Karrion's workshop was even more crowded than the most chaotic dwarf mine.
The smell of cooling metal, mixed with ore dust and a pungent odor of some chemical reagent, was so dense it seemed inescapable.
Raine, Thalia, and Karrion gathered around a workbench that had been somewhat tidied, with all the items they would be carrying laid out on it.
Dry provisions, water bags, several rolls of bandages, packets of herbs, a whetstone, ropes, and a fire-steel box.
There were also some newly crafted items by Karrion.
Several robustly styled daggers with blades that glinted coldly, and a few metal plates inscribed with basic protective runes that could be sewn into the lining of garments.
Karrion picked up a bag of hard, stone-like biscuits and sniffed it.
"These are dwarf marching rations. They can fill your stomach and even serve as a weapon to knock out a goblin." He tossed the ration bag to Raine. "Eat sparingly."
Then he picked up Raine's elegant sword, weighed it in his hand, and his face showed unmistakable disdain.
"Trinket," he commented, casually tossing it back onto the table with a clanging sound. "In the woods, you'd be better off biting than using that."
Raine's face flushed, yet he refrained from a retort.
Karrion then turned to Thalia, who was carefully checking the items in the small pouches at her waist—containing powders and liquids of various colors and strange aromas.
"You witch, your stuff looks a bit more reliable than his sword," Karrion muttered. "Hope it doesn't end up poisoning us."
Ignoring his sarcasm, Thalia handed a small crystal vial containing a deep purple liquid to Raine.
"It's diluted shadow moss juice," she said flatly. "Apply a little on your skin and it can temporarily mask the presence of a living being, helping you evade the scent of low-level corrupted creatures. But the effect is limited and it has mild toxicity."
Raine took the small bottle; its touch was cool.
Karrion snorted, then retrieved an item from under the workbench and tossed it into Raine's arms.
It was an armband forged from rough black iron, its surface covered with newly inscribed runes that had not yet been fully polished.
Inside the armband was inlaid a small piece of dark red crystal, which appeared to pulse faintly.
"Hold on to this," Karrion said in a tone that carried a subtle, unmissable gravity. "Use your blood to activate a few basic runes. It's simple; don't expect it to stop the big ones, but perhaps it can help shield you from the ever-present corrosive taint of corruption."
Raine gripped the armband tightly, and he could feel a faint, strange connection linked to his own blood.
Under the dim light, the runes appeared to flow with an extremely faint silvery radiance.
"This is the best I can do," Karrion added. "Time is short and materials are limited."
Thalia then did a final check of all the supplies, her eyes scanning Raine and Karrion.
"Let me remind you again," her voice was cold and clear, like quenched steel, "once you enter the forest, keep absolutely silent. Do not speak unless absolutely necessary."
"Do not touch any plant you do not recognize, especially those with bright colors or that ooze sap."
"Do not drink any water that hasn't been treated, even if it appears clear."
"Always watch your step— the ground might collapse at any moment."
"Most importantly," she paused, and a harsh glint flashed deep within her ice-blue eyes, "stay close to me. Not a single step should be lost. The forest will distort your sense of direction; if you get separated, the consequences will be on you."
Both Raine and Karrion silently nodded.
The road ahead was uncertain, and they could only rely on each other.
Though this dependence was as fragile as a spider's thread, the night was the best cover.
The three of them did not choose any of the main routes leading to the city gate.
Instead, Karrion led them into a series of narrow, filthy back alleys that reeked of decay.
The bustle of the city was cut off behind them, with only the distant sound of a watchman's drum, reminding them that they had not completely left civilization.
They passed through corners piled with garbage, startling a few plump old rats.
They walked under rickety wooden arcades and avoided the occasional splashes of filthy water thrown from upstairs windows.
The air carried the unmistakable scent of the slums—a mix of despair and numbness.
Raine had never ventured so deeply into the dark underbelly of the city.
Though he came from nobility—even with his family's decline—he had never truly experienced life at the very bottom.
Here, the darkness felt more oppressively suffocating than the unknown of the forest.
Karrion was clearly very familiar with these paths, his short, stout body moving nimbly through the dark, like an experienced old mole.
Thalia moved like a ghost blending into the shadows, her footsteps barely making any sound.
Raine followed closely, clutching the armband Karrion had given him, while trying hard to suppress the unease in his heart.
He couldn't help but glance back.
The silhouette of the city was blurred by the night, with only a few spires of high towers and scattered lights from the wealthy quarters—like distant stars on a dark sea.
That was once his home, though nothing remained the same.
It held all he knew—even though it was filled with danger and surveillance.
And ahead lay endless darkness, the fabled forbidden land that swallowed everything.
A great sense of loss and a raw fear of the unknown gripped his heart.
They reached a section beneath an abandoned city wall at the edge of the city.
This place had once been a small smuggling dock, but now only a few rotten wooden posts and a clogged river channel remained.
Karrion felt around in an inconspicuous corner of the wall, moved a few loose bricks aside, and revealed a narrow opening that allowed passage for one person.
A cold wind mixed with the smell of mildew and earth blew out from the opening.
"Follow me," Karrion said, leading the way through the passage.
Thalia followed closely.
Raine took a deep breath, cast one final look at the silhouetted city behind him, and then stooped into the dark tunnel.
Inside, the passage was pitch black, lit only by a faint magical lantern held by Karrion.
The ground was damp with mud and loose stones, and the air was moist and icy.
They proceeded silently, with only the sound of their footsteps and occasional water droplets echoing in the narrow space.
