The next morning, we entered the mist-filled forest, with Ariane leading the way and Chiyome and me following close behind. Ponta sat atop my helmet while I carried the party’s gear on my back.
What little light managed to break the dense leaf cover above cast an interesting pattern at our feet, illuminating a path through the trees, as if to invite us farther into the forest. Everything in this ominous, hazy wood looked the same to me, making it difficult to sense where we were going. However, Ariane marched ahead confidently, as if she were on some nature hike.
Once the magic-suppressing mist finally dissipated, we used my teleportation magic to advance through the woods. Just before noon, we arrived at the point where the Lydel and Librout rivers branched off—the same point we’d crossed on our previous journey through the forest. I used Dimensional Step to take us to the other side of the river.
I took a moment to look across the scene, observing the unique landscape where the large river split in two, in case I needed to teleport back here.
When I mentioned this idea to Ariane, she retorted that we could simply teleport straight to Lalatoya. I let out a low groan at my own stupidity. Ariane paid me no mind and marched back into the forest.
The trees on the opposite shore were no longer the huge, ancient ones that filled the Great Canada Forest. Here, we were greeted by dense clusters of more moderately sized trees and undergrowth. We pushed through the shrubbery, fighting off the occasional monster as we continued our journey, and teleporting whenever we got a clear line of sight.
As we made our way northwest, the ground slowly took on a steeper incline. We came upon a small footpath, which we followed up a tree-covered hill. A short time later, we caught sight of the setting sun through gaps in the foliage as the shadows lengthened and darkened.
“We’ll stay here for the night,” Ariane said.
She used her sword to chop off a low-hanging branch in front of her, revealing a clearing, then pointed with her sword.
I looked where she was pointing and saw three large trees towering over the ones around them. They were probably ten meters tall, and leaned toward each other, their branches overlapping and intertwined, forming a nest-like structure in the sky. A deck connected the three trees, resembling an observation platform sitting atop three support pillars.
“Wow, that’s… Well… What is it?” I asked.
“Kyii!”
Ponta cried out in excitement and dove off my shoulder, catching a breeze to fly straight up to the platform. I lost sight of it as soon as it landed on the deck.
“The elves built this outpost. Soldiers use places like this when we’re hunting for monsters or on other errands.”
It definitely looked like the kind of place where you could relax without having to worry about land-based creatures attacking. However, it also seemed like it would be quite a challenge for anyone without teleportation magic to reach—even more so if they were weighed down by equipment.
We’d each packed the items we’d need for our journey through the forest into simple rucksacks on our backs. I’d actually packed lightly, figuring I’d be able to use my teleportation magic. Even so, it was no small load. The average person would probably need a pulley to get their gear onto the platform.
Chiyome let out a low whistle as she looked at the elevated structure. “Wow. This is really impressive work. Did the elves build places like this throughout the forest?”
Ariane puffed out her chest and smiled broadly, apparently quite pleased by the compliment. However, the smile quickly disappeared, replaced instead with a slight frown.
“Up until recently, we had several small villages here on this side of the river. These outposts were made for the local soldiers. However, as the humans grew their slave trade, we had to abandon the villages.”
Chiyome looked somber as she gazed at the elven woman, her face cloaked in shadow.
Ariane shook her head, offering Chiyome a gentle smile before making her way toward the large trees. She placed a hand on the thick ivy wrapped around the closest tree trunk.
“The sun’s about to set. We should make camp.” As Ariane spoke, she began climbing the tree, using the trunk’s indentations and ivy growth as handholds. She hauled herself up with her bag still on her back.
Chiyome darted to the tree and climbed up after Ariane.
Actually, calling what they did “climbing” didn’t do it justice.
I craned my neck and moved around until I found a place where I could teleport straight onto the platform using Dimensional Step. Sure, I was strong, but if I could avoid climbing a tree with massive armor on, I would.
On the platform, I found that the two women had already put down their gear and were making camp. Ponta ran around the perimeter, looking down at the forest below as if claiming territory.
Despite our added weight, the platform didn’t show any sign of collapsing. A layer of grass underfoot gave us the delightful feeling of walking on a lawn. From below, the platform appeared to be made of interwoven branches. From where I stood now, however, it felt like a solid, flat surface.
At the platform’s center was a stone firepit, carefully constructed to shield the surrounding wood from stray sparks.
I watched as Ariane and Chiyome placed twigs they’d gathered during their climb onto the stones.
“This place has a pretty unique look, Miss Ariane. It wouldn’t be hard for me to remember it. We could spend the night in the village and teleport back here tomorrow.”
“You’re probably right. But all these outposts look alike. So, if we wind up using another one, it’ll be hard for you to differentiate them.”
“Hmm.”
“Besides, we just finished setting up camp. We’re going to be roughing it for the next few days, so we might as well get used to it. Have you camped before, Arc?”
“Well…”
I had, actually. However, I didn’t see any of the creature comforts—like a propane burner, proper tent, or heavily insulated sleeping bag—that I had the last time I went camping. In that sense, this really was my first time roughing it. Getting used to living in the wilderness on our journey to the spring would be a good experience for me.
Also, as Ariane mentioned, if we wound up using similar outposts along the way, then it was totally possible—even likely—that I might mistake one for another and teleport us all the way back to the first.
I also risked teleporting us to some random outpost if I didn’t have a clear, distinct memory of the one I wanted to reach. In that case, we’d be stuck wandering the woods for who knew how long.
From what I’d been told, people with a poor sense of direction had that problem because they didn’t properly burn images of locations into their minds. However, I sensed that Ariane, with her ability to march through the forest without the slightest hint of hesitation, could have easily distinguished between each and every outpost if she had teleportation magic.
With all that in mind, I agreed with Ariane’s assessment, and asked her and Chiyome how I could help. They just told me to stand back and watch.
With nothing useful to do, I picked Ponta up from the grass, put it in my lap, and wrapped my arms around my knees, patiently watching the two women work.
Ariane pulled a large, folded piece of canvas from her rucksack and hung it over a rope she’d tied between two of the large trees. She attached the canvas edges to the platform with small straps, resulting in a very familiar shape: a triangle tent.