Lesson on the Simurgh part 2

With their supplies in hand, they left the village, riding their kevahs once more. As they ventured deeper into the desolate lands, they couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The fog thickened around them, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.

The lights that had lit the way subsided like they had taken an off-road route.

"I don't like the look of this," Yosef muttered, squinting through the fog, "I have the same feeling I get after eating spoiled meat."

Joan answered stoically, "Yeah, I know."

"You also have eaten spoiled meat?!"

They continued to navigate through the foggy landscape, their kevahs plodding steadily ahead.

As they pressed on, the fog seemed to take on a life of its own. Strange shapes moved in the mist, whispering voices carried on the wind. Shadows danced in the corners of their vision, playing tricks on their weary minds.

"This place gives me the creeps," Yosef whispered, his voice filled with unease.

Joan nodded, her grip on her greatsword tightening. "Agreed. We must stay vigilant. Who knows what lurks within this fog?"

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream shattered the silence, echoing through the foggy abyss. Joan and Yosef exchanged alarmed glances, their hearts pounding in their chests.

"Did you hear that?" Yosef asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"How could I not? Sounded like a Galek on helium," Joan replied.

They urged their kevahs to move faster, desperately trying to put distance between themselves and the source of the scream. But the fog seemed to conspire against them, growing thicker with every step.

"We can't turn back now. We'll push through and find our way," Joan replied, her grip tightening on the reins.

They rode on, their kevahs cautiously picking their way through the misty terrain. Shadows danced in the fog, and strange sounds echoed in the distance. The air grew colder, chilling them to the bone.

Suddenly, a chilling howl pierced through the fog, causing their kevahs to startle and rear back. Joan and Yosef held on tightly, struggling to calm the frightened creatures.

A pack of monstrous creatures emerged from the mist, their glowing eyes fixated on the intruders. They were grotesque beings, with twisted limbs and razor-sharp fangs.

"Fuck.....! Let's just ride forward!" Joan said and made the kevahs gallop faster.

Yosef followed suit, kicking his kevah into a frenzied sprint. The monstrous creatures lunged forward, snapping at their heels, but Joan and Yosef managed to maintain their lead.

As they raced through the fog, they could hear the snarls and growls of the pursuing creatures growing fainter. Their hearts pounded in their chests, adrenaline fueling their desperate flight.

The fog seemed to stretch on endlessly, obscuring their vision and disorienting their senses. They had no choice but to trust their instincts and the path ahead, hoping it would lead them to safety.

They curved out of the road, riding upwards, hoping to be able to lose the beasts.

The kevahs, as they climbed, began to tire, and the beasts chasing them were gaining. Both of them tried to motivate their mounts to ride faster. 

Finally, the fog began to thin. Sunlight broke through the thick veil, revealing a landscape, unlike anything they had seen before.

They found themselves in a desolate, barren flat terrain, high enough to escape the thick fog. The ground was cracked and dry, with jagged rocks jutting out from the earth. 

Joan and Yosef brought their kevahs to a halt, their eyes scanning the unfamiliar landscape. They had gotten out of the fog, but they had entered a plateau that just yelled danger. Bodies and bones littered everywhere.

"Well, this is a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into," Yosef muttered, his voice filled with a mix of exhaustion and resignation.

Joan nodded, her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the barren wasteland. "No turning back now. We'll press on and find a way out of this forsaken place."

They heard the panting of the beasts that had followed them above the fog onto the plateau as well. The monsters followed them, almost gaining up on them, but not for much long after, a shadow flew past them. A shadow of something big.

Lightning hit the ground destroying the world around them. The kevahs fell, dropping Joan and Yosef down. As the kevahs tried to get up, a massive bird-like beast dropped and crushed one of the mounts. A riderless Simurgh had appeared.

The beasts that had chased them quickly started to disperse, with the Simurgh starting to chase them, like a cat chasing mice. From its wings came lightning, killing almost all of the beasts.

"Come on! Let's go!" Joan yelled as they used the commotion as a distraction to get out of the plateau.

Joan and Yosef wasted no time in mounting the remaining kevah and fleeing from the chaotic scene. The riderless Simurgh continued to dispatch the monstrous creatures with its lightning strikes, clearing a path for their escape.

As they rode away from the desolate plateau, they could hear the screams and roars of the defeated beasts fading into the distance. The Simurgh's powerful presence seemed to deter any further pursuit, allowing Joan and Yosef to focus on finding their way out of this treacherous land.

They rode for what felt like hours, their kevahs galloping at full speed. The landscape around them gradually transformed, the barren wasteland giving way to dense forests and rolling hills. The air was filled with the scent of earth and fresh vegetation, a stark contrast to the desolation they had just escaped.

Soon the kevah fell, unable to get up, as it was utterly exhausted from carrying two people.

Joan and Yosef surveyed their surroundings. They were now deep within the lush forest, with towering trees and vibrant foliage stretching as far as the eye could see. The air was thick with the sweet scent of pine trees, and the sounds of birds chirping. It seemed like they were in a bit more hospitable area as they had finally been able to descend the mountainous area to lower land.

From their viewpoint, they saw far. They saw two large rivers, flowing down from the mountains down south. 

"It's like a whole new world," Yosef remarked.

"It IS a whole new world," Joan said back.

"I am the one who should be saying the bad jokes....."

Soon they once more found the well-paved road and started to continue their trek toward the south.