Almost There

-Two days later-

We've been walking inside this godforsaken forest for three days now. And by 'we', I mean these two rascals behind me.

Noah: "I'm telling you that this backpack is essential for the adventuring mood!"

Maya: "How does a backpack have anything to do with adventuring mood! It doesn't make any sense at all!"

Noah: "Keh! Understandable. With the arrogant head of yours, you'll never get what's the importance of a backpack to travellers."

Maya: "Haa?! How dare you say that to this adorable specimen! Let me just remind you, shrimp! I am more useful to Bal, compared to you who's just a miserable, fragile human being who got no power on making yourself useful no more than slinging tiny sticks in the air, then you're nothing more but just a speck of dust on someone's shirt destined to be brushed away. Not to mention that I'd already saved Bal's life twice two days ago on the same night while you're being a pain in Bal's ass when you disappeared deep into the forest."

Noah: "It's not like I wanted to! I've told you before that the flood was unexpected! Mind you, I was helpful too. If it's not because of me, Bal would never able to breathe again or even standing alive today. Also, look who's talking. Unlike you, I was not that cruel to leave Bal for three days alone after he arrived in my world so I've more manner and as thoughtful than an arrogant, egotistical person like you."

Maya/Noah: "Grrrr!"

Yep, still on each other's necks, I see.

They've always been like this since the first time they met each other.

While I'm here just to suffer this kind of erratic disaster ever since.

So somebody, please! Free me from this responsibility! I'm not a babysitter!

Even so, regardless of the racket, it anyhow reminds me that I'm not alone in pondering my dreary misfortune anymore.

For this, I am very grateful to be blessed with such a dependable human friend and a reliable well-known close partner to be by my side in this adventure.

Furthermore, yesterday when the evening hits after I revitalised from my rest(which Maya forced me to) because of my anaemia, we're finally ready on proceeding with our journey.

I'd never thought that something I simply took from a movie I watched on television which by following the picture of a copied map stored on my phone that I took as a precaution would be so helpful as we managed to trackback and returned to the main route of the forest that leads us straight to the shortcut to Sentua Village.

Plus, many things have happened over the last two days.

Like first of all, as we all know, all of Noah's belongings got washed away from a tragedy that occurred by a flash flood.

Hence, we did not expect that Noah's lost items would be found again along the path.

One by one, we found them lodging in the mud, bushes and even up hanging on the tree branches.

Among the items that have been found are mostly his travelling gear namely his little pocket knife, a sleeping bag, a couple of his daily clothes, a rope, a flint rod, a cooking pan and of course, his beloved backpack that belonged to his father.

He was so happy and glad that he fell into tears in gratefulness as he found his backpack again.

I too was happy for him and I know that Maya felt the same even though she doesn't want to show it, I know deep down she felt for him too.

But frankly, I was mostly happy with the backpack for it ain't no need to suffer any more on choking an overloaded packaging.

Second, a fun fact that I found out two days ago was when Noah told me that the place he got stranded after being washed away by the flood was also near the place where the first time I got transferred into this world as he found my onigiri plastic wrapper near the riverbank where he's in search of water to drink.

Nevertheless, after Maya overheard our conversation, I soon got nagged by her for a good five minutes straight for littering unknowingly out in nature.

Noah also showed me several picturesque pictures of the glittering river and hovering fireflies he caught with his phone when he was gone which were truly aesthetics for his style and they're quite amazing, to be honest.

He even knows how to use camera filters while I don't even know how to use them myself.

Looks like our boy has found a new hobby to spend his time with, eh?

After some time later in the journey, we're all stumbled upon a forked route which was divided into three different options; Left(A grassland), the middle(Another village) and right(Another linked forest).

But the map said neither. Instead, it gave us the fourth option(Jonathan's); The path at the next left from the first left route.

It steers away deeper into the forest and has no artificial path that could be seen with all the overgrown tree blocking our view including the tall grass that seems don't have the appreciation of giving a person a chance to walk arbitrarily inside them, completely different from the others.

