It wasn’t much longer since they left the outpost that they reached the forest of Gleam. Apparently, that outpost was there for a reason, most people tried to spend as little time within the forest as possible, due to its dangers. Though that still didn’t prevent people from being forced to camp a day or two within its dark woods…

Yesi came by the carriage once more to drill in the importance of her orders.

“Whatever you do, do not leave the carriage for any reason unless I say so. When traveling through these woods my word is law and you and your troops will obey everything I have to say. Do I make myself clear…” Yesi glared at him as if he would argue with her. But he simply nodded, not contesting anything, and she grunted when he gave her his silent reply.

“Should anything attack us, keep within the center of our formation, we will do our best to protect you.” Yesi finished and was just about to leave when Van asked a question.

“What dangers are out there that we should watch out for?” he asked, looking at Yesi with some concern.

“Too many to the point that by the time I finished rattling off all of them we would be out of the forest.” She replied, some annoyance in her tone of voice. “Suffice it to say, for the adventurer, Gleam forest is a treasure trove of wonders that could make a person rich given a few years… but the danger more than makes up for the hidden fortune within these woods… the survival rate for those who comb this forest for its goods is less than twelve percent for their first year. After that, you're considered a veteran.”

“But. in danger. There is protection, not many people would try to attack you within these woods unless they have the money and lives to spare… and messengers and couriers delivering important time-sensitive goods and information make a pretty good living running through these woods since it’s faster than going the long way around. If they don’t die, that is…”

“Gleam forest is also where rangers go through initiation. If they can survive a whole week here on their own here, they are considered full-blown rangers and members of the guild… so you don’t have to worry, we have the experience to get you through this quickly and safely. You’ll hardly know you're even here…” Yesi said, becoming surprisingly informative, though at the same time she did seem a little distracted by everything around her. Her eyes constantly roamed the forest as they slowly entered its hungry-looking woods.

After saying her piece, Yesi left to take the lead once more, her back looking a little tense. And she wasn’t the only one either, each and every one of the rangers within the group were the same. Even Yassan seemed to have eyes only for the forest around them as they slowly made their way on the dirt path through this apparently dangerous forest.

Van decided to stick his head out a little and try to figure out what all the fuss was about. He had spent months in a forest that was at literal war with itself, had some eldritch horror shit going on with the Red Knives, and then everything freaking exploded. Surely this place couldn’t be more dangerous than that, right?

Now… as far as he could see… he was completely… wrong.

This was definitely not like the forest he was in before. For the forest that he was in before had at least half a dozen colors if not more. This forest was the exact opposite… all the trees seemed to be of one primary color… black… or at least some shade of it. With the bluish-tipped leaves, he has become familiar with.

All the trees seemed to have some sort of bioluminescence. Again, something he was somewhat familiar with… but all of them seemed… dull… another thing about this forest was how dead it felt… It took a while for him to realize that while there did seem to be a soft breeze, he couldn’t hear the wind whatsoever within this forest. The woods did not so much as rustle or creak even one bit… as if they were statues made of stone in the likeness of trees, or predators… ready for the pounce… their stillness just the tension before the attack…

After a while, the silence of the forest became somewhat deafening. The only thing that seemed to make any noise was the creaking of their own carriage and the footsteps of their mounts…

The oppressive silence seemed to have affected everyone… no one wanted to make even a sound or move that could draw attention to them.

This seemed to go on for an hour before…

A single tree finally seemed to give in and give a creak of its old trunk and branches…

And almost immediately all the rangers stopped their movement and whipped around, their arrows all pointed at the offending tree, their arrow tips glowing a faint blue with magic and aura.

Slowly, the tree gave another creak, as if moving back into position, and the caravan continued once more…

Van could cut the tension with a knife… if he was stupid enough to try too…

For the next few hours, they traveled through the oppressive silence that gave no room for sound or color of any kind…

that was until… a soft wind began to blow…

And Van learned the reason why it was called the forest of Gleam…

For the entire forest seemed to have woken up, glowing a dazzling array of colors and lights so bright some of them hurt the eyes to look at.

Strange horseshoe crab-like creatures popped out of the ground, glowing lichen and strange glowing stalks on their backs. Flowers sprouted within seconds, their petals many different neon colors that shined brightly. The trees' dull bioluminescence began to shine brighter and start to move in strange patterns. Floaters and glowing butterflies then started to appear, and it was as if the dead and silent woods from before were nothing but a lie to trick the unwary.

“Don’t get complacent Van,” Yassan said, riding up to the carriage. “It might now look like a wonderland of glowing lights and wonders. But it’s now more dangerous than ever… one wrong move and it’s over…” he said seriously.

Van looked at his new friend and at the surroundings, his curiosity getting the better of him. “What are those things?” he asked, motioning with his head at the horseshoe crab-like creatures.

