Acquiring Help

'Let's see... there isn't any useful magical items that I can afford. As for characters... Gandalf is too expensive, and so are most of the stronger characters and creatures. Aragorn could be a good choice. He's an experienced ranger, so he should be able to help in this blasted forest, and he's amazing with a sword as well. Legolas is also a great choice with his senses exceeding almost everyone else's, so he'd be great at avoiding demon beasts, and as a prince of the Woodland Realm, he has had no shortage of experience with forests. There's also Haldir who's a Marchwarden of Lothlórien and Faramir who is the Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien.'

«Aragorn II Elessar - 99455 Credits -»

«Legolas - 116370 Credits -»

«Haldir - 71000 Credits -»

«Faramir - 52500 -»

Xu Chen continued to dwell on his options since they were all good, but he would at most be able to afford two of them for now. Sadly, he didn't have enough to get both Aragorn and Legolas or Legolas and Haldir.

Thinking about it more, Xu Chen decided to get Aragorn and Haldir. He had two reasons for this. One, Aragorn had a wealth of experience in traveling and navigating difficult environments, and he was also great in close-quarters combat. Two, although Haldir's senses and skills with a bow were not as good as Legolas, his senses were still far above Aragorn or any mortal human. He was also proficient in a variety of weapons, close and long-range.

Xu Chen nodded to himself as he selected the both of them and pressed purchase, which left him with 3205 credits.

Two brilliant flashes illuminated the Store's interior for a brief moment before fading away to reveal Aragorn and Haldir, who were examining their surroundings. After a quick look around, their eyes settled on Xu Chen.

"I am in your service, sir." Said Aragorn as he knelt before Xu Chen. It made Xu Chen feel quite flustered since Aragorn was one of his favorite characters of Lord of the Rings, and seeing him kneel like this felt strange.

"And I also am in your service, lord." Voiced Haldir right after Aragorn, and he too knelt.

Xu Chen said hastily to the both of them, "Please stand up, there's no need to kneel for me, and please call me Chen."

They both stood up as he finished his words, and they once again scanned their surroundings questioningly.

"Then might I ask where we are, Chen?" Aragorn asked as his gaze landed on the Merchant that made him feel something he'd never felt before, but what precisely that was he did not know.

Xu Chen nodded as he quickly explained what he knew of the world and everything he'd been through to the both of them.

They were both puzzled by the concept of cultivation, but they did understand that these 'cultivators' were most likely far stronger than anything they knew from what Xu Chen experienced with the red-haired young man.

"If the illusion that affected you in the plains doesn't apply to this forest, then I can lead us out by climbing a tree to see where the forest ends." Haldir said with a bit of uncertainty since there was a chance the illusion also applied to the forest, which would make escaping incredibly hard.

"That sounds like our best option, but we should wait a while for that redheaded bastard to leave. I don't think either of you could fight him and survive." Xu Chen agreed with Haldir but cautioned against going outside right now. Aragorn and Haldir could kill dozens, maybe even hundreds, of orcs by themselves, but cultivators like the red-haired young man were far too fast and strong for them to fight an extended period of time.

"I concur with Chen. We must wait for that man and woman to leave before making any moves." Said Aragorn as he tore his gaze away from the Merchant.

"We shall wait then." Said Haldir as he sat down next to the door and patiently began waiting.

Meanwhile, Aragorn was still studying the surroundings and spotted a glint out of the corner of his eye. Walking over, he saw a knife he was familiar with lying on the counter.

"Where did you find this?" Aragorn questioningly asked Xu Chen as he took up the blade and inspected it closely.

"Ah, yes! The Morgul-Knife, I acquired it before I got the both of you. I'm not sure if it'll have any lasting effect on cultivators, but I plan to keep it as a last resort nonetheless." Xu Chen explained as he walked over to Aragorn's side, who was still looking at the Morgul-Knife.

"It is a cursed blade that inflicts untold pain upon those upon those it stabs as the fragment digs its way towards their heart. If left uncured, they will be another among the ranks of the wraiths." Aragorn recalled what he knew of the weapon as he placed it back down onto the counter.

