"What?!?! Is that true?!"
Bang became alert. If that was true, then he was being framed for the murder of Tab. Who would do such a thing? Why would they do that? Those were the questions that were going through Bang's head. Ligi just looked warily at the gate looking for any sign that the guards might comeback and arrest them.
"Yes! I have some reliable connections in the city. You have to go now!"
"Where do we go?"
"Follow that road until you see a sign saying 'to Bahan city' and take a sharp right turn. It should be a forest filled with red leaves. Continue in that direction until you see a river, by then follow the river that leads to a gorge until you see the Dreaded Valley. You'll notice it because it would be filled with rotten trees and leaves. Did you follow that?"
As soon as Andy told the directions, Bang got a notification in his mini map pointing in the directions that Andy told him. Bang didn't tarry any longer and sprinted into a different road than before. Ligi followed suit.
The danger of being caught by the powers that may be in Suno town for things he didn't commit terrified Bang. His adrenaline was so high that he forgot to ask an important question. Will they walk all the way there?
He realized it too late as Bang couldn't see Andy anymore. Andy probably put into the account of them walking to the estimated time of arrival in the Dreaded Valley. Hopefully.
Once they were far away enough so that Suno town was only an outline, Bang stopped jogging. He needed to conserve energy for the trip.
Once again, they were out here in the wild. Bang found it weird that he never got to settle in any one place. He was always pushed into some kind of situation that needed him elsewhere. Bang decided that he will try and stay in one place for a long time the next time he comes into a town. He needed to explore the things that were native only to this world and unthinkable on Earth.
Bang dreaded walking but thankfully, his body liked that. Ligi only had a determined face on him whenever they were away on a mission. Thankfully, there were clouds to buffer the heat of the sun.
After walking for what seems to be hours, Bang and Ligi finally saw the wooden sign that wrote 'To Bahan city'. True enough, adjacent to that sign was a forest filled with red leaves. It truly looked beautiful in the light of the sun. If it was back on Earth, it would have been a tourist attraction.
Following his mini map, he traversed the forest with increased curiosity at the sight. There really wasn't anything to do but walk through the forest. Bang noticed that there were flowers everywhere. Grass grew everywhere but didn't compete with the flowers. All in all, it looked like a plentiful forest.
Then out of the blue, they suddenly saw a lump of dirt in front of them turn into a big animal. To be exact, this animal probably hid in the soil. Alarmed at the sudden appearance, Ligi went in front of Bang and took out his shield. They braced for impact.
The expected outcome did not come at all. They looked at the buffalo who had spiral horns while the buffalo also looked at them. Bang was surprised that in the eyes of the buffalo, there was a sense of peace. It wasn't aggressive and angry but had eyes as clear as day.
After looking at them for a while, the buffalo finally left. Bang and Ligi felt relieved that there wasn't a confrontation. Well even if there was, Ligi would have deflected the attack. Speaking of the shield, Bang noticed something different on it.
The shield that was made up of barks, now grew moss and vines on it. There were also blades of grass growing out of the trunk. The shield was now mimicking the environment they were currently in.
Ligi just stared incredulously at his own shield. In all the time he had this shield, it had never exhibited this behavior. Was it because of the location? Or maybe some other factor, Ligi did not know.
Although it was weird, it wasn't enough to deter them from continuing on their journey. They had intermittent breaks throughout the whole journey in order to conserve energy and be in tip top shape when a crisis occurred. They would sit down near a tree and eat some jerky to fill their stomach.
They met some more docile animals in their journey in the red forest. They saw all kinds of animals that wouldn't have coexisted back on Earth. They saw cows, elks, deers, and there was even a horse. They could hear hummingbirds up in the trees enjoying life.
This was a complete antonym to the place they were going to for their mission. It had the word 'dreaded' on it. Bang thought that this may be the calm before the storm.
As the sun was setting, they decided to sleep off the night. Bang didn't get to buy some blankets or something to sleep on during an adventure. He would have really needed that right now. They only ate some more jerky and drank water from the jugs while Bang regretted.
As they were passing time watching the sun set, they some some little blobs of light. This wasn't like the ones in Suno town because Bang recognized it. It was a group of fireflies that danced around in the moonlight. Bang thought that was the only source of light in the forest but he was wrong.
As soon as night set in, the vines in the trees suddenly started glowing a blue hue. The dark where the blue light compliments the red leaves really left a huge impression on Bang and Ligi. This is what adventuring should be. Seeing and experiencing the unknown for himself. This whole trip would have been worthwhile by just looking at the scenery in the night.
Once they got sleepy, Bang closed his eyes. He finally spoke some words to Ligi.
"Let's take shifts. I'll sleep for now."
Ligi nodded. The peaceful night passed. Bang expected nothing to happen to him since the animals in here was so docile. True enough after taking shifts between them, there was no disturbance.
The next morning, Bang and Ligi went on their way. Bang once again followed his mini map, that way he won't ever be lost.
Following the path, he heard the splashing of water. A little ways down from where they were standing was a deep river that ran horizontally. They have reached the river that Andy pointed out. Bang looked left and right to see where the river would go.
On his right, the river went on for a little while but curved upwards and from then on, Bang couldn't see it from where he was standing. The left side of the river led to a small mountain in the distance. This must be the right place. Andy said that they should follow the river where it would lead to a gorge.
Bang decided to climb the small mountain and follow the river from there. Up here, he could see the direction to where he was going much easier. The gorge continued on for miles and miles until the sun set once again.
Bang went down the mountain and into the refuge of the red forest. The red forest was proven to be safe from last night and as a bonus, the scenery was to die for.
Bang thought it would be awkward traveling with someone while not speaking but in truth, it was easier than he thought. Because they weren't speaking, they were more focused on the journey ahead. The luminous vines once again lit up the whole forest. Bang felt it was a shame he didn't get to see the fireflies this time.
Taking shifts, the night passed without any accident. They ate some jerky, refilled their water jugs, and went on their way. As they traveled through the gorge, Bang noticed that the previous red forest became more and more darker. There were less grass and moss around the trees and the ground. The transition wasn't sudden but a gradual change.
The weather suddenly changed from being sunny, to being cloudy. Smoke started to fill their surroundings, but not enough to obscure their vision. Bang couldn't see any more animals in the forest.
Then, the forest suddenly stopped. Up in the distance was a dark and swampy place in the middle of two mountains. There was only small plain that buffered the two borders. The mini map pointed in that direction. That must be the Dreaded Valley.
Preparing himself, he suddenly heard a noise. This was the rustling of leaves and footsteps in the forest. Bang could hear that it was just adjacent to them. As he observed more, he saw a group of people walking towards the Dreaded Valley. Ligi readied himself to take out his shield.
Bang took a step and he also broke a branch. The sound reached the group and they stopped. Some of them decided to check it out and went towards Bang and Ligi.
Bang froze. He couldn't think of anything to do and the system just stayed silent. He let the group of people approach him.
As they got closer, Bang recognized a face. It was Lobo.