4 The Only Way Forward is Down

The leaves in the forest rustled in the night breeze. It relieved the humid air from the summer afternoon. Buzzing insects were singing in accordance with a tune only known to them.

Three silhouettes moved cautiously in the forest with the light of a lantern. A stout man was leading the trio with a machete in his hand while a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. Trailing behind him was a tall man and a girl with bright and inquisitive eyes.

"Hold on… I can smell it. The breeze is blowing towards us. The Night Blossoms must be somewhere in front of us!" A gruff voice said excitedly.

"Shh! Not so loud, Edward! We don't want to lure any beasts towards us!" Gale gripped the machete in his hand as he glanced at Edward who was more than a head taller than him. His eyes scanned the forest around nervously.

"Uncle Gale, wouldn't the beasts be attracted to our scent first instead of the noise we make?" Elise whispered.

Her dewy complexion was reflected from the lantern light in her hands. Her childish face and round eyes make it hard for one to get annoyed at her question. After all, she was truly curious and did not mean anything else.

"Some beasts are more sensitive to sound compared to smell. We can't do anything much about the smell, but we sure can keep ourselves quiet! There's no need to attract both kinds of beasts," Gale explained hurriedly.

"Oh," Elise nodded enthusiastically.

Edward chuckled and lightly patted his daughter's head.

"Keep your questions until later, okay? There's danger all around us, although we can't see them. Just follow your uncle Gale closely."

"Mhm," Elise nodded again.

"We are heading in the headwind direction. The smell might be coming from afar, or it can be nearby. We may still have to walk quite a distance. Keep your voices down and follow me closely!" Gale cautioned his companions and turned forward.

After a short pause, Gale turned back to Edward and asked, "How does the flower look like again? Just in case I see it before you."

"Night Blossoms are purple with pale yellowish edges. It looks similar to a lily, but only with three petals. They are quite easy to spot since the flowers emit a silvery glow under the moonlight," Edward explained.

"Got it. I'll be sure to look out for them as well." Gale looked to the sky only to find out that the moon was covered by thick clouds.

"Glow under the moonlight, you say," he muttered under his breath as he moved forwards.

Edward gave a small smile and shook his head.

They moved forward swiftly and cautiously. With the dim light from the lantern, Gale was able to pick out the safest route through the dense forest. Oftentimes, Gale would pause and listen to their surroundings.

After trudging through the forest of trees, they emerged near the edge of a clearing. Stronger winds blew against their faces.

"Stop. We're nearing a cliff or some high ground. Going forwards means falling to our deaths," Gale said and held his hand up.

He smelled the air and perked his ears up to listen to the sounds nearby. A faint gurgling sound entered his ears.

"There's a stream towards the northwest. That should be the way down. The terrain could be steep. Follow my footsteps."

Edward and Elise nodded and quickly trailed behind Gale. They descended the slope with their body facing sideways.

"Ah!" Elise gasped as she stumbled and fell as she stepped on some uneven ground. Edward quickly caught her in his arms.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Elise nodded.

"Be careful! I told you to follow my steps, didn't I? One wrong step and you'll step on some deadly plant or animal that could kill you! Another wrong step and you'll become meat paste!" Gale berated Elise.

"I'm sorry!" Elise remembered to keep her voice down and whispered.

Gale swallowed his remaining words upon seeing Elise's sincere face.

He could not bear to lash out at her again and can only grumble under his breath, "That's why I said not to bring her along! What were you thinking? That this is some kind of field trip? If only she didn't come to me all doe-eyed. Heck, I wouldn't have agreed to this crazy midnight excursion if we didn't need that damn flower to cure that damn poison! This is suicide…"

Gale's grumble turned into a rant and he eventually started cursing.

Elise pursed her lips into a straight line as she listened to Gale. She thought that it would be good to gain experience by following her father and Gale in search for the Night Blossoms. She hoped that this learning experience will enable her to help her father in the future.

It was a good thing that Gale could not hear her thoughts. He would explode with rage if he knew that Elise really thought of this excursion as a field trip.

