Zeke woke with a start. His head was throbbing painfully as if it had been kicked by a mule. He gingerly sat up and opened his eyes, but when the world came into focus, he was confronted by a truly peculiar scene. He blinked several times, but the scenery remained unchanged.
What was this?
He was on an endless plain. The earth was a vast expanse of coarse black dirt, stretching as far as he could see. The sky above was equally dark, devoid of sun, moon, or stars, making it impossible to determine if it was day or night.
An ominous feeling crept into his heart. How had he ended up here? The last thing he remembered was eating dinner and then…
He gazed at the alien landscape for a long moment, lost in thought. When he finally decided to get up, pain flared through his body, but he persisted and eventually managed to stand. Though he had no visible wounds or broken bones, something felt off. Every movement hurt, as if his entire body was sore from overexertion.
What the hell happened?
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">An unknown entity has poisoned Host and his companions with a potent paralyzing agent. The headache Host is now experiencing is likely an aftereffect of that substance.</span></p>
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Zeke's eyes lit up. In his befuddled state, he had completely forgotten about Akasha. The Spirit would naturally be able to tell him everything that happened.
Immediately after hearing her words, certain scenes reappeared in his mind. He remembered feeling tired and stumbling up the stairs in a daze. Then, just when he was about to fall asleep, Akasha had warned him about the poison…
A moment of unease gripped Zeke as he realized he was alone. However, the feeling quickly subsided when he spotted a familiar figure on the ground nearby. It was Ash, still fast asleep. Next to the scout were Vulcanos, Gravitas, and Snow, surrounded by a massive pile of backpacks and cloth bundles, some of which he recognized, others he didn't.
Zeke sighed with relief as the tension eased from his shoulders. Now that he knew his people were safe, he turned his attention back to the Spirit, who had stayed silent while he assessed the situation.
"What happened, Akasha?"
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">After Host lost consciousness, I managed to bring Host's body and the bodies of our allies to safety.</span></p>
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Despite Akasha making it sound easy, escaping couldn't have been a simple affair. The sorry state of his body, even after a night of healing, was proof enough.
"Did you figure out who was behind the attack?"
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">Negative. The assailants were locals, likely instructed by someone else. However, I couldn't find any proof linking them to any force.</span></p>
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Zeke frowned. Arriving ahead of schedule had made him lower his guard prematurely. Confident that no one could catch up, he hadn't considered the possibility of people already waiting for him. A mistake that could have easily cost him everything.
Shaking his head, he dispelled those gloomy thoughts. He would do better from now on. Instead, he focused on their surroundings, studying the endless black expanse that stretched as far as he could see in every direction. Though, to be fair, he couldn't see all that far.
There was something wrong with this place.
The darkness here felt tangible, like a sinister fog that obscured one's vision. It cast a pervasive gloom over the place and made it impossible for anyone to get their bearings.
"Where are we, Akasha?"
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Answer] </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">We are in the Deadlands, slightly south-east of the village. The border is only a few hundred steps north of here.</span></p>
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Zeke turned slowly, searching for landmarks. Yet, without any notable features and with the sky obscured, he found himself merely spinning in circles.
"Erm… Which way is North?" he asked, slightly embarrassed.
Instead of answering verbally, Zeke felt a tug on his Core. A moment later, an arrow carved itself into the ground before him, pointing to his left. He followed the direction of the arrow with his eyes, trying to make out anything through the black haze. Yet, even now that he knew the right way, he couldn't make out anything.
"Crazy…" he murmured.
If Akasha was right, the jungle should only be a short distance away. But then… How was it possible that he couldn't see any trees? He distinctly remembered that when he had peered into the Deadlands from the forest, his vision hadn't been obstructed. Yet now that he was here, he could barely see anything.
This was... worrying.
Instead of dwelling on this mystery, Zeke decided to check on his people first. The Chimeroi remained unconscious, which was odd. Shouldn't they have woken up before him? Well, that wasn't necessarily true, depending on the quantity of poison they had ingested. Zeke imagined it would take a significantly larger dose to incapacitate the Chimeroi compared to himself.
"Ash?" he called, gently shaking the scout's shoulder.
The man groaned, yet refused to wake fully. Zeke increased the intensity of his movements until he was shaking Ash's shoulders so violently that his head was rocking back and forth wildly. That seemed to finally do the trick.
"M-Master? Is it morning already?" Ash said through a yawn as he slowly got his bearings.
"I'll explain in a second. Help me wake the others for now."
Hearing Zeke's serious tone, the drowsiness quickly vanished from Ash's expression. Without another word, he went to wake his companions. A couple of minutes later, Vulcanos, Gravitas, and even Snow were all awake.
It took Zeke a while to explain everything that had happened. To his surprise, the Chimeroi reacted similarly to him, blaming themselves for failing to detect the trap. Once they had processed their situation, Ash asked what they were all thinking.
"What now, Master?"
