Peregrination

In the vast plains near the southern bank of the Abworth River, summer has not passed yet, and the grass is still green. The smell of rain still lingers around the sharp blades of grass and the bees buzz around the small patches of a flower. But the signs of early autumn are visible when one looks farther at the trees of the mountains.

Somewhere in the middle of the lush green plains, one could spot several small groups of people chasing after some wild beasts which look like boars at first glance. They are actually several parties of adventurers trying to separate those beasts called Cape Warthogs from their herd and hunt them. They have already taken down one of them, and they need one more to complete their daily quota.

It is actually quite a daunting task for an ordinary adventurer to face a Cape Warthog alone. The beast which stands tall at about 5 feet, with a large body wholly made up of firm bulky muscles is a powerful opponent. Its ramming attacks are especially very dangerous, as it can make a charge at unbelievable speeds in contrary to its size and slender legs. But it is more dangerous when in a group. The group can collaborate their mana to make magic attacks. They are outstanding in earth and defence magic. As for their eating habits, they are omnivores. They generally don't hunt but eat carcases. They become very ferocious when provoked. So, many people avoid confrontation with them.

But, the adventurers facing them are not ordinary. They are the most excellent parties comprising seasoned warriors and experienced mages of the commercial town of Moon-Harbor. They are here in an expedition, an expedition to fill up the blank spaces of the map of the southern bank of the Abworth River.

----

The strong warriors with large shields protected the mages as they barraged the herd with fire bullets from the back. The light warriors chased the crowd and tried to break their formation, avoiding the earth spikes that the pack would shoot occasionally. Slowly and slowly, they were pressurizing the herd and trying to create chaos among them and break their formation. But the Warthogs were not giving up that easily. Occasionally a strong one among the group would come out and make a charge at the shield bearers and the mages. The warriors were not completely safe, either.

The battle continued for a long time, draining the strength of both sides. Then, suddenly one big Cape Warthog came out from the middle of the herd and made a strong ramming attach at the shield bearers. It was notably faster and stronger than the rest and sent several of the warriors flying. Maybe, they were also fed up with this cat and mouse game, and their leader came out to finish it.

The beast stood there in the middle of the field with his head held high. It was apparently quite confident in its strength and wanted to pummel down anybody that dared to challenge him...and he was lucky, as his challenger was ready as well.

"Leave this rascal to me boys. I will solo it down." - Filbert H'olland.

"But, but...Filbert, this one particularly looks very strong. I think it will be better to encircle it with the shield bearers and barrage it with attacks."-Rody, his party member.

"What? Didn't you see how it overpowered our strongest shields? That bastard is powerful." Filbert declared with his sword held high "But I will crush its pride."

"But...", realizing that he cannot stop him any more, Rody decided to give up. "Be careful Filbert-san."

"Yosh, let's do this." Saying so, Filbert stepped in front of the Warthog and unsheathed his treasured sword. The sharp katana-like sword glowed with a yellowish aura as it has been simmered numerous times in his mana.

Filbert's card is golden in colour with white boundaries. Naturally, he is one of the best thunder magic users of Moon-Harbor. He was born with high mana levels and an innate talent for swordsmanship and thunder magic. He has been training and developing sword techniques since childhood with his uncle, who is known as a legendary warrior surviving many battles. Filbert grew up to be healthy and wild and came to be respected by his peers. He wishes to put down his name in history by making significant accomplishments during this historic expedition. At a young age of 16, Filbert is a strong Godling.

So nobody ever doubted his victory, except his opponent. The big Cape Warthog, who was presumed to be their leader, had its own share of pride. It made a terrifying war cry and charged at Filbert with all its strength and rammed with its enormous tusks.

But its confidence levels took a considerable shock when Filbert stopped its charge by taking the full force head-on. Both of their sword and tusk were interlocked, trying to push each other in a competition of strength.

"Is that all you got, little pig?" Filbert said in a provoking way. The Warthog got further enraged and attacked with magic. He stomped his feet, and the ground under Filbert collapsed. Filbert made some graceful backflips and took some distance.

This time Filbert charged with yellowish mana wrapped around his sword. He ran so fast that his figure vanished from the eyes of the Warthog and numerous slashes landed on its body. Strong electricity ran through its body, stiffening the muscles.

"Hora Hora" Filbert kept attacking, and wounds piled up on the Warthogs body, who was clearly at a disadvantage. Seeing no way out, the Warthog gathered every bit of mana of its body and enhanced the body. The stiffness of its muscles disappeared, and brownish mana enveloped its black fur, making it look more terrifying.

"Filbert-san, be careful. It can do the full-body enhancement." Rody tried to warn Filbert.

"Heh, that doesn't matter. It will be our today's hunt anyway," said Filbert.

The Warthog charged at Filbert again. But this time it successfully pushed him back with its strength which had also increased tremendously.

