The Red Hand

Chapter 480.5 – Into the Whistlewoods.

"Ugh... I never like using those things..." Kanato said as he stumbled out from the Fae portal, followed swiftly by the members of Burning Light, who surprisingly looked no worse for wear.

“That was a bit different to what I'm used to, but not as bad as I expected.” Miz'ri commented as Kanato tried to hold back from throwing up.

The portal itself was quite unassuming, looking like little more than overgrown vines forming an archway against a rocky outcropping. The uninitiated would easily miss it, though even if one knew its location, you'd need to be proficient in special Fae magic to use it.

"The whole world is like spinning like I'm on a carnival ride and then that got combined with car sickness... Ugh..." Kanato wretched, his body still not enjoying the Fae teleportation despite having done it several times.

"I don't know what either of those things is, but I'm going to guess it's similar to when people get sick while sitting in a carriage too long." Nier laughed as Kanato tried to hold it together.

"You'd think a Hero wouldn't be weak to such a thing." Katlyn snickered as Miz'ri used a bit of Dark Magic to calm his churning stomach. “Perhaps the Gods should've given your stomach a bit more fortification.

"Thank you..." Kanato thanked the Dark Elf as he took a deep breath, a feeling of relief washing over him as his stomach calmed due to her magic. "I'd never imagined that Dark Magic could cure nausea."

"I've used it to deal with sea sickness, so I figured it would work here too since its not that different." Miz'ri said. "It's oddly effective against imbalances in the body, and I've also found that Dark Healing has a unique ability to soothe illnesses related to mental state as well. It's probably because Dark Magic is used to attack the mind more than the flesh."

“Too bad we didn't have that back during the...” Kanato paused before shaking his head to dispel thoughts of the war. “Never mind.”

"So, where are we anyway?" Nier asked the three Fairies floating around Kanato. Their three buzzing guides had not entirely warmed up to Burning Light but were no longer hiding from them, though Miz'ri was the clear favorite of the three.

"Forest!" The female Fairy replied proudly, followed by the two male fairies who puffed out their chests proudly.

"Okay... Now that's all well and good and all... But, and follow me here... Where in the forest?" Katlyn asked, trying to hold back her usual smart remarks and not entirely succeeding.

"Umm... Hold please..." The female Fairy paused as she convened with her two friends, whispering amongst themselves, the sight of which did not provide any confidence.

*WHISPER* *WHISPER* *WHISPER* *WHISPER*

"They don't know... Do they?" Nier sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“We're screwed...” Katelyn groaned. “And this isn't even the first time we've been lost in the woods because a few idiots told us they knew the way.”

“The giant worm from the first time wasn't fun, so let's hope something like that doesn't show up again.” Miz'ri said with a wry smile.

"No its fine. Dim they may be they should where we are." Kanato shook his head as Miz'ri finished up her magic. "Just give them a second. When it comes to the Whistlewoods, they know it pretty well."

{I hope...} (Kanato)

"I'd bet a gold coin they don't know." Katlyn said, to which Miz'ri agreed and ante'd up as the Faries continued to whisper, looking around as they argued over the appearance of a nearby tree or an odd smell or sound in the distance.

{I swear to God...} (Kanato)

"ALRIGHT!" The female Fairy yelled before shooting into the air and confidently pointing North. "Temple is that way! Other side of Lake Gado!"

“Yeah!” The two male Fairies agreed.

"Dang..." Katlyn clicked her tongue at losing her bet.

"Wait... You're saying it's North of Lake Gado?" Kanato asked with a raised brow, confused since that didn't seem right to him. "I thought the Fairy village was in the South of the woods? Is it not closer to the Andu River and the border of the Demon Kingdom?" He'd never been there before but heard plenty of stories about the Fairy village. In the past, it was apparently further North but was moved due to raids from the once-existent Beast Kingdom and the Empire.

"Village South, Temple North." The female Fairy shrugged.

“Alright"..." Kanato decided not to question things further as he pulled a map out of his pack. "Can you tell me where we are in the Forest at least? It would be best if we knew, since we can plan out a route." He said as the female Fairy hovered next to him.

"Hmmm..." The female Fairy crossed her arms in thought. "City here... Rocks here... Splashy Splash here..."

{I'm not gonna ask what that last bit is.} (Kanato)

"We here!" The female Fairy pointed to a spot just below the Elven Capital, Kialru.

"We're closer to it than I thought." Kanato commented, noting that it would only take a few days to reach the Elven City if they kept up a good pace,. "And where are we going?" He asked, the female Fairy pointing to a small spot on the map that was nestled between Kialru and the foot of the Tinda Mountains.

