As the wolves howl, the crickets chirp and owls hoot, the forest path was barely visible, only being lit up by the moonlight. Step by step, Arnold heads straight forward with Kassius right behind him, looking around and behind.
Kassius: "You know it isn't as scary as I thought it would be."
Arnold: "Yeah, but it is kind of hard to see. You got something?"
Kassius: "Let me see... yes. I have a flashlight."
Kassius turns on the flashlight and it lights up the path in front of them. He walks ahead of Arnold and leads the way.
Arnold: "Don't you think it was kind of odd?"
Kassius: "Hmm?"
Arnold: "A little girl tied to a train track. Seems like somebody was intentionally trying to kill her."
Kassius: "Now that you mention it, that's true. Why all the way out here though?"
Arnold: "I got no clue but that's just sick. Who'd do that to a little girl?"
Kassius: "We'll probably find th-"
Kassius freezes as he flashes the light on a giant moth that is standing behind Arnold.
Kassius: "Uh... A.. Arnold. I'm gonna need you to continue walking ahead. Don't turn back. Just go."
Arnold: "O... OK."
Arnold speedily walks ahead and Kassius starts moving the light side to side.
Kassius: "Ah, so you like the light. OK, take it."
He places it on the floor still pointing at the moth. He backs away slowly and catches up to Arnold.
Arnold: "What was that?"
Kassius: "That, is probably the reason the fence is up."
Arnold: "How far do you think we'll have to go?"
Kassius: "The forest didn't cover a lot of ground going north so it shouldn't take a while."
They continue walking for a while.
Arnold: "Shouldn't take a while huh?"
Kassius: "My fault. Hey, let's take a break there."
Kassius spots an open space with moonlight illuminating it. Kassius and Arnold sit on a rock that's in the open space. Kassius and Arnold put their bags down.
Kassius: "A few minutes is fine, right?"
Arnold: "I guess."
Kassius: "I've never seen a red person before. Maybe we'll see more."
Arnold: "Where are we going to take her though? After we help her get treated, we can't just leave her."
Kassius: "Maybe someone in Ritetown can help her. Or we can ask her where her family is."
Kassius looks to his side and noticed something in the distance taking off.
Kassius: "Is that... my wallet?! Crap! It unzipped my bag when I wasn't looking."
Kassius zips his bag closed and puts it on his back.
Kassius: "I gotta go after it. Can you take her to help on your own?"
Arnold: "Sure. But what about you?"
Kassius: "We'll meet up in Ritetown. Let's do the train station. Is that good?"
Arnold: "Yeah that's good. Take care."
Arnold continues heading north as Kassius storms after the figure.
Kassius: "Get back here you damn animal!"
Kassius runs down the forest and slowly catches up to it. The figure then grabs onto the trees and starts hopping side to side. Kassius, who had been focusing on the figure, bumps his head on a nearby low branch.
Kassius: "Oww!"
He stands back up and sees the creature swinging away and still chases on foot. Running through the forest as it gets quieter and quieter, Kassius hurdles and avoids all the plants and rocks in his path. As he catches up to the creature he leaps up and grabs it while it tries to swing.
Kassius: "Gotcha! Wait, where's th- Ahhhhh!"
Kassius, unaware he jumped on a hill, tumbles down with the figure in his grasp. He hits the ground multiple times as he rolls down and reaches the bottom in an instant. Even after all that, Kassius had remained holding onto it.
Kassius: "Ughh. Man, that hurt like hell. And you! A... monkey with a shell? That's bizarre. I'll be taking this back."
Kassius yanks the wallet from the turtle monkey.
Kassius: "The real question is, where the hell am I?"
Kassius looks around and sees a small waterfall with a small lake and somewhere above the lake near the waterfall, a manmade stone bridge across. Kassius spots a man on the bridge.
Kassius (in head): "Is he red too?! Wait, his arms are tied and he's on the edge. He'll die if he falls down."
