Haven Falls

As Zero sat on the back of his lynx on the, which he has now named Grimm based on the situations they all found each other in. An option that proved to be much faster than walking obviously.

They were once more on the road back to Haven Falls after their little side adventure through the woods. Kai sat behind Zero, who had been in a weird mood ever since he woke up and was no longer afflicted with Phantasm. 

Not to mention that Grimm didn't seem the keenest on Kai after their run in.

Zero had his HUD open as they rode and was checking out the new menu option he had - 'Bonded Beasts'. From there he could see that Grimm had a small skill tree of his own, but all the abilities were hidden until they were unlocked so he couldn't even see what the outlook was; and unlike how their upgrades were based on his experience, it appeared that a bonded beast's progression was based solely on the relationship with their master.

Currently, Grimm only had one ability:

[ Bonded Beast Ability: Reckless Charge

Bonded Beast will generate a shield that can absorb damage only while charging forward. Upon impact with an object/enemy, the absorbed damage will be converted into an explosion.]

An explosion that Kai took 100% of, Zero thought as he read.

Zero took a look behind him and saw Kai staring off to the side seemingly lost in thought. 

"Feeling okay?" Zero asked.

"I'm fine." Kai said without even looking up at him.

"Are you still in pain?"

"Your soup took care of that. As usual." He replied curtly.

Zero had made them both a Revitalizing Chicken Soup, which he gave the first and most effective one to Kai based on his injuries. He had taken the second one, only 60% effective, for himself. So he could still feel a bit of an ache from Grimm's love scratch on his back.

He had definitely picked up on Kai's tone however.

"Is there something you wanna talk-"

"I said I'm FINE, Zero." Kai said as he shot him a look that made him feel uncomfortable.

"...Alright then." 

Zero went back to his HUD and to his upgrade tree for his culinary system. After those last two meals, he had earned enough experience to bring it to level 3 and get another skill point.

He could see the next skill was a passive one, but he decided to look over at the Buff tree for a moment. With his bonus dishes being more on the buffing side, he hadn't seen the need to give much attention to that upgrade path.

Let's see...'Extra Defense'. It'll give a dish the effect of adding an over shield worth up to 15% of that person's health. Which none of us really know how much health any of us have. Zero thought. 

Zero selected the ability nonetheless as he knew it would be useful in a tight battle.

[Ability: Extra Defense

Adds the following effect to a prepared food - adds an over shield worth up to 15% of that person's max HP. This ability can not be stacked. ]

"What did you see?" Kai's out of the blue question promoted Zero to close his HUD.

"What are you talking about?"

"When those flowers caused us to hallucinate. What did you see?"

Zero paused. If he told Kai the truth about being haunted by Askook then he would definitely start asking questions. "Um, I saw myself being chased by random players and I was by myself. What about you?"

"I saw...you." He mumbled softly.

Zero's eyes widened as he wasn't 100% sure he heard him correctly. "What?"

"Nothing." Kai dismissed. "I just need some time for my head to fully clear I think."

The rest of the ride was in an awkward silence as Grimm pushed forward toward their destination.

**********

A few hours later, the pair finally arrived at the sign that said 'Welcome to Haven Falls - Home of the Best Forge Around!"

Grimm had slowed to a steady jog as they passed the sign and through the unmanned open gate. Zero could tell he was starting to get a bit weary from the long ride. He stroked the side of his neck to comfort him.

"Interesting. There aren't any guards here at the gate." Kai pointed out. "You would think a town known for making weapons would have a bit more...security."

"Maybe they don't need it." Zero replied as he rubbed the front of his forehead. Even though the fog had long since cleared from the Phantasm for him, there was still some kind of weird sensation in his mind. Like something was lightly scratching beneath the surface.

The thought was momentarily forgotten however as the village of Haven Falls came into full view.

Nestled within the cradle of rugged cliffs on either side and the soft roar of parallel waterfalls, the quaint village of Haven Falls sat. Perched at the edge of a lush forest and surrounded by the whispering songs of cascading streams.

As they approached the town, the scent of burning coal and the rhythmic clang of metal against metal greeted them, echoing through the valley. The village itself is a cluster of stone cottages with thatched roofs, their chimneys puffing smoke into the air as the temperature was a little chilly. Narrow cobblestone streets wind their way through the settlement lined with blooming wildflowers.

At the top of Haven Falls closest to the waterfalls stood the forge, a sturdy stone building with a towering chimney that belches plumes of smoke into the sky. The sound of metal being worked was echoing from this great structure.

"Wow...it's beautiful here." Zero commented as he looked over the area. 

It seemed like all of the villagers were busy with their own tasks as they skirted across the street carrying something or just seemed to be intent on where they were going. 

"But where are all the players?" Kai asked.

That's when Zero noticed that, unlike at Capital City, these were clearly all civilians. The guard made it seem like this was a player hot spot, yet there wasn't a single one to be seen aside from the two of them. Not only that...they could both feel some type of tension among them as none of them seemed the slightest bit happy.

"Looking for other players?" A passing civilian asked as she held a large crate of some raw material. Her hair tied back as sweat gleaned her forehead. "They're probably over by the main forge."

She pointed towards the top of town where the forge stood at a slightly higher elevation than anything else in town. "A few just headed that way not long ago." The lady's eyes quickly darted in either direction as if to check for something.

She then leaned in closer toward them.

In a hushed voice she stated, "You should leave."