"Shit, get down!" Kota yelled, as a flying creature swooped down with massive claws. Its body looked malnourished, its bones pretending from the lack of muscle. It had a long wingspan, yet his wings were shaped oddly, like a child drew the outline while it stayed in a 2D form. Paper thin. The three girls and Lukas dove into a nearby bush. They all went opposite direction as instructed by Aisha. This tactic was to confuse the creature, rendering it unable to choose a target that scattered like roaches. Kota stayed in the tree above, as he had stayed out of sight.
"Clear!" Kota shouted to them down below. He hopped out of the tree with smooth movements. "What was that Aisha?" He looked in her direction. "That's a rank 5 hol'ki" She said puffing out her chest. She had enjoyed teaching them stuff along the way, as if she was the teacher and they were the children. "How much longer until we get there?" Lukas asked Aisha, his face red from the heat.
After the team had left from they're campsite, it was still a long journey. They had crossed to a new area called the Yolos Golt. {Translated to Flame Land} This area had small pits that ran deep underground. Sometime lava will spit up in areas at a time, therefore it got its name Yolos Golt. It was on a low mountain crossing the Fin Naar. {Translated to The Peaks}. A long range of mountains Splitting the land.
Aisha looked at Lukas. "About three more days with this route." They had changed routes due to a large increase in monsters around they're original path. "Let's keep moving, I want to get out of this area as soon as possible." As soon as Shina finished speaking, a large geyser of flames spit up from the ground near them. They hauled ass away from the fire. Running at top speed to a spot looking okay to rest. Trees were periodically spread out around this area.
The trees here had silver bark on them. This bark was as hard as metal, which would conclude the reason they could survive in this climate. The leaves were not as tree like, and more of metal sheetings. Running through the leaves could shred someone's body, as they were as sharp as knives.
"Here!" Kota shouted as he found a decent spot up ahead to rest. They all ran towards his position as fast as lightning. Amelia was the first to arrive. Lukas came after, then Shina. Aisha's small legs couldn't run as fast as humans. "Fuck this place." Lukas said while gasping for breathe. After everyone took a few deep breathes Aisha spoke up. "We should be getting to the bottom of this pass soon. We will be out of here in 40 minutes." A smile formed across the groups face.
After they drank some water a good 10 minutes later they had set out again. Dashing from safe spot to safe spot. There was no monsters in sight. Each of them had soot covering they're clothes and skin. Very few creatures could survive in this environment. After 50 minutes, they made it to the she of that mountain range. "Yess so more fire pits!" Lukas said out loud. They all agreed with him. That was the worst place they had been.
"Stay alert still. Creatures are heavy in this area." Aisha spoke up. Screeching could be heard in a distance. "Let's go." Kota said, taking command again. They walked vigilantly into the forest ahead of them. As soon as they walked passed the first few trees, a cool breeze blew past they're faces. It was eerie and spooked anyone wanting to enter. They pushed through the warning and walked forward.
Rustling could be heard around them, as all sorts of creatures were watching them. Gauging they're strengths, and looking for any weaknesses. "They won't attack if they think they are weaker." Aisha spoke up. "So they sent just trying to kill anyone in sight?" Amelia asked. This topic intrigued her, as she thought creatures in the lands just attacked anyone on sight. "Well there are some that are like that. But they are far in between." Aisha explained. They're voices were low, just whispers.
"Ahhhh!" Kota heard Shina scream as he flipped around with blades already drawn. A hand had grabbed Shinas leg and pulled her into a nearby bush. Behind the bushes it sloped downward to a valley. It dragged her fast, as Kota was sprinting to catch up. He was losing sight of her. She was being pulled to fast, and her voice was fading from his ears. As he came to a big rock lodged in the ground, he jumped over, only to see a dead creature and Shina laying next to it.
He walked towards her and noticed Lukas. (Fast!) he thought, shocked to think he would beat him there. His blade he carried was lunged into this creatures chest. It looked like a human with vines interweaving in his skin. They wrapped around him, but his face. (That's not a face of a human.) It looked more of a fish egg sack, with little eyeballs spread around it.
He looked at Shina. She was all torn up and scratched to hell. Cuts covered her body from being dragged. He rushed to her side, examining the extent of the damage. Aisha came tumbling down the hill yelling. "Help, there's another one!" Kota looked up to see Aisha pointing back. It was Amelia being chased by another one. They're body's moved strangely. As if there was no right side up for them. They used all limbs of the body all the time, gripping with small vines on they're limbs to move quickly.
