As the bright light of teleportation subsided, I felt slightly light-headed as my vision gradually adjusted until I realized I was in a dark, enclosed space.
I steadied myself and called for my companions. "Elinalise? Almanfi? Please say something."
"I'm over here, Alice," Elinalise responded, her voice easing my concern.
Just then, a ball of light materialized next to me, revealing Almanfi, who had conjured it.
"Whoa!" I exclaimed excitedly. "So cool! Could you teach me that?"
"Follow me," he instructed, walking ahead without looking back.
Tch, how boring.
With little choice we had, Elinalise and I went after him, my eyes adjusting further as the faint light revealed our surroundings. The atmosphere felt stale, and the walls were tightly packed, almost suffocating. It didn't take that long before I saw a staircase ahead, leading upward.
Well, that's convenient. At least we won't be stuck underground this time.
As we climbed the stairs carefully, the soft glow of Almanfi's light guided our steps. When we reached the top, it opened into another room, though it might have been too generous to call it that. The building was partially demolished in one corner, with cracks in the ceiling allowing thin strands of light to pierce through. Vines crept along the walls, as if nature had long since claimed this place as its own.
At the far end, I noticed an entrance with sunlight streaming through.
Naturally, that's where we headed.
As I stepped through, a marvellous sight stopped me in my tracks. There were towering trees in every direction. Their sheer size made the ruins behind us look insignificant.
Wow, so this is the Great Forest...
"This place is huge," I murmured, my gaze wandering around before settling on Almanfi. "So... where are we heading next?"
"South," he simply replied, pointing in a particular direction.
Almanfi then walked ahead without much explanation of what to expect.
Damn, without Perugius, this guy isn't much of a talker. Or perhaps he just wanted to get this escort mission done as soon as possible so he could return home.
In any case, we began walking towards where he was going.
As we strolled, the terrain was not particularly pleasant. Roots twisted across the ground like traps waiting to be sprung, and the uneven path made each step slightly more annoying than the last. After a while, my feet began to complain, and we occasionally took a break.
During one of those brief rests, I noticed Elinalise clutching her stomach.
"Is something wrong?" I asked worriedly.
Elinalise darted at me and shook her head.
"Ah, no," she dismissed, pulling out a fruit from her satchel. "I was just hungry, that's all."
That didn't look convincing, but she seemed determined to eat it, so I let it go... for now.
We eventually carried on walking when I sensed something strange.
Ever so often, I noticed that some of the trees seemed out of place. They swayed against the direction of the wind, and I was certain that one of them had moved from its initial position.
Weird... Am I seeing things?
Before I could think any further, we came across a huge tree right next to a beautiful spring.
"Why is this tree here?" I thought about it before going up to inspect it.
But as soon as I got too close, Almanfi grabbed my arm and dragged me away, right as a root emerged from the ground and lashed around.
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After saving me from a sudden ambush, Almanfi turned to me with a disappointed scowl.
"You idiot!" he scolded. "That's a monster you're approaching."
Surprised, I glanced back and noticed the tree tremble violently. Then it slowly sprang to life, with its branches turning into limbs and holes in the trunk forming its eyes and mouth.
"What the heck is that?" Elinalise asked in a dreadful tone.
"It's an elder treant," Almanfi answered, pulling his sword out of his belt. "Stay back."
"But I want to help though," I protested, reaching for the knife in my satchel.
Before I could draw my blade, he sneered at me through his mask. This prompted me to stop, and he quickly confronted the monster in front of us.
The treant attacked first, swinging its massive branches down with surprising speed. Almanfi noticed this and dodged with ease, avoiding each strike before closing the gap.
Whoa, so fast...
Fwooosh~
With a few swift motions of his sword, Almanfi cut through the treant's branches. However...
THWACK!
The monster's robust trunk swallowed his blade, making it difficult for Almanfi to take it off.
Crap, he has been disarmed.
Just then, the treant's exposed roots rose towards Almanfi, ready to strike.
"Look out! Below you!" I shouted.
