Perry cautiously approached the little grass doll, gripping his water sword tightly as a mix of tension and anticipation welled up within him. Just as he was about to reach the doll, a cold hand suddenly shot out from the darkness, grabbing his wrist firmly. Startled, Perry instinctively slashed at the hand with his water sword. As the blade sliced through, thick, black liquid oozed from the wound, emitting a nauseating stench of decay.
"Another scarecrow?" Perry muttered in frustration, his exhaustion leaving him dizzy and barely able to stand.
Meanwhile, Fido noticed the worsening situation around them. He quickly drew his spear, slashing at another scarecrow that approached. The spear sliced through the air with a fierce glint, but the scarecrow showed no fear, and dark liquid slowly seeped from its wound.
Perry and Fido were forced into an intense battle with the two scarecrows. Perry's movements gradually slowed due to fatigue, and eventually, he slipped up and was injured by one of the scarecrows, collapsing to the ground. The scarecrow took the opportunity to pin him down, reaching out to remove its mask, seemingly intending to force it onto Perry's face.
"Watch out!" Fido's heart raced as he saw Perry's predicament, wanting to rush over to help. But just as he was about to move, the other scarecrow attacked him, leaving a deep cut on his shoulder. Blood quickly soaked his white chef's uniform, and the sharp pain in his shoulder caused him to briefly pause, clutching the wound tightly with a frown.
In this moment of crisis, system blue orb suddenly emerged from the darkness, urgently guiding Perry: [The little grass doll is just ahead!]
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Perry used the last of his strength to break free from the scarecrow's grasp. A tearing pain surged from his waist, but he ignored it, gripping his water sword and charging toward the doll's location. His blade glowed with a cold, water-blue light in the faint glow, carrying his last hope and determination as he struck the grass doll with all his might.
The water sword hit its target precisely. With a sharp cracking sound, the doll's body trembled violently before shattering into pieces and dissipating into the air. The scarecrows suddenly let out a piercing scream, as if struggling in despair, and a fountain of dark liquid gushed out, pooling into a black puddle that stained the ground. The surrounding dark grass emitted a faint "hiss," as if drained of its life force, gradually fading from black back to its original green. The dark atmosphere dissipated, and the grass seemed to be rid of its shadows, returning to life.
Perry was utterly exhausted, his chest heaving as if even standing was too much to bear. He struggled to stay upright, but the pain and fatigue overwhelmed him, and his vision began to blur as the last traces of consciousness faded away. He felt his body collapse backward, sinking into a boundless darkness.
When Perry finally opened his eyes again, it wasn't his sight that returned first but rather the sensation of motion and a gentle warmth. His awareness cleared slowly as he heard footsteps nearby—steady, rhythmic steps. He felt himself being carried, his body swaying slightly with each step, and a throbbing pain in his waist, though the gentle rocking seemed to steady his breathing.
Squinting, he saw a familiar white garment—it was Fido's chef's uniform, though now stained with dark red patches from blood. Turning his head slightly, he noticed a blood-stained wound on Fido's shoulder, roughly bandaged. Fido carried him carefully, walking with steady yet cautious steps as if afraid to disturb his rest.
"You're awake," Fido said, sensing Perry's movement and turning his head with a relieved smile.
Perry felt a twinge of embarrassment and, struggling to sit up, murmured, "Sorry… for making you carry me. You… you can put me down now."
Fido stopped, slowly and gently lowering Perry to the ground to avoid causing him pain. Once on the ground, Perry noticed his legs still felt weak, though he forced himself to stand, casting a grateful look at Fido.
The mist around them drifted silently, not particularly thick but lending an eerie blur to the late-night forest. Perry frowned slightly as he took in their surroundings. "How long was I out?"
Fido glanced down, pressing his shoulder lightly. "Not long, about an hour." Perry then noticed his own wounds had been bandaged as well. Upon closer inspection, he realized the bandages looked familiar—pieces of Fido's apron. The apron itself was gone.
Perry couldn't help but smile bitterly, realizing this was his third time passing out today. Counting the earlier incident with Henry, it was actually his fourth.
He shook his head with a touch of self-mockery, acknowledging how depleted his stamina had become, yet he still couldn't resist saying softly, "Let me help heal your wound."
Fido looked surprised, raising an eyebrow before chuckling and waving his hand. "Oh? So you can heal, too? But take care of yourself first—don't wear yourself out again."
"It's no trouble." Perry gently placed his hands on Fido's shoulder, closed his eyes, and whispered an incantation: "Heal." A soft blue light glowed from his palms, enveloping Fido's wound with a warm radiance, gradually closing the injury.
After finishing heal, Perry noticed that his magic power was recovering faster than expected. He licked his lips in confusion and tasted a hint of sweetness. "Did I... eat something just now?"
Fido chuckled and say: "I found some magic oranges nearby and juiced them to feed you. Seems like they worked well."
Perry then discovered that Fido have some black pepper and tomato inside the vine pouch on his waist.
Perry looked at the unusual vegetables in the vine pouch—the black pepper and tomato appeared particularly strange. He admired Fido's resourcefulness; even in a dangerous situation, he had found the time to pick these rare ingredients.
After examining the vegetables carefully, Perry noticed that although they looked different in color, their shape was just like ordinary peppers and tomatoes. He furrowed his brows and murmured, "But... why are they called Laughing Peppers and Crying Tomatoes?"
Fido smiled patiently and explained, "These vegetables have peculiar names because they make sounds when touched by something sharp. For instance, Laughing Peppers produce a sound like laughter when a blade contacts them, and Crying Tomatoes make a sobbing noise. So I was very careful, plucking them by hand to keep them silent." He pointed at the vegetables in his pouch with a hint of pride. "Keeping them quiet is no easy feat."
