"I think we're near" Joan said while looking around

"How can you know that? All I see are trees from before" Amias complained

Joan didn't pay attention to Amias instead she went to tree

"Its a sign" Joan said and pointed at the tree

All they can see is a plain tree

"Turn back" Chiru said while looking at the tree that Joan is pointing

"Huh? Where?" Amery asked

"There" He said and pointed at the tree

"I see nothing" Takeo said

"Me too" Amery agreed

"I hear something" Serene said "Water running and.. and a whip.. and people.. screaming" Her eyes widened because of what she heard

"We are close" Amery said

"How close?" Takeo asked

"I can't clearly hear it, my hearing is distanced for about 25 kilometers" She said and raised her palm infront of us telling us to shut up while she was thinking

"We are 23 kilometers away from the village" Serenity said

"Let's get going" Chiru said

The trees were not like before, they are all dead and spikey

"The nature here is weak" Chiru said

"The Quislings don't care about plants, all they care about is making the Ophi mythics slaves" Joan bitterly said

Serene tapped her shoulder and smiled at her but she didn't even look at her

"Why don't we rest a while?" Amias asked, he was about to sit on a tree but Chiru immediately pulled him

"We can't rest here, we have to keep walking" Chiru said

"What's wrong?" Amery asked him

"Those trees have been enchanted" He said "Once you touch it or even poke it, it's spikes will rip you to death"

"Death, right! don't wanna die" Amias said and continued walking

While walking the trees were starting to get closer to each other making the path smaller and smaller every time we pass by

"Ouch!" They all looked at Serene

She was holding her arm and her face was screaming pain

"What happened?" Chiru asked her

She removed her hand from her arm, their eyes widened when they saw that it was bleeding and she had a long and deep cut on her arm

Chiru and Amias immediately went to her and looked at her wound

"Uhh, is it just me or the trees are moving" Joan said

They looked at the trees, it was getting closer to each other, the path was getting smaller

"Run" Chiru said

"What?" Joan asked

Amias took out a white foulard and tied it on Serene's arm

"Run" Chiru yelled

They ran and ran, avoiding the spikes of the trees that is surrounding them

"This is not worth it!" Amias yelled while running

"Shut up and run waterboy" Takeo yelled at him

Amias who was in the lead immediately stopped and blocked all of them making them stop as well

"Dead end" He said while catching his breath

"What?" Takeo yelled at him

Amery turned around and the spikes were getting closer and closer

"Everyone get down" Chiru said

They all got down trying to avoid the spikes

"Go!" Chiru yelled, he made a bridge on the cliff

"Go!" He yelled again

Takeo picked up Serenity and assisted her towards the bridge

"Run! This bridge won't last long" Chiru yelled

What kind of bridge is this!

They ran to the other side of the forest, when they reached it they stopped and tried to catch their breathes

Water

Water running..

Chiru's bridge then crashed to the ground

"That was close" Joan said

Amery went to Serenity and checked on her, the white foulard became red because of her blood

"Ahh!" She groaned and touched her neck

"What happened?" Takeo asked her

She removed her hand on her neck and just like on her arm there was also a deep and long cut

"Chiru!" Amery yelled

"Ahh!" Serene groaned in pain again and touched her face

"Chiru!" Amery yelled again

Chiru wasn't answering, Amery looked around and there was no sign of Chiru, Joan and Amias

"Where did they go?" Amery asked Takeo but he just shrugged "Stay here with Serenity" she said to him and looked around

She saw Joan and she was walking inside the forest. She senses water, she hears water..

But there's something wrong with the water..

"Water!" Joan yelled

Amery saw Amias on the other side of the trees, Amery raised her palm to control the water but she didn't do it, she could't control it

"Chiru don't!" Amias yelled when he saw Chiru drinking the water from the lake. Joan was about to drink too but Amias hurriedly ran to her

"Chiru!" Amias yelled as Chiru collapsed

"Chiru!" Amery yelled and went to them

"What happened? The water?"

"The water isn't water, it's poison" Amias said

"Poison? What?" Amery asked him

"It's a spell, it's in the form of water but it's not water" He explained

"No! Chiru you have to wake up!" Amery said and slapped his face

"Amias!" He looked at me "Serene" Amery said, his eyes widened and his face was concerned

"I'll get Serenity and Takeo" He said and ran away

"The Quislings did this" Joan said while looking at the waterfall

"What?" Amery asked her

"It's all a trap, the deadly spikes, the cliff, this stupid waterfall, it's all a trap, only they know how to pass this way" She said

"How did you get pass the spikes and cliff?"

"I didn't, this isn't the way to the Ophi Village" She said "This is the way to the Quisli Village"

"What do you mean?"

Before she could answer the question a loud thud suddenly bursted

"What was that?" Amery asked her

"Amias" Chiru whispered while groaning in pain

"What?" Amery asked him

Amery's eyes then widened as she realized what Chiru said, She ran to where Amias went and found him laying on the ground with wounds all over his body and his shirt was ripped

"What happened?" Amery asked as she went to him

"Incendiary, I stepped on one" He said

"Hex!" Amery cursed as he groaned in pain

What am I supposed to do?

