Into the Woods

From the way Kira was waiting, arms crossed and foot tapping, Ahsch was pretty sure that the girl had just stood waiting outside the guild until he arrived.

The mage, on the other hand, had not wasted his time. After his two charges had left, he had gone over every recent report he could, making sure his info was as up-to-date as possible. All his talk of **** and injury aside, the woods generally weren't too dangerous - if one was prepared and smart. Ahsch was both of those things, after years being a guide, and even longer learning the woods' hazards.

Still, with as troublesome a client as Kira was likely to be, every bit helped. The less he had to focus on recalling the latest information about the beasts and dangers in the woods, the more of his attention he could devote to keeping the wealthy brat out of trouble.

The girl in question glared at Ahsch as he stepped out of the guild and into the daylight. He glanced between her and Michlas, took a deep breath, and said, "Looks like you're ready."

The bodyguard just nodded, while Kira made a vaguely offended noise. "I've been ready for hour!"

Barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes, the hrafthi just nodded, then turned and led the way out of Sarvas; Kira stomping at his heels; Michlas keeping an eye on his ward; and Mahat, after a thought from her master, taking up the rear.

The first hour or so of walking was peaceful. While the residents of Sarvas referred to the entirety of the wooded valley 'the woods,' it was actually split up into several zones, some distinct with clear boundaries, others muddled and mixed together.

Sarvas was built at the end of a long road which led back towards the center of the Kingdom of Starlight. A few dozen feet away from either side of that road was relatively safe woodland. Beyond that, it very clearly became dangerous. Magical. A similar, if much larger, zone of safety existed around Sarvas itself.

This distinct boundary was due to a very basic, very bizarre rule of Euphoria: the mystical nature of the world which endlessly spawned beasts ceased to function within a certain distance of any cultivated, 'civilized' land. This aura of civilization was also repellent to the beasts, dissuading them from intruding - though this was hardly foolproof, and proper defenses were still absolutely necessary. The area this aura covered, and the strength of its beast-repellent nature, varied based on what was present - a dirt road such as that which led to Sarvas only covered a small area around it, and most beasts could cross at their leisure, though they would hurry on their way; in comparison, a paved road, such as those closer to the capitol, would protect a much wider area, and prevented most Tier One and some weaker Tier Two beasts from coming near it without extenuating circumstances. A small village like Sarvas had an aura that reached around two miles out, but a city like the capitol repelled beasts for many miles.

For all the benefits of the 'aura of civilization,' there were drawbacks. The first was that establishing it took time, which varied depending on the amount of 'civilization' being cultivated within the area. During this time, the local beasts became almost rabid, and would **** the cultivated area relentlessly. This danger was lessened significantly when expanding an already-cultivated area, such as paving a dirt road, or growing a collection of huts into a proper village. The other was an ongoing drawback: while beasts couldn't be spawned within the aura's radius, neither could the herbs, ores, and other mystical resources that endlessly appeared throughout Euphoria. After all, the ambient magic was thinner within civilization. This led to a very obvious transition, a literal line in the ground, between the mundane woods around Sarvas and the mystical, dangerous woods beyond that point, where spectacular herbs, strange creatures, and other wonders suddenly started to appear. The air felt denser, more alive; the trees healthier, taller, broader; the grass thicker, bouncier.

Ahsch thanked the Stars that the moment that boundary was crossed, Kira's childish stomping stopped. The hrafthi was relieved that at least she wasn't so dumb as to purposefully make extra noise outside the aura. Mahat also reported that the girl seemed a little more alert, though not nearly as alert as the mage, Michlas, or the familiar herself.

The next two hours were also relatively uneventful, and Ahsch only paused their journey twice; once to inspect tracks and spoor, and again to make sure that a small pile of bones was A) not cursed with necromancy, and B) old enough to confirm that nothing dangerous was nearby.

But soon enough, as the air grew even denser, and the life and vitality of the foliage around them grew not only even livelier and more vital, but darker and more... predatory. The boundary between the mystical sections of the woods, and the 'deep woods,' where the more dangerous things dwelled, was not clearly demarcated, and the hrafthi's pace slowed as timed passed, his eyes darting to and fro as he took in as much as he could, Mahat's presence close in his mind as she, too, kept a weather eye out for danger.

Unfortunately, Kira only became more and more impatient as the group slowed. While she never quite did anything truly stupid, the extra noises she made, her unwillingness to wait as Ahsch checked tracks or marks or other signs of potential danger, and her refusal to follow the spirit of his instructions - only the letter - grated on the mage's nerves. It also made him increasingly concerned about the most dangerous leg of their expedition.

