Discovery’s Cost

Despite enjoying some time away, life had other plans. Pulled in more directions than expected, a few self-imposed deadlines slipped by. Still, there was time enough to return to Discovery and bring its final chapter into shape. That achievement carried mixed weight. While this ending does not mirror the sweeping tragedy found in Colonization, loss and consequence have always lingered at the edges of this series, and this tale is no exception.

The forest had become a corridor of survival. Branches were torn aside by haste, boots dragged through mud and fallen leaves, and every breath was measured against the threat still hunting those who fled. What had begun as a mission of discovery ended in fire and ruin, leaving only fragments of hope to carry forward. Each step was an act of defiance; every pause, an invitation for disaster to close the distance.

Jarvis bore the weight of leadership in silence. Loss followed him like a shadow. It is not loudly mourned, but counted in glances, in missing voices, and in the way the group tightened whenever the path narrowed. The world they had come to understand stripped away their last hope of escape. Ahead waited stone and iron, a place never meant for them, governed not only by walls, but by customs, consent, and uneasy trust.

This was not the end of a journey, but the moment it changed shape. Survival would demand compromise. Shelter would come with conditions. The future will be fragile, uncertain, and hard-won. It will also require a willingness to rebuild alongside those who already called this land home. As the trees thinned and the promise of refuge came into view, one truth remained clear. Discovery was no longer about what could be found, but what must be endured and what they would become.

Jarvis broke through the tree line and pulled Rurik away from the tree where he rested. Jarvis’s head jerked as he shattered the din of the survivors struggling through the forest. “We can see the hold’s entrance! Pick up the pace! We need to get out of sight before the horde realizes we’ve found safe harbor.”

“Your people are moving as quickly as they can,” Rurik said as his head slumped back to the tree’s bark. “Besides, you have to get Gilras’s approval to move into our keep.”

“I’m aware of that issue.” Jarvis pulled the dwarf off the tree trunk. “But I’ve lost people already. I don’t want more to die just as we’ve reached a temporary haven.”

Rurik nodded and disentangled himself from Jarvis’s grip. He swayed on unsteady legs before lurching forward. “I’ll get you to the hold.”

“Thank you,” Jarvis said, his jaw clenching as he looked away. “Considering your injury, will you need assistance?”

Rurik swatted Jarvis’s shoulder as he straightened his back. He adjusted the weapons hanging from his belt and cleared his throat. “I’ll get inside my home without help.”

“You’ve lost a lot of blood.” Jarvis pointed at the guide’s leg. “Walking with that injury is going to do more harm than good.”

“My kin are made of sterner stuff than yours,” Rurik said with a hearty laugh as he thumped his chest. A second later, his hand drifted to his injury, tapping the bandages with his fingertip. “This is nothing more than a nagging annoyance. Once we enter the keep, our doctors will see to my care. They’ll be shocked I bothered with a bandage.”