After the chaos in the cemetery, wandering through Duskwood in search of herbs felt like a walk in the park.
After being chased by ghouls, even the wolves near Eastvale Logging Camp seemed cute.
They hadn't dug up much Grave Moss. Once they removed the wet dirt and water clinging to it, the useful herb might weigh less than half a pound.
Still, both men agreed that if they found Grave Moss in any of the scattered burial grounds outside, they'd gather whatever they could. Going back into that cemetery was out of the question.
There was plenty of Silverleaf in southern Elwynn, but it was hard to spot among all the local shrubs. You needed sharp eyes.
After several hours of walking, Jess was starting to see double.
As time passed, he also noticed how the forest's darkness changed with the hour. At night, it was so black you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. In the morning, the dark forest took on a faint blue shade. By afternoon, as it was now, the color slowly turned yellowish brown.
The trap they'd set earlier had caught nothing. Neither of them was surprised.
Gred packed it away and tried looking farther from Raven Hill, but they couldn't find another spot nearly as good as that resting place.
They'd walked who knew how many miles. It was time to head south, find the main road, and return to Raven Hill.
They'd probably have to come out again tomorrow. Apart from Silverleaf and one thorny plant that might be Briarthorn, they hadn't found any other herbs. Most importantly, they hadn't seen a trace of Kingsblood, one of the main ingredients they needed.
As they crossed a hill and looked down a broad slope, Jess suddenly felt dizzy. He tried to steady himself and nearly fell.
Gred turned around. "What's wrong?"
"I'm hungry. So hungry I'm getting lightheaded."
Jess took out a piece of dried bread. "I need something to eat."
The bread had been sitting around for days and was now as hard as cardboard. Gred sighed, took out a small piece of pale-yellow cheese, and said, "Here, have something extra."
One look at the cheese made Jess even hungrier. He took it and put it in his mouth. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the dry bread mixing with the salty, rich cheese as he chewed. The milky smell reached his nose from the back of his mouth. The flavor came from two directions at once, and he felt as though he might melt.
"It doesn't taste like the blue cheese in Stormwind. Is this a dwarven recipe?"
"Yeah. Less salty, but a stronger milk flavor."
The dwarf popped a piece into his own mouth. The two sat together under a tree, leaning back.
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The thick, creamy cheese melted in their mouths. Neither wanted to stand up again.
"If we can't find Kingsblood, let's just go home," Jess said, licking his lips and fingers. "We'll sell what we've collected, and I'll use my share to buy enough ingredients."
"Think we can get thirty silver coins for the trip?" Gred asked.
Jess opened the bag and looked inside. "If that thorny plant really is Briarthorn, and we sell the Grave Moss too, we might get forty. In the end, it's the Silverleaf that's doing most of the work."
"Twenty silver each would make it worth it," Gred said. "Work this hard once and live comfortably for two months. Not a wasted trip."
Jess nodded, then lay flat on his back. A heavy wave of sleepiness hit him, and he almost couldn't keep his eyes open.
"Don't fall asleep here, Jess."
Gred shook his shoulder. Half asleep, Jess turned his head and noticed something red in the distance.
Something about its appearance jolted him wide awake.
He narrowed his eyes and looked more carefully. Was that a Kingsblood plant growing on the slope?
"Look over there... Am I seeing things? I think that's Kingsblood."
Gred followed his finger and immediately widened his eyes too.
"It really is! Kingsblood!"
Gred scrambled up, carrying the trap and sword with his small round shield on his back, and rushed toward it. Jess hurriedly shouldered his bags and followed. They stumbled, slipped, and half scrambled down to the red patch.
Jess dropped into the grass and touched the tall plant, with its clusters of ominous pinkish-red flowers and leaves darker than Duskwood's grass. There was no mistake. It was Kingsblood.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle came from above, echoing through the forest.
Jess looked up and saw someone sitting in a short tree high on the slope.
The person wore a dark-green jacket and a dark-brown cloak with a hood. He blended almost perfectly into the dark woods, which was why neither man had noticed him.
"That bunch of herbs is already claimed. You two had better go back the way you came."
The voice carried from a distance and was quiet. The stranger was speaking Common, but with a heavy accent that reminded Jess a little of a Frenchman speaking English.
"Pointy-eared thief. Damn it," Gred muttered under his breath.
An elf?
"Put the trap here," Jess said.
Gred stole a glance at him, then set down the animal trap. Trying to make as little noise as possible, he spread it open and lightly covered it with tall grass and Kingsblood.
While Gred worked in the grass, Jess stood up to draw the elf's attention.
"Watch what you're doing, human."
The creak of a bowstring being drawn was painfully clear in the quiet Duskwood forest. Jess knew the elf had raised his hunting bow and aimed at them.
"This trap won't catch an elf," Gred breathed from behind him, so quietly it was almost inaudible. "They've hunted for hundreds of years. They don't make beginner mistakes like that."
Jess spoke through clenched lips. "Then we'll try our luck."
"Avoid a fight," the dwarf whispered. "There's no reason to kill each other over a bunch of herbs. Elves are members of the Alliance, at least for now. Don't turn this into a fight to the death."
"An ally who's pointing an arrow at us?"
"We're leaving! Don't let go of the string!" Jess called loudly, backing away step by step.
The elf jumped down from the tree and pulled back his hood. Long golden hair moved in the cold evening wind, strikingly bright in that dark world.
He was a tall, slender man. With the hood removed, his eyes shone with a faint blue light, like a lone wolf's eyes in the middle of the night.
It was the first time Jess had faced an openly hostile elf. He felt firsthand how frightening this ancient race could be.
He wasn't happy about it, but sometimes you had to know when to back down.
"Don't forget your animal trap, dwarf. You could get a decent bit of money for it even as scrap," the elf said with a laugh. "Oh, you weren't planning to use that on me, were you? How terrifying."
His voice suddenly turned cold. "Learn from your human friend and know when you're beaten, you filthy one-eyed bastard."
Gred already had his hand on the trap, ready to pick it up. At those last words, he suddenly stopped moving.
Jess could feel danger gathering right beside him. He knew there was no avoiding a fight now.