[https://i.imgur.com/lHLPxzX.jpg]

(Charliette in Isla's dress)

The Forest Dungeon was known as quite the unique dungeon in comparison to its counterparts. Not only did it have an abundance of trees and plants, but it also had a mixture of docile animals and monsters frolicking in the dense forests. It was a strange place indeed to see a massive forest growing underground.

Where do the trees get sunlight from? How do they photosynthesize for survival? Those are valid questions, for normal trees. The trees found in the Forest Dungeon were discovered to be one of the most resilient plants in the world due to the simple fact that they do not need direct sunlight. Scholars deduce from research that these special trees have two pairs of roots: one pair goes down into the ground to suck water and nutrients from the soil, while the other pair goes up to poke through the surface and receive sunlight. Notice how I said “direct sunlight” since they still need the sun, just in an unconventional way.

Christia and I were already in the dungeon with crates of food on our backs once again. The ground was all soft grass, unlike the cold and hard cobblestone lining most of the dungeons. It was a relaxing change of pace. We were already in the thickets of the forest, surrounded all around by pine trees that stretched out tall only to hit the ceiling. That was where the roots can attach.

“This map is useless,” Christia whined. She held a map in her hand and furrowed her brows as the attempt to read the map proved fruitless. I wasn’t surprised. How do you even map a dungeon like this if the outline of the dungeon is hidden everywhere by trees? This was one of those dungeons where we had to rely on instinct and intelligence. I think us together lack both of those…

“Let me see.” I snatched the map from her hand and tried to read it myself. I couldn’t. On the map were intricate drawings of corridor outlines and different pathways, but we obviously couldn’t see the corridors nor the right direction due to our visibility being halted by thousands of leaves spreading out across long branches. Let’s not forget the thick tree trunks which were wider than Christia’s and my own body combined. We were lost. So utterly lost.

We should have hired a guide. I slammed my forehead in regret and frustration. Why didn’t I think of that earlier?

“So, what now?” I turned to Christia and threw back the map to her.

“Nothing else to do but walk straight. We’ll probably hit the dungeon's wall eventually, then follow it to a corridor.”

No way, she was sensible for once. I agreed, nothing better for us to do anyways. We both trekked onwards, hearing the sound of crunching sticks and leaves under our boots. Luckily it wasn’t as dark as a normal dungeon, thanks to helpful friends of ours that live in these necks of the woods: the humble fireflies. There they were, buzzing all around us and shining like stars in the night as they perched on leaves to nibble on them or reproduce. It was a gorgeous sight indeed. They piqued my curiosity, since I don’t see them often on the surface.

“Charliette, can I ask you something?” Christia had crumpled up the map and stuffed it into her pocket. She pulled up the collar of her coat.

“What is it?”

“Did… did Dalat say anything to you? About

us?”

Ah, so that was still on her mind. I didn’t blame her. It’s still in mine after all. I never stopped staring at the fireflies. “No, besides what I told you already.”

“What do you think he’s going to do? Would he really go so far as to take your life?”

“I… I’m not sure, Christia. He seemed so confident when he threatened me.” That day, he implied that he’d kill me, although I cannot even imagine by what means he’d do so.

She nodded her head. “Sorry, I’m still processing this entire thing. It wasn’t like he was a brother to me or anything, it’s just sad that someone like him could flip around on a dime even with all the time we’d spent together.”

I glanced at a nearby leaf, watching as the light of a firefly ceased and its body grew lifeless and crinkled. It fell off the leaf and landed right in front of me. I accidentally stomped on it as we advanced.

There was this chilling feeling to realize that someone who you’ve interacted with on a daily basis turn out to be a criminal capable of saying or doing things beyond what you thought they were capable of. That was like finding out your neighbor was a serial killer and you’ve been living with him and talking with every single day. Either they changed that fast, or it was all a facade.

“Dalat was never the man we knew.” I said, finally able to look her in the eye. They were oddly sharp and driven towards the road ahead of us.

“You really think so?”

