Tests, Allies, and Enemies
The hero has finally entered the special world. Contrast. Everything in this world from its landscape to its inhabitants is a strong contrast to the ordinary world the hero inhabited before. This entering into the special world is marked by testing.
The hero is tested with difficult obstacles, but not yet those that are matter of life and death. To be challenged, not destroyed. This world ought to be the world of the shadows and villain. Not sinister, but the matter of control is no longer in the hero’s hands. During these tests, allies and enemies make their appearance, and the hero must be the one to distinguish one from the other.
A natural meeting place is the watering hole, a meeting of strange characters and a chance to replenish for the next stage of the journey.