Here, you can eat this."
Eli reached his hand out, offering an apple to the woman sitting across him.
It got a little bruised after their race to run away from the illusory monster trees, but it's more than fine to eat.
The woman looked at the fruit with hesitation, but ended up accepting it.
Eli noticed her anxiety but didn't think much of it. It was natural that she might feel uncomfortable going with three strangers, especially all men, alone in these dark woods.
The only way he could help her ease her anxiety is by making her feel safe with them.
"Miss, how'd you get here? No, why were you even out here alone in the forest? You should avoid doing that, you know? This world is dangerous, especially at night!"
Vick asked while looking straight ahead.
The woman flinched in surprise at the sudden question but did not respond.
The cart driver nodded as if he understood her reaction,
"Yeah, you must have had a hard time, didn't you? You probably got lost! You might not believe it, but we also encountered something really crazy earlier! The trees were dripping blood, as if demons had possessed them!"
Vick shivered as he told his story,
"Really, I thought I was going to die! I'm so glad I have these two with me! They didn't get scared at all, and kept going! If it were just me, I'm not even sure I could run on my own! Right, Eli? Ha ha!"
Eli only laughed sheepishly.
He felt embarrassed listening to Vick. He was definitely more afraid earlier than he had ever felt his whole life, but he didn't want to say it.
The four of them continued to travel in peace on the way to Velmire. About an hour later, they could finally see the city from afar.
Eli's face beamed,
"Uncle, is that Velmire?"
"Yeah, we're finally near!"
Vick smiled, finally starting to relax as he saw shadows of buildings and houses. After everything they went through the forest earlier, they can now loosen up.
Eli saw the woman trembling again. She was wearing clothes with holes in it and it didn't seem to be thick.
"Ah, are you cold? Hold on, let me give you something to cover yourself."
He turned around to look through his clothes inside his bag.
The lady in tattered clothes sneaked a glance at the sleeping Chad beside her. Her eyes lit up as she took out a sharp piece of wood.
She gripped the sharp wood tightly and aimed for the child rummaging through his bag.
Swish!
"You'd better stop now."
Her hand froze. She looked behind her, where the voice was coming from.
She thought this man was sleeping since he had his eyes closed the whole time and wasn't moving, but to think he was actually awake…
Chad glared at her.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
For a moment, it felt as though her entire being was screaming at her, telling her to get away from this man.
Sweat trickled down her forehead. She ground her teeth nervously.
Even though he's sitting casually on the cart, she can tell. This man is extremely dangerous.
Something inside her is telling her not to cross this man, no matter what.
"Kugh. Kiek."
She slowly put her hand down and let go of the sharp wood.
Chad flicked his hair back,
"Behave. I don't want any more mess 'til we arrive."
The woman quickly nodded and kept her head down as she listened to Chad's cold voice. She clenched her fists quietly.
Rustle.
"Eh? Miss, what's wrong?"
Eli got a small blanket on his hands. He was about to give it to the woman, but found the scene in front of him strange.
The woman was now more tense and nervous while looking down, and Mr. Chad looks like he just woke up from his nap as he yawns with no care in the world as to what's happening around him.
The lady in rags remained frozen and silent the rest of their trip to Velmire.
On the other hand,
Vick squinted his eyes as they got closer to the city.
'Something isn't right.'
He went to take a closer look. Usually, a city as big as Velmire would be lively at night. The houses and buildings would have their lights on as it's not yet time for people to sleep.
'That's how it should be, but…'
Currently, the whole city is almost eerily silent.
It was dark and the only lights on were street lights that automatically lit up when the sun set.
Chad and Eli also noticed something was amiss, and came down from the cart.
"...It's pretty quiet, no?"
Eli said as he looked at the dim city that barely has any lights on.
"There's no one here."
Chad also commented.
There should have been guards around the entrance but there was nobody to welcome them. It made them feel uneasy. The silence was uncomfortable.
Once the woman left the cart, they all decided to walk as they entered the city.
Eli fiddled his fingers,
'It's so gloomy…'
Click!
Vick opened the door to a candy store but was surprised to find it unlocked.
"What happened here?"
No store owner in their right mind would leave their store unlocked. The old man frowned as he tried opening other doors, but all of them were left unlocked.
Eli quietly clenched onto Chad's clothes, following him from behind. He found the place creepy and didn't want to be left walking around it alone.
The deeper they went into the city, the more unusual it was. There didn't seem to be any sign of trouble or panic that occurred.
But then, how come nobody is here?
The stalls and buildings looked as if they were used earlier but were abruptly left abandoned.
Eli's steps halted when he heard the sound of someone humming.
A woman's soft voice, slowly alluring him to turn around.
'...Was it my imagination?'
He glanced behind, and his jaw dropped.
"M, Mr. Chad! Over there!"
Eli shouted in fear while he pointed to their left.
"Wha–?"
Vick was taken aback.
There were people laying on the ground. The three of them ran to check, but saw no wounds on the people's bodies.
"Mister, please wake up!"
Eli approached a random old man sleeping but got no response.
"Hey! Anyone here?!"
Vick screamed, looking for anybody awake.
No matter how hard they shook their bodies or shouted, they wouldn't wake up. However, their breathing was stable, some of them were even snoring loudly.
It's as if they were all in deep sleep at the same time.
***
Deep in the east forest.
Thmph!
Outside a dark cave, a pair of feet quietly landed on top of the grass.
A slender man wearing white clothes underneath a dazzlingly white cloak with golden patterns patted dust away from his shoulder. He scrunched his nose in disgust.
A group of men wearing black cloaks followed behind him.
He lifted his arm, and a hand appeared, offering a white handkerchief to him.
'Haa… how filthy.'
The stench of the blood on the grass made him want to rip his nose off. He went inside the cave and saw a trail of blood on the ground.
Countless corpses wearing the same black cloaks as the men behind him filled their path. The more they went in, the more corpses they met.
However, none of it bothered the man. He continued walking with his followers behind, until he finally found someone still breathing.
"Hmm… you're looking a bit too pitiful, aren't you, Faramond?"
Faramond, the captain assigned in this cave hideout, looked at the man in white as if he was screaming for help while clutching his bleeding stomach.
'He's barely breathing.'
The man in white looked at Faramond struggling to breathe and took a potion out from his spatial pouch.
It acts as a portable storage. Because it's connected to a separate dimension, the user can put either big or small items inside, depending on the grade of the pouch.
The man in white opened the bottle of healing potion and poured it over Faramond's wounds.
His chin resting on his left palm.
"They weren't too kind to you, were they?"
He grinned, mocking Faramond while healing him.
However, Faramond did not say anything. He waited for his wounds to recover just enough for him to be able to stand up.
His body tensed as he looked at the man in full white clothing. He couldn't see the face underneath the cloak's hood, but he could already imagine the expression he was wearing.
Faramond kneeled on one knee,
"...Boss, please forgive me. We have lost the target."
He waited for a response, but everyone in the cave stayed still.
No one made a sound, making Faramond nervous.
He ground his teeth as he prepared to speak again, but…
"Am I stupid?"
Faramond looked up in surprise. He saw his boss looking around, turning at the people behind him.
He stroked his forehead, as if he's having a headache.
The man in the white cloak heaved a loud sigh,
"You just have to say the obvious, don't you?"
Whack!
He slapped Faramond loudly, leaving red marks on his cheek.
He then growled at his followers,
"If you know your target went missing, then why the hell are you still here? Why is no one chasing them?!"
Whack!
"Am I dumb? That's why you're not moving? Huh, is that it? Huh?!"