We walked along the path, exploring the new part of the forest. The views and the landscape no longer resembled the Glade. The number of trees in the area doubled, and the red foliage was thicker. Because of this, the sky was less visible and the lighting decreased slightly.
The surface became noticeably "curved" and hilly. This became the most uncomfortable, especially in terms of ascents. I bet the designers used San Francisco as a reference.
There was noticeably more vegetation: glowing mushrooms, some kind of reeds, vines, blue ferns... and bushes with berries. I tried one at my own risk, it was bright green and small. The taste reminded me of blueberries, so Zara and I ate the whole bush. Later Julia told me it was called Bandit's Berry. I'm going to ask for it at all the local eateries.
The last change—wildlife appeared. Mostly various flying and crawling insects. Several times we saw dark foxes and very long snakes. But according to Julia, they're friendly and often kept as pets.
Nevertheless, at one point the Goddess of Luck turned away from me, so there was a trashy incident. Going down the path, we came across... a colony of pink spiders crossing it! Unlike their brethren from the crypt, they were about three times larger and knee-high.
Because of the trait, I got scared, instinctively activated the ability and rushed to scatter the hell creatures. And they fought back, because I miscounted their number. From the side, it looked like fifteen, but in reality—fucking forty.
If it weren't for the support of the team, the spiders would have shoved their webs down my throat. Fortunately, a gang of laughing goblins, ice shards, and... I was amazed at Julia's mastery of the cleaver. I hadn't expected the local Little Red to be truly battle-ready.
This was good news—if she's able to fight properly, she'll help in the fight against that creature. Though we'll still have to monitor her HP carefully.
We finished the colony in about ten minutes. They were level 4, so I got to level 6, and Zara got halfway to 8. This plus was offset by the crappy drops: only legs and eyes, needed for alchemy. We only took a small amount so as not to clutter the inventory.
In the end, Julia warned never to do this again and to ignore such colonies. You never know who might be leading them, or who might come running at the sound of battle. This really should be learned.
In spite of the listed drawbacks, the local views were not inferior in beauty to the Glade. I took about as many screenshots as last time. The work of choosing a wallpaper has doubled. And to make sure I'm not the only idiot like this, I asked Zara about the same thing.
"What do you think of the forest views? Personally, I'm taking screenshots of every amazing view."
"That's cool, but I'm not that active. I've only taken seventeen screenshots since I connected. It's not the most beautiful place in the game, I don't want to clutter everything with it."
Hmm... She's right, I'll get tired of cleaning it all up later.
"So, you've got some specific places in mind to visit?" I picked up on her cue.
"Yes, it's one of the main reasons I bought the game. I used to love setting fantasy nature and views as wallpapers. It turned out that almost all the pictures were from Enchantia."
"Hah, I'm actually planning to choose a wallpaper for my desktop from the screenshots I've taken. Do you have some sort of list of places you want to visit?"
"Yeah. Well, I've seen all these locations on videos and pictures on the internet, but it's not the same at all. You can only get full enjoyment exclusively from personal experience. The list is actually big, but most of all I want to visit Sunset Park," she said dreamily. "It's on the SilverCraft server, I think it's top 60 and not part of this network."
"Sunset Park? Never heard of it."
"It's not very popular, but it's better that way. You can be there in silence and look at everything thoroughly. It's an extensive location of a magical town in the mountains with an adjacent amusement park. The coolest thing is the giant Ferris wheel that rises above the mountains, offering a beautiful pink sunset view. But riding it costs a whole 5,000 gold.... I don't know when I'll be able to do it."
From her words—pretty cool. I'd probably visit there too.
After the words about the price, Zara became sad and lowered her head. I came to understand that I needed to say something to keep her from getting upset.
"As the party leader, I must take into account the wishes of all members and look after their morale. I promise, at the first opportunity we'll visit the park and ride the wheel!" I said confidently, not quite understanding what I was saying. But Zara liked what she heard.
"Really?!" she perked up. "Thank you! Then I'll wait for your invitation. Hopefully not in a few years!"
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
She laughed, I joined in. However, upon full realization, it wasn't so funny: I just signed myself up for an additional 5,000 gold coins expense... No, even 10,000. I'm not going to stand under the wheel.
"Everything will be in the best shape," I kept up the mood and hurried to change the subject.
The light conversation continued until the promised fog appeared. It wasn't very dense, but it created a blind zone at medium to long range.
"In these places, the chance of encountering wandering creatures increases, so keep your eyes peeled," Julia notes. "It'll only be safe when we reach the guard checkpoint. Grandma's house is close to the outskirts."
We take this into account, I strain my vision and perception.
A few times I think I see tall silhouettes flickering in the fog at the edge of my vision, but when I shift my gaze they disappear. This turns out to be the only suspicious activity, soon we come out to a checkpoint with three guards.
"Hello!" Julia shouts. "It's Little Red, I have friends with me. I'm going to visit grandma with goodies."
They just write something down and let us through without unnecessary questions.
