Setting our first steps into the unknown was exciting.Entering an area we had never been to before was also rather mysterious.Not knowing what you would find... that in a way was appealing to me.
As we set foot into the forests something odd happened.Why you might ask? I wouldn"t know...
As we entered in the morning at dawn light began to surface with the sun. When we were inside you could say it felt more like dusk... As the trees blocked most sunlight is was really dark.
Still... we appeared to be able to find our way around as most of the ecosystem here was luminescent.
The paths we walked on weren"t only made of gra.s.s, sometimes covered with smooth looking rocks the path was completely void of light.
But it didn"t matter... because the sides, edges, and creaks were covered with small plant life.
Mushrooms on the sides gave different kinds of luminescent glows.The same happened with the moss found in the creaks.
The mysterious glow only seemed to reveal itself when touched or moved, lasting only a few moments, this in turn the environment into something truly magical to behold.
The creatures were different, as they not only used their luminescent bodies to navigate through the darkness but also find a way to attract and lure in prey for the kill. At the same time this could be used as a defense mechanism where prey would blind the predators or even at very rare occasions highjacked their brains for several moments, allowing them to escape.Luckily for us, we had not yet encountered much wildlife here,mostly plant life and insects that only enhanced the magical atmosphere.
As our team, "Fang" had embarked on the journey towards the center of the forest it had occurred to me that in a way, it was weird that others never found the ruins who would supposedly have been found there.
Small insects flew from flower to flower, making me think about fireflies.The moss on the trees made even the huge trees, that blocked out the light coming from outside glow as I had never seen before.
Along the way, we began encountering small wombat like critters that supposedly weren"t luminescent. As I got lost in thought my eyes met with one.
It got scared by our presence as it must have never seen humans before.Right then I knew I was wrong.
Because the little creatures back began to glow as it bolted away. In the distance, it blended with the other colors giving it a fair chance to survive in the environment.
As we ventured deeper into the forest it became apparent that the creatures grew proportionally in size. We had walked for hours on end and finally encountered a small pond.
Ragnee gave the signal to stop as it was best to keep the team well-rested.
"Okay everyone, please fill up your water bags and make sure to rest up well while we can.
Previously we went through the entire plan briefly, but as expected each team has its own individual mission to complete. We"ll be going over ours as we rest up for a bit.
The journey towards what the "Royal Elites" had found is approximately at the center of the forest, meaning in the time frame of three days and nights we got for the expedition, one day to travel on foot as we continue through the night should allow us to reach the mentioned cavern.
The cavern is supposed to be the mentioned gateway to the ruins as one of them had a quick scouting mission to try and confirm the rumors. As for us..."
Ragnee paused for a minute sighing slightly.
"We will have to confirm and bring back proof of what was said to be found there. The king personally requested the retrieval of an artifact known to be used by the Ancients during the dark ages.
Since his royal elite unit has confirmed the ruins to be of the same time period he has high expectations of the item being there. Such a ha.s.sle really..."
I tried to cheer her up pointing at the potential treasure we might find along the way.
"But hey, at least we can keep all the other stuff that we might find along the way, right?"
Ragnee looked at me more relieved than before.
"Yea... you"re right. If anything, I"m glad to be spending more time with you.Never thought we would go on a mission together like this."
Not sure what she meant, I smiled and asked her in confusion.
"What do you mean? Did you think I wouldn"t be cut out to be chosen for a mission like this?"
Ragnee jumped up and reacted in a fl.u.s.tered manner. Flailing her arms around,not really certain of what to say. As she tried to react she got stuttered and almost bit her tongue.
"N-n-no n-not at all... t-t-that w-wasn"t w-what I m-meant!"
Thinking as the real reason surfaced inside her head she began to blush to turn bright red. Embarra.s.sed by this she covers her face with both hands and began making high pitched squealing notices, followed by mumbling.
I grew a bit suspicious as my confusion, not knowing how to handle the situation began to take over. Trying to change the topic it suddenly turned into an awkward silence.
"Then... Ragnee, I have to apologize, I thought of something bad, while you are always so positive towards me. Like right now... sorry, I just don"t know what to say... but please believe me when I say; I am truly grateful for this opportunity.
