Chapter 97: Hollow Woods
>>Hael
Eldias walked beside me as we ventured deeper into Hollow Woods. A light purple colored glow surrounded our bodies that was filtering the poison out of the air for us.
Night had loomed over us and everything was dark in the forest. So we had an orb of light with us. It floated ahead, casting a gentle blue glow that pushed back the shadows and illuminated the path. The light revealed more of the desolate landscape: trees that stood like sentinels, their bark peeling and blackened; patches of earth where no grass or plants grew, only a sickly, grayish dirt that seemed to drink in the light rather than reflect it.
The poisonous fog swirled around our legs, toxic vapors that made the air thick and difficult to breathe. I could feel its touch against my magical defenses, a constant, insidious pressure that seemed to want to seep through any crack or weakness.
"Still no sign of the miasma source," Eldias said, his voice a low rumble in the otherwise silent forest.
"No," My breath formed small, misty clouds in the cold night air, "I doubt we’re going to find miasma here but it still doesn’t sit well with me that the woods constricted something ominous."
Eldias nodded, his eyes scanning our surroundings with a thoughtful frown. "The king said someone sent back the message from here. I heard he used the last bit of his magic to send a mana bird out."
"Hmm,"
"Why would he be in this place though? There’s nothing to research here either."
"There’s nothing that would prove helpful," I replied, "But he might want to know how the forest ended up like this."
"Hollow Woods has been like this for centuries." Eldias answered.