They swiftly alighted consecutively on the coarse ground after gliding past the sloppy cape, which was covered with erosive black sand near a deep and wide trench filled with numerous huge sculptures made of stones that were covered with creepy vines which grossly entangled the decayed statue as they lay lifeless on the ground. The vines partly covered them while a thick fog gently fondle the old statues and the deep trench that it densely obscured from their sight. They gazed around the landfall which lay beneath a landmass, as they listened to the serene motion of the thick fog that totally shrouded the a large portion of the land but ended at the upper mountain region above it.
"Hold on a minute! There's something inside the fog!", Selon screamed out which promptly stopped the others in their tracks who had left him behind and had started to descend down the hill unaware of danger that await them. His scream had made the others turn towards him while he gazed at a small winged Pinox with a spiral abdomen which flew blindly into the fog oblivious to its toxic gases that hovered round the whole landmass. They watched spell bound at the scene while the toxic gases corroded the Pinox into gas dust which went along with the tidal movement of the fog as the Pinok shrieked in pain as it slowly disappeared into the fog. They were stunned and tremble in fear tremendously at the frightful scene which occurred before their very eyes.
"What just happened?!", Cascon exclaimed loudly as he promptly withdrew from his previous tracks.
"Are you sure this is the right place?", Agius anxiously asked looking despondent and afraid due to the incident that drastically weaken his moral.
"Yes, I'm sure because that's what is indicated here on the map", Selon said pointing to the spot on the small map which it depicted correctly that they landed on the right place which they peered at after they had fearful withdrew to their checkpoint where they had earlier left the Trynasuses who laid down quietly behind them while they discuss on what to do.
"I still think you misinterpreted this map! How can it lead us into this dangerous zone?!", Salmas queried vehemently not yet convinced by accuracy of the map and shouted out loudly, "I want to leave this instant regardless whether the current location is true or not!",
"The map didn't make any mistake! And I didn't lead you to the wrong direction! Remember that you all were present when I deciphered the map's co-ordinates which led us here!", Selon vibrantly retorted,
"As far as I am concerned you did! And I can't enter into that toxic fumes. I will have to go back now", Salmas responded highly agitated and tried to move towards his Trynasus but Sermia quickly stopped right in front of him preventing him from going any further.
"You can't turned back now when we haven't yet completed our mission to recover the sword", Sermia said boldly looking at him,
"Well, I don't care anymore about the mission. I just want to leave this place and you saw what happened to that creature, right?!", Salmas interrogated furiously while pointing at the misty fog which suddenly rippled with an eerie hollow sound that was very loud while they quietly listen to it as it died down shortly after, regaining its former tranquil movement.
"Let me pass", Salma ordered facing Sermia with his ferocious eyes after resuming their hostile conversations.
"You really don't have to do this. We'll figure out a way to enter into the fog without getting hurt by the toxic gases", Piopar said persuading him to stay but he remained adamant.
"You can figure out a way to overcome the poison but as for me who isn't immune to it, I'm getting out of here!", Salmas indignantly responded and thrust Sermia away from his path.
"I am coming with you, Don't leave me behind", Micamus said as he followed behind Salma who was preparing his Trynasus ready for take-off as he held up the bridle while the others watched in dejection.
"Yeah let's us all go back since we're all afraid, right?!", Selon asked contemptuously returning their surprised gaze with false laughter, "So we should all leave and tell the council members that we became afraid and despondent once we saw a flying creature getting devoured to dust in front of us by that dark mist floating behind us ", Selon spoke out rhetorically which surprisingly stopped Micamus and Sermia from continuing any further because they were a bit captivated by what he said.
"Won't it be more Honourable to tell them that a bunch of rookies who were barely trained to fight and were conscript without our consent, boldly conquered our fright In order to penetrate through a toxic mist using our intellect and valour?", Selon fervently questioned while the others listen quietly without uttering a word at him as he tried to motivate them to complete the mission.
"If you decide to leave, I won't stop you because I rather die than become a laughingstock who left his comrades in fear of a toxic gas that could be detoxify. I have a mission to complete in order to save the realms from chaos which caused by Zek tribes besides, there won't be any sect to go to if we fail to retrieve the sword", Selon said confidently as he step forward together with Agius and few others leaving behind Micamus as well as Salmas while they contemplate deeply about going back all the way they came from.
