The carriage stops, creaking to a halt. Our journey has suddenly hit a road bump, whether in the literal or metaphorical sense, it does not matter. To this point, everything has gone smoothly.
But now…
"Dammit, a Fog zone. Well, we were due for one at some point." Navi groans as she hops out of the carriage. With a sigh, she lazily gazes to the left, then to the right.
Kors lifts a revolver.
"The only path forward is through the fog. This river is far too wide and long to cross over using a carriage."
I turn behind me.
All the members of Sable Veil are equipping their weapons as well as their masks. A tense air has just filled the area, urging everyone into a stance. I am the only outlier here.
"Kaito, use the shemagh around your neck, and make sure you cover your nose," Kors instructs, then turns to Samuel.
"Mr. Volara, you as well. And if you have any weapons, now would be best. Make sure, by any means necessary, DO NOT INHALE without your mask on.
I nod and pull up the shemagh around my neck upwards. I swiftly tie it to avoid any possibility of it falling and tighten it around my nose. I definitely don't want to be inhaling this fog.
Once I'm done, I look back up at the zone in front of us.
It's night, and the black moon floats hazily amongst the dark backdrop. The moon's yellow outlines are a key reason why I can even see it in the first place. Not to mention the area in front of us that I've been avoiding mentioning up until this point.
There's a fog, a supremely thick one, covering the buildings within. The whole reason I can tell they're buildings is because of the vaguely identifiable black squares. This is Lagomia, a more 'Norse' area of the world, so I'd assume the buildings are sparse and far away from each other.
In front of the hidden town lies a large bridge that connects our position on the tundra to the actual town itself. Under the bridge lies a concerningly rapidly moving river. The noise of water flowing is the most dominant noise in the area, after all.
Kors unloads his revolver, checking to see if all the rounds are within.
"All right. We will be moving slowly, behind the carriage. If you hear any noises, it is IMPERATIVE that you quietly let the others know. We will shift our position to the opposite side of the noise and obscure ourselves with the carriage."
He flicks his revolver, causing the cylinder to close with a resounding thunk.
"If you hear voices, do not get any closer. If your mask is falling off, fix it as soon as possible. Do not stare at strange shapes in the fog. Do not Gaze as well, the fog is covered in hollow points, so many in fact, you will lose your mind. Most of all, stay with the group." He finally instructs.
Kors turns.
"Is that understood…?"
"Yes, understood!" We all say in unison, my voice being the last to remain.
I unsheathe the dagger in my leg and feel my grip tighten.
My hands are shaking. I'm scared. I'm sca—
The sounds of bones cracking reverberate in my brain.
A checkpoint?
I set a checkpoint?
What's that supposed to mean?! Am I going to die? Does that mean I'm dead?! Is this some kind of cruel foreshadowing?
I haven't died in months! I won't be able to handle it! I don't want to die!
A hand places itself on my shoulder.
I turn.
"To be honest, I'm quite terrified as well." Samuel begins. "But, we've been training for situations like this for the past few months. What would Miss Kaen say if we gave up at the first opportunity? We have got to try."
"Y-Yeah, you're right."
Just because I set a checkpoint doesn't mean it's set in stone that I'll die. I've set loads of checkpoints before, and never died. I just have to play it smart and avoid doing things that'll be too big for me to handle.
I swallow the lump in my throat, as well as the multitude of saliva that had been gathering up.
"All right, remember, stay together!" Kors yells before sitting atop the carriage. With a flick of the reins, the Lionels let out a low grumble and began their descent into the fog. It's clear that these animals are on their toes as well.
Asakawa, Navi, Arivia, and Samuel quickly follow behind the carriage, lining up against it's back. I swiftly follow and do the same, cementing my position next to Samuel. The carriage is surprisingly big, so all five of us can fit behind it.
It creaks forward, the wheels bouncing over the rough stone that comprises the bridge's flooring.
I swallow again.
And at that very moment, the world around me is enveloped in this thick fog, eliminating everything from sight. I can only vaguely see the silhouettes of my companions next to me.
Shit.
