Herculean

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At last, he thought. The end of my journey is in sight.

While that was not entirely true, the location on the map was indeed close at hand. But reaching that destination would not mean the end of his quest. Finding the Source — Echidna, the Well of Monsters — would merely be the halfway point. He would also have to make it back home, to the other side of the world.

To come this far, he had endured stormy seas and worse, entire oceans, where there was no wind at all. He had crossed deserts where no rain ever fell and climbed mountains so cold that his breath froze into snowflakes. He had ventured into the eternal darkness of the Earth’s bowels, where only monsters dwelt. To return whence he came, he would have to tread those paths again, face the same perils one more time.

The return trip would not be as difficult though. The path was already traveled, the unknown stripped of its mystery. He knew the way now, knew which roads led to danger and which winds would blow him to safe harbor. He had the map to guide him.

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