The stars glitter over the dense sea of darkness, with the moonlight shining on the sparkling grass bristles. Drimi, the wanderers, Sally, and Phthonus all travel together, incredibly saying farewell to the village and Belial.
The Goblin hunches still, roaring and growling, yelling "fruit" at the top of its lungs. The villagers finally fall patient and decide to dismiss the screams, with all-knowing that the beast will leave soon.
The villagers return to their houses and fall on their warm cozy beds; others might try to work on their nightly duties in the meantime since tomorrow seems to look like showers will occur.
As the sounds of evening nature rise, the group grows quiet and travels through the village. Even their footsteps were heard.
Most of the lights slowly dim as the group travels. The crickets chirp like a melodic lullaby, soothing in the sweet noises of the wild.
This quest is a faint tremor to the wanderers compared to the disastrous events back in the Ruins. So it is easy to say for them that this is a well-waited peaceful break from catastrophe.
They traveled through the hazy mist and followed each other through the pathways stretching out from one area to the other.
Sally has an explanation for the curvy, straight pathways.
As they wander along with the paved dirt, Sally taps both Asahi and Aletha's shoulders, then whispers as Drimi and Phthonus stand there silently, gazing at the view.
"It is said that the pathways of Pladtioa were all made from the trailing footsteps of The God of Purity. You can see how much his footsteps offered and helped the travelers who wandered this nation. The God of Purity's pathways don't fully cover Pladtioa because he maintains control of his magic. It's quite strange, I must say… but it helps us truly."
The soft silk breeze blows on all of them, with Aletha and Asahi's white hair blowing and reflecting the moonlight's faint blue rays. The nightly atmosphere, of course, prevented it's presenting the clear, sharply-defined outlines of lunar landscapes.
Still, the sea and land were so clearly defined and easily distinguishable that the entire group exclaimed with eagerness.
The shocking reveal of the landscape is as if a cover has been pulled off from an object, revealing everything.
Within the grass fields are fluttering blue fireflies, dancing with the everlasting breeze of Pladtioa, quiet streams running through the lush forests, and massive, otherworldly trees painting an outline of the vivid glowing spots scattered throughout Pladtioa.
Phthonus saintly mutters as he gazes at the mellow glowing grass field at the far distance.
"The Firefly Plains. Not even darkness can engulf it. The last of the remaining magic from our abandoning god."
Asahi and Aletha smile while seeing the amazing sights of the outskirts of Milmoor. The rest of the group joins the wanderers and gazes far through the seemingly endless fields of Pladtioa and the dark, glittering ocean that surrounds it.
Even though most of them have already seen this sight many times, it was refreshing to view it once more.
As the wanderers avert their gazes to the firefly plains, Phthonus jumps up and exclaims.
"I found it."
Drimi curiously asks while kneeling her knees on the ground.
"What do you mean by that?"
Phthonus pushes his dark hair to the side and moves his feet against the ground. His bright amber eyes peer straight through the wanderers' eyes while his cheeks blush heavily. He tremblingly asks while trying to divert his sight away from her.
"You! T-The girl with the long white hair, stop l-looking at me."
Aletha curiously stares at Phthonus. He views her appearance. To him, her appearance is attractive, as if her aura glitters over the imaginary circle he made.
Her long white hair glitters from the lunar moonlight. Phthonus whispers while Drimi and the others glare.
"She looks… stunning."
He swiftly shakes his blush off his face and shouts, standing confidently.
"I know where The Fruit is! But, the distance from it is far from us. Far on the other side of Pladtioa."
Aleta remembers what Télos said about the power of The Shadows and its unavoidable force.
She releases a soft sigh of relief while Asahi questioningly mutters.
"What?"
Phothonus tilts his head downwards to the scenery and shakes his head. As the crickets chirp from the forest and the calm silence sweetens the lunar atmosphere, he confidently perks his chin upwards and replies.
"I have a solution to this! Back in my nation, Zomrack, I have transportable carriages ready from the tip of my hand. Suffice to say; it won't be running under the moonlight, so… we are forced to travel on foot for now."
The wanderers release a long sigh while showing a depraved look on their faces. With the countless traveling they have experienced, even they feel exhausted.
Drimi releases a loud yawn, also feeling her body getting pushed from the weight of exhaustion.
"I too… feel sleepy. I say we should travel to a safer place and rest. Therefore, it would make it easier for us to go there since we would have restored our energy."
Phthonus shakes his head and approaches her down a hill.
"I guess… you're right. It's better to rest under shelter. Say this, how about we travel to my house? It's only a couple of steps away, down that hill. There seems to be a heavy line of dark clouds far in the distance back when I traveled from Deepenpond. There might be showers arriving soon."
Drimi senses the feeling too. She slowly walks up to Phthonus and says to the wanderers.
"It's best that we return to the village. But if we must, perhaps we can travel to this stranger's house?"
