Chapter 20: Piercing the Evervale

As the light faded, Chastity and Charlie neared the outer boundary of a great forest. The cobblestone road grew sparse, as if retreating before the looming wood, until the stones themselves seemed but an afterthought swallowed by damp earth.

The Deep River, which had accompanied them along the whole of their journey thus far, abruptly ended (or rather, began) at a series of generous falls precipitously cascading down a blue gray eruption of sharp-peaked mountains.

Ding!

[New Location Discovered]

[Evervale Forest]

[You Have Gained Experience]

Not a bad deal, gaining experience simply by visiting a new location for the first time. If I had the luxury, I could explore this enchanted world and slowly level up, Chastity thought.

Briefly checking the Paladin Codex tucked away in her invisible inventory, Chastity knew she had no such luxury. She had pressing business someplace deep in the heart of this forest.

“My legs are tired from all this walking,” the Paladin told Charlie as she peered into the yawning dark of the thick forest. “And my canteen is empty.”

With the fading light, they would need to find another place to camp for the night. But would it be safer to rest outside of the forest or within? Who knew what wild animals could be there?

“Let’s refill our water pouches at the waterfall!” Charlie said, pointing to some boulders that allowed access to the nearest edge of the falls.

Chastity looked carefully at the falling water, trying to ascertain its clarity.

“Do you think it’s safe? Where I come from, water usually needs to be purified or boiled before we drink it,” she explained. Except for natural springs, I think?

Charlie emptied the last few drops from his water pouch onto the ground and began making his way off the road.

“The River Folk always say the closer you get to the source of the Deep River, the purer it is!”

Chastity followed, removing the empty canteen from her traveling pack and watching as the young halfling scrambled up the rocks with surprising ease. He was, in fact, quite nimble.

Balancing on the edge of a rock slick from spray and mist, Charlie opened the topper and carefully filled his pouch with the falling water. He took a greedy swallow, topped off, then attached the stopper. A smile spread across his ruddy face.

“Why, it’s the best water I’ve ever tasted!” he yelled over the noise of the churning falls. “Feels like I could keep walking a whole day more!”

Not relishing the possibility of near-future nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea, but seeing no other options for hydration, Chastity climbed up on the stones and carefully stretched out to catch the water. The spray coming off the falls was absolutely frigid, sending fresh shivers through her body.

When she put the canteen to her lips and took a swig, her eyes brightened and she sighed audibly.

“Wow!”

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Charlie looked up at her and grinned.

“Isn’t it something special?” he asked.

Chastity nearly drained her whole canteen before immediately refilling it. The water was astonishingly refreshing. The ache in her legs diminished, and the natural tiredness that comes from nearing a day’s end faded. Was there some enchantment at play, or was it merely a placebo effect?

Chastity thought of the holy water discovered at the chantry ruins. This water, spilling naturally from its glorious source, perhaps possessed its own sort of ‘holiness,’ or at least unspoiled purity.

“I think you’re right, Charlie. I no longer feel tired in the least. I would press on, in fact I would like to, but I am concerned about the sun going down and navigating in those dense woods.”

Returning to the dwindling path and approaching the forest’s edge, the Evervale spread before them. Strangely, there was almost no snow on the ground within. The verdant canopy above was so thick that very little snowfall could penetrate down to the forest floor.

Perhaps it would be better to make camp inside after all, Chastity realized.

“Let’s go further in and explore a bit,” she said. Charlie agreed without hesitation and they pressed in, seeing no obvious paths pointing the way to their ultimate destination.

It was, in every sense, an old-growth forest–ancient really, untouched by the hands of man or any other race. Sprawling trees stood like titans, their gnarled limbs festooned with lichen beards of emerald and silver. The thick scent of damp earth and pungent humus abounded amidst fernlike undergrowth, and the entire forest lay under a hushed blanket of silence.

With each encroaching step the forest seemed to swallow them up. Despite the nearly impenetrable tree cover above, they had surprisingly little difficulty seeing.

“Charlie… is that…” Chastity trailed off.

Charlie gasped in wonder. As their eyes adjusted, they grew aware of faint sources of light scattered throughout. The moss and lichen draping the stones and branches shone with pearls of luminescence.

“It’s beautiful!” the halfling whispered reverently.

Chastity had to agree.

“Not only do I feel completely refreshed, but we have enough light to keep going. Do you feel up for it?” Chastity asked.

“Yes! Let’s not stop until we find those Wood Elves!” Charlie enthused.

Chastity took another draught from her canteen and looked around at the subtly shimmering forest. The Everglen was said to lay deep within this primordial place–but where exactly? There was no telling the depth and breadth of the untouched forest.

“The only problem is we have no trail, no compass, no map, and no inkling of which way to go,” she replied.

Chastity didn’t notice the vine-like appendages creeping across the ground until it was too late. Silently, the vines coiled around each of her legs. At last, Charlie spotted the disturbance.

“Chastity–look out!”

“What–?”

Chastity was yanked backwards against a nearby tree, the impact knocking the breath out of her.

“Oof!”

At once, thin branches wrapped around each of her arms. The hostile tendrils forcibly spread her legs and arms apart, pinning her to the trunk. The bundle of javelins fell from her grasp.

Chastity grunted and, with her formidable strength, wrenched her arms free, snapping off the branches and vines that bound her. But just as soon she was constricted afresh from a different direction.

What is this?! her mind whirled. She quickly flipped through her mental rolodex of abilities: Identify, Detect Evil, Smite Evil. Which would be most useful?

But before she could issue the verbal command to activate any of those skills, probing vines shot up to her face, covering her mouth. She tried to yell, but could only produce a muffled noise beneath the suffocating assault.

“Don’t worry! I’ve got you!”

Chastity’s eyes shot down to see Charlie brandishing a knife from his pack. At once he leapt upon the nearest vines constricting her legs and started to cut through them. With one leg free, Chastity braced against the trunk and pushed off, ripping her arms free again.

Immediately, fresh vines and branches reached out, grabbing and attempting to lift her off the ground. Charlie dodged a grasping branch aimed at him and hurried after Chastity, cutting again and again the entangling growth.

Chastity chomped hard against one of the vines lingering at her mouth, tasting incredibly bitter sap that stung her tongue. She flexed every muscle and ripped herself free once more as Charlie weakened the cords.

The branches retreated. The vines slithered away with a wounded whisper. Chastity grabbed her javelins off the ground and stood back-to-back with the knife-wielding halfling.

Ding!

[You Have Gained Experience]

“Thanks for the assist! Where did you get that weapon?” Chastity asked, trying to spit the foul taste from her mouth. “Have you had it with you this whole time?”

“Oh this? It’s just my vegetable knife!” Charlie said, eyes darting suspiciously from tree to tree.

“This forest is ALIVE,” Chastity cautioned. “Well–you know what I mean. Alive-ER.”

“What do we do? We are surrounded by… whatever this is!”

“All I know is we can’t stay here. Run!”