Chapter 5: Dangerous Forest
The drive from Jaarys to Lancaac was about five hours long on a good day. Harmony was at the wheel of the buggy with Albel next to him on the passenger seat and Kian in the backseat. Both Albel and Kian's minds were roaming elsewhere whereas Harmony was busy changing the stations on the radio to find a song he could sing along to. Finally, he found a good one. Albel turned to his friend and smirked. He turned the volume up. It was the latest song by Original Doll.
"You like that song?" Kian asked with obvious disdain. "Can you turn it down a little bit? It's hurting my ears."
"Oh?" Albel turned the volume up even more and bopped his head to the beat.
Kian let out a growl and pouted at the back of the buggy. He squinted as well, but that was mostly due to the afternoon sun.
"Remember," said Albel as he turned to Kian. "You're with me. Not the other way around, fool."
"You're a moron!" Kian retorted back.
"Cross the line," Albel said as he faced the windshield again. "And I'll kick your maggoty ass out."
Biting his tongue, Kian didn't say anything back. Albel smirked as he glanced in the rear view mirror.
"Better," he said.
Harmony smiled to himself and kept driving. An hour or so later, they reached Lancaac.
"Smells bad," Harmony said with gloom.
Kian who was fighting hard not to fall asleep looked outside his window.
"The town..." the boy said, almost losing his breath. "It's like..."
"The village of roses," Albel finished.
ALBEL THE WICKED
"Dangerous Forest"
5
Harmony drove in in what remained of Lancaac. Just like Jaarys, there was almost nothing left of what used to be quite a lively town. The buildings were burnt down, some were half crushed and there were some burnt bodies scatterred all over the place. The smell was so horrid that it brought tears to Kian's eyes.
"Seems like this is not going to help us much," Albel commented with a sigh.
But Harmony looked around as he drove and said, "There might be survivors. Hiding."
Albel wasn't convinced at all. "They've surely fled by now."
"What shall we do then?" Harmony asked.
"Keep driving around for a bit," replied Albel. "Just in case."
Kian also was on the lookout for anything that could help find his Grandpa's murderers. He was keeping inside the anger and pain he felt at the loss of his family. He knew that he had to be focused and clear-minded if he wanted to have a chance at getting back at those who had hurt him.
But that was easier said than done. Not a second passed by without Kian thinking of his Grandpa, and not a second passed by without the boy wishing he could cry his sorrow out. But he took a discreet deep breath and put his courage together to keep going strong. To distract his mind from thinking those sad thoughts, he looked closer at the town in ruins.
From what Kian had heard, Lancaac was a town known for its colourful people. The outcasted, the freaks and the misunderstood usually converged there. Kian couldn't help but wonder what the town was like before the same disaster that struck his own town happened. Even though he wouldn't be friends with any of them, he still was curious to see what it was about.
"Hey, stop!" yelled out the boy suddenly.
Harmony stopped the buggy at that very instant, turned and looked at Kian gravely, "What's wrong, yummy smell?"
Kian blushed. "Don't call me that again, please."
"Just answer the question, fool." Albel was also looking at him.
Kian glared back at Albel. He was sick of the tone Albel used with him. "Stop being so rude!" He said. Albel didn't reply anything, he kept looking at the boy in his eyes. Finally, Kian turned and pointed at something. "I think I saw something move in there."
Albel stared at the spot where Kian pointed at for a moment, as if to double check if he was right.
"Harm, stay with the boy," he said as he quickly jumped out of the buggy.
But Kian wasn't going to just stay still. "Hey, I'm the one who saw it. I should come too!"
A dark look from Albel was enough to silence Kian. The boy stayed in his seat.
"I'll wait here then..." Kian whispered bitterly.
Albel made his way towards the building that looked like it was on the verge of collapsing.
Harmony turned to Kian and said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you, Kian-cakes!"
"Please," Kian said in a pleading voice. "No more nicknames."
Even though the sun was out, the building was quite dark inside. Albel walked in with caution, looking around, alert. His right hand was almost touching the handle of his sword as he walked into what used to be a food store. The shelves were broken, the fridge's glass doors were shatterred. It felt like a war took place in that store.