Before they know it, the first drops from the sky fall on them. Then, another, and so on. The falling drops gradually increase their pace, soaking the leaves like a drop touching mud.
Drimi shrieks out while jolting towards the village.
"Nevermind, I don't have time for this. I'm going back to the village."
The wanderers fall in between their own choice while feeling their feet soak into the dirt and rain.
Phthonus doesn't look too pleased about Drimi, but he still wishes the wanderers to join him. So, as the droplets slide near his ear, Phtonus yells out.
"Oh, come on, my shelter is literally at the end of this hill. It would take at least two seconds until we arrive there. Are you sure about this?"
The light rainy sprinkles turn into a heavy downpour, soaking and dampening the grass and the dirt; Almost flattening the windswept grass.
Drimi stops for a moment, then scratches her head.
"Hold on. Are you serious?!"
Phthonus jumps up and replies while his hair gets drenched.
"You bet I am! I don't lie."
Aletha and Asahi shake their heads and, without warning, jolt down the hill towards Phtohonus' shelter.
Sally falls silent and quietly walks down the hill, with her long platinum hair soaking as well. The lunar moonlight gets blocked from the massive drifting dark clouds, and the downpour increases in strength, roaring its loud haul of rain.
Drimi's long dark hair was drenched in the rain. She swiftly takes her dark mask off and sprints towards the hill, forming a faint smile on her face.
"I'm going to beat all of you!"
Phthonus walks behind her, slaps his forehead, and sighs.
"Drimi, this isn't a race. No one from Wraileza acts like this."
He dashes down a tree and presses his feet against the mushy, moist dirt.
"Zomrack receives little to none of the rain. It's pretty satisfying to experience this rare event again,
He reaches for his pocket and covers his mouth with his dark scarf.
"But for now, I just have to cope with being stuck in this deceptive nation."
He hurriedly walks down the hill, following the damp footprints scattered within one linear pathway.
* * * * * * * *
The green, dark sea of grass, filled with droplets of water, was seemingly frozen in space and time—an idyll that the slightest movement would ruin. A fresh breeze brought along a herbal fragrance of spring's final melody.
All the birds had stopped chirping as they were hiding in the luscious trees to protect their feathers.
Atop the wet grassland, tiny feet were carefully making their way through the landscape, trying their best not to disturb the peace.
"Sis, where is it? I can't see it from here; it's too dark!"
A faint mist resonates within the small forest of trees, slightly blocking everything and obstructing all of their visibility even more.
At this moment, there is no rain shower; but a raging thunderstorm is approaching. The smell of the misty rain soothes their noses, and the raindrops down from the treetops.
Drimi catches up to the wanderers, yelling and screaming as they approach the small wooden cabin lying at the center of the forest.
"Hey guys, I have-- what is this?!"
Phthonus steps in and chuckles proudly.
"That… Drimi... is my home. The one where I dwelled ever since I was first trapped in Pladtioa. You could say it looks… somewhat neat, correct?"
Aletha mutters while staring at the one clear window near the area of the roof.
"I guess. I didn't know it was this big. I thought it was just some tent."
Asahi remains silent while Phthonus responds with a small smile.
"No. I am a respected citizen from Zomrack. I would never live in a tent, even if I were traveling. Anyways, I think it's time to go inside. This storm doesn't look like it's going to settle anytime soon."
The wanderers nod their heads and jolt towards the door, fed up with being drenched. Especially with long hair, both of them do not want to be wet.
However, Drimi and Phthonus can care less about the incident and deal with it. Just as Phthonus pushes the wanderers away from the door and pulls out his key, a massive lightning bolt bursts from the clouds and onto the ground.
Phthonus' amber eyes broaden, hastily tilting the doorknob to the side and pushing the wooden door open. A calm, warm aura escapes the door and towards the chilly storm, with a bright fireplace at the right side of the room.
"Come on!"
Another lightning bolt strikes behind the wanderers, and then another. They hastily jolt inside as fast as they can.
Drimi swiftly sprints through the door and leaves her mask on the ground.
She knows it isn't that much of a deal compared to a threatening storm.
They have made it just in time, before the powerful storm.
* * * * * * * *
The sky is covered in a gravel-gray; large pillows of cloud were forming, blotting out the moonlight. Hundreds of droplets of rain splatter on the ground, seeping their liquids through the darkened leaves. A wall of rain moves over the entrance of the forest, sprinkling onto the treetops. Whirring noise sounds out while the lavender luminescent bolts strike from the clouds above.
Drimi finally shuts the door, with wind entering the house. She hears pitter-patters from the roofs, with each and every splatter sounding out from the heavy downpour. Aletha walks up to the window and sees hundreds of droplets sliding down it, with thousands more piercing through the leaves.
She then thinks about the mind map...
"Asahi, do you know where we are right now? I can't find the adventuring guide anywhere!"
