Time was short.
Maria tightly grasped her master's robes while Eardwulf leaned forward in his saddle, almost touching the mare's neck with his ears. He urged his mount on, spurring it with his heels. The horse's hooves drummed against the bumpy path as it galloped at a breakneck speed. Maria had to squeeze the mare’s sides with her thighs just to keep steady, and even then she could barely stay on.
“We should be getting close,” Eardwulf said.
“We can’t slow down or anything?” Maria gripped the back of his robe tighter to avoid sliding off the back of the saddle.
“If the letter is true, we cannot risk someone else arriving before us.”
The horse slowed to a trot, before rearing with a loud neigh. The edge of the Emerald Forest laid before them.
The trees were ancient and thick, with old roots that twisted and uprooted through the earth. The canopy was dense enough to stop light from reaching the forest floor. A dense entanglement of bramble sprawled from tree to tree, creating an obstacle that made it challenging to enter without pushing through it.
They dismounted. Maria’s knees almost buckled. Her legs were quivering. It had been a long ride, with only one or two stops to camp or relieve herself along the way.
“Someone may be inside searching already.” A long wooden staff, capped with a jagged crystal, materialized in Eardwulf’s hand from a flurry of polygons and pixels. “We’re going to have to split up,” he said and approached the dense wall of bramble.
“Wait, split up?”
“Yes. We need to cover more ground.”
“Don’t the coordinates tell you where it is exactly?”
“The coordinates lead to here. What we’re looking for is in this forest. However, it sprawls for many miles.”
“What if I encounter monsters?”
“Enemies in this forest should be low leveled. Perhaps around five or six.”
“Level three is enough?”
“You should still be able to defeat enemies a few levels above you. I’ve trained you well enough to handle yourself. Prove you’re ready to rank up to Craftsmen. Show me you can handle yourself on your own. I’ll keep an eye on you from our party menu. Keep me updated on your coordinates. If you find anything, send me a message, and wait until I arrive.”
Maria heaved her shoulders. In the upper right corner of her vision was the master's health bar. He had nothing to worry about in this forest, unlike her. He could squash anything that came his way like an insect.
“Make sure you have your potions equipped and ready,”
Maria opened her inventory and selected the ‘potions’ tab. Three red potions were stored, along with three blue ones. She tapped on them both and sorted them into the bottom-most box in the lower left corner of her vision. Only one potion could be selected at a time, but all it took was a single thought to alternate which one occupied space in the slot. Faster than opening her inventory for every item she needed to use.
“Stay on your guard,” Eardwulf said, “And watch your mana when casting.”
“Right,” Maria said. In her upper equipment slot was the image of an unrolled scroll with fire erupting from it.
Flames - Lvl 3 - Fire shoots from the caster's hand.
Cost: Drains mana gradually in prolonged use.
Base damage: 7
15% chance to give burn status effect.
It was the only spell she had, and the only one she had been putting points into. If she was careful, between her three mana potions and her 40 MP, she had 160 seconds of use. Not much, but it was all she had to work with right now. That and the short sword she kept in her right equipment slot. It hung from the left side of her belt for a quicker draw.
“Are you ready?” Eardwulf asked.
“At this point, it doesn't matter if I am or not.”
Eardwulf chuckled, and pat Maria on the back. “You’ll be fine.” He lobbed a fireball into the wall of bramble like he was tossing a baseball to his son. It burned away, creating an opening for them. Green moss stuck to the trees like sap, with rocks sharing a similar fate as they rested on the bare earth.
Eardwulf joined Maria as they ventured deeper into the forest. When the distance between the trees grew narrow, he parted ways, sending Maria west, while he searched east. His plan was simple enough. The two would walk around the forest till they met up on the northern side, then walk back through the middle. If they found nothing, they’d keep repeating until eventually, they were to come across something. It seemed tedious, but she wasn’t going to complain. Being alone for once gave her the freedom to do what she pleased. As long as she kept close enough to the plan, Eardwulf should be okay with it.
Her minimap wasn’t as much help. A vague outline of treetops was the most she saw. She did spot a few stone structures protruding from clearings on the birdseye view and figured those were worth investigating. Her minimap only seemed to document places she had been. It never kept track of people, and the image only ever updated when she returned to the area. Spirmond, for instance, still looked like it was in flames on her map, and it would likely remain like that until she returned.
Being in the woods felt peaceful. Maria strolled through it, occasionally fidgeting with her silver ring. The air was nice and thick with the sweet scent of wildflowers, moss, and the chirping of songbirds. With the trees parted, more sunlight snaked through the canopy, casting golden rays through the woods, highlighting rocks, logs, stumps, and plants, giving them a mystic shine. The trees towered high above, with thick trunks, twisting branches, and wide leaves. Twigs snapped under her boots as she trudged through the undergrowth. She came to a river and hopped along the stones protruding from the gentle current to cross.
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A notification popped up under her master's health bar. A message.
Eardwulf: Have you found anything?
Maria pursed her lips and sighed. It had only been half an hour. She pulled up another menu that displayed a floating keyboard before her hand. It was easy to type fast, and Eardwulf had taught her to use it with both hands in stressful situations if the need ever arose. That stressful situation, however, was him hurling fireballs at her as she tried to type out messages to him as quickly as possible.
Maria: Nothing.
Eardwulf: I’ve come across some old ruins tucked away deep in a grotto.
