The carriage that took Adrian toward the Corrupted Lands was simpler than the one that had brought him to the Varyn Mansion, but it was sturdy and fast.
The driver said little, focusing on guiding the horses through the darkening countryside.
The journey took just three hours as Adrian expected. The landscape gradually transformed as they left the lush fields of the City, giving way to a barren expanse that resembled a desert.
The ground was hard and cracked, littered with jagged stones and sparse patches of brittle grass.
~screech~
The carriage came to a halt, and Adrian stepped down, his boots crunching against the dry earth.
"Safe travels, Master Adrian. May the goddess protect you," the driver wished with a polite bow.
Adrian nodded his head, and the driver climbed back into the carriage, gave a final glance at the bridge, and urged the horses onward.
Adrian waited, his eyes tracking the carriage until it vanished into the distance, swallowed by the night.
