“So you were saying there’s more just this morning,” Selene said.

All the leaders of both groups were sitting inside the tent once again. Jerome was done with the charms, all that was left was to wait for morning and they could begin their exploit of the dark forest.

“Yes. I said I took his arm. But something happened and I couldn’t touch him anymore after that. I had to run away and trust me I could have died,” he said.

Everyone was silently listening, waiting to hear what would make Jerome so troubled.

“Something came to his rescue.”

“Something?” Selene asked.

An Argonaut—”

“What?!” Fei Lin asked in shock.

“This thing was very powerful,” Jerome said. He didn’t know whether to call it a Transcendent being. Perhaps the only way to sound believable was to be as obscure as possible. “Perhaps as powerful as a Transcendent being. And my gut tells me that the Alvrics sent their Sprouts specifically to bring that thing home.”

“You must be joking,” Fei Lin said, glaring daggers at him. “We mustn’t believe the lie he is spouting.”

“He isn’t lying,” Lang said. “Alvric has been fighting Vorthe for power for millennia…” Lang stopped speaking almost abruptly.

“That’s not news, Lang,” Selene said. “But what exactly are you trying to say?”

“What do you mean, Lang?” Ajax asked. “You know something we don’t, don’t you?”

This was a new development for Jerome. He observed the older Sprout as he gathered his thoughts or maybe he was struggling to tell them what he knew.

“There are rumors…” Lang muttered hesitantly. “...that the Argonaut the Alvrics revere comes from Terra Praeta… I’m not allowed to say more than that.”

Everyone kept quiet after that. They all had an idea of what that meant. The older Sprout must have sworn an oath to keep the truth secret, only able to say the barest minimum.

“Well,” Jerome continued, “the Argonaut gathered up the Alvrics and opened a portal back home. There may very well be a war going on right as we speak.”

