Chapter 16: The Walk

Walter

The riddles were stunning. Walter lied on the bed staring at the gloomy white-painted ceiling, at the same time thinking of reasons of why didn't he hear of any riddle from his dream where in fact he was sneaking into John's dream also, only that his dream was vague and the setting was kinda different.

"So what's now?" He removed his hands from his head and sat cross-legged on the bed. No one answered him. He shrugged and answered himself.

"Follow what's the babe had said." Everyone turned their heads on him, their eyes glaring.

The truth is that he is actually excited to go on a quest. It is his greatest dream as an obsessive otaku, to venture with obstacles, to meet pretty gals, to be able to fight monsters and to take a challenge on a battlefield. Yet, this is now the real thing and it makes his flesh trembles with both excitement and nervousness.

"The Babe?" Maricar asked quizzically.

"You are."

"What? How?" She looked fuzzed.

"This posture, a babe? Are you kidding me?!" She sorta chuckled that it made Walter laugh with her.

"That's not what I meant with the Babe thing." Fatima cleared.

"Yeah, she means the oracle, you," Walter added as he remembered the babe-thingy details Aishah had entailed him.

"I'm an oracle?"

"Yes, just a residual of the babe," Fatima answered.

"Residual of the Babe, the Writer," John looked at Fatima and hesitantly continues what he's saying as he points his index finger at her.

"The Necromancer, the Crimson Witch," he scans his upper arm and saw the centaur tattoo that etched in it. "Welcon, and the Demon. You were the companions my father was talking about." John's face lightened, he looks relieved as he paces on the bed.

"What other details did he say?" Fatima interrogated.

"Aside from the riddle and the mentioning of my companions, he also mentioned about saving Barnania,"

"Is that all?" Fatima added.

"And undoing the twisting before it gets messed up."

"I see." Fatima sat beside Maricar, wariness started crippling on her face. She's probably thinking deep.

"Who's Welcon, and the Demon you were talking about?" Walter asked.

John tapped his upper right arm and black fogs erupted out from it, the fogs swirled and materialized into a dark shadow, a human head then forms and a body of a stallion appears as it extends horizontally then four magnificent legs extended, ending with hooves. The dark black shadow stood in front of them as it adjusted its body.

"You finally summoned me, have you thought of a quest already?" The dark shadow asked, focusing his hollowed eyes on John. Maricar and Walter were astonished from what they saw.

"I finally had," John replied confidently.

"So he's Welcon? And he's a. . . shadow centaur?" Walter interrupted. He was still astonished from the wonder he has just witnessed.

"Oh, yes I am. I'm Welcon, how can I help you?" Welcon moved his gaze away from John and looked at Walter sincerely.

"Cool." He mouthed.

"And the Demon?" He added.

"Its name is Marcus," John replied shortly.

"When are you planning to venture for the quest young lad? And what is this quest of yours you've been thinking for days?" Welcon asked one after the other.

"Saving Barnania, that's the quest. But first thing first, we need to save that witch and find the Demon Marcus."

"Is that so?" Welcon moved himself meters away, he almost stumbles on the bottles of potions and other healing paraphernalia inside the cabinet. He touches his dark shadowy hair and pulls a strand from it. Golden mists started to cover his body making his dark tail shrunk, dematerializing his horse body and shifting it into a human body, colors started to bring him to life. The first thing to have color is his head, black hair as a monk's hairdo, black loathing eyes, fuzzy eyebrows, slightly red violet lips, a tan complexion, a masculine figure and long slender legs as the horse's. He wore a heavy brown tunic and a pair of warrior's pants.

Walter was again frozen and astonished to what he saw.

"Why is the atmosphere feels so extravagant and ancient?" Welcon's deep and manly voice started.

No one answered him till the sounds from the heavy footsteps reached the room. Arthur and the several peaceful looking creatures in a servant's dress, with their ghoulish faces as contradictory, entered the room, they are holding trays of food in their hands. Walter looked at them and noticed that they have the same hooves as the horses.

The ghoul-looking creatures put the food on the bed. Walter smiled with delight as he smells the heavy aroma coming from the delicious roasted meat which is drenched on a syrupy brown sauce. After putting all the trays on the mattresses, the small creatures sashayed out heavily.