"Don't...don't worry. I will definitely kill it." Filbert struggled using all his strength."You bastard...you've left me no other option. I will show you my full force." Filbert had no other way but to his trump card. Yellowish mana was emitted by his upper body, and he activated his upper body enhancement. He could not do a full-body-enhancement as he hadn't completed his training.

Tables turned, and Filbert overpowered the Warthog. He made substantial cross slashes, and the tusks of the Warthog fell off. The Warthog was terrified and tried to escape. But its luck had already run out. Before it knew what was happening Filbert was there, before him, and the Warthog saw a flash...Its head flew off, and the battle was over. The remaining Cape Warthogs escaped towards the mountains seeing their leader killed.

The three parties that were there for hunting congratulated Filbert for his incredible feat. "Heh...that was nothing," Filbert responded proudly. "Let's go back and show its head to the old man."

----

Near the bank of the Abworth river, inside an unusually large tent, the atmosphere was tense, as several of the crucial members of the expedition team were participating in an important discussion.

"Master Yon, I think, it will be better to move closer to the mountains. The Hissing Grove will be thinner there, and we will be able to cross it faster and safer." The dwarf leader Alfosdor proposed an idea about their future route.

"Hmm, that may be a good idea. But it contains too many unreliable risks. We have no information about the south of Hissing Grove. There might be several monster nests at the base of the mountains. There is also the possibility of unknown strong monsters coming down from the hills at night looking for easy prey. I believe it is better to avoid that path.

Furthermore, most of our luggage carts are not suitable for travel in mountainous terrain." The guild master of the 'Silver Hammer' guild, the largest adventurers guild of the commercial town of Moon-Harbor, presented his view. He has accepted the role of Captain for this expedition.

"Well, in that case, I think it will be better to stay close to the river bank. Though the forest will be thicker there, we will be able to gather a steady supply of food and water." Lady Jannet, an experienced and robust mage from MoonHarbour, is also participating in this expedition.

"But Lady Jannet, most of the monsters also prefer to stay close to water. So our encounters with them will also be significantly higher. There is also the possibility of runnin' into swamps, which retard our advance." Alfosdor said with slight irritation. "And I don't wanna sleep with a cloud of blood flies swarming around me like voltures waiting for their prey to die." Blood flies is a common type of bloodsucking moth which is found near swamps in large swarms, and voltures are birds similar to the vultures of the earth; though they are significantly bigger here.

"Well, swamps are also bad news. But we can't roll too far from the banks, 'cause good water and food are important to maintain our strength." the Captain replied after a little thinking. "We shall also avoid random encounters with monsters. I don't wanna lose any more of our talented young warriors before reaching our goal." The expedition team had already lost two of their members after entering the southern bank of the river.

They crossed the river downstream because of the dangers of strong currents upriver. But the currents were still fast enough to land them further downstream in front of the 'Forest of Black Treants'. There they were welcomed by monstrous moving plants and strong undead that dwell in the dark forest. They had to struggle hard to escape with all of their luggage and members intact. But in the process, they lost two of their gallant warriors who sacrificed themselves so that the rest of the team can escape. The Captain wanted to fight back and save them, but the situation forced him to take hard decisions leaving unforgettable regrets in his heart.

----

Suddenly, the entrance of the tent was flung open, and Filbert with his party entered chivalrously carrying the head of the Warthog he had defeated.

"Yosh, old man! Today I soloed down the leader of those Cape Warthogs. But the rest of the herd escaped towards the mountains." Filbert announced with a smirk on his face. "Let's gather more members and raid their nests. What do ya say?"

"Filbert, the objective of our expedition is to explore the southern banks of the Abworth River and ultimately find a way to the unexplored lands of the east where no man has ever set foot." The Captain yelled angrily."Did you forget that, lad? We are not here to salvage some monster nests. Moreover, who knows what type of strong beast dwell in those mountains other than those boars. We don't want to make unnecessary confrontations."

"Hmm, young bloods are so excited." Lady Jannet said with a teasing voice. "I am soo jealous of them."

"Lady Jannet, you do look like a lovely young lass." The dwarf Alfosdor said with a flirting voice.

"Ara, do you want to say that I am actually quite old, Master Dwarf?" Lady Jannet said with a smile but sharp eyes.

Suddenly, the ground shook like the tremoring of a small magnitude earthquake. Everybody sharpened their senses and grabbed their weapons. A man came barging inside the tent and exclaimed, "Captain, a large Entelodont has come down from the mountains and is charging with a tremendous speed towards our base."

The news terrified everybody inside the tent, except the large man, carrying an equally large sword on his back. His firm muscular build and confident eyes reassured everybody, and he shouted his orders.

"Alfosdor, gather all the earth magic experts and build a defensive wall around our base. Lady Jannet, gather all the offensive mages and prepare for an attack. Ask Ryan and his party to be on standby on top of the wall. Filbert and his party, and the other shield bearers are coming with me. We are attacking it on the plains."

The orders were heard loud and clear, and everybody rushed to their positions.