“How else would he be able to turn against us like that?” My finger snapping echoed off into the distance, bouncing off the ceiling and exploding into a sharp but tame sonic wave across the forest.

“That makes things even worse…” Christia sighed but still continued to push through branches and bushes. “I still don’t get what he’ll gain from all of this.”

“Me neither.”

Dalat’s motives were something both of us wanted to know so badly. But it was unfortunately a mystery until Eiri could catch him. I’d love to have a long chat with him once he gets into custody.

I gave a long sigh and stopped in my tracks. Christia stared back with a lifted eyebrow. I really wanted to get this off my chest before it becomes a focal point of disagreement or an issue later on. “Christia, if I ever encounter Dalat again, I’ve decided to kill him myself.”

“Can you even do that, Charliette?” She recoiled back like a startled cat.

“If push comes to shove, then I have to. The Soaran government will label it as self defense.”

Deep down, I was questioning myself to oblivion. I barely could finish off Isla, and I was shaking afterwards. If I was left to be a decrepit mess from finishing off an already deceased person, I doubted my ability to land a killing blow on a living being.

I recalled the blood, as a black as the night sky, pour from Isla’s head when I sank my knife into her. I remembered the nauseous feeling in my stomach and the shivering of my body. The tune the knife made as it rattled free from my grasp and clatter to the floor wouldn’t leave my head. None of it would.

This reaction was all from a dead person. I couldn’t fathom what I’d react having to kill person who was living and breathing, radiating life beyond a doubt. I was starting to agree with Christia’s skepticism.

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, right? The Military Knights will deal with it.” She glared me in the eyes while I stared back on my palms, trying to look back on that fateful day in the Beast Dungeon in horror.

It wasn’t a matter of me wanting to do it, but the necessity of doing it. Should Dalat cross paths with us again, he vowed to take vengeance on me by putting my life in danger. If that time were to come, I’d have no choice but to kill him. I’d have to steel my resolve for that moment.

We both came to a stop, yet the crackling of broken branches and leaves continued. Footsteps were nearby. Something was lurking in this forest near us, we were too occupied to notice it earlier.

I couldn’t see anything hiding in the tree’s foliage, and neither could Christia. For the time being, we had to but Dalat at the back of our heads. We needed to think rationally right about now.

“Christia.” I whispered to her, pulling my tome from its bag.

She nodded and unsheathed her dagger. And there we prowled in the dense trees, still hearing branches snapping under immense force. Whatever was around here wasn’t human. I could tell by the strong force of each step that carried in the air. No human could slam on branches so hard their crunch resembles canonfire.

The fireflies led the way and earnestly led us through forest. They generously lended their light to us, flying over to nearby blindspots covered by dozens of branches. Nothing was found yet, but the powerful footsteps refused to cease.

“What do you think it is?” Christia held her dagger close to her when she matched my pace.

“I don’t know. Could be a monster. I know for a fact it isn’t human.”

It was hard to predict the enemy we’d be confronting, since the Forest Dungeon prides itself in have the most diverse list of creatures living in its midst. Creatures from fireflies to direwolves roamed these lands. I just hope it was something docile and not too rowdy.

The fireflies reminded me of little puppies by the way they gathered together in search of something. They all collectively went from one blindspot in the foliage to another, trying to pinpoint a lifeform. They were our little helpers indeed, a breath of fresh air from the hellish creatures we’d encountered in every other dungeon.

That glowing swarm of fireflies stopped right in front of a massive bush surrounding a tree. The didn’t move forward but remained hovering over the greenery. It was strange behavior, considering these creatures were almost always on the move. This was a sign.

“Stay back,” I warned Christia. She backed off obediently.

I needed the extra space in case something deadly really did jump from that bush and try to attack. Space will allow me to use Aqua Whip to its best, and slay whatever dares do battle with me.

Despite the glowing lights of the fireflies focusing on the massive bush, I couldn’t see anything. I approached closer, licking my finger to catch a page of my tome and crack it open. The crunching of branches and leaves halted at last, a spooky sign. It recognized my presence sure enough.

