Jahi and I sat next to one another, the Marquess lounging across from us.
We were currently in a carriage traveling south, towards the large forest that bordered the lands of the Labyrinthian.
Fovos Forest, filled with, albeit weak, monsters of all kind. It was a breeding ground for them, so it was always overrun with various monsters.
I felt Jahi squeeze my hand, and I looked over to see her smiling at .
Smiling back, I leaned into her and closed my eyes, getting so much needed rest.
Last night Jahi had pinned under her, taking her ti as she explored my body. If I didn't have access to instantaneous healing magic my body would be riddled with small bite marks, and my muscles would ache from Jahi's 'punishnt'.
Sighing, I opened my eyes when I heard the Marquess chuckle, before she spoke.
"Alright lovebirds, that's enough. So people don't enjoy such public displays affection you know..."
Jahi just snorted, responding with "Yet I seem to recall you not holding back when Kat and I slept in just the other room?"
I chuckled when the Marquess pursed her lips, before she sighed.
"Fine, fine... Hah, you really had to inherit Ria's smart mouth huh?"
The Marquess looked out the window, staying silent before looking back at us.
"Let's go over what to expect here, and what I want you both to do. We are only going to hunt in the outskirts of the Forest, and even then it is who will determine what and when you fight. There should only be slis, goblins, and normal animals are what to expect.
By far, the most dangerous would be goblins, as they are quite crafty and surprisingly strong. As such, if we encounter a tribe of them you are to stay beside at all tis- scratch that, the entire trip you are to stay beside . If you dare move more than a few steps away from I will personally lock you up in the dungeon back ho. Understood?"
Jahi and I nodded, gulping when we saw the Marquess' ruby eyes flare.
Smiling, she continued.
"Slis are simple creatures; they are relatively stupid, as they only focus on devouring what is in front of them. Unless you provoked them first, they tend to ignore you entirely. When you fight them, aim for the large core inside their gelatinous body. If broken, they die. Otherwise, they can continuously grow back.
Goblins are about as intelligent as a child, and as such tend to be relatively annoying to fight. They use any and everything at their disposal to fight, be it fake tears, a hostage, or even a large fire in a dry bush. They are also similar to most humanoids in the sense that, if you stab it or slash it enough, it dies. Aim for the chest, throat, and head, and they die.
Lastly, for the animals in the forest. They aren't special, just normal rabbits and wolves. They will avoid us entirely, and if we do need to fight them, just hit them sowhere. They'll prioritize their lives over killing you, unlike monsters.
Anyways, just don't be stupid, stay near , and if sothing tries to stab you, stab it back and you'll be fine."
Smiling at us, the Marquess returned her gaze to the window.
We finished the rest of the ride in silence, Jahi and I getting so extra rest before our first ti in the wild.
Feeling the carriage co to a halt, I opened my eyes and followed the Marquess out of the carriage, looking around the lush forest with interest.
The trees were tall and leafy, and the forest floor was relatively clear of shrubs and roots.
Looking back towards the Marquess, I watched as she took out two bundles from the carriage, one long and the other small.
She offered them to us, Jahi receiving the longer one while I took the smaller bundle.
Unwrapping them, we grinned at each other when we saw the sheathed blades.
I had a simple dagger that was roughly a foot long, and had a flat cross guard. It was light, and after drawing the blade from the sheath I gently pressed a finger on the edge, my grin widening as I felt the razor sharp edge.
The Marquess had almost forbidden from using a real blade, claiming I wasn't ready yet to use one. So, I had to watch in annoyance as Jahi was allowed to practice with a real sword.
Now, however, I was giddy to be given my first real, tal weapon. Gently sliding it back into the sheath, I tied the dagger to my belt, before turning to see Jahi looking up and down.
Smiling at , she quickly placed her sword on her hip, before looking at the Marquess.
"I hope I don't need to remind you that these are real blades, not so toy to play with?"
Seeing us nod, she smiled before saying "Well, stick close, and let's take a walk into Fonos Forest."
After making sure we were beside her, the Marquess led us into the wood, walking at a slow pace so we could keep up.
I looked around in wonder, marveling at the difference between this forest and the gardens at ho. Here, the air slt of earth, sap, and moss. The gardens were a variety of floral scents, and looked much different as well.
However, as we made our way deeper into the forest, eventually reaching a point where the canopy covered most of the sky, I found myself enjoying the woods more than anywhere else.
The serene atmosphere, pleasant scent, beautiful view...
I smiled, before jumping when I heard a loud chittering coming from nearby.
"Ah, that would be a Goblin call... so, both of you stay beside , and I'll clear out most of them. Then, you both get two goblins each to fight. Clear?"
Jahi and I gave grunts of acknowledgnt, before following the Marquess towards the noise.
As we closed in on the chittering, I noticed that the trees had various marks and scratches on them, and that so even had slightly hollowed trunks.
The closer we got, the more frequent those markings beca, and eventually the trunks were completely hollowed, with branches bundled together to create small tents near each tree.
I widened my eyes when I saw over a dozen short, green creatures clambering around, sticks and rocks clutched in their three fingered hands.
They turned to look at us, and I scrunched my nose in disgust.
Long, crooked noses, droopy ears, and warts made up their faces, topped off with small, beady red eyes.
Wearing nothing but a small loin cloth, each goblin was skinny, to the point of looking malnourished. They looked like a strong breeze could knock them over.
Finally, the longer I stood there, the worse the stench beca. It was a mixture of sweat, rot, fecal matter, and a hint of sex. I had to hold back the urge to cover my nose at the disgusting sll radiating from the goblins.
As they stared at the Marquess, who was almost three tis their size, they chittered loudly, their small eyes widening as they tried to flee.
However, I watched in amazent as the Marquess simply raised her hand, a small rune appearing in front of her outstretched palm.
Just under a dozen small orbs of fla appeared, streaking through the air as they pierced the skulls of the goblins.
They dropped to the forest floor with a thud, before shriveling into a mummified corpse.
Four goblins remained, and the Marquess sent out four ropes of pure mana, dragging them back towards us.
Making sure they were well tied up, the Marquess said "Well, who wants to go first?"
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