Maria: Should I come to you?
Eardwulf: Let me investigate further first. Keep searching for now.
At least he was having more luck than her. She hadn’t seen so much as a solid block of stone.
It was ridiculous to think the map to the demon king’s treasure was somewhere in this forest. What would she do even if she found the map, let alone the treasure? If she found it, she could change the world for the better, help rid it of her father's sins… but how? She hadn’t really thought much about it on the ride over. Not with her master rushing her out the doors.
Deer were visible from higher ridges, along with boars and squirrels, and their noises echoed through the woods. However, those grew faint as the sound of clashing steel replaced them. Maria followed the sound to a small clearing. Nothing there, but a screech rang through the forest. Maria hid behind a tree. She peeked from cover, scanning the area for where the sound could have come from. Did she stumble across two opposing parties also searching for the map? The sounds were getting closer. Thickets and branches rustled.
A woman burst through the treeline, panting heavily. It was Chariot. As she spun around and assumed a defensive stance, her braided chestnut hair whipped over her shoulder.
A horde of around a dozen emaciated humanoids were chasing her. Their gray flesh hugged their body so tight that every bone in their body was visible. Some wore tattered rags around their waists, others moldy cloth, and most had sacks around their heads fastened shut with rope. No eye holes, though.
“Surround her!”
“Cut her into tiny little pieces!”
“No, idiot, take her back to the camp!”
“We can cook her too!”
“Her sword! Get her sword!”
Chariot charged before they had time to stop quarreling. A red health bar and name appeared over one of its heads when she struck.
Hallow - Lvl 5
Maria was mesmerized by how the woman fought. She hacked and slashed at the monsters. But they were quick. Hard to land a blow and harder to keep track of each. One bolted behind Chariot and struck her with a dagger. Her leather chest piece blunted the hit. She turned and sliced the creature down the middle. Its health bar dropped to zero as the two halves split, spilling organs out into a mushy pile.
Another Hallows pounced, grabbing Chariot’s arms and holding them to her side. She stumbled trying to fling the creature off. She was knocked to her feet by another Hallow.
“I got her!”
“Hold her down!”
“Get her armor off!”
Maria took a deep breath and ran out of hiding. Fire belched from her palm as she cast {Flames}, engulfing the nearest Hallow. It squealed and hissed as its body contorted and shriveled up. Maria relinquished her flames when the monster's health bar hit zero.
The other Hallows hissed at Maria.
“Another one?”
“Get her too!”
“She has fire!”
“She has no armor!”
“Get her!”
A few broke away from Chariot and came running at her, blades drawn. Maria shot another stream of fire.
Chariot threw the Hallow off and hacked at it until it died. With the swing of her sword, she sent a horizontal arc of light out. It knocked the Hallows to the ground. Maria roasted the hoard still standing while Chariot delivered finishing blows to the ones on the ground.
The two stood there, panting. A chime rang in Maria’s ear, and her XP bar sparkled.
Name: Maria Marigold
Lvl: 3 >> 4
Hp: 200 >> 250
MP: 40 >> 50
Total Defense: 4
Total Attack: 5
A small pop-up window next to her health bar said she had acquired a skill point, but now wasn’t the time. She had just saved someone! A smile crept on her face. Not the most appropriate response to this situation, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Are you alright?” Chariot asked.
“I am, thank you.” She held her chest, panting. “What about you?”
“Quite alright.” Chariot took a moment to breathe before sheathing her sword. She was tall, maybe six feet. Maria was only five foot four. “I’m Chariot.”
“I know. I remember you from Spirmond.”
A blush crept up Chariot’s face. “Oh… You’re that girl.”
“Yeah. I’m Maria.”
“You saw the commotion then?”
“I did, yeah. Sorry things didn’t work out for you.”
“It’s in the past, don’t worry about it. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” A red potion materialized in Chariot’s hand, and she took a swig of it.
“How much health did they take from you?”
“Not much. I was low to begin with. I didn’t have time to stop and drink anything while they were chasing me. What are you doing all the way out here?”
Maria paused. Eardwuld would likely want the truth kept secret. “I’m on a minor quest. I just saw you and thought you needed help.”
“I appreciate it. If the quest is unimportant, I suggest abandoning it. Hallows are teeming the forest.”
“I’ll keep an eye out. Thanks for the warning.”
“Thank you for the help, but I need to return to my business.”
“You on a quest too?”
“No. Just helping for the sake of it. Some people got kidnapped by Hallows. I managed to track them to a camp a ways from here. I lured some away to make it easier.”
“A camp?” Maria raised her eyebrows.
Chariot nodded. “There’s been a few I’ve taken care of already.” She grit her teeth and clenched her fists. “Damn elf hasn’t been making it easy, though.”
“What do you mean?”
Chariot sighed. “An elf has been causing me no shortage of problems. She hops from the trees and messes up my rescue plans.”
“Sounds… annoying.”
“It is. If she shows up again, I’ll snap her neck.”
“Let me help you. People are in danger, right? More help would be better.”
“If you want to help, then follow me.” She looked Maria up and down. “I take it you’re with the Adventurers Guild?”
“Only an apprentice. Is that a problem?”
“You were casting fire back there, is it the only spell you know?”
“Unfortunately, yeah.”
“That’s good enough.” Chariot smiled a bit. “Just try to keep up, it’s not too far from here.”
Maria nodded and followed as Chariot led the way.