Peritia wakes with a start to the sound of shouting and screams. She pulls herself from the bed strapping on her equipment and looking around the room.
Letalis is absent from her bed, but Fortis is still resting in his. She moves to the window, looking out to locate the source of the noise. Outside she can see a huge building, ponies sitting everywhere around the inside. In the middle she can just barely make out a red and white blur.
Letalis is in some sort of coliseum, fighting something, but Peritia can't see what it is from here. The crowd erupts into thunderous cheers as some mighty beast falls, shaking the very earth beneath it.
Peritia steps back from the window, thinking. On one hoof, having such a deadly warrior with her should mean she's safe. On the other hoof, though, what if somehow she managed to get on Letalis' bad side?
Peritia shivers at the thought, doing her best to suppress it. She looks over at Fortis, then back out the window at the sky. The sun is just above the mountain peaks, the skyline filled with the reds and purples of sunrise.
Peritia decides to take a quick look around the small mountain-side village. She's surprised to find that the local store has some basic alchemy supplies in stock. She picks up a few things and packs them into her saddlebags.
The cheers of the coliseum spectators fill the air, a constant background noise as Peritia moves around to each building. The buildings are mostly wooden, though the coliseum is almost entirely stone, it seems likes it's carved from the mountain instead of constructed.
Peritia finally looks up at the imposing stone walls, admiring the intricate markings on the coliseum. She recognises some of them as alchemical symbols, ignis shows up a lot, used to symbolise the fiery passion within the coliseum.
The gates of the coliseum are the only metal in the whole thing, they're open and inviting, but Peritia turns and returns to the Inn. She heads upstairs to check on Fortis. He's still in bed, seemingly peaceful. The cheering from the coliseum rises suddenly, then finally dies down.
Peritia sits on her bed as Letalis enters the room, wearing a big smile. The blades of her knives are clean, reflective and sharp. She walks over to Fortis, giving him a small shake. He wakes immediately, giving her a questioning look. She nods and he crawls out of the bed, donning his gear.
Suddenly the three are leaving, ponies flood the streets as the coliseum empties. The adventurers step through the massive gates of the village. A few ponies offer a goodbye to Letalis, given her performance in the coliseum. She gives a simple wave back as the gates close.
Fortis starts walking down the mountain, followed by Letalis and then Peritia. It's not long before they're back in the forest, and then out of it once more. Rolling fields stretch out before them, bordered by rising mountain sides. Far away, on the opposite edge of the plains, is a thicker, darker, more dangerous forest, Darkwood forest. Peritia has heard of it, heard stories of adventurers lost in it, never seen again. It has a reputation for being dangerous and uncontrollable.
Slowly, the group crosses the vast terrain. Peritia stops for a short bit a few times to collect plants for potion making. It's not long though before they've reached the edge of the forest. Peering in, they can only see a couple metres before everything fades into the shadows. Fortis turns around to face Peritia.
"Be on your guard, Peri. I'm sure you're aware of the dangers ahead." He warns, turning and taking his first step into Darkwood Forest. Peritia sticks much closer to Letalis and her much closer to Fortis. Losing eachother would surely be deadly in a place like this, for Peritia at least.
They walk for hours, or what feels like hours, the trees completely block out the sunlight save for the tiniest speck here and there. Without the sun for reference, the passage of time may as well be non-existent.
Tiny critters scurry away as the adventurers pass by, towering over them. Only the sound of their movement comes out of the darkness. Occasionally a larger animal will emerge for a second, then hurriedly dash back into the safety of the dark.
Eventually the forest starts to darken further, the sun setting. Remaining together, the three gather firewood and set up a campfire for the night. There are no clearings in Darkwood forest, so they choose a spot with a bit more space and set up tents for the night.
Peritia curls up on her side within her tent, alone with her thoughts. She's had plenty of time to consider and, given where they are right now, having Letalis around isn't so bad. She closes her eyes, the dream realm enveloping her.