The morning of the fifth day they finally entered the forest. They'd had to avoid one human patrol when they neared the border, but otherwise they hadn't run into any trouble.

Another peculiarity of the Endless Plains meant that when the Forest came into view, they were practically already on top of it. That evening they set up camp on a nearby hill, the demons nervous and curious, the hunters eager but cautious.

The forest itself was magnificent, a mix of old and new, light and dark, quiet yet filled with sound. The Great Forest was truly one of a kind. The three for whom this was their first time entering looked around in wonder at the imposing trees, of which many could outlive a demon's impressive lifespan, or already had.

By the time Arick had gotten his mind back in order, the hunters were already prepared to move on. They had once again moved into formation, though there were a couple differences.

Now Lyall was the vanguard, a big and heavy spear in his hand. Behind him stood Rin, holding a large bow, with a quiver filled to the brim tied to her back and several small throwing knives hanging from her belt. On either side of her stood Aiden and Alcaeus, the two brothers wielding identical spears and two heavy daggers as backup. Their rear was covered by Evelyn, two shorter spears were tied to her back, while she was holding a longer and heavier one in her hand.

Solon and Jyl had disappeared, but Arick doubted they were far. His own longsword was still sheathed, though he could change that in the blink of an eye. Cecile and Mirus were walking side by side, she with a shield and axe, he with two swords at his side.

It wasn't even midday when the first incident occurred. A loud hissing put everyone on guard, ready for anything. But half a minute of rustling leaves and cracking branches later a large serpent fell to the ground, its body twitching one last time before it died.

"A young tree viper", Aiden commented as he walked towards it and picked it up.

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"Young?" Mirus gulped, looking at the four meter long snake.

"Barely two years old", he opened its mouth and pointed at the fangs, "Doesn't even have its adult teeth yet. See? No poison."

Cecile practically choked at his words.

"Poison?! Why would a snake of that size even need poison?!"

"To fight prey bigger and stronger than it, of course." Lyall looked at her as if she was stupid.

His words left her speechless.

Aiden took one of the knives off his belt and started expertly gutting and skinning while the other kept watch. Before long he had a neat package of meat wrapped in snake skin.

"Was it Jyl or Solon who fought that tree viper?" asked Arick.

"Solon", Alcaeus replied, "Fighting in the treetops is his specialty. And knowing Jyl, she's probably farther out."

"Will she be alright? Being away from the group sounds risky."

Lyall snorted. "There's nothing this close to the edge that could possibly threaten her."

"Each of our first hunts were much deeper into the forest. The worst you could run into here is perhaps an adolescent wolf or bear of one of the weaker species." Alcaeus elaborated.

"How dangerous would a tree viper be rated?" Mirus joined the conversation, his curiosity finally getting the best of him.

"They're tricky to rate. In a straight fight an adult viper is about as dangerous as a lone direwolf. However, if they catch you by surprise from above, which is how they usually hunt, your chances drop significantly."

"You also have to consider that the older they are, the tougher their scales become", Rin added a bit shyly.

"Indeed", nodded Alcaeus, "A fifty year old viper is on a completely different level compared to a ten year old viper."

The group kept travelling at a decent pace. Except for the tree viper, which became lunch, they didn't run into any beasts.

As the shadows started to lengthen they set up camp between the thick roots of an ancient tree. A campfire was constructed, with around it several small shelters made of sticks and leaves. Using the plants and herbs collected during the day, Rina created a thick soup.

One type of herb was lit on fire and left along the edges of the camp, in order to dilute their scent, as the hunters explained.

At one point, Jyl returned, carrying a bag of beast hide filled with meat. It was cut into small portions and roasted over the fire to supplement the soup.

After a satisfying dinner, most went to sleep immediately, leaving Aiden, Arick and Evelyn to take the first watch.