Yassan turned to look at what Van was talking about. “Those are scuttle plants. They may look like they are something like a giant insect or sea animal, but they are actually plants with a unique symbiosis with the creatures they ride, being more of the brains of the thing, and moving to places with good nutrients to bury themselves in once the place they left is all dried up. The stalks they slowly grow are useful in many potions, but they are endangered so it’s illegal to hunt them without a license. They also attack with balls of spores if you get too close.”

“I see… and that one,” Van asked, pointing at a tree far in the distance with its own clearing. It seemed like instead of leaves, the branches it had ending in long vines instead.

“That’s a hanging death tree.” Yassan began his explanation. “It’s going to have to be burned out soon now that we know it’s there… if you get too close, it’s many vines will try to hook you in and strangle you to death. After that, it will hang your body and let you slowly decompose, providing nutrients to its soil…”

“Oh…” was all Van could say to that. “Err… what about that plant?” trying to change the subject, pointing at a strange-looking flower that was hopefully not dangerous.

Yassan turned to look and gave a blink of surprise.

“That’s an eros flower. A very rare type of plant since it's one of the ingredients in the making of the eros potion. It has a strong smell that is an aphrodisiac, get too close and you’ll get turned on… it has a long bulb-like structure with the tips of its petals woven in such a way that it resembles lips… it sucks males dry if they are not careful… they sometimes hold a symbiotic relationship with rape vines… in exchange for helping hold males down, the rape vines get a share of the nutrition… it’s best to always stay clear of such a plant unless you know what your doing… even women can get affected by its smell… though… it’s odd to see one so close to the road…”

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“Oh… kay…” Van was now looking worriedly around him. Wondering what other hidden dangers might be lurking within these strange woods.

“Don’t worry Van. I and my sis will protect you. It isn't the first time we’ve been through these woods, and it won’t be the last time. Just remain calm, and I'll explain a few more of the dangers of this place if you want.”

“Uh… ya… I would actually like that…” Van said expectantly. Not wanting to travel through a place that he didn’t know the dangers of. Though there was a part of him that didn’t want to know, for fear of nightmare fuel. But his more logical side won out and he listened closely to what Yassan was going to say next.

Yassan then began a quick rundown of the things to watch out for in the forest, pointing out poisonous plants and creatures as well as trees that can move within a moment's notice to attack, pierce or strangle a person without warning. Not to mention the many animals within these woods that would make even a tiger feel nice and cuddly by comparison.

“Many strange creatures call this place their home, it’s to the point that not many people even know how many of those strange creatures actually live here,” Yassan said. “Even to this day, the studying of this forest is difficult due to its hidden dangers. Whenever a scholar feels like they finally figured out all its hidden threats, they die to a new one… which… funnily enough, helps us figure out what they died to, adding it to the list of things to watch out for…”

“Thankfully… like I said before… This forest is a small one… even if it’s dense in danger which makes it feel bigger than it actually is. It actually only takes a few days to cross, though some people can get lost in it for weeks… the point being… so long as you stick to the road, and watch your surroundings, you should be safe… relatively speaking…” Yassan said, finishing his explanation.

“We’ll be headed towards a miniature fort with a well-placed mana barrier in just a few hours. We will stay there for the night and then head to the next one tomorrow. After that, we should be clear to head straight for Bright city. There is a map in the main lobby of the fort that shows all the hidden resource caches in case you get lost. I suggest you make sure to give it a good read just in case… you should also pick up a map of the forest there… Do you have any other questions?” Yassan asked.

Van felt like he had a hundred, but didn’t know what to ask without seemingly feeling like a worrywart, or being annoying… and he didn’t want to bother Yassan for the next few hours when he had a job to do. “No, I'm good for now… don’t want to take you from your job and get you yelled at by your sister.”

Yassan shook his head. “My sister isn’t that bad. She probably knows I'm explaining all this to you. It’s best that you know after all, for all our sakes…”

“Should I order some of my goblins to take the perimeter as we travel?” Van asked, looking around worriedly. But then regretted offering since what help would his goblins be able to offer?”

Yassan shook his head again. “No need for that, our rangers can handle themselves, and the goblins might just get in the way if they don’t know what they are doing. Best to leave it to the professionals like us.”

Van nodded. “Right… how much longer until we hit the fort?”

“Shouldn’t be much longer now, maybe another five to six hours,” Yassan said.

“I see… well… sorry to have bothered you, thanks for the explanation,” Van said, getting ready to lean his head back into the carriage.

“No problem, and it wasn’t a bother at all, just glad you decided to listen. You’ll be surprised by how many nobles don’t even bother with hearing a mere ranger out…” Yassan said.

“That… sounds stupid…” Van replied, a little in disbelief that some nobles are actually like that. Not that he was not believing what Yassan said, but that he could totally believe some nobles like that… one in particular coming to mind…

Yassan shrugged. “It is what it is… see you later Van…” and then slowly moved back into formation with the rest of the rangers.

“See you…” Van said, then closed the carriage window and turned to Luna and Anna. “Did you girls hear all that?”

Luna was just nervously looking out the other side of the carriage. Anna nodded, saying she heard everything and will watch out for the dangers that Yassan pointed out.

