The group moved a distance away from the bloodied pulp, just enough for it to be out of sight.
Although they were still visibly shaken, the reality of their situation was quite stark- they had somehow been kidnapped and brought to an unknown forest devoid of network and Internet connection.
Those of them with their phones tried making calls, sending mails and tracking their location with gps, but it was all to no avail, the russet eyed boy included.
The person that had called themself a god, Laufey, seemed to have been quite elaborate with the prank.
But was it really? The magical way they seemed to have been summoned to this weird place, the seeming death of the burly man, the way Laufey had vanished and more importantly, the primal energy that exuded from Laufey that they had felt deep in their bones.
Oh, and more simply, the Status they had all verified seeing, or could it be something like mass hypnosis or hysteria? Could it all be some large-scale social experiment with advanced AR technology? There were no answers...yet.
At any rate, they had been left in the obviously dangerous forest and the sun would soon dip below the horizon, they had to move and fast...but before that, the outspoken guy that asked the mad god a question suggested that it was best for everyone to get to know one another, that cooperation would be the key to their survival.
"I'm Alderic, nice to meet you. What's your name?", the reliable looking young man with auburn hair and gray blue eyes asked the young man with black hair and russet brown eyes with an outstretched hand.
"I'm Anil...not so nice to meet you", he deadpanned, reciprocating the handshake. Alderic gave a wry chuckle, the gravity of their situation, not lost on him.
At that moment, a young man with dark hair and dark eyes could be heard mumbling to himself in a half crazed tone, the summoned quickly retreated, regarding him warily.
He stopped, shuddered a little, then let out a maniacal laugh:
"HmmHAHAHAHA! Yes, finally, my time has come! I have been summoned to an isekai!", he intoned in a theatrical manner, his voice breaking into a cry-like laugh.
Then, he leaned back a little, arms spread wide as if to embrace the world:
"Come now my fellow otherworlders. You might be scared, lost or confused but let me assure you- in as long as I'm present, I will surely cut open a path and lead you to safety.", he breathed, eyes closed, then continued, eyes flying open.
"I promise you on my title as Zoro, the Swordsaint!" the black haired young man declared, his voice brimming with dignified resolve.
'Some idiot is raising death flags already', Anil facepalmed.
Whether the young man who called himself Zoro was just coping or whether he really believed in his own antics was unknown, but one thing was clear- he was a peerless chuunibyou!
Of course, Anil himself was an otaku to certain extents to know this, but he was definitely not on the same level as that guy.
The rest of the Summoned five stared at him with an incredulous expression, seemingly not amused, then ignored him altogether. They proceeded to introduce themselves instead:
khloe- a ginger haired, young woman with wide green eyes that darted around frantically, wearing a simple white shirt with beige trousers that gave her the vibe of an office worker- was latched onto the arm of a blonde haired young man.
Damien- a young man with slicked back blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, sporting a chic grey shirt and trousers with a black waistcoat, had a charming smile on his face, poised like a conglomerate heir.
And lastly, Mei- a black haired, dark eyed female in dark wide leg trousers and an oversized T-shirt with demographic designs. She adjusted her wide circle glasses with an impassive expression, a tiny black mole under her left eye.
"Hmph! They don't yet understand my significance", Zoro scoffed while muttering to himself.
***
They moved deeper into the sprawling forest.
Although none of them had said anything apart from the occasional mumble from the self proclaimed Swordsaint, they could all feel it, a wrongness that clung to the very air- the way the forest seemed devoid of life, no insect, no animals, just the cadaverous trees that seemed to reach out at them with their skeletal branches- a thick gloom that wrapped the world around them.
Their instincts seemed heightened, most likely due to the arcane energy they had felt ever since stepping foot in this new world, it coursed through their flesh, bones, veins and arteries, and invaded every inch of their body- a different experience than they had ever felt, but not the most appropriate of circumstances to explore the novelty.
"When will the first event start, can't wait to unlock my hero cheat skills, what about you guys?" Zoro gave Alderic a slight nudge with his elbow, which was answered with death glares from Anil and the others.
"Tch, you guys are no fun", Zoro tsked.
The sun soon dipped below the horizon, two moons hung in the sky like a foreboding omen and night came creeping in like a stalker breathing down their necks, the uncanny ambience of the forest giving further chase to their already racing hearts.
Things had gotten more unsettling, because if it felt like the forest was holding it's breath before, now it was breathing heavily and brimming with life.
