Rhyana flew for days, only stopping long enough to steal some basic supplies from farmsteads along the way and for quick bouts of fitful sleep. The two of them spoke of what transpired on that fateful day but Rhyana could only give a brief explanation of what happened, after all she herself was quite unsure about how exactly she managed to escape.
Days past by in rapid succession and it wasn't until a week had passed and they were just at the outskirts of the Endless Forest when they discovered anything new.
[Announcement:]
A extinct Species has risen from the ashes - Wild Dragon - Dragon of the Void.
With the resurrection of a lost species the shackles on the Endless Forest have been broken. It can now once more grow to reclaim its lost territories.
Only the Champion of the Beasts may control its expansion.
[Congratulations only 500,000 Champion Beasts Remain. A new rule has been added to the Protocol to incentivise continued challenge and growth:
Now when any sapient defeats a Champion you may claim its mantle. Beware for any who hold this mantle and are not of the beast blood you shall be marked for all Champions to see.
Bonus rewards shall be granted to any Champion based on number of mantles held once total number is reduced to 100,000 or one year has passed since the Champion Beast Protocol initiated.]
As she read this monumental message Rhyana couldn't help but laugh in delight, it seemed like her benefactor was doing well for themselves and had managed to progress wonderfully. This still did not deter Rhyana from her goal and she continued on now with a greater resolve than before.
Upon entering the Endless Forest the ambient mana suddenly skyrocketed. It has already been growing steadily more dense as they traveled but it was only once she was within the trees that she truly understood why this pace was a haven for monsteras of all kind. She felt her aces and pains begin to melt away slowly as she greedily absorbed the mana surrounding her.
But things would not remain as clam as they had been whilst traveling to the woods. Beasts soon started appearing beneath the tree tops and before long the sky too became flush with foes, she tried to fight through them but quickly learnt the folly in her thoughts. After all what is a near level 40 dragon compared to some of the true beast kings. She quickly learnt that she was no where near the top of the food chain, if anything she was near the bottom.
That is not to say that she didn't grow during this time, no through their fights both her and Susan rapidly rose in strength, Susan especially grew rapidly. From a level 4 slave she rapidly grew and quickly advanced and evolved her class. She learnt her speciality was that of water and swiftly found herself to be adept with healing. In fact it was only thanks to her healing that Rhyana was able to survive at all.
The skys eventually became too dangerous and they had to retreat under the canopy. Stealth became a must and they rapidly became adapt in hiding and moving in silence least they be discovered and swiftly dealt with by some of the true predators that lurked within these woods.
Days turned into weeks as they travelled with little to distract them past fighting tooth and claw to stay alive in this ruthless new world. That changed however one fatefully day just over a week since they entered the forest.
[New Quest:
You have Heard of the returning Wild Dragon and have received a boon from its birth. You now venture into danger in an attempt to meet and aid this being.
So long as your intentions remain true you shall know the general direction you must travel to meet with your goal.
Tasks - meet the last Wild Dragon
Rewards - chance to alter your fate and be embraced by the wilds once more.]
A new spark of hope ignited within Rhyana with that notice and she was unable to hide her delight in the system for enabling her to continue on with her quest. And if she understood the reward correctly she may too be able to become a wild dragon too! This was something that she would refuse to loose and her desire to progress only grew.
Soon enough Susan reached level 40 and gained a new class once more, she became a Drangon tender, and her abilities focused on healing and bolstering dragons, this was of great aid to Rhyana who now focused heavily on her physical might to deal with her challenges. She still utilised her lightening but learnt to imbue herself with it to increase her reaction time and speed. Together they fought, together they grew.
More time passed with the duo alternating between stalking through the trees to occasional bouts of flight when either the sky was clear or the terrain became impossible to traverse on foot.
And the terrain did truly change in beautiful and sometimes terrifying ways. From the basic lush forest that Rhyana expected to murky swamps filled with fog. A domain of fire where the trees themselves sprouted leaves of fire and the rivers turned into lava. To mountains so tall they peirced the clouds above.
The range of environments that were held within this untamed wilds was staggering and it was only due to her quest urging them on that she did not explore these wonderous locals.
The mana density would also vary from the base level which matched the density around the edge to regions so dense that it became almost poisonous to Rhyana to much lesser regions were creatures in the low levels thrived. They tried to stay within these areas of reduced mana to avoid running into the truly dangerous beasts that roam these woods. They had already made the mistake of not respecting the strength of beasts that held dominion over a particular area once before and it was only due to luck and Susan's healing that they managed to survive that particular encounter.
But regardless they still journeyed onwards ever getting closer to their objective. And the longer they both spent in the Endles la Forest the greater their respect was for this wild dragon that was able to survive these harsh lands all by itself.