"Glenn, we need to stop," John groaned as he fell to the ground in exhaustion. They have been walking for four hour straight, but they just exited the newbie forest.
"What do we need the rest for?" Glenn asked. "Let's get to the city of Caracat before it gets dark."
"Why?" John asked. "What are you so afraid of?"
"The kids–" Glenn paused. "Oh. They're not with us anymore."
"You basically left them in Galaron, then you forgot about levaing them there?" Gina crossed her arms. "I'm not sure if I could trust you with my life anymore, Glenn. This is a serious issue we have to talk about."
"Oh, shut it," Glenn scoffed. "Right. So we don't have to hurry. We should take a short rest."
"I need to study the surroundings too," Gina said. "Look around. This place is filled with beauty."
It was the first time that Glenn looked up and he was left speechless by the sight. The untouched serene beauty of the forest and the magnificent natural formations left his jaws hanging.
"Watch out!" Gina suddenly yelled, causing Glenn to raise his guard.
"Flies might enter your mouth if you leave it open like that," Gina snorted, causing both John and her laughing.
"Whatever," Glenn rolled his eyes. "But this place. I just noticed how good it looked."
"See?" Gina smiled. "Let's take our sweet time appreciating this place. I'm sure we're going to face our next battle soon."
Fwoosh. Clank!
John appeared in front of Gina, his daggers raised as he blocked an arrow that was fired from point blank. "Or our next battle starts now."
"There are more," John said. "Glenn, come closer. This is going to be wild."
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
A rain of arrows were fired from all sides. John bent one of his knees while stretching out the other, he raised his dagger to his face's level. "Inverted Sphere of Blades."
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The arrows were being blocked by John's extremely swift movements. He was running around Glenn and Gina while blocking the arrows one by one. It was like he was forming a sphere using his dagger.
When the last arrow was fired, a man yelled. "Halt!"
"Who's there?" Glenn asked. "We're not here to fight."
"Then what are you here for?" A voice asked. "No one has dared to enter these mystic forests. These land is our homeland, and we are going to protect it against intruders."
"We are not here to intrude," Glenn said. "We're only here to pass by to get to the city ot Calacat."
"The city?" a man stepped out from the trees. The three Adventurers watched in Marvel as more poeple walked out from the trees, as if they were once part of it. "Why do you want to go to the city?"
"To find the First General of the Dark Lord and defeat him," Glenn said. "We're here to pass by and defeat all the Generals, including the Dark Lord himself."
The man who spoke walked in front of the rest. He was a tall man with dark skin and a black hair that was long. He wore a little clothing that only covered his crotch and it was paired with a small vest that was made of leaves.
"The Dark Lord?" the man asked. "You want to defeat the Dark Lord?"
It was Gina's turn to speak. "We do. The three of us are looking for ways to defeat him, so please do not attack us."
"After one of you blocked the Rains of Terror from my men, I do not know if we have the capabilities of defeating even one of you," the man said, then he bowed. "I am Lapis, chief of the Macatan Tribe."
"My name is Glenn, here is John, and Gina," Glenn introduced. "You might not know this, but we are Adventurers, sent by the Heavens to defeat the Dark Lord."
"Adventurers?!" Lapis gasped. "Then you must help us!"
"Help you?" Glenn tilted his head to the side. "Why?"
–
Cough. Cough. Cough.
"Welcome to the Tribe of Macatan," Lapis said as he walked them into their tribe. It was a small town in the middle of the forest that was just as mystical as the forest they inhabited.
The houses were made of wood and vines, and a lot of them were found in the giant curved trees. There were groups of houses in every tree that surrounded their tribe. These houses were connected by stairs that lead up to the highest house.
The giant trees surrounded the tribe like an arch, and these trees served as both their walls and the structure for their houses.
"It was about three weeks ago," Lapis said. "A dark cloud brought a storm into our tribe and the water from the storm contained darkness in them."
"Tell me more about this darkness," Glenn said. "What did it do to your people?"
"Well, the darkness brought a disease," Lapis sighed. "First, the tribesmen would have a very hard cough, and then they would slowly become weak. Their health will deteriorate until they die. There has been fourteen deaths since the plague started."
"That's a lot of people," Glenn whispered. "Gather everyone up. I am a healer and I will protect everyone here."
"No!" an old lady walked up to them. She looked just like Lapis, but she was older. "We don't accept help from outsiders. Lapis, what if they bring more harm to us?"
"Mother–"
"I say, no!" the mother said sternly. "Our tribe has been thriving for hundreds of years. Leave this town, you three. You don't belong here."
"Cough. Martella," an older man said. "We can just consult the elders about this. Maybe we then can decide."
"I said what I said, Elder Pacho," the mother roared. "If you respect me as your mother, as the wife of the previous chieftain, the mother of the current chieftain, and one of the Elders, you will listen to me right this second."
Glenn chuckled and walked up to the woman. John was about to stop him, but Gina held him back.
"Trust him," Gina said. "Glenn knows what he's doing."
"What?" John asked. He turned to Glenn who was now standing in front of the old lady. "It looks like he's going to hurt him. What are we going to do if he does ans the tribesmen would come after us?"
"You haven't met Glenn in real life, haven't you?" Gina smirked. "Then let me tell you something interesting."
"Madam," Glenn smiled. "I know you don't want our help, and I completely agree with you on that."
"Yeah, that is true," the old woman crossed her arms and looked away. "So, why aren't you leaving? Go away now."
"But here's the thing," Glenn said. "You're not the only one in this village who needs my help. Your people are dying one by one. If you don't prevent this from happening, if you're not ready, then this disease would take the one closest to you. That gentleman over there."
"What?" the elder gasped. "I–"
"Uncle Pacho?" Lapis narrowed his eyes.
"Lapis!" the mother cried. "I can explain. Ever since your father died, your uncle Pacho has been a great help to me."
"Elder Pacho is sick, Madam Martella," Glenn said. "If you don't let me cure you, he will be taken away from you by this disease."
Martella was silent for a couple of seconds before she sighed. "Alright, whatever. Do what you must do."
"Glenn," Gina smirked. "He's a general manager for a loan shark slash insurance company. He can work things out with his negotiation skills."