🌲A Trip To The Forest
Last updated
Last updated
After some time spent socializing, The Fellowship Of The Octopies gathered up all the members of the militia. They announced to them, plainly and clearly, that it was time to make the tough decision.
The Fellowship would be heading into the Haunted Forest.
The hope was that they would find some truth to the rumors of a mysterious magic in play. That something might exist within the Forest that could help them replenish their strength, heal their wounded, and maybe have a chance of taking on the Pieous. However… it could all be false. The forest was known as the place from which Octopies never returned. What if the stories of scary beasts are real? What if there is no magic, only monsters?
The Fellowship knew that this was a risky proposition. There was a chance that none of them would make it out of the Forest, but they knew the larger their traveling party was, the higher their chance of success. The Pielander in the Fellowship stepped forward to present an open offer to the militia:
“We will be heading to the Haunted Forest, heading into the heart of the forest itself. We do not know what we will find. We do not know if we will find help. We do not know if we will return…” The crowd listened in complete silence, taken in by the weight of these words. “But we do know we will try. We do know we won’t turn back without answers. We do know that this may be our last chance of changing the fate of all of Pieland. Now, the choice of joining or not is up to each of you. If you wish to leave now and head home, you may do. Otherwise, pack your things and get ready to leave.”
As the Pielander finished, the rest of the Fellowship looked into the crowd. They had been prepared to see the large majority of the militia make their way home. It was unreasonable to expect any of these Octopies to join them in what may be certain death.
Not a single one of them moved. None of them turned away to head home. The militia was here, standing by the Fellowship, no matter what. The Pielander let out a big grin, “Ok then, it looks like you’re all as stupid as us. Joining in on this journey even in the face of certain doom. Well, let’s face it together, in the name of Pieland!” The crowd responded with a loud cheer before everyone began to gather their things and get ready to depart.
A few hours later, the group was on the move. Fortunately, traveling to the Haunted Forest is a safe and easy trip. Since they were starting in the land of the Piesons, it was only a couple of days' travel on a tentacle to get there. They arrived at the edge of the Haunted Forest in record time, fueled by the adrenaline of entering this mysterious, uncharted land. As they stood on the edge of the Forest, any adrenaline and confidence were washed away. Every Octopie stood in silence, staring into the forest. With mushroom trees towering the height of 7 or 8 Octopies, bushy shrubs as high as an Octopie's legs, and no clear path or track to walk down, this was a scary moment for all Octopies.
The Pielander from the Fellowship once again turned to the crowd. “This is the final reminder - if you’d like to turn around and go home, you’re welcome to. For those of you who are staying, we welcome you to take this step into the unknown with us!”
And with that, the Pielander turned to the forest and walked straight in. Seemingly with no fear or concern. This triggered a strong reaction in all the other Slices - the Pierates hated the idea of a Pielander seeming braver than them, so they followed closely. The Pieborgs lamented that the Pielanders wouldn’t have the tools to survive on their own, following seemingly out of empathy. The Vampiers cried that the Pielanders are the dumbest slice, so they would have to go to provide intellectual support, following at a distance. Before long, every Slice had made their way into the forest, following one another in a long line.
The Octopies found that the forest was, well, sort of boring. There were no weird noises, no strange sightings, and no danger in sight. There was plenty of sunlight coming through the treetops, making walking through the thick shrubbery much easier. The only sounds they heard were birds singing and water flowing along the many creeks and rivers. Whilst it certainly felt spiritual, it lacked any sign of being haunted.
After a few hours of working their way through the trees and bushes, the Octopies came across a clearing. The space was large enough for them to not have to walk in a thin line. They knew they didn’t have much sunlight left, so setting up camp here for the night was a no-brainer. No offense intended to the zompies. The group began to unpack and set up their campsite for the evening.
Once they were set up, they were split up into multiple small groups, gathered around campfires and sharing their food rations as the sun set. Each group eventually had the same discussion - the stories of the Haunted Forest were just false hearsay. They had been in here for hours already and saw no issues. There were no monsters, no magic, or any danger. They hadn’t even seen any sign of life other than some bugs and insects. The group figured they were probably fairly deep into the forest now, so if they hadn’t seen anything yet, then perhaps there really was just nothing of note to see. What they had seen had been multiple streams and rivers, with slippery rocks and muddy bushes. Perhaps, many of the group wondered aloud, the stories of missing Octopies were simply unskilled adventurers slipping and getting injured. Walking through this forest without a large group, or under the cover of darkness, would no doubt lead to accidents and stranded travelers.
With those thoughts in mind, the Octopies turned in for the evening, ready to bake up some more adventures at the crack of dawn.
Except, when they woke up, something was different. The clearing felt… smaller. Like the tree line from the large mushroom trees had closed in on them. The way they had entered the clearing had left a clear pathway. But now, it… wasn’t there? It was as if the very forest had moved. The forest overall looked… darker than before. The sunlight didn’t come through the trees like it had done yesterday.
Many of the group looked into the Forest, staring into the darkness, trying to make sense of how much it seemed to have changed overnight. When, suddenly, a loud scream was heard. The whole group rushed over to the Pieson that had made the shriek. But the Pieson said nothing, instead, they just stared into the treeline with a worried look on their face.
The rest of the group looked into the trees, into the darkness. As their eyes adjusted, it seemed like there was a shape they could make out. A shape that was hard to make out, but certainly there.
Those in the group who had weapons on them clenched their tentacles around them. They all moved in closer together, darting their eyes all around them. Until they heard rustling from the forest.
The shape that they could barely make out began moving. It began moving towards them, slowly. After a few long, drawn-out seconds, the shape broke the treeline.
One of the figures began to speak, with a booming voice coming from behind its mask and a strong clasp on its weapon.
“You have all traveled far. So far. Alas, today is the sacred day. Enjoy it. We will return.” Once they finished, the figure began to slowly step backwards. From the militia, a Vampier shouted “What?! Sssstop! Tell us who you are!”. The figure stood still. Slowly, it turned its masked head towards the Vampier.
“Child, in time, you will know. We will return. For today, we will allow you to celebrate, as all Pieland should.” With that, the figures slinked back into the treeline. As the Octopies watched them leave, they saw a dozen more masked faces, barely visible in the darkness, staring out at them.
The crowd was stunned into silence. Was that… An Octopie? Out here, living in the Forest? Were these Octopies dangerous? They certainly didn’t seem friendly… but were they hostile? And why did the Forest suddenly feel so dark and scary?
The group returned to their campfires and makeshift tents. It was clear that today was not the day to venture further into the unknown. They would follow the stranger's advice and celebrate Pi day, pretending for a day that things were normal in Pieland. Albeit, this celebration felt much less festive and exciting now that they seemed to be surrounded by mysterious strangers, who might be watching their every move.
Once again, they feared that the Haunted Forest might be where they meet their baker.