Hearing my warning, Almanfi glanced down and abandoned his sword, weaving through the monster's surprise attacks before flipping away from the treant and landing in front of us.
"Give me your knives," he instructed urgently.
"Are you sure you don't need help?" I asked curiously. "I mean, I could—"
"Knives! Now!" he repeated, his tone annoyed.
Alright, geez... Impatient much?
I immediately gave my knife to Almanfi, and Elinalise did the same without hesitation. He took both and spun them once in his grip, testing their weight as the treant let out a deep groan.
Gggggghhhh....
Just then, the ground trembled again.
CRRRACK—
More roots burst from the soil, writhing like serpents as they lunged towards him.
Seeing that, Almanfi did not hesitate and dashed forward fearlessly.
His movements blurred as he navigated between the snapping roots, his footing smooth and precise despite the uneven terrain. Each step felt calculated, as if he knew exactly where the next attack would land.
Meanwhile, Elinalise and I took cover behind a nearby rock and watched the fight intently.
Fwip—!
Almanfi threw a knife forward, sending it hurtling through the air until it lodged itself firmly in a treant's eye. The creature recoiled, its massive body trembling as a hollow screech echoed through the forest.
Gggggghhhh—!!
The treant responded by opening its mouth and shooting a huge stream of water in Almanfi's direction. He saw the attack just in time and leapt out of the way before closing the distance.
Leaping forward, he pressed his foot against the monster's trunk and then drove the second knife directly into the same spot.
"Hmph!" Almanfi grunted under his breath.
CRACK!
The impact sent a jagged split running across the treant's face, causing it to thrash violently.
Gggggghhhh—!!
The monster screeched once more as its exposed roots tore through the surrounding foliage, whipping wildly in all directions.
Elinalise and I instinctively hid behind the rock, listening to the ongoing battle.
The ground quaked with each violent strike, sending dirt flying as splinters of bark flew past our cover. I peeked out slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of Almanfi trying to finish off the treant once and for all.
With one last burst of speed, Almanfi rushed towards the monster, slipping past a sweeping root by a hair's breadth before leaping ahead. His hand reached out for his sword, clutching its hilt tightly.
"—Got you!"
At last, he yanked the blade free with a forceful pull and drove it straight through the cracked part of the treant's face.
CRRRAAACK—!!
The trunk split wide open with a deafening sound, causing the treant to stop moving.
For a moment, everything stood still, until—
Ggggghh—
The monster groaned again. Its massive form quivered before collapsing inward, the exposed roots sinking into the earth as its entire trunk crumbled into lifeless wood. The glow inside its hollow eyes faded, indicating the treant's death.
Silence followed, with only the rustling of leaves remaining.
"Is it over?" Elinalise asked, peaking from the rock's cover.
Almanfi exhaled slowly, pulling his sword free from the treant's remains. "It is."
I stepped out from behind the rock and approached the fallen creature with curiosity.
"So, this is an elder treant?" I wondered. "I hadn't expected a tree to fight back like that."
"That is why you shouldn't approach suspicious entities without thinking," he retorted sternly, retrieving our knives from the monster's eye socket.
Yeah, yeah... Lesson learned, probably.
"Here," he commanded, handing the knives to us.
Just as we're about to retrieve them...
Fwop!
A sharp sound cut through the air, heading towards our direction.
CLANG!
Almanfi reacted instantly, raising his sword to deflect something solid. The object snapped in half upon impact, then fell to the ground beside our feet.
I looked down and realized it's a broken arrow.
Shrrrk—
Suddenly, I heard leaves rustling nearby, so I turned around to see the shrubs moving wildly.
"More monsters?" I asked nervously, standing in front of Elinalise to keep her safe.
"Not quite," Almanfi denied, facing the direction of the noise. "Come out, whoever you are."
In response to his command, several hooded figures emerged from the shrubs, each pointing a bow at us. They reek of strong killing intent, suggesting that they will end us here and now.
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This day can't get any worse.
We first faced a murderous tree, and now we're surrounded by bow-wielding hooded people.
What's next? A group of bandits?
