Chapter 182: The Woodland Elves

The unicorn proudly inclined his head.

Nicky, meanwhile, already seemed eager to get down.

Blanche took one last look at the staircase.

Twenty meters down.

Then a plain.

Then an immense forest.

She sighed as Nicky climbed down from his familiar.

"Well..."

She straightened and dismounted as well.

"We'll have to continue on foot."

As if to confirm it, Nicky removed his warm cape—the exact same one Blanche had inherited—and unsaddled his unicorn.

"Why don't we just fly?" the young woman asked.

Nicky shook his head, two rebellious strands escaping from his perfectly slicked-back bun after the ride.

Blanche looked him over. Beneath his cape, he wore the same military boots as her, the same trousers, a black T-shirt, and a vintage leather jacket. His palms, however, were protected by fingerless biker gloves.

She also knew that beneath his T-shirt, a harness crossing his shoulder blades concealed a good twenty miniature daggers.

"Enchantments and spells are forbidden from this point onward. Of course, we players can get around that... unlike others. But if you look closely, the scouts have already spotted us. If they realize we're capable of using magic on their territory despite their protective barriers, we'll never be welcome here again."

Blanche looked toward the trees but couldn't see anything. Still, if Nicky said someone was watching them, she had no trouble believing him.

Nicky crouched down and tucked his soft saddle into his cape, which he transformed into a bag before fastening it across his chest. Clever.

Blanche frowned, however. She didn't understand why he didn't simply dismiss his familiar, the way she did.

She immediately asked.

"Because you think a ghost is the one sealing your Phoenix?"

Faced with her bewildered expression, Nicky smoothed back a strand of hair and explained:

"Most of the time, it's Aaron... or Argy. Sometimes, me."

"Uh... thanks," she replied awkwardly before changing the subject.

Truth be told, she hadn't even thought to wonder about it...

She glanced toward the precipice, then back at him.

"Otherwise, we could always jump. I'd stop time before flying. They wouldn't see a thing... although I suppose that would give them a pretty good reason to worry."

"You can stop time?!" Nicky exclaimed.

He stared at her, realizing she had never mentioned it. Traveling through time and stopping time were two completely different abilities.

"No one ever tells me anything! Just because I'm hardly ever here," he complained, crossing his arms.

Blanche scratched her cheek at his crestfallen expression before bursting out laughing.

Nicky quickly joined in.

"I suppose that skill has a cooldown?"

She nodded.

"In that case, save it. Who knows? We might need it," he murmured, suddenly more serious.

"Actually... there's something I haven't told the others," Blanche added, becoming serious again. "You'll be the only one to know. I might be leaving again soon, for a long time. A journey through time."

The player looked at her gravely.

"Well, now they're definitely going to hate me. Just because I have a bird for a familiar doesn't mean I enjoy being the messenger..."

Steropes, now back in hawk form, let out a plaintive cry before disappearing.

"Sorry."

"It'll be sad around here without you... I was just starting to get used to having you around. Anyway. Shall we go down?"

Blanche nodded.

Nicky held out his hand, and the moment she closed her fingers around his, he took off.

"Hey!"

She didn't have time to protest any further.

They made their way down the staircase, descending the cliff in short, cautious strides. The descent was rougher than it had looked from the top. The steps, carved directly into the rock, were far from even: some were high, others barely noticeable, and several had become slippery from the dampness.

Blanche nearly stumbled twice.

Nicky, meanwhile, seemed perfectly at ease.

He moved with the lightness characteristic of pixies, occasionally jumping over a step to land on another, while making sure never to let go of her hand.

"Slow down!" she finally protested.

He slowed.

A little.

Just enough for her to make it down without breaking her neck.

After several minutes, they finally reached the bottom of the cliff.

Blanche let out a sigh of relief.

Her legs had worked much harder than she had expected.

Nicky, however, didn't give her a second to recover.

Still holding her hand, he immediately led her toward the path crossing the plain.

Blanche followed him, then suddenly understood why he'd removed his cape.

The temperature was changing at an astonishing rate.

With every step, she could feel the air growing warmer.

The biting cold at the top of the cliff gradually faded, replaced by a gentle, humid warmth. The smell of wet earth became stronger, mingling with the scents of grass and wildflowers.

Blanche glanced at the cape still clipped across her chest.

"I understand now."

Nicky gave her a satisfied smile.

They continued on their way.

Then, suddenly, his fingers tightened around hers.

Blanche immediately sensed that something had changed.

Nicky had stopped.

She followed his gaze.

Nothing.

The plain seemed perfectly peaceful.

"What is it?"

The pixie didn't answer immediately.

He was watching the forest.

Blanche narrowed her eyes.

Still nothing.

Once again, Nicky had spotted something she hadn't.

It was starting to get annoying.

He led her to the edge of the woods, then stopped.

Three figures emerged from between the trees.

Blanche stiffened.

Elves.

Three archers, slender and graceful, dressed in shades of green and brown that blended almost perfectly into the vegetation. Their pointed ears protruded from beneath their hair, and their bows were already drawn.

They had their arrows trained on them.

Blanche felt her instincts urging her to react.

Nicky, however, remained perfectly calm.

The three elves advanced another few steps.