The forest had a quiet bliss to it during the day, the breeze moved through the trees and in the distance you could hear little unseen creatures scurrying about. If you didn't know better you'd think you were taking an easy stroll through the forest of Earth before everything went to shit.
The creatures that harass them every night seem to disappear with the sun, leaving behind a world untouched during the day.
Skye kept a quick pace, no time to stroll himself, a few steps under a jog. A few weeks ago this would cause his legs to burn and he'd have to take frequent breaks but his body has improved quickly.
It was both getting real meat for the first time in his life and the slivers that were improving his strength at a rapid rate. He would even go as far as to say he was quite physically fit now. At least as strong as someone in the Central City who used to play a sport if he had to guess.
He spent the day passing over large roots and leaping over fallen trees, pushing past brush as tall as him. Crossing over open areas while keeping vigilant, pausing at old looking trees to connect to their system and feel around.
It was peaceful during the day, but he knew that the night wasn't going to be so forgiving.
I have to get to the ruins at least and make a quick shelter to hide for the night.
He never saw where the beasts come from or where they go, no signs of a nest or hiding. It's as if as soon as it becomes dark they just appear from the surface like smoke rising from embers. He found his curiosity bobbling to the surface and there were some questions he needed to know.
"Hey Dubs, actually I'm not sure why I didn't ask sooner, but why are all the faces here flat? I've seen a few monsters now and they all share the same feature?"
The ball of soul was constantly floating behind Skye, making little witty remarks or cracking a joke. For the most part Skye either ignored him or tried his best to return the insults. Dubs instantly paused, the vibe suddenly became more intense. He began to move closer to Skye.
"Look, I'm not meant to tell you this. What I'm about to say could get us both into some real serious trouble.."
He trailed off, Skye stopped walking and gave the conversation the attention it seemed to demand. Dubs got even closer now, whatever he was about to say couldn't be more than a whisper.
"Their faces, the reason they're like that, and listen carefully because I can only say this once…"
Skye waited with baited breath.
"I have no fucking idea man."
The words hung in the air. Skye slowly started to lower his head as he came to the realisation of what just happened. For the 8th time today he was made to look like a fool by a ball of his own soul. Was he truly this big of a glutton for punishment?
Dubs continued to float in the direction they were going whistling a song he just made up, Skye had no choice but to shake off the rage building in his chest and continue to push on. One day he'll find a way to strangle him, but sadly today was not that day.
As the sun started to disappear around the bend of the planet and the moons began to take full form, Skye was coming upon the edge of the ruins. As he expected it had taken a full day worth of sunlight to get here.
From the distance he thought it was just a single castle on top of a hill, but now that he was closer he could see a whole sprawling town underneath it filled with overgrown ruins. They circled the castle on the hill, with enough space between each building to show where the roads would have flown towards the once mighty structure.
The clearing from afar just looked like another part of the forest, but the town must have been able to house thousands of people and spread out a couple kilometers in each direction. The size of the castle was something to behold, far greater in scale than he could have imagined when he first saw it.
This was the second sign of life existing on this now dead planet. The skeletons that attacked Claire had armour and swords, they came out of buildings in the mountains or deep tunnels in the ground. Now a grand castle? What happened to all these people once their god died, and would the same thing happen to the people of Earth if they didn't get through the phases and save their own?
The light of day was disappearing faster and faster now, he had no choice but to venture into the edge of the town. Skye kept a few entanglement seeds in his palm just in case he had to make a run for it, continuing to slowly feed them more mana to ensure they were strong.
The forest didn't encroach on the town even though it looks like it has been decades since anyone lived here. It was unified in the distance it maintained as it circled it. There was 50 meters between where he was hiding and the first building.
Skye gathered his strength and busted into a sprint, clearing the distance in just under 10 seconds. Jumping into an opening that could have either been a window, or just a hole in the wall, he instantly summoned Thorn and prepared himself. Looking around he saw nothing but dust, dirt, and old stones supported by decaying wood.
The air inside was strangely damp despite the amount of openings in the walls and the collapsed roof, filling Skye's mouth with an earthy taste. Rubble and debris was everywhere, dust floating in the moonlight.
He didn't want to be this close to the forest at night and continued moving building to building in the direction of the castle. There were signs of previous life here, stones that looked like a table, a fireplace embedded in a crumbling wall, things that could have once been cherished toys now nothing but rags.
Dubs said that Gaia killed this god and left this world abandoned. Will weird creatures with powers find the Dome still standing one day if we don't make it back?
To be honest, this would most likely happen to humans even if she didn't die. Years of war have left it almost uninhabitable. Their effects on the world were slight at first but quickly tumbled like dominos. One effect led to another and before they even tried to do anything about it the reaction was set in place.
Skye was born in the Dome, he never got to see what the world was like in its prime. He only knew of the Water Wars and the Fortified Cities. His boogie men were the Raiders outside of the walls and the Rippers within. What a life to live.
He was given a job when he was young and that was his life every day ever since. He turned the wheel, pushing with 10 others. They didn't know what it did for sure but there were rumours. The old machines quickly broke and had to be replaced with man power, electricity was reserved for those who could afford it. Maybe that was what he produced, maybe the wheel pushed water to clean it, maybe it was just a fucking wheel he was forced to push.
He didn't care about the Dome, or the wheel, or how anyone found it. He was here now, and the only thing he had to push was onward.
After moving as quietly as he could for the last hour he was half way between the forest and castle, finding a building that was more intact than others and deciding to hunker down for a break. The walls were hiding him away from sight and the roof was providing him with some cover.
He knew he wasn't alone, and either through dumb luck or caution, he has yet to run into anything. In the distance carried by the cool night air he could hear faint cries coming from the castle in irregular intervals. He dared not explore during the night. From the forest behind him he could hear screams that resemble howls. He dared not return during the night.
Here, a good enough place as any, Skye put his hands to the ground and started to spread his roots. He could push the roots about 300 meters in any one direction, or 30 meters in 10 directions at once. He decided for now it was best to ensure he was safe.
It only took him a few minutes to form the first strands of his web, closing his eyes and listening to the vibrations in the ground, feeling the pressure to see if anything was crawling around him. For the most part he seemed to be alone, even having his roots break the surface to peek into the night sky, feeling the flow of the air. Still there was nothing.
The sound from the castle continued, the only sign of activity in the dead silence of the night. With his immediate surroundings secured he started to push a single root in that direction. Skye knew he couldn't get as far as the castel but he had an idea. He would make a single line there and then follow it, spreading out every couple hundred meters or so.
If he was correct, this would mean he'd have full view of the way there and the way back if he needed to escape, it was just going to be a bit time consuming. But time is all he had, no way was he going to sleep in a creepy ass town like this.
Let's get started I guess
He looked over at Dubs, who seemed to be more quiet than usual. Maybe he was just as freaked out by this place as he was.
With his eyes closed as he spread his roots he said in almost a whisper.
"Hey Dubs, you wouldn't happen to know if anything is here would you?"
The orb didn't float up or down in a whimsical way as he usually did, he was frozen in the air.
"I'm not sure, but I know they're here… and… I think they can see me"