In any case, they appeared hostile and willing to kill us whenever they wanted. So, the logical thing to do is to raise both of my hands in the air, hoping they will spare us.
"Alice, what are you doing?" Elinalise asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
"I'm surrendering," I responded honestly. "What else do you think I'm doing?"
"You're just drawing more attention to yourself," Almanfi retorted without looking back.
Hmph, why would he care? I'm trying my best to stay alive here.
Just as I was about to respond, one of the hooded figures walked forward with their bow still drawn at us.
"You, with the sword, why do you have two elves with you?"
The language they spoke was different from what I've heard so far, but it sounded familiar.
My mind paused for a moment, trying to process it. The tone, the rhythm... It was like a half-forgotten song that lingered on the edge of my memory that I should have understood.
Almanfi stepped forward slightly in front of us, his posture steady, sword lowered but ready.
"Before I answer your question, I wanted to know who you people are?" he answered fluently in the same language, his voice calm but firm. "Remove your hoods and show your faces."
The hooded people hesitated, and their bows remained drawn. But one of them gathered the courage to lower their weapon and pulled out their hood, revealing something unexpected.
Pointed ears... Sharp eyes... and a beautiful appearance. It turns out the figure was an elf like Elinalise and me.
The rest of the group followed, pulling their hood out and showing they're elves as well.
"Now, talk," the first elf commanded.
Seeing that, Almanfi bowed his head in forgiveness.
"Apologies, these two were under Lord Perugius's protection," he responded sincerely. "I was tasked to escort them to the elven settlement."
A ripple passed through the group upon hearing Almanfi's reason.
Some withdrew their bows slightly, but not completely. Suspicion clung to their stances like a second skin.
"Perugius? Who's that?" one of them muttered, exchanging glances with the others.
The first elf who revealed her face strolled forward, her sharp gaze shifting between Elinalise and me.
"....And these two," she muttered, her voice still guarded, "where have you found them?"
"At the bottom of a labyrinth," Almanfi answered bluntly. "Specifically, inside mana crystals."
His words hit the group like a stone dropped into still water.
Several eyes widened, with one of the elves clutching their bow tighter, and another stepped forward cautiously, attempting to understand what they had heard.
"You found them in mana crystals?" the first elf repeated, her tone skeptical. "How unlikely."
Elinalise, who had been quiet until now, moved closer to me. I could sense the dread emitting from her, though she tried to hide it.
Meanwhile, Almanfi didn't back down, steadying himself further.
"They were rescued under Lord Perugius's orders," he debated. "If you still have doubts, take them up with him."
That response seemed to silence them for a moment.
The first elf squinted her eyes and studied us for a long time. Then, as if considering whether we were worth the trouble, her eyes darted to the path behind us.
Eventually, she lowered her bow completely and raised a fist.
"Stand down, scouts."
Her comrades hesitated, but one by one, they followed her lead and withdrew their weapons as well. When I saw that, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
The first elf set aside her bow on her back, then turned to us.
"Come with us," she instructed. "We'll lead you to our settlement."
I lowered my hands slowly, exchanging glances with Elinalise before stepping forward.
Well... that could've gone worse.
Without another word, we followed the elves into the forest, their outfits blending seamlessly with the trees as if they were one with nature.
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[Third POV]
Somewhere within the forest, a lone man with pointed ears and greenish blonde hair traveled haphazardly, carrying a large sack of assorted goods over lush terrain. The path he took was overrun by tree roots and creeping vines that twisted like living things.
Each step he took sank softly into the earth, swallowed by layers of fallen leaves.
Yet he pressed on, adjusting the weight of his sack over his shoulder.
Cling... clang...
Faint sounds of glasses and metal clinking echoed from inside.
The man exhaled and muttered something under his breath.
"Just a little longer..."
No answer came, only the distant murmur of the forest responding in its own language—subtle, indecipherable, and indifferent.
For a brief moment, the forest fell still, as if it were holding its breath. The man wavered, his steps faltering just slightly, but he tightened his grip on the sack and moved forward.