Souls of the Fallen

P1E4: A Berry Bad Time

Hey, um... I wanted to take a moment just say thanks for listening. I don't get the opportunity to talk to people that often. Most of the souls here coast past without any interest in the current condition of the world. Hopefully, you get something more than a fun story from this tale. I also hope you're ready for more because things are going to pick up quickly. Where were we... Oh yeah!

We left off with Reno, Riku, Darren, and Hailey preparing to enter the Frankforest for Toga's field test. The group is one of the last few to embark on their mission and it's because Reno wants to ensure they'll be prepared. He stops them to ask, "Did any of you bring along anything that we could possibly use to get through this place?"

Riku is the first to reply. "Nope! But I gots mah yo-yo!" He exclaims in a childish manner. The party stares silently at Riku who has whipped out his yo-yo and started playing with it.

After shaking his head in embarrassment, Reno repeats the question to the others, "Anything?"

"I brought my backpack," Darren says. "Maybe we could use it to carry some stuff." Reno nods in approval.

"Great! I left my stuff in class. Figured it would slow me down." He looks at his brother again as he is doing tricks with his little blue toy. Reno clears his throat to catch Riku's attention and signals for them to start traveling into Frankforest.

The forest has no clear walkways or paths so the students tread through bushes and the cluttered ground. Almost every other step is interrupted by a crunch or a crack from the dead leaves and broken branches underfoot. The group we're following shares small talk about the conditions of their surroundings for a few minutes until Reno says, "Start gathering some of the berries on these bushes. The berries deeper in the forest aren't safe to eat." The fruit near the center of the forest has been tainted by a dark force that the locals of the nearby town don't have the power to dispose of. This forest is home to danger but the threat doesn't leak outside of the perimeter of this green dungeon. "Also, grab a few sturdy branches and we can carve a few wooden pikes," he finishes his commands.

Hailey laughs a little and says, "You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Reno nods without making eye contact and starts examining branches. She does as she's told and grabs a fallen tree branch as well along with a rock to start chipping away at it. Riku and Darren pluck a bunch of berries and store them in Darren's backpack. They make it a game, as they do everything, and try to see who can toss berries in from the farthest position. "We should hurry," she says, "Kenneth and his group already passed us. We don't want to actually lose to that dufus?"

They all agree and return to traveling deeper into the forest. The opening to the forest can no longer be seen and the sky is becoming a rare sight due to the canopies of the trees. "It's pretty dark in here." Darren breaks the silence. "How do you guys know we are going in the right direction?" He starts to look at his surroundings and bumps into Reno. Reno had turned to him and is staring angrily with his arms folded.

"Get it together, Darren," he says to him. "I know you're only a sophomore but have some faith in us, dude."

Darren replies, "You're right. Let's change the subject." They continue walking. "What were you and Hailey talking about in class, Riku?"

Riku immediately responds, "Nothing! Next subject!"

Hailey, to Riku's dismay, answers, "He asked me out."

Riku screams, "HAILEY!"

She laughs again, "What? It's no secret. This happens to me so often I don't actually care anymore."

Reno whispers, "Wow... Conceited much?"

Darren jokes, "I bet he had to beg." Riku jumps on Darren's back and starts to choke him. Due to Darren's short but stocky build, he is unaffected by Riku's harassment. Still laughing, Darren says, "What? You're not her type, man! Get over it!"