Wind rustled through the trees in an uneasy whistling song that set them all even more on edge. The ground had a noticeable slant upwards that pointed them towards the top of the mountain.

It was covered with dried leaves foliage that crunched under their feet as they walked. Arek shivered even though the forest wasn’t much colder than the plains behind it.

“I don’t like this forest,” Malissa whispered. “It feels wrong.”

They all nodded. It felt as if they shouldn’t even speak within the dark woods. The Happy Sunflowers trudged onwards, pushing through the foliage as it grew denser. The forest remained utterly silent around them.

Arek’s nose twitched as a prickling sensation ran down his spine. He licked his lips involuntarily. The scent of something that could only be described as good wafted into his nose. It felt like warm, buttery bread and rich stew.

It had been years since Arek had last noticed a scent like this. His hair stood on end as he scanned the surroundings, but he found nothing more than leaves and trunks.

“We might have a problem,” Arek whispered. “I think we’re near a very powerful dungeon.”

“How can you tell?” Malissa replied in the same hushed tones. “I thought you said that you couldn’t notice them after Vell gave you the runes.”

“I can’t,” Arek replied. “But I remember this scent. It’s too powerful to mistake. I also felt the orc battle rage recently, so perhaps this green energy is undoing some of the negative effects of the runes. Regardless, I am confident that we are near a dungeon.”

“Red Mount does have a dungeon near it,” Belmont said, sliding up beside them. “When you say there’s a powerful dungeon, how strong are you speaking? Red Mount should have a D rank dungeon near the top of the peak.”

“C rank at the lowest,” Arek said. “Maybe even bordering B rank. I can’t be certain, but it’s dangerous.”

The shadows shifted over the foliage and Ming jerked her staff to point at it, her hand trembling.

“Did you see something?” Belmont asked, grabbing his staff.

“No,” Ming muttered, lowering her staff when nothing emerged from the darkness. “Just the shadows. I don’t like the dark.”

“Don’t worry,” Malissa said, putting a hand on Ming’s shoulder. “Red Mount should be well patrolled, even if the adventurer’s guild doesn’t have a presence here. It’s still within the Bludon Empire, so all of the strong dungeons are strongly regulated.”

Ming nodded, but she didn’t look convinced. It was the most worried that Arek had ever seen the carefree mage, and that made him feel even more on edge.

They continued onwards, even more warily than before. Arek clenched his hands as they walked, half hoping that something would just jump out of the shadows at them and break the uneasy tension.

The leaves rustled. A bolt of pure magic ripped out of Ming’s staff, screaming through the air and slamming into where the noise had come from. Malissa’s dagger hurtled after it, disappearing into the brush. A moment later, Belmont’s sword spun twice through the air before slamming into something.

Arek blinked, then reached into his bag and pulled out his cleaver. The four of them exchanged a glance and slowly crept towards the foliage. Arek pushed it aside with his foot, revealing a rather large and thoroughly scorched rabbit with a dagger and a sword sticking out of it.

Arek pulled the sword out of the small creature and handed it to Belmont, who wiped it off on the leaves and returned it to his sheathe.

“That’s… unfortunate,” Arek said.

“I’m sorry, bunny,” Ming told it. “I thought you were going to kill us.”

“At least we have dinner,” Arek said, shrugging. “And it’s good to see that there’s something else living in this forest.”

“Was something else living,” Malissa corrected, a small smirk flickering across her face.

Arek let out a small chuckle. He picked up the rabbit, removing the dagger and returning it to Malissa. He glanced up through the foliage, but it was impossible to see out of the forest.

“Do you think it’s about time that we should stop to rest?” He asked.

“That would probably be fine,” Belmont said. “But how can we cook it? I do not think starting a fire would be a good idea. This faint light already brings attention to us. We shouldn’t draw more, especially if we’re in a dangerous area.”

Arek frowned, drumming his fingers on his chin. Then he pursed his lips and shrugged helplessly.

“That’s a fair point,” Arek sighed. “We also just made some commotion, so it might be best to keep moving for a short while longer before we stop.”

“So we can’t even eat the rabbit?” Ming asked, looking longingly at it.

“I don’t think your attack fried it nearly enough to make it edible,” Malissa said. “And Belmont is right. There’s something wrong with this forest. We should avoid making a campfire.”

Ming sighed, but she nodded. “I think you’re right.”

If anything, that only made them all more worried. Anything scary enough to tame Ming’s appetite, even for a moment, was a dire situation indeed. Arek pushed some leaves to the side and placed the rabbit beneath them. He pushed them back over the creature, covering it as best as he could.

The Happy Sunflowers left the scene of the murder behind quickly and quietly. It was hard to tell exactly how much longer they traveled, but it was around an hour. The ground had gotten steeper, but it still wasn’t much more than a gentle slope.

“This is as good a spot as any,” Belmont said, stopping beside a rather large tree. “No tents. They wouldn’t fit, anyways. I’ll take first watch.”

The others nodded. The forest was slightly humid and the wind had given way to a mildly uncomfortable heat, so there was no need for blankets. They huddled up against the base of the tree and set their backs against it before falling into a shallow sleep.