Rain poured relentlessly, turning the forest into a curtain of grey. The smell of moss permeating through the air.
The only sounds were the steady drumming of raindrops and the occasional croak of a hidden frog. Mist coiled around the tree trunks, thick enough to blur shapes into shadows. With little wind to stir the canopy, the world felt still... watchful. The sounds of a little breeze made the area feel more chilling.
A lone man crouched in the undergrowth.
From his neck hung a necklace carved from bone an inverted moon, painted in dark pigment. A stealth charm. Its enchantment masked the sound of his gear. It lets him move in absolute silence, masking even the sound of his voice and his breath.
Gilbert's gaze locked onto his prey a thunderouse.
Gilbert took a good look and recounted his knowledge of the monster named thunderouse.
It looked like a massive white moose, antlers branching wide like lightning frozen in wood. Moss clung to its broad frame, glistening in the downpour. The creature was built like a fortress—thick hide, heavy muscle. It could release bursts of electricity, not to harm, but to shield itself from physical strikes. It has no nose in its head, its entire skull is also covered in armour even its eyes it has a small slit where it's eyes would be the gap allows the thunderouse to be able to see a little bit. It mostly relies on the thunder it discharges to "see" around it. Its "nose" is in its neck where there are multiple holes for air to be released and discharged the holes are all around its neck.
During storms, thunderouses stood perfectly still, antlers lifted to the sky, waiting for lightning to strike and charge their bodies… and to let the rain nourish the moss on their backs.
This one was larger than the rest of the herd. Large enough to fetch a high price.
Gilbert slowly drew an arrow from his quiver. Whispering a wind incantation, he coated the shaft in swirling air, sharpening its speed. His aim settled on the creature's weak point—a cluster of small breathing vents along its neck, the only place unarmored.
The arrow flew.
A sharp crack split the rain. The thunderouse's head jerked back, severed cleanly, before crashing into a nearby tree. The herd scattered in panic, their heavy steps fading into the mist.
Gilbert wasted no time. Kneeling beside the corpse, he set to work. The most valuable parts were the thunder crystals clustered around the beast's thunder gland, the hardened hide, and of course, the meat. He packed them neatly into his bag before the rain could spoil the cuts.
By the time he returned to the nearby town, the storm had begun to fade and only light rain stayed.
The market bustled, despite the wet streets. Gilbert strode through the market, his boots caked in mud. His travel cloak hid most of him, but the glint of pale grey eyes beneath the hood was enough to make merchants take note. Gilbert walked towards an stall filled with all kinds of different meats hanging from the roof with a hook. Which made Gilbert wonder how does a wooden stall hold up such heavy pieces of meat, while Gilberts eyes wandered he noticed a few carvings which answered his curiosity. Gilbert greeted the owner of the shop warmly with a smile which gets covered by his cloak but his eyes show his warmth.
Gilbert first sold the meat to his friend Claude, a local butcher. Claude's eyes widened at the rare thunderouse meat. After some negotiation, they agreed on a price, earning Gilbert seven hundred silver Solars. The Solar was the region's main currency, named after Suryth, the most revered god in this region. A hundred coppers made a silver, and a hundred silvers made a gold.
Next, He walked towards an industrial corner of the town full of mines and metals dropped everywhere. This area was filled with small shops like the gearworks which focused on making clocks, but Gilbert visited the blacksmith. He was an unfamiliar face for Gilbert, the blacksmith was a old man with pure black eyes he didn't speak much so Gilbert just sold his items. The hide fetched him three gold, while the thunder gland sold for twenty more. Gilbert kept three gold aside to rent a luxury room at the inn for an entire month.
It was still evening Gilbert decided to practice his archery in the rain. He also decided to try out a few wind theories mostly on moving objects. Few hours passed, Gilbert picked up his bow and decided to carve his name in the bow so he carefully started to carve his name. Being done with every thing he had to do Gilbert went to bath then went to his rented bedroom and changed into his simple tunic and pants.
When night fell the storm started again That night, he sat by his window which was shaking from the stormy winds,Gilbert staring at the distant horizon looked at the purple fog.
There, an endless wall of fog loomed, surrounding the world from every direction. It did not rise like a barrier, nor did it drift like normal mist. It was simply there. Unmoving. Impenetrable. Gilbert after coming to his senses muttered to himself "No one had ever returned from beyond it" then he walked towards a shelf.
Gilbert's fingers brushed the old magic book left to him by his teacher—the same teacher who had vanished into that fog years ago. He thought to himself "I need to be stronger to be able to enter the fog... from what I have learned from this book it takes a few months to cross the fog if one is even able to survive through it at all" he got a cup of coffee and sat down holding the book.
Flipping it open, he began to read, letting the steady patter of rain lull him.
Somewhere beyond that endless shroud lay the answers he sought.