IN THE FOREST

From above, the trees meshed together looked extremely small. However, as she got closer to the ground the enormity of them confronted her. When she landed she could not help but look up in amazement. All of trees surrounding her were more than twenty metres tall. Each of these giant trees had a trunk that was at least five times her width.

It's almost like I've entered a rain forest, she thought.

However, that could not be the case. She had seen a physical map of Rekke in one books in the study. The Trenton Highlands, and subsequently its surroundings, were ways off from the equator, which divided Rekke into almost symmetrical halves. The imaginary line ran through the Evergrowth.

How big would trees in that place grow? She wondered.

The plants of this place were already huge beyond belief. Even the grass was so tall that it nearly reached her chest. It was packed together to the point where it hindered her from walking. Half a minute of struggling to walk through the grass she had no choice but to hover above them.

One could only speculate what monstrous vegetation grew in such place as the Evergrowth.

Sage flew into the forest, making sure to avoid low hanging branches. She was as alert as could be, eyes roaming all over the place. From the state of these woods it was fair to say that no one ever came to these parts. She did not find any marking or some sort of trail that would indicate a human presence. The place was riddled with plenty of insects, some of which buzzed annoyingly in the grass. However, there did not seem to be any sign of larger animals.

Maybe it is because they are hiding, she thought.

Plenty of animals living in forests were good at hiding. Some of these creatures were predators who were good at stalking their prey while others were would-be-prey that skilfully hid from their hunters. Either, way these creatures were usually hard to spot, especially the predators. One would not know they were there until they were upon you.

Not taking any chances in case she really was being pursued by a predator, Sage decided to fly higher. She focused not only on the dense grass but also on the branches of the the trees. After all, there were some creatures that were really good at climbing.

According to the books in the study, animals on Aran were not the same as those of Earth. Although there were some similarities between the two, the creatures of this world were bigger and, rumour had it, smarter.

Some of the illustrations she had seen in Bori's books depicted wolves twice the size of those on Earth. Apparently, they possessed a Grade 4 physique and teeth that could bite through metal. These creatures hunted in packs and were the most common predators on the continent.

This was one of the reasons for her caution. She did not fancy being surrounded by a pack of creatures with physiques matching her own.

Another well-known predator that was not as common was the Umbral Felis, or the shadowcat as it was commonly referred to by the people. These were solitary creatures that did not appear in packs, but they provided a danger that exceeded that of a wolf pack. Although shadowcats had a physique matching that of the wolves, they were much more dangerous as they had the ability to traverse the shadows. So when they attacked they were rumoured to appear from anyplace that was touched by a shadow.

There were far more dangerous creatures in this world. However, those had known habitants that were nowhere near the Highlands. So Sage only kept a lookout for the previous two.

Time passed and the spaces between the trees got wider. The grass became shorter and still no attack came. Ten minutes of flying and the grass shrunk to ankle height and the tress suddenly vanished. She had found a river.

There she spotted creatures that she would have said with certainty were deer if not for the fact that they stood over two metres tall. These creatures had light brown coats and hung around in a group of around fifty. Half of them seemed to have no horns while the other half had long horns that branched into different directions. The ends of these horns were sharp like the tips of spears. Some of these horned deer were acting as lookouts while the herd drank from the river.

These animals were called Trenton Gazelles. Not only had she seen them in some of the books, but her Index confirmed them to be Trenton Gazelles. They possessed a physique that bordered on Grade 4 but never got quite there. The males, which were the ones with horns, were said to be very dangerous when cornered, capable of felling a wolf in one blow.

Sage used her {Invisibility} ability and passed by them. Although she would have loved to catch one of them to take back to the tower with her, it was not the time for that. Her exploration of the forest had just begun. She did not feel like lugging a carcass twice her size along for the duration.

She flew to the other side of the river. Here a flock of birds were having a drink. She landed on the side of the riverbed and dispelled her {Invisibility}. Within seconds, a flutter of wings surrounded her as the panicked birds clambered to escape.

She ignored them and walked into the forest.

This side of the forest was sparser than the one she came from. Here the trees were half the size and the grass never grew past her shins. She also had an easier time spotting the animals here. More of those Trenton Gazelles were here. They kept their distance while the males shot her what could only be interpreted as warning glares.