Kota dashed fast. He noticed Amelia was quick, but the creature was a lot faster. (Faster!) he thought as he pushed his legs to the maximum. A limb from the creature had slammed next to Amelia's foot, causing her to lose balance. She fell down the sloped hill quickly. Crashing and tumbling into bushes and branches. The creature had caught up to her tumbling.
A limb of the creature reached out and grabbed Amelia By her foot. Its vines reached already from Amelia's foot up her leg. As the creatures vines kept expanding on Amelia, it had changed course and started running up Valley. Just as the vines had reached Amelia's waist, they had stopped expanding. She looked up to see Kota's blade shimmering as she fell to the ground. "Reeeee!" The creature screech deafened they're hearing.
Kota stabbed the creature in the chest as it fell to the ground. He had sensed the location of its core when he got up close. He pulled his blade out, as the body oozed with blue blood. He looked down at Amelia as she struggled to wriggle out of the vines. He crouched down and started cutting them off her. She had a broken foot from tumbling down the hill. Kota noticed the tears in her eyes as he was pulling the vines off. "I'm sorry, I'll be more gentle." He spoke quietly. Trying not to catch the attention of any more unwanted guests.
After he removed all the vines, he picked her up gently, and carried her to the rest of the group. He could feel her body tensing from the pain of being carried. To make it worse she was being carried down a hill, as Kota was as gentle as possible. She held her tongue even though she wanted to shout in pain. He reached the group, and sat her down gently next to Shina. She was knocked out but breathing. Aisha had already cast healing on her. She looked at Amelia with tears in her eyes. "Yikes" she said in impulse.
"This is going to hurt. Let me grab something real quick." She reached around a tree and grabbed a decent sized stick. She snapped in into a smaller piece. As she walked over to Amelia, she noticed Amelia's confused face. Aisha spoke up. "We have to set the foot back straight first Before I can heal you." Amelia's tears started flowing. "No… okay wait!" She was sobbing unable to speak much more. Aisha stuffed the stick into Amelia's mouth.
Snap! Aisha gave Amelia no time at all as she twisted her foot right side up. She bit down on that stick and screamed. It slightly echoed around the forest. She ran out of breathe from screaming as soon as Aisha started chanting. "Revak Haas" she said as green light particles appeared around the area brightly. Some floated towards Amelia's foot. As they reached her foot, they seemed to of disappear.
Amelia's breathing steadied. She took the wood piece out her mouth as she muttered. "Thank you Aisha. But next time give me a count down." Aisha tilted her head a little and smiled. "What the fuck are these things." Lukas spoke from behind them, his sword still inserted into the creature. "Victims of the garden." Aisha said.
The three of them looked at her with interest , and worry in they're eyes. She continued. "It's a horrendous creature that moves around the forest sporadically. It takes over the life of others and infests they're body to use as they're own." She said. Slight fear in her eyes. "Sometimes they grow to have hundreds or thousands underling like those." She spoke up as to make sure they knew the dangers of this creature being around.
The sun was setting soon, and light was slowly fading. "We need to find shelter now. Amelia can you walk? " Kota asked. He reached his hand out, as she grabbed it. She lifted herself up and as soon as she put weight on her foot, a searing pain shot up her leg. She fell into Kota's arms. "Okay, Lukas can you carry shina?" Kota asked Lukas. "Yea I'll carry her." He agreed. He reached down and picked her up, carrying her like a princess. She had yet to wake back up.
They made they're way down the hillside, as soon as they reached close to the bottom they noticed a massive uprooted tree. They walked over to it. It was a large crater, around 10 feet deep and 14 foot across both sides. Kota's sat Amelia down, and walked closer to the big hole, he used the vines to let himself down. It had a nice overhead cover from the tree roots. At the bottom it was warm and cozy. "Hand me shins down." He shouted up. He held shins down to him. "Amelia next."
Amelia had already crawled to the vines and was letting herself down. Aisha slid down the vines as well. Lukas was the last one in. "Fuck. At least everyone survived." Lukas said. They smiled towards him. Other than Amelia. Her anger ran deep with him. "Ive got some dried hog still, let's eat and get some rest. We can head out in the morning. I'll take first shift and Lukas will take second." Kota said. He agreed with him.
The girls ate and went to sleep. As everyone rolled over besides Kota. A voice chirped up. "Do you think we can survive this?" Lukas said. "I don't know." Kota said with little emotion. He wasn't fond of these kinds of talks. "We were still three or four days away from the base of the lost lands. I don't even know where we are. Aisha was lost until she saw the mountains. Not many people cross the mountains from this side. Is what she told me." He explained while looking down at her fast asleep in his lap.
