"I'm glad you understand, Knight."
"Just try not to kill too many people in the Slave city.''
"You know me too well," Don scoffed.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Knight frowned and ruffled his hair before letting out a small laugh.
*********
Uncle Dior packed his things for the journey and came to meet Don near the hut. Amaryll was also present along with Elrond. Uncle Dior wore a black robe with a hood to hide his pointy ears and face.
"Uncle Dior, is everything ready for the journey?" Arwen couldn't help but ask. The forest was equally dangerous as it was beautiful, so Arwen didn't want them to be unprepared.
"Yes. We can depart when Don arrives."
Everyone looked at Don's hut and expected him to come out.
"What is he doing?" Amaryll was not good at waiting, so she wanted to go inside the hut and drag him out. But before she did that, she had a bold out-of-the-blue shock as another youth came out of the hut.
Everyone expected Don to come out, but the one who stepped out of the hut was definitely not Don. This youth had brown long hair. He was not as handsome as Don, just an average-looking guy. He wore a worn-out brown robe matching his hair color.
The elves were startled to see the mysterious youth, but they quickly recovered from the initial shock and got into a defensive position. Arwen immediately took out his bow and aimed an arrow at the youth. Meanwhile, Amaryll took out a dagger and came in front of Elrond, and guarded him with her body. Uncle Dior took out a weapon that looked like a small-sized crossbow and aimed it at him.
"Relax, it's Don," a lazy voice came from the hut as Knight stepped out.
The elves looked at Knight, then to the youth whom Knight claimed to be Don, but the elves didn't let their guards down.
Knight saw that the elves didn't believe him. He shook his head,
"Don, take off that mask before they hurt themselves with those weapons."
Don nodded to Knight and took off his mask to reveal his real face. The mask flickered lightly as he did. The mask looked as if it was made out of porcelain. There was no hair attached to the mask, but it had a magical feature to it.
The elves were visibly startled, but seeing Don made them relax. Arwen lowered his bow. Amaryll unsheathed her dagger as she stared at the mask with sparkling eyes. Uncle Dior hid his crossbow and loosened up his tense body.
"How... how do you... W-what is that thing..."
Amaryll couldn't finish her sentence. She was too excited that she ran forward to Don and took the mask out of his hands to inspect it. She first tapped the mask with her fingers, then felt its surface before holding it over her head and looking at it in the sunlight.
Don knew about the curious nature of this elf so he let her play with the mask for a bit. Meanwhile, Arwen looked a little embarrassed by his sister's reaction.
"So, what is this thing?" Amaryll curiously asked.
"It's a magic mask," Don answered.
"Obviously," Knight retorted looking at the elf, but the elf didn't seem to mind as she put the mask on her face.
Arwen and Uncle Dior watched the scene with an open mouths. She didn't even ask for Don's permission to look at the mask, let alone try it on. Arwen wanted to pinch Amaryll's pointy ears with all his might. He was too embarrassed.
"You can't use it. The mask only works with Battle Energy."
Amaryll seemed disappointed at Don's answer. She held onto it for a moment before handing it back over to him in an embarrassed manner.
Don took the mask from Amaryll's hands and placed it back onto his face. The mask let out a small glimmer of light and adjusted its size to fit his face. Don's face began to shift into the previous youth's face while his raven black hair disappeared as long brown hair started to grow in their place.
"Eherm..." Uncle Dior cleared his throat. "Can we go now? We have a long journey before us," he said as he started to slowly walk away.
Don nodded, taking off his ring and throwing it to Knight, "Use it if you face any dangers you can't handle.''
Don didn't wait for Knight to answer as he put his hood on, merely nodding before facing Arwen and following Uncle Dior in the direction of the Slave city.
Knight too, didn't say anything as he touched the ring on the floor. Just as Knight touched the ring, it started to shine and coiled around Knight's leg. Knight lifted his ring leg to his eye level and examined it, "Hmm... Fits well..."
