Chronicles of Arya

Losteria

It took them two days to reach their first big obstacle.

Not to say that their journey prior to this was uneventful, but barely anything happened. They ran from a few bandits and monsters, took some of them on successfully, and had trouble keeping Tristina in check while she goes on a rampage for food.

Now, they were here. The entrance to Teardrop Forest. Well technically, there was no 'entrance' to the forest. They were at the edge of the forest. It wasn't thick with trees, but enough to prevent the moonlight from illuminating the forest itself. To the left and right, the trees seemed endless and it seems like the only way to move forward is to go through them.

"Why is it called the Teardrop Forest?" Liliora asked.

"You'll see," Polus said as he climbed on his cart. "Just go straight and don't lose your way."

"Wait, aren't you coming with us?" Liliora asked. Polus did look like he was about to leave.

"I am, but I'm not following the same path you are," Polus said. "The cart will make it hard to navigate in between the trees. I have my ways to get my cart and Tristina safely across."

"Then why can't we just use your way?" Isaac asked.

"It's, uh, a bit complicated. The path is available only to me and if I want to bring you guys along, it'll take too long. I mean unless you're willing to wait for another week." Polus said.

Isaac sighed. That's not a good idea. "Fine. So we'll see you on the other side?"

Polus nodded. "So long, my friends. Stay safe!" He said as he took off, heading to the right side of the forest before promptly turning left and into it, going out of sight.

"I guess it's just us then," Meng said. "Lead the way."

Isaac sighed as he entered Teardrop Forest, followed by the two ladies. As expected because of the canopy of leaves above them, there was little to no light inside the forest. Isaac could barely see what was in front of him, but it changed when a sudden spark of light illuminated their surroundings. Isaac looked behind him to see Meng holding a torch. She handed it to him.

"Thanks," Isaac said as he led the way, torch in hand. Thanks to it, Isaac could see slightly better though visibility was still limited.

It looked like any other forest Isaac has been into, except for one tiny detail. The forest was deafeningly quiet. Normally, he would've heard a gust of wind, rustling leaves, and the sound of insects, but nothing. Except for the crunching of leaves and branches under his steps and the crackling fire in his hand, he heard nothing.

"It's eerily quiet," Liliora whispered.

Isaac said nothing has they ventured on. Since this was a forest, there's no way it's going to stretch on forever. If he kept going in a straight line as Polus told him to, eventually they'll be out of the forest.

The hard part was to keep track of their way. Since they couldn't see the sky, it was hard to gauge what direction they were facing without having any reference points. Isaac felt like he'd been walking in one direction, but the feeling of paranoia of being wrong was creeping up on him.

They'd been walking for what felt like hours before Isaac finally heard something from within the darkness. Something that sounds like rustling, buzzing, and splashing all at the same time.

"Is it . . . raining?" Meng asked.

It sounds like it was raining. As they trudged onwards, the raining sound got louder until Isaac noticed the ground getting muddy and the wood being damp. It was a bit odd that they could hear the rain and see signs of it, but they didn't feel it.