"What happened here?" Takeo asked

He and Serenity who was also in pain came

"Incendiary" Amery said

"Where's earth prat?" Takeo asked

"He..he..he was poisoned" Amery said stuttering

"What do we do?" Amery asked Takeo

He looked frustrated and angry

"Help Serenity, I'll help waterboy" He said

Amery nodded and placed Serene's arm on her shoulder and helped her walk

"Let's go to the earth prat" Takeo said while helping Amias stand up

Amery walked with Serene to where Chiru and Joan were

"What the-" Joan said as he saw Amias

Amery let Serene sit down besides Chiru and Takeo also did the same to Amias

"What are we gonna do?" Amery asked Takeo, she was shaking. she didn't know what to do

"Can't you just heal yourself earth prat" Takeo said to Chiru

"I can.. can't"

"Your sapphire" Takeo suggested

"He tried, It didn't work" Joan said

"What do you mean it didn't work?" Amery asked Joan

"The sapphire can't heal him because it didn't sense the poison" Joan said

"What? Why?" Amery asked her

"It didn't because it thinks its water, Chiru's body could feel agonizing pain, his system will break down but he won't die" Serene explained

"He'll feel nothing but pain" Takeo said and looked at Chiru who was shaking

"Can't he heal you or Amias?" Amery asked Serene

"We have to die first" Serene said

That won't happen!

"What do we do?" Amery asked and pulled her own hair

They didn't say anything

"We have to do something!" Amery yelled at Takeo and Joan

Serenity groaned in pain and her cuts were multiplying

"Takeo do something!" Amery yelled at him out of frustration

He looked at Joan but he got no answer

"We can't do this without them!" Amery yelled again

"Too loud Amery" Amias said and closed his eyes

"Wake up stupid!" Amery yelled at him and shaked him but he didn't open his eyes. Tears started to fall from her eyes

"You're not dead are you?" Amery asked while shaking him

"He's on conscious" Joan said

"I have a friend at the village, she's a healer, she can heal-"

Amery didn't let her finish her sentence and she also didn't hold herself back, She slapped her in the face

"And you're telling us just now?" Amery yelled

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking" She said

"How incompetent are you?" She looked at ground

"You two are incompetent" Takeo said

Both of them faced him, Amery's face was filled with ranged and anger because of what he said

"Fighting isn't solving anything" He said

"Well, at least we're doing something, unlike you!"

"Yes, fighting is doing something" He sarcastically said

"What have you done ey? Nothing? you didn't even show that you cared for them" Amery said to him

"Wasting my breath, tears and saliva doesn't mean I care for them it means I'm panicking, stupid and out of focus"

"Did you call me stupid?" Amery angrily asked him

"I did"

Amery was about to say something but Chiru coughed and threw up, she looked away when she saw blood coming out of his mouth

"We have to get to the village" Takeo said

Amery helped Serene stand up and Takeo and Joan did the same to Chiru and Amias

"Where's the right way?" Amery asked

Joan looked confused

"Serene? can you tell?" Takeo asked her

She was holding back the pain she's feeling and started to concentrate

"We're almost there, go left and straight ahead about 5 kilometers" She said, she then fainted after saying that

"We need to hurry" Amery said and went left with Serene

After how many hours of walking of walking without taking a break

"We're here" Joan said

She led them to a huge bush besides the entrance of the village, there were about six guards in the entrance and countless inside the village

"Quislings?" Takeo asked

"Yes, this is the Quisli Village after all" Joan replied

"What's the difference between the Ophi and Quisli village?" Amery asked Joan

Amery was curious about that for how many hours now

"Well.. the Ophi Village is Quisli Village, the Quislings made a deal with us that they'd get half of the village but that all changed when Vader came and took over the whole village, turn us to slaves" She explained

"So there's another entrance? the Ophi Village entrance?" Amery asked her

"Yes there is, but its..its on the other side of the land, it may not be filled with Quislings just like this entrance but..there are still Quislings there" She said

"Wherever we go there are Quislings" Takeo said

Amery looked at him "What do we do?" she asked him

"Why are you asking me?" He asked her

Why am I asking him? Amery looked at Joan and tried to get a plan from her but nothing

"Serene?" Amery looked at Serene but she was also unconscious just like the others

Amery sighed and looked at the Quislings, they were wearing black robes that are covering their whole body and a black mask that covers their face

Suddenly an idea came into her mind

"I have a plan" Amery said, she sighed first before speaking, she doesn't know if it'll work but there's no other way "We disguise ourselves as one of them, we enter the village and we..we..we get the cure for the others" she said

"And how do you expect us to disguise ourselves?" Takeo asked

"We get their robes, you're powerful enough to do that.. are you?" Amery challenged him

He scoffed and glared at her

"Did you just underestimate my power?" Takeo asked her

"Maybe I did" Amery said to him

"I'll take care of those Quislings" He said and glared at the quislings

"Alright, one of us needs to stay here and protect the others" Amery said and looked at Joan

"Me? I know the way to the village, I know every inch of it, how come-"

"You'll get noticed and in big trouble if we get caught" Amery said and placed her hand on her left shoulder "You need our help, the others need your help as well" she said to her and she nodded

"Alright, let's do it"

TO BE CONTIUED