"Alright then, Auntie. We will catch up with Mr. Rudolf first. Sorry, we rushed...."
Some Jotuns were amazed by what had just happened. Gus and Volka ran as tight as possible to catch up with Rudolf. But it's a pity that, although they have tried, their efforts have been in vain.
"How is this going, Gus?! All this is your fault! I've said, we shouldn't have to do this!" concluded Volka irritably.
"If you can't help, it's better to just shut up and do your job as usual guarding the Dark forest. The current situation is very chaotic, lest this situation be taken advantage of by irresponsible people. As soon as you are here, I will continue to look for Arthur and Rudolf. Pray for finding a bright spot soon," Gus retorted.
"That's not what I meant, Gus. I also wanted to find Arthur, but not in the way you just did," Volka said.
Gus didn't know where he should go. So he ran as far as possible, hoping to get a hint from the people he was looking for. While on the way, he suddenly realized something. Someone probably knows where Arthur or Rudolf was going, namely, Kaia. Since he conquered the giant snake some time ago, hiss has not been heard in the forest area where Kaia is good. So Gus tried to make his way back in the direction of the forest until he reached the place he was going.
The ancient rabbit turned his head to the right and left to look for Kaia's whereabouts. However, there are no visible signs of the existence of the predatory snake. Not giving up, Gus retraced the forest to another part. From a distance, he saw something dangling on one of the pine trees about a hundred meters away.
Gus also rushed to Kaia. He was so excited that his breathing gasped as he ran. A small smile began to expand on his lips, a sign of harboring a great expectation of Kaia. However, the smile turned wry as he smelled something strange. Gus ignored the smell and continued running over to Kaia, looking up at the trees.
"Kaia! You remember me, don't you? It's me, Gus! Arthur's friend who was then...."
Gus's remarks halted as he walked through Kaia's body extending in the tree. This happened because he saw that half of the body of the giant predatory snake was almost rotting and an increasingly pungent smell pierced into Gus's tiny nose. Moreover, the snake's body seemed moving but not as agile as when Gus met her the last time.
"Ka-Kaia?" asked Gus doubtfully.
Hearing someone calling her, Kaia opened her two faint eyes. She looked so weak that she couldn't move her head. The only thing that indicates that she is still alive is her eyes, which are still moving, and her little tongue that is still coming in and out of her mouth even though it is hushed.
"What did you come here for?" replied Kaia softly.
"What happened to you? Why are you like this?" asked Gus again with a scuffle on his forehead. He again saw the deplorable condition of the snake.
"Tsk! Don't pretend to know. It's all because of your actions. But, shouldn't you, you're glad to see me like this?!" concluded Kaia. To talk looks very difficult for her. Her breath gasped a few times.
"My actions?" asked Gus again, astonished.
"Oh, you forgot? How could you forget someone you almost killed, or can I say... almost died?!" exclaimed Kaia irritably. She barely had the energy to fight back with her already weak physique.
"Wait, I didn't do that. I didn't intend to kill you, and it's just a poisonous frog whose effect will only make you temporarily paralyzed. You know that, right?" retorted Gus.
"Don't you have eyes?! My condition has been like this since you did that to me! And every day, the effect is getting worse and worse!"
Gus was silent for a moment watching Kaia's body.
"I'm very sure that it's a poisonous frog. Let's put it this way: I will try to heal you as an apology. What can I do for you?" said Gus, who felt guilty for Kaia. Although Kaia had tried to kill him, he still felt pity when he saw the snake's current condition.
"I don't need your help! After all, before yourself... I've done anything to cure this, but nothing has worked. So at this time, I have to wait to die."
Gus then gave up his intention to ask Kaia for information. Just moving, he was incapable. How could he possibly pay attention to his surroundings?
"At least, I want to help you at your last moment," Gus retorted, looking down embarrassedly.
"Never mind, what do you want? Why did you come here looking for me? And where is your friend the Jotun?"
"That's it, and I'm looking for it. It has been more than three days since he disappeared. I want to ask you, and perhaps you saw him this way, then I would be very helpful if I got information from you," Gus said.
"To be honest, at first I was very lazy if I had to help you, but since you have apologized to me, then I will give you the information I told you."
"So, you saw it?" asked Gus happily when he heard Kaia's answer. Eventually, he got a bright spot, he thought.
"I don't know whether or not this information can help. I didn't see Arthur passing through my territory, but I had seen a woman through this forest with a small furry animal. I almost preyed on the animals and the human child. It's just that my condition was too weak to do that. So, I can only pay attention from up here."
"A woman?" asked Gus incredulously.
"Yes. Maybe, that's the famous village leader, what's her name? I don't know."
"Gilda. What did he come here for?"