Something on the floor caught Albel's eye. A name-tag: "Jonas". There were blood stains on it. As Albel picked up the object, he sensed something behind his back. In less than a second, he dodged to his left and saw a man hit the floor with a chair. Without losing another second, Albel kicked the man in his gut. The man fell on his butt, looking hurt and scared.
"Don't kill me! PLEASE!"
"I'm not one of them," Albel said calmly.
The man, in his twenties, wearing a shirt and baggy pants, looked at Albel, surprised and unsure. At that moment, Harmony and Kian rushed in, both ready to fight. The man looked even more terrified now.
"Huh? W-who are you then?"
Albel flicked the name-tag away and answered, "We're from Jaarys. The town was attacked by the same people who came to your town. We thought we might find clues as to their whereabouts here."
The man was still scared, so he only stutterred an incomprehensible set of words as response.
"Look, fool! We don't have time for your nonsensical talk! Pull yourself together and tell us what happened." Albel's tone was harsh but yet still calm.
The man froze up, looking as though he was living a nightmare. Harmony stepped in with a big grin. "Excuse my friend, oh wounded smell. He is just, erm, eager to help. Yes, eager to help. So, would you be kind enough to give us a hand? That would be very very nice of you. I know you've been through a lot. But we really need to know what happened so that we can stop the people who did this. Please?"
The man took a moment. He looked away and closed his eyes. Then he got up and cleared his throat. "I was working when all of a sudden we heard screaming outside. My boss went to see what was going on. It all happened so fast. All I can remember are bright lights, the feeling of being hit everywhere... The screams... they were the worst."
Kian felt uneasy as he listened to the man's tale.
"But... the coward that I am... I hid best as could as some men entered the shop. They attacked the owner. They were asking him about something. I think he refused to tell them... Then they... they..." The man had tears in his eyes and his voice was shaking. Harmony placed a hand on his shoulder, looking warm and understanding.
"What did they ask him? Did you hear?" Harmony asked.
The man stared back at Harmony for a long moment before saying with a sigh, "They were asking him about our sacred jewel."
"They were after the Ambrosia?" Albel demanded, his expression hard to read.
The man was shocked. "You know the name of our sacred jewel?"
Harmony grinned. "Albel is that awesome."
Albel smirked at Harmony, and then looked at the man as he said, "I know it's not on your town's guide book. But something like that can't be hidden forever." He then turned to Kian. "I guess we've found the motive behind the attacks."
"Wait... that doesn't explain why they attacked my hometown. It just explains what happened here," Kian replied.
"It was unsure where the jewel was located. The rumoured places were Troya, Lancaac and Jaarys," explained Harmony.
Kian shook his head. "But you knew it was here," he said looking at Albel. "Surely they might have known that too."
"I didn't know for sure." Albel looked at the man. "I thought it was in the Village of Roses."
Harmony looked at Kian with the warmth and understanding he gave to the man. "That's why we were there."
Kian's uneasiness grew even more at this point. "You're telling me that... those... bastards... killed my Grandpa for some piece of jewelery?!" He balled up his fists, his eyes filled with angry tears.
"There's more to the Ambrosia than a decorative purpose," explained Albel.
Kian looked at Albel, puzzled.
The man groaned. "It is said that the Ambrosia is a map. A map to the greatest treasure you will ever find." He paused, tears running down his face. "My brother was in charge of its protection."
"Can you tell us its location? If we hurry, we might be able to stop those nasty sickening smells!" Harmony said with a bit of a growl.
The man suddenly looked unsure and stepped back.
"How do I know you're the good guys? Maybe you're after the Ambrosia too!" He said, yelling almost.
"I am Abel Nox, you maggot." Albel said with a glare.
The man gasped.
"It... it can't be."
Albel's eyes suddenly had a golden glow to them.
It seemed that this was enough to convince the man. "You... really... are..." He stayed silent for a moment. Then he revealed his secret, "It is in the center of the Forest at the end of the town. You can't miss it, there's the biggest tree of the forest right in the center. The jewel is protected by a magic spell. It will be unveiled if you say the password."
"And what is the password?" Albel asked.