I parted the branches and leaves of the bush and lowered my head to peer into it. There was nothing but darkness, until a pair of two globes ignited to life.

A big creature hastily leapt out from the bush, but not before attempting to impale me with its ultimate natural weapon.

It was a deer, brandishing short but lethal antlers. My heart nearly ripped out of my chest, and the jumpscare had me tumbling to my ass. But that didn’t stop the deer.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

It aimed those antlers at me again and kicked up its feet against the dirt. Its sharp weapon attached to its head was stained a crimson red, meaning I wasn’t its only victim. I would be one of many.

The marks of its hooves were engraved in the ground, and it didn’t look happy at all.

“Charliette!” Christia screamed and ran over to me, but the deer was already beginning its charge.

It never reached me. As soon as the creature lunged towards me, an arrow hit it square in the forehead. The body was as lifeless as it could be. The creature had tripped on its own legs after receiving the blow from the arrow, and slammed face first into the ground in front of me.

An arrow, hm… If there was an arrow, then it obviously had to belong to the archer. I turned around, and there was my hero.

That hero trudged through the bushes behind us and fixed the tie that held up his glossy black man bun. A quiver packed with arrows hung on his shoulders and he was equipped head to toe with clothing made from animal skin. Of course, his mighty bow was still clutched my his only mighty free hand.

“You ladies okay?” He had finally finished adjusting his bun, his cheeks perking up charismatically.

“Thanks to you, yes.” I was still breathless, startled by the deer’s unnatural aggression.

“I’m so glad.” The archer’s icy gray eyes hid under his eyelids, an expression of innocent chivalry. “Don’t know what I’d do if anyone got hurt down here.”

That man walked up to the deer’s corpse. Normally a hunter would want to skin the deer and bring it back to camp to butcher completely, but this man glared at the dead carcass intently. I was sure he’d seen a deer before, so I didn’t understand why he’d be gawking at it so seriously.

“The blood…” The archer knelt down right in front of the corpse. He yanked out the arrow from its head and slid his finger across its wounds. It was weird at first, but I caught on to what made him act this way. Surprise and concern consumed him.

Blood was not coming out of the wound inflicted on the deer. It was merely just an indent into the skin and muscles. No liquid whatsoever; no blood, no remnants of saliva ebbing out from it, and it certainly did not produce any body heat. It was cold to the touch, yet it was only killed moments ago.

This creature lacked basic things of a functional member of its species, which concerned both the man and myself.

“This, this thing had been dead for quite some while.”

It was impossible, though. The thing just died not even ten minutes ago, yet the archer had the audacity to claim it was dead all along? Well, death seems to be pretty stagnant, but I knew from experience just how animated the deer was previously. Not stagnant in the slightest… well… now it was.

The archer pulled out his knife and jammed it into the side of the deer, beginning the process of skinning it. “At least the meat is still good. Strange,” he said to himself.

“So what’s going on with it?” I kneeled down next to the deer, who progressively got its fur ripped off by the archer’s delicate hands. “Is it some kind of disease?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen this before. Not a drop of blood is in its body, but meat is meat.”

It was almost as if the deer was a doll of some sorts but made of flesh and bones.

Christia then approached the man to give a solemn greeting. “We’re very grateful for saving us. My name is Chrisita, and my friend over there is Charliette.”

“Right.” He didn’t seem like he was paying full attention to her, focusing on the carving out the deer. “What brings you two here? This isn’t exactly a good picnic spot.”

I interjected by shoving Christia slightly out of the way and taking control. It is my business after all. I have to take charge. “We work for a delivering business, and are in the process of delivering food to adventurers here.”

“Really? Shit, me and my party are expecting a delivery. You guys happen to be those people?” That got him to stop skinning the animal for a moment.

“What’s your name?” I said. Usually we meet up with clients beforehand, but the client for this job had to send a member of his party as a replacement for some odd reason. Hey, I don’t ask questions. That’s my policy.