The final boundary between danger zones was an obvious one: the shear, rocky drop from the woods to the Canyon. A demesne, a place where the ambient magic of the world was truly thick, and the mystical resources which spawned were of the highest quality for a given Tier. But the beasts, too, were a greater threat, and often much more numerous.

There was only one 'safe' route from the woods to the Canyon - at one end was the entrance to a cave, which looped within a nearby, craggy hill, and re-emerged above the Canyon-side entrance. However, 'safe' only described the physical path itself, for upon entering the cave from the woods, the beasts which dwelled within became active, seeking to intercept any intruders to the cave. Furthermore, the beasts of the Canyon below became aware of the intrusion, and prepared to defend the Canyon in much the same way that beasts would defend the wilds from civilization.

Nobody ventured into the Canyon. Not for decades, at least - the last known expedition into the Canyon was almost 70 years before Ahsch's birth, and nobody had ever heard from them after they departed from Sarvas. Most demesnes were rather like an RPG's dungeon, with treasures worth the danger. However, the Canyon was suspected of being one of the Primeval Demesnes; ancient, absurdly dangerous demesnes that exceeded the usual one to four Tiering.

Demesnes that nobody had ever cleared, that nobody escaped from once they entered.

Frustratingly, the Canyon hadn't been officially declared a Primeval Demesne, which led some to still try and attempt them. While it had been almost seven decades since the Canyon had been entered, the Primeval Demesnes hadn't been challenged in over five centuries.

And, much to Ahsch's consternation, the halfway point of their expedition went right by the Canyon. Not so close as to actually see it, but close enough to put them at greater risk - various beasts of the deep woods, usually the more clever, the more magically-inclined, would congregate along the borders of the Canyon; which was one of the reasons it still wasn't officially a Primeval Demesne, since such behavior wasn't seen at the other Primeval Demesnes.

Suffice to say, the hrafthi was furiously recalling every scrap of information about the travel patterns and sightings of the beasts which resided near the Canyon, while still paying attention to the path ahead to make sure...

"Hey, the Canyon is just over there, isn't it?"

Coming to a sudden halt, Ahsch whirled on Kira, giving her a sharp look. She hadn't shouted, but she sure wasn't being quiet as she pointed off to the group's right. Glaring at her in confusion, he nodded. "Yes," he replied softly, "but we won't be going close enough to see it, luckily."

The girl made a face. "But I want to see it," she whined.

Blinking, the mage looked past her at Michlas, who looked just as bewildered as Ahsch felt. "But... why? There's no point, and this is the most dangerous..."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you this morning, 'most dangerous part of the expedition,' whatever, it's not like we'd actually go _into _the Canyon, and you're here to keep us out of danger, so what's the problem?"

The hrafthi grit his teeth. "The problem is that the Canyon isn't the danger, it's all the beasts that like to be near it that..."

"Great, so you're able to keep us safe, got it," the girl grinned, and immediately turned to head towards the Canyon.

Ahsch leapt in front of her. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

A shiver ran through his body at the girl's icy glare, and he could feel the weight of her mana as she pushed her presence at him - a whole Tier higher, she likely could beat him in a straight-up fight easily. "Let me make it simple for you, peasant," she snarled. "I'm going to see the Canyon. You can't stop me. So either do your job, or go run into the woods and die." She stormed off, leaving the mage staring at nothing for a moment.

As Michlas passed by, Ahsch shook himself from his daze, and hurried after the brat. The bodyguard was quietly trying to reason with his ward, but Kira wasn't having any of it. Before the hrafthi could think of a way to divert her, she reached the edge of the cliff, a five-foot rim of treeless, rocky ground. With an excited noise, she hopped onto a out-jutting rock, peering over the edge down into the Canyon.

Finally figuring out something to say, Ahsch opened his mouth...

Tree wolves! Mahat screamed in his mind.

"Danger!" the boy shouted automatically, his familiar's urgency spurring him to instant reaction as he turned back towards the woods, spear at the ready.

Kira glared over her shoulder, ready to tell the guide off, while Michlas drew his longsword, his mana flaring across his body as he empowered himself with various enchantments, and moved forward to block any incoming attackers from...

A beast, larger than a horse, slammed down onto the rock Kira was perched upon, snarling at her, while two more pounced on Michlas. A fourth was mid-jump towards Ahsch, but Mahat's smaller, spined body tackled it out of the air, and the familiar urged her master to aid Kira, who was completely unprepared.

Turning on his heel, the hrafthi used his spear as a pole, and vaulted from his position on the cliff edge, over the staggering drop, and onto the rock... just as it began to give way under the massive weight of the tree wolf that was attacking Kira.

"Jump! Kira, ju-" Ahsch tried to yell, but the rock dropped out from beneath the three of them, and his words were lost as he plummeted.