Xu Chen nodded as he already knew about the Morgul-Knife's properties, maybe even better than Aragorn did. He took it the Morgul-Knife and tried the storage for the first time.

«Morgul-Knife has been stored! Cooldown: 30 Minutes!»

The knife disappeared silently from Xu Chen's hand, causing Aragorn to raise his brow questioningly.

"I stored the Morgul-Knife away, but I can't take it back out for another twenty-nine minutes. I can also store you and Haldir in a similar fashion." Xu Chen explained to Aragorn his storage and how he could even store Aragorn himself and Haldir.

"It is a good way to infiltrate." Aragorn couldn't help but comment, and Xu Chen agreed. With the storage, he could easily bring the characters he purchased anywhere he went, and, as long as their cooldown was done, he could take them out at a moment's notice.

"You better make yourself comfortable Aragorn, we might have to wait for a while. Haldir, crack open the door every half an hour and listen for any movements outside. If there is none, then please wake me if I am not already up." Xu Chen said as he sat down against the counter and closed his eyes to rest. His old wound and bruises were still stinging painfully as he slept.

...

"Chen, wake up." Xu Chen was awoken by Aragorn and quickly stood up. He was feeling much better than when he'd fallen asleep. His bruises were now only slightly sore, and his old wound had stopped stinging painfully whenever he turned.

"Is the redhead and the girl gone?" Xu Chen asked as he did a few stretches to prepare his body for the possible long walk there might be ahead.

"I can only say they aren't in the vicinity of the door. There is no guarantee we will not encounter them." Haldir replied bluntly and with a serious expression on his face.

"That's alright, worst-case scenario, we take cover in the Store again." Said Xu Chen as he led them out of the Store. The temperature outside had already fallen drastically compared to when the Scarlet Bloom had been there, and Xu Chen could even hear birds rustling in the trees.

"Haldir, keep an ear out for any quick movements. The redhead isn't our only concern here; there's also demon beasts wandering around these woods, so be extremely careful and keep your eyes keen as they can be deceptively quiet compared to their size." Xu Chen warned Haldir and Aragorn. They both solemnly remembered what he'd said about the bull-like demon beast and the nightmarish-rabbit. Hence, they both began continuously scanning their surroundings for anything out of the ordinary.

They first ensured the area they were in was safe, and upon doing so, Haldir nimbly climbed the tallest tree he could locate in their surroundings. Meanwhile, both Xu Chen and Aragorn kept watch attentively as they waited for Haldir to come down with his findings.

"I saw the edge of the forest. It is approximately a six-hour walk from our position." Haldir reported as he landed gracefully from the tree and said to Xu Chen and Aragorn, "Follow me, I'll guide our way." They both followed behind Haldir while keeping their eyes sharp for the presence of any demon beasts that might be silently prowling the forest.

The group continued on like this for three hours before both Aragorn and Haldir halted, which prompted Xu Chen to stop and look at the tree they were standing before. On it was a number of large claw marks that reached deep into the tree.

"Territorial markings. It seems our path will be dangerous if we continue this way." Aragorn gravely stated, and Haldir nodded in agreement with this statement.

"Should we go around then?" Xu Chen asked Aragorn, who was inspecting the markings' depth, clearly impressed by whatever could shred the thick bark of this tree so much.

"That is up to you Chen, going around could take an unknown amount of time, and who knows what we might encounter while doing so. Whereas if we keep going, we could encounter whatever left these markings, or we might not and leave the forest in the next three hours." Aragorn said in reply as he turned to face Xu Chen and await his decision.

"Mhhh... We'll take our chances through this territory." Xu Chen thought for a moment before deciding so. There was danger by going through this territory. Still, he'd rather face a demon beast over the chance of running into the redheaded young man and the woman that was with him.

They steeled themselves as they walked beyond the territory's borders and silently moved through it while keeping their attention at maximum for any odd movements. The demon beast that marked this territory could probably slice them cleanly in half if the damage on the tree was anything to go by, so even the slightest sign of anything amiss was cause enough to hide in the Store.

Thankfully for the trio, they never saw any other signs of the demon beast as they reached the outskirt of the forest and saw the hills and signs of civilization beyond.