It was easier to count time up here, with the cycle of light and darkness to be a guide in the passing of time. Still, the counter of days in my character sheet was clearer and more dependable. But both sources agreed it took me two full days to descend to the greenery below the mountains, out of the fourteen I was given.

The mountains weren’t as deadly as Cocytus, but they were no less treacherous. Many times I was met with tall cliffs and a choice of searching for a less steep descent that could take an unknown amount of time, or climbing and risking falling down. There were falls that could send be right back into Hell.

There were also monsters that weren’t any less dangerous than these of Hell. I was careful to avoid confrontations with them, and since at almost all times of day the skies were patrolled by one winged beast or another, when there was no cover to hide me, I had to travel at night, using days to rest—not that I rested much, in the hurry I was.

Which made the aforementioned cliffs more dangerous since even I, with my eyes adapted to the endless twilights of Nine Hells, couldn’t see when there were no sources of light at all. I already found out that the lights that came from the sky were not very predictable—one hour they would be here, and another they would be hidden by clouds.

When my leather-clad foot stepped on the first patch of the truly green grass, I just sat down and let out a long breath. Below me spanned so much more of the green, though here and there patches of snow still showed even farther away. I squinted and looked in the distance, at the sky that was blue today, like in the stories. Were these columns of light smoke in the distance?

I thought the mortal realm wasn’t supposed to burn on its own. Then… the light was probably lit by humans.

I stood up and shook off snow from my shoulders, then looked at my boots. Their soft leather wasn’t made for walking on rough rocks… At least their soles were made from tougher stuff, but as it stood, I would need a new pair soon. Maybe humans would have one that will fit.

Assuming that there weren’t too many of them, of course.

Then I glanced around me and took a deep breath, inhaling the unfamiliar scents of plants. I didn’t stop to eat, except for one time when a small furry animal grew bold enough to actually enter my reach. But that was one meal, and it was a day ago, and while I could walk for two more days before growing weak, I grew used to eating more often in Dis.

And here I had prey that won’t escape me. I leaned down, tore out a patch of grass, and sniffed it closer. It smelled fresh and looked very appetising in its bold green colour. I knew that a lot of animals ate plants, so they were edible, unlike rocks. Except for salt, which apparently was edible too—but only in the small amounts. How much was small I wasn’t sure, nor how did it look, and was intent on not trying to eat any rocks at all.

Now, plants… I bit off some of that grass. It was a little astringent, but not that bad. The novelty and the hunger made me eat all the green parts in a few more bites and tear out more grass. When the surrounding patch was almost gone, and my stomach was full, I flushed it all down with couple handfuls of snow and walked on.

The column of smoke disappeared in the darkness of the encroaching night before I could reach it, but I kept walking in the same direction for the lack of other notable landmarks in sight, and was eventually rewarded with a light of fire flickering amid the sparse trees.

Trees. The fact that so much food could just grow in one place and still not be eaten or conquered seemed so absurd, and yet here they were—thriving with life that crawled all around them, yet not possessed them.

When I drew closer to the fire, I found that its source was a small bonfire, next to which stood a tent. I could hear soft snoring coming from there, but it was hard to tell if there was one person or two inside. Outside, a male human sat, watching the forest with night-blind human eyes that didn’t see me even though I was just outside the circle of light from the bonfire.

Well, well. I thought his boot size wasn’t far from mine, and his boots were sure nice. But so were the rest of his clothes, armour, and weapons. Fabric, leather and metal, all the qualities you could never find in Hell…

I crawled around the small camp to the side where the human wasn’t looking and examined it again. I found that many things that lied around appeared in threes. Three backpacks, three pairs of boots (including the one worn by the sentry), three bowls resting next to an empty pot… So, the tent must have two people.

They were the only source from which I could learn how to get to Tinaris, but I doubted they would answer after a single look into my big, honest eyes. I also highly suspected that these three were adventurers and could be strong. I had no idea where to find any more humans, though. Until now I saw none…

I let out an inaudible sigh. If I failed now, after I crawl back to Dis, Devourer will have the full right to throw me onto a butcher’s hook. Which meant that I simply had to not fail.

With movements as slow and steady as I could make them, I crawled into the best position for an attack and quietly picked a small stone from the ground.. When I threw it, my aim was true.