"Hahaha, listen. This could be impossible, but it could also be. Maybe, the Jotun has been killed by that human child named Gilda," Kaia laughed happily.
"No way, it won't be possible. In that case, I have to leave first. Take care of yourself. Hold on, Kaia. If I have finished my affairs, then I will help you."
Gus hurried on his way. This time, he looked more worried than before due to a suggestion from Kaia.
Meanwhile, in the Dark Forest, Volka felt a sense of silence in her soul. Although he is nicknamed the dark lord by some creatures there, it does not mean that he has no heart. On the contrary, the atmosphere of the forest, which is no longer scary because of the chaotic situation that has recently occurred, makes Volka very sad. He missed the atmosphere of the Dark old forest.
Volka's reverie was split as he heard a rumbling sound at the end of the forest. But unfortunately, the sound rarely appeared around the Dark forest to make Volka amazed.
Volka walked up to a few Jotuns, who gathered around while looking through the sound source.
"Volka, what's going on over there? The rumbling sound was disturbing to our concentration which was waiting for Arthur to come home," Kara's aunt told Volka.
"I don't know, Auntie. Let's put it this way, Auntie and the other Jotuns returned to Howa's cave and made a defense just in case. While I'll see what the situation is there," Volka retorted.
"Ok, I'll order the others just in case."
There are too many puzzles in the Dark forest these days. Plus, Rudolf's departure made the situation even more difficult. Although Kara's aunt temporarily led the Jotuns at this time, Rudolf's presence was still indispensable in this situation.
Volka changed its form into something almost invisible because it merged with the darkness of the night. Slowly he walked through the forest in his flying style that was barely visible to other creatures. Soon, he came to the end of the forest. There, he saw many humans who seemed to be discussing with each carrying a burning torch. Volka clarified his views again to see who was the mastermind. Of course, none other than it was Emmett staring at the Dark forest with a vengeful look while standing as if representing the humans behind him.
"Emmett, what is he doing here?" hissed Volka quietly.
Volka tried to approach slowly to listen to their seemingly serious conversation. But unfortunately, when he approached, the Tanee villagers even turned around and returned home to their village.
"Master, why don't we attack it right away? Why should we wait, and until when should we wait?" asked Apsel impatiently.
"Wait, we can't just attack. My daughter, Gilda, still hasn't come home until now. I know how the tricks of Jotuns trick humans until finally, we will be the victims. So, we must wait for the right time to attack them," Emmett explained.
"But sir, if we wait too long, the residents will be more restless, and one by one, they will leave the village of Tanee. If that happens, our troops will certainly be reduced," Apsel said with great concern.
"I told you, take it easy. Victory will be on our side," Emmett retorted, full of ambition,
Feeling that she had not received accurate information, Volka returned to the middle of the forest and met the Jotuns to convey what she saw.
"How is it? What's there, Volka?" asked Karla. Likewise, several other Jotuns came close to wanting to know.
"I saw the villagers of Tanee and Emmett there. But they didn't do anything but just stare at our forest. After that, they returned home to their village," Volka replied, scratching his itchy head.
"Very suspicious. Lest, our forest defenses be destroyed by humans. Do we need to attack him first so that they know the taste?"
"Relax, we don't need to rush. Don't let this fight break your tradition as a Jotun. Remember, you are the Jotuns that humans fear, and we are currently in a weak and chaotic state. Gus told me not to let anything take advantage of our state of being caught off guard."
The Jotuns agreed with what Volka suggested. Then, the dark lord resumed his duties and left Howa's cave. When Volka had already gone far, Kara invited the other Jotuns to make a fumble.
"Listen, we've got a signal that humans will attack. We can't lose fast to them. So we have to do something right away so that the humans don't dare to fight again!" said Kara.
"You're right. Since Arthur's gone, Rudolf has forbidden us to abduct Tanee's children or women on Friday night. The tradition has been going on for many years and just stopped because of the loss of Arthur. But unfortunately, it causes people to think that they are safe from us, and they start planning against all of us. Therefore, we must do what we used to do tonight, too!" said one Jotun.
"But, isn't it Friday night? We'll have to wait another four days until that Friday arrives," said another Jotun.
"We don't need to care about that! But, importantly, we think about how we can carry out our actions without knowing Volka, the dark lord," Kara said.
Several of these Jotuns discussed with each other. It was difficult for them to trick Volka because he was Rudolf's confidant.
"You sure you're going to do this without waiting for Rudolf to come, Kara?"
"Never mind, trust me. I'm sure if we do this, Rudolf will be proud of us. After all, each of us has already kidnapped humans, right? So, it shouldn't be difficult for us to do this even without Rudolf's direction," explained Kara, full of ambition.
"If necessary, it's not just humans that we get rid of. Other creatures are trying to stand in our way, too. You understand what I mean, Kara?"