As they continued their journey, Grace noticed that Jack was silent most of the time. His expression showed that he was thinking.
"What's in your mind?" Jack thought.
"Something about what our captive had spoken," Jack said and pointed to Oswald.
"Hey! I come along of my own free will," Oswald protested.
"About the orc trying to win the tournament in a dirty way?" Grace asked.
"I think their target is not about winning, it's more about preventing the human team from winning," Jack replied. "It made no sense by itself but if I combined it with what Four Winds had told me about the orc nation's movement, it might mean something."
"And what does it mean?"
"I will need to go back to Thereath and meet Prince Alonzo after our business in the Lost Forest. It might be crucial information. Well…, I will just text Jeanny and ask him to pass this info along."
"It's that important?"
"I don't know. It's just a hunch. But better to let them know, just in case." Jack said and proceeded to type the message. Grace had no idea what he was writing in that message.
*
The next day, Peniel informed them they had arrived outside the Lost Forest. As a matter of fact, they did not need to be told. The scenery in front of them was very different from the woods they had passed through all these days.
The trees were larger, with denser foliages. No sunlight entered because of the thick foliage. The trees also grew close to one another, with many bushes around them. But the most different feel they got was the ominous aura emanated from these woods. It was not just because these woods appeared much darker. The hairs on their bodies were raising. Their instincts told them not to enter.
"Is it just me or do you all feel the cold as well?" Jet asked.
"It's not just you," Jack answered.
"Are we truly entering this place?" Grace asked.
Their steeds refused to enter that dark forest, except for Pandora. Still, the layout of the forest didn't allow easy maneuver, so Jack unsummoned the nightmare and went on foot with the others.
"Let's go," Jack said and took the first step in. "No sense coming all this way here just to abort because of a little spook."
"This is little?" Jet asked.
"I'm beginning to regret following you people here. This forest has a very bad reputation, you know?" Oswald said.
"So, do you want to stay out?" Grace asked.
"No, I am right behind you, lady boss!" Oswald said.
They followed Jack in.
*
Once they entered the forest, all three of the players received notification that they had received a quest, Escape the Lost Forest. They didn't have a good feeling about the quest's name.
"Do you know where to go?" Jack asked Peniel after walking for a few hours. Since sunlight didn't enter this forest, Jack used his illumination spell to help the others see their way.
"I didn't even know that the Village of Peace existed in this place, remember? So, how do I know where to go? I don't have any information about the internal layout of this forest."
"Well, we should just continue then. If the village is hidden inside here, it should be at the deepest part," Jack said. Then he asked another question, "What about the monsters here? Do you have any info about what monsters roam this forest?"
"No," Peniel answered.
"Then we don't know how strong they are?" Grace said. "Well, it's a good thing Jack has his radar then. We should just avoid them if we are not sure whether they are too dangerous."
"Actually…, that's the reason why I asked," Jack said while smiling wryly. "The moment we enter this forest, my radar becomes blank. I can't even track you people who are next to me."
Jack then turned to Oswald, "But it's a good thing we have Oswald here."
"Why is that?" Grace asked.
"Because he can sense if something comes by. A sense that covers a larger area than mana sense. That's how you sensed me approaching and you activated your invisibility, right? So you can use your Detect skill while unseen."
Oswald nodded. "It's a skill called Danger Sense. It's a passive ability. Unfortunately, this skill is useless at the moment."
"Why is that?" Jack asked.
"Because it has been blaring the moment we entered this forest. It hasn't stopped now," Oswald answered.
"…"
"Maybe we should turn back?" Jet proposed.
"Hey! We have passed here before," Grace suddenly said.
"How is it possible? We have been going straight," Jack said.
"I have seen that tree before…," Grace said while pointing to a tree.
"It's a tree, they all look similar," Jack said, dismissing Grace's claim.
"Are you saying there's something wrong with my eyes?" Grace asked with an irritated stare.
"Um, no, ma'am. I wouldn't dare," Jack hurriedly said.
"Kyaaa…!!" Grace suddenly screamed and ran behind Jack.
"What? What happened?" Jack said with confusion. He looked around trying to look for hostile monsters. His mana sense didn't detect anything close.
"Rats!!" Grace said and pointed down. Several rats were running around the ground. They soon disappeared behind into the darkness where Jack's illumination spell couldn't reach.
"They are gone already," Jack said.
"Really?" Grace peeked out.
"You fought horrible monsters but you still go kyaa when you see a rat?" Jet asked.
"What's wrong with feeling disgusted by rats?!" Grace said hotly.
"No, ma'am. Nothing wrong at all!" Jet said, copying Jack's tone.
"Let's continue," Jack urged them to proceed.
"You know, I agree with lady Grace. I also feel like we have passed this place before," Oswald said.
"Maybe we should really turn back?" Jet said again.
