"What do you mean every month for a fucking week!"
"Come on Mike, this isn't a surprise."
"Well, it sure as fuck is to me! I've never bled from my dick before! Can't you magic this shit away with a healing spell!"
"Believe it or not but the book didn't come with one, now can you shut the hell up we are pulling into port."
The village was quaint and idyllic, with houses made of wood and stone, and the streets lined with cobblestones. However, an air of unease seems to hang over the place, as if the villagers knew the danger lurking just beyond the forest's edge. As they wander through the village, Valicar and Easton quickly realize that the locals are hesitant to talk about the forest. They spoke in hushed tones and avoided making eye contact, as if afraid of attracting unwanted attention. After further searching, however…
"Her ears are pointed! Look a real-life elf, Mike!" Sophia called internally as Valicar danced from foot to foot with excitement.
"Who cares about her ears... She is a goddamn supermodel." Mike said ogling the beautiful woman before them.
Valicar and Easton were relieved to find a guide in the village after finding a local willing to point one out, the twins were fascinated to meet Almora, a wood elf. She had long silver hair, pointed ears, and delicate features, and her movements were fluid and graceful as she worked in her small shop.
"No need to drop your jaw kid they all look like this, it has something to do with their natural charism over the other races. But don't trust a twig if you can help it, they eat people." Easton whispered to Valicar as they approached the elf's shop.
"Wait what?!" Valicar said but she was interrupted by the elf. "Not all of us believe in the old ways," Almora said with a smile on her face. Her teeth were sharp and shark-like. The Twins were taken aback but the pause was only momentary as Easton began negotiations for passage to Helm Hold. After some shrewd negotiation, they agreed on a price, Almora set to gathering supplies from her shop as Easton pulled Valicar aside.
"Look kid I have to be getting back to the ship but just look at this trip as more of your training. Oh, if she looks at you hungrily, just use one of those spells to scare her, and it should be fine." Easton said half joking.
"What the fuck why can't we just take the ship the whole way?" Mike questioned.
"Simply put it will take too long and you would miss the entrance exams. As it is now it will take a few months for me and the crew to sail around the southern Peninsula but I'll meet you there with the rest of the gold in a few months. Just ... try to act normal for a change ok." Easton said in his best diplomatic tone.
"What the hell do you mean by that!?" Mike said indignantly.
"You know what I mean kid... It's like you have two little psychos living in that cracked head of yours, and hey I ain't one to judge but you gonna be in a new land for a while and a mad mage is nothing to joke about so try not to get burned at the stake while I'm gone, ok." Easton said genuine concern in his eyes.
"Well shit... am I that obvious, why didn't anyone ever bring this up at the Manor?" Sophia asked. But she already knew the answer, it had plagued them since their adventures as Little Red Eye. The Mad Mage was a common myth among citizens of the empire, most people probably just thought her magic drove her insane. At that moment Sophia wanted nothing more than to tell Easton the truth about her and Mike but they both knew that would only confirm what he already thought about their sanity.
Easton simply smiled at them, "I'll be leaving now kid, it looks like a storm is on the way, and while my ship has her name for a reason I would rather have the wind to our back." With a pat on the head and a wave goodbye, Easton was gone leaving Valicar alone with Almora.
"Well Shit, are we crazy Soph?"
"I know you are at least." Sophia joked internally a knot forming in her gut.
Several hours passed before they were ready to depart taking supplies and several other villagers with them, they were merchants looking to trade with the school, willing to risk their lives for the exotic magic items available at Helm Hold.
The first few days of their journey were treacherous, with the trees and plants seeming to move of their own accord, trying to ensnare them in their grasp. Almora proved to be an excellent guide, with a deep knowledge of the forest and its many dangers. She seemed to have an almost magical connection with the plants and animals, knowing which paths to take and which areas to avoid. She was short when it came to conversation but she told Valicar a few of the basics of elven culture, including a very vague answer to the old ways of her people when they would hunt other sentient species who trespassed in their forest.
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"We don't do that anymore though." She said rather unconvincingly to Mike's ears.
Valicar and the rest of the group were walking through a particularly dense area of the forest when they heard a blood-curdling scream. They quickly realized that one of the merchants had been caught in a trap set by a man-eating plant and was being slowly dragged toward its gaping maw. Valicar immediately started running towards the trapped merchant, Sophia's mind racing with spells she could use to save them. But just as she was about to cast a spell, Almora appeared in front of her, blocking her path.