"Gale. Hey, Gale," Edward ignored Gale's senseless rant and tapped the latter's shoulder.

"What?" Gale snapped.

"The wind changed its direction. I can't smell the flowers anymore."

"Hmm. This means that we're walking in the right direction. But the only way forwa-- "

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!!!!"

All three of them froze in their steps as they heard an anguished scream. They stood in silence and only their shaky breath sounds were heard.

"Father, what's that?" Elise whispered. Her knuckles turned white from gripping the handle of the lantern.

"Someone's hurt," Edward replied with bated breath.

"It's from in front of us. It's close by," Gale added and gulped.

"That's also where the flowers are. The only way forward is to go down isn't it?"

"No. Don't. We can't," Gale shook his head.

"We have to. We need the flowers to cure Isla's poisoned wound. Besides, whoever's down there is hurt. He needs our help."

"No! Th-that scream… It's like a beacon for the beasts! He could be attacked by beasts right now for all we know! How could we send ourselves to death?" Gale's face paled as he shook.

"You don't know that. There are no sounds of beasts, aren't there?"

"Are the bandits not enough for you, Edward? Why must you seek more trouble?"

The atmosphere between the two men tensed up. One was being overly cautious, so much so to the point of cowardice. The other was willing to take risks to save lives.

In addition, Gale had been persistently negative during their trek, to the point where even the mild-mannered Edward felt like he was losing his patience.

"We're wasting time arguing. I'm going," Edward turned around resolutely.

"W-wait! Edward!" Gale frantically grasped Edward's arm to stop him.

The sudden motion of the two men caused them to lose their balance. Gale tumbled into Edward and they both rolled down the steep slope. A muffled shout and rustling vegetation accompanied their fall.

"Father!" Elise cried out in alarm.

She peered down into the darkness with the dismal light from her lantern but saw nothing. It was as if the two men were swallowed by the inky darkness. Her heart pounded in her chest in worry.

"Father? Uncle Gale!?" Elise craned her neck as she tried to peer farther over the slope. She squinted her eyes to try to see any signs of her father or Gale. She almost lost her balance and quickly crouched down to lower her center of gravity. A few loose pieces of rock and soil rolled down the slope.

Before Elise could call out to her father again, a string of screams echoed across the valley. She was almost shocked out of her skin and slid down the slope a little when she jolted. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast that she could hear its beating in her ears.

'What happened that could make someone scream like that? It sounds so painful,' Elise thought with furrowed eyebrows and clutched her tunic in front of her chest.

She was initially afraid of the sudden screaming. Any full grown adult would also be terrified of the scream that seemingly came out of nowhere in the middle of a dense forest in the darkness. However, after hearing the second screaming, although startled, she felt tugging at her heart. She wanted to help relieve the sufferings of that person.

Then, she heard some disgruntled curses from underneath.

"Father? Are you alright?" Elise called out with slight quiver in her voice. Her heart was still pounding. Was her father badly hurt? Was he still alive? Could it be that her mind was conjuring up noises just to ease her worried heart?

Elise was about to call out again when she heard Edward's voice.

"We're alright, Elise," Edward's calm voice sounded from below.

Instant relief washed over Elise's heart. She let out a huge sigh of breath that was held in her chest all this while.

"It seems that your uncle Gale had overestimated the height of the 'cliff' he mentioned just now," Edward chuckled as he held Gale's shoulder with a big pat.

Gale grunted. He felt his ears warm up.

"The slope is steep, but we're not too far down. Maybe about fifteen feet."

"Really? I can't see you at all even with the lantern," Elise said.

"That's probably because the light is too dim. It's almost totally dark. Hmm, to be frank, I find this darkness slightly abnormal," Edward said as he looked up at the sky.

The thick clouds continued to hide the moon from sight. The sky was as black as the surroundings. Uncertainty gripped his heart.

"Anyway, I can see you clearly with your lantern. Just try to scoot down along the slope. There are bushes down here that will cushion your fall if you do fall," Edward gestured for Elise to come down.

"O-okay," Elise replied nervously.

