Chip sat on a rock by the side of the road and reached for his flask of water. The taste of stale and warm water flooded his mouth and he had to force himself to swallow. The little droplets of water that sat on his lips were licked quickly before the heat from sunlight evaporated them.

He had been walking for the past week, staying hidden on his tent placed on the side of the road during the night and covering as much distance as possible while the sun was still up.

Occasionally, travelers carrying suspicious packages would cross his path, but with a simple nod they were gone by the next road curve.

Those encounters didn't bother him. No one would want to rob anything from a Fauni, specially one that was traveling by himself.

Besides, Chip had nothing of value someone would want to steal anyway. He carried a backpack with the necessary provisions for the journey, his flask of water tied to his belt, a handy sharp knife to cut pieces of goat cheese or bread when he was hungry and the tiny folding tent.

As with all Fauni's paraphernalia everything was made of natural materials like grass or wicker, or anything they could use from the goats they raised like cattle, such as leather or bones.

But in spite the use of crude materials, Faunis were quite the graceful creatures, known to be hard to spot between the meadows were they would build their tiny villages.

Since Faunis were creatures born from the deep earth, his lean but strong body could be mistaken for a tree trunk if he stayed in the same place for very long and twice during his journey, this dirty stray dog tried to pee on him, just as he was searching the sky to see if the sun would set soon.

Walking barefoot every single day, since the day he had left his home, had hardened the flat calluses in his feet, the mushrooms growing between his toes, that used to be his greatest pride as a Fauni, now had dried out into lifeless crumbling bumps and the constant sunlight had given his skin a darker tan than the one he already had and burned into an yellowish tone his natural green hair.

Now that he was getting closer to his destination, his bones felt heavy and tired and his belly grumbled with the thought of eating a big bowl of soup from the local Inn.

When Chip was a little boy, his family would always come to the city during spring, when the windows of the houses would be decorated with fresh flowers and the butterflies danced in the air above the rooftops.

He remembered vividly to be sitting perched in the edge of the wooden cart, while all his siblings jumped around him, Ma and Pa ridding the cart and chatting happily with one another and sweet Buttercup, the family goat, pushing the cart at an steady pace.

And as they approached the city, not even the ominous sight of the Dark Tower could wipe the excitement of their faces.

They would play games with the other kids from the city, hear stories told by the elders and eat delicious pies and cakes sold by merchants with bright colored hats in makeshift stalls.

Eventually, some of the older kids would start teasing the little ones to get closer to the path leading to the Tower, but after a lot of pushing and protests they would all laugh it off and find something more fun to do.

Chip used to fantasize about finally growing his adult antlers and suddenly becoming a big, strong guy, crossing the path without a second thought and leaving all his friends surprised by his bravery.

But his favorite thing to do with friends was to play tag in the plaza, where he considered himself a great runner and an even better chaser, so would proudly declare to his friends that being a tag player was his best skill. And they would run and laugh at the same time during the whole afternoon, until all the children were breathless and tired from the fun.

Now, as he reached the main gate of the city, the warmth of the childhood memories were swept away by the grim reality.

Silence and dust was everything that greeted him. The same curse that seemed to wipe away the people from the Fauni's village was now lurking around the main city.

An spectral mist took over the streets, giving the place a somber tint of gray, stopping the sunlight from shining there and coming from somewhere beyond the line of sight was the sound of the wind howling, as if it was lamenting for the city's fate.

Chip's belly grumbled once again and he entered the empty Inn with a cold sadness in his heart. What once looked like a good portion of delicious pea soup served for hungry guests, was now looking gelatinous and gross, as all of that soup was rotting away in their bowls, mugs full of beer and cider were left full and untouched, a cleaning rag abandoned in the middle of the counter, mid cleaning... Everything still and quiet since the innkeeper and everyone in there had vanished.

Not even the tiny wisps were present, the curse carrying away all forms of life, from the tallest mountain troll to the tiniest of the magical beings. And the only thing Chip could think of was that he had to find out why.

If all the hope had left his heart a couple of nights after the curse took his family, at least vengeance lit a spark of fire in it when thinking about the only place where he could find some answers for all that tragedy.

Far in the distance, the Dark Tower was there, like a giant middle finger perpetually up in the air, shadowing even more the city, as if to mock the happiness that once existed in that place.

No matter what happened, nothing could stop Chip from entering those cursed doors now.