Bee-like insects the size of moths with translucent wings, spindly appendages and iridescent abdomens could now be seen latched on to certain trees, the source of the iridescence- a mysterious liquid in their bellies.
Whether the insects had always been latched onto the trees was unknown but one thing was sure, it was best to avoid the insects and the trees altogether, not only because the sight was eerily beautiful and mesmerizing- a lesson they had learnt from the mysterious god, Laufey- but because the trees seemed like they were alive!
From time to time, certain pores from the trees would let out scintillating mist, their leaves would flutter, branches shudder and the previously emaciated tree barks seemed to have gained a lively sheen.
The glowing trees and the pale glow from the moons gave the forest a type of haunting beauty, it would've been a nice view, if not that their lives were in danger.
"Don't breathe in the mist", Alderic spoke, voice muffled from covering his face with an handkerchief he had brought out at some point.
They continued east, then a charming voice broke through the silence:
"Everyone, why don't we find a good spot and make camp, moving further in this...forest seems dangerous, we can continue in the morning. For one, can we really trust that...hovering figure from earlier that we'll find human settlement east?" It was Damien that had spoken, a gentle smile on his lips, his ocean blue eyes capturing the pale glow cast by the moonlight onto the shimmering forest.
He made a good point, there was no assurance as to the words of the shady figure who had called themself a god and moving further into the forest seemed dangerous, who knew what dangers were lurking.
Anil kept quiet, observing the reactions of the other members, he caught Mei's gaze- the black haired, dark eyed and pale skinned young lady- for a second, who seemed to be doing the same as him, then he looked away onto Alderic who had at some point, become the tacit leader.
Just then, Alderic spoke:
"You're right, we can't be sure of the mad 'god's' words, but... I'm quite sure he doesn't want us dead..." Alderic paused, considering his words. "...At least, not yet. Besides, I don't know about you, but this forest gives me the creeps, there's something very wrong about those trees and more so, those parasite-like insects", there were no questions as to what he said and so, they continued.
"This isn't so bad, although I do feel a bit lethargic...right guys?" Zoro gave a nervous laugh, Anil shot him a glare but his frown slowly eased out into confusion and then wariness, the others also stopped in their tracks.
"What's wrong...why're you all looking at me like you've seen a ghost?" he laughed wrly.
A silence hung in the air.
"Your nose...it's bleeding", Anil stated.
Zoro hurriedly wiped his nose and looked at his hand, his eyes widening in horror;
"What the hell", he muttered in a low voice.
Khloe hurriedly scurried towards Damien, clutching his right hand like it was a life line.
"Let's keep moving", Alderic spoke firmly while looking at the moons, his voice dispelling the growing intensity.
And so, they trudged forward. Unknown to them, two violet eyes were peering at them through the forest's haze.
They had been walking into the night for almost three hours, the darkness taking its rightful place in the world.
"I'm hungry guys. I might just be hearing things but I...I can hear my mother, I see her too...and smell her wonderful cooking", Zoro spoke in a half dazed state.
His ears too where bleeding now, his skin growing slightly pale.
He wasn't the only one bleeding, all the summoned were bleeding from their nose now but he seemed to have it worst. And although they all ignored his ramblings, they could hear and see it too, the comfort their bodies so desperately craved.
They continued for awhile and then suddenly, Zoro broke the silence, his voice slightly hysterical.
"Oh, thank heavens! You prepared all these for me mother? I had the most terrible nightmare!", Zoro spoke, his Adams apple bobbing, mouth slightly open.
The summoned followed his line of sight but couldn't see anything there except for a glowing tree, about five meters tall with an iridescent bee-like insect latched onto it.
"There's nothing there, let's keep going", Alderic's voice cut through the silence and so they went on...except for Zoro.
After walking a few steps, Anil stopped and looked back, only to find Zoro walking closer to the tree, "He's not following guys".
The rest of them stopped and followed his line of vision, "I'll go drag him back", Alderic exhaled in a resigned sigh and trudged forward.
'What's this incongruous feeling... something doesn't feel right.' Anil thought while looking in their direction with a lost expression, trying to figure out what exactly was bugging him apart from the already unnatural ambience of the forest.
"Come on buddy, your mother's not here", Alderic placed a firm hand on Zoro's shoulder in an attempt to jolt him awake from whatever delusion he was having but Zoro ignored him, trying to reach for the tree in a half dazed state.
Just then, the tree stirred. Anil's eyes widened.