Into The Unown

The Settlement

In the eerie night sky of Orre, the Baek mountains  majestically stretched forth. With every step Ash and Gary took, every leaf that crunched, the grounds only seemed to expand.

"We're at this point," Gary jabbed his finger on his tablet in which an ancient map was opened up, "right?"

Ash nodded, catching his breath. "Yes, according to what Samuel told me, the settlement is around the Vznek area which was situated south east from this particular point."

Gary too out his compass, nodding vigorously. "It's that way," he said, his gaze softly drifting to Serena, whose head was lolled against Ash's chest. "Is the activated charcoal working?"

When Ash touched their foreheads, burning sensation erupted in his forehead. He backed up, shaking his head, "It's still high. Nothing is working, not even the drugs from the chamber."

The brunet grinned his head. A thump echoed through the dense forest as he slammed his fist on the nearby tree bark. "There is only one reason why are drugs won't work."

"They used a local poison," Ash said grimly.

"Those sons of bitches!"

"Hey, stop it." Ash scrunched his forehead , "Spencer said that Baek mountain tribes were specially known for their knowledge of toxins. If we find them, we'll save her."

Though his mind was laced with suspicion, Ash dared not to show it. In front of him, Gary rubbed his face, hoping the redness created from friction would be enough to mask the redness from his eyes. "We keep going," Gary said.

Ash nodded, is mind racing back to his last journey through the Baek Mountains with Spencer. They had combed the area for the lost city of Okera, but they'd never found the tribal settlement. He dared not cry about their failed  expedition to Gary, who was already grappling with made up scenarios in his read.

We'll find them, he convinced himself, come on, let's go.

The air grew colder as they walked further into the dark glow of the mountains. Their path, through shrouded in darkness, was partially illuminated by Gary's flashlight which was losing strength too fast for their liking.

Ash didn't care. He looked down; Serena's head still rested against his chest, her hand which earlier grabbed his jacket, now lay tired atop her chest, slipping down as he increased his speed. He pulled her close until he could hear her as they moved forward. 

Nothing will happen to you, he promised himself.

Ash and Gary jumped from pebble to pebble as they ran across the outer banks of a certain river he couldn't remember the name off. They crossed cliffs, waterfalls, any difficult terrain that they could remember the name off.

Finally, in the middle of the densest canopy of trees, they found a clearing. Quickly the two came to a halt.

"Is this is?" Gary asked, looking around. "There is a clearing but nothing for miles."

It was as if his words were enough to conjure magic. Ash scrunched his eyes as he stared into the near distance, a faint glow of smoke seemed to arise nearby.

They walked towards it until they reached a sight which one could only see in dreams. In front of them, there were tens of small huts made with hardened wood and woven branches. They saw figures, dressed in a burlap sack outfit move in and out of the huts, their faces where painted with a peculiar shade of green only found in leaves and ornaments made of animal teeth and feathers adored their face.

They stood in a single file line as Ash and Gary walked in their village. Though their expression was of wary, they seemed to welcome them with open arms—Ash couldn't help but shake the feeling that they had waited for them. One of them, a tall man with a spear, stepped forward.

"She's been poisoned," Ash said urgently, "We need help—a doctor, anyone!"

The man gave him a slight nod; he pointed towards the hut in the farthest corner and gestured them to follow.

The hut, though situated towards the end of the settlement, was covered in thick hide of an animal not recognised by the two. Inside, the air was thick with smoke. Ash coughed, swaying his hands in order to see what was ahead. It was dimly lit, the only source of light was from a small fire pit in the center, covered by intricate stones lining pit.

An elderly woman sat beside the fire, soaking in the smoke and the warmth all at once. The moment the three stepped inside, she motioned towards the bed in the corner.

"She needs help," Ash said, laying Serena on the makeshift bed of hays.

The old woman walked towards her, her ancient form hovering over Serena, her gnarled hands moved in the air, tracing the outline of Serena's figure. She muttered something under her breath, though the words were ancient, nonetheless they sent shiver down Ash's spine.

"What is she saying?" Gary whispered.

The old woman turned to them, her voice low and raspy. "The poison has dug its claws in her mind, body and soul."

Ash clawed his hand, an unrequited itch started to develop in his body. "Can you save her?"

The woman didn't answer immediately. Instead, she picked up a bundle of herbs and threw them into the fire. The ambers from the flames shot up to unimaginable heights, filling the room with a smoke unyielding and otherworldly.

"We have been waiting for this moment for thousands of years," the old woman said, gesturing the two to sit down around the bonfire.

"Thousands of years?" Ash questioned as he obeyed the woman. "I don't get what you mean."

Gary nodded, coughing. The smoke inside the room was increasing as seconds passed by, making the visibility zero.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked again, his gaze darting to Gary who was barely visible.

"What you heard, Lord Eiran."

Ash stood up, panic rising in his chest. "We're leaving," he told Gary, "let's—"

Before he could leave, the smoke encircled him, clouding his eyes, and eventually his mind until all he saw was...