Out of one's sight

Leaving behind the chest, the small cave-exploration-party went further inside to investigate the mana source. The cave got narrower, and some 400 meters inside, they found a large metallic door blocking their path. Increasing the brightness of his mana light, Alfosdor checked the door for some contraptions to open it.

Suddenly, a memory flashed in the Captain, and he yelled, "Alfosdor, get away from it. It's a seal."

Alfosdor quickly hurried back. The Captain continued, "And it will be better if we leave it as it is for this time; 'cause I think I know what is inside... It is a sealed dungeon."

"Woah! An undiscovered sealed dungeon!" Filbert admired in awe. "Will it be named after me if I report it?"

"Certainly you were not alone when you discovered it, kid," and Alfosdor retorted as usual. "So, Captain, what do ya say? Well, you can take the name for yourself if ya want."

"Stop it, you grumpy fellas!" the Captain grouched. "Rather than fame, doesn't it make you wonder, who or why sealed this dungeon? A true adventurer always has a thirst for such knowledge."

"Ah, well, this seal looks something made by the ancient people," Alfosdor said with an apologetic smile. And Filbert responded with a "Yes, I mean yeah. So it seems."

" *sigh* When you are adventuring, you should try to forget what you left behind, and only focus on what you are looking for and what you find," said the Captain. "Well, anyway, the stories of these sealed dungeons go far back. I am sure you lot have heard about the myths and legends of the old Gods defeating the evil God and sealing his parts in the age-of-Gods dungeons. For sometime back, people believed that these types of sealed dungeons were the ones from the legends. So, they feared them until a few centuries ago, when those dungeons were explored by a group of pioneer explorers. Though not much is known about them, their findings were delivered by a familiar to the University of the north. And surprisingly, no such evil God parts were discovered in them. But, after the recent events and the prophecy of the return of the evil God, exploring such dungeons have been banned by the government. You will need special permission if you want to enter one."

"Aye, that's nasty," said Alfosdor with an unpleasant face. "Well, I don't believe much in the Gods and stuff. But my old man always used to say - that one day, He will return, and it will be either the end, or the beginning."

----

Finding nothing else of importance in the cave, it was concluded that the sensed mana was probably from inside the dungeon, and very unlikely from the collapsed smaller Draugr. Afterward, they reported back to the group outside, and it was decided that spending the night in the safety of the cave would be better than out in the Forest. And that, of course, until and unless someone stupid messes with the seal, which was immediately forbidden by the Captain with a shout of his loud voice. Furthermore, monster repellents were made from the mana cores of Draugrs and put outside at the mouth of the cave for more safety.

Monster repellent can be made by chopping off a little bit of a mana core of a strong creature and putting them in some holy water. The mana core dissolves after coming in contact with holy water. As the water evaporates, it somewhat replicates the magic presence of the owner of the mana core keeping weaker monsters at bay. Though its range is limited, it was enough to guard the mouth of the cave for the night.

When the group was settled inside the cave and Supper was being prepared, the party leaders and the Captain held a discussion around a bonfire near the bank.

"Don't worry, Kenny. You did a very good job today." reassured the Captain after Kenny apologised for the encounters with the monsters today. "And nobody can just pass through the Red Forest without making a greeting to its inhabitants. The Draugrs were coincidental too. But looking at the bright side, we've got a very nice camping ground for tonight. And I guess, nobody would argue that this is the best place to camp in the Red Forest."

"Aye, Cap'n. This place is good," agreed Alfosdor. "Well, unless the stream gets flooded."

"For emergency, we should make a path to climb up on this side of the stream as well," said another party leader.

"Yes, that's a good idea. Alfosdor, I count you on that."

"Aye, Cap'n."

"So, how should we travel tomorrow?" asked Lady Janet.

"Well, we can follow the stream along the gorge too. That way, we will be safe from the beasts of the Forest, as they would never come down here. And in emergencies, we can climb back up." said Louis. "What do you think, Kenny?"

"That's a good idea, my lord," replied Kenny. "But down here, it will not be completely safe either. One day, I saw a big spider and some giant ants near the bank."

"Big spider, ya say, how big was it?" asked Alfosdor with fear.

"I think it will be about 5 feet in diameter," replied Kenny.

"Ah, that would make the wild tarantulas, I guess. We found one too when we made our way through the western part of the Forest," said Louis. "Well, they rarely attack humans unless provoked, as they are somewhat intelligent. And in the worst case, they are weak to fire."