The tent suddenly became silent. Everyone looked down to digest what Jerome had just said as the weight of the situation settled in their stomachs.

~~~

“So this thing can put a veil on us? On our cores?” Someone asked.

“Just give it a little bit of your essence. Emphasis on a little,” Jerome said. “If you give it too much, it will keep taking. It’ll take to the point the wood would crumble and the darkness inside would lunge for your veins so it could attach itself to you like a parasite.”

Some people looked at him with more fear in their eyes than when he first told them about it. Jerome didn’t know if their meeting last night had been discussed with the rest of the team. He had done his part though, it was left to them to deliver the message.

“You get the picture,” he said, gesturing with his arms. “Chop, chop, everyone. Let’s get to it.”

He had requested strips of leather from everyone and tied them through the hoops in the charms. Though the charms were tiny in size, they would do their work effectively. Even though not forever.

“So watch everyone,” Jerome said and put a tiny bit of essence inside the charm he wore as a necklace. Everyone gasped soon after, marveling at what was happening.

“It’s like you’re not here, Jerome. Like your image is a mirage,” Trudhorn said with brows drawn in concentration as he tried to scan for Jerome.

“That’s how it feels when you scan the forest or its creatures. But with this, your scan would come up with results,” Jerome responded. “Make it a piercing scan and the darkness would literally consume your mental energy. So make sure you don’t go scanning things beyond their surface when we get in there.”

Everyone started imbuing their charms with essence and scanning themselves to see if it worked the same way Jerome’s charm did. Csala stood to the side watching. Her charm was the only different one of the lot. Since she couldn’t wield essence, her psychic energy was the next best thing. And so Jerome instructed her on how to activate hers after activating his.

Selene and her teammates also strapped the wolves with theirs, instructing them to channel a trickle of essence into the charms.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Csala whispered for his ears only. “How did they achieve that — bonding with the wolves, that is?”

“With the use of scripting. There is a special scripted symbol just for this purpose. A bond that can be used to make magical beasts docile; accepting of submission. They become ‘sacred beasts’ after that. Selene must have learned to cast the scripts, or she has tools imbued with a dormant array she could have activated at one time to bond them.

“Magical beasts are quite averse to being bonded. To do so, you have to be powerful enough to hold them down, to keep them from running away, or even killing you. Or you might just be at the right place at the right time. Somewhere that is quite dangerous to the magical beast. If you offer your help, there is a chance they become more receptive to you.”

Jerome observed her. He had no idea what Csala would think about the bond due to what he knew of her own natural condition. But she showed no discomfort about the topic for which he was grateful so he continued. “The bond is called ‘Bar Obadai’ which means The Brotherhood. They might not know it means this so let’s keep this between us.” Csala nodded slightly at that.

They all marched forward, toward the dark forest. Jerome took the lead making sure to keep his stride long and firm. This was a good way to show that he meant business and that others could trust him.

“No flying in there. It’s gonna be like the night of Terra Praeta in there, but even the night would be child’s play compared to this. Our abilities would be suppressed and flying would be difficult so to speak.”

“We can’t fly?” Selene asked.

“We can’t use essence that is not tainted by the darkness to its full capacity. The darkness would just swallow it,” Jerome responded. “Except you can use the force of Light… and use it very well.”

“Can’t we just fly over the whole thing?” someone from the Fei team asked.

“And put a target on our backs?” Lang said, shutting them down. “Do you think they wouldn’t shoot us down? Flying is not always the answer for everything.”

Jerome thought of his spear Charybdis and smiled. He was very prepared for this. As if the spear heard him, it hummed inside him in its dematerialized state shocking the hell out of him. Charybdis had never done anything like that before.

“I told you to think of it as a little me, Xerae. It has its own intelligence,” Achilles said.

Jerome exhaled and he felt a presence leave him. Achilles. He was getting a feel for the eccentric AI’s presence now. That was a good thing.

Can you take a peek at Vorthe to see what’s going on there?

Charybdis hummed again, affirming that the message was passed on to Achilles. Jerome had no idea how that worked, but he had no qualms with it. He’d learn later.

They got 20 feet close to the edge of the dark forest, the same distance where they all began to feel drained, but nothing happened this time around.

“Fascinating,” Lang said. “Your charm seems to be the excellent counter to the darkness.”

“What, you didn’t believe me before?” Jerome asked with a raised eyebrow.

The older Sprout shrugged and looked away.

“It is fighting darkness with darkness. They’ll think us friendlies. That is until someone fucks up.”

“Right,” Bram chimed in from behind. “Don’t fuck up.”

“Do you see that,” Csala said. “That wasn’t there the last time.”

“Hmm. We see it,” Fei Lin said.

Shadows were crawling around the trees as if warning intruders away.

“They seem formless,” Selene said. “What are they?”

“My possible guess is they are a kind of technique,” Jerome responded.

“And they move like that? Like they are alive?” Trudhorn asked.

Silence reigned for a while as the tension rose among them. Jerome could smell the fear from them all, it was almost choking. “We’ll be fine. Let’s move forward.”

“Fine? What if those things start snatching us up one after the other?” someone said. And it had to be someone from the Fei side because many of them started muttering among themselves.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“You’re free to stay if you want,” Jerome turned to look at the group. “No one’s forcing you. And as you can see, the last time we were here, we were being drained but now…” He spread his arms out for effect.

