Adam was grateful that everyone seemed to be coming together as a team so quickly and effectively. James' quick tactical thinking, Fenna's scouting ahead and MacKensie maintaining vigilance from above combined with his own navigational skills to bring everyone to the beginning of [i]The Mazy Hillocks[/i] intact and unharmed. The gratitude turned to intimidation, however, as the man saw just what they would be dealing with; a great natural maze, made up of all kinds of obstacles to their progress. Honestly, he was kind of amazed at the landscape he could see. This world was clearly nothing like Earth, for such things to even be possible.


But this wasn't the time to act like a tourist. The lives of his teammates and himself were on the line and the Druid did not intend to lose them. First, he took the time to compare what was before him to what was on the map. The navigation device was much simpler than what nature had created, but there were parts where he could match one to the other. A few notable elevation changes and terrain features could be seen on the map. In particular, there was a tall, large tree that looked like a hook that seemed to be near the southeast border of the Hillocks and a steep gorge that appeared to be made out of a tough rock accented by different sharp-looking boulders that was on the southwest border. Adam definitely did [i]not[/i] want to see if the rocks were as dangerous as they looked, but the feature and the tree could be used as reference points to figure out where the southern boundaries of the Hillocks were in front of him. It wouldn't be perfect and he'd still need to use all his skills to get the group through, but it was a good start, and he could use the reading on his compass just then as a further point of reference. Just then, Joji asked a relevant question:


[b]“Is there a way we can get around this thing?”[/b]


Adam shook his head, wishing his answer could be different. "I'm afraid not, not without backtracking and losing a ton of time on our trip." The part about potentially letting whatever the Witch Queen may have sent after them get more time to find them did not need to be said, if only for Lillianna's sanity. "Oh, by the way; be [i]very[/i] careful, everyone. If the entire place is like the best entrance to it, [i]The Mazy Hillocks[/i] is going to be difficult terrain." There were multiple options to choose from, so the more judgemental of the team might have wondered why the man had chosen the westernmost one, a path that went along the eastern side of the gorge. Fenna and anyone else who had listened to his plan for directions earlier would know that the Druid was going west along the Hillocks because it was the quickest path on the map and that climbing up a rocky cliffside was involved. One could reasonably infer that the similar rocky terrain would mean that they were going in the right direction to find that cliff.


It wasn't easy hiking like before; once the gorge disappeared behind them, the group had to deal with terrain that constantly shifted up and down along with seemingly changing from hard rock to soft sand and back again in rapid succession. One could easily see how a person could break their ankle, then succumb to whatever beasts lived in the Hillocks. All the while, Adam kept the group as close to the west side of the area as possible.


However, even this pace would not last. The team eventually came upon what at first looked like a dead end. Straight ahead, in the direction the team had been going, was another gorge that looked like the one from earlier. At first it would seem like the team would have to turn around, but if one looked further ahead, they could see the path continue on the other side. An ominous sound from the way they came, something that sounded like a dark roar, encouraged them to go in that direction as well. The red-eyed man examined his surroundings, finding a small patch of dirt near the group that seemed to transition to the rocky surface of the gorge, and began casting upon it. Four trees, each the width of a person, began growing out of the ground next to each other. They grew [i]horizontally[/i] towards the other side of the pit, eventually creating an impromptu bridge that would allow the group to get across safely. Two were right beside each other to provide a walking surface while the other two were angled to provide a sort of railing for whoever was using it. It wasn't elegant, but it would hold up to the strain of the group crossing, two people each. Adam had taken extra time to be sure the root systems of the plants were strong enough to carry that sort of weight. He also made sure that thick and sturdy branches were sticking out at appropriate intervals so that people could hold onto them for extra support.


"Okay, so we can get across this way, but not all at once. It can only hold two at a time, so we'll need to take turns crossing it. I'll go first with someone so I can reinforce the bridge at the other side. I feel repetitive saying this, but please be careful." Finishing his statement, the Druid began slowly crossing the trees, helping whoever decided to join him across the way. Once they succeeded, he would create thick roots to provide extra structural integrity for what stood between The Heroes From the Sky and a steep drop onto the ground. Adam just hoped that nobody would have to experience that fall firsthand.