"Tarantulas are fine," said Alfosdor. "What I fear are the goliath man-eaters."

"The real problem will be the ants, which I presume to be giant carpenter ants. We will have to retreat if their whole colony shows up," added Lady Janet. "They are underground creatures. So, they will not give chase to above, I guess."

"You seem to have some bad experiences with the ants, young Lady," said Louis.

"Not just bad; it was terrible. When I was in the capital, a large colony of them showed up in the sewers. In the end, we had to poison the whole network of sewers and exterminate the remaining ants for 2 whole weeks." Janet said with a cramped face.

"Ah! that sounds really painful," added Louis. "Well, let's just hope we don't face them this time."

"Hmmm.. let's just follow the gorge tomorrow." declared the Captain. "We will use the monster repellent to ward off the Ghost-lights. Though I doubt that they will be active in day-time."

"Now, then. Who knows to sing?" asked Louis. "Aldy here, is quite good with the bongos you now?"

"Ah! Come on, Louis. That's something when I was a kid."

"Then, let me start." Saying so, Louis began to sing in his old but clear voice. Slowly the others joined in as well. A dwarf mage from Alfosdor's party had a harmonica, which was a perfect fit for the occasion. And surprisingly, the Captain had a tambourine.

Though dangers were crawling in the Red Forest, the night was surprisingly lovely in the cave.

----

The next morning was chilly, and the signs of winter were visible in the Red Forest. The group started their morning with a popular local drink, which is made with hot spruce tea, honey, and rum. Then they packed all their stuff, sharpened their weapons, did some morning exercises, and embarked on their journey again by 10 am in the morning.

The weather was windy as well, but the group was protected from the chilly winds by the gorge. And by noon, they had already traveled quite some distance.

The stream was shallower upstream too. The water was crystal clear and contained small amounts of Ynni, making it akin to holy water, though very, very diluted.

"This is so, refreshing," said Lady Janet washing her face in the stream. "I have never seen such a natural stream of water containing holy water like properties. I wonder what its source can be."

"The Red Forest has its secrets, young lady," said Louis in a melancholic tone.

"Louis, why the somber mood suddenly?" asked the Captain.

"Well, to be honest, it is related to the story of the creation of this Forest," said Louis. "Its - a story of death."

"Well then, let us hear it as we continue," said the Captain. "Buckle up, lads and lasses. Let's wrap up lunchtime and keep moving."

----

"So, this myth of the creation of this forest was told to me by Professor Agusthus, Kenny's guardian, when he came to the town for his occasional drinking night-outs." started Louis while keeping the occasional eye for potential dangers. "According to the myth, there was a big war here, probably a few thousand years after the age of Gods. On one side were the human-kind and the demon-kind and the elves. And they were against the High Wraiths, High Undeads, High Orcs and other strong beasts and monsters from the age-of-Gods. The war was devastating for both sides, and rivers of blood flowed in this valley. Vasts amounts of mana and strong lifeforce permeated the soil rendering the place inhabitable for any living organism. For many years, the lesser undead roamed here feeding on that mana and lifeforce evolving into their higher races and also acquiring some intelligence. And one day, the higher races just vanished, gone completely."

"Another thousand years later, life found its way here, and the trees that grew evolved into these strange red-leaved large trees, which grow only here." He continued, "Basically, that was how this Red Forest came into existence. But, don't mistake the Forest to be less dangerous now, as very few returns back alive after venturing this deep into the Forest."

"Aye, but this time it won't be able to stop us," declared Alfosdor with excitement in his voice. "We will safely cross it this time."

"Well, let's hope for the best." added the Captain in a melancholic voice as well. The story of death really had an effect on everybody, making them wonder about the deep meaning behind the redness of every leaf.

The somber mood of the group was further dampened by the slight drizzle that came down sometime in the afternoon.

When the water level started to rise, the group decided to leave the gorge behind and climb back up.

"Well, the beasts rarely come out on hunts when it rains. So, I suppose it will be better for us to continue," said Kenny.

So, the group traveled in the rain wearing leather hats. By evening, they came across some fallen trees. The giant trunks looked somewhat freshly cut and in an unnatural way... as if they had been sliced off with a tool.

The destruction of the Forest reminded Kenny of his misdeed with the sword of Mimosa. Embarrassed and worried, Kenny decided to keep it a secret that it was his doing.