And honestly, I couldn"t have asked for better teammates!"
The words that I had proudly spoken had borne a heavy impact on Ragnee"s hart.Because she knew...
There were additional reasons for my inclusion in the expedition. Silence fell in our conversation as the rest eagerly antic.i.p.ated how our conversation would be followed up.For some reason, Ragnee couldn"t look me in the eye, deciding it was best to change the subject I began refilling my water bags and asked for instructions on our mission.
"Ragnee... I don"t know what might be bothering you, and I hope it"s not because of something I did... But we can"t let ourselves be distracted right now..."
Before I could continue talking Ragnee interrupted me as it seemed Kasim had found some grub for the team to prepare. Ragnee quickly joined the other girls as she needed to give instructions for cooking duty.
But before we could prepare the wildlife a few unexpected guests arrived. As out first resting area wasn"t that far from the rendezvous point it wasn"t unthinkable of someone joining us early on.
"It appears you weren"t the only one behind schedule, Michael. Decided to finally join us Mrs. Shimmer was it?"
Ragnee"s temper revealed itself as her composure had broken. Relieved by her arrival we were able to calm down.
A timid but open-minded girl apologized for her tardiness and offered to prepare the food the others had collected. She brushed away one of her long bangs revealing she had rather short hair. Her hair was slightly darker than your usual brown hair, almost giving a caramel feel to it.
Her eyes on the other hand, golden, like riches hidden in the depths, shined with confidence in her cooking skill.
Wood had been collected to maintain a small fire.
But when the others who had the responsibility of collecting wood tried to light a campfire. Maria stopped their careless attempts as she lit the logs with a single snap of her fingers.
A few moments later after the, she finished cooking it became apparent that she indeed had a talent for cooking. Everyone in the party enjoyed their well-prepared meals.
Ragnee walked up to her and slapping her left shoulder, complimenting Maria on her cooking performance.
"Glad you could make it, kiddo! Without you everyone would have to go into the depths with an empty stomach. Truly, we are in your debt."
Ragnee kneeled down thanking her as she proudly introduced her to the group.
"Everyone! This is my younger sister, Maria Shimmer."
One of the girls was being smart, pointing out the difference in last names.
Not wanting to remember this Ragnee quickly confirmed what everyone was thinking.
"Maria and I, while not related by blood, have been the best of friends throughout our childhood.
Making us almost like real sisters, Right, Maria?"
Embarra.s.sed yet proud of what Ragnee shared with them she quickly clung to her like glue.
Ragnee struggled to get Maria of her, as she wanted us to continue along the way. But when she tried to get up a creature similar to a monkey was hanging upside-down and blocked her path.
Surprised by the monkeys" sudden appearance she thoughtlessly let a high pitched squeal escape from her mouth.
"Kyaaaaa!"
The monkey then proceeded to climb up to relax in the tree. Laying down on its back, it grabbed a bananlike fruit to enjoy. As he began eating its fur too began having a faint glow making it blend with the environment. Moments later it faced Ragnee and started laughing.
Annoyed by the beasts" behavior Ragnee snapped and started arguing with the monkey.
"Kuuuuhhh!!! How dare you laugh after scaring a fair maiden!! Come down here this instant so I can give you a beating!!"
But the monkey didn"t have a care in the world, much less he didn"t care about a complete stranger ranting at him. After he finished his similar-looking banana, he threw down the sh.e.l.l and turned his back to us. As it proceeded to scratch its b.u.t.t in the open the little guy soon fell asleep after.
Ragnee couldn"t let it go and began shouting at the monkey.
"d.a.m.n you! Ignoring me.... a Ragnee?!"
I quickly jumped on Ragnee as I desperately tried to calm her down.
"Ragnee... come on, we have to stay quiet before other beasts begin to approach us."
But when I closed in on her I had completely forgotten the sh.e.l.l of the fruit. As my sole hit the top, it became extremely difficult to stand as the surface was even more slippery as that of a normal banana.