Walter never bothered asking what those creatures were and started eating, gulping the bits of roasted meat that tasted like a beef steak.

Maricar hesitantly scanned the food and started flipping the contents, coating the bits of roasted meat with the sauce. John started eating, Welcon looked at Arthur as if they had met somewhere before. The Crimson Witch  still sleeps peacefully like a little child in a cradle.

"Is this ewe?" Fatima asked Arthur as soon as she started devouring. Arthur moved his gaze away from Welcon and replied in his casual way of talking.

"Yes." He smiled.

"Aren't you going to eat? You can eat the Crimson Witch's ration." John invited as he looked up at the centaur.

"I'm not eating meat." He replied sheepishly.

"Centaurs are herbivores?" Walter said questioningly as he gulped another slice of roasted meat.

"I thought they could eat anything in their favor," John took a bite at the roasted meat and started gnawing.

They eat peacefully for minutes until then Walter demanded for drinks.

"Aren't there any drinks?" He asked as he finished devouring the last piece of meat in his bowl. Everyone in the room was almost finished eating.

"The maids will be back with your drinks sir," Arthur said meekly with smile, obviously forcing to hide his agitation.

Moments later, the maids came back and brought out the drinks. They then all drank the sorta red juice. Apple juice.

"Follow me," Arthur said as soon as the maids have finished cleaning up the place. The five of them followed as they walk the way out of the room. They're now on a cozy hallway. The walls were uniquely covered with strange looking paintings with a full nature motif.

Arthur led the way till they reached the wooden door that glimmers in golden varnish. Arthur opened it and they stepped outside. The gust of the breezy air slapped the faces of the strangers as soon as they set afoot on the grass-filled ground.

They were on a hill in the backyard of Arthur's mansion. The blue mountains from the distant were refreshing so was the green shaggy forest which both looked intrinsically inviting and sinister.

"Are we going to commence the mission?" Welcome asked and gawked at the refreshed expression of the dark-haired boy who stood there with ease.

"Why is the air feels so oddly ancient?" He asked that question again, settling his eyes on Arthur who looked away hesitantly.

"Time is running out," Arthur faced them, ignoring Welcon. He extended his arm and opened his hand, a flickering green pixy floated on top of his palm. Sighing, he said, "Follow this pixy and it will lead you to Cimmerian. You'll reach there before the sun sets and make sure to return here before the sun rises, or else you'll all be stuck in here forever."

"Wait," Walter tensed, interrupting the seriousness in Arthur's voice which changed Arthur's spunky personality into a look of somewhat derailed.

"We haven't yet agreed in getting those black roses, didn't we?" He asked in a matter of disapproval.

"What other choice do we had?" John intercepted uneasily.

Pure hot blood rushed through Walter's veins that he gritted his teeth.

"This is all your fault!" He blurted angrily as he made a deadly eye contact with John.

The pixy flew overhead and faced its tiny head towards them.

"By sun down this little friend of mine will retire so please do not make any more unnecessary arguments and get there as soon as possible," Arthur said dejectedly.

"Let's move," Fatima ordered. Walter shrugged and began walking his way into the forest.

The weather was good and the forest seemed to be looking friendly. The pixy took the lead in the way as it continued on flickering in a light green color. Arthur waved his hand as the group of foreigners walked into the depths of the forest. He mouthed "Good luck," and walked his way back into the mansion through the back door from where they have walked out just a moment ago.

"Will we really be able to reach Cimmerian before dusk?" Maricar asked worriedly. The path seemed fine as of the moment, it is just a typical trail a typical forest would have.

Wandering has somehow lightened the weight of the burden Walter is carrying since he got himself into this unknown world. The tropical forest looked fine so far. His thoughts are wondering on what is happening in his world, his home.

A thought clashed his mind.

"Isn't the time here different from our world?" He asked as he avoided the laying log on the path.

"I'm not quite sure since this place isn't actually familiar to me," Fatima replied. She walked carelessly at a normal pace without minding the spiky grasses that scratch her cloak's hem.

"How many hours do we have exactly and how long is this place we're going to?" Walter interrogated one after the other.

John and Welcon from behind his back shrugged after hearing his quite sensible blabbering.