Lukas rolled back over to go to sleep. That was enough for him, as the depressing truth dawned on him. Night came and passed quickly. Only howls and rustling of creatures were heard. Shana's eyes glimmered open as she rubbed them with her hands. She yawned as she stretched her arms out. She winced in pain as her body ached.
"Take it slow, you got thrown around like a rag doll yesterday." Kota said. He sat across from her. Her eyes locked with his as she nodded. "You got some food on you?" She asked. "Here" he handed her some dried hog. She reached her hand out to take it and nodded. She chewed down on it. Her stomach was already grumbling.
Lukas had sat up quickly. "Oh shit. I fell asleep." He muttered lowly. He turned around slowly to see Kota and Shina looking at him judgingly. Kota just sighed and looked out the crater. "I'm gunna go out for a bit to scout. Wake the other two and get ready." Kota said. As he grabbed the vines to pull himself out.
Outside the crater Kota had reached the top and climb out. He scoured around and saw no creatures in sight. He spent the next 30 minutes scouting a path ahead. He returned to the crater to see all of them ready to leave. "Let's head back up the hillside." They all followed suite behind Kota.
Reaching the top of the hillside they all gasped for breathe. Aisha looked around over the tree tops, and pointed the direction to go. They followed the hillside until it flattened out. The tree periodically dispersed into open fields as they traveled deeper in. Four hours of traveling non-stop they stopped at a field. "Stop!" Kota shouted, as the group froze.
He looked down to inspect a flower, he felt mana pulsing off of it. He looked up and dispersed his mana, there were hundreds like this one. "Aisha." He called her over to look at the flower. "Know anything about these?" She inspected it and her eyes grew wide. "Good catch. We all would be dead if we walked through here. These are called Nahlot Yols." {translation : Silent Fires} "when you brush into them, they release mana pores, if you breathe in too many you lungs start to feel like they are on fire. After that it's too late and your body become they're fertilizer." She said staring out into the open field.
"Let's go around." He suggested as if any of them were going in there. As they walked around the field they stared into it seeing a few corpses of creature laying there, as if they just fell asleep and never woke up.
"Hey Aisha." Whispered Amelia to her. Aisha's ears perked up to listen. "How much longer? My clothes can't hang on much longer…" she said. Kota overheard her as she looked at her tattered clothing. Her shorts were ripped up the side exposing her underwear and a large portion of skin, while there was a tear down the back, exposing her ass. While her shirt was torn with a sleeve hardly hanging on, and a lot of tears up the shirt exposing her bra when she moved. As for shina, it was worse. Her shirt was torn almost clean off. She had been using her shirt just as a rag. Her bra was torn as well, a large rip down the backside of her sports bra. Her shorts were surprisingly not as bad. Similar tears to Amelia.s.
Aisha leaned over and whispered back. "We should be there tomorrow. In the morning hopefully." Amelia smiled at her "thanks." As they traveled, nightfall came quickly. They had found a small cave on a cliff side. They all piled in. They were covered in sweat. There was a nearby stream, so they all went to wash off in the stream. They dropped off they're clothes to Aisha to wash while they bathe.
"This is nice right here." Shina almost moaned. Her nude body protruding out the water. "Yea it is." Amelia agreed while washing her hair. Shina floated towards Kota who was also washing his body. She reached down and grabbed his shaft. He slightly jerked. Not expecting that. She giggled as she teased him a little and swam off. (What the hell. Not that I mind.) he thought, while watching her swim off.
Inside the cave Lukas sat there alone. "Damn why was I left in the cave while they all got to bathe." He muttered, as he heard footsteps and chatter. They were all clean. "Your turn Lukas. Aisha will be down there fishing so you don't get lonely." Amelia giggled. He almost blew a fuse but was shoved gently outside by shina.
The three sat down and chatted until the other two arrived back. They soon fell asleep. Kota laid awake on watch. He couldn't sleep anyways, as if he had really bad anxiety. Snoring was heard from Lukas. Shina sat up and scooted towards Kota. "Lets fuck." She whispered sliding down her shorts. He had no choice but to accept as she pounced on him.
The two of them lay there after they're session. They looked around to make sure no one was awake. They silently slid they're clothes back on. Shinas head fell on Kota's as they lay on the cave wall. Slowly they fell asleep.
"Find it." A child's voice rang in his head. (Who's there?) Kota said on instinct. "At the Willows house, a light of stars" a distorted female voice rang. Before he could say anything back that vortex pressure pushed him out. He jolted awake dripping in cold sweat, looking next to him was Shina. Feeling a pressure on his other side he saw Amelia. And in her own spot was Aisha, on his lap curled up. He closed his eyes and fell back asleep.