"This is highly unusual. I wonder how did this happen," pondered Louis. And everybody started gossipping as well.

"Well, this might be the work of them," said Kenny pointing to an old black tree trunk, trying to put the blame on others.

Upon closer look, the large fallen trunk appeared moving, or rather, its bark was moving in various patches. "Hou! are they worms? Woodworms, perhaps?" asked Louis.

"Yes, they are woodworms. I have seen numerous varieties of them in the south." said the Captain. "But all of them have one thing in common. They take the appearance of the bark of the tree they are feeding on, and they spew dangerous acids."

"Then, it will be better if we stay away from them. We don't want unnecessary trouble," said Janet.

The group continued while avoiding all the fallen trees infected with woodworms. But then, suddenly, a giant centipede, about 10 ft long with purple scales and red legs, came out from one of the hollowed-out trunks and charged on the group. And there was not only one, but two more of them, though smaller in size, but the same deadly in appearance.

"Purple centipedes incoming!" cried Alfosdor.

"They are very poisonous. Don't let them come close." yelled the Captain.

Alfosdor pulled out his giant shield and bashed at the incoming centipede. And the centipede's front part of the body was blown away by sheer force of the hit. But the legs on its lower part of the body managed to hold their ground, and the agile centipede quickly made a turn-over, and now, with its towering front part of the body, it was ready to unleash attacks on Alfosdor again.

Suddenly, an arrow came flying and splendidly struck the head of the giant centipede, dealing the final blow. It was Ryan.

"Splendidly shot, young one." praised Louis. "Now then, let me take care of the other two." Saying so, he collected mana in his wand and, "Bolt" shot a stronger version of the stun spell on them. But the agile centipedes managed to evade, and only one of them was hit by the strong bolt of electricity. The other one, which was only slightly injured, now enraged, charged at the group again.

"Let me take care of the remaining one." Saying so, Kenny confronted the centipede head-on.

"Boy, be careful." Ignoring the words of Louis, Kenny beautifully evaded the attack of the centipede and managed to reach its rear part. The young but agile centipede turned to face him again. But Kenny had already caught it by its back part, and with a strong swing, he thrashed the head of the centipede on a nearby rock.

"You are quite agile and fast, aren't ya?" -Alfosdor.

Kenny blushed and said, "Well, that much is necessary to live here."

"Good work, Kenny." said the Captain.

----

By evening, the group came across a large patch of clearing in the Forest. The scene was of pure devastation. The trees were violently broken down, uprooted in some case, the ground was dotted with numerous craters, the rocks were smashed, and some parts were wholly charred with mana burns.

While the leaders in the group were entirely in wonder, thinking what might the cause of such destruction, Kenny, of course, knew the cause, as it was him and Mimosa, who came this far during one of their practice sessions in which use of magic was allowed. But once again, he decided to keep it a secret.

"This certainly does not appear to be caused by natural forces," said Louis.

"Yes, it was not natural." said the Captain. "It looks like a big battle took place here among many people or creatures, whatever they might be."

"Aye. I think so too. Let's get away from here before they, whoever they are, come for us," said Alfosdor.

The group hurriedly left and continued their journey in the darkness too. After traveling for another few kilometers, they laid camp near some giant rocks in a hilly area where the Forest was thin.

They built giant bonfires along the perimeter of their camping area to keep the wild beasts at bay. They also made more monster repellents to keep out the wraiths and ghost-lights. Still, occasionally a strong wraith would come to attack. But the night lookouts were able to safely deal with them. And so they passed another night safely in the Red Forest.

----

The next morning, the sky was clear, though the wind was strong as usual. After breakfast, everybody was present before the Captain's tent, for the regular morning discussion. Usually, they would convey their problems and reports to the Captain, the headcount will be done, and plans for the day will be laid out. But today, a different problem had occurred.

"What did you say?" asked the Captain in disbelief. "Kenny is missing?"

A girl from Lady Janet's team was reporting to the Captain, "Yes, Captain. When I went to his tent to serve him breakfast, he was not there. Then we looked for him in the whole campsite. But he was nowhere to be found. The men looked for him in the men's toilet and bath area as well."

"Damn it. Did that guy chicken out and ran back to his guardians," said Alfosdor grumpily.

"No, Alfosdor. I know that guy. Whatever he is, he is definitely not a coward." said Filbert.

"Hou, when did you become his follower?" asked Ryan with a nasty smirk.

And as Filbert was about to retort back, the Captain yelled, "Stop it, you guys."