Jerome turned around and started walking toward the treeline. The Itakars followed. The Fei took a while but Lang finally convinced them to follow. They got to the very tree he chopped a few roots from and saw the crawling darkness. But the technique, or whatever it was, didn’t ‘see’ them.

Jerome went in and the air changed, becoming stifling and unmoving; lifeless. His body quickly became heavier, slower, and more sluggish. Even his senses were suppressed. Jerome cracked his fingers, clenched and unclenched his fists to increase blood flow to his extremities. It felt like even the flow of blood in his body was slowed down.

The wolves made muffled groans behind them. He hoped they would be able to keep silent as they moved as stealthily as possible. Somehow, he always forgot about them being with the Itakars. He hoped that could come into play now, and the forest would just ignore them.

Everywhere felt like a lifeless void, like the world would open its jaws and swallow them whole without notice. There was no movement, not even from the black leaves that dotted the trees. Jerome could see their dark veins bulge and compress as he walked by. It was eerie to look at.

There was no color, only black and shades of gray. As if they were in another plane of existence. Where color was forbidden. Or absorbed, Jerome thought.

“The sun doesn’t even penetrate through the canopy of trees, Jerome,” Csala whispered to him with her psychic energy.

Jerome found her hand, and held her tightly. He felt relief wash over her the next moment. Jerome himself exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. They walked slowly, adjusting their eyes to the darkness.

“And it’s eerily quiet,” Jerome replied.

They kept walking, making sure to scan a few feet in front of them before moving forward. Jerome activated the pod of Hezvar inside him and his vision expanded. He seemed to rise out of himself and hover over their group, with a 360-degree vision.

That’s why he was able to see the group of insectoid magical beasts whose eyes they had caught. Jerome’s heart beat violently in his chest causing Csala to grip his hand almost painfully.

“What?” she asked. “I sensed your fear.”

Jerome exhaled a shaky breath as silently as he could. “We’ve been noticed.”

Csala drew closer to him. As if they were being surrounded already.

“They don’t know what to make of us. So our best bet is to continue the way we are.”

But the others behind them noticed the change in both of them. Trudhorn quietly and slowly reached up to tap him on the shoulder.

“Is there a problem?” he whispered. It should have sounded like a whisper but the silence around them amplified his voice as if it had been waiting for one of them to speak. The sound of his voice bounced off the trees around them, causing an echo that continued for longer.

The forest stirred all around them. Creatures rose out of the ground around them. Some came out of the trees and others out of the earth. A giant earwig crawled around a tree from their left eyeing the group with huge black eyes. A praying mantis as black as the tree it was crawling down, stopped to look Jerome in the eye. It was huge, as large as a grizzly bear. All five eyes fixated on him, causing him to shiver in fear.

But more eyes were on them. A black spider to the left in the trees — Jerome was sure it’ll be a black widow. It expertly stayed still, eyeing him like its next meal.

Jerome slowly brought his finger to his lips in the universal sign of silence while facing back. But his 360 vision never left the insectoid magical beasts that were eyeing him and his group. Behind the group were giant roaches, almost as large as the mantis in front. He made sure not to look at them so as not to draw the attention of the female Sprouts that were closer to it. Women hated bugs — it was true in his former world…and it was true here.

They crept forward. Slowly. Going around the praying mantis as it turned its head 180 degrees, looking as creepy as fuck. It kept its gaze on Jerome still, forelegs staying in front of it. Jerome knew how fast those legs could grasp at things. And when it did grab hold, it never let go until it had eaten its fill.

The walk continued at a snail’s pace. Nobody talked. But the insects followed them, their movement as silent as the still air.

“How are they moving so silently?” Csala asked. “I have to use my psychic energy to muffle the sound of my boots, but them…”

“The darkness does it for them. They’re creatures of darkness, Csala.”

All of a sudden, he noticed a presence deep inside the forest. Predatory. It was watching them all. And waiting. Never giving away its presence.

The creature, whatever it was, made him uncomfortable. More so because it was a creature of darkness. It moved in the darkness like it was a part of it. Jerome used his 360 vision to try and get a glimpse of what the creature was but nothing. He only knew it was predatory.

Jerome stopped and everyone stopped with him. The insects following them stopped as well.

“Don’t speak,” he said, his voice dispersing to everyone behind him. “There’s a creature up ahead. It’s different from these ones.”

The group couldn’t help but look around at the magical beasts surrounding them. It was very uncomfortable being under the scrutiny of something that didn’t know if it should let you be or eat you. Especially that praying mantis. Jerome couldn’t help himself and looked at the bear-sized insect.

They kept their distance though, but he noticed that it wasn’t only the praying mantis that was eyeing him now. They all were. A wasp joined the insects not long after. It was just as big as the praying mantis and possibly deadlier. On earth, these things had a photographic memory. Would they be the same way here or worse? Jerome surmised they would be worse.

“This creature up ahead, it’s…intelligent. Able to use the darkness, not just move around it but ‘use’ it to its advantage.” Jerome looked around to see if they were still with him. They had already come this far, he wasn’t going to let anyone spoil his plans now.

“When we get to its territory, we will go around it. And if it comes after us, I will use my spear. I have a special Light technique stored inside it for an occasion just like this.”

Well, that was a lie. But it was true as well. He did have a special Light technique stored inside — by Achilles. And it was stored inside all his spears. The ones he brought with him to Terra Praeta as well as Charybdis. Everyone around him would believe said technique came from the Royal Family, the most powerful Light wielders in Vorthe.