Slipping past the point of recovery I crashed headfirst into Ragnee. As we both got into a really awkward position, even if it wasn"t my intention we were now both laying on the ground with my face buried in her chest.
The monkey laughed his a.s.s off for a moment, embarra.s.sed and not knowing what to do Ragnee became overloaded with thoughts as she turned into a bright red tomato.
Finally, I surfaced as I couldn"t breathe during this time.I looked at Ragnee wanting to apologize.
Everyone was holding their breath as they knew what had happened with men in the same situation as I was in right now.
Unaware why Ragnee had turned bright red I began to worry, gently putting my forehead against hers I asked if she was okay.
"Hmm... she is quite warm. Say, Sheila... do you have a fever?"
As the realization of what had happened soon followed, I quickly jumped up all startled.
Everyone who had known Ragnee for a longer period knew what was about to happen, as most men got slammed headfirst into the ground having to accept her fury.
Having heard the stories about her I quickly fell down on my knees and began apologizing over and over.
"I"m so sorry... I tried to help you, did not mean for the situation to escalate like this!"
Ragnee came closer as everyone expected her to pound me into the ground,instead... something no one had expected to come from her happened.
Ragnee held out her hand offering me to help me back up to my feet. Everyone could see she tried to act professionally while she was fl.u.s.tered beyond belief.
"I-it"s o-okay... we have to start moving if we want to stay on schedule..."
As Ragnee raised me I thanked her and left for the others of the group she silently whispered something to herself.
"H-he called me by my first name! KYAAAA! Oh, I couldn"t be happier hehehe!"
Ragnee quickly joined the team and made sure to navigate us in the right direction.After a while, we came standing in front of a fork in the road.
Three different paths leading to the unknown...
As Ragnee looked at the map to find out where we needed to go, others found something laying on the ground with a heavy stench towards the left path.
While Meiko and Kasim went to check it out, others were sent to scout the middle and right path. What they stumbled upon... was quite disturbing find, as it was a fresh corpse,completely devoid of blood... The victims" skin had been dried up like paper.
Almost like a mummy. Not knowing if what had done this was still close by,they quickly rushed back to the fork.
When the two returned they had to report their findings to Ragnee. But before they could give their report, Ragnee could see something was wrong.
Quickly she called everyone together as their faces had turned white from horror.
"What... what did you find?"
Ragnee asked worried about what they could encounter.
The two looked at each other, staying silent for a moment as they could not find the words to describe the horrific sight they had stumbled upon.
"Well... out with it already!"
Ragnee became worried as Karim finally stepped forward.
"I... don"t know how today this... but on the road to the left we had encountered something horrific...
It appeared to be a human body completely drained of blood, when we closed in to observe we couldn"t hold back as we didn"t have the stomach for it...
The body was not only devoid of blood but a closer inspection we found that it was almost like it had shed its skin..."
"Why is that?"
"Because as we looked at it closely there were no bones or muscles or tissue other than its skin..."Wanting to know exactly what they were dealing with Ragnee throughout asked about the body, showing she was a true leader. Her worry began to become unbearable as she confirmed what she had suspected.
"Tell me, what did the body look like?"
"On closer inspection it wasn"t like your normal shedding of the skin, in fact... the body was completely intact. As if the bones and muscle tissue had never existed..."
"And what about bruises of marks on the body?"
The girls had to think for a minute.
After a while Meiko took a step forward and joined the conversation.
"I"m not sure about what we saw back there, but the place where the eyes should have been, the sockets were completely empty. The victim still had all his clothes and equipment on him. Looking at what was left and taking the state of the carca.s.s, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary..."
Everyone could see Ragnee"s face turn white as she slowly realized her worst fears had become real.
"When was it that you found this?! Tell me, this is important!!"
The girls looked at each other as they hesitated to answer.
"Around an hour walk away, give or take?"
Shocked Ragnee warned everyone to move quickly as there was little time to explain the situation.
At that moment the other parties she had sent out to scout the area returned and quickly gave their reports. As the other routes had led to a dead end. Sooner rather than later, It became clear they had to take that route if they wanted to get to the caverns, The pathway towards the ruins…