*
They walked for another few hours. After a while, Grace suddenly uttered, "See?! I told you we have passed through here!"
She pointed to a tree. There was a marking on the tree. Oswald was the one carving that marking using his dagger under Grace's request. Jack went over. He had seen Oswald carve the marking. He checked it. This was indeed the same marking Oswald had made.
"Man, do you have any sense of direction at all?" Jet said to Jack who had been the one leading them the whole time.
"Zip it, old man. You know as well as I that we have been traveling in a straight line," Jack retorted.
"I don't know. We moved to the side a few times to go around a tree or shrubs with sharp branches. Perhaps you have veered then."
Jack gave Jet an irritated look for his insistence.
"It's the forest. People that go in here will be lost without they even know it," Oswald said.
"Can you please not spook your elder?" Jet complained.
"Eek…!!" Grace again hid behind Jack. Rats were running around the place again.
Jet had been edgy enough that he jumped just now due to Grace's yell. "I swear, missy. If you aren't so cute…"
"Let's take this way," Jack said.
"Why that way? You see something unusual in that direction?" Grace asked.
"No. Since walking forward didn't work, I figure we should just try going in a different direction and see if that made any difference."
"…"
"I propose instead that we go back in the direction where we came from," Jet said.
*
They continued their walk. Everyone was silent, which added to the eery atmosphere. Jack tried cracking some jokes to lighten the mood but ended up being given glares by everyone, so he shut his mouth as well. Suddenly, Jet jumped to the side.
"Did you guys see that?" He asked anxiously.
"What?" Jack asked, looking around.
"I saw some shadows moving," Jet said.
"Stop it, old man! You are spooking yourself," Jack reprimanded. "Didn't you use to spend plenty of alone time in the jungle when hunting?"
"This forest is more spooky than any jungle I know!" Jet uttered.
"Look!" Grace pointed to a tree. She continued asking Oswald to make markings for references. She was pointing to one of these same markings.
"Okay, let's take another direction now," Jack said.
"Jack boy, are you going to just randomly pick a different direction every time we found out that we go in a loop?" Jet said. "If we go your way, we don't even know the way back anymore."
"I doubt that we can even go back anymore," Oswald said.
"Dude! What did I say about spooking your elderly?" Jet complained.
"Okay, then. Let's do it your way. We try taking the way back," Jack said.
"Now, that's what I wanted to hear," Jet uttered. "This forest is so dark, we won't even know if it is night already. Let's just head out and think of another way."
"At least there is no monster here," Jack said. They had been walking for hours and didn't encounter any.
"Plenty of rats, though," Jet remarked. They saw another group of these rodents raced by. Grace again hid behind Jack.
*
As they traced their way back, Grace appeared agitated.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked.
"We have been walking back for a while… But I don't see the markings Oswald has placed along the way. Also, I don't think we have ever passed this place before, all the trees looked different."
Jack looked around. He honestly couldn't tell if the trees were different. They all looked the same to him.
"So, does that mean we have managed to come out of the loops that prevent us from proceeding forward?" Jack asked.
"Are you telling me that we can't go back?" Jet asked.
The two asked with different tones. Jack's one carried excitement while Jet's was laced with worry.
"Why are you so worried about getting back? We can just use our Town Return Scroll whenever we want to leave," Jack said to Jet.
"Oh, you are right!" Jet said. He immediately took the scroll out.
"Bloody hell, are you planning to leave right now?" Jack asked.
"Don't lump me in with you young people. My old heart can't take this anxiety," Jet replied.
"Hey, I can't leave like that. Are you people just going to leave me in this accursed place after dragging me here?" Oswald asked uneasily.
"What the…," Jet uttered. His face appeared to be concentrating. He then said, "I can't use this scroll!"
"What?!" both Jack and Grace uttered. They tried theirs as well, but the scrolls didn't work.
"I think we should separate, cover more ground," Jack said.
"Dude! That is a terrible idea! Getting lost together is already bad. Getting lost alone is the worst!" Jet immediately objected.
"How about Oswald go? I can summon him back if he is lost," Grace offered his opinion.
"What?! Do I have to?" Oswald didn't seem so keen on the idea.
"Let's give it a try then," Jack said. "You go twenty meters away. Should be safe since we can still see you. Grace will then use the companion token. See if you can still be summoned here."
"That's right. Oswald, please go over there," Grace said and pointed.
Oswald let out a long sigh before walking towards where Grace indicated.
While they watched Oswald walking away, they heard rustling from above. Jack sensed something coming with speed from above, he hurriedly warned everyone with a yell while rolling away at the same time. A long branch came down and struck where he had stood.
Before he could make sense of what was happening, the vines on the ground suddenly came alive and coiled around his legs. Jack felt himself getting pulled away forcefully. He caught a glimpse of the others similarly getting assaulted by branches and vines and getting dragged away in different directions.
