CH 22 - The Laughing Forest

Morning had arrived, and Cipher was ready to head out. He adjusted the armor Axel had given him, feeling its weight settle comfortably against his body. Over it, he wore the jacket gifted to him by Toli and the townspeople. He liked all the gifts he had received and had already planned on wearing them as he left town.

Before stepping through the front entrance, Cipher turned back one last time. Axel, Toli, and many of the townspeople had gathered to see him off. He waved, a bittersweet smile on his face.

"Take care, Cipher!" Toli called out.

"Stay safe, boy," Axel added, arms crossed but eyes warm with something that almost looked like pride.

Cipher gave one final wave before turning away, heading in the direction of Future City.

As he walked, a strange realization settled over him. For most of his previous life, he had been bound by the whims of others, his choices dictated by people who barely saw him as a person. But the last few years with Axel had been different.

Axel had taught him. Guided him. While their relationship wasn't necessarily that of a father and son, Cipher couldn't deny that he saw Axel as a father figure—one he would genuinely miss.

Thinking of Axel brought back memories of his training, which led his thoughts to a particularly beautiful yet devious elven woman.

Cipher shuddered.

Yuri.

Her training had been brutal. So brutal, in fact, that he still wore his blindfold around his neck, an old habit he hadn't quite broken. At this point, it felt like a part of him. Up until about a week ago, actually seeing anything other than darkness had felt unnatural.

His mind drifted further back, to the first days of training.

He had shown up late on the second day—not on purpose, but because he had gotten lost trying to navigate to the courtyard while blindfolded. Yuri hadn't been mad. In fact, she had expected it.

That didn't mean she went easy on him.

She had made him pull 150-pound weights up and down the courtyard for two hours. Then, as if that wasn't enough, she had him run laps for another hour. Just when he thought she was done torturing him, she handed him a 100-pound club and ordered him to keep swinging until noon.

By the time lunch rolled around, his arms were so dead he could barely lift a pair of chopsticks—which, of course, Yuri insisted he use.

Cipher shook his head, pushing the memory aside. He had survived her training, and that was what mattered.

Up ahead, the trees began to shift, their trunks twisting into strange, bulbous shapes. He blinked, realizing he was about to enter the Laughing Forest.

Cipher hadn't looked into why it was called that, but he had asked DEM to research it back in the library. The system should have the information stored.

"DEM, before we go in, anything I should know?"

A slight pause. Then, DEM's voice chimed in.

{DEM ~ Yes. The Laughing Forest is named as such due to the gases produced by the flora, fauna, and biota in the area. These gases act similarly to nitrous oxide—commonly known as 'laughing gas' on Earth. Prolonged exposure can cause disorientation, hallucinations, and, in extreme cases, coma.}

Cipher tensed. "So basically, it's a death trap if I breathe too much of it in?"

{DEM ~ That would be an accurate assessment. However, Nightmares rarely frequent this area, so your only major concern is the Mushmush tribe. Fortunately, the mask built into your jacket should resist most of the toxins, if not all.}

Cipher exhaled, giving a small shrug. "Well, that's... comforting."

He zipped up his jacket, pulled the hood over his head, and secured the mask over his face. He wasn't about to take any chances.

Taking a steadying breath, Cipher stepped into the Laughing Forest.

At first, everything seemed normal. But as he ventured deeper, small mushrooms began appearing along the path.

Then, they got bigger.

And bigger.

Until, before he knew it, the towering canopy of trees had been replaced by an eerie, glowing ceiling of massive mushrooms. The luminescent caps bathed the entire forest in a surreal, dreamlike glow.

The sight was mesmerizing.

So much so that Cipher nearly forgot himself, stopping in place to stare up at the breathtaking scene above.

{DEM ~ Cipher, STOP staring.}

The sharp voice snapped him back to reality. He blinked, realizing he had been standing still for who knows how long.

"Right. Sorry."

Another odd thing about the forest was the ground. Faint fumes seeped up from cracks in the earth, swirling like ghostly wisps. Cipher tightened his mask and kept moving, knowing that the longer he stayed here, the more dangerous it became.

He had been walking for nearly two miles when his stomach let out a loud, angry growl.

Cipher sighed. "DEM, I need to eat."

{DEM ~ You cannot eat in here. The moment you take off the mask, the fumes will affect you. While you may not die, there is no guarantee you won't become comatose in this forest. It would be best to wait until you exit.}

Cipher groaned, reluctantly putting his food back into storage. "Fine, fine."

His hunger was only getting worse, though, and in his distracted state, he failed to notice an object in his path.

His foot caught on something—something solid.

With zero warning, Cipher lurched forward and faceplanted into the ground.

A sharp pain shot through his body, and before he could even react—

{DEM ~ HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO REPEAT MYSELF?! STOP STARING AT THE CEILING!}

Cipher winced as DEM's voice practically rattled inside his skull.

"Ow. Okay, okay, I get it! I'll be more careful. But can you please lower your voice?"

Grumbling under his breath, he pushed himself up and turned to see what had tripped him.

His eyes widened.

There, lying on the ground, was a three-foot-tall mushroom.

With arms.

And legs.

Cipher stared.

The mushroom twitched.

"...Oh. That's not good."