Tap! Tap!
Isaac's footsteps rang in the near-silent forest. Recently, the sound of fighting and bickerings had reached the deeper parts of the woods.
He pulled out the piece of paper. His eyes skimmed through the text. The paper revealed where the next clue was, but it wasn't accurate. It only disclosed which direction he needed to walk to.
He pocketed the paper and resumed walking. Soon, he went past a pair of broken trunks. The fallen trunks weren't cut with a saw. Instead, it looked like someone yanked the tree with brute force.
Isaac stopped and examined the broken tree. The upper half of the tree was lying on the ground. Next to it was the stump. The stump was uneven, with thorns of a tree prodding through.
'There are burnt marks…' He thought to himself after seeing black marks around the rims. He stood up and walked over the collapsed tree trunks.
After walking for another ten minutes. Isaac's steps came to a halt. In the distance was a paper nailed on the tree. The tree seemed very old, leaning left and trunk narrowly intact.
Isaac stopped in front of the paper and yanked it out of the tree. Once the paper was removed, the tree showed signs of activity.
Crack!
The tree trunk cracked out of nowhere. The thorns peeked through, and soon the tree started tumbling down!
Bam!
A deafening sound echoed in the previously serene part of the forest. The tree was broken in half. In the bark, signs of decaying were detectable. The cavities started forming at a speed visible to an eye.
The tree stump was of grayish color and seemed to be decaying.
Isaac's gaze shifted from the tree to the paper. The paper showed an arrow pointing to the left. His head turned to the left, and he saw an arrow poking through another tree.
He pocketed the paper and went to the arrow. Once he arrived next to the tree, he pulled the arrow out and examined it.
The arrow was in top shape. Isaac expected to see some signs of breaking apart. After all, the arrow was made from wood, and it would be very unlikely it could stay intact after colliding with a sturdy tree.
Suddenly, the arrow lying on top of his palm started hovering!
At first, the arrow was only an inch away from touching Isaac's hand. Then, the arrow spun around and started flying in a direction that led deeper into the woods.
Isaac quickly ran after the arrow. The arrow moved at a steady pace, allowing him to follow behind with relative ease.
The arrow entered an open clearing, soon followed by Isaac. Then, the arrow stopped.
''We arrived?'' Isaac thought aloud and saw the arrow moving strangely. It stopped in the middle of the clearing. Then, the arrow started whirling around.
It kept spinning for several minutes before stopping and flying once again.
This time, the arrow went in another direction. Isaac hopped into his feet and followed after.
After following the arrow for ten more minutes, Isaac heard something.
''Let's go in that direction!'' A very clear and sharp voice rang from the bottom of the slope. Isaac and the arrow were only a step away from being spotted by the players.
Isaac grabbed the arrow and pulled it back before hiding behind a wide tree. The arrow was trying to get out of his grip, but Isaac was not letting go.
Everyone with a brain would know that the floating arrow wasn't normal. Isaac would get attacked and killed. As the footsteps got closer, the arrow also became more restless.
Isaac didn't dare to peek. He would be foolish to risk getting exposed.
Tap! Tap!
The footsteps reached them. Several voices talked with each other as they slowly went past the trees.
Isaac's forehead was drenched in sweat. His palm was starting to sting in slight pain. The arrow was squirming around.
Soon, the footsteps were getting further away. Isaac slowly peeked toward them and saw five figures walking up the slope. He quickly crossed the distance between him and the next part of the forest.
Whether it was bad luck or not. But, the group of players walked up the slope from the place void of any trees. Perhaps they thought it would be much safer than being surrounded by an endless horde of trees.
After running further away from the players, he opened his palm and let go of the arrow. The arrow instantly spun around and poked Isaac's forehead.
''Ah, what the f*ck!'' Isaac tried to slap the arrow away, but it simply dodged, turned around, and continued floating away.
He rubbed his aching forehead, ''This arrow is strange…''
Half an hour later.
They arrived in another open clearing. The woods surrounded the clearing, and large hills stopped any prying eyes from seeing them. Once Isaac stepped inside the clearing, he noticed how shielded the area was.
The trees were planted very strangely. The trees were placed randomly, which blocked every straight line of sight. Even if Archer or fellow Marksman saw him, they wouldn't be able to shoot at him.
The arrow stopped in the middle of the clearing. Once again, it started spinning around. However, it was different this time around.
The speed was much greater, making a small whirlpool around the arrow. Isaac's white hair fluttered behind him. Then, the arrow stopped.
Isaac thought that the arrow would start moving toward the direction it was pointing at. However, that wasn't the case.
The arrow spun around and pointed straight toward the bright blue sky.
''Eh?'' Isaac also looked at the sky and saw nothing wrong with it. Then, the arrow raced forward and disappeared once reaching high enough altitude.
''Eh, what?''
Isaac moved forth and stopped at the last place where the arrow was. He raised his head and pondered what he should do next. Grow wings and fly toward the sky? Madness.
''Was that… A trick?'' He thought that perhaps it was a fake clue. To separate him from the rest of the group and waste his time.
Crack!
''Eh?'' Isaac dropped his gaze. Below his feet, the ground cracked and started crumbling apart!
''Oh, sh*t!'' His foothold disappeared, and Isaac fell down to the dark hollow.
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