The forest beyond the village was a twisted hellscape of what we had passed through. Until now, the land had been as ancient and untamed as Heartland Forest, if not even older. The trunks were massive, some dozens of feet around, and often towered hundreds of feet in the air. No monster or animal had dared get in our way, lest it be torn apart by the demons or corrupted by the ambient infernal mana, yet I had sensed many powerful creatures, some breaking into fourth level.
But now, as the Black Mist became more plentiful, the forest was a hollow shell. Wilted black crept into the canopy, deep green leaves wilting and fluttering to the ground. The boughs creaked and groaned in every slight breeze, and trunks were covered in disease and rot. Booms echoed through the distant woodlands as the occasional tree lost its roots and toppled to the ground.
