Aru Shah and the Forest of Shadows [COMPLETED]

This Has Definitely Got Bad Vibes

Aru was not looking forward to telling her mom that she had to go on another quest. She knew her mom was sick of it, sick of hearing the world might end, sick of all the worrying.

But what else was she going to do, leave a note? That would be so much worse.

(*cough* Zane *cough*)

The Potatoes had split up to go home a while ago, so Aru was alone in front of the museum. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Her mom, Dr. K. P. Shah, was in the lobby finishing a call. She set the receiver down and smiled brightly as her daughter walked in.

That only made Aru's stomach sink lower.

"Good news, Aru!" He mom said. "Some new artifacts are ready to transport, so we'll have them here in two, three weeks, maybe."

Aru didn't have the heart to tell her that the world might end in a week. "Yeah, that's great Mom," she said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

Her mom studied her face. "Something's happened, hasn't it?"

Aru sighed, and it all came tumbling out.

"OkaysoI'mreallysorrybutIhavetogoonanotherquesttosavetheworld."

One of the many things about Aru's mom was that she was excellent at knowing what someone meant, even if it was bordering on gibberish. It probably came from speaking to foreign visitors whose English wasn't always great.

Dr. Shah's face fell. "Oh."

"It won't take too long," Aru promised, forcing a smile onto her face for her mother's benefit. "I'll be back before you even know I'm gone!"

"When do you leave?"

"Um... tomorrow. Morning."

"All of you? What do you call yourselves again... the Potatoes?"

"Mhm," Aru smiled again, but this time it was genuine. "Well, minus Nikki and Sheela. We'll be fine, Mom!"

"Alright," Dr. Shah said, walking over and kissing Aru on the forehead. "Then I guess you better get packing."

-𓃰𓃰𓃰-

Aru shoved the last of her necessities into her enchanted purple backpack she'd bought at the Night Bazaar. It could carry anything that could fit inside without any weight or mass, which made it super handy for quests. Unfortunately, a flamethrower would not fit inside. Vajra bounced around in ping-pong ball form on her nightstand. She recalled it to bracelet form on her wrist, then slung the backpack over her shoulder and headed downstairs.

It was barely five A.M., but her mom was already downstairs. Aru dropped her backpack by the door and slid on her shoes. Her mom handed her some warm dosas for breakfast.

The Potatoes, including Rudy, who had insisted on coming along once again, were due to be there in a few minutes.

"So, where are you going?" Dr. Shah asked as Aru finished her dosas.

"Kalivana," she answered. "Ever heard of it?"

Her mother's face paled, and Aru started to regret answering. Why couldn't she have said they were going someplace nice and harmless, like Amaravati, instead?

Because then it wouldn't sound like a quest to save the world, the annoying part of her brain answered once again.