The sun shone in a beautiful twilight. If they weren't deep inside the forest, this would have been a perfect place to relax. Unfortunately, in this place, a single moment of carelessness could cost you your life.
A group of ten men walked cautiously through the mystical woods. Their army-camouflage clothes and cold weapons showed that this was not their first time inside..
Even though they knew guns were mostly ineffective here, they still carried them in their holsters. Perhaps the weight of a familiar object brought them a sense of security.
It had been almost a month since the emergence of Reënbog Forest and now, every single one of them were at least at the First Stage of Body Tempering. Unfortunately, they were not part of the Pathfinder Division, which became more and more famous with each passing day. But as cultivators within the Brazilian Army, their status was high.
The world was not as chaotic as it was a few weeks ago, yet it became increasingly clear the difference between a cultivator and a normal man.
"We're approaching the site of our last skirmish. Stay alert!" warned the Lieutenant leading the expedition. He walked at the front, gripping a large machete.
It was largely thanks to him and his experience in the rainforest that the Brazilian Army was reaping such benefits. With minimal casualties, they had successfully completed four out of five expeditions.
The group walked another ten minutes but found nothing.
"As expected, there are no marks left…" Said the man. He knew that his senses were correct, this was the place where they fought last time. However not even a single grass was crumpled.
Even though they were used to this, it was still eerie. After inspecting the area and finding no threats, one soldier suggested pushing deeper.
"Let's go! I heard rumors that the Pathfinder Division found another type of cultivation book inside. We are the army trained to fight in the Amazon Rainforest, we will not be left behind in our own field!" Lieutenant Costa spurred his comrades on.
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers were experienced and walked over carefully, aware that they could be ambushed at any time.
Suddenly, Costa raised his hand, signaling them to freeze. "Did you hear that?" he whispered.
From the distance came the sounds of combat: shouts and the rhythmic clash of steel, but no gunshots.
"Another army unit?" one soldier wondered.
"Should we investigate or lend a helping hand?" Asked another.
Costa was silent, thinking.
Costa went silent, weighing the risks. "Let's have a look. We don't act until we understand the situation." Costa decided. He had been into many missions and knew that conflicts between armies could easily escalate. Even more so in a place that left no evidence.
"Yes, sir!"
The group moved silently toward the noise. Five minutes later, they found the source, and the sight left them in awe. People were indeed fighting, but they were not what the soldiers were expecting.
Hidden behind the trees, Costa's group watched a small group of five people fighting with improvised weapons against the giant frogs, or what they were calling it now: the Dragon Frogs!
The people fighting wore casual clothes and most of them were ragged, but that was not the most impressive thing, every single one of them had the cultivation level of the Second Stage of Body Tempering. A woman in front even reached the Third Stage!
She faced a special kind of frog. Instead of the usual green scales, this one had beautiful, dangerous tones of red that emitted a strange heat.
Facing a Dragon Frog with an improvised spear, the woman fought valiantly.
DING!
The woman swung her improvised spear, but it was deflected by the beast's scales. The frog retaliated instantly, opening its mouth. A small fireball formed in its throat, grew in size, and was spat directly at her!
The soldiers held their breath. A frog that could spit fire? The normal ones weren't dangerous enough!?.
However, her strength at the Third Stage of Body Tempering was not for naught. With enhanced reflexes, she sidestepped the blast and countered. Her spear flashed, piercing the beast's eye.
*CROOAAC!*
The frog's agonized scream woke the soldiers from their stupor.
""What are we waiting for? Help them!" Costa ordered, realizing they were civilians. [How can civilians be alive this deep in the forest?]
The soldiers joined the fray. The survivors were startled at first, fearing an ambush, but they quickly realized the soldiers were allies. With reinforcements, the frogs stood no chance.
With the reinforcements, the frogs were soon killed. The soldiers were skilled and had killed many frogs before, yet they couldn't help but to be flabbergasted by the actions of those civilians.
These civilians fought with a coordination that rivaled elite troops. The girl, especially, held her ground against the Red Dragon Frog with terrifying efficiency with her strength at the Third Stage of Body Tempering.
She had brownish skin and curly hair that shifted between brown and red. Her face was thin, with yellow eyes that seemed to glow with intensity. Despite her tattered green T-shirt and worn jeans, she moved with the grace of a predator.
As the adrenaline faded, the soldiers helped the group collect the bodies from the frogs and made a small encampment.
********
Moments later, the two groups rested around a campfire. The soldiers shared their rations, and thanks to a few remaining ARGP-50 glasses—an older model from the Robotics Alliance—the instant translation allowed them to speak freely.
After introducing themselves, Costa was shocked by the sudden revelation: They were indeed civilians, but they did not come from outside. They had been living inside the forest since the beginning, in a city that had been swallowed by the woods!
"Phew! I'm glad that we finally found people, we had been walking for almost a week now!" One of the men added as he chewed a small piece of dried meat.
He had long brown hair and a strong chin. At his side, laid his gears: an improvised medieval sword and a shield made from the Dragon Frog's scale!
"And we're glad to find you," Costa replied. "No one thought anyone could still be alive inside the Reënboog Forest."
"Yes, there are people… Wait, are people calling this the Reënbog Forest?" asked the woman, perplexed. Her name was Jamila and she was the leader of this squad. As they came to know, this was a squad of a bigger group inside the forest. "Why would someone put the name of it as Rainbow!?"
"Because of the colorful leaves, they say. But after seeing the horror in here, I don't think it fits either," Costa said, perhaps looking at Jamila a bit too long. "Honestly, I'm impressed by your strength, Ms. Jamila. How did you all survive?"
The soldiers stifled their laughter, watching their "tough" leader act like a schoolboy around the first woman they'd met in weeks. At least try to hide it, Lieutenant!
"Thank you, Lieutenant Costa. We come from a town of fifty thousand people, about four days' walk east of here if no beasts had attacked us on the way…" She sighed. "After the forest emerged, most were unprepared and died, those left alive ended up forming different groups to survive..."
"That's how we got strong," another survivor added somberly. "Fighting for our lives every single day."Still, the mood turned somber around the campfire when they got into that subject.
"But how did it start?" Costa asked, leaning in. "How did you learn to cultivate without the internet or outside help?"
Jamila closed her eyes, her face darkening as she remembered. "From what I remember... everything started with a voice..."