"Where are we now?" Perry asked, wanting to get a sense of their current location.
"Right now we one the way to the cave, we're on our way to gather 'Sleep Mushrooms,'" Fido explained, gesturing toward a nearby cave. "These vegetables I picked earlier—next time, I'll bring you along to find them."
Perry nodded but made a mental note not to risk gathering them so easily.
Fido led Perry swiftly toward the cave, pointing at the thickening mist ahead. "The fog's getting denser. We need to gather the ingredients within two hours and then find a way out of here as quickly as possible."
The cave entrance was shrouded in shadow, damp and chilly. The dim environment made them hold their breath as they quietly entered. Fido motioned for Perry to stay silent, signaling the importance of complete silence. Perry knew that even the slightest sound would startle these Sleepy Mushrooms, causing them to enlarge and release a cloud of sedative smoke that could knock someone out instantly. Recalling his previous fainting episode, he was extra cautious, barely daring to breathe.
He observed the Sleepy Mushrooms carefully; they looked different from ones he'd seen before. These mushrooms were an eerie black, surrounded by a faint, dark mist, as if cursed by some unknown power. He gently touched Fido's arm and whispered, "They look… off. Can we really pick them?"
Fido gave a reassuring smile and whispered back, "These black Sleepy Mushrooms are indeed cursed. But don't worry, I have a way."
Fido pulled out a delicate fruit knife from his pocket, its blade reflecting a faint silver glow. Perry watched in surprise as Fido gripped the knife, aiming at a solitary black Sleepy Mushroom near the entrance. With a precise flick of his wrist, Fido's blade pierced the mushroom's cap. In an instant, the black color faded to deep blue, and the surrounding dark mist dispersed.
It turned out Fido struck before the mushroom was startled, using silver to purify its curse. Perry couldn't help but admire Fido's skill and experience. It was no wonder he could locate and handle such mysterious and dangerous ingredients so effortlessly.
Fido continued with careful movements, purifying each mushroom's curse with his silver tool before picking it. He harvested three mushrooms, moving swiftly and silently. After he was done, he put away his tools and whispered to Perry, "Alright, let's go. These mushrooms are enough. Now we need to find the next ingredient."
Perry nodded, feeling more admiration for Fido. As they left the cave, Fido whispered, "The mist is spreading fast; we need to keep moving. Our next target is the chickens, they hide only within the fog, and they're easiest to find when the fog is thickest. If we don't leave this area within two hours, we'll be in complete darkness."
They cautiously made their way through the thickening mist. The surroundings grew increasingly indistinct, and only Fido's figure moved steadily ahead, calm and resolute. Perry followed closely, worried they might get lost in the dense fog.
"Henry, let's tie our hands together. That way, we won't get separated," Fido said, stopping to grab a vine and binding it between Perry's and his own wrists, leaving about a meter of distance in between like handcuffs. "You really have the worst luck—I'm worried you might actually disappear."
Fido paused and whispered, "Henry, just in case, let's tie our hands together so we won't get separated." He glanced around, found a thick, flexible vine, and bound it between his wrist and Perry's, leaving about a meter of space between them, like a natural handcuff. Perry looked at the vine linking them, chuckling wryly, "Didn't expect to be bound like this, but it's safer than wandering off on my own."
Fido eyed him with a playful smirk, "Your luck really is something else, I'm worried you might actually disappear. Let's not have any more incidents."
They continued through the mist-laden forest, their faint footsteps and the occasional scrape of the vine the only sounds breaking the silence. The thick fog settled over the trees like a heavy curtain, obscuring everything in the depths of the woods. Perry noticed visibility dropping rapidly, with the trees and ground blurring until it seemed the whole forest was veiled in a dreamlike haze. After a while, they reached the lake once more, where the fog draped over the water's surface like dust on a mirror, making it appear dark and ominous.
Fido stopped, scrutinizing the water and the dense mist, and softly warned, "The fog is too thick here; we need to be cautious. The shore's slippery, and if you're not careful, it's easy to fall in. Let's keep some distance and walk around."
Keeping Perry shielded to one side, Fido carefully led them on a path that bypassed the lake's edge. Perry felt the fog's dampness settle on his face, forming tiny droplets, while the mist thickened, making it almost impossible to tell which way they were headed. Then Fido took a small whistle out of his pocket and brought it to his lips, saying softly, "This isn't an ordinary whistle—it's specifically for calling chickens."
Perry was a bit puzzled but watched as Fido blew into the whistle. A loud, piercing sound broke through the fog, and to Perry's surprise, it sounded almost like a chicken's raspy squawk, the kind of grating call that made one want to cover their ears. The sound reverberated through the mist, echoing across the forest with an odd, surreal quality.
Moments later, a hoarse, low cluck replied from somewhere in the fog. "Looks like we've got the chicken's attention," Fido whispered, tugging Perry to stand still as they waited. Perry's heart quickened as he peered into the mist, trying to make out the emerging shape moving towards them.
Soon, a blurry figure wobbled into view through the haze, and Perry's eyes widened in disbelief. Approaching them was a creature unlike any he'd ever seen—something between a snail and a chicken. It had feathers of vivid, swirling colors, a thick snail shell clinging to its back, and a chicken-like face topped with a bobbing red comb. Its beak issued a low clucking sound, and it shuffled forward on stubby, awkward legs.
Perry couldn't help but mutter, "This is…the chicken we were looking for?"