Chapter 9 - Weather Weirdness and Forest Business

---------- 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝒸𝒶𝒾𝒹 ----------

----- 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖑𝖒 -----

Kincaid felt stupid as the sun beated down on his face. The warm rays of sunshine made his skin tingle, as he felt it dissipate in the cool breeze that swiftly followed.

He was still following Orius. For what seemed like forever at that point. Kamaria was no longer skipping beside him, and everyone had slowed down from moderate tiredness. But they were still going. Main Caulden was large. It was one of the largest cities in Iradith. If not the biggest in the Wonder Realm! Each building held a multitude of rich history behind each door. It was fascinating honestly. Kincaid watched the houses he passed by, as he carefully danced around the bustling crowd of busy Iradethians. Blue, yellow, green, red: the vibrant colours bright in the sunlight. He felt content. He felt okay. He felt a lot of things. And that was okay.

Because like Kamaria had previously said, they got a gig!

Finally!

After so long, they finally had a quest to do. A purpose. That was why Kincaid didn't mind waltzing down the long, winding streets with his friends. Blue, yellow, green, red: what a lovely pattern.

"Hey Kinny?" a voice said beside him, and he turned to face Kamaria, who was clutching onto his arm. Tightly. He hadn't even realised, "Why is there fog everywhere?"

...

...

...

Eh now?...

Fog?

What? What fog? Fog in the middle of the summer? Kamaria must've been blind, or gone insane! There was no way there could be fog in this weather - but to his shock, as Kincaid looked around him, there was indeed a delicate layer of forming particles that were dancing around the bustling legs of passers-by. Blue, yellow, green, red: and a mist gently coated over them.

Holy duck.

Iradith really was incredibly unpredictable.

Kincaid collided with a person, who politely swore at him before continuing with their tasks. He shook his head - he needed to pay more attention. He gazed out at the mysterious vapour for a brief moment longer before ultimately looking back at the leading Orius, who was walking a lot faster than them. They needed to hurry up.

The adventure group hadn't realised, but as they had been walking, the fog had been collecting. More and more. Thicker and thicker. Collecting, until it was becoming a difficulty to locate Orius, who had rushed to the front. That wasn't the only strange thing. The crowds were thinning; slowly but surely. Blue, yellow, green, red: wait, Kincaid had seen that flower pot before.

This was no longer Iradith being unpredictable.

This was Iradith being outright weird.

Abruptly, Kincaid stopped dead in his tracks, causing Kamaria to slightly stumble forward as their linking arms were broken.

"Guys wait," he said, loud enough so that Orius turned back to see what he wanted, "Is it just me, or shouldn't there be more people around?"

The group looked around and realised that Kincaid was right. There should've been more people. Just a few minutes ago, people were barging into each other, pushing and shoving to make their way from point A to point B. It must've been the busiest day in Iradethian history!

So, where was everyone?

Blue, yellow, green, red: those colours were beginning to make Kincaid sick.

"I don't know," Kamaria said, tilting her head, "Hey! That guy is wearing such a weird thing! What is it? It looks like a hat with a little dent and a strange flap surrounding it. Maybe he'll know. HEY MISTE-"

But just as she screamed, a large breeze hit them, causing the fog to subside in an instant, and everything went back to normal. Kincaid looked back and saw people floating in the air with long, sharp staffs, spinning them around like propellers.

"STAY CALM EVERYONE! WE'VE SEEN WEIRDER THINGS THAN FOG! WE'LL KEEP IT CLEAR! CONTINUE WITH YOUR RESPECTED TASKS!" a loud voice boomed from above, most definitely someone from the sky people.

Wow, wind magic was so cool.

Before anyone in the group managed to speak, the shoving came back like a storm with revenge.

Kincaid couldn't see the building colours anymore.

The group was forced to stay together until they finally exited the bustling town centre, and made it to the forest, where they could finally settle on what to do first -

"Everyone saw that right?" Istrum whispered.

- after first discussing the strange events.

"Oh yeah, we all saw it," Kamaria said, as she moved away from Kincaid's grasp and limped over to a nearby rock. Kincaid followed and sat beside her.

"I mean, what was that? I know some wacky things happen all the time, but people disappearing? FOG IN THE SUMMER?" Zenobis said, running her fingers through her short hair, as Kincaid chipped in another comment and his theory on what happened.

As discussion broke out, the group paid little attention to their surroundings. They had made it to the open land of the forest, where the ground was covered in dried up grass and sticks, and the sky was barely visible between the thick canopy above. Tall trees of all sorts of shades surrounded them in a random pattern. White, brown, pink and blue. To me or you, it would seem strange, crazy, wild - but to the five, it was normal. A stray firefox could be seen cowering in the bushes, the mushrooms dry and shrivelled in the midday sun. A ten eyed bird squawked from where it perched, observing Orius, who had wandered away from the group, and appeared to be looking for something. Or rather someone. A small stream gushed in the background, just a few meters away from their little meeting. It was the only thing you could hear. That, and the ushered voices of the adventure group.