The man has red skin, dark blue eyes with smooth long black hair. Kassius runs around the lake to reach the bridge and notices the man is still on the edge of the bridge with his hands tied.
Kassius: "Um... hello? Are you alright?"
Red man: "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
Kassius: "Hello? Can you hear me? Who did this to you?"
Red man: "Shut up! I'm making an apology as you can see."
Kassius: "Oh I see. But why are you tied up?"
Red man: "If it isn't obvious you human, I'm going to take my life."
Kassius: "Take your life? For what?"
Red man: "This is no matter of yours. Be gone. Leave this place before you can't."
Kassius: "Well I would've been somewhere else if I didn't stumble across this damn place and had my wallet snatched by a turtle... monkey... whatever the hell that thing was!"
Red man: "All you humans think the same. It's always materialistic, you can never understand the things that matter most."
Kassius: "OK if I don't understand the things that matter most, then why are you the one about to take your life?"
Red man: "I'm a failure that's why!"
Kassius: "..."
Red man: "I lost my friend who was like a brother to me. I thought he would become the leader of our village some day. But it never happened. He got killed and he left me with only one thing, to protect his little sister. And I couldn't even keep a little girl safe until she grew up. What kind of friend am I to live on when he and his little sister didn't get to? A bad friend that's what. So this is the end for me."
Kassius starts picking out a booger.
Red man: "Are you even listening to me?!"
Kassius: "So basically you want to take your life because you think it's fair if you waste yours? They sound like awful people to me."
Red man: "They were nothing even close to awful. Jeremiah was very adoring and even angered, he was the nicest person you'd ever meet. Ulqora was angel in disguise and she just made everyone smile simply by her happiness alone."
Kassius "Ahh! I get it."
Kassius jumps onto the edge of the bridge.
Kassius: "You must be the awful one."
Red man: "..."
Kassius: "Look, I'm sorry for your losses. I know it must be a struggle to lose a friend and then fail him, but everyone does. That's the harsh truth. I know a friend with a similar situation to yours and she never took her life. She told me she believed her family would've wanted her to live on so if your friend and his sister are as great as you say, then I don't think they would want you to die too."
Red man: "..."
Kassius: "Fine, if it has come to this, I'll do it for you."
Kassius turns backwards and leans back. The red man grabs him, saving him from falling.
Red man: "Are you crazy?"
Kassius: "Relax, I can swim."
Red man: "A mere human like you would die from the extreme shock of the temperature of the water. I don't think swimming is the issue for you."
Kassius: "Well someone had to do something I was getting bored."
Red man: "Comedian are we? Kind of humorous how even near death a human can be this smug."
Kassius: "You wouldn't get it. Since you're so afraid of something that will eventually arrive anyways."
Red man: "Me? Afraid of death? You haven't the slightest clue."
Kassius: "Yeah yeah. Go on about being some super killer that shows no mercy to his enemies."
Red man: "So you can tell?"
Kassius: "Kind of, but something else I can tell is that behind that cold look on your face, you don't like the feeling. The feeling of taking another's life. Let alone yours."
Red man: "You don't know nothing about me..."
Kassius: "Then drop me! Drop me!"
The Red man standing on the edge, with the choice to either drop Kassius or not, holds on to him with firm grip. After a moment of consideration, he gives in and throws Kassius onto the bridge.
Kassius: "I knew it."
The Red man jumps down and lifts Kassius by his shirt.
Red man: "I hate the fact that a human is making me rethink."
He throws Kassius to the ground.
Kassius: "Kind of an odd way to say thanks."
Red man: "What is your name?"
Kassius: "Kassius Moore."
Red man: "I am Joseph. I'd advise you to leave befo-"
As horns blow nearby, the bridge starts vibrating.
Joseph: "They're here."
A group of people swarm both sides and two people walk up to Kassius and knock him out. Kassius wakes up in a barred trap, in the center of a coliseum filled by the village. In front of him sits a man on a chair, with a long gray beard, blue eyes and black hair. Beside him are two humans, one on each side.
Kassius (in head): "Where the hell am I?"