After that they rode in silence, even the usually upbeat Luna was subdued, the bright beautiful lights of the forest doing nothing to lift up her spirit. Van though, still enjoyed the splendor of this place, though he too was a little reserved about it, worried that some hidden danger might come out to attack them at any given notice.

Unfortunately, he had no idea how true that was… for the whole caravan stopped all of a sudden as a loud screeching noise shook the roadway…

Shouting was then soon heard, mostly Yesi ordering her girls to get in formation and to prepare for combat. Van, Luna, and Anna got up, ready to fly out and fight whatever was attacking them, but one of the rangers ran up to their carriage and ordered them to stay inside.

Van still popped his head out to try and see what was happening, and what he saw made him pale…

The most grotesque thing he ever saw was slowly moving its way towards the caravan in a threatening manner. It had the body of a spider, with the torso and claws of a praying mantis, and dozens of eyes on its smooth face. It had two large wings on its spider body, and no mouth on its face, yet it screamed a screech so fierce that it made everyone's ears rattle, a combination of its wings vibrating, its true bulbous mouth attached to its torso…

Oh… and did he forget to mention it was the size of a fucking horse? And that there were more than a dozen of them?

Yesi was yelling orders to her rangers, their wolf mounts growling at the strange giant bug creatures threatening their charges. The rangers prepared to fight and die…

Kella jumped out of the lead wagon, and Isa and Gwen did the same with the rear one. Ordering their goblins and a few of the harpies to set up a defensive line around the two carriages in the center.

Again Van wanted to get out and join them, his fear and adrenaline pumping in his heart. He faced giant bugs before… though not like this… but that didn’t change the fact he was ready to fight if necessary, Luna and Anna feeling the same way... If it weren't for one of the rangers yelling to stay put… they would have jumped out to help in whatever way they could.

The giant insect creatures then charged the caravan and the rangers fired their glowing tipped arrowheads. Each and every one of them hitting its mark… if only that was all it took to kill these strange horrors… for it seemed they did not have a central brain, and while many of the arrows connected, at most it killed one or two of the creatures and mained a third and wounded a few more in the initial onslaught. The rest plowed on through and began to rip the rangers and goblins that went to reinforce them into pieces, bloody chunks being sprayed all over the place.

Two rangers down, and three times that in goblins died within a few seconds of battle. The rangers quickly put their bows away and drew out their swords, working together to try and kill these creatures with as minimal losses as possible. Working in tandem with each other to attack and defend. The rangers on the other side continued to fire to support their sisters in the front, focusing their attacks and doing their best to help their comrades…

So focused as they were… They did not see another attack coming from the side…

Another wave of a dozen of those disgusting creatures took the rangers by surprise. They wheeled about and tried to remake their formation, but it was too late.

Van’s carriage toppled over and began to spin as it was continually pushed, disorienting Van and the others as the battle outside began to reach a fever pitch. The creature using its scythe-like arms to tear into the wooden carriage. Enchanted or not, the carriage slowly began to be ripped apart, Luna and Anna screaming a mix of battle cries and confusion, not knowing what to do. They were off balance and disoriented, the carriage constantly being flipped around and their bodies falling on top of each other over and over again.

Finally, a face filled with nothing but eyes popped in through an opening in the carriage, and Van wasted no time in sending a torrent of condensed flames it's way. Making it scream in pain and withdraw. Van then used this opportunity to blast the opening once more to widen it, and then another one to scare anything that might be close. He carefully stuck his head out, covering himself in enchantments after enchantments for protection. What he saw was something straight out of hell…

About a dozen of the creatures now lay dead… but there were still a dozen more… more than half of the rangers also laid in a pool of their own blood, and about thirty goblin corpses joined them. But that was not the worst of it…

“Get the noble brats… they are worth a pretty Crava…” a voice said, and about two dozen people in black garb appeared from the forest, their faces covered in masks and wielding bows and swords.

Yesi and Kella yelled orders as the black-garbed bandits attacked the tired rangers and goblins. Then they yelled to retreat and the rangers began to scatter as the remainder of Van’s goblins and harpies, all except Gwen who went with Kella, stayed to fight to the death.

The next thing Van knew, he was being pulled back away from the fight by a ranger to protect him from the onslaught ahead.

Yesi noticed, and ran over to him and bodily picked him up, then flew into the forest as fast as her legs could take her. Luna was taken by another ranger, Yassan, following the other group. But Anna refused to flee, and instead ordered her other selves out of the extra carriage and began a new defensive line, prepared to die to buy them some time.

Van tried to stop Yesi, and tried to help his friends. But Yesi moved too quickly, and the battle faded away from view…

“You idiots! Don’t let them get away!” the bandit leader yelled. “Chase them!” and half a dozen bandits dashed through the forest to chase after their prey, only to be confronted by those few still alive. The remaining bandits were forced to stay behind to try and control the monstrous creatures they unleashed and contend with the leftover combatants staying behind to fight them.