The silence that followed Omelet's story was heavy and suffocating. Akidou realized his curiosity had reopened a deep, painful wound, and a wave of guilt washed over him. He stepped forward to offer comfort, but Omelet brushed his hand away.
The little spirit flew up, wiped his tears quickly, and forced a bright smile as if nothing had happened.
"Alright, let's keep moving!"
Omelet turned and flew ahead, surreptitiously wiping away the last of his tears. The group followed in silence. Only Akidou lingered for a second, watching the small, trembling back of their guide before catching up.
In a dark, distant chamber, the mysterious figure stood with his back turned. Another individual knelt before him, head bowed low. The kneeling man's voice was sharp and obedient.
"Understood. I shall leave at once, my Lord."
The man stood, gripped a massive broadblade at his side, and departed. Left alone in the room, the figure with the eerie grin stared into the darkness.
"The fun is about to begin."
Back in Greenpath, Shinji walked at the back of the line, his mind wandering. He accidentally stepped on a thick, translucent vine. It burst instantly, spraying a neon-green sap everywhere. Before he could react, another vine slithered out from the brush, tipped with a long, needle-sharp thorn.
Shinji turned to run, but the vines around his feet tightened. The needle sank into his shoulder.
"Shinji!"
Akidou lunged forward, ripping Shinji away from the plants. Lio hurried over, helping him stand.
"Hey, Shinji! Are you okay?"
Shinji didn't answer. He let out a soft groan, his eyes glazed and unfocused. Omelet flew back, checked the wound, and sighed with relief.
"He'll be fine. It's just an Illusion Vine. He'll be dazed for a while."
Suddenly, Shinji pointed directly at Akidou's face.
"Look... a pig."
The group froze. Omelet placed a hand on Shinji's forehead and frowned.
"He's burning up. It looks like his body isn't used to these toxins."
In Shinji's distorted vision, his friends had transformed. Akidou was a pig, Omelet was a chicken, Lio was a duck, Alba was a cow, and the brothers, Lumber and Gumber, had turned into two scruffy dogs. He giggled to himself, stumbling forward and wandering off the path. With no other choice, the group followed him, waiting for the poison to wear off.
After walking for a while, they realized Shinji had drifted far from the trail.
"Shinji!"
Akidou started to run toward him but stopped dead. Everyone looked up, their eyes widening at the nightmare looming over Shinji. Only Lumber roared his name, trying to snap him out of it.
Shinji blinked, finally coming to his senses. He looked down, he standing in the field with hundreds of white balls. Some has been crushed under his boots, oozing a thick, sticky slime. Shinji slowly look up.
Before him stood a titan. It had the body of a praying mantis but with two asymmetrical, mutated claws: one was a colossal pincer that scraped the ground, and the other was tiny and shriveled. It even taller than the tree of Greenpath, towering far above the giant grass-like trees. Its eyes, massive and multifaceted, lowered until they were level with Shinji's face.
"A Mantiscrab!"
Omelet shrieked.
"Run, Shinji!"
The monster raised its giant claw and slammed it down. The earth shattered, and nearby trees collapsed like twigs. Shinji dived to the side, but the shockwave sent him tumbling across the dirt.
"Get back!"
Alba shoved the others aside and charged. "I haven't had a good warm-up all day!"
He curled his massive frame into a ball and rolled toward the beast. The Mantiscrab reacted instantly, its giant claw whistling through the air in a horizontal sweep. A thunderous CRACK echoed as Alba collided with the shell. The sheer force sent him flying, his body crashing through several massive trunks before he skidded to a stop.
Lumber and Gumber stepped up next. They dropped their wooden crate, stood back-to-back, and gripped their spears.
"Ready?"
"Yes!"
Energy surged into their weapon tips, aimed straight for the monster's head.
"Rage spear!"
But the Mantiscrab sensed the danger. It unfurled its translucent wings and flapped them violently. A localized hurricane of dirt, leaves, and debris erupted, blinding the brothers and blowing them backward.
"Damn it!"
They dug their feet into the soil, struggling to keep from being tossed away by the gale.
Across the clearing, Alba rolled to a stop and groaned. He pushed himself up, his head ringing. Right next to him, buried at an angle in the dirt, was an ancient stone axe. The blade was rough and uneven, lashed to a wooden handle with dried, dark-brown vines.
Alba frowned and picked it up. It was tiny in his massive hand—a relic from a lost civilization.