It's good to be a local.
From the checkpoint, the path turns into a smooth road, neatly paved with stone tiles. Along the way, there are several lanterns with purple glow, which perfectly disperse the fog. Literally in three minutes, we approach... guard gates. On the sides of them is a wall of smooth palisade. Under the gates are four guards, and two low watchtowers adjoin the gates themselves.
Some kind of luxury premium village. I suspect all large settlements in such locations have a similar structure. According to the lore—they're in hostile territory.
It seems I'm slowly getting used to the most detailed elaboration of servers.
This time Julia didn't even need to say anything—the guards bowed and opened the gates wide. Very strange mentality.
Misty Slope Village, Ruby Underwood.
So, we finally made it here! We can relax now.
"YYAAAAAAYYY!!!" Julia beamed with happiness. "Thank you so much for your help. If I had been delayed in the forest, grandma would have starved and her health would have suffered. I promise she will reward you handsomely."
We go to the last point—the house of the grandma. I curiously examine the first village in the game. There's nothing out of the ordinary: the same lanterns against the fog, ordinary, often 2-story wooden houses, few inhabitants. Either there are only a few of them, or they're all in other parts of the village.
We turn left and walk down a wide street. You can see that ordinary people live here. After about ten minutes, the road narrows and the color of the tiles changes to white. The houses also change: now each one has its own large yard, surrounded by an expensive fence, on its territory there's a personal lantern, domestic animals walk around. The rare people sitting on the verandas cast haughty glances at us.
Obviously, some wealthy area, surprising to see it. What neighborhood is grandma's house in?
The street turns out to be smaller than the previous one. At some point we turn right, walk along an alley with lush bushes and stop under the gates of a luxurious 3-story mansion, surrounded by a high golden fence. They are guarded by a guard with a spear, but his equipment is much better and heavier than the previous ones.
And what does this mean?
Zara's look shows that she is also confused.
"Hello, Mister Bram," Julia politely addresses the guard. "I've come to visit grandma, these are my friends."
He was looking in another direction and only just noticed us.
"Oh, always glad to see you, Little Red!" he exclaimed excitedly, bowing. "Of course, I'll go get her now, she's just waiting for you. A very pleasant surprise awaits you from this meeting. The entire estate is still in disbelief over what happened."
The man quickly opens the gates and flies into the area, leaving us waiting. Zara and I look at Julia at the same time.
"This isn't how I imagined your grandma's house," I say, stunned. In the fairy tale, it's just a modest hut.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to specify! My grandma is the wife of the elder and lives in his personal residence. And... I like it here much more than at home."
Hah, of course. Little Red has risen quite well, no wonder all the guards bowed to her. But this raises a number of questions.
"Lucky grandma, I'd like to live in a place like this too. But... what was the point of sending you with pies through the forest? I'm sure she has personal servants and cooks who can prepare food."
"There are servants, but now... it's a tense situation. The elder's re-election is coming up, for the first time in fifteen years grandma's husband has a serious opponent and there's a threat of defeat. There's a fierce political battle going on, and there's information about some bribed people whose job it is to eliminate grandma and her husband. One of them has apparently been caught and interrogated for three weeks, but he won't give up the others. Grandma has become paranoid and has decided not to trust anyone, including the estate workers, until the election results are in. She's started doing everything herself, including cooking food, because she's afraid of being poisoned. And mom definitely won't poison her, so that's how it turned out."
"Original approach," I joked. "And why can't you afford college if your grandfather is the whole elder? Judging by the mansion, he has money."
"He's not my grandfather. When I was little, grandfather went deep into the forest in search of the Elixir of Youth... and didn't return. I only saw him once and barely remember. The elder is grandma's new husband, so he doesn't provide for me and mom. But in any case, it wouldn't be enough for college. Don't worry, he's always disappearing in the council and won't notice if grandma gives you something."
The harsh realities of a remote village, although her grandma knows that you have to live in the present moment.
"Don't despair, Julia! You'll definitely have a bright future," Zara said.
Overall, well-developed lore. If you look at it coldly, it's even a plus—fighting on the territory of a large mansion is easier than in a small house. And after the guard's words, I have no doubt about the presence of a boss. Of course, this surprise is mainly for Zara and me.
"Be ready for battle and be as careful as possible," I whispered to her. "I'm sure the creature she met will be in grandma's guise. However, we have an advantage: the creature doesn't know that we know the original fairy tale."
"I thought about that too, it's too suspicious. But how do we fight it?"
"We'll definitely attack first. Let's see what happens next, based on that I'll come up with a plan."
I shifted my attention to Little Red.
"Julia, if there's something strange about your grandma, I'm sure it's not her."
"Huh?! What do you mean?"
"I will tell you more if my suspicion is confirmed. Just don't be afraid if anything happens, we're on your side."
"O-okay," she squeezed out uncertainly.
Behind the slightly open door, approaching footsteps of two people were heard. The final part of the quest begins.