Despite our recent success in battle, my brother and I moved slowly and carefully through the forest. I have to admit that I trailed behind a bit, admiring our surroundings and trying not to trip over tree roots.
"Y'know, brother, this isn't so bad. Except that I'm hungry by now. And thirsty. How long has it been? Hours? Toby? Toby?!"
Great. He wasn't responding. And I also didn't hear him anymore. Had something eaten him? Unlikely. He was about six feet tall, maybe a little more, bulky, and he had a sword with him.
"Toby," I said again, quiet this time. "Where'd you go? Hey, this isn't - Oh shit."
I felt a strange stir in the air. And it was glowing softly. Had there been a rift? This forest didn't seem like it was in Asmodae, but if a rift had opened up, it was more than likely my brother walked right through it.
"Jesus fucking Christ. Not now. And what is this stench?" I had reached a part of the forest that seemed very much dead, and I thought I saw some monsters crawling around.
Swamp replaced bushes between trees as I walked. The smell got worse, too, and I almost got into a gnarl's aggro range because I didn't see it at first. Stupid camouflage.
I saw less and less trees now, but mountains came into view to my right, and I found a wide path. That meant I was on the way to civilisation. Hopefully.
I spotted a giant tree almost directly ahead of me, and reckognized now the area I was in. I was approaching Arbolu's Haven. And I had survived the Deathsong Forest so far. Yay for me.
As I was nearing the eastern entrance to Arbolu's Haven, a rotting zombie spotted me. Why exactly had I not trained running? That stupid thing nearly got to me, and by the time I reached the safe zone and two elementals took care of the undead, I was desperately gasping for air while also trying not to throw up. Rotten flesh kind of has that effect on people.
I was quickly taken in by the priests at the Haven, and after I had recovered from my "journey", I was sent to the flight transporter to be brought to the New Heiron Gate. No one offered to help find my brother, as nice as everyone was, assuming that he'd ended up in Asmodae, dead or worse.
"You guys are great at cheering me up," I snarled at one of the Daevas, a drunkard who suggested that Toby was now an undead pawn of an Asmodian. Asshole.
The flight transporter whose name I didn't bother remembering brought me to New Heiron Gate without me dying or fainting because I was so damn scared of height. Five stars for you, I thought, and, after throrough questioning, continued my journey to Poeta. Might as well get a job to distract me from worrying about my missing brother, they thought.
And I couldn't really pose any threat in Poeta. But, boy, did they get that last part wrong.