Requiem walked into Awedin's office, "you called for me sir?" The man handed her a slip of paper, "The garrison at Oak has requested reinforcement. At the moment we only have a handful who can go and you're at the top of the very short list. I don't believe it's very serious but keep an eye open just in case and don't hesitate to get help if you need it."
She took the paper, "I won't let you down sir." She saluted as she was dismissed.

All she knew about oak town was that it was west and the train would be quick...had there been a train from Era to Oak. She sighed and made sure she had packed everything that she would need for an extended stay all the way out there, "spare uniforms, casual clothes, repair kit, toiletries, shoes, boots.
I think that's it." She checked her pack and satchel one more time to make certain it was all secure, "I won't fail this!" She declared as she left the barracks and walked down the street to the gate. The weather was quite nice, warm with a gentle breeze. As she walked, she occasionally stopped to pray at places she had heard about from her father. A shrine where Illumin answered a prince's plea for help as he and his bride were set upon by bandits, a tree where a Druid had foretold of a great victory against demons. She made her way along the road at a good pace. Night started falling by the time she reached an inn that had room.

The elderly couple who ran the place seemed pleased to have a rune knight in their establishment. They gave her a very nice seat by the window and served her the choice bits. The young woman wasn't used to this kind of treatment and insisted that the couple didn't need to go to such lengths put her pleas fell on deaf ears. She was shown her room, a nice little place with a large soft bed and the bath was luxurious. so maybe being treated like this isn't a bad thing after all. She flopped into the bed and slept soundly.

Requiem woke up late the next morning and indulged herself of another long soak. She paid the couple and then went back on her journey to Oak. The young woman was glad to be able to enjoy the brief respite as the day grew chilly. She was also very grateful to the couple when she found out they had packed hot food for her, "I really must stop back there again. I don't think I paid them enough." A quick look at her map as she ate told her that she was over halfway to Oak. Another day or so would bring her to within sight of the city or possibly even within its walls.

Stepping up her pace, the knight passed small villages along the way. She occasionally stopped to pray at the churches but for the most part simply trudged along, getting desperate to reach her destination sometime within the next year. The day started fading rapidly and Requiem started to feel nervous as she realized she wasn't near a town or village and she most certainly hadn't planned on camping. The night fell and she found herself moving slowly through the dark out of habit, ears perked for any sound that might portend a threat. The girl felt vulnerable for some reason.

She moved her hands and readied a sign in case she was attacked. A branch snapped and she jumped away casting her spell and swiping her hands along her arms. A couple of startled birds flew from the source of the sound as she crouched in the shadow off the road, her breath held as she searched for whatever it was. Several minutes passed before she dispelled her power and slunk away warily.

She could've sworn she had seen someone several times as she went through the woods, I'm not being hunted, I'm not being hunted,
No one in their right mind would hunt a rune knight . Then she realized that other than the badge hidden in her sleeve, there was no indication of who she was. Also, it might be an animal.

The first rays of dawn brought relief and she saw Oak for the first time. The place looked like a hill that had been turned to a castle town. She trudged through the gates and made her way towards the garrison barracks, "Requiem, reporting as ordered." She said wearily as she held out he badge. The officer looked her over, "get some rest kid." She gratefully followed the man and dropped her bags next to the bed pointed out to her and faceplanted in it.

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