"Oh! So, you've never been to these parts... Okay then. You might want to listen a little more attentively."
J'zargo cleared his throat loudly before starting, "It used to be a common forest before, lush greens and everything. But rumor has it that it became a burial ground for exiled evil dragons. According to the stories and hearsay, their vengeful souls, magic and essence lingers around the entire forest. As the amount of dragons executed increased over the centuries, so did the spirits and magical aura. Slowly over time, it built up until it became a thick mist. Travellers who had escaped told stories of experiencing their worst nightmares. They said they couldn't distinguish reality from illusions because any damages they sustained in their hallucinations is carried over to 'reality'."
Lucian was a little taken aback, "Kinda sounds like those forbidden areas with high risk, high rewards."
They continued to share stories, although it was mostly J'zargo doing the talking. Amidst the exchange though, Lucian learnt of potential dangers on the road ahead—reports of increased bandit activity and whispers of a mysterious figure, the Shadowblade, haunting the outskirts.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, they could now see the Forest of Misery ahead of them. J'zargo spoke to the rest of the merchants and they decided to make camp about half an hour from the forest.
As they set camp, they noticed Lucian was still atop his horse gazing into the distance. He had a serious expression on and was seriously considering the benefits that a forbidden land would bring. Especially since he had a bloodline linked to the ability of dragons.
"Thank you for the information and company, but I have my own plans. I'll be leaving now." Lucian said and turned around, making his way towards the forest.
"Didn't you hear a single word I told you about that place? You're going to get yourself killed, are you insane?" J'zargo shouted at the top of his voice, obviously pissed.
"Insane?" Lucian grinned "Maybe."
After mulling over it for a while, he decided to go anyway. Based on his knowledge of games, an area like that was bound to have extremely good rewards. He didn't know when the war was going to begin, and with his current strength, there was nothing he could do. He needed to take every opportunity that came his way. Otherwise, how could he hold his head up high as a veteran gamer.
After a couple of minutes, he arrived at the path leading into the forest. Seeing the forest up close, it gave off a more mysterious vibe than the stories could tell. The trees towered above him like giants gazing at him, giving him a slight chill. The entire forest seemed to be covered in mist, reducing visibility by about half.
He lightly pulled on the rein of his horse, advancing slowly into the forest. The air was damp. The rustles of leaves under the hooves of the horse didn't allow him pay as much attention to the surroundings as he would've liked. He gave up on his paranoia and continued into the forest. After about half an hour into the forest with no happenings, he slightly relaxed his guard.
"Might just be nothing but hearsay after all."
—————
A man placed his hand over his lips as he moved quietly through the forest. He signaled with his fingers, pointing forwards. Behind him and scattered around the area, his subordinates got the command and acted accordingly.
Some scaled trees and looked ahead, quietly jumping from treetop to treetop, others used the trees as cover, moving quietly and quickly between them.
—————
Lucian stopped, whether it was his keen senses or paranoia, he wasn't sure, but he could've sworn he detected some movement behind him. He held onto his reins tightly and suddenly pulled it, his horse burst into a sprint.
All of a sudden, the movements behind him got more prominent. Whatever was chasing him, they've gotten anxious and no longer cared for stealth. Because they'd lost their patience, he could make out how many they were.
"About two dozen heavy footsteps. Human sized, probably. And well-coordinated. This is not a fight I can take."
He kept up his pace, the distance between them was slowly increasing and he heaved a breath of relief, he would soon be able to lose them completely.
But then, he might have missed it because of fear from the chase, but the mist was getting thicker as he got deeper into the forest.
"This can't be a good sign."