The man took another moment, longer this time. The tension was thick in the air.
"Oopsie daisy."
Silence.
"That's the stupidiest password I've ever heard," Albel said with silent fury.
"I like it. It's cute as!" Harmony grinned. Kian didn't comment.
"A good password is an unpredictable one. That's what my brother always said," the man replied with pride.
Albel made his way out.
"Heh, his manners are a bit... you know... sometimes," Harmony apologized. "Thanks for your help. You're welcome to wait for us here, and we'll take you to the nearest town once we're done."
The man nodded with a weak smile. "I appreciate that." He paused. "Be careful, they were violent and vicious."
Harmony couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, don't you worry. They pale in comparison to Albel."
Kian walked out with Harmony, intrigued.
The gang got back in the buggy and they made their way to the end of the town in order to get into the Forest. Albel was busy in his thoughts while Harmony seemed to be smiling to himself for some reason. Kian sighed and tried his hardest not to think about the reason why his Grandpa lost his life. But of course, not matter how hard he tried, it was impossible not to think about it.
He slammed his fist on his seat, holding back tears. Albel heard but didn't do anything, neither did Harmony. Kian was breathing hard, his blood boiling with anger and revenge. The many regrets that have been polluting his mind since that dark day rushed back to beat him up. He wanted so badly to pour the blood of those 'bastards' and hear them scream as the agonizing pain ripped their life away.
Kian never knew he could think so darkly, and think he would get some satisfaction in seeing someone suffer that much. Part of him hated the 'bastards' even more for making him think like that.
"It's not a big town. We're almost already there." Harmony turned a corner.
This time, Albel turned to look at Kian.
"Don't try anything stupid, fool. If we see those guys, you do as I say. Got it?"
Kian glared back at Albel, but nodded nevertheless.
Harmony took the buggy as far as he could into the Forest, which wasn't much. The gang got out of the vehicle. Albel motioned for the two others to wait as he climbed quickly on one of the many trees surrounding them. The leaves were so dense that not much sunlight was coming through. It gave the whole place an eerie feeling. Even more so than the Forest surrounding Jaarys.
"Are you okay, little pie?" Harmony asked softly.
Kian looked back at Harmony, unsure how to respond with that nickname.
"I'll have to be," the boy replied.
Harmony seemed touched by the answer.
"You're a strong bunny!" Harmony smiled.
Kian cringed a little bit at the term, but smiled back anyway.
Albel landed on the ground next to them.
"It's about an hour's walk from here."
Harmony's eyes widened. "One HOUR? Oh, no..." He said with gloom.
Albel smirked and began walking, followed by a somewhat reluctant Harmony.
"Wait." Kian said, getting their attention. "Is it safe to leave the buggy like that?"
"Oh, that's right!" Harmony smacked his forehead. He took out a little remote from his pocket and pressed a button. The buggy was now cloaked in invisibility. Kian couldn't help himself; he was amazed.
"Woah!" exclaimed the boy.
Harmony grinned. "I'm a good mechanic, you think?" He winked.
Albel smirked. "Let's go."
The gang then disappeared in the Forest.
Their journey to the center of the Forest was quite uneventful. Harmony sighed and whined most of the time, he couldn't stand walking that long. But still he never stopped and kept up with the two others. Kian, on the other hand, was silent. He glanced a few times at Albel. Part of him couldn't understand how someone who looked like that could be the man of legend that many stories depict him to be. Maybe they never saw him in real life, he thought.
But part of him was also quite impressed to be in the presence of such a great warrior. From the stories, it seemed that Albel was this invicible character who could easily defeat armies on his own. Kian almost felt like asking if any of that was true, but thought better of it. Albel was also silent on the way, he seemed buried in his thoughts. And when they finally arrived, under less than an hour in the end, they saw the big tree. Keeper of the Sacred Jewel.
"Password?" Harmony proposed, with a slight fatigued sigh.
"You say it, Harm," Albel replied. "Since you like it so much."
"Ha." Harmony raised his chin. "Fine. Okay, here we go. Oopsie daisy!"