At one point she spotted what appeared to be a black rabbit. The creature was certainly bigger than the rabbits she was familiar with. It saw her almost as soon as she saw it. Then, it scurried away in a panic, jumping into the trees and vanishing completely. It was a feat no rabbit on Earth was capable of.

Hours of walking around aimlessly and at some point she came across a road made by cart tracks. This road did not appear to be frequented and was in the middle of being encroached by weeds. However, Sage spotted what looked like fresh shoeprints along the track.

Curiosity got the better of her and she decided to follow the road.

These would be the first humans she encountered in this world, barring Bori. She was interested to see what kind of people they were. She wanted to know how humans in this world lived. After all, a secluded necromancer was hardly the kind of person that could be held up as an example of their species.

She did not know how long she walked, but at some point the sun sunk below the mountains, causing the gigantic shadow of the Trenton Highlands to enshroud everything. Soon the sky darkened and the stars appeared. The call of crickets and other bugs began to sound from the trees and occasionally she would hear the distinctive howl of a wolf deep in the forest.

Sage took it all in calmly. The fall of night did not bother her. Ever since coming here she had felt more at ease with the night. It probably had something to do with her being an undead. The darkness did not hinder her either as she could see in it almost as well as she could see in the day, or perhaps she could see even better at night because the day was too bright.

She stayed on the tracks until she spotted smoke in the sky. Knowing she had found whoever made the tracks, she used {Lightfoot} and cautiously approached the place where the smoke was coming from.

It was a small clearing with a fire burning in the middle. She stopped just short of entering the clearing and observed the people camped there.

There were four individuals in the clearing. Two males and two females. One of the males was hunched over the fire, roasting what looked like the oversized rabbit she had encountered earlier. The smell of it cooking on the spit wafted towards her nose, making her yearn for a bit. If not for the fact that she did not need to eat her stomach would have given her away.

She shook her head at this thought. Take this seriously, she admonished herself.

She began to check out the quartet starting with the guy by the fire.

He was by far the largest in the group. Sage guessed he would stand at around two metres if he stood up straight. This man was dark-skinned and bald with a rough beard that could use a trim. While he turned the rabbit on the spit she got a good look at his biceps; they appeared to be twice the size of her thighs. On the ground near him there was a massive broadsword that looked like it required the strength of two men to lift. Sage read this man with her {Index}.

Race: Human (Human)

Physique: Grade 3

Mana: H (white)

Just close to this man, sitting on a log, was a woman reading a book. She had red her hair that glowed in the light of the fire. She looked to be in her early twenties with a really pretty face that would have captivated Sage if it were any other time. She had a small stature which was the complete opposite of her partner's. Her height was around one hundred and fifty centimetres, which was about fifteen centimetres shorter than Sage.

Race: Human (Human)

Physique: Grade 5

Mana: C (Maroon)

This woman appeared to be in the 4th Order like her.

The other woman in in the group was not as pretty as the mage but she was not bad either. She had shoulder length black hair that appeared to be haphazardly hacked off with a knife and wore tight leather clothing that accentuated her voluptuous figure. In her hand was a dagger which she kept flicking upwards and catching it while donning a bored expression. The last thing Sage noticed about her was that she had short pointed ears.

Race: Half-Elf (Human)

Physique: Grade 4

Mana: E (Orange)

The last of the group was a man in white robes who sat around the fire doing nothing. He was the handsome sort with straw hair and a clean-shaven face. Across his lap was something that appeared to be a sceptre of some sort. It looked like a wand with a golden hexagram at the end.

Race: Human (Human)

Physique: Grade 5

Mana: C (Brown)

These were the people she saw around the fire. The first humans she had come into contact with if Bori was not included.

Seeing them, she encountered a bit of a dilemma.

She wanted to interact with them but did not have a clue on how she should approach them. These four had the attitude of season adventurers. They might have looked like they were lazing around but their eyes would dart around from time to time. If the saw her they would no doubt be on high alert, especially when they saw her face.

How do I approach them? She wondered

Suddenly a thought came to her mind. Deeming it feasible, she retreated back into the forest and prepared to act it out.