With the flash that confirmed the teleportation came the nauseating feeling of your innards being trampled on.
Anastasia quickly took off to a rock in the distance to retch her guts out. I wasn't much better off, while Rylan, our guide and tutor, calmly surveyed the surroundings with a frown on his face.
Anastasia finally recovered enough to approach us again. "Are all teleportation arrays like that?" she asked, wiping her sleeve against her face, which was dripping with water.
"Not the ones I've experienced, but I doubt an array in the middle of nowhere would be as well maintained as royal ones."
Anastasia finally spared a look at the environment. "Where are we?"
"You're right about the array, Lexx. The coordinates seem to have been messed up on the way," Rylan answered, still looking around.
"So, we have no idea where we are?"
"Judging by the Nishor peak over there," he pointed to a mountain peak in the distance and the direction of the sun, "it would place us at Durin, a couple hundred kilometers off our original destination…"
"Welp, better get going then," I interrupted.
Rylan batted an eyebrow at me and continued, unabated. "…and also one of the most dangerous spots in Ethera."
"Well, that was unexpected," Anastasia quipped.
"Durin is said to be the place where the Nature orb was found. And while nature can be beautiful and motherly, it can also be wild and unforgiving. Durin showcases the latter with the extremes of Nature's wrath." He turned to Anastasia. "We will be counting on you, Anastasia."
She immediately turned wide-eyed. "Me? Why?"
"Because you're carrying the Nature orb, dummy. No pressure, though. If it's too much for you, you can count on me to swoop in with my powerful skills to save the day," I joked in an effort to lighten the mood. Anastasia rolled her eyes up to the heavens.
Rylan, though, was having none of it and quickly doused the mood. "This could go either of both ways. Durin welcomes the orb and its carrier and allows us safe passage, or it attempts to reclaim the orb, killing her in the process," he concluded, pointing to Anastasia.
She gulped heavily, and I furrowed my brows in concern. "What do we do now?"
Rylan shrugged. "We are currently in the outer region of Durin, so we should be relatively safe. I can't say the same the further we go, though."
"Right. What's our supplies for the moment?"
"I have a house stored in my space relic. It has enough food to last three days and a few changes of clothes." He scrutinized Anastasia. "She would have to change her fashion style, though."
"Not a problem." Anastasia replied, conjuring a water orb in one hand and an apple in the other. "Make that multiple days, the food supply, I mean."
"I guess I'm pretty useless for now, then," I added.
"I wouldn't be so hasty, power ranger. There might be times we have to defend ourselves."
"Got it."
We settled into the walk rather quickly, progressing further, deeper into the forest. As we started to get surrounded by shadows and thick underbrush, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of dread and danger settle over me. Every single sound startled me, and at times, I could have sworn I saw something slithering in the very forest floor we trod on. The feeling of unease heightened with the lengthening shadows as the sun gradually began to set. I conjured a fire orb in one hand to enable us to see the ground ahead of us. Eventually, we had to stop.
"Let's rest here for today." Myself and Anastasia nodded our acknowledgements and started scouting for a suitable place to set up.
"Here," Anastasia called out. We followed her into a small clearing accentuated with a small brook flowing through it.
"I don't know about this, guys," I said. "As far as we know, this could be the watering grounds for who knows how many animals. I don't wanna wake up surrounded by a hoard."
"Nice observation, Lexx," Rylan answered. "I was thinking more of over there." He continued, gesturing towards a humongous tree, its canopy towering over others in close proximity.
"Would the house fit?" Anastasia queried.
"Never said it was that big a house. It should do fine nestled on a branch," Rylan replied.
"Let's get climbing then," I suggested.
"Actually, let's get floating," Anastasia said, propelling us into the air with a wave of her hands.
Rylan cocked an eyebrow. "Impressive air control, Ana."
Anastasia had the Nature orb, granting her control over plants, air, water, and whatnot. She was able to keep us all in the air with little to no disturbance, testament to her efforts during training.
We sighted a sturdy branch soon enough and settled on it. Rylan brought out his relic, activated it, and a modest house materialized from thin air, landing on the branch with a solid thud.
"Seems comfy," I commented as we went into the house.
After settling into the modest house, we each found a corner to rest and collect our thoughts. The eerie silence of the forest was punctuated by the occasional rustle of leaves and distant animal calls, making it hard to fully relax.
Anastasia sat by the window, staring out at the dense foliage illuminated by the dimming fire orb outside. Her face was a mix of exhaustion and curiosity, as if she was listening to something only she could hear.
"Everything okay, Ana?" I asked, noticing her trance-like state.
She blinked and turned to me, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, just... the forest feels different here. Almost like it's whispering."
Rylan looked up from his map. "It's probably the Nature orb connecting with Durin. Be cautious, Anastasia. The forest's pull can be strong."
Anastasia nodded, but her eyes were already drifting back to the window. The longer she stared, the more distant she seemed, her body slowly leaning towards the open air.
"Ana?" I called out, standing up, but she didn't respond. Instead, she rose from her seat and walked to the door, moving as if in a dream.
"Anastasia, stop!" Rylan commanded, but she was already outside, descending the tree with graceful, almost unnatural movements. And before our feet touched the forest floor, she was gone like the wind, swallowed by the surrounding shadows and underbrush.