35 Just Foo'd?

Stepping out at his destination, Foo took in the scenery around him. The sky was dark. One could not determine if there was a ceiling, or if it just continued on. The surroundings were strangely lit up, as if there was light. But there were no source of light anywhere. It was just there. This slight and explainable light were making the surrounding even more creepy.

The surroundings were consisting of skeletons. Skeletal houses, grotesque skeletal statues, and even the roads were paved by skulls.

A fountain that was also made of bones were spewing blood, filling the air with its thick scent.

Walking forward, Foo pondered on what he should do next. The mood in here did not scare him. He was an avid player of horror games in the past. Compared to those games, which were methodically built to induce the largest about of fear, this were just a green and peaceful meadow. A meadow without grass, and with skeletons and blood everywhere...

Anyway, Foo was facing a great problem. Judging by the sight around him, the spirits must be hideous! Who would want some gruesome looking spirit? They should be cute or even beautiful! This place seemed to contain neither!

While sighing in despair, Foo acknowledged that beggars can't be choosers. He just wanted a spirit really quick, so that he could pass the examination. He did not necessarily need to stare at it day after day.

After walking forward in silence, only interrupted by the crunching of the skulls he stepped on. Which was really odd, as when you looked closer, there was no damage at all, and it still looked really neat... If one could use that word to describe it. There were definitely something magical about the sound effects.

After some consideration, Foo came to the conclusion that the sound effects really improved the mood. Whoever made this was really good! But he was missing the wailing of agony, and creepy winds blowing by... If he met the creator, he should definitely suggest that as an improvement. And lets not forget to suggest some half-alive mutilated bodies and so, it would make any gloomy place much livelier.

While judging the lacking horror in the taste of the architect, Foo walked towards the direction where the surroundings got even gloomier and creepier. After all, that is what you do in games. The correct path usually have more effort placed on the design, and often have more enemies.

When he started to think about enemies, Foo realized that he had not seen anyone around. Normally, in a game, you would know that you were on the right track if you keep running into enemies, but there were no enemies here. The only thing that relieved Foo was that the designs got more and more elaborate.

Right at the side of the road was lots of bloody torture equipment. Some devices with skeletons still inside them.

And the left side had a boiling pool of blood, from which several skeletons seemed to have frozen in an attempt to escape out of the liquid.

And there was this pesky skull that had jumped after him for the last hour or so, trying to chew on his leg. Yet again, Foo absentmindedly kicked it away for the umpteenth time.

The skull suddenly jumped in front of Foo and yelled: "The hell man! Show some respect! At least pretend to be scared, will ya?"

Stunned, Foo abruptly stopped to look at the talking skull. Not missing the opportunity, the skull made another lounge for Foo's leg. Only to be met by the foot, once again.

After flying a bit from the kick, and then jumping back, it continued: "You are supposed to be freaking out! And do you not see the surroundings? You are strolling here as if on a pleasure trip in the lush garden of freaking Eden!"

Foo were surprised at this sudden appearance, as he had been regarding the earlier interactions as something a bit less interesting than swatting flies, nothing that he would notice.

Worried about the fragile feelings of the poor skull, Foo then exclaimed in an obvious fake, but still serious attempt to sound scared "Oh no! A talking skull!"

At this point, the skull could not be more speechless. Almost as if he had lost his vocal chords... which he had... Even this skull that could somehow magically talk, could at this point not for his life figure out what to say... not that he really was alive...

Was this human mocking him? But the attempt to sound scared were quite sincere, although that made the matter even worse.

Unaware of the skull's inner turmoil, and fascinated by this odd jumping and speaking skull, Foo then asked: "You do not happen to be a spirit?"

Startled from his stupor, the skull forcefully rejected that notion: "Hell no! I am not one of those bastards! I am just a tiny little fish in this godforsaken pond of death."

Looking down on the skull, Foo then asked: "So you are worthless then?" After which he walked past the skull, making his way further down the skull paved road.

After a moment of silence, the skull quickly jumped after him. Agitated, the skull insisted: "The hell! I am not worthless! I can... munch on your leg! Be careful that you do not anger me, or you might end up with a leg less!"

Ignoring the skull's babble, Foo just walked on and said: "Right... Like you have been doing twice already?"

The skull was now on the verge of tears: "I have been trying for some hours now! DID YOU NOT EVEN NOTICE!?" Plunging deeper into depression, the skull realized that Foo might not even have noticed him. Much less gotten scared at all.

But despite his feelings, the skull continued to follow Foo, as if he had been without anyone to speak to in countless years, and was now satisfied with anything he could get.

In a grumpy voice, the skull then said: "Because you're belittling me so much, I'll refuse to tell you that you're heading towards certain death, as this path leads to the territory of the big fishes."

Unflinching, Foo strolled on while he replied: "Of course! I'm here to hunt for spirits! The bigger the better, but I want to do it quickly, so I might not be so picky!"

The skull was bewildered, and he could not help but to exclaim: "But why would you do something as suicidal as seeking up those bastards?! Normally you would be lucky if they did not decide to find you, but you even want to deliver yourself to them? They eat humans like you for breakfast. After playing with you for a couple of decades, of course."

This foolish human was at the most food in their eyes, and he intended to go there and catch some? It was the most silly thing that he had ever heard. He did not strike as powerful, and his entire fresh and pure being was devilishly alluring for demonic spirits.

To his worried thoughts, Foo answered: "Ah, I just need to get some spirits so that I can pass a mage examination. Apparently, you can pass as a mage if you just get a spirit, ain't it simple?"

Completely at a loss for words, the skull could almost feel his soul leave his body... which only consisted of the skull. This human was heading to the most dangerous place in the entire spirit world, just to pass some simple examination... It sounded like he could just contract with any spirit to pass the examination, so why did he just have to go and find the most dangerous ones in existence? And he did not even seem to be aware of the danger, strolling around as if in his own backyard.

Suddenly, the skull realized that it was not just feeling as if his soul were leaving his skull... It was actually doing it! This man was just too much! Desperately, the skull's soul could only struggle to remain a grip on the skull, fighting to get back inside.

Crying inside, the skull and soul were left behind by Foo, exhausting all his willpower to stabilize his existence, with the threat of death looming over him.