She tucked the long ends of her tunic that came out before into her belt. She fastened the belt securely. Gripping the lantern for dear life, she descended the slope cautiously. Every step she took was followed by half a step of sliding down the slope.

After step-sliding down halfway, Elise finally saw the figure of her father.

"Father!" she was elated and called out.

The next moment, she felt that she was tumbling down the slope.

"Got you!" Edward caught Elise and crashed into some bushes.

Elise hugged Edward tightly. She had gotten such a fright just now, not able to see her father through the darkness. Seeing her father again, she buried her head into his chest held onto him tightly. Edward smiled and comforted his little girl.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your reunion, but we should really go back," Gale grumbled.

Hearing that, Elise lifted her head from Edward's chest and said, "Uncle Gale, I think we should help that injured person. There're also the Night Blossoms. Isla will die without them!"

"Didn't you hear what I was saying before, girl? It's too dangerous!" Gale exclaimed.

"We're not going through this argument again. We've already come so far that it only makes sense to go forth," Edward said, his stern voice sounded, leaving no room for negotiations.

He held Elise's hand and picked up the surprisingly intact metal-framed lantern with the other. He resolutely trudged towards the direction of the screaming without waiting for Gale to respond.

Gale could only bite down his frustrations and follow the father-daughter duo. He grumbled in his heart about their recklessness and foolishness. He thought that his experiences hunting in the forest were giving him the right signs about leaving this place. The ominous darkness and strange winds in this place unnerved him.

Huge gusts of wind howled in the skies above. The rustling leaves danced on their swaying branches. The wind accelerated when it blew through the valley. The trio's clothing fluttered and the winds sent chills against their skin.

Edward squinted his eyes against the gale. He smelled the unique scent of the Night Blossoms again. He quickened his steps.

"A storm is coming!" Gale yelled above the howling winds.

Silvery light illuminated their surroundings. The clouds, blown away by the winds, revealed the glow of the crescent moon.

The trio subconsciously looked up to the sky.

"Maybe the storm clouds are being blown away," Edward said wryly.

Glistening light reflected from a stream nearby attracted their sight. They saw a motionless body beside some boulders.

"There!" Elise pointed towards the body and rushed forwards. Without thoughts of any caution, she shook the body, trying to rouse the person.

"Hey, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"Here, let me take a look at him," Edward gently pushed Elise aside and examined the body in front of them.

"Is he dead?" Gale asked dryly and looked around for potential danger.

Edward ignored Gale and looked at the injured person. He held the lantern closer the body and gasped softly.

He saw a bloodied boy, about fourteen or fifteen years of age. His face was so pale that it looked as white as a sheet under the moonlight. Edward checked the boy's vitals and found out that the latter's pulse was weak and that he was barely breathing. His skin felt cold and clammy to the touch too.

Elise clenched her hands as she watched her father. Suddenly, she noticed that her hands were wet and sticky. They smelled like iron.

'Blood!' Elise exclaimed internally.

'So much. It's like... it's like in the village when the bandits came and plundered. When they slashed the defenseless villagers indiscriminately,' she shook as she recalled what had happened a few days ago.

"Huh? Say, Edward, aren't these the flowers that we're looking for?" Gale asked. He was observing their surroundings when he noticed the yellow-edged purple blossoms, glistening in the moonlight.

"Yes!" Edward exclaimed when he saw the flowers.

"Elise, pick the flowers. Be sure to include the leaves. They have medicinal properties too. Gale, help me carry this boy. The first-aid supplies that I brought along are not enough to treat his injuries. We need to get him back quickly," Edward instructed the two as he tore a part of his tunic to bandage the gaping wound on the boy's side.

"Wait, are you crazy? The blood will attract the beas--"

"None of this right now!" Edward almost roared.

Booom!

Lightning flashed and an explosive thunder boomed across the sky. The storm was truly coming.

"The storm will wash away the blood. Come! We need to seek shelter! Even better, return to the cave!" Edward gestured to the disgruntled hunter.

"Elise, you've got the flowers?"

"Yes!"

"Alright. Quickly Gale, bring us back to the cave!"

Gale only grunted and complied.