Launa asked about the serum tube and Fern showed her the gun where it was fixed, and she nodded.
"Now we are set to go," she said.
"Wait a second, where exactly are we going?" Itsuki said.
"Even if it had a name you wouldn't want to have it up your head," she said.
They looked at each other confused.
"All your equipment ready? Now let's go!" She gestured to the door and they all left.
They walked along the empty streets of the ghost town, hearing the usual creepy noise, but they weren't much scared because Launa and her wolf were with them.
Launa took them around corners and bends until they came out through a cave that was familiar to Marie, unto the woods ahead of it, having tall trees with dark-green leaves.
They were walking along the path flanked by the trees when Marie broke the silence.
"Now this was the exact place the time machine at the lab led me to," Marie said.
"Oh, really? Well such info doesn't change the course of our journey," Expresso said.
"Meaning we should stay put and follow Launa humbly," Six said.
All Marie did was nod her head and kept following.
Launa led them far down the path until they got to a place from which they could see a terrain of settlements and houses far down. The path was actually a hill, and now they were looking down at a settlement that seemed quite unusual and odd for a futuristic era.
"People live here?" Itsuki said.
"As you can see," Launa said.
"Now I want to go back to Tokyo," Itsuki said.
"Now don't jerk off on memories, you'd like what you'd meet down here," Launa said.
"What do we expect to see?" Marie asked.
"And here kind of looks deserted," Kahil said, peering down.
"Well, just a few dwarves that practice black magic. Down here is where the light hearted avoid going, but desperate people like you guys should visit," Launa said.
"Now you're going diabolic and I have a phobia for that," Expresso said.
"But why should we involve magic in this? Thought we just need to find the location of the hiona wolf," Six said.
"I never told you I know the exact location of the hiona wolf, I only said I could sense it's presence when it's close," Launa said.
"So, if we go down there, how would the dwarves be of help?" Trevor asked.
"No much questions, we go down and you see how they can," Launa said.
"We are so not following you down there till you tell us in details what we expect down there," Expresso said.
"Easy, Hawkins," Marie said to him.
"I myself don't know how they'd do it but I think they'd make locating the hiona wolf a bit easier," Launa said.
"Satisfied now?" Trevor said to Expresso.
"Now let's go," Launa said, going towards one of the flanking woods. "We go through this woods and you wouldn't know when you'd reach the settlement."
They all joined her.
They got deep into the woods and it got darker and more eerie. It seemed as though the tree branches concealed the morning sky the deeper they went.
As usual, the flaps of heavy wings and rush sounds through the leaves strewn on the ground filled the woods, but this time, it didn't bother them much.
They got to a point in the woods where they began to hear the alternating sounds of whistles and a poem song with a deep but melodious voice.
"Do you hear that?" Marie asked.
"Yes, I do," Trevor said, as well as the rest.
"Praise God it's not just me hearing things this time," Marie said.
"That should be one of the dawrves coming to take herbs from the woods for their potions and cooks," Launa said.
"I still wonder what those guys are like, or what they'd do when they see us," Itsuki said.
"I've always known dwarves to be hostile creatures," Expresso said.
"Goblins you mean," Kahil said.
"Goblins are on another level of hostility, let's leave them out of this for now," Expresso said.
They continued walking and got to a point in the woods where they heard the whistles like the whistler was directly before them, but they just couldn't see anyone around. That left them puzzled.
"Me see you but you don't see me, hahaha," the singing voice said from an unidentified place.
"Launa didn't tell us this guys are this spooky," Expresso said. "I don't like this suspense at all."
"Hey, chill okay, I think he's just behind one of the trees," Six said.
"Please come out from your hiding place for we have needs that must be met," Launa said, turning around. "We come harmless."
"And who are those guys with the fire handles?" The voice said.
Kahil and Six looked at their guns.
"Now this is where things are fucked," Six said.
"It's not for you at all. We just need a little help, which I know you and your people could afford," Launa said.
"If you say so," the voice said, then they saw a circular ripple in the air before them, like a portal was about opening, and from it emerged a short figure wearing a vest and shorts.
His dressing contradicted the normal dwarf dress sense they normally saw in fantasy movies or stories -- medieval clothings with large leather belts and pointed shoes.
But his facial looks were typical of a dwarf. He was a bit brown in complexion, and his thick black hair was packed in a bun behind his head.
He looked up at them and gave a grin that made the beard stubbles around his chick to crackle.
"You are me friends, and you've come to seek help from me, eh?" He said.
"Oh, yes, we have," Launa said.
The dwarf's eyes went to Glowie, the wolf. "It's been a long time though. She has grown so big."
"You know her?" Launa said.
"Not just her, you as well. You don't remember me?" The dwarf asked her.
Launa seemed ashamed to say she doesn't remember. "You know, you all look alike, and I, at times, don't tell you differently from another."
The dwarf laughed. "You guys look alike too, but I have captured all your faces."
They looked at each other and wondered how they looked alike.
"This guy must be joking," Itsuki said.
"Oh yes, me joke alot, but not on this." The dwarf smiled at Itsuki, and it left him dumbfounded over how he heard what he said.
"Now what do you guys want from me?" His green eyes pierced into them.