____________________________________________________________________________
"Huh? A Vultian church?" Kors notes, his head craning to the structure.
We've been walking for about two minutes, which feels like two hours, into the fog. Everything is painted in a blue hue, with structures lingering in the background. To avoid scaring myself any further, I've kept my eyes in front of me, at the carriage's wall.
I turn my head at Kors's observation.
It's a church. An extremely well-designed one. Each and every single corner of the structure is clad in point arches, spires, and other ornate decorations. It's tall, insanely tall.
"It seems like missionaries had come to this town. I wonder if they are still alive, though I doubt it heavily." Asakawa notes next to me.
I quickly avert my eyes in front of me once again, desperate not to see anything that'll drive me insane. It's quiet. Too quiet.
The only sounds that occur are the carriage rolling along the stone flooring, Arivia and Asakawa conversing, and our footsteps.
Dammit. I'm the only one scared here. Everyone else, even Samuel, seems to keep themselves levelheaded, despite the murderous landscape surrounding them. This is worse than when I went down the Abyssal Valley with Navi.
I glance once again at the church, slowly moving past us as if it were the one traveling. The scale is so large that it doesn't even feel like we're moving. Still, the architecture here is absolutely fascinating. It contrasts heavily with the rest of the buildings here.
The other buildings just consist of Viking-style buildings, all following that same triangular roof and boxed shape. Wood also contributed heavily to these buildings' design. The area is also heavily weighing on my psyche.
The area is incredibly dark as well, only being illuminated by a lantern that Navi had lit up, hanging off the right side of the carriage. The buildings being absolutely dead also do not help me in the slightest.
"You know, they say if you hear a baby crying in a fog zone, that's the sound of the replacement of your soul being born?" Arivia whispers.
"And that means?" Asakawa replies.
"You'll die!" The girl lunges.
"That was not scary in the slightest."
"Are you sure!!"
"..."
"Yes!!" Asakawa yells.
"Kyahh!!" Arivia screams.
How are you going to try punching stone when you're made of cookies?!
"Look, a board game player who lies about what side their dice landed on and insists on it!"
"Ahh! Stop, Asa! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
I glance back at the church one last time. I still somehow can't manage to wrap my head around its design. As Asakawa said, missionaries made this place, right? How did they manage to get all the necessary materials to construct an area?
My eyes travel along the various statues constructed on the church's spires. Each one is larger than the last, surprisingly, the last one being the biggest.
Wait.
Why did it move?
That statue moved, right? It did! I know it did!
"That–!!" I barely manage to yell.
A roar pierces the air, silencing all those within. It isn't a normal roar either, it's one that sounds just… wrong to hear. I can't describe it well, no matter how much I try. It's like a cross between someone screaming: "Bwoahhh" and a lion's bellow.
"Devil!" Navi yells as she readies her saber.
I glance back at the statue, and it now stands in a completely different position from before. I can't make out the details, but I can vaguely see its general form. It's… otherworldly, as if the tendrils of logic tried to reveal it, but dried up in the process.
It's bipedal, yet its legs are bent backwards, as one would see in a canine. It's back is incredibly large, evident in the fact that it's literally hunching over at us. I can vaguely see it's face—due to the fact that it's roaring upwards at a side view—which seems to be a cross between a reptilian's and a canine's, lined with rows of teeth that curve outwards due to the sheer volume. Incredibly large horns erupt out of its skull as well, curling towards the sky.
But by far, the craziest thing about this monster's appearance is its right arm.
Its arm is absolutely horrific, rivaling the main body in size. I'm inclined to think it's a separate organism of its own. The arm is moving autonomously, as if consisting of worms or something.
Then—
Something is hurled towards me. It's too fast, too fast for me to even process. Yet, despite my being unable to process the projectile, a part of me screams to jump out of the way.
"No! Kaito, come back behind us!"
Kors yells.
I grunt as I hit the ground.
I blink.
Everyone is gone.
Getting to my feet, I glance around.
Everyone is gone.
I glance behind me.
Everyone is gone.
The carriage is gone, the building is gone.
"Huh?"