The next day...
Rain on Occuna wasn't anything like on earth. The winds were less violent, but the icy-cold raindrops felt like miniature daggers, ready to skin a person alive.
To make things worse, the raindrops were known to move horizontally instead of vertically, making it more difficult to trace the path ahead. The way through the forest was muddied, forcing everyone to move at a snail's speed.
Thankfully, since Ashton and Anna both shared an affinity towards the fire, the coldness of the weather had little to no effect on them. As for the sharp raindrops, they had borrowed special armour from Qalea to protect themselves.
Ashton and Anna were the only ones who entered the forest to look for the artefact. He had a plethora of reasons for not allowing the rest to follow them.