Cast FOF against the bandits
From Create Your Own Story
You cast the spell, raising an invisible force field all around you. Try as they might, the bandits cannot harm you: they cannot even get close. Realising the power of your sorcery, they quickly flee back to the village. This is a stroke of luck, as the forcefield does not last long.
You continue along the path, leaving the village behind. About half an hour later you reach the start of the climb into the Hills proper, and continue upwards until you reach a fork in the road.
The road splits around the base of a gigantic tree, but does not rejoin on the other side. The left path winds down into a valley. There is a river there, and the path follows the left bank. It is a safer route, secluded and protected, but the curve of the landscape would mean you were almost backtracking. The right path rises up a slope towards the first thick forest of the Hills. It's hard to see much further, the forest is so sudden and thick. It may be hard going in that direction, but the Hills will involve a lot of climbing eventually and you may get a decent view of the next leg form the top of the ridge.
You are about to make your choice when you hear a faint cry from somewhere close at hand.
Do you: