Chapter 15

The heat of the desert weighed heavily on Kazur. He was accustomed to the sun of the desert, so he wasn't terribly worried about sun burns, but the heat was unbearable. It slowed his traveling speed considerably. If he didn't move quickly Fan-Min and Fan-Huang would be long outside his reach.

He reached into his pouch on his sash and pulled out his divining stones. It was a bit difficult to focus with the sun bearing down on him, but his need to find his little siblings was too strong. He focused his arcane energy on the stones and on Fan-Huang. As he focused that energy, he tossed his stones and they fell in such a way he knew exactly where to go. West. That in conjunction with the vision he saw at the Yshari Sanctum led him to the conclusion that they were at New Tristram. He couldn't be positive, but it'd be a good place to start. He figured someone at Caldeum could give him a second opinion on that.

"You better be okay." Kazur warned his brother from afar. He knew he couldn't hear him, but he still needed to say it, at the very least, for himself. He wandered through the desert on his way to Caldeum.

Kazur found himself in the heart of Caldeum on the trail of his Yshari siblings. His vision had really rattled him and he would do anything to ensure that it never came true. The scary thing was that he'd never had a vision that didn't come true.

The city was crowded and busy. However, even amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, everyone found a spare moment to stop and stare at the giant arcane user wandering the city like he didn't know where he was going. It didn't take Kazur very long to notice that everyone was staring at him. Finally, he stopped and addressed one of the gawkers. "Excuse me." He started. "Why is everyone looking at me?"

The woman flushed red in embarrassment. She knew very well that she was staring, but hated that she was actually called out for it. "My apologies, sir!" She begged knowing that he was an arcane user and not someone she wanted upset with her. "Please forgive me!"

"No, no, no!" Kazur assured her as he waved his hands disarmingly and smiled. "I'm not mad. I'm just curious. You're so close to the Yshari Sanctum, surely arcane users are common-ish around here."

"We're used to seeing all sorts of warriors pass through. This is Caldeum, after all." She explained. "However, you're very large."

"I see." Kazur laughed. He was hoping there was more to it than that.

"Plus…" The woman went on. "It's not every day that you see so many renegade wizards pass through in just a few days."

"You've seen other renegade wizards?" Kazur asked, the fact that he was a renegade wizard just then sinking in. "Where are they?"

"They're gone." She explained. "According to my friend's husband, they made a big commotion in the tavern and then left. He thought he saw them leaving in a caravan."

"Do you know where to?"

"New Tristram, I would assume." She answered. "Most caravans go there. It's the closest place to get out of this desert heat."

"New Tristram." Kazur repeated absently.

"You're not going to cause trouble like they did, are you?" She asked nervously.

"No, I'm trying to find them. A young man and woman?"

"That's what my friend told me."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Thankful that renegade wizards drew so much attention, Kazur headed about Caldeum in search of a way to New Tristram. Had Fan-Huang and Min been typical people, it'd taken a lot longer to gather all the information he needed around town. It didn't take more than a few hours for Kazur to find a group of merchants eager to get to New Tristram for trade. As such a notable arcane user with his enormous stature, it was easy to strike a deal with them. He'd offered them protection and they'd allowed him passage in their wagons and provide meals. Kazur hoped he wouldn't need to fight for their lives, but he knew that such hopes were never a reality. There were always creatures of the darkness and that meant there were always fights.