Chương 92: Interlude - Aylinth

Aylinth pulled back the string as far as she could without snapping the bow. Holding her breath, she felt the slow wind caress her cheek, then adjusted her aim accordingly. She released. Fwoop. The arrow cut through the air. In the distance, an elk dropped to the ground, the arrow sticking out of its lower chest where the heart was located. The hunt was a success. She exhaled slowly and took a deep breath. The air smelled of wet earth.

Aylinth smiled and dropped from the tree, landing on the grassy ground without making a sound. She walked toward the elk and took back her arrow. Then she motioned with her hand, and three elves appeared from different sides. Invisible until she called for them.

"Nice shot," said one of them before taking out a rope, tying the elk's legs, and strapping it to a tree. He took out his knife, but Aylinth was already walking away from the hunt. It was the second one she'd caught that day, and she was already tired. She returned to the village and stopped by the entrance, taking in the view. The village was beautiful. At least, that had been her first impression when she woke up in the new world. It wasn't what she had expected.

Instead of houses, the village was formed around the biggest and thickest trees she had ever seen. Outside the village, the trees were normal-sized. Everything was interconnected by bridges made from wood and rope. The trees had some kind of moss planted on them that gave off a soft golden light. The ground, however, wasn't anything special.

There were a few storage buildings made from rock and dirt, and an open area in the middle of the village that was mostly decorated with glowing moss and plants cut into shapes. Some were in the shape of animals, others in the shape of the spirits of the forest. In the middle of the clearing was a statue carved from stone that represented the guardian of the forest—a three-tailed fox. The biggest hurdle in her escape plan. Soon, she headed toward her house.

It was nestled in a tree, with a rope ladder as the only way to access it. Climbing up the rope ladder, she opened the door and went inside. The house only had two rooms: a bedroom and a small sitting area. Aylinth sat on the chair… though it was more of a branch that went through the living room and acted as a bench. Taking a wooden cup, she cast a spell that produced hot water and filled it. She took a few red leaves from a container on the table and let them soak in the hot water.

When she was done, she leaned back against the wall of the house. It had been a week since she woke up in a new body in Redforest Village. An elven village. She'd tried to get a bearing on where she was in the new world, but the elves of this world were… secluded. Redforest was isolated by magic that didn't allow any traveler who wasn't an elf to reach the village, while the elves themselves never left the forest. So all of the information she'd been able to get was about the forest and the village's history.

She took a deep breath as the smell of tea filled the small room. The aroma was rich and earthy, with a hint of smoke. The leaves came from the red trees that were everywhere around her. She hated it here. For the first few days after she woke up in the new world, it felt like she was living the life of an elf from history, but that only kept her occupied for a few days before she discovered how boring it was.

The elves were so backward that it made her want to vomit, and from what she'd heard, most of the elves in this world were the same. They reminded her of her people's history in her old world. In their early history, they had been the same, stuck in their forests and avoiding contact with anyone outside.

The difference was that the elves of her world had moved past their primal instincts and created cities, a flourishing economy, trade, and alliances with humanity, the dwarven kingdoms, and every other sentient race. They took the first step toward modernization, while the others followed in their footsteps. Of course, some remained stuck in the forests, but those were very few. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

In this world, instead of trying to make their lives easier, the elves were stuck in the forests, clinging to their primitive ways, worshiping nature and the fox protector. They even had the blessing of the goddess, which made their lives much easier. It didn't make much sense to her. She just couldn't wait to leave the village and step outside the damned forest. Aylinth exhaled slowly and started making plans for the future.

The blessing of this world was a tool that would allow her to grow strong quickly, and she needed to gather strength before leaving the forest. The protector would be a hurdle in her plan, but with enough growth, she could overcome it. There were at least a dozen other elves who wanted to leave as well, and she intended to help them escape. The tea had enough time to brew, so she floated the leaves out of the cup and took a sip. Warmth spread through her body, and her mind relaxed. The tea had a calming effect.

After slowly drinking the cup and going over her plans, she decided that two more weeks would be enough time to make her escape. To meet her deadline, she would need to go on hunts every day and use spells and techniques to increase her strength quickly. Make contact with the group who were determined to leave, gather supplies, and discover more about the protector of the forest. From the little she'd heard about it, the protector didn't let the elves leave because the outside world was dangerous.

She wasn't sure how much of that information was true. The plan slowly started forming in her head, every step of the way and every decision she would have to make before it.... A week later. Aylinth stood on top of a tall tree, waiting for Viesel to arrive. He was the leader of the group that wanted to leave the forest, and the one who would give her information about the protector. The forest around her was the same as always, alive. Insects buzzed all around her, and small animals ran past every dozen minutes.

At the top of the tree, the smell was calming, its effect coming from the red leaves that filled every tree. The same ones the tea was made from. In the past week, she had progressed considerably. Her level had increased to the late twenties, and soon she would be able to pick a Class. It would have happened sooner if it wasn't for all the preparations she had to make. While she was deep in thought, Viesel arrived. The man wore a dark green cloak that the hunters usually wore, with pants of the same color.

He stopped a few meters away from her and scanned the area. She observed Viesel for a few moments, and after noticing nothing suspicious, she jumped from the tree, landing noiselessly in front of him. Just as she landed, the man turned and stumbled in fright. She didn't say anything, and in just a few moments, he calmed down.

"You didn't have to do all that," he muttered.

"The information?" Aylinth inquired. It took him a few moments to answer.

"The Lord Protector wasn't always like this." Viesel exhaled.

"At least, that's what the elders mentioned."

"Like what?"

"Stopping people from leaving the forest. His only duty was to oversee it and protect it from those who meant harm. He never engaged with anything else, at least until the change." Aylinth pondered for a few moments. She wasn't too familiar with protectors since she'd been born in a city and had never had the chance to visit any of the elven forests. Though she had read everything she could about them.

Like any elf, she too wanted to learn the history of their ancestors, and the information was available in every elven city. The protectors weren't really protecting the elven villages. They were protecting the forests in which they were born. Since the elves had the same instinct as the protectors—to protect the forests and nature—the protectors formed bonds with them. She presumed the same would be true in this world.

"Change?" Viesel nodded.

"Before the change, the Lord Protector didn't interact with the elders. Not regularly, at least. Then something changed, and afterward, he made rules that everyone had to follow. One of them was to never leave the forest."

"Did they say why?" Viesel shook his head.

"No."

"And when did that change happen?"

"A few centuries ago, around the same time the elders lost contact with the World Tree's branch on the other side of the continent." Soon, Viesel left, and Aylinth was left with her own thoughts. She wasn't sure what could have caused such a change in the Lord Protector, but she also wasn't sure if she cared enough to investigate it. The only thing she cared about was leaving the forest and finding her party.

She still couldn't be certain, but what were the chances that she was the only one who had woken up in this world? Knowing her party, she doubted even death could keep those idiots down. Soon, she walked back toward the village, her plans adjusting according to the new information she'd received. In a week, she would leave the forest.