"That'll do." Myo took the stick, taking out his pipe from his robe. He sprinkled a bit of the ash on the top of the stick.
"Now for a little trick." He took a deep puff from the pipe and blew at the ash. In seconds, sparks erupted and fire spawned. The group was shocked, confused but curious to how he managed to do it.
"You have some kinda fire magic?" Myo chuckled at Marcus' response.
"No, just a thing with pipes from my home." His face changed to one of sadness for a brief moment, before returning to a joyful smile.
"Alright, shall we move?"
The group began moving, leaving the battleground of torn trees and broken ground. The forest was still eerily silent, only causing more fear as darkness settled across the land.
Colton couldn't see anything other than nearby trees, unsure whether something was looking back at them. Another wolf? People? But he felt calmer, remembering his home and how he dealt with the hardships of living in a forest, with things that want you dead just for living there.
"This place is cold, and rather scary, how long before an adventurer gets used to this?" Celestine anxiously asked, looking at the dark around the team with a raised rapier.
"Took me a few missions in the forest. And a few missions in pitch black night before I got used to it."
"How few?"
"Eh, about fifteen to twenty each."
"That's a few!?" Marcus chuckled at her horrified response.
"Yup, it's easier though when you're in a team."
"Well that's better then." She breathed a sigh of relief.
Their journey was mostly quiet, walking through a seemingly infinite forest of darkness, the path ahead became more and more cramped while the leaves became more abundant, and the trees looked thicker than before, thick enough to maybe create a small house inside it.
While everyone was struggling to try keeping watch of the area, trying to see in the dark for any movement, hearing the slightest of rustling. Quill walked ahead with confidence, her bow at rest and simply looking side to side periodically.
"A quiet forest ain't any good." Marcus muttered.
"To a wanderer yes, but to a hunter this is just a playground." Quill responded with a sly tone.
"You really liking this place now?"
"Yup" Quill smiled while walking near Calliope. With her skills and calm attitude, she seemed to already know if something is present or not beyond the dark.
"If my old captain was here, he'd probably see you as crazy." The journey continued with no end, Colton wondered if the trees or plants even existed or the man just wanted us to go on a doomed trip.
"Shouldn't we move faster? Even if it's night, the man said we need to get that plant as soon as possible." Oliver meekly asked, clearly fearful of the forest, wishing he was back in the safety of the casino.
"Eh, I'm sure he'd understand. Besides, it's much better here than another second with that rich schmuck." Myo responded, Marcus and Quill both agreed with him. Oliver started walking closer to the center of the group, hoping to stay as far from the dark as possible with Clarissa still next to him.
"The smell is pretty off." Quill noted, walking slower than usual.
"What do you mean by the scent?" Calliope questioned her, confused on what smell had to do with this.
"It feels confusing, something I haven't felt before. But I assume something is nearby. And I doubt it's good."
"Whatever it may be, if your assumption is correct. Combat may not be viable, our chance is to run forward or distract it." Calliope quickly formed a plan, understanding the situation and preparing her weapon if something does come out.
"Move cautiously, Quill continues with observing the environment for any changes. We can only hope that nothing lingers here and our mission continues unhindered." The team moved at a slower pace, and Quill's demeanor changed in an instant.
As they moved on, moving closer and closer as the path became more narrow, Quill turned to her left and ran into the leaves almost instantly. Calliope was about to chase her, but restrained herself. Assuming she may hold her own, and with the other task of leading and protecting the team.
"How far is that flower?" Oliver quivered, paranoid and anxious.
"Dunno, but i hope its near already." Celestine was also fearful of the situation, Colton tried to suppress his own fear, focusing on taking down the threat and protecting his own allies.
After a minute or so, one of the bushes began to rustle, to the horror of the team.
"I swear if another wolf-" Just as Marcus was talking, Quill emerged, to the relief of the team.
"I assume you found the cause of that odd scent?"
"A bit strange, but I found a few piles of cloth, armor, and weapons. Seemingly some kind of expedition team that vanished." Calliope was only more confused by her report.
"So it seems others also went to this area, I ponder if they survived and just dumped their belongings…Or another fate befell them." She explained. At this point the team was uncertain and fearful.
"Remain vigilant. We'll continue moving." With reluctance, the team followed with her. Colton readied his weapon, searching for any sight of something moving around or the rustle of a bush.
"That scent is getting more and more strong." Quill notified the team.
"Whether this is something nearby or just something new to me, I do not know."
Colton tightened his grip, memories of his time in the army emerged to add to his anxiety. From sudden ambushes that left a handful alive, to animals suddenly lunging at them. The memories flooded into his misfortune.
But he continued on, hoping that the assumption was wrong.
Through the dense leaves and past the large trees, Quill pushed a few more leaves and branches aside. Revealing what may have caused that unknown scent or feeling.