As the world began its descent into the pitch black of night, Mox opted not to have any of his mages cast orbs of light. They were running away and having the only source of light visible in every distance wouldn’t exactly help them remain undetected. They had been fortunate so far, they hadn’t seen any pursuers, but ultimately it was just a matter of time. To add both to their fortune and misery, the light drizzle that the day had carried along was quickly becoming torrential.

At least they won’t be able to track us as easily now, the man thought to himself.

He had begun to think he’d forgotten where the entrance to the old road was and was silently cursing himself for having ridden past it in the rain and darkness. Just as he was about to order them to turn around, a decision he wasn’t going to make lightly, he noticed what he had finally been looking for. The only remaining designating feature of the deserted path were two rows of trees that extended out from the main road into the forest. The path itself had long been erased by the elements, but the trees had only grown more prominent.

“Everyone listen up!” He shouted. “Two rows of trees ahead on the left side, we will head straight into the forest at that marker. Clarissa and Tyse will alternate cone of fire casts to clear a path through the trees. Anyone with wind magic available to them will focus on keeping smoke clear of the path. The rain should keep the fire from spreading. Understood?”

“Yes Sir!” His unit responded in unison.

“Sir, Tyse and I won’t be able to keep that up indefinitely, and we will leave a pretty obvious path to follow. Are you sure this is wise?” Clarissa voiced her hesitations.

“I’ve been led to believe that the path will open up a ways in, so there should be no need to continue with our trailblazing for too long. As for our pursuers, speed is of the essence, even without making it too obvious anyone with tracking magic wouldn’t have any problems following us. We will be rendezvousing with an unknown once in the forest proper.”

Ignoring the few whispers regarding his last statement, they rounded the corner and slow their convoy down to face the wall of trees in front of them.

After forming a double file line, the two fire mages began burning their way through the thick brush. They alternated using the large area of effect fire skill to allow for mana regeneration, and after a much shorter time than anticipated the woods opened up and the road seemed to appear from nowhere. The most shocking thing was the state it was in. It was...Serene.

Double wide from what Mox remembered, the road was now bisected by a lane of floral decoration. Even in the dark the brilliant flowers had a soft glow to them, as if to intentionally guide the way for lost travelers. The trees as well had vines that wrapped themselves around their trunks in a way that almost seemed...prearranged. Small bulbs on the vines gave off a soft iridescent glow that just added to the strange and mesmerizing scene.

Tyse had been the first to enter and he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. Even soaked in rain and exhausted, he couldn’t help but lose himself in it. “What..what is this place sir?”

Mox didn’t know, and being asked a question had shaken him out of his stupor. “I have no idea, but we can’t just stand around gawking. Clearly Commander Roson knew of this place and intended for us to follow the road. Let’s get moving.”

Tearing themselves back into reality, the 30 men and women left alive alongside the carriage carrying the pregnant Alessian queen silently and quickly began to move forward along the road. Everyone was being particularly careful to avoid having their horses tread on the flowers. Something about the whole scene seemed supernatural to them, and no one wanted to disturb the peaceful setting more than necessary.

It normally took two days to make the trip between Brux and Alessia via the Central Road. This was entirely because of the roundabout way that the Central Road curved to avoid the center of the forest. Mox now has a sneaking suspicion that whoever had designed it that way had done so because of whatever strange phenomenon was happening on this road. Regardless, he remembered that it had only taken half a day of leisurely riding to get through the forest with his father. If they were lucky, they may make it to the other side by sunrise and would be able to send a rider for reinforcements in case they were pursued further.

With Mox lost in his thoughts and everyone else so distracted by the unnatural flora, they failed to see the figures that had been following them since they’d entered the road. The only thing noticeable in the trees above being the occasional flash of dark fur as their watches maneuvered to maintain an optimal distance.

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Sable Apes weren’t extraordinarily threatening to a group of knights under normal circumstances, but like everything else in the forest this particular shrewdness had several distinct characteristics. To be specific, they had excellent night vision alongside an innate ability to move without making much sound. For such large creatures to suddenly be so stealthy would normally be a very concerning prospect. However, Mox and his unit weren’t currently in any danger. This group of Apes happened to also have a heightened intelligence, and they had been asked to keep an eye on this area of the forest for their benefactor.