Kincaid only realised after a while that there were only four of them participating, and looked around for Orius.

"Hey dude, what are you doing?" he called, gesturing for him to join them. Kamaria, patted the empty space beside her, while still wearing a dorky smile. That stupidly adorable, dorky smile...

"Thank you!" Kamaria said, her smile growing so big Kincaid started to worry again.

"Kam, remember what I said?" he asked, a blush gently dusting his freckled cheeks.

"Ugh... Just because we can read each other's minds, doesn't mean we have to..."

"Exactly!" Kincaid said, now being the second idiot there smiling.

Zenobis rolled her eyes and Istrum chuckled to himself. Neither realised Orius, who looked like he had just swallowed an explosive and was trying to keep the smoke in. Maybe he had, because the next things he said were quite explosive.

"Shut the fuck up," he snarled. Everyone turned to face him, shocked at his language. Oh no.

That couldn't be good.

It wasn't loud, but it was harsh enough for everyone to hear and recognise the shift in mood. They hadn't even noticed that he had drifted back over to them. Then again, they weren't noticing a lot of things.

"Shut the fuck up, you ignorant ducks," he continued, eyes glued to the floor, hand clenching the rim of his katana resting at his belt. Kincaid stood up, nudging Kamaria behind him; Istrum started stepping backwards, while Zenobis stood headstrong, expecting the worst.

Iradith was unpredictable. Anything could happen at any moment. It was why you always had to be prepared for anything. If you weren't, you would die. Simple as.

Unfortunately, Orius was an even bigger enigma. The worst part? You could never be prepared, and even if you were - there was no guarantee you'd make it out in one piece.

That was why the group was bracing themselves, expecting the worst. The tension was so thick that the fog was having trouble moving around. They eyed Orius with cautious glares.

Kamaria was the first to speak up.

"Um, what's wrong Orius, aren't you happy we got a mission?"

Orius chuckled coldly, lifting his gaze to lock his eyes with Kamaria's blue ones.

"A mission?" he said, "Oh deary, this is a suicide mission, you know that, right?"

He began laughing hysterically, that even Zenobis flinched. Istrum was behind a tree, his stick - which was already turned into a hammer - in hand. He was ready to run. Kincaid should've been too, but Kamaria was at risk.

"Why do you think the king chose us?" Orius said, his eyes now ablaze... literally, "he chose the group that no one would give a living shit about if they disappeared while doing it. Have you guys even considered, HOW are we going to do this? Am I the only one who knows the myths and legends of those who seek the Mundane land?"

He wasn't wrong, Kincaid knew that. Everyone did.

"Or if the Mundane land even exists?!"

More silence.

"Our mission is to go to the Mundane land. Did you hear me? Maybe if someone from your level says it, you'll understand the gravity of what we're being asked here."

He took out his half-sword and slashed in one swift motion at a tree, now shouting.

"WE ARE BEING ASKED TO GO TO THE MUNDANE LAND, THE LAND WHERE EVERYONE WHOS TRIED TO GET THERE HAS MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED OR DIED OR WHATNOT! HALF THE POPULATION OF IRADITH DON'T EVEN THINK ITS A REAL PLACE!"

"I heard of this guy that actually pulled it off-"

"Shut up Kamaria, I love you but you'll believe anything you hear."

"Don't you dare talk to my wife like that!" Kincaid said, despite him knowing Kamaria wasn't the brightest bulb in the lot.

"Orius, it looks like you're also forgetting something here. We know how dangerous it is, but you realise that we're celebrating because you said you had an idea of how to get there? Only Kamaria is happy about this thing as a whole. Or did just magically forget what you said when the King announced the quest? Or worse," Zenobis narrowed her eyes, sword drawn and ready to attack, "Did you lie?"

"Yes, I know what I said! No, I didn't lie, so put that sword away. I'm sorry okay, but you guys need a reality check! I love you lot, but this quest is suggesting we die. That we die! And for what reason? So the king can have a girl?"

Orius paused and sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment in contemplation.

"I just don't want her to get hurt..."

"Kamaria?" asked Kincaid, surprised that Orius would actually care about his wife's wellbeing, "Last I checked she can take care of herself."

"Not your girl! Min-"

"Hello," a voice boomed from the midst of the forest, scaring the group.

They weren't alone, and Kincaid didn't know what to expect.