After what felt like an eternity, a faint glimmer of light appeared ahead.
The tunnel's exit was obscured by dense shrubs.
Karrion brushed aside the branches and led the way out.
Raine and Thalia followed, breathing in the night air of the open country once more.
Though it was still cold, it was much fresher than the musty odor of the passage.
They had completely left the city behind.
Behind them, no light remained.
Ahead lay undulating plains and the dark silhouettes of distant mountains.
A profound silence reigned between heaven and earth, broken only by the whimpering wind.
Raine felt an unprecedented loneliness and insignificance.
It was as if the whole world had abandoned him, leaving him in a barren wasteland.
"Let's go," Karrion said, breaking the silence, "there's still some time before dawn; we must move quickly."
The three adjusted their direction and silently began their trek across the wilderness toward the direction of the Blightwood.
The ground soon grew rugged.
Sparse shrubs gave way to a dense forest.
A faint, unsettling smell began to permeate the air.
At first, it was just a slight musty odor, like decaying leaves after a rain.
But as they pressed deeper, the stench grew stronger and stranger—like something was slowly rotting, mixed with a sickly-sweet scent.
Raine felt his breathing become labored and his chest heavy.
He saw Thalia produce a small cloth pouch from her waist, containing some herbs that exuded a cool scent, which she distributed to Raine and Karrion.
"Keep them in your mouth," she instructed simply, "they can alleviate some of it."
Raine obeyed, and a bitter yet cool taste spread in his mouth, easing the oppressive odor somewhat.
Karrion also chewed a piece, frowning as though it were a tough piece of leather.
The surroundings changed subtly.
The trees' branches became twisted in unnatural shapes, as though writhing in pain.
Their bark grew dark, with some areas even oozing a sticky black sap that reeked faintly.
The vegetation on the ground appeared diseased.
Once vibrant green moss had turned into dirty gray-black, covering rocks and tree roots like necrotic skin.
Odd, misshapen fungi emerged from the decaying soil, with some resembling solidified blood and others emitting an eerie phosphorescence.
The most disquieting change was the silence.
Where the forest should have echoed with insect chirps and birdcalls, there was now an utter lack of sound.
Only the woeful sigh of the wind passing through twisted branches and the rustle of dry leaves beneath their feet could be heard.
This deathly silence made the heart race more than any noise could.
It was as if something unseen had smothered all life here.
Even the sky seemed more overcast.
Although dawn was near, the light struggled to penetrate the layered, diseased canopy of trees.
The dim light had a depressed, gray-green tint.
Raine felt a chill run up his spine—not just because of the cold temperature, but a deep-seated, instinctive fear of unknown dangers.
He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, despite Karrion's earlier remark about its uselessness.
He also subconsciously touched the coarse armband on his wrist; its faint rune pulse offered a sliver of ephemeral security.
Thalia led the way, her steps steady, her ice-blue eyes scanning the surroundings with vigilant intent.
Her familiarity with the forest was their only reliance for now.
Karrion lagged behind, his heavy dwarf battle-axe in hand, his thick footsteps resounding dully on the ground—like a death knell for this lifeless forest.
After a further stretch, Thalia halted.
Ahead, the forest appeared even more shocking.
The trees were twisted as if writhing like ghosts, their branches draped with eerie, gray-black fungal strands resembling spider webs.
The ground was covered with a thick, foul-smelling black sludge.
The stench of decay was so potent it nearly stifled the air.
A thin, gray-green mist enveloped the forest, obscuring visibility and adding to the uncanny and ominous atmosphere.
"Here we are," Thalia said in a low, hoarse voice that seemed tainted by the forest's aura, "this is the edge of the Blightwood."
Raine stood rooted to the spot, staring at the scene before him—a sight reminiscent of the entrance to hell, and his heart pounded uncontrollably.
He could clearly feel the immense, evil, and malevolent surge of energy emanating from deep within the forest.
It was a pure will that sought to devour all life and drag everything into decay and oblivion.
Karrion exhaled heavily, clenching his battle-axe, with joints clicking under the strain.
In his gray eyes burned a profound, searing hatred mixed with a trace of barely hidden fear.
Thalia turned and let her gaze sweep over Raine and Karrion.
Her face appeared exceptionally pale against the backdrop of the gray-green mist, yet her eyes were resolute.
"Are you ready?" she asked in a low, husky voice that carried unyielding strength.
Raine looked at Karrion; the dwarf nodded, managing a grim smile that looked worse than crying.
"At this point, we're all in." Karrion muttered. "We can't turn back now and get caught and burned by that worthless bunch from the Church."
Raine took a deep breath and steeled himself, suppressing his fear and hesitation.
For his missing sister, for the truth behind his family, for... survival.
He had no other choice.
He looked at Thalia and nodded firmly.
The three exchanged a look—no further words were needed.
Their resolve was set.
Raine was the first to step forward into the twisted woodland shrouded in a thin mist and the stench of death.
The mud beneath his feet squelched with a nauseating sound, as if he were treading on rotting corpses.
The icy mist immediately clung to him, carrying a biting chill and foul odor.
Thalia followed closely; her figure blurred in the mist like a true shadow.
Karrion stepped in last, his heavy footsteps echoing sharply in the silence, and then quickly swallowed by the dense fog.
The contorted trees, like grasping monsters, cast looming, menacing shadows through the rolling mist.
Soon, their silhouettes disappeared into the deep recesses of the forest, as if they had never existed.
The road ahead was shrouded in thick mist and darkness, filled with unknown dangers.
The Blightwood had opened its silent, gaping maw.