Zeke rubbed the back of his neck, asking himself the same thing. He had initially wanted to replenish his supplies at the border town and maybe find a guide. Ideally, they would have even joined a more experienced group. Yet, it clearly wasn't safe for them to go back anymore.
However, venturing into the Deadlands in their current state wasn't feasible either. Even under ideal conditions, crossing that barren expanse would take them about a week. Given the fact that the Deadlands were completely devoid of life, they would starve without sufficient supplies. Yet, despite the ominous aura of the place, he couldn't help but feel that it was the safest location at the moment. Now that they had been spotted, this area might soon be crawling with people looking for him. Taking in a deep breath, Zeke made his decision.
"We are still close to the jungle," he said, pointing in the direction the arrow had indicated earlier. "I say we hunt for as much food as we can carry and then make our way into the Deadlands right away."
He scanned the faces of his allies, seeking any signs of dissent. Finding only nods, he swiftly rose to his feet. "Let's not waste any more time then!"
***
Despite his worries, the subsequent hunt went almost too smoothly. Shortly after entering the Jungle, they ran into a pack of boars. The animals were as tall as Snow and fell easily under the group's combined assault.
They swiftly gutted the creatures and drained them of blood before Ash, Vulcanos, and Gravitas hoisted one onto their shoulders each. With this much food, they could survive for a while, even if they became lost.
Ash's head whipped around. The scout had by far the best senses of them all. He intently stared into the forest, a feral snarl on his lips. Zeke didn't even see when he had drawn it, but a bone dagger was already flying by the time the rest of them caught on that something was going on.
Zeke wondered what had happened, but a slight scent of blood soon tickled his nose. As a Blood Mage, he was incredibly sensitive to it. It was clear that Ash had hit something. However, the scout had a grim expression on his face.
"They escaped," he said.
Zeke's expression turned serious. He understood the implications: someone had discovered their trail. Now, there was only one course left for them. Fortunately, they were already prepared, and it would be almost impossible to find them in the Deadlands.
He nodded at Ash before resolutely striding onto the dark plains, the Chimeroi only a step behind.
***
It only took a few steps before the trees completely disappeared from view, but the group continued on.
Minutes passed—hours—days, or perhaps it had only been a few seconds. Just as it was impossible to gauge distance without a reference point, time became indiscernible.
It was maddening.
They walked, rested, slept, and walked some more without seeing anything besides the black fog that suffused every inch of this place. No matter if one turned left, right, up, or down, the sight never changed, and Zeke soon noticed that he was affected by it.
Yet, the dreary surroundings were not the only unsettling aspect of the place. Zeke initially felt it subtly—a faint unease, as if he were being watched. However, as time passed, the sensation morphed into something far more sinister.
Zeke began to perceive movements out of the corner of his eyes. And yet, each time he turned his head, nothing was there. Soon, even the shadows seemed to shift while he stared directly at them. He became convinced that the darkness enveloping them was alive, and sleep became increasingly elusive with every passing day.
Even more concerning was the fact that he was the only one who felt that way. The Chimeroi, as far as he could tell, were fine. It felt as though the Deadlands were specifically crafted to erode his mind. Frankly, he didn't know how he would have coped without Akasha by his side. In this bleak realm, the Spirit had become his anchor, his lifeline to sanity.
Like an unerring beacon, Akasha never lost track of their path, pointing the way. In this timeless realm where day and night blurred indistinguishably, she meticulously counted each of Zeke's steps and marked every passing second.
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)"> [Notice] </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: rgba(236, 240, 241, 1)">Ten hours have passed. It is time to rest.</span></p>
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Zeke relayed the order before dropping to the floor lifelessly.
A ten-hour march usually wouldn't even faze him, not with his enhanced body. But there was something in this place that wore him down, both physically and mentally.
He didn't even bother to take off his backpack. Instead, he just leaned back and used it as a cushion while staring at the sky. Or… at least, what he believed to be the sky.
Out of the corner of his eye, Zeke noticed the Chimeroi preparing dinner. They hadn't brought firewood, but Vulcanos made such supplies unnecessary. Soon, the scent of sizzling pork filled the air, though Zeke remained indifferent. Lately, he had forced the food down solely to remain operational.
Instead, he closed his eyes—not to sleep, but seeking respite from the ceaselessly shifting mist enveloping him. Zeke envied the lively spirits of his companions; for them, the past days resembled an extended night adventure. Yet for him, this journey felt like an unending nightmare.
Vaguely, he felt something warm being passed to him. Zeke cracked open one eye to see Snow's worried face looking down at him. He attempted a smile, though it didn't seem to reassure her much. Nevertheless, it was the best he could manage at the moment.
He shoved the meat into his mouth, washing it down with big gulps from his cantine. As usual, the food tasted like ash. Zeke sighed and leaned back again, closing his eyes in exhaustion. He needed to sleep. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the energy to walk.
Miraculously, rest found him the very moment he closed his eyes. The sound of his companions slowly faded away as he dosed off.
Yet, Zeke immediately noticed this was not a normal dream.