It sure is secluded and thoroughly hidden from all the other routes given inside the forest.

Maya and I were both kinda uncertain about the idea of his father's at first but Noah was awfully insisted on going with the plan as he said that his father will never put his son in danger which pretty much makes sense to me.

Eventually, we all agreed and proceeded cautiously venturing ourselves into the forest which filled with numerous unpredictable odds including the tall grass and trees.

At this time, I'd no such fear of going into the forest passing my mind as I'm not alone anymore as I'd my two companions to depend on to.

And so the rest are history.

Other than that, the journey has been going very smoothly since the mishaps happened.

Oh, before I forget! Noah also said that his father had told him that he had left us some marks dwell inside the shortcut to help us going through the forest safely from exposure.

I wonder what kind of mark he left for us to find.

Me: "I think we're getting near to the bridge. And can you guys keep it down? We can't take any risk of attracting more trouble than we already had."

Maya: "He started it."

Noah: "Pssh, whatever. Complain to your mommy for all I care."

Hearing them fighting again even though I just told them to shut up, I stressfully grumbled at their brattish behaviour as I shook my head from side to side.

It was pretty funny at first but it will get old if it happens nonstop with their loud bickering every time.

They have been at it for hours since yesterday, for world's sake!

Forcing myself on ignoring the children behind, I deliberately look at my phone screen that shows a map with the shortcut drawn in a wriggly black lining symbol on it.

I gesture my thumb and index finger on the phone screen thus zooming in the picture to a certain point and stops at an area that has a blue line symbol which supposed to be a river ahead of us with another symbol of a small black bridge drawn by Jonathan over the river.

I look ahead, craning my neck over the tall grass and with a couple of clean swings, I swiftly bash my summoned Nano-Blade on the overgrown grass, generating a sharp whipping sound on them that has been blocking our path since the beginning of our checkpoint(the forked route) which I've grown quite annoyed with them.

As I'm the one who leads the party, I'm the one who's practically doing the hard labour.

We've been walking in this shortcut for hours long under this scorching sun which I already kinda adapted to it but hearing those two kids bickering at each other behind me doesn't make anything better.

The trees were quite dense at first we enter into this shortcut but long after, the lush trees became fewer and fewer as we went deeper, exposing us completely to this blazing tropical climate below.

I gradually stop myself from walking any further and look at behind us and saw a narrow hallway of long felled grass I made with my blade with high walls of grass on each side which feels like we've been walking inside of a vast green maze.

Maya: "Bal, what's wrong?"

Me: "Nothing. Just...*panting*...need to catch my breath...*panting*... That's all. I'm the one who's doing... *panting*... all the heavy work after all...*panting*.."

I desperately tried to steadily speak under my breath but this is so freaking tiring.

I could barely evenly speak as all I can see right now is white and black spots twinkling in front of my eyes so I decided to take a seat for a moment before I pass out again.

Maya: "I see. Well, we’ve indeed been walking for a long time, haven’t we?"

Me: "You said it."

Noah: "Wew, I can't see anything behind the tall grass."

Said Noah while attempted to stretch himself upwards to look at the other side of the grass walls.

Me: "Can't blame you. Even I'm the one with the height could barely see anything behind them."

Noah/Maya: "....."

Both of them simultaneously and noticeably stared at me in quiet and menacingly.

Me: ".... What?"

I innocently exchanged my stare with them, tilting my head to the side.

Maya sighs dismissively while Noah shook his head in disappointment at me.

Maya: "You're lucky that I still love you."

Noah: "And you're lucky that my father likes you."

Me: "W-what?! What did I do?!"

I asked in terror with confusion engraved on my face while they both are still looking at me judgingly.

Noah: "Nothing."

Maya: "Airhead."

What is this?! Stop it! You two are creeping me out!

Seriously, what did I say? What did I do?

Me: "You guys are confusing me right now."

