Head to the forest alone

You depart the mansion, and leave the city. You had considered taking a horse from Evellyn’s stables - or else simply stealing one from someone on the street - but disregard the idea after realizing you’re a fairly poor rider under the best of circumstances. Besides… you don’t lack for speed.

You race out through one of the city gates and head into the countryside. As you gaze around, you spot peasants toiling away here and there among the crops, busily gathering the harvest. The edge of the forest looms in the far distance. It's not the typical scene of wild, unkept woodland stretching from across the horizon though. You can clearly see its outline, which you estimate to be no more than a few miles from west to east, and the forest's edges abruptly cut off to be replaced by agricultural fields. From the looks of it, there's crops on either side of the forest, and behind it no doubt too - an island of trees a couple miles across, slowly being gobbled up by the demand for more land to sow. Maybe this piece of forest remains so local nobles can go there to enjoy themselves with a leisurely hunt, or for the locals to collect the wood they need for their various purposes.

After a short jaunt you arrive at the forest’s edge, which looms up menacingly over the dirt road. The track leads into the forest, quickly vanishing behind a bend, hidden by the treecover. You can barely see more than a couple dozen meters inside, an excellent place for a secret encampment: Time to hunt some elves.