that many of the cavern’s monsters could be near-silent in their approach.

Mulo’s warning proved unnecessary as Destrus was suddenly greeted by the earth-shaking roar of his first Pale adversary.