Everyone keeps silent and merely walked the trail without minding him.

"Uh, yeah. Nice talking to myself."

Walter finally achieved the dream he keeps on dreaming and now he is walking for his first ever dream come true quest, he can't still believe that it is currently happening right now. He closed his eyes and walked serenely without noticing the decaying log in front of him as he accidentally stumbled into it. Welcon with his quick reflexes aided him fast without fail.

"Thanks." He reluctantly gave regards and walked ahead, following the flying pixy.

Both girls chuckled.

"Don't you start sleeping Walter, it's still late morning." Fatima said teasingly that made Walter to grit his teeth.

"Hey, little fairy?" The pixy turned its body. They all stopped walking.

"How far is this place we're going and how much hours do we have?" He asked.

It just stared at him.

"Pixies don't speak but they do emit squeaky sounds," Welcon explained.

"You're wrong, we do speak." The girly tinny voice of the pixy spoked.

The centaur looked shocked and said amusingly, "I met pixies before but they don't talk."

The pixy turned its body back to where it originally looked from and started flying. They continued walking as well.

"We're of different kinds."

"How far are we?" Walter butted in.

"Two kilometers."

"And the time we have?"

"It's quarter to ten. We have fourteen hours before dusk at the least."

"I see, just as what I anticipated. We still have plenty of times."

Walter followed the pixy, his spiky blond hair has grown quite a bit messy, despite that, he still has a nice looking and gloomy face.

The trees thinned as they are now walking on a steep trail. The ground was hard and the rocks and boulders are increasing in numbers as they moved down the plateau. A strong wind blew that made them stood frozen. A hissing in the air followed in a supersonic boom. Moments later it stopped.

"What was that just now?" John exclaimed.

"A whistle? No, that sound seems like some sort of an alarm." Walter guessed.

Fatima was looking tensed from the rear, Maricar beside her looked slightly worried. The pixy continued flying, moving to the right direction.

"Let's move." Welcon urged.

Moving down, the trees have gone bigger and lesser. Their canopies were shaggier from the trees they get past through. The trail becomes a solid ground made mostly of rock. The boulders get bigger as well. Finally, they've reached the plain and just a few more yards from where they're standing they'll be able to reach the river soon.

The pixy turned to look at them.

"We're almost there." They all just nod their heads and followed the tiny creature.

Walter focused his eyes on the ground. He noticed that the trail is now a solid ground and it is deserted. A huge hill is in front of them and it is made mostly of rocks and hardened soil.

The pixy flies past through the swift of the wind and follows the path towards the hill.

"Hey?" The pixy turned and cocked its head.

Walter shrugged.

"Shouldn't we go that way?" He pointed his index finger to a forest, its aura is deadly and it looks misty.

"No! That forest is dangerous."

"I can tell." He replied and made a foolish sigh.

They climbed the hill. Finally, they can now hear the rush of the flowing river. The breeze of the air is getting stronger as they stood there on the top, staring at the green river. The vast forest next to it is quite spooky.

The blue sky illuminated the green and shaggy forest. The hue of the blue cloudless sky is perfectly matching the profound green hue of the vast forest making it a very nice view to look upon to.

"That's Cimmerian." The pixy explained.

The five of them formed a straight line horizontally, nodding their heads together. Walter stood in the center, Maricar was on his left side, John was on the right side and Fatima and Welcon stood from both ends, Fatima on Maricar's left and Welcon on John's right side.

"Let's go." Walter announced boldly. The pixy nodded its head and was about to fly down when a blaring whistle boomed again. All together they covered their ears and looked at their surrounding cautiously.

The sky suddenly darkened and it thundered. After a few minutes, nimbus clouds have accumulated the sky completely. A high pitch squeak from a flying creature above is heard.

"A griffin?" Fatima scowled. Her blood boiled as she gritted her teeth, poising  in a fighting position. John and Welcon did the same thing while Maricar and Walter looked dumbfounded and unaware of what's going on.

The griffin surged past through them as they all ducked, scattering.

John's hands were now covered in purple mist, Welcon shifted into a centaur and a bow and a set of arrows materialized together with his shape shift while Fatima still gritted her teeth, positioning her hands, ready to fight.

A laugh boomed in the air.