Prolog: Destiny Awaits Pt. 1

It was still early in the evening, barely even dusk, as a heavy fog rolled in through the forest from the nearby shore. The fog was thick already and only getting worse as the sun made its final descent behind the horizon. Nary a sound of life could be heard except the footsteps of one individual, roaming through the trees.

A young woman was making her way to the beach. Nice, well-kept traveler's clothes and weapons was a sure sign she was an adventurer; the bright purples and blues showed she had money and the metal flute on her side could only mean she was a bard. A traveling storyteller.

She found her way to the beach with growing difficulty. It shouldn't have been as bad as it was, but she could no longer see more than a few feet in front of her. The only reason she knew she had been making progress was by the sounds of crunching leaves beneath her feet. 

Once she felt the soft sand under her shoes she knew where to go without being able to see. She followed the edge of the sand to the rock face wall on the south side of the cove. A cave appeared out of the fog as if by a wish, though she knew it had been there all along. This was a path she'd traveled before. The cave gave her a break from the fog and she could see the whole inside of the natural structure. The remains of an old campsite were right where she'd left them.

She quickly began to set up camp, pulling all her equipment out of a small bag on her side. A gift from a new friend. She smiled to herself, proud of her deeds in recent days. Yes, it cost her the chance to follow a group of adventurers, and the chance to write an epic about them, but it was more important to her to do the right thing.

As she lit her fire with flint and steel she let out a gentle sigh. She wondered if she really had thrown away her big break. Oh well. At least she could still tell stories of heroes from history. 

Her eyes scanned the cave, landing on the pea soup fog outside. It was billowing into the entrance, looking like the deep snow of the mountains. It was beautiful but dangerous. She was very glad she had gotten inside before it got that thick. 

The rest of the evening was uneventful, dinner and some flute playing. Once she was done she laid down on her bedroll, covering herself up, and began to drift into the soft embrace of sleep. The last of the fire kept her warm.

Midnight brought with it strangers to the land. The sounds of scuffling and voices outside the cave woke the bard. Her eyes focused on the embers of her campfire before narrowing slightly. Although she dared not to move, there were too many of them. She only hoped they wouldn't find the cave in the fog that now seemed to have a life of its own.

She wasn't so lucky. No. She kept her face covered, but she was able to see five sets of feet walking towards her from the cave entrance. She only moved slightly to sell the image that she was asleep, grunting as she adjusted herself.

This got one of them to shout out. "CAPT'N!" She could hear them all chuckle a bit as more feet walked into the cave. So many people. Were they raiders? She could only wait and see.