"We're not too far away from our destination it would seem." Katlyn said as she looked over his shoulder. "If we keep a good pace, we can be there in a few days if we don't run into any strange monsters.”

"I'd like to stop in Kialru to pick up a few supplies rather than bolt straight to this temple." Nier interjected. "We're heading into the unknown. From what I understand, our three guides here have no clue what awaits us once we reach the Temple." He looked to the Faries, who shrugged.

"That would probably be for the best." Miz'ri agreed. "It's entirely likely the area around the Temple is infested with powerful monsters. The Whistlewoods are already home to many, but if there is a powerful magic presence in the Temple, it's likely seeped into the nearby forest. Monsters will be attracted to that energy, and they've likely grown stronger from feasting on each other. Especially if it's been abandoned for millennia."

"Can't we trust in the power of the Hero?" Katlyn snickered as she gave him a playful nudge. "He can flatten entire armies, so I think a few creepy crawlies should be easy for him."

"All joking aside, I'd agree that we need to prepare before heading to the Temple." Kanato sighed, grateful that he could at least still fight monsters if push came to shove. "Yes, I'm strong. Stronger than the three of you combined, but I'm not invincible. For example, Rehael can kick my ass quite handily if she goes all out, and there are plenty of Demi-Gods that give me trouble. Perhaps if Shiroe was here too I'd say we just go straight there and kick the door in guns ablazing. But given the circumstances, we should stop at the Elven Capital. There are a few things I'd like to grab anyway." He said as the four started following the Fairies, who wanted them to walk and talk rather than stand around.

"Shiroe Amakusa. I never met Amdamell's Hero before, but I've heard she's incredibly strong." Nier commented as they followed the Fairies.

"She's is easily the most powerful of the four of us." Kanato replied. "There's a whole story about it, but suffice to say, she was incredibly strong back on our world, and when she was brought here, the power the Gods gave us boosted her to an even more ridiculous level. I have no doubt that she could've fought the three of us at the same time and won if she was ever truly pushed to the breaking point."

{Hell, from what I know about her time back on Earth, it's completely possible she could've become a genuine menace to society if she had the heart for it. She may not have been as ridiculously overpowered as she became on Enoris, but the ability to bench press cars and even outrun them is something no other Human could match.} (Kanato)

"Sure sounds like her help would be useful. Maybe we should try to get our new Boss to send her to help." Katlyn said, half joking.

"I'd rather not get her involved." Kanato turned down her suggestion. "Besides, if Akagi wanted the two of us to tackle an issue together, she would've sent Shiroe to find me instead of you three. That leads me to believe she'd decline even if you asked, and it's not like we can just contact her to ask anyway. This world has many useful things, but long-range communication is quite hard."

{It's times like these where a radio would be nice. Too bad our AR gear doesn't work anymore.} (Kanato)

"I know a few spells to send messages over a great distance, but sending them further than about the edge of the Whistlewoods would be quite hard." Miz'ri commented. Naturally, Akagi could've given them a radio, but they wouldn't know how to use it without Kanato. On top of that the Demon had other methods to obtain information on their goings on and thus such a thing was unneeded anyway.

"Rebeckah mentioned that the Empire has some kind of seeing stone that would let you speak with someone across the entire world if they had one of the others." Kanato said. "But I never saw it, and it sounded really limited anyway."

"Oh, you mean a Plantier?" Nier snapped his fingers as he recalled that item. "I saw one once. It was a looooong time ago, but if we're talking about the same thing, there's one in the Elven Capital."

"When did you see something like that?" Katlyn asked, surprised since she didn't recall ever seeing one during their travels.

"You were drunk, and I was helping out a client of ours while you slept off your hangover." Nier chuckled. "I had to follow him to the Palace, and they were transporting it for something. He told me I was probably the first Human to see it in like a thousand years."

"It just occurred to me that we're going to the Capital of Elves... Are we even going to be allowed in?" Katlyn said as she side eyed Miz'ri.

"Ordinarily, no." Kanato said bluntly. "But they won't have a choice if I'm here. Officially, I'm still the Empire's Hero. They won't deny my and, therefore, my companion's entry. Still, let's not linger too long and push things." He said as they continued into the woods.

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"It's been far too long..." Alm said as she touched down just outside a dense treeline that marked the start of the Whistlewoods. "Much has changed..." She took a deep breath. "And yet... The energy of this place..." She shook her head to dispel unnecessary thoughts. "I don't have time to get nostalgic. Sol should be waiting for me at the Temple if everything is going as planned."

{Though, if everything really does go as planned...} (Alm)

"I'm sorry, Shiroe." Alm said before flying back into the air and over the trees, a conflict look twisting her face.