-10 minutes later-

Me: "Okay, let's go. We're done resting."

Noah: "Alright, here you go."

Noah slowly handed me the empty bottle that I'd gave him before to rehydrate as we probably need to drink more water than before due to the increasing heat radiated from the sun right on top of our head.

I delicately take the bottle from Noah and put the empty water bottle into my gauntlet's inventory including mine.

Noah: "Are you sure you don't need a drink?"

Maya: "Yikes! For a million times, I'm not some kind of a weak human like you! I don't need water to survive this heat. I've my own ways of surviving in this climate which it's currently is beyond your understanding."

She ended her statement arrogantly as he flicked her silky white hair with a quick swipe of her hand stylishly from her shoulder to the back.

While Noah merely rolls his eyes towards her preposterous utterances.

Noah: "Yeah, of course you do."

Me: "Okay, if you two still want to stay here and barking at each other then please be my guests. While I'm just gonna leave you two here, finding our way out from this maze and stupid heat."

I turn my back at them as I pace simultaneously intensified my speed away from them deeper into the grass maze, leaving those two behind before I'm going insane.

Noah: "W-wait! I'm coming!"

Maya: "Hey, you can't just leave a cute girl here out of nowhere!"

-Sometimes later-

The scent of the natural forest is entirely replaced as our surroundings are now completely engulfed solely with the thick smell of fresh, raw grass as we walked towards, following the map on my phone.

It's been sometime now but all we had ever encountered was nothing but this endless field of tall grass blocking lifelessly in our way.

I've cut them down with my sword again and again but nothing changes the view.

Noah: "Bal, are you sure you read the map right?"

Me: "Bah, of course I know I'm right. I, myself have monitored different kind of radars countless times before. So I'm pretty sure that I read this map correctly."

Maya: "Um, Bal."

She interjected.

Me: "Yes?"

Maya: "You know that a map made out from a mere piece of paper has a significant difference from a modern age radar, right?"

Me: "They do?"

I tilted my head in question as I looked at her while Maya's expression turns into an utter shock with her eyebrows furrowed exaggeratedly on her forehead.

Maya: "Don't tell me that-.."

Me: "Relax~ I'm just kidding. I really know how to read one."

Maya: "Huh! Thank gods that you're kidding..."

She paused herself for a moment and resume.

Maya: "You 'were' kidding, right?"

Me: "It looks just the same as the minimap from an RPG game I played back home so I suppose it's not that hard to navigate it."

Maya look at me again but this time with an expression on her face that I've never seen before.

Maya: "Bal, for my own sake, please tell me that you didn't stupidly relate a map from a video game with the one in real life."

Me: "Why? Is it wrong?"

Maya: "Wha... I..... I don't know what to say anymore."

Noah: "What's a video game?"

Noah immediately cut in.

Maya: "Not now Noah!"

Me: "Shh!"

I abruptly shushed her in haste.

Maya: "And don't you dare 'shush shush' me!"

Me: "Shhhh! Be quiet! I smell something."

Noah gasps softly.

Noah: "Devillings?!"

Me: "No... It's..."

I gestured my snout upwards to sniff the air to confirm the scent that abruptly tickled my nose.

Me: "...more to a human."

Noah: "Phew. I thought that we were screwed-.. Wait a sec. Are you positive it's not me?"

Me: "Are you seriously testing me right now, kid?"

Noah: "Just asking. And don't call me a kid."

Bruh, I've called you a kid for quite some time now and just now you're arguing about your title?

Isn't it too late for that?

Me: "No, it's not you. But it's kinda weirdly familiar. Which is very strange to me."

Maya: "What kind of scent?"

Me: "I don't know. Presumably, some kind of fabric. Follow me."

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Author's note again: Also, I'm going on hiatus again because my real-life schedule is all messed up. Plus, with my work at Texas. Yes, I fried chicken now peeps! Again about the hiatus, maybe about a month after I've got my first wage and buy a new phone. Until then, toodles~