Ban rose from his concealed alcove, the forest embracing him in its cool, calming embrace. A few hours had passed since he managed his escape and determination replaced the sorrow in his eyes as he considered the path ahead. The raiders would likely take his fellow villagers towards the Shandar border, and he couldn't let them slip away.

Silently, Ban began backtracking towards Besart taking care to take a different route than he had used to escape. He moved like a ghost, avoiding branches that might snap, and stepping with a careful grace that betrayed some well-honed instincts.

When he finally arrived at the site where his Grandad’s cottage had been, he slowed to a crawl and took care to blend with the surroundings. The sky was looking overcast, and the wind made rustling sounds as it passed through the trees, masking the sounds of his movements. As Ban surveyed the area, his eyes widened with both relief and a renewed sense of urgency. The raider camp was gone.

In the clearing that once cradled his village, there were now only the remnants of destruction. The makeshift tents and crude shelters had vanished, leaving only muddy footprints and scorched earth. Ban felt a mix of gratitude and trepidation – gratitude that the immediate threat had passed, and trepidation for what lay ahead.

His gaze shifted to where his grandad's cottage once stood. Charred debris and memories were all that remained. Ban looked everywhere but he couldn’t find any bodies in the clearing or where the fight had occurred. A lump formed in his throat when he saw a pit had been dug in the centre of town. On closer inspection he realized the invaders must set all the corpses ablaze, erasing any trace of those who once called Besart home. The villagers, including his grandad, were now just ashes carried away by the wind much like the rest of the village.

“Those pig fucking bastards.” Letting some frustration lose on the air but with a heavy heart, Ban accepted the grim truth. There was no time for mourning; he had to press on. Gathering pieces of charred wood and stones, he fashioned a makeshift headstone for the fallen. Each name echoed in his mind – his grandad, Adin, and the others who had fought valiantly. The headstone, though crude, stood as a silent tribute to the lives lost.

“I will get them for you if it’s the last thing I do in this life, I promise.” Ban whispered a solemn promise to avenge them, his hand lingering over the makeshift memorial. As he rose to his feet, a renewed fire burned in his eyes. The pursuit of the raiders became more than a mission; it was a quest for justice, a way to honour the fallen.

Leaving the desolate remains of Besart behind, Ban set forth on the trail of his pursuers. As he set off, a light drizzle started, but the footprints and cart tracks were deep enough it would not be difficult to follow the trail of the raiders. The rain-soaked wilderness embraced him, echoing with the rhythm of his determined footsteps.

After a relentless few hours of pursuit, Ban was exhausted. He had stopped at a few river crossings to drink some water, unfortunately, there was little he could do about his hunger. He had crossed the border of the Besart forest a while back, and by this point, he had no idea where he was. Thankfully, the trail of the raiders was still easy to follow; by the looks of it, he would soon be catching up to them.

He heard some shouts and animal noises coming further ahead as the forest thickened and felt a sense of urgency. They must be close. He couldn't afford to lose track of the raiders, for their destination held the key to the fate of his friends. The distant cries of the captives still lingered in his ears, fuelling his determination.

As he finally heard the commotion of a large group travelling, his journey became a delicate dance between pursuit and concealment. The Shandar border loomed on the horizon, an ever-closer marker of danger and that time was running out. Ban quickened his pace, a silent shadow in pursuit. However, fate had its own plans.

As Ban was contemplating whether to try to run past the group through the forest to wait in ambush further up the road, the forest's tranquillity shattered. A low growl rumbled through the air, Ban froze, scanning his surroundings for the source of the ominous sound. Before he could react, a massive creature lunged from the shadows next to him, its eyes glinting with predatory intent.

Ban barely had time to register the wild beast's presence before it pounced. Fangs bared, it collided with him, sending him sprawling to the forest floor. Pain shot through his side as the creature's claws tore chunks of his flesh leaving deep gashes behind. The beast appeared to be a gigantic wolf-like monster, if he had to guess, he would say it was more than three times the size of a normal wolf. It had extremely sharp teeth and claws as he could testify first hand.

Injured and disoriented, Ban grappled in the muddy forest floor with the beast, his strength waning with each passing moment. The rain, now a torrential downpour, added to the chaos, turning the forest into a slippery battleground. Desperation fuelled Ban's struggle, but the wild beast proved relentless. Its growls echoed through the trees as Ban fought to free himself, avoiding the beast's sharp teeth.

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Rain-soaked and bloodied, he managed to break free momentarily, seizing the opportunity to put some distance between them. His vision blurred, and the pain in his side intensified. The beast was now circling around him, the taste of blood clearly having made it even more determined to make Ban its lunch.

As Ban faced the fierce wolf in the dense thicket, his mind raced for a solution. He was injured. He was starving. And most of all he was physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. Clearly someone above had it out for him as he refused to believe that this kind of luck could be normal. Despite all of this, he had made a promise, and he would die fighting if that’s what his fate was meant to be. Giving up wasn’t an option. The beast seemed to decide this was a good time for a second try and lunged at him, but Ban was ready and managed to avoid the lunge thanks to a quick sidestep manoeuvre.

