Chapter Four: Encounter

Shawn arrived at the front of the vast Forbidden Forest. He saw a placard nailed to a huge oak tree. It warned him to take care of the dangerous creatures such as creepers, which explode, skeletons that shoot arrows, zombies, and aggressive Endermen that might be strolling around.

Without hesitation, Shawn began his journey to the forest. While walking, he glanced at the monochrome drawing Emma gave him before he left the capital. He started looking around for the thought that he might find what he was looking for.

He found other plants such as nether wart, kelp, vines, poppy, azure bluet, oxeye daisy, rose bush, and tulips, but he hadn't seen any clover plants yet. He also encountered some slimes leaping around, but they weren't dangerous at all because of their low levels.

"It's too early to give up," Shawn reminded himself, and he continued his journey. He didn't expect that it would be so difficult to get one.

As he walked in the woodland, he saw an orc approaching him from the bushes. It had a black and ugly form with two large pointed horns, more realistic than what was shown in the drawing. Its eyes were crimson red; it had sharp and long claws, as well as prickly fangs.

Shawn couldn't move his feet from what he saw; he was frozen, and his knees and shoulders were shaking in fear. It was his first time seeing such a creature. It ran towards him and attempted to scratch his face with its long claws. He couldn't even scream for help.

Fortunately, a girl jumped in front of him and slashed its chest. The orc didn't show any blood as it screamed and vanished in the air, and a violet crystal dropped on the ground.

Shawn was relieved and thankful that someone saved him. But another orc appeared and ran towards them. He didn't know where they were coming from because they would just suddenly appear. But regardless of the danger, Shawn's jaw dropped in amazement at the way the girl fought and defeated them.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she sheathed her sword and offered him a hand. "It's quite dangerous here; you must not let your guard down and ask for help if you're lost, stranger."

The girl gazed closely and thoroughly at Shawn from head to toe, as if she were undressing him. She was confused about why he looked so different, as if he came from another world, with the way he behaved and dressed.

She shook her head, seeing him as if he were a demon. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to examine or inspect you. By the way, what are you doing in this forest? Are you on a quest alone?" She asked.

Shawn accepted her hand, stood up, and replied, "Yes, I'm in a quest. I'm looking for clover leaves for the adventurer's guild, and I don't know that there would be many orcs here."

"So you're a newbie? By the way, I'm Alice." She introduced herself and smiled charmingly. "I'm also an adventurer."

Alice walked towards the violet crystals, took them from the ground, and put them inside her small sling bag. She had bluish-black hair clipped by a hairpin and her bluish eyes, which looked serious. She was wearing a pile of blue robe, a blouse, and a long sleeve.

"I'm Shawn," Shawn replied. "Anyway, thank you for saving me."

"No problem. I just did what anyone would do," Alice replied, taking something from her satchel. It was an old, torn map, and the lines were almost faded. "I'm also looking for clover plants; wanna join?"

She didn't wait for his reply as she rolled the map and put it inside her satchel. Then she turned to continue her journey into the deepest part of the forbidden forest, where the clover plants were located.

"What's that crystal?" Shawn asked, pointing his finger at the violet crystal slightly protruding from Alice's sling bag.

"Ah, these crystals are used in making swords. If you can collect many, you can ask the swordsmith at the capital to make you a sword, but with payment, of course," Alice explained.

Shawn remained silent as he cautiously followed Alice. It would be nice if he could collect something like that, even though he didn't have enough strength to defeat an orc. He had to be brave if he wanted to collect those crystals.

He couldn't hear anything except for their light footsteps, chirping birds, and the peaceful clicking of the leaves of tall trees. Laterally, Alice halted before him.

"Why have we stopped?" Shawn asked.

"Shhhh. I can feel a strong presence coming from that direction." Alice pointed a finger at the thick bushes fifteen meters away from where they were standing.

"An orc?" Shawn asked in a low voice.

"No. It's someone's presence, a strong mana. Can't you feel it?" Alice asked while unsheathing her sword. "Stay here." She gestured.

"I'm sorry, I came from a different world, and I can't sense someone's presence because I can't use magic," Shawn apologized in his mind as he observed the girl slowly approach the bushes.

An ardor and continuous swords-fight suddenly broke the silence and stillness of the quiescent forest. The colorful insects and butterflies were aroused from their slumber as a familiar woman came out from the bush and fought Alice using her long, glistening sword.

"Ava?" Shawn whispered to himself when he realized it was Ava who was hiding from the bush. "But what is she doing here?"

