The one-armed Armatus and two puny bots tore through the dense forest. Their thrusters flickered between red and blue jets. Hovering just above the tree line, roughly twelve meters from the grassy ground, their propulsion sent branches swaying outward. Withered grey leaves scattered into the air like drifting embers. Beneath them, the dark forest stretched endlessly, eerie and foreboding. In their peripheral vision, the hazy branches seemed to morph into humanoid figures.
The comm light pinged green. Lupus's video feed popped up on Jack's HUD screen.
"Jackie! I think I just saw wood phantoms!" Lupus exclaimed, her voice laced with terror. She was inside one of the puny bots along with Frain.
The lion Wildren, on the other hand, remained unfazed by the ominous forest. She sat beside Lupus in a makeshift passenger seat, refusing to be separated from her master. Well, technically former master, now a companion.
"A what?" Jack asked, squinting as if that would sharpen his hearing.
"Wood phantoms!" Lupus shouted, eyes momentarily squeezed shut.
"Hm?" Jack tilted his head, unconvinced. He wasn't particularly superstitious. Magic was one thing, but phantoms? That was a bit much.
Frain grinned mischievously and slowly crept up beside Lupus. Suddenly, she poked her in the side.
"Ah!?" The rabbit yelped, hopping up only to land right back in her seat. There wasn't enough space inside the cockpit.
Jack and Frain burst into laughter, their rowdy amusement filling the comms. The tide had turned. The teasing bunny girl was now the one being teased. Lupus's ears drooped onto her silver hair, her cheeks puffing up into a cute pout as she let out a groan of discontent.
After fifteen minutes, the dark forest thinned. The treeline separating it from the small town became more defined. Streetlamps glowed in the distance. The sun edged closer to the horizon, painting the sky in mesmerising shades of orange and purple. Jack's gaze lingered on the large river to his left. Its rippling surface was pristine, reflecting the evening sky in a mesmerising dance of colours. Tracing his eyes upstream, he spotted an industrialised city and a massive concrete structure shimmering in the far distance. Its retaining wall resembled a colossal dam flanked by two mountain ridges — a dam mountain.
"Lupy, on your left. What's that town over there?" Jack asked out of curiosity.
Lupus instinctively turned her head over her shoulder, momentarily forgetting she was in a cockpit. She was met by Frain's chest.
"Ah, my bad," She muttered sheepishly before navigating the camera with her glove controller to get a visual.
"Oh! That's another town, an industrial estate. We call it 'The Eastern Dam' because, well, that concrete thingy is a dam," She replied.
"I figured as much," Jack nodded.
"It also provides my hometown with electricity, among other things," Lupus added, perking up. Knowing Frain's enthusiasm, she exchanged a knowing smile with the girl.
To their right, a defence tower loomed beside the mountain ridge. Its structure was ancient. The dark stone walls appeared abandoned, with no visible arcane barrier to protect it.
Following Lupus's instructions and his navigation system, Jack led the bots along the river. Eventually, they reached the river's end, where the water shifted from horizontal to vertical. It cascaded down in an endless stream nearly a hundred meters wide. This was the first impression of Hasenwald, a scenic wonder described by Wilhelm Mae Arden.
"That's the riverfall!" Lupus exclaimed excitedly.
Frain scrambled to the viewport to catch a glimpse. Her purple eyes widened in awe at the spectacular sight.
Jack felt a wave of relief wash over him. Not because of the breathtaking view, but because this town had been untouched by war.
"Thank the almighty gods and goddesses... Thank goodness," He silently prayed.
Nestled below the riverfall was a quaint town. White houses and fences lined the cliffside in a zig-zag pattern. Their architecture was carved into the white stone itself in a burrowed style. At the foot of the waterfall, a port housed various anchored boats, rocking gently with the ocean-like waves created by the cascade.
Water droplets filled the air, catching the sunlight and creating a surreal, magical atmosphere. The whole town of Hasenwald felt like something out of a dream, unlike anything Jack had seen before.
"Umm... Where should we land?" Jack asked bluntly.
Lupus directed him toward a clearing just outside the town. Once they disembarked, they traced a path toward a white concrete road leading into the city. The town was quiet, with only the occasional rabbit Wildren loitering about. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel⟡fire.net
As they passed under a white arch adorned with towering statues, Jack took in the figures. One depicted the river god Achelous, the other his raging bull, both crafted from white marble. Their intricate, surreal design hinted at arcane involvement.
Everything was in various shades of white — off-white, milky white, plain white. Walking ahead of Jack and Frain, Lupus's silver hair fluttered in the wind. Its strands slithered like liquid silver, catching the last rays of sunlight. They gleamed with an ethereal glow, like those of a goddess. In Jack's intrusive thoughts, she might very well have been a reincarnation of one.
The crisp, moist air filled their lungs, cool and refreshing without being freezing. Serene and tranquil, Hasenwald was a haven untouched by war. Jack found himself dreaming, just for a moment, of making this place his home. A long-overdue retirement plan began forming in his mind. No war to worry about. Just a man, living a modest life.