The Itakars and the Feis would believe what he shows them and they would hold a debt of gratitude to Vorthe. And he gets to keep his secret. Everyone wins. If anyone went to ask about a Light technique that saved them in the dark forest, he’d deal with that when the time came.

Jerome sensed everyone exhale in relief because of his words. He continued on his journey getting closer and closer to the territory of the predator he was sensing. Sometimes, he felt the creature’s emotions. It was interested in them, amused even. Jerome didn’t know how he was sensing the creature’s emotions. Maybe it was through the pod he was using to expand his vision, something he couldn’t do for too long. He’d burn himself out if he did.

The insectoid magical beasts that were following them converged in front of them all of a sudden, preventing them from moving forward.

“They don’t want us to enter the other creature’s territory,” Jerome transmitted to everyone. He didn’t want to fight these things in their elements and it was annoying being the only one who could communicate like this — well, and Csala.

He turned left wanting to go around or go west then turn north again. The creatures moved to block them again. Jerome quickly brought out his spear — a very normal-looking spear — and pointed its blade to the sky. “When you see the light,” he said, transmitting his voice once again, “you run.”

The monsters attacked.

Jerome hit the butt of his spear on the ground and a bright beam of golden light shot into the air, bringing color back to the world. It made an arc in the air and disintegrated the wasp first. “Follow the light!”

The bright light stunned the monsters, blinding them momentarily and giving both teams the opportunity to run. Lang rushed forward and used his Formless Blade on the praying mantis that was almost upon them. The Formless Blade formed…and then dispersed in the air as if the world consumed it.

Jerome had to push him out of the way of the mantis. The mantis snapped its foreleg with lightning reflexes but they came back empty. But now it was too close to the Light which caused it to seize up for a moment. It lowered its head to avoid looking into the light, before turning around to go after the Sprouts as they split up to go around it. Jerome skewered its neck as it wasn’t watching where it was going. Buzzing sounds came from his right and Jerome looked into the distance to his left. Fuck.

“We’ve gotta go!” he almost screamed. “We’ve got hornets after us now!”

The spider attacked next. Lang was closer to it, so it went for him. It was huge, yet fast. But Lang was a very experienced swordsman. The spider dove at him and he spun his sword in that complicated shield-like pattern. All eight of the spider’s legs left its body in a split second.

“That was impressive,” Jerome said to the older Sprout as they ran. Lang just smirked at him.

Heh. Guess the protector was finding his pride back.

They all quickened their pace, trampling the remaining insects, some of which were ants as large as humans. The wolves made sure no creature pursued. They ran into a nest of snakes and hissing sounds greeted them.

Jerome took to the trees and everyone else followed. They moved as silently as they could, jumping from tree to tree as they followed the Light. Jerome was kind of surprised that the wolves could follow them into trees. He didn’t know what to think of that. Maybe magical beasts were just different from non-magical beasts.

The Light was beginning to dim. And everyone was getting worried. It had helped them to stop some of those insects from giving chase. If it died now…

“Just keep going,” he transmitted to them.

It wasn’t long before the light died and they had to increase their speed. The buzzing was getting closer and closer. Jerome pushed himself faster. He wanted to pick up Csala and dash away. He could, but that would send a really bad message. He needed to think. They were coming up on the creature’s territory, the one he had sensed in the distance. But the buzzing of the hornets didn’t decrease, it only got closer and closer.

Hornets weren’t crazy psychos. They were actually gentle. Wasps were the psychos but a hornet’s sting carried far more venom in it. And it’ll continue to sting. These hornets might have evolved to behave differently, though. If they were going to chase them forever, then it was best they chased them into the belly of the beast.

Jerome stayed on the path, not slowing down to take in his surroundings. His ‘eye in the sky’ was scanning his environment for him. The moment they entered the creature’s territory, he sensed it.

The darkness around them solidified, causing them to trip off the branches. Someone yelped as they fell. Jerome’s spear lit up, banishing the darkness for a moment. Everyone scrambled to their feet and dashed off.

“Can’t you produce another one of those beams?” Lang asked and Jerome held up four fingers to him. The older Sprout nodded curtly, as he got his meaning. They couldn’t waste it.

Then he noticed the buzzing of the hornets wasn’t reaching them anymore. Jerome smiled but then he thought if this creature could solidify darkness, he could only think of other things it could do. Jerome’s heart pounded as he remembered the torture he had to go through Achilles’ hand. The smile was wiped off his face in an instant.

Achilles had commanded the darkness to pierce him like large blades from every side, pinning him in place. He was going to make sure none of them had to face something like that anymore. They jumped over a dark and murky pool of water and some strange, eerie plants growing out of them, lifted their stems up. Growing at the end of those stems were round pods that looked like blackened flesh. The pods split open and rows of serrated teeth reached for them.

Jerome burned more of the Light in his spear and the plants shrank back into the water. But before they landed on the ground, the creature from before attacked again. Jerome felt the darkness start to solidify around him. Not only he, but Csala and Lang felt it too.

He knew the creature was around for it to be able to do this so timely when they were mid-air. He was activating the spear to blast the Light and banish the darkness when it was snatched out of his hands by the darkness.