“It’s Robin Sargasso.” Robin got to his feet and was finally giving me the eye contact I deserved.

That was the name of our client. Robin Sargasso. Really unique name so I doubt it could be anyone else but him. “Yup, we’re delivering to you.”

“Awesome! Follow me then.” Robin tied a rope around the legs of the skinned deer and dragged it along with him. We did as he said.I could still feel the warmth of the charred meat packed into the crate on my back.

Apparently, Robin had set up a camp somewhere in this dungeon with his party members. Very unconventional if I may say so, but who was I to judge? They’re probably more experienced than we were.

“I didn’t know when you guys would come, since it was past the delivery deadline. I figured I’d go out and hunt for food just in case,” Robin explained. He led us down an intricate path of chopped down trees and shredded shrubbery.

I was left scratching my head in embarrassment. We didn’t hold up our end of the bargain to the tee. “Sorry about that. We kind of got lost.”

Robin looked back at us and waved a hand dismissively. “You’re fine. Everyone gets lost here anyways. It;s not uncommon to find adventurer corpses all over here.”

That didn’t make me feel better, but I was glad I wasn’t one of those corpses. Christia and sighed in relief as one.

The first thing I noticed when we arrived at Robin's camp was a large cloud of smoke rising above the treeline, black and smelly. A large campfire in the middle of their camp produced that smoke, and there was another man near who was stoking it.

Two tents were set up. One was small, but the other looked twice as big as the other one. “Here it is, our home away from home.” Robin raised his hands to the air as exaggerative as possible. “You can set the food by the fire.”

And that was exactly what we did. Christia and lugged the crates of food closer towards the fire, catching the eyes of the man stoking the giant flame.

“Who are you guys?” he said. His hair was cut very short, nearly a buzzcut, and I hated him already. He had such a condescending tone towards us.

“We’re delivering food Robin ordered.” I pointed my finger back towards Robin, who sported an intense look in his eyes. Butchering that poor animal was his passion, I’d assume. No man would be this focussed on doing so.

“Really? Good timing then, we were about to resort to cannibalism. Ah! You should look at your face now!” He tapped me on the shoulder and burst into a hysterical laughter. I wasn’t laughing. He scared me for a second with cannibalism. I thought we’d be on the menu.

That man had us set down the crates of food next to him, the steam of their warmth still seeping out of the crevices of the crates. After tossing another log of firewood into the flame, he got to his knees and began prying open the top of the crates. “Wow, its still warm.”

“Yes, I don’t get the food until right before we depart so that it stays warm.”

“Smart girl.”

What does he mean by “smart girl” ? It sounded patronizing to me. Making sure the food’s warm was common sense, not intellectuality. But I let that slide just once, I’ve heard worse.

The man finally ripped open the top and stared at the meat that sat inside the crates. They were all charred, yet glistened from their juices smothering all over them. It would surely satisfy anyone. He glanced upon it and guffawed. I noticed his teeth were slightly sharper than they were supposed to be.

“It’s funny because I knew a guy who would use Offensive Fire Magic to keep his food warm on trips like this. He was like our personal stove, ha!”

Despite his attitude towards us previously, I couldn’t help but laugh with him. Lio popped in my mind, and I was getting new ideas from this guy. Maybe Lio would be good with deliveries after all… and maybe I don’t need a stove anymore.

“So, is that everything you ordered?” Christia asked him. She drew closer with her fingers interlaced.

“Looks like it. Mhm, thanks to you two.”

The fireflies around us suddenly grew sporadic as they flew all around in a frenzy. It was very eerie behavior, usually they were so uniform. But it was as if they were scattering in every which way, trying to run away from something. Because of this inconsistent moment, the light around us was flickering.

“Not a problem, Mister! Just trying to help.”

The man reached out to offer a handshake to Christia, but she instead leaned in and hugged him. It was brief and lacking any passion, but a hug nonetheless. The man reciprocated, and once they let go, he pantomimed a proper farewell gesture.

