Chapter Sixteen

The countryside surrounding the dungeon consisted mainly of flat grasslands, though Edward saw other features hidden near the horizon. Edward saw a large mountain to the south of the dungeon. It's white peaks and broad frame seemed indestructible to Edward. To the east and west rested round stones and rolling hills. As he moved north, though, Edward found himself walking lower in elevation. 

Five minutes after he began to leave the dungeon's vicinity, he and Ikarus arrived at the border of a large forest. As Edward gazed upon the trees before him, he couldn't help but feel like the forest was telling him to stay out. The trees were tall and thick— with branches of leaves that drooped over the trunks like waterfalls. The canopy above the dirt ground coated the forest in a dark green hue— blocking much of the sun's light in the process. Edward saw legions of roots sticking out from the ground like an army of rotten hands poking from gravesites. For a moment, he found himself believing these roots to be capable of trapping him in the forest forever.

In this imagination of his, he saw himself being grappled around the ankles and pulled into the earth. The wooden roots would coat his body like a suit of armor and push him closer to the tree's center. Then, when his body would make contact with the trunk itself his flesh would melt and his blood would boil.

Edward opened his eyes and found himself standing just outside the forest. His breath was labored and his body was shaking. Edward looked at Ikarus and found the young dragon in a similar situation. His blue eyes darted from left to right as he searched for danger.

"It's alright, buddy," Edward said as he caressed his dragon's mane. Ikarus purred nervously as he clutched the hems of Edward's armor with a tighter grip. Edward gazed back at the forest and swallowed a ball of saliva, "This forest is cursed. Are you sure you saw a town in this direction?"

Ikarus didn't answer, obviously, so Edward's question went unanswered. Edward considered whether they should move around the forest or brave through it. When he remembered how large the forest was he realized it would take several days of travel to reach a town. He didn't have that much free time to waste. He unsheathed his sword and then began to step forward. Ikarus clutched his armor with an even tighter grip than before as his neck craned to gaze in every direction.

Ikarus didn't dare leap off of Edward's shoulder, lest he be killed while vulnerable in the air. As Edward slowly moved into the forest territory, Edward brought his sword up to his stomach and pointed it away from his chest. He didn't know what the best way to wield a sword was, but he assumed this method would work well enough.

Edward kept his left hand free— mainly because his sword's hilt was too small to hold with both hands— and soon began to wish he had a shield. A shield would make him feel much more secure and safe. As Edward moved further and further into the forest, he found the trees became more and more abundant. 

Before, when he looked to his left and right he wouldn't see a tree for three or so meters. Now, however, there was a tree within a meter in his every direction. The roots that once seemed to barely poke through the dirt now wanted to bring Edward into the dirt with every fiber of their power. No longer could Edward see the sun above him— but instead darkness and shadow.

The forest was eerily silent. Edward stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes. He focused his attention on the sounds around him, hoping to hear anything in the silence of the forest. Suddenly, Edward opened his eyes Edward gripped his sword harder as chills ran down his spine. In that moment, his body seemed to move on its own. He quickly dived forward, throwing Ikarus off his shoulder in the process. The young dragon landed safely on the dirt, though he was very surprised. As Edward's body moved through the air like a gymnastic, Edward felt a dangerous blade of wind rip apart the air where his head once was.

The blade of air continued forward for a full meter until it collided with the bark surface of the first tree in its way. The blade of compressed air cut through the tree— slicing it in half with ease. The top half of the tree began to fall to the ground, its branches and leaves swaying in the wind. The tree's bark surface creaked and groaned before cracking once it hit the dirt below.

Edward's shoulder touched the ground- yet the momentum continued forward until his body rolled into a summersault. He ended his acrobatic performance as his feet touched the ground— now facing the opposite direction. Ikarus, having recovered from his brief period of shock, turned to face their new foe.

A small creature— only the size of a small child, gazed back at them. The creature's form was humanoid, but its proportions were all wrong. The creature's legs and arms were thin and weak. The claws were pointy but its fingers were malnourished and deformed. The creature wore a fur tunic and a beaded bone necklace. As Edward's gaze lifted to the creature's face, he was disgusted to find a strange mix of human, dog, and cat. The creature had cat-like ears, a dog's snout with broken and sharp teeth, and human eyes. On top of all of these vile features was a layer of gray wrinkly skin.

The creature was ugly beyond all repair. The creature— a goblin, Edward immediately realized— looked at Edward in surprise. It lifted its right arm, which carried a small wooden staff, and shouted a strange language Edward did not understand. The bulb on the staff's end glowed green and a straight line of green energy began to form above the goblin's head.

In the next moment, the hairs on Edward's neck stood up in fright. Edward quickly dodged to the side in a desperate attempt to dodge whatever was thrown at him. As soon as he moved, the line of pure green energy shot forward before turning invisible in the next moment. The blade of compressed air shot it in Edward's direction with the speed of a flying arrow. The attack missed, thanks to Edward's quick reaction, and struck another tree behind them.

'A mage!' Edward realized. The goblin's human-like eyes widened at Edward as its dog-like snout snarled in rage. The goblin raised its staff once more, this time summoning two blades at once. Both Edward and Ikarus rushed forward, both of them dodging the blades as soon as they were summoned. Edward used his legs to push himself forward— successfully dodging the attack by executing another roll— while Ikarus simply flew into the air.

The goblin was only three meters away from them but it kept attacking every second that passed. Edward realized very soon that the goblin was too strong for them to defeat the traditional way. Every time he dodged one attack— another would be summoned to strike him once more. Ikarus was struggling just as much as he was, despite his agility.

'Shit, this isn't good!'