Chapter 99- Cloud Forest And The Lost Souls (Part 6)
“Deeper into the fog, you say?” Herculia asked with a contemplating look on his face. “That sounds like a good idea to me.”
“But, how would we even know where the thickest fog is? It all looks the same now.” Emmy said. Although they did notice the fog growing thicker as they walked deeper into the forest, at some point, it became so thick that they couldn’t really tell the difference anymore.
Arthur thought for a moment before he looked at the two kids. “Did you ever try to go deeper into the forest where the fog is at its thickest form?”
If there is anyone who knows more about this forest than anyone else, it is the two dwarves as they had lived in this place and had seen far more than Arthur and the others did.
The two kids surprisingly shook their heads. “No, we never dared to go that deep. The farthest we reached is one kilometer from here to a nearby cave.” They said.
“Why is that?”
“It’s…” The two boys frowned. “The deeper parts of the forest are… scary.”
The group went silent for a moment, looking at the pale expressions of the two dwarves. They didn’t even need a second to notice the change.
“Why is it scary?”
“We don’t know… But, whenever we try to go deeper… We couldn’t. It’s like something is pushing us away whenever we try to pass a certain distance. We don’t know why that happens.”
“…”
‘Yes, that sounds about exactly what I expected. There is something deep into the forest stopping us from reaching it because… Perhaps if we can, all the fog will dissipate.’ Arthur thought to himself.
But, that naturally didn’t sound very easy. If even Finlay and Serko couldn’t go deeper into the forest, then something was seriously wrong there. Something that could very much turn their journey upside down very quickly.
Isla and others were also very much aware of that. But, none of them tried to oppose the idea Arthur gave as they knew that it was the most viable option they had at that moment. It was very risky, had a lot of inconsistencies in it, and could very much be the reason for their failure. But, it had one thing going for it that made it the best idea possible.
‘We know what we’re supposed to do. It’s just how we’re going to do it is the problem.’ Arthur mused. Their goal was very straightforward in that sense, but the difficulty of such a task can only be determined once they see with their own eyes what kind of monstrosity they’re dealing with.
In the end, Arthur and the others looked at Isla. She was the leader of the group and what she says is the thing that goes. Arthur could easily go on his own, but he required their help and if Isla refused, naturally the others wouldn’t follow him after that.
The girl closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. “We will go with Arthur’s idea. If we can make it to where the source of this fog is, we could potentially get rid of it and find our way out.”
“… Understood.” The trio nodded their heads in understanding.
“Mmm, it is very dangerous.” Finlay and Serko looked at them with deep frowns. “You might die.”
“It is better than staying stuck here. We have to leave.” Isla replied. “And we will do everything it takes to do that.”
“…”
Seeing the determination in Isla’s eyes, the two kids were taken aback. They didn’t know why, but they were captured by Isla’s voice and presence. She looked almost radiating.
“So cool.” They muttered at the same moment.
“Hey, Finlay… I think it might be time for us to seriously try, wouldn’t it?”
“… You’re right, Serko. We have been stuck here for a long time. That letter wanted us to try and leave. Maybe this is what it meant by that.”
Finlay and Serko can only remember their time in this forest. Anything beyond that is a blur that they cannot remember. This place was their entire world as far as they were concerned. They knew that they had to get out, but they couldn’t do it alone.
Now, they saw an opportunity to finally achieve that goal they had been seeking for a long time. This opportunity came in the form of five people. Something told them that these humans were different and that was more than enough to make them rethink their fears.
“Mmm, can we ask something of you?”
“Hm? What is it?” Arthur responded.
“Let us help you!” The two kids exclaimed. “We want to leave this place too! We want to be useful to you!”
“…”
The five players looked confusedly at the dwarves. Their sudden burst of energy wasn’t expected considering the fact that they were very terrified of the fog.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, we have been working every single day to find a way out of this forest. We failed a lot and we didn’t know what to do. Please, let us try again with you.”
‘These kids…’ Arthur thought to himself. ‘Where did they even get all this determination from? I can’t even imagine what it feels like to wake up in an unknown place and be tasked with doing something by a stranger and they still found the spirit and will to try again and again countless times.’
Such a strength would only exist in very rare types of people and it comes with years and experience. These were but children in the end even if they were dwarves. It only made Arthur even more impressed.
“Let them go with us, Isla. I think they would be very useful.” He whispered to the girl next to him.
“…” Isla squinted her eyes as she stared at the two dwarves silently for a few seconds. Nobody knew what was going through her head at that moment. But, eventually, she spoke.
“If you can lead us to the direction where the fog gets thicker, you can tag along.”
“Woah! Thank you very much!”
“We will do our best!”
Jumping in the air excitedly, the two kids screamed. The happiness on their faces made them look even more innocent. A very comical contrast from the place where they were standing now, surrounded by complex structures and smart machinery.
‘Dwarves are really interesting people.’ Arthur thought to himself as he sighed. “Oh well, I guess we shouldn’t waste any more time. If everybody is ready, let’s leave.”
“Hold on a second,” Isla said. “Arthur, can I have a moment with you?”
“Hm?” Arthur was confused. “Uh, sure.”
“Wait here a second, guys.” Saying that, Isla walked with Arthur away from the group to talk.
“What does she need to tell him?” Herculia muttered.
“Who knows?” Emmy shrugged.
“…” The only one that remained silent was Danny who stared at the duo with cold eyes. Nobody could tell what he was thinking of at that moment. But, it was certainly not very pleasant.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3