He didn't know what she was doing there in the bush, but he remembered what Ash told him—that Ava and the wizard who lives in the forest were always together. That might be the reason she was there.

Shawn was surprised when someone touched his shoulder. As he looked back, he saw a man wearing a black robe and a pointed black hat. He had red eyes and a demonic aura.

His heavy presence told Shawn who he was. It was none other than his rival in Ava's heart, Allen Flinch. Shawn couldn't see or feel his mana, but he could sense his devilish intention, so he stepped back.

Allen smiled and suggested, "Let's bet who'll win, stranger. I bet on Ava."

Shawn wondered if this wizard was forcing him to bet on Alice because he didn't give him a choice. He didn't know what he was planning to do, but he had no choice but to be a man and agree with his drivel.

"I'm betting a hundred silver coins," Allen said as he crossed his arms around each other's and leaned on an oak tree. His straight and black hair covered some parts of his face.

Shawn remained silent while watching Ava and Alice continue fighting. He wasn't thinking of losing a hundred gold coins since he didn't even have a single penny. Some of the innocent trees had fallen as they accidentally cut them, making their own battlefield.

"Is this all you can do?" Ava kicked Alice's legs when she let her guard down. "You're wide open."

Alice was sent flying by Ava's kick full of terrifying mana. She plummeted and bumped her head against a tree and lost her consciousness.

"Not bad, Ava! You're really a battlefield maniac," Allen applauded while approaching them. "You've quickly defeated her. He's indebted me a hundred silver coins now."

"Shawn?" Ava asked as she stared at Shawn, who was walking towards them. "What are you doing here?" She didn't want him to see what she did. She knew it could affect how he perceived her.

"Uh, hi! Ava. I and Alice are on a quest. We're looking for clover plants for the guild," Shawn replied, slightly scratching his head. He couldn't believe that Ava could hurt someone like that, but he was amazed by her strength.

"You're with this woman?" Ava asked. She stared at Alice, who slowly came back to her consciousness and touched her aching head.

"Are you okay?" Allen asked and offered Alice a hand, who also accepted it and quickly stood up. "I'm sorry for my friend, Ava. She's just always hot-headed with an obsidian attitude."

"It's okay. It was my fault that I let my guard down and underestimated what she could do. But I wasn't hurt after all," Alice replied. She smiled sweetly, even though her nose was bleeding.

Allen was so enticed by Alice's beauty and endurance that she didn't even complain, regardless of her condition. He helped her stand and wiped her bleeding nose with the tip of his robe.

"I think we should introduce ourselves to each other," Allen suggested. "By the way, I'm Allen Flinch; I'm a wizard, and I live in this forest. Others called me a monster, a demon, or something like that, but I'm just an ordinary hunter."

"I'm Alice Wonders," Alice simply replied with a smile.

"You don't have to know my name, but I'm telling you one thing, Alice. Stay away from Shawn if you don't want to fight me!" Ava warned. "He's just an ordinary boy for you to seduce."

Shawn was surprised upon hearing Ava's words, which sounded like music in his ears. He didn't expect to hear that from her own lips. He fell into the snare of his own thoughts again, thinking that perhaps Ava really cared about him, as she seemed jealous seeing him and Alice on a quest together.

"Don't be angry, Ava. Alice is just a girl who's on a quest with your friend," Allen defended. "By the way, what's your name, boy? Don't forget about my hundred silver coins."

"He's Shawn," Ava interrupted. "And don't dare to touch him, Allen, or you'll regret it."

"Alright. I'm not touching your boy. Besides, I can't sense any magic from him that I can use with my studies," Allen smirked. "What if we'll just look somewhere else?"

"Arrivederci, Alice!" Allen said before he took his way.

"Good bye, Shawn. See you later! I'll kick you if you hook up with that girl!" Ava jokingly said, then she followed Allen.

Shawn noticed that Ava seemed to be happy, and he thought again that it could be because of him that they met each other in such a dangerous situation. He couldn't stop his excitement.

"What are they looking for?" Shawn asked curiously as he followed Alice to the depths of the forbidden forest.

"I don't know," Alice replied. She started feeling uncomfortable having a quest with a boy she didn't even know. She walked faster so that he couldn't keep up with her pace, but he was even faster.

"Don't avoid me, Alice; I'm not trying to hook with you, as Ava mentioned," Shawn said. "Can you tell where we are now?"

Alice glanced at the map and pointed at their current location, while Shawn also looked at it. He realized that they were already in the orcs' territory.