First Encounter

They had been traveling through the forest for about half a day. They took twenty minutes breaks at four hours interval.

Kal ran in a leisurely manner, but he was still ahead of the group, it seemed that even if the other two tried to overtake him, they wouldn't be able to. He occasionally took a sip from his flask, the only thing he brought along on this journey. 

Elara with her bow slung behind her back moved with grace, her steps light and silent on the damp forest floor, her feet were barely touching the ground with each step that she took, it was like the wind was aiding her movement. She was right behind Kal and with Silax next to her.

Silax ran with a more strategic approach, every step place at the right angle making the rough terrain of the forest seem like a smooth plain, his breathing was controlled, and he kept his eyes peeled for any danger.

Soon they got to a section of the forest where the mist clung stubbornly to the ancient trees, this was indication that they were now in Whisperwood. An hour after they stepped into the mist, the tranquility was shattered by a high-pitched shriek.

A swarm of winged insects, their bodies covered in exoskeleton as dark as night, materialized from the trees. They were as large as a house cat, their needle-sharp proboscises glistened ominously.

The group reacted fast and efficiently.

Silax drew his blade from his side slicing one of the insects in two with the same motion. Each insect that dared to veer too close met a swift end, his blade, a blur of silver, danced through the air and sliced methodically through the gaps in the insects' exoskeleton, leaving behind a trail of fallen foes.

He didn't waste a single movement, his fluid form weaving through the insect cloud. A glint of silver here, a spray of viscous black goo there, each strike precise and lethal. He moved with a set of calculated steps amidst the buzzing swarm cutting a deadly swath through the creatures.

As he dispatched of every insect that came close to him, he took his time to observe his companions and their fighting styles.

Elara was about to be drowned in a cloud of insects when she flicked of her wrist, calling upon the element of air. A swirling vortex materialized around her, pushing back the swarm, the insects that were caught in the whirlwind were tossed and battered, their buzzing replaced by a quiet screech.

She didn't hesitate, as she quickly pulled out her bow from her back and let loose arrows from her bow, these were no ordinary arrows, but ones made of flames. They were the very essence of fire, they streaked through the air, a flaming projectile, each of them found their mark with deadly accuracy, turning its victims into burning husks.

'That confirms that she's a spiritualist with at least one sigil inscribed, the Orenda-Sigil for air, can't confirm her control over the element of fire. She hasn't used it in any other way other than as arrows, so it could just be an enchantment on her bow.'

Then he focused on Kal's side of the battle, curious on what weapon the laid-back man used.

Kal with nimble movement dodged the descent of the insects, taking his time to roll up his sleeves. When he was done adjusting his sleeves, he swatted the insects away with the back of his hands, he used their own momentum against them, redirecting their charge with a shove or a well-placed kick, each hit causing the abdomens of the insects to rupture.

He sidestepped a particular swift insect with surprising agility, this insect was also twice as large as the others, about the size of a dog, he twisted, and slammed his hand down on the insect's back. A shockwave ran through the entirety of its body, it fell to the ground unmoving, as soon as it hit the ground, the few that remained of the swarm let out a screech then dispersed in a disorderly manner.

'He's strong. To be able to make those insects burst apart like that, his hits must really pack quite the punch, and that last hit on the queen of the colony, it must have bypassed its armor and wrecked its insides.'

The onslaught subsided as quickly as it began, leaving behind a buzzing silence and a reminder of the dangers that lurked within the forest.

Kal looked around as if expecting more, seeing that everywhere was clear, he began to roll his sleeves down, with a look of disappointment on his.

"That was boring, I expected more from the welcoming party, that wasn't even enough to get my blood flowing."

Elara was unamused by his statement, and her expression clearly showed that. She turned to looked at him and said:

"I was hoping we wouldn't come across mud-daubers. I guess that was wishful thinking."

Silax raised his head from wiping the goo off his blade at the sound of Elara's voice, he was amazed at how soft it was, the few words she spoke sounded like the plucking of the strings of the harp. This prompted him to give a response.

"We were lucky this time around, this was probably a new colony with an immature queen, otherwise she wouldn't have left the nest with the swarm. The deeper we venture, the larger and more dangerous the colonies will get."

This was the first time any of them had said a word since they left Scola, each preferred to travel in silence for different reasons.

Elara went around the scene of their first battle and gathered all her kills, while she did this, she kept on muttering something silently, Silax heard what she was saying and recognized a few words from an ancient rite he read about. He realized what she was doing and decided to help, he chose a spot near the base of a giant tree nearby and started to dig. 

Kal was perplexed by the actions of his companions.

"What are you guys doing?"

Silax looked up from the hole he was digging, he looked at Elara, he realized she had no intention of answering, or maybe she couldn't because she couldn't pause while reciting what she was, so he decided to answer.

"She plans to bury them in accordance with the Rite of Yahvi. At least that's what I think, I'm not well versed on this tradition."

Elara paused her gathering of the corpses of the insects, she looked at him in surprise, she didn't expect Silax to know about this tradition. She thought he was one of those elves that just threw money about, exploring ancient ruins and claiming they wanted to connect to their ancestors and return the relics found in ruins to where they belonged, but in fact they were just bored and didn't know what else to spend their money on.

Kal just laughed at the answer he received, he opened his flask took as sip then walked up to a tree, leaned on it and watched them.

By the time Elara was done gathering the remains, Silax had already finished digging a hole big enough for them to fit in. They both threw the insects in the hole, then Elara controlled the wind, using it to move the dirt and cover them up.

She stood in silence for a minute then said in ancient elvish:

"Spirit of the forest, you return whence you came. May your sacrifice nourish the earth, and your peace be woven into the eternal circle of life."

Silax was standing next to her, he was enthralled by the atmosphere, and he repeated after her subconsciously.

"Spirit of the forest, you return whence you came. May your sacrifice nourish the earth, and your peace be woven into the eternal circle of life."

Elara smiled a little, she was beginning to see this elf in a new light.

Kal on seeing they were done left the tree he was leaning on and asked:

"Can we continue now?"