Laguna Forest - Making Camp

Sigurd's surroundings blurred and twisted. "What!?" He tried to speak, but a wave of nausea and disgust washed over him.

The sensation of being torn from one place and thrust into another washed over him like a turbulent wave. Colours melded together in a magical dance of bizarre hues, and the air crackled with magical energy, sending shivers down his spine.

'Will I die?'

A sense of terror gripped his mind as the colours and broken images tormented him as the teleportation spell finally released its evil grip; Sigurd stood covered in sweat, his combat robes half pulled off his shoulders.

He found himself in the central area of Laguna Forest.

"Wasn't there..." Sigurd's throat felt dry, his words difficult to speak. He searched for the Half-elf who could assist him.

A mass of towering trees that stretched towards the moon surrounded him, like eerie ancient guardians, their bark and roots slightly rotten and corrupted by some dark, sticky ooze.

The forest canopy cast dappled shadows on the forest floor, creating a mishmash of light and darkness that danced with every whisper of the foul wind.

"Hello?" 

The air was thick with the earthy scent of damp soil and decaying leaves, mingling with the sweet fragrance of blooming wildflowers that dotted the forest floor. Each breath filled Sigurd's lungs with the intoxicating aroma of nature and rot.

He could feel a tingling sensation on his skin from the strange aura. It was not natural... the feeling was like when he pulled his magic out to cast spells.

'Is it the dark, evil magic in the forest that turns monsters into Agmar?'

Sigurd remembered many of the lectures from the church priests and bishops. However, they never told why monsters evolved into Agmar or humans devolved into demons. Yet the moment he set foot in this forest...

He felt like an educated guess began forming.

"Miss Elf?" As he took a cautious step forward, the soft crunch of leaves beneath his boots echoed through the tranquil forest, accompanied by the distorted chirping of hidden birds, likely now monsters and the distant rustle of unseen creatures.

The sounds of life surrounded him, a concert of nature's beauty and the dissonance of what evils lingered in this forest.

With every passing moment, Sigurd felt the forest's presence seeping into his very being, a primal connection that stirred something deep within his soul.

It was as if the Laguna Forest welcomed him with open arms, offering its secrets and mysteries for him to uncover, but in return, he would become a sacrifice to feed and nourish the dying trees.

'Hmmm?'

His hand grasped Mammon tight, the ring of greed vibrating to the source of magic, causing Sigurd's headache to recede. He felt the evil, too, stopped oppressing him. Instead, it felt empowering as a warm comfort flowed through Mammon.

"Lord Sigurd!?" 

A beautiful yet familiar voice sounded from behind as a petite figure dashed through the forest, crushing leaves and snapping twigs while holding a spear in her right hand with a curved blade—an elven glaive.

"E-Eva!? It's you?"

"Lord Sigurd, is everything alright? Mother said Meister Medea forgot to give you this." 

Then she extended her hand, holding out a peculiar mask as he took another look. Sigurd noticed Eva wore the same mask, with a strange cloth with beautiful patterns woven into it. Eva wore leather armour with blue robes above them and long black tights that seemed padded.

It seemed half-elves preferred movement over pure defensive materials.

"So you are my escort for this task? Do you have any supplies? Medea just tossed me here and gave me nothing."

"I have a basic storage bracelet with baking, camping, dismantling and building kits."

"Hmm..."

'What's the reason for her abundance of belongings but the absence of supplies?'

He then realised part of the mission is likely learning to eat in the wild while surviving or camping.

"By chance, does the task also mean we are to kill, gather, and build everything we might need to survive the next two weeks?"

"That's true, but Lord Sigurd, we'll likely be here for a month or more. We severely lack the power to defeat even the weakest types of Agmar."

'Eh?'

Sigurd felt that when the church spoke of witches and magic, it could easily destroy the Agmar. Now, he has become one. The truth seemed different from his entire upbringing.

'Does this mean that magic isn't as powerful as they claim?'

"Is... magic weak?"

The Elven girl tapped his shoulder, her face scrunching up as she explained the necessity of using multiple spells to kill them.

"We are mere apprentices. Imagine how many spells it could take to kill an Agmar. The lowest Agmar already has a good resistance to magic. Maybe you could attack one three times and finally kill them, but..."

"Agmar, travel in groups. There is never just one. You know that, right?"

He felt a slight shame. They only fought them when they identified a single target. The church knights were weak and lacked any magic, forced to be the meat shields for the paladins who would smite the beast after it killed many knights.

'They also took the glory, money and respect...'

"Honestly, with the church, we only fought singular Agmar, using a group of knights to take the damage, then five paladins would smite the enemy."

"Eh?" She seemed genuinely shocked, looking at Sigurd, her beautiful blue eyes inquisitively seeking the truth before she sighed.

"Even though the Agmar race is vulnerable to holy magic, the paladins are truly in love with fame and glory; pretending they need five to defeat a single Agmar is stupid."

"Hmmm? This contradicts my knowledge."

Eva approached Sigurd, her delighted eyes gleaming as she poked through his chest. "Silly Sigurd."

"Say our powers are truly born from the same roots. Sigurd, why do you believe our magic would work better against them than the magic born as a polar opposite?"

It was like lightning struck his body suddenly. The forest became silent momentarily while his ears listened to her words repeated several times...

The church tricked him!

No, the entire human race is being tricked. The church exploits Agmar for money. 'Then paladins surely have an advantage when fighting elves!?'

"Sigurd, are you alright? Didn't you know this?"

"No... The church taught the opposite."

"We should ignore that and start getting ready. Because soon, the monsters will become active, and we don't have a base, food or preparations."

"Understood, let's start. I might rely on you a lot, Eva."

Sigurd didn't want to, but he refused to let his arrogance and ego cause him to lose this chance because of bravado. 'I will learn everything I can to do this alone if needed!'

"Hehe, your serious gaze makes my heart race. I don't have a map, but thankfully, elves are good at locating themselves in any forest!"

"Lead the way. I hope to learn many things from you."

"Then maybe I should charge you a fee? Hehe."