Asahi's eyes broaden, and he yells confusingly.
"Huh, where did you last have it?"
Aletha tries to resist answering him at first, but then defeating, steps forward and admits.
"I… I showed Sadiki it back when I was in the training area the other day. I-I'm sorry."
Asahi pats Aletha's head and sighs, kindly forgiving her out of generosity.
"It's fine, sis. We can just use our mind map to find where we are."
Phthonus squints at them while Drimi relaxes on a couch, exhausted for some odd reason.
"Hold on, and you two have a mind map? Isn't that the rarest ability you can obtain in Gincad? You do know that the mind map is connected to the sights from the stars, right? It's scarce to be given such a sacred ability; I honestly thought people couldn't obtain such a thing."
Asahi points out.
"Akwan merged his adventurer's guide with--
He stares at Drimi's eyes and quickly remembers what happened to him. Asahi nervously interrupts himself and scratches his head.
"N-Nevermind about that. I… prefer we should talk about something else."
Phthonus pushes his dark hair to the side and suspiciously stares at Asahi for a moment. He then shakes his head and walks towards the kitchen at the very end of the house, on the left side.
Meanwhile, the wanderers sit close to each other on the floor and shut their eyes. The black canvas spreads with dark shades of green and blue into their minds. Many white names hovered over specific landmarks such as the distant forest, Milmoor, and the lake Phthonus mentioned earlier, Deepenpond.
Though almost all of the birds-eye view places look natural, there was one spot on the map that the wanderers paid most attention to—that massive bleached white area far deep in The Forest of Plados. Aletha's eyes part, she turns to Asahi, and she trembles whispers.
"Asahi, is that what I think it is?"
His eyes swiftly open as well, with a fearful look on his face.
"I… don't know. Surely it can't be--
Just as Asahi is about to finish his sentence, Phthonus interrupts while walking to the fireplace.
"Welcome wanderers to my camp. This is where I used most of Zomrack's technology to construct most of this building. Overall it took almost three weeks to construct this all. Just by using that table over there, I can craft anything I please with my knowledge level."
The wanderers' eyes widened in shock.
"Three weeks?!"
Phthonus lightly chuckles and nods his head, then places down the glass of water on a small wooden table.
"Yes,"
He points to another table that has strange curvy shapes and glowing blue streaks scattering over it.
"Just by using that table over there, I can craft anything from the power of my mind. It's Zomrack's strange technology that comes from their type of Soil. You two know what that means, right? It has been mentioned everywhere around Gincad."
Asahi replies with a dull tone.
"Yeah, we have heard it from a lot of people. I heard from one of my friends that The Soil is the essence that fabricates the magic in this world. Is that correct?"
Drimi responds while yawning and stretching her arms into the air.
"Of course, since the dawn of ancient times, that has always been a thing, and it will stay that way forever. Even the youngest knows that. Seriously, do you think Phthonus when you ask? Or are you tired from whatever you have done today?"
Phthonus shakes his head and sighs. His amber eyes stare into the wooden floor, hearing the rain from above.
"I'm just tired. It has been a hectic day. I have helped farmers plant their crops, I had to hunt boards for just a small amount of currency, and I had to travel from the Pladtioa city back to Milmoor to bring food since they were in shortage."
Aletha pitifully whispers.
"Wow, you have been busy."
Phthonus replies while slowly walking towards the stairs, yawning and stretching his arms.
"Yeah, and I still have lots to do because of your requests. Anyways, I'm going upstairs and going to bed. You two can sleep on the couch, or maybe on the floor since I got spare blankets up in my closet. I love sleeping when it's raining, it soothes in your fears, ya know?"
Asahi, Aletha, and Drimi all nod in approval having experienced this sort of moment before. Phthonus rushes upstairs, grab two large blankets, and tosses them towards the wanderers. He then waves goodnight at them and turns off two of the three lanterns from the living room. He informs the wanderers before he returns to his room.
"I left one light on just in case any monsters would lurk nearby. I highly doubt any would come since a storm is happening, but I did it in case of emergency. We will discuss more tomorrow. For now, let's get some rest and recharge. Good night!"
The wanderers reply while setting up their blankets on the massive carpet spread out in the living room center.
"Good night!"
And so, Drimi immediately falls into slumber on the couch. At the same time, Aletha and Asahi sleep on the carpet, closest to the fireplace, feeling warmth soothe their skin from the chilly rain outside.
Asahi pulls his comfy blanket over his chest while Aletha does the same and tilts her head towards Drimi.
Bookcases were behind them, along with other furniture like shelves, cabinets, and flower pots. It seems as if this felt like an authentic house, rather than some tent or hut. The wanderers feel comfortable resting in a place such as this.
So comfortable that they swiftly fell into slumber.
But before they did, both of them said goodnight, and then their eyelids slowly start to shut.