The Inner Odyssey-Chapter 170: Forest of Ash

Alden gripped his abyssal blade tightly, drawing a silent breath.

Beads of sweat rolled down his face, his crimson eye darting rapidly through the gloom.

Around him, a forest of tall, ashen grey trees stretched, their enormous length seemingly capable of blotting out the heavens themselves. Contrary to normal trees, though, these stalwart sentinels were not full of vitality; their bark were shriveled, and there were no sign of any leaves on their withered surface.

Instead, their branches were bare and desolate.

A ghostly breeze seemed to flutter inside the forest, a strange, almost imperceptible rustling echoing throughout like the moans of a vengeful ghost. A flake of ash lazily drifted through the air, catching a small beam of light from the canopy above.

Staring at the eerie scene, Alden tried not to shiver. Even so, all the hair on his arms stood on end.

His instincts warned him that this place was dangerous and that it would be wise to retreat. Unfortunately for him, he could do no such thing. For the provisional Paladin squad had to traverse this Forest of Ash if they wanted to reach their destination.

They couldn’t avoid it.

From his briefing with Morrigan, Alden understood that they had to pass through multiple regions in order to reach one of the crystal mines controlled by the Stonewardens. One such region was the Forest of Ash, known for its bleak atmosphere and equally disturbing nature.

Apparently, the location of the crystal mines was said to be quite deep into the lands surrounding the Pyre Peaks. In fact, it was actually right in the centre, far enough away from the mountain peaks that they did not need to near its dreadful expanse, but also enough of a trek from the Sanctuary to pose a challenge for them on their mission.

As he scanned his desolate surroundings, a tiny seed of despair bloomed within Alden’s heart. The bleak emptiness of the Forest of Ash weighed on his psyche, slowly dulling its sharp edge.

The deeper they ventured into the desolate forest, the more Alden felt that what he was attempting to do was pointless.

He should just give up.

...Cease to exist.

How could anything survive such an inhospitable place?

Snapping out of it, the Keeper’s Apprentice sucked in a cold breath.

’This is bad.’

Alden hadn’t expected things to become troublesome so soon. It was only the beginning of their journey. How much more dire would things get, when... if... they reached their destination?

Shaking his head, Alden inspected the group of warriors trudging alongside him using his mana sense. The provisional Paladin squad marched through the grey forest, their steps steady yet silent, their armour enchanted not to clank and their boots specially crafted to soften any noise. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

This applied mostly to the Stonewardens and Yuki and Isolde.

However, it wasn’t as if the "ordinary" examinees were defenseless. Although their armour consisted mostly of leather and Defiled hide reinforced with thin but durable plates, they utilised a neat trick to achieve the same effect as their more privileged peers - coating their reinforced boots in a thin layer of mana to minimise any noise.

Irrespective of gear, though, all wore grim and serious expressions. There was no trace of humour found in their eyes.

Alden focused on a particular individual with dark hair and amethyst eyes, his curiosity growing the more he studied him. Marion wore an expression of wary solemness, his gaze flitting through their desolate surroundings carefully.

That wasn’t what piqued Alden’s interest, though.

Instead, it was the nature of the thief’s powers.

As a puppeteer, Marion possessed an extraordinary amount of utility. Sure, at his rank, he probably didn’t have any extremely powerful thralls. But, just the fact that he could have an extra set of eyes and ears anywhere was immensely useful.

His role within the provisional Paladin squad reflected that.

Marion had taken on the mantle of a scout, responsible for alerting them of any incoming danger. Alden had no doubt that Marion would be perfect for the job - even if the handsome youth had been a little cautious during the squad introduction, opting to reveal only the existence of his small sparrow and leave out the rest of his thralls.

Alden did not doubt that Marion had more than just one puppet; it wouldn’t make much sense for the dark-haired thief to challenge the second half of the Paladin Exam with the help of only a small sparrow.

Still, the Keeper’s Apprentice didn’t mind.

If anything, he actively encouraged such caution. It told him the puppeteer would make for a fine scout.

As the little sparrow zipped ahead, scanning for any danger and relaying what it saw to its master, the group of grim-faced warriors instinctively assumed a battle formation. Towards the front and a little to the left, the Stonewardens lumbered like hulking beasts.

In their grasp, they wielded a variety of weapons - earthen spears, maces, and sledgehammers, all enchanted to unleash maximum force. That was without mentioning the countless runic items no doubt nestled inside their Dimensional Bracelets, ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice.

Meanwhile, to the right, Marion, Devin and the three other examinees trudged, their postures tense and muscles primed. Lastly, in the centre of the formation, Yuki and Isolde led the way, supported by Alden and the healer a half-step behind.

Thin, almost imperceptible tendrils of icy mist escaped the members of the Frost Clan, while Raphaela gripped her staff, prepared to level its golden tip at any Defiled fearless enough to attack.

The thin strands of icy mist soon vanished, devoured by the merciless heat.

Alden’s decay blade also fought against the dry, scorching air, roiling silently.

The Keeper’s Apprentice remained on guard, flakes of ash drifting lazily around him, their existence akin to a prophecy of what might soon become of the provisional Paladin squad itself.

Every so often, Alden inserted his mana into the ground, the experience with the Ice Wyrms in the Glacial Belt still ingrained in his mind.

’...Probably forever.’

Just then, Alden’s brow twitched.

He sensed faint movement from behind.

However, before he could react...

A sense of sudden, overwhelming danger swept over him like a shroud of absolute death.

Alden’s expression twisted, becoming very dire.