96: REST

The pain was a dull, constant throb in my body, my strength waning with every step I took. The battle had taken more out of me than I’d anticipated, and I could feel the weight of exhaustion pulling me down. Karim stayed close, his presence a reassuring anchor as we pressed forward through the woods. I could barely keep my eyes open, but I knew we were almost at Border Town, almost safe.

But even in our safety, the bitter truth grew in my heart: we had lost Nashville. The city that had once been ours was now in the hands of Maria and the bandits. The thought was almost too much to bear, but I knew we had dealt them a severe blow. They might have won the battle, but their losses were great. They wouldn’t be able to regroup easily, and that small victory was a comfort, though a fleeting one.

As we pushed forward, my vision blurred, and my legs began to buckle. The world around me spun, and the sounds of the forest became distant echoes in my ears. I tried to stay conscious, to keep movi