That's when the earth began to shake. That's when a warm wind began to blow from all over the place. That's when three wooden monsters fell from the top of the big tree!
"Should've known," Albel sighed. "Harm, the boy." He took out his sword, his eyes had a golden glow to them.
Albel rushed into the three wooden monsters and began slashing away. Quickly though, he realized that slashing them wouldn't be enough. Their branches spread around and tried to capture Albel who managed to avoid them. But he knew he wouldn't be able to keep out of their range for much longer. Harmony glanced at Kian and with only a look, he asked for the boy to stay put. Then he upped his size and joined the battle. He threw double punches at the wooden monsters. Kian watched and had his chain whip ready. But he stood still. He was angry, but he stood still.
It seemed that cutting down their branches wouldn't do the trick either, as they grew back almost instantly. Albel swore badly at the creatures as he kept slashing away without respite. His blade was cutting, yes, but didn't seem to do any lasting damage. Harmony wasn't doing any better. No matter how hard he punched through, the creatures wouldn't die. He even tried squeezing them into his arms to the point of crushing them, but in vain. It seemed they were invincible. Albel glanced at Harmony and there was an understanding between them.
Harmony charged with all his might, tackling all three monsters at once. He punched whatever his fists could touch. Albel had stepped back and his eyes were glowing gold even more than before. Harmony screamed as one of the creatures somehow planted its branch in his arm. Harmony yelled as he broke the branch and headbutted the creature. Blood trickled down his wounded arm as he quickly removed the branch. But he kept at it. He kept punching away. Then he heard Albel's voice say something. He pushed the creatures away and jumped to the side.
The creatures turned their attention to Albel. Albel who slashed the air with his sword and caused a wave of fire. Fire that hit the three creatures, burning their bodies. They screamed. They died. Finally.
Albel knelt down, to catch his breath it seemed. "Haven't done that in a while," he smiled to himself.
He looked at Harmony, and saw that he was looking at a part of the big tree. A part which wasn't there before. Albel got up and walked over to see an opening in the tree. An opening in which the Ambrosia should've been.
"Guess we're too late," Harmony sighed. "After what we've just been through. How annoying."
"Not bad. Not bad at all."
Harmony was startled. It wasn't Albel's voice. Albel and Harmony turned around.
"You really are something," said the man who was at the store. He was with two other people. A young woman and a man. The other man had Kian in his grip with a knife to his throat.
Albel glared at them. "And who are you, fool?"
The man laughed. "I don't think I'm the fool here, 'maggot'." He pulled out two revolvers. "My name is Raza. I am your worst nightmare."
"You took the Ambrosia?" Harmony asked.
"No, Harm," replied Albel. "He's nothing but a vermin. The Ambrosia was not here to begin with. We faced the Guardians, we opened the tree, but the reward was not there." He looked curiously at Raza. "The question you should ask, Harm, is how did they know where the Ambrosia was going to be? And what's their connection to the people who attacked Jaarys."
Raza shook his head with another laugh. "You really think I'm going to tell you anything? I'm the one with the guns."
"Actually," Albel said with dead calm, "I don't care about what you know."
There was now a puzzled look on Raza's face. "What are you on about now?"
"Your name gave me the answer I needed," answered Albel. "Therefore, I do not require your knowledge, maggot."
Raza didn't see him move. No one did. What they did see though was Raza's hands chopped off and falling to the ground.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Raza fell to his knees, handless, bleeding profusely, tears running down his cheeks. He had trouble breathing.
The other man and the young woman were in shock.
Albel turned his golden gaze to the man holding a knife to Kian's throat. The knife fell to the ground instantly. The man ran away. The young woman was frozen on the spot.
"You disappear," Albel told her, his voice dead calm still. "I see your face again, you won't have a head anymore."
The young woman lost her breath but regained the control of her body and ran away as fast as she could.
"Oh god, oh god, oh god..." Raza was crying relentlessly. And as Albel turned his attention back at him, his cries became pleas. "I beg you... please... I'm sorry... I'm sorry!"
"The mistake you made," Albel said, "was to put a knife to his throat."
Kian's heart skipped a beat.
And with a movement of his hand, Raza's head came off and rolled on the ground.
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