It had been six days since their teleportation from the Western Ogi Lord’s inn to the Central Ogi Lord’s inn.
They had been walking steadily toward their destination. Rehan observed that after they left the inn, they came across more monsters and creatures than in Western Ager.

It was as if they were moving toward the heart of the monsters’ most dense areas.

Presently, they were moving in the middle of a large barren plain filled with countless sinking sand holes and mushy ground. There were fewer trees—never more than two or three together—and they stood far apart.

“We have to cross this plain in order to avoid the blood elves’ outposts. They don’t survey this area since it is full of sinking sand and poisonous snakes. So far, we were on the upper part of teh plain, the next one is the lower plain, which is more dangerous, and almost impossible to cross. Anyone passing through here has almost no chance of getting to the other side. And once we get there, we will see that blood elf dwellings and outposts have covered almost all the paths,” Selor explained.

“So, how will we avoid those elves?” Rehan asked curiously.

“I have some ideas, don’t worry,” Selor replied, then suddenly stopped near a massive black tree.

He opened his backpack and pulled out a small leather pouch. Inside were a few green pills. He handed one to Rehan and asked him to eat it.

“They will help neutralize the poison of the snakes in the next part of the plain,” Selor said firmly.

Rehan nodded and swallowed the pill.

“And now the crucial part,” Selor continued. He took out another pouch and opened it. Inside was a red powder. He tied the pouch shut with a thin string and then threw it toward the lower part of the plain, which was about three meters below, near where the dark, massive tree stood.

The lower part of the plain was filled with small puddles of water and slippery paths. As the pouch reached a certain height, Selor pointed his left hand toward it. Small fire-like bullets shot from his palm and struck the pouch mid-air. With a small blast, the red powder spread across the lower plain, and suddenly a small, curvy yet random path appeared.

“My connection among the blood elves gave me these pills and powder in case I wanted to smuggle myself into blood elf territory without being noticed. It’s because of her that I know so much about this plain. The powder is magical in nature, and the path you see is actually made of special stones that attract this powder across a wide area. Let’s move quickly. The powder will dissolve soon and the path will disappear—and if that happens, we will most probably die,” Selor warned sharply.

Rehan nodded with a shocked expression. It was the first time he had seen a mage perform magic.

As they quickly descended to the lower plain through a rough path, Rehan whispered, “That was amazing! We don’t have any mages in the hill tribes. Only a few exist in the nearby cities, but I never got the chance to see one fight. We have peaceful lands, and rarely does a fight occur—much less a mage attack.”

“I am sure the Greenland capital has a lot of mages and knights. Lancel told me about them,” Selor asked in surprise as they moved swiftly across the glowing path.

“I am not much of a traveler. I rarely leave my town. We have over twenty hill tribes, and they are only a few kilometers apart. The local main city where our alliance resides is called Zerth. I only went there once with my grandfather when I was little. Ah, knights—yes, I’ve seen a lot of those, and plenty of empire soldiers as well. My tribe alone has over fifty soldiers, and two of them were knights. But they left a while ago with their families. Village life didn’t suit them. Or maybe they had grown accustomed to a high lifestyle. The soldiers still come and go, and we often heard their adventure stories. But I was never interested in them. I like to live in peace,” Rehan replied calmly.

Selor listened in surprise. How come, in an age of magic, monsters, and powerful knights, there is such a simple man? And not a shred of ambition! What is so special about peace? Even I who lives far away from the civilization want to become someone within the next decade, he thought silently.

After half an hour, they had covered almost half of the lower plain and were moving quickly toward the distant hills.

“Look at those hills—the Dark Forest lies beyond them,” Selor said.

Rehan nodded and kept following the highlighted path.

They walked for another thirty minutes before reaching the end of the plain. Now, a stony path climbed toward the top of a small hill. Selor asked him to rest while he went ahead to check something.

Rehan sat near a small rock. After a few minutes, Selor returned and signaled him to follow. They climbed the short hill together. Selor then stopped and pointed toward a narrow path running between a long row of hills.

He directed Rehan’s gaze toward a tall hill around ten miles ahead.
“We need to get on top of that hill. From there we can spot the shortest peak near the Dark Forest. We can’t climb these mountains directly. We’ll have to use the narrow path. But there’s a problem—blood elves are sensitive to noise during the day, and their huts and cave dwellings are scattered all across these hills. Listen, Rehan—we’ll have to reach it tonight. The blood elves have heightened smell during the night, but their vision and other senses dull. We’ll have to distract them with a smell they dislike, and hope they don’t catch us,” Selor explained carefully.

“It’s a good plan. But how will we spot the hill at night?” Rehan asked.

“It’s almost a full moon tonight. We’ll spot it. For now, let’s rest,” Selor replied.

Night fell, and Rehan felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Selor.
“Let’s move,” he whispered.

He took out his backpack and pulled a small glass bottle from it. He dropped a few drops onto his hand, rubbed it over his clothes, and did the same for Rehan. The smell was pungent but bearable.

“It’s the scent of poison frog. The blood elves are irritated by it, so they won’t follow us. Another thing—you must know that blood elves are at their peak power during the night. A single elf is equivalent to five grown men in strength, but their mental state becomes unstable. That’s why we must count on intellect and strategy when we come across one. Be as silent as possible. Even with weaker hearing and sight at night, they are still a deadly force. Normally, I could easily handle a few if I were alone, but here—in their home territory—even ten fire mages would fall short,” Selor instructed firmly.

Rehan nodded and silently followed his lead.

They began descending from the small hill and moved toward the narrow path.

As they advanced, they heard squeaking and screeching noises, like an animal tearing apart the flesh of its prey. Rehan’s heartbeat quickened, but Selor moved like a professional, steady and calm.

They had crossed almost half the path when suddenly they heard a loud sound. A dozen tall figures came running down from the adjacent hills. The whole path lit up in an instant, glowing with magic.

Selor stopped and raised his hands.
“Rehan, raise your hands—we’ve been caught!” he exclaimed.

Shocked, Rehan raised his trembling hands.
“Don’t worry. Let me talk,” Selor said quickly.

But before he could speak, a grey ball was thrown toward them. It burst mid-air, spreading a thick mist in a small circle around them.

The two felt dizzy as their consciousness faded. They fell unconscious, like old trees collapsing under their own weight.