Kopii woke up in anticipation of today's events, full of determination and hope. He wanted to try again to find a party and was ready to do everything to make it happen. Kopii decided not to drag things out and headed straight for the exit as soon as he got dressed, but suddenly Naaza called out to him.
– Kopii, wait. — her voice rang out, interrupting his swift step.
– What? – Turning around, he looked at her with a question in his eyes. – What is it? Do you need help with something, Naaza?
– Yes, Kopii, I really do need help.
Kopii walked up to her, confident that he could handle any task, and said:
– I'm ready, you can... — He struck his chest as a sign of confidence. — You can count on me, Naaza, just tell me what I need to do.
Naaza hesitated for a moment and said:
– Kopii, you must obtain a plant.
– A plant?
– Yes. – She said, pulling a map out of nowhere and pointing at the circled points. – Look, you need to bring me a couple of plants. Here, look.
He watched attentively every movement of her finger and at the same time was focused on her words.
– And why don't you do it yourself? – He asked, raising one eyebrow.
Naaza looked at Kopii, fell silent for a while, and finally spoke:
– I simply haven't had the time for it, Kopii. You must understand that potions won't sell themselves, and there are monsters outside the city too. So.
– Monsters?! – Kopii was surprised.
And Naaza explained to him everything she herself knew, how monsters ended up on the surface and that they were weaker than their kin in the dungeon.
– Then why didn't I encounter a single monster on my way to Orario?
– Simply because they don't inhabit that area.
– Logical...
–...
«How could I have asked such a stupid question! What an idiot I am.»
After several minutes of awkward silence, Kopii's lips finally moved.
– And approximately how long will this take me?
– Well, I don't know exactly. It depends on how much herb you want to gather, Kopii.
– At least roughly.
– About a week.
– I see.
A week wasn't such a long time, and according to the map he had seen, all the places were not that far from Orario.
Kopii gathered his things, not without Naaza's help, of course, and set off towards the exit of Orario. But all the while he thought about how best to carry out this task so that it would take less time.
Beyond the gates, the city bustle gave way to the silence of fields and forests. Kopii was leaving Orario for the first time in the six months he had already spent in this city, and he looked around the surroundings with interest. Birds sang, grasshoppers chirped in the grass, and everything around seemed peaceful and calm.
«I'm already tired.»
Kopii looked at the map Naaza had given him.
«Quite far to walk.»
At first, he thought the distance was small, but after a careful study of the map, he understood that he would have to walk considerably.
He examined the map for a few more minutes and continued on his way. By the time he began to approach the first herbs he was supposed to collect, it was already getting dark, which did not please him at all.
After all, he had spent a whole day just to reach one point. And there were considerably more of them, and he also had to gather them. So a week seemed like the fastest time in which he could manage it.
But he decided that now was the right time to set up camp; he did not want to sit in the dark and become food for mosquitoes.
Kopii lit a campfire, throwing several dry branches into the fire. The flames crackled, casting long shadows on the tree trunks. He sat on the ground, leaning against his backpack, and looked up at the sky, where the first stars had already begun to appear.
«Maybe this isn't so bad after all.» – He thought, looking at the night sky, and the crackling of the campfire and the chirping of birds only improved the atmosphere.
– Time to sleep. — He said to himself. He lay down on the ground, feeling the cold of the night creeping under his skin. The campfire burned. As brightly as always, and the only thing he thought about now was not to get sick.
Soon his eyes began to slowly close, plunging him into sleep. Kopii woke up from cold and anxiety; in his hands, he still held a smoldering stick with fire, and above him the campfire still crackled. But the forest around seemed even more sinister and gloomy.
Kopii slowly rose, trying. The flames of the campfire had almost died out, leaving behind only the faint flicker of embers. He looked around: the forest remained as quiet and silent as before. But something in this silence was absolutely wrong.
The forest was too quiet; only recently he had heard the sound of birds, and now there was complete silence. Looking at the dark forest that surrounded him, he felt somehow uneasy. So much so that he involuntarily moved closer to the fire.
– Ah!?
A sudden strong gust of wind touched his face, and he automatically covered his face with his hands. Looking around, he realized it had become too strong. He immediately understood what had happened: the wind had extinguished his campfire.
Kopii stared at the place where a minute ago the campfire had been; now there was only coal and ash. Suddenly, something touched the back of his head.
Kopii spun around sharply, his eyes, filled with fear, trembled. He touched his hand to the place where he had felt the touch.
His trembling eyes darted about like mad, searching for anything at all. But before him was only the forest.
In the darkness, leaves rustled, as if someone was sneaking behind him. Every rustle echoed in his ears, turning the night into a true nightmare. Kopii froze, afraid to move. His eyes focused on the place where the sound was coming from.
He knew it was only his imagination, but fear paralyzed him, preventing him from stirring.
The silence continued, and the only thing he could hear was the beating of his own heart.
Kopii did not understand what was happening. He did not understand why he was so afraid of something that wasn't there, something he had imagined himself. He had descended into the dungeon many times, and even then he had not been as afraid as he was now.
But with time, his fear began to subside and everything started returning to normal.
?!?
Kopii's eyes opened wide in shock and horror. His camp was gone; absolutely nothing was there, even where the campfire had been a couple of minutes ago, there was nothing.
Fear struck him again with renewed force.
«What is happening!?»
He frantically looked around, desperately trying to find at least something familiar, any detail that could explain what was happening. But around him was only darkness and forest, having swallowed all traces of his presence here.
«Where is the campfire!»
«Where are my things!»
«Where is my camp!»
He searched for even the slightest clue to his camp. But no matter how hard he tried, there was nothing, only the forest.
The unknown became far more terrifying than any monsters. Kopii felt helpless, like a child lost in a huge, hostile world.
He began to doubt what to do. Stay here or go forward? He did not know which of these decisions was better.
Kopii took an uncertain step forward, then another. He walked at random, for the forest no longer resembled the one he had entered. Everything surrounding him was alien to him. So he did not want to stay in place because of fear.
He walked for a very long time, so long that the fear faded. But even so, he continued walking, and no matter how long he walked, the same picture lay before him. The forest was the only thing he saw. Wherever he went, it was all the same.
– What is happening?