"Well, I am sure wherever he is, he will surely return," said Louis.

And the Captain added, "Let's look for him properly once again before we depart."

----

It happened sometime before dawn. It was still dark outside, and Kenny was asleep in his tent. But then, Kenny's sharpened senses, which still remain active when he is sleeping, picked up some trouble near the southern exit of the Forest.

He immediately got up and put on his outdoor gear. Yare yare. This is something way out of the league of these people. It looks like I will have to deal with it before it reaches here. He then carefully got out of his tent without making any noise, leaped onto a nearby tree, and disappeared into the Forest.

----

It was a group of heavily armed undead soldiers lead by a knight riding a skeleton horse. The bone creatures, as hideous as usual, were marching in a perfect formation. Though they were small in number, each one of them looked like a battle veteran with leather armor, metallic guards, and well-maintained swords and shields. The knight leading was even more terrifying with grey metallic armor, a long sword, and a pair of flickering red fire burning in his eye sockets.

Suddenly, a pale white boy jumped down from a nearby tree before them and walked menacingly towards them.

Seeing him, the swordsman undead at the frontlines gave out a battle cry in an unintelligible voice and lashed at him. But the boy stood there unmoving, and as the sword was about to cut down his neck, a cracked voice, "Stop." came from the back, and the skeleton soldiers fell back.

"Let. Me. Deal. With. Him." It was the skeleton knight, uttering his command in his broken voice. Then he gracefully got down from his steed and approached the boy.

"I. Am. A. Caretaker. Of. This. Forest." said the knight. "But. I. Am. Also. Tasked. With. Stopping. People. From. Crossing. This. Forest. And. Reaching. The. East."

"Is that so? But you never stopped me when I was here, nor did I ever saw you, less even taking care of this Forest."

"We. Only. Come. To. Stop. Those. Who. Are. Marked. Dangerous. By. My Familiar." As he said that, the small wraiths in the surroundings gathered near him and converged to take the shape of a large grey wolf.

"And. It. Is. Our. Little. Friends. Who. Actually. Take. Care. Of. The. Forest. When. We. Are. Not. Here." said he, referring to the other freely foraging wraiths.

"Ah! There was always such a big secret of the Forest hiding in plain sight."

"So... Are. You. With. The. Ones. Trying. To. Get. To. The. Other. Side."

"Yes. Though only temporarily."

"Do. You. Want. To. Retreat. With. The. Rest?"

The pale white boy paused a while before answering, "NO." And considering that as the signal, the battle began.

As the other skeleton soldiers fell further back, the skeleton knight unsheathed his long sword, with the rising sun on his back. Though his sword appeared dull, as he passed mana into it, red veins appeared on the surface of the blade and gave out an ominous red glow.

"It is good that I brought a sword as well." It was an ordinary double-edged sword that was borrowed to him by the Captain. But as he passed mana into it, the sword gave out cracking sounds, and similar bluish-white veins appeared on its surface as well.

"That. Is. An. Ordinary. Sword." said the knight with a heavy voice. "It. Cannot. Hold. That. Amount. Of. Mana"

"I know." replied the boy. "But it will be enough for this battle."

As the knight heard this, the red flames in his sockets burned brighter, and he disappeared.

But not from the eyes of the boy who could read his movements very clearly. And as he took his stance, his eyes gave out a blue glow as well, and he too disappeared.

The battle which followed after was certainly not for the eyes of ordinary people, and only red and white splashes and after images could be perceived.

The knight violently slashed at his opponent. But all of his attacks were splendidly parried or blocked by the white boy with his agile movements. So, he started using occasional kicks, which managed to blow away the boy. But every time, he would get back up as if nothing had happened.

"Okay, now. Enough practice." said the boy and slashed at the knight from below.

The knight somehow managed to avoid the blow by blocking the mowing sword with all his might. But the next strike was even faster and managed to break his shoulder. And as the knight fell back to recover. A violent series of slashes rained on him, destroying his armor and breaking his bones. And so, the battle ended quickly after it began.

The knight lay down flat on his back, and the white boy held the sword at his chest. "Come. On. Finish. Me." the knight asked.

"No." the boy replied with a pause. "Just go back to your place, where you came from."

Saying so, he unsheathed his sword, leaped onto a nearby tree, and disappeared into the Forest.

Why did the boy spare the skeleton knight? Was it because he was an undead too? Nobody knew, and maybe no one ever will.