The misty forest.

It eponymously got it names by being filled with mists.

Yeah I know... "Shockers"

It's one of the many aftermath —phenomenon— since the Disaster that befell the Duchy. Record were nonexistent as far as I concern. Still, it's a somehow pleasing contrast with the crumbling city. A prove that the life in their odd ways always find a way.

Still, it was a bit jarring to found the threat of the forest is.... non-existent. The biggest non-plant life turn out to be a somewhat oversized hare... which is docile, ate the grass out of my hand, and DEFINITELY IS NOT A HORRIBLE THREAT OF MONSTROSITY FROM BEYOND!!

I mean, I know I OVERPREPARED!!!

Who in the right mind trying to master Antimagic Field to go to a newbie forest? Protection of Poison? Reasonable. Expeditious retreat? Of course! Word of Recall? Why not?

...

I mean have you ever be glad, relieved, and annoyed at the same time? Well... now I had.

Anywa—

Ping.Ping.Ping.Ping

Piiingggg.....

Ping.Ping.Ping.Ping

Piiinggg.....

Ping.Ping.Ping.Ping

"!"

The alarm spell just went off.

I know, I know Donnovan insist that there are no people in our realm beside the servants for a long-long time.

But seriously Don, you guys were literally mindwarped for god sake! So the para cautious me had been settling size-filtered, movement-based, magick trap. AND LOOK WHO'S RIGHT, HA?

*ehm*

It's nothing lethal of course, do not want to be a murderer by accident you know? Just antilife shells array entwined with alarm runes. Simple right? But of course it caught the rolling trees on the first day...

Apparently, a group of local beavers just fell in a tree that consistent with "persistently moving" conditional.

It might be another false alarm.

I mean I try to fix that glaring flaw. But what should I do? Exclude tree? How if somehow a treant army spawn? Life-based only detection? Well the tree is "alive" so to speak, it might be cut. But cells don't instantly died after it starved from the circulatory systems.

In the end I just dismiss the trap besides the beaver lodge.

Anyway—

Four. Four intruders. At least that I know. I set the short ping to signal the number of intruders nearby. Of course it'd fail if the distance is to great, they're concealing themselves, yadda yadda yadda. But still, it at least give me some ballpark of what to expect.

Sigh... Well, there's no reason to delay it....

Sooo....Here we goooo!

"Invicibility." "Muffle."

After fifteen minutes of tiptoeing, crouching, and peeling my eyes in the possible disturbance of fallen leaves and branch which could reveal my location to the trained eye of Ranger/Hunter/Druid/Rogue/Whatever other sneaky classes.possible in this world, I realize it'd be simpler for me to fly.

Which I did after spending 1 minutes of telling expletives toward my short-sighted self.

"—ere Alan!"

Four people. Two men, a woman, and a child.

"'l'll get you out! I PROMISE" one of the man, the young one swung the branch with all his might

BAM!!

*eugh*...That'll not work... Antilife shell doesn't break physi—

"Calm down Grim! C-A-L-M D-O-W-N"

"What do you mean CALM DOWN, Aunt? Alan is THERE!! TRAPPED!!"

"Brother!"

"Alan!!!"

"...It's a magic."

"What is it grandpa?"

"It's magic. Great magic."

"W-what? What do you mean? How about Alan grandpa?H-how we help my brother?"

"Looks. It blocked us to pass through. It blocks your stick when you hit them. But, watch this."

swishh

The grandpa throws a pebble toward the shell and pass it as it only an illusion.

"What? How?"

"Magic, Grim, Great Magic."

"What should we do?"

"I-I don't know Grim. I don't know."

"Alan!!"

"Wales, WALES!"

"What?"

"How about Anna? Could she help?"

"I... It's slim. But It's the best chance we got. I;ll be damned if we lost another, we lost enough people on the des—"

wHO aRE yOU, pEOPLE??

"AAAAAAAAAA!"

"GHOST!"

"Show yourself!"

"*hic*, brother!"

I think I overdid the alter voice. Oh, well. Better safe than sorry.

i aSK aGAin, wHO aRE yOU, pEOPLE?? aREN'T yOu'rE aWAre tHAt yOu'rE TRESPASSING?

"W-we.. we..."

sPEaK!

"W-we don't mean to tresspa—"

"Shh! O' great mage of old! This lowly tiller pay you our greetings! Of river flow homage from the sun-burst land! May the Goddess and her infinite bounty banish the accursed sand!"

Hmm. Seems to be Irigaya's greeting. But isn't it supposed to be of ocean toll and fair wind instead river flow? Well. the goddess line still the same though. Branched sect maybe? Better play it safe.

tHIs bODy accEPT yoUR hOMAGE, aND LIKEwise eXTEND tHE bLESSING aND aLL it'S eNTAIL. bUT bE wARNED, tHE gUEST rIGHT weRE nEVEr gRANtED to tRESpasseRS! eVeN by hER gRAcE!

"This lowly tiller offer his deepest gratitute O' great mage for your forbearance... We.. we are the sent-off."