----

After seeing such a monster for the first time, anybody will flee hiding their tail between their legs. The giant Entelodont, standing tall at about 8 feet with an equally massive body, short slender legs, and a long muzzle is a very dangerous but rare beast. Its body is rather pig-like, with omnivorous eating habits and an incredible talent for earth magic. It can even destroy an entire village overnight.

It also has two mammoth white tusks on its big head, which are considered legendary monster materials. Some scholars say that the Warthogs and wild boars are distant relatives of this ancient monster. It is indeed, quite a legendary monster.

But the sharp eyes of the Captain, which had seen many battles and strong monsters, showed no fear. Holding the big black sword in his hands, he stood there in its way ready for another challenge.

The Entelodont had also spotted him and decided his first target. It opened its big mouth, and mana gathered, forming a big ball of light, which shot out several large arrows of earth at unimaginable speeds towards the Captain trying to punch holes in his chest. But the Captain stood still, with seemingly no intention to evade.

He made a broad sweep with his massive sword, and all the arrows vanished into thin air. The spectacle sent cheers among the expedition team members and enraged the Entelodont.

Having decided to finish it with the next move, the Entelodont activated his full body enhancement mode and made a charge. His tusks emitted a glow and grew forwards forming a spear-like shape.

"Is that so?" The Captain whispered in a low voice and then shouted. "I accept your challenge. Here I come."

He, too, activated his full body enhancement mode and made a dash. The two of them clashed in the middle of the plains, sending debris everywhere.

Sometime later, the roaring noises died down. When the dust cloud, the Entelodont had collapsed, and the Captain was standing proudly on top of it with his large sword stuck in its head and a victory glint in his eyes.

The expedition team members cheered in joy. But the Captain was still vigilant. He immediately shouted his next orders. "This place is not safe anymore. We don't know what will come down from the mountains next time to pay us a visit. Everybody prepare to depart. We are continuing our journey tomorrow." He yelled, "Rest tonight. We leave at dawn."

----

The Hissing Forest is a mysterious place. A disharmony of wild noises, predominantly those of foraging animals, reverberates through the air and overpowers the sounds of several woodpeckers and other birds in the distance.

Although a myriad variety of dangerous monsters have made their nests deep inside the forest, the name Hissing Forest was not because of the various snake-like monsters that dwell in the forest in large numbers. It was mainly because of the strange curving trees, which wraps around the place mimicking mating snakes. These unique trees, and the creepers which hung from every tree limbs; and a mishmash of flowers desperately trying to claim the last remnants of light, which occasionally release a cloud of poisonous pollen; contrasted against the otherwise unchanging terrain, are the nightmares of the adventurers who had previously tried to enter the forest from different sides.

But all these dangers were not enough to cower down the expedition team. They made their way through the lower parts of the forest, avoiding the dangerous mountainous terrain and other stronger monsters.

They also managed to avoid the numerous swamps of the river banks by sending scouts ahead and made the intelligent use of smoke and other magic to scatter the swarms of blood flies and other disgusting and creepy insectoid monsters. They slew all the small-fry monsters which came looking for new, unusual prey. They cut down the poisonous plants and web-like creepers which blocked their way and advanced on their expedition. But the forest didn't give up and managed to claim two lives by making a sudden poison attack.

When the team had reached a damp but levelled part of the forest, they decided to lay camp and rest for the night. But suddenly, violet coloured mushrooms started sprouting all over the place at an unconvincing speed and released a cloud of poisonous gases. The members with high poison resistances helped the others to evacuate, and the mages applied detoxifying magic on a large scale. Due to the efforts of the senior members, the expedition team was able to escape. But the effects of inhaling the poisonous gases for a long time took the toll on them, and two of them collapsed. The team decided to abandon their corpses and put their effort into reaching safety, collecting small specimens for further research on the unusual monstrous plant.

After a while, when they had left, and stillness had returned, the sparkling moss of the floor of the forest came alive, making wriggling movements and slowly swallowed the corpses whole.

----

A few days later, the expedition team discovered a corpse which they identified to be one of their scouts they had sent on ahead. He was killed by a tricky unknown trap set by goblins. This sad news sent anger and resentment among the group. And it was not too long after that when they got the chance to take their revenge upon those cunning little malicious and greedy monsters.

The goblins ambushed them in a very dense part of the forest. Armed with poison arrows and blowguns, they attacked from their hideouts in treetops and thick bushes. Initially, they gave a lot of trouble to the expedition team. But they retaliated with all their might and hunted down all the hundreds of goblins. Their skilled healing mages were able to cure all of their nasty poison.

The revenge was their, and they victoriously advanced through the dangerous Hissing Forest.

----

The Hissing Forest became thinner and thinner as they continued on their journey. The alleviation of the ground also rose, and their path became rough, inlaid with pebbles and rocks here and there. Slowly, the Hissing Forest gave away to a coniferous mountainous terrain. The temperatures also dropped, and they had to wear the fur of the Warthogs they hunted.

After another few days of travel, they reached the headwaters of the Abworth River.