As the knights continued to move along at a rather rapid pace, a shrill scream pierced the serenity of the glowing forest road. As everyone came to a quick stop and began to draw their weapons, Mox was already moving. He had a guess as to what had happened, and was currently praying that it wasn’t the case as he made his way towards the carriage. Before he made it however, a low rumbling sound could heard in the direction they’d been traveling.

Mox shook his head, one damn thing after another. The sound was getting louder, and closer based on the vibrations in the ground.

He turned to face this new threat. “Dismount, form a shield wall. Protection spells up now! You all know what to do!” He shouted orders at his squad.

Their location became a flurry of action as the more sturdy members of their group made their way towards the front side of the caravan. Whatever was heading their way, they would be as prepared for it as they could possibly be without any information. Mox continued to the door of the carriage without opening it, exchanging a greeting with the driver.

The Queen had two servants with her in the Carriage, and Mox chose to address them. Best not to offend anyone’s sensibilities if he could avoid it. “This is Captain Moxon Curolis, Commander Roson has put me in charge of the surviving escort party. May I be of any assistance to the Queen?” As he asked his question he knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

There was some commotion inside the cabin and a young girl emerged from the now slightly ajar door. There was a clear look of anxiety on her face as she spoke, “Master Moxon, the Queen has begun the process of childbirth. This is much earlier than expected and we think it has something to do with all of the extra anxiety over the past half day. Do you have anyone skilled in healing that could aid us?”

Mox was stunned silent. Both because of the news that the Queen would be having her child in the middle of the mess they were in, and because of the young woman. Due to magic granting longevity to one’s life, Mox was considered rather young for his position and was in his fifties. The young woman was clearly younger than he was, and was a maidservant to the Queen, truly asounding. Yet it was nothing on her beauty. Dark hair that framed her face and fell gently past her shoulders. Soft eyes that told a story of someone who exuded kindness. He was entranced.

“Master Moxon...is everything ok?” the young lady responded.

Coughing and turning his face to the side to hide his blush, “Yes, my apologies. I’ll fetch Tara, she is a water mage skilled in healing. Will that suffice?”

Smiling, the young woman responded, “Yes, thank you! And please hurry, the Queen is in a lot of pain. If you need anything else please ask for me by name, I am called Saria.”

“Lady Saria, as you can hear there is an unknown entity making its way towards us. Please remain in the carriage and try to keep her majesty calm. I will send for Tara immediately.” Mox said this and stood to go deal with this newest threat to their survival.

Activating whisperwind again he contacted the water mage know as Tara. “Report to the carriage with haste, the Queen is in childbirth and needs the assistance of a healer. Before you protest, I know how inappropriate it is for me to order you to do this, but please…”

There was a silence that lasted for more than a few seconds before she finally responded, “Fine, but when we survive this you’re buying me a damn beer.”

He had to suppress a chuckle as he drew his sword and approached the shield wall. “Alright men, we don’t know what’s coming for us, but we won’t be making the first move. Don’t get jumpy.” He shouted.

Mox stood at the center of the formation, attempting to look like the commander he was supposed to be. Looking into the darkness, his eyes following the illuminated path as much as possible, he finally saw the creature.

It was the largest Sable Ape he’d ever seen. No...this thing had clearly evolved. He didn’t even know Sable Apes had a further evolution available to them, but he couldn’t deny what he saw in front him. Jet black save for crimson fur on its chest and ridge of crimson that ran from the top of it’s head halfway down it’s back. It was easily twice the size of their horses.

As it barrelled toward his men it was all he could not to order his men to attack the thing. There had to be a reason it was here, plus he wasn’t convinced they could even beat the thing with the twenty nine men he had left. It slowed until it was no more than thirty feet away from their line. The ape was the epitome of composure, there was none of the posturing that Sable Apes normally exhibited. As it stopped, it stared at Mox with eyes that spoke of an intelligence far beyond any creature he’d ever seen. Slowly it lowered itself down on it’s left elbow and lowered it’s head. Mox was stunned at first, thinking that the creature was bowing to him, but as the ape lowered itself a man slid off it’s back and landed in the mud.

The man turned to face the group and walked straight towards the terrified man. Not only had this person somehow pacified this enormous monster, the man himself simply oozed power. He towered over Mox, looking down straight into his eyes before speaking.

“Why are you in my forest?”