“Okay, you two take care. Thank you again for the delivery.

We both waved back, walking back towards the camp’s entrance where Robin was still butchering the deer.

I waved to him but he caught no notice of me. “Hey? We’re leaving now, see ya’”

He briefly look up at us while clenching the hunting knife in his hand tight. He’d better watch where he pointed that thing. “Oh, right. Goodbye, thank you for the delivery.” A half-assed waved followed.

Wow, then I guess we will be on our way. Robin’s just not a people-person, I assumed. Neither was that man, either. Both of them had their weird quirks that rubbed me the wrong way, but that’s the case with everyone. I guarantee I have a habit or quirk that someone else finds repulsive. I’m also sure I’ve irked more people than I could count. But that’s just life, you can’t please everyone.

Since we’ve successfully completed our delivery, Christia and I made our way out of the dungeon using the trail Robin showed us. Hopefully things would go well for them once they continue their exploration, don’t want this to become a search and rescue quest. But I was confident in them.

I stretched out my back that finally got a break from the heavy load. The next thing was to check in on how Lio and Kueler were doing. So Christia and I made haste to the exit, brushing away branches and swatting away fireflies that flew in our face. I was going to miss those little fireflies so much.

X X X

Robin saw Charliette and Christia walk off into the distance. Once they were out of view far away from them, he sighed and jammed the knife into the abdomen of the deer. It was time to gut it, and he was interested to know what it would be like without any blood. He couldn’t imagine the insides being completely clean.

He came into a slight problem, however. His arms grew fatigued from all the butchering that when he tried to rip open the deer’s stomach, the knife wouldn’t budge. His strength just wasn’t enough anymore.

“Hey come over here!” Robin yelled to his party member who stood by the flame and was eating the food they ordered.

“What is it now?” He was still chewing his food when he walked over to him.

“I… I can’t get the knife to move. It’s stuck in the deer.”

“Fine, let me at it.”

Robin moved out of the way while his friend took his place. He got into a squating position and grasped the hilt of the knife as tight as he could. He shifted his body to the right, trying to use his weight to dislodge the knife. But it failed.

“Damnit,” he said, “You got this in good.”

He pressed his right hand against the deer corpse and tried to wiggle the knife out. It didn’t work either. The man grunted and groaned, cursing the knife itself with a growing frustration.

“Is it stuck on bone or anything?” The man used his nails to try and feel back the meat around the knife to see if any bone was hidden. It was all pure meat and muscle, nowhere near any bone.

“Idiot, its on the abdomen, no way there’d be bone near it.” Robin folded his arms and snickered.

“Shut up. You want help or not?”

“That’s why I called you over, didn’t I?”

“Just, shut up for a second.” He blocked Robin’s face with his hand, then got right back to work.

The knife was stuck on the thick meat of the deer and there was no other knife they could use. “Wait, give me one of your arrows, Robin.”

“Huh? Oh, sure.” He handed him one.

The man used the arrowhead to try and dig out the knife, ripping through flesh all around it. It was a set pattern of ripping, wiggling, then pulling that got the party member feeling hopeless. Nothing worked, until…

The man tugged with every once of strength his muscles could give him, and the knife finally popped out of the deer, but he never expected it to. The knife swiped off its place and, because of the insane amount of strength he had exerted on it, he accidentally cut himself on the forearm.

“Oh shit, Liam! You okay?” Robin rushed over to his party member to check out his wound. “Is it bad?”

He glanced over to see the gash on his arm, and he jumped back. He pulled an arrow from its quiver and took up his bow. “Who are you?” His voice reeked of hostility

Liam looked down at his wound. It was a deep cut, yet one thing seemed unnatural.

There was no blood.

Liam stood up to face Robin, who’d just loaded the arrow into his bow and pulled back the string. No words were said between them anymore. A giant rift between them grew larger and larger the longer their silence continued. He picked up the knife, and all he could think about was seeing if his “friend” was a bleeder.

“Let’s find out together.”