Observing the wolf's movements, he noticed a pattern—a hesitation before each lunge. Seizing this opportunity, Ban decided to exploit the creature's momentary vulnerability.

Ban committed to his plan, and with a sudden burst of agility, managed to also dodge the wolf's next attack, narrowly avoiding its snapping jaws. As the wolf recoiled, Ban swiftly grabbed a nearby branch he had spotted, using it as a makeshift weapon. The soaked ground beneath them added an element of unpredictability to their dance, but Ban remained focused.

Timing his movements with precision, Ban swung the branch at the wolf's flank with all his strength, landing a solid blow. The creature yelped in pain and momentarily retreated. As the wolf circled him once more, Ban adopted a defensive stance, waiting for the right moment. When the creature lunged again, Ban expertly maneuvered the improvised weapon so that the sharp end faced the wolf and the blunt side stuck at an angle to the floor. The wolfs momentum carried him through when the jagged edge found its mark, delivering a piercing blow to the wolf's shoulder.

The wounded creature howled in pain, its aggression waning. Ban, fuelled by a mix of adrenaline and survival instinct, pressed his advantage. With calculated strikes, he drove the wolf back. It felt like some primal instincts had taken over, he started screaming at the beast almost as if he was a feral creature himself.

Taking advantage of the temporary respite and back to his senses Ban scanned the surroundings for an escape route. The torrential rain continued to pour, obscuring his vision, but determination guided his movements. He spotted a clearing ahead, where the rain-soaked ground would offer less resistance to his movements. With careful steps, Ban navigated through the thicket, keeping a watchful eye on the injured wolf. The creature, sensing the shift in dynamics, hesitated to pursue. As Ban reached the clearing, he broke into a sprint, putting distance between himself and the wolf.

The rain-soaked wilderness became Ban's ally as he evaded the injured predator. The wolf, discouraged by its wounds and the unfavourable terrain, didn’t seem keen on continuing the pursuit and eventually retreated into the thicket. Ban, hurt everywhere but for the first time in two days a smile pulled at his lips for having survived this ordeal.

As he caught his breath in the rain-soaked clearing, Ban's mind refocused on the pursuit of the raiders, that’s the only thing that mattered to him. He was completely lost as he didn’t pay any attention to where he had run off to, to make matters worse the rain was falling so hard it was extremely unlikely that much remained of the raider’s tracks. The way he saw it, there was two positives one he had a good idea what their general direction would be. Two, his bleeding had mostly stopped, and the rain had cleaned the wound out pretty well. “Well shit.”

With how hard the rain was hitting his body, he considered his chances of catching anything to eat would be slim, so instead he decided to start walking. He made his way back into the forest, walking towards where he though the sun may be, although it was hard to tell exactly where that was with the thick clouds and rain. Only moments after entering the forest, he was surprised to find two gigantic white trees sticking out. They looked eery, no other vegetation seemed to grow near them, but the detail that made Ban’s hairs stick up was that they were perfectly parallel almost as if framing the forest behind them.

He wondered whether they may be marking something, preferably food, so he decided to inspect them carefully, as he approached these vast white trees, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that enveloped him. The rain continued to pour, casting an otherworldly glow on the pale bark. Once close, he started to look around to see if there could be something hidden around them, he frowned when he couldn’t find anything. He was sure these trees were meant to mark something, but what could it be? A sudden gust of wind seemed to whisper through the branches, and the air crackled with an unusual energy.

He started walking around the tree trunk of the closest tree, and as he walked between the towering trees, the world around him shifted. The dense and rainy forest transformed into a surreal and unfamiliar landscape. The colours of the foliage became more vibrant, the rain had completely stopped, and the air carried a sweet, intoxicating scent. Ban blinked in disbelief, trying to make sense of the sudden change.

Before him stood a lush forest filled with flowers, and apparently untouched by neither animal nor human. Exotic flowers bloomed in vivid hues, and iridescent butterflies danced in the air. The raindrops sparkled like liquid diamonds as they hung from the leaves. It was a stark contrast to the grim reality he had known.

In the centre of this enchanted forest, Ban's eyes were drawn to a stone pedestal with an ornate sword embedded in a stone. The blade emitted a soft, aethereal glow, casting an otherworldly light in the surroundings. Intrigued and cautious, Ban approached the mystical scene.

As he neared the sword, an old man he had not spotted earlier seemed to materialize from the radiant mist. His eyes held the wisdom of ages, and his presence exuded a divine energy. Ban felt a mixture of awe and trepidation as the man addressed him with a knowing smile.

“Ah, here you are!" the old man intoned, his voice carrying a resonance that seemed to reverberate through the magical forest. “I was wondering when you’d get here, better late than never I suppose…”

Ban, still bewildered by the unexpected turn of events, stammered, "Where am I? Who are you? And what is this place?"

"Yes, yes, yes we’ll get to that bit… But first why don’t we have some tea?”