Knight then joined Arwen who was staring in the direction where Don and Uncle Dior went and waited till their figures faded into the woods.
"Let's go."
Arwen took Elrond and went to his hut, leaving Amaryll and Knight behind. Arwen would have taken Amaryll too, but he saw that sparkling eyes of hers pop up when he saw the ring Don gave to Knight. He knew his sister wouldn't come with him even if he pleaded.
************
Don and Uncle Dior were walking through a dense forest filled with chirping birds and the chitter-chatter of diverse insects The duo was traveling in silence, admiring the elegance of their surroundings. The sound of water falling, the smell of the lush green plants, and the fragrance and beauty of the wildflowers were so refreshing for them.
Don wanted to protect this forest and all the beings living in it. He knew sooner or later, that the human empires will try to conquer the outer lands. When they do, they would destroy this place for their selfish reasons. It was simply human nature.
While they were traveling, many magical creatures, as well as normal predators, tried to hinder their path. Normal predators couldn't feel the magical fluctuations or use their intelligence. They just do whatever they're supposed to 'Hunt,' Uncle Dior didn't make any moves against them, as he wanted to see how Don was going to deal with them.
Small predators such as snakes and raccoons didn't dare to attack them. They knew they couldn't handle this hunt. However, some big predatory animals such as cheetahs, bobcats, and cougars were brave enough to pick a fight. However, Don didn't kill them. He simply knocked them out by manipulating the old logs or tree branches around him.
As for the magical creatures, they thought the duo would be an easy kill. Don had no magical fluctuations around him, and Uncle Dior was low-level Apprentice, so they made their move without much consideration.
Uncle Dior looked at Don who is traveling beside him. He saw that Don watching around their surroundings for any threats.
"There are no magical beasts above the peak master level in this part of the forest, so you can relax-"
However, before Uncle Dior could finish, a big black panther jumped down from one of the trees and stared at the duo.
"What the-!"
The black panther gently moved towards them. Uncle Dior slowly took out his small-sized crossbow, while Don slowly walked backward.
"Do something," Uncle Dior hissed.
Any sudden move could make the panther agitated, so Don made his move slowly and steadily. First, he moved his hands to his back. With one hand, he controlled the logs, leaves, and dust around him while on the other, he retrieved a small throwing knife.
If he was alone he could've just taken up his sword and killed it, but he was here with Uncle Dior. Despite the fact, that it couldn't kill him. However, the panther could easily attack Uncle Dior in an instant, so he manipulated the surroundings to confuse the panther which could buy him some valuable time to save Uncle Dior and kill the panther.
The Black panther confirmed that the two prey in front of it did not pose a threat to it. The panther finally bared its teeth and dashed forwards. Unanticipatedly to the panther, the logs, vines, leaves, and dust suddenly wrapped around it and halted its pace. The panther was confused.
Without wasting the opportunity, Don threw the throwing knife straight at the panther. The knife was controlled by Battle Energy, so it flew so fast that it could cut through the wind itself. In a split second, it pierced through the panther's head. The panther died with open eyes, it couldn't have known how it was killed. Everything happened in a flash.
"What the heck is a Mid-level great-master beast doing here?!" Uncle Dior gritted his teeth, his face showing a concerned look. Uncle Dior inspected its body, "It's a shame for such a majestic beast. Let's take its magic core. It will fetch for a good price."
It took several minutes to cut the beast open and retrieve its magic core.
The pure white core glimmered in Uncle Dior's hands as he smiled at the core.
"Let's go before any more damn beast come."
Uncle Dior put the core in his side bag and moved hastily.
The denseness of the forest gradually petered out, and some man-made paths have begun to appear. At long last, they were out of the woods, literally and by the time they were out, the sun had already started to set. The sky had turned into a golden-red hue. Man-made structures could be seen in a far distance, and Don could see the big walls. They've finally arrived.
The Slave city of the Outer lands