"I changed my mind. I am going back to join the others", Micamus said after thinking it through.
"Are you out of your mind? Don't be foolish Micamus, they can't come up with any plan to pass through unscathed", Salmas persuasively said, trying to convince him to accompany him. "And I don't think Selon can find a solution with all that blabbing about completing the mission",
"But you heard him that they will figure out a way to pass through unharmed by the poisonous gases", Micamus said undaunted by his persuasion,
"What if they don't find a way in?", Salmas asked again.
"Then we'll go back, but what if they do figure out a way in while immune to the toxic gases? Micamus replied with a question, " besides that, the map to go back is with Selon, so therefore we cannot leave right now because if we do, we might get lost". He said and went away to join the others while Salmas later followed plodding as he went to meet them. The others were happy to see them when both of them joined again at the point that wasn't touched by the fog close to the stones that were covered by the mist.
"Okay, what do we do next?", Agius asked as he looked around,
"We should come up with a plan soon since we don't have enough time", Sermia replied while standing beside Selon,
"We know that but what plan can we come up with", Ginarus pointed out,
"You see those fumes over there, I think they go down somewhere", Selon said pointing the middle section of the mist as he noticed the up and down tidal movements at a certain point.
"Yeah, I see it. That's why it doesn't move forward to this point where we all stand", Agius said as he realized it quickly.
"This means that there must be an underground trench or a long crack on the surface where the gases are coming from", Selon deductibly said,
"But that doesn't provide a practical solution to the toxic substances", Salmas shrewdly stated,
"That's true but we still have to know what is hidden inside the fog. Now we have to think of a way to enter without getting corroded by mist", Selon said as he peered deeply into the vast mist. They kept quiet for some hours trying to find a through and luckily for them, Selon suddenly caught sight of a distant statue at far end by the right side of the landfall, where the fog slowly receded leaving out an enormous statue that was covered in dry vines that crept round it.
"I think I've found a way", Selon exclaimed excitedly after noticing that the vine remained immune to the toxic gases present in the fog, which had attached itself to the statue but he wasn't sure how it was able to withstand the toxic substances for long period of time.
"Tell us what is the way in right away without delay", Agius said with renewed vigor.
"Yeah, tell us what is your plan", Sermia impatiently asked him as they were overjoyed the moment he had mentioned that he found out a way in.
"I think statue over there is key in getting through unharmed", Selon said as he indicated with his right arm, towards a distant huge object lying down on the black sand with several dry vines tangled all round it.
" Do you think that ancient dry statue will help us?", Salmas questioned skeptically,
"Yes I do and there's a fascinating reason behind it. Come on let's go", Selon order as they plodded to their right direction where they saw gases receding from it and returning back to it again after some time.
"I think this statue is somehow repelling the gases but it's power has reduce that's why the mist keep coming back. But it's power has not totally gone out yet since the vines still remain intact despite being there for a long time", Selon explained while looking at Salmas who felt irritated by his gaze.
"But how do derive it's energy?", Ginarus said anxiously,
"We just have to check for any engravement or inscription on it that might help us", Selon said as he tried to get closer to the statue only to repelled back by the returning mist.
"Can't we use a spell in order to extract it's power", Sermia asked as she remembered an extraction spell she learnt in Tyron.
" We can do that but I don't know if we can keep the mist from coming back and we also don't know any extraction spell since we weren't fully taught", Selon replied despondently.
"I can do extract it and transfer it's energy to each of you. I have already mastered a good number of spells including this one so move aside", Sermia said as she pushed Salmas out the way but withdrew back immediately because of the returning mist,
"It's all up to you now, Sermia, we don't know how to stop it, so extract it quickly before it returns back", Selon said as he told the others to back off away from her.
"I hope she succeed" Agius said as he withdrew backwards. Sermia quickly evoked a three signs using her red energy and thrusted it into the statue which emitted series of white aura which escape into the air which forcefully glided into their bodies which made them all collapsed to the coarse sand while the statue as well as the vines corroded immediately after it came in contact with the toxic mist