Everything about this place felt...wrong. Volk and I each held a small flame in our hands in an attempt to see where we were going, but even with the two of us the inky depths seemed to flicker closer; eager to devour the light that dared to break it apart. Tree roots claimed what precious little of the path there was, and even my magic was hardly enough to return them to the earth. The energy of this forest was drastically different from anywhere else I had been. We had hardly begun before I could feel the effects of mana deficiency taking its toll on my body. I had brought restoration potions with me but couldn’t take one, not yet. Friia was terrified of this place: fear filled her eyes everywhere she looked. I couldn’t let it on that I was becoming drained with her in that state.

Moments like this were why I was grateful for this ring.Unbeknownst to the others, I was following a faint blue light that emanated from the center of the three gems on its surface. While I was pretending to look at the map, I sent a thought to it and watched as the threadlike magic began. The reason Stephanie believed I was better at finding rare items was in large part thanks to this ring. From what I could understand the light led the wearer to items of value or importance depending on their desires. Vague thoughts could lead one to almost anything while specific thoughts more often than not led to that specific item. As for why I’ve never mentioned it, safety is my top concern. Imagine if others found out what it could do. Sure I can’t take it off, but what’s to stop someone from killing me and simply cutting it off my corpse? It’s easier to keep it hidden, so I’ll continue to do so.

After what felt like an hour of walking the light deviated and began circling a small briar patch. Bringing my flame closer to it I could see the signature crimson bark from within. Handing the map off to Friia I told her “Look away. I’ve found some and I don’t want you getting sick.” Nodding as she turned away I took the opportunity to drink one of my potions, sighing as I felt mana return to me. Placing my hands on the ground I began the arduous process of moving the brambles out of the way. They resisted at first, almost seeming to draw closer together before relenting and slithering away to reveal our ‘prize’ in the center. I cursed under my breath and even Volk was surprisingly quiet. Whether for Friaa or the poor soul in front of us, I’m still not sure.

In a way it was hard to believe the sight that lay before us was once human. Mangled, gray limbs entangled with thick red vines; the thorned barbs digging into what little flesh was left. Broken and splintered bones poked through in random places, leading me to believe they had anything but a peaceful death. Patches of hair still clung stubbornly to their scalp as it thinly cascaded around their shoulders, the skin taught and torn revealing the skeleton beneath. Empty eye sockets looked right through us, the foreboding stare perfectly matching the eternal scream etched into their face. Offering a silent prayer while I donned my protective gloves I grabbed the thickest section of the vine that was wrapped around the arm. Insects scurried from our light as their haven was disturbed, hissing as they burrowed deeper into the body or to the dark embrace of the trees. I worked silently but quickly, the vine’s barbs attempting to worm their way through to my hands.

Once it was removed on both ends I placed the wriggling vine in a multilayered sack in order to keep it from breaking through. So long as we kept it away from any of our flesh, it would start ‘hibernating’ in a few hours. Finally I stood and started guiding Friia away while Volk followed. I glanced back only to see the briar start reclaiming its place over the husk, causing a shiver to run down my spine. It would be ten years too soon if I never saw this forsaken place again.

We continued on for a few moments before Volk broke the silence. “Well, that was certainly something. In the interest of banishing that incredibly scarring image from my mind let’s talk about what’s next. Thorned mushrooms, yes?”

“Yes. Thankfully much more plentiful, not to mention far less disturbing. Thorned mushrooms typically grow on the sides of trees around here and give off a very pungent aroma.”

Intrigued, Friia turned to me with a raised brow. “Pungent? How so?”

I did my best not to laugh at her tilted head. “Hm...what’s the best way to describe it? It’s not rotten or anything, but I seem to be drawing a blank.”

“Cheese! Very strong, incredibly annoying cheese!”

I nodded as Volk cackled next to us. “Ah yes, that was it. Do you remember that cheese you tried back in the royal capital?” Judging from the dry heaving, she definitely did. “They smell extremely similar to that. Trust me, you’ll know when we’re close to some.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as her nose wrinkled in revulsion. A fond memory, that was. And thankfully it proved more than enough to banish some of the heavy atmosphere that had settled around us. I couldn’t allow myself to relax, however. We had gathered the more perilous ingredient in this area but the danger was far from past. This forest was practically a graveyard; devouring any poor soul caught wandering alone in its depths. At least one of us needed to remain vigilant and I’d rather not have Friia bear that burden.

Our walk continued in silence after that. Paranoia continued to gnaw at my mind as my head whipped towards every noise, every perceived shade fleeting past the far reaches of my vision. After a few moments I noticed Volk looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Instead of saying anything though, he simply nodded and began keeping a sharper lookout himself. It brought me a small sense of ease knowing I had someone else that understood my feelings. Friia knew me well, yet unfortunately held a bit of naivete when it came to the larger world.

“Ugh...Daniel what is that stench? Did you-”

Putting up a hand to cut her off I said “If it were me, I’d have said something.” Taking a few deep sniffs of my own I held back a gag.

Volk grinned madly as the smell hit him. “Ooh, those are definitely thorned mushrooms! That ripe, pungent aroma couldn’t be anything else! Well, not around here at least. I can think of at least four other things that-”

“I think we get the idea,” Friia interjected. She was desperately trying to hold back the urge to vomit and I couldn’t blame her. It was as if mold and horse manure had some sort of forbidden love child that proceeded to roll around in the intestines of a cave troll. In a word: nauseating.

“Well Friia...have at it.”

“Wha- me?! Why do I have to do it?”

Trying my best not to show how sick I was starting to feel I tried to come up with an excuse. “It’s...it’s a lesson. Review. A lesson review to see if you remember the proper way to harvest reagents without overly damaging them.”

Before she could argue Volk came up and presented a small sack bulging from within. “Are these enough?”

Taking a cautious look inside I stared at him for a moment. “You...I...how did...you know what? Not questioning it. That should be more than enough, thank you. We can sell off the excess too.”

“See? I told you my services were worth it.” Bowing my head slightly in agreement we began the trek back to our camp. I was finally starting to drop my guard a bit as we had completed our objective, but not by much. Good thing I didn’t, for as we approached our camp I saw the tell-tale light of our barrier being breached.