The forest certainly isn't the friendliest place, and this one in particular is decidedly dangerous if underestimated. But honestly, I have no intention of returning to the village and ending up in a brawl with a bunch of peasants over a handful of coins, especially if I earned them. And besides, the cold has never been a problem for me; with a few spells, I can feel like I'm next to a warm hearth.
In the silence of the forest, the only sound is that of my crunching apple. But suddenly, movements among the branches and the sound of flapping wings catch my attention. There, perched on a branch not far away, luminous yellow irises fixate on me from above: a small owl. In my mind, the sound of a melodious voice echoes: «Are they supposed to be the fools? Do I need to remind you where we are? The only fool I see is the idiot eating an apple in the middle of a forest full of predators in complete darkness». And as if to emphasize its point, the owl puffs up its white feathers rustled by the wind.
Well, sure, it had a point, but I can't just let an owl win that easily. I take big bites from the apple to finish it off, responding with a smug tone, despite my mouth still being full. «Yeah yeah, dark forest, blah blah, vampires, blah blah, sinister things». With a loud swallow, I clear my mouth, and with a hand gesture, I signal not to worry. «Evelyn, do I need to remind you who you're talking to? I have everything under control, when have I ever not?».
A disgruntled voice immediately resonates in my mind: «Do I need to remind you of that time when you walked into the wrong room, and it's still unclear how, you ended up in the imperial princess's room and slept on her couch the night before her wedding? Or that time when you tried to help Marcus with a love spell and he was madly in love with a teapot for an entire month?». Graceful suppressed laughter interrupts the flow of the voice, but it immediately resumes its list: «And what about that time when you ended up trapped in a crypt full of undead for ten long days?».
The speech lasted for a few minutes, listing things that, honestly, I had completely forgotten. I decide to interrupt this incessant list of nonsense and intervene to stop this useless and overly verbose discourse. «First of all, as for the princess, I was drunk», I declare with a nervous laugh, trying to downplay the situation. «And for the spell, well, it was Marcus's fault for not being compatible with my magic, not the other way around. And as for the undead, well, after all, they returned to being dead, didn't they?» I rise and shake off the snow that has accumulated on me. «As for the rest, I don't have time to describe my elaborate strategies. We have something important to complete». I start walking north, towards where our goal is supposed to be.
The landscape becomes increasingly dark and unsettling, with an atmosphere so gloomy it almost seems unnatural. In the monotonous walk through this sinister forest, I decide to converse with my feathered companion who surely follows me. «You know, granting this county to a lord of vampires didn't seem like the brightest move», I say, casually pointing to one of the sinister trees that populate the forest. «Who came up with this brilliant idea, and how did the king allow the duke to make such a move?».
In response to my question, Evelyn lands gracefully on my shoulder. «Actually, you don't know? It was your family», she says with a slightly sarcastic tone. «At the time, it was necessary to find an agreement for a truce, and this was the solution. But know that much further north, beyond the mountains, there are things much more horrible than vampires, as monstrous as they may be», She positions herself better on my shoulder, piercing it with her claws, and I, like a true man, endure that excruciating pain without complaining. «Furthermore, the Nightstars are different from other vampires. They are noble and bound by numerous agreements, limited by blood spells that, if broken, will end their lives».
In response to this revelation, a twig snaps under my boot with a crack, but I continue unperturbed in my walk. «So bound that I was sent to verify the corruption of the vampire plague», I comment, «evidently they have resumed making sacrifices to their favorite deity». My perennial smile fades for a moment and my voice becomes low. «It wasn't enough to lose an island as big as an entire continent completely corrupted by vampires», I say gravely.
After my response, silence envelops our walk, and even Evelyn seems to gather her thoughts in silence. We continue through the forest until we finally reach our goal in the depths of the trees. Before us stands an ancient forgotten fortress, now reduced to ruins. Its gray stone walls stand majestic, but they are marked by time and the elements. The watchtowers tower into the sky, but their tops are crumbling and broken. The windows, once illuminated by life within, are now darkened and desolate. The wind whispers through the cracks in the walls, carrying an atmosphere of desolation. The fortress, once a symbol of power and grandeur, now lies abandoned and forgotten in the heart of the dark forest.