"Stop!" Almora commanded, holding up a hand to halt Valicar's advance. "We can't interfere with the forest's natural balance."
"But they're being eaten alive!" Sophia protested.
"It's a harsh lesson, but they should have known better than to wander off the path," Almora replied sternly. "If we interfere, it will only draw unwanted attention from the forest. We must respect its power and its will."
Sophia and Mike felt conflicted. On the one hand, they didn't want to see anyone get hurt, but on the other hand, she understood Almora's point. The forest was a dangerous place, and the merchants had known the risks when they had agreed to come. Reluctantly, Valicar stepped back, watching as the man-eating plant devoured the screaming merchant. The rest of the group looked on in horror, but Almora remained stoic, her eyes fixed on the plant.
As the plant finished its meal and retreated back into the ground, Almora turned to the group. "We must keep moving," she said. "The forest will not tolerate our presence for long." The group continued, the memory of the eaten merchant weighing heavily on their minds.
As the group made their way through the dense forest, they came across a small clearing. They decided to set up camp for the night, pitching their tents and starting a fire in the center of the opening. The night sky was clear, and the stars shone brightly above them. As they settled in, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the sounds of the forest around them, they suddenly heard a rustling in the bushes. Before they could react, a monstrous creature emerged from the undergrowth, its enormous wingspan casting a dark shadow over the campsite. The beast was a manticore, with the body of a lion, the wings of a dragon, and the tail of a scorpion. Its eyes glowed with a malevolent intelligence, and its deadly stinger swished menacingly back and forth. But what set this manticore apart from any other creature of its kind was the face of a human that protruded from its neck, twisted in a grotesque expression of rage and hatred. It was as if some dark magic had fused the two beings together, creating a hybrid monster that was more powerful and terrifying than either of its constituent parts. Without warning, the manticore lunged at the merchants, its razor-sharp claws tearing through flesh and bone with ease. The campsite was thrown into chaos as limbs were torn from bodies and blood sprayed across the forest floor. The surviving merchants ran for their lives, leaving behind their friends and comrades to be torn apart by the savage monster.
"FUCK FUCK FUCK!" Sophia thought as she readied her spells "Moriv" She sent the beast flying into the woods.
"I NEED A WEAPON SOPH!" Mike called as he was doing everything in his power to keep Valicar safe from the initial onslaught that had massacred most of their group.
"Working on it!" "Iginis, Silvoria" She armed Mike with the strength and sword he needed. The beast was quick to recover, now bounding at Valicar at inhuman speeds. Diving in low under its bite Mike brought his blade across its belly only to hear a snap as his sword of ice broke against the creature's magical hide. It was only thanks to his training that he was able to avoid its tail as its stinger lander where he had been a few heartbeats ago.
"Fuck we are gonna need a bigger weapon to pierce its hide, Soph!" Mike said as he discarded his now broken blade.
"What if we use its own weapon against it?" Sophia thought as Mike dodged another swing of its claws before ducking behind a tree to avoid its stinger. Splinters went flying as its deadly tail pierced the tree truck into Valicar's side drawing blood, their new armor taking the brunt of the shrapnel. "Drawgon." Sophia casts several fireballs as they danced around the beast only for them to wash harmlessly of the creature's hide.
"I GOT AN IDEA!" Sophia called as the beast launched into another assault. "Lamoria" The monster's attacks were far faster but far more inaccurate, the beast was not able to compensate with his tail weighting so little. Dodging under the beast once again the beast tried to sting Valicar much like the first time, however, she was ready. "Vermora" She redirected the tail towards the beast's back leg then "Accerio" Accelerating the tip of its stinger to finally break the monster's natural armor. The manticore let out a piercing inhuman scream as its poison began to work against it. Its body convulsed as it writhed in pain, and Valicar watched as it slowly succumbed to its deadly venom.
"Fuck... where is everyone?" Valicar looked around the now abandoned campsite, her only company the dead until she heard a voice. "We must leave quickly, the battle and bodies will attract other beasts." Almora had been hiding in the roots of a tree, the only other survivor.
"Thanks for the help we couldn't have done it without you, now can you get us the fuck out of this forest." the twins said sarcastically too tired to care about their secret.