Arcanum - Chapter 76

Chapter 76






Following Josalyn home we walked into a very shanty part of the city . . . . . There were many houses but the naturally looked small more run down, the difference in cleanliness of the streets was night and day a lot more discoloured, dirty and visible litter .

"This is it . . . . " Josalyn said opening a small wooden gate leading through a small pretty garden to a small very old looking house . The bricks look worn and discoloured, the window frames and door riddled with age .

Josalyn pulled out a key her old shaky hands struggling slightly to thread the key through the keyhole . Slowly her shaky hands managed to turn the key opening the door .

"NANA!!!!" Two childish voices screamed out to her as she opened the door .

"Hello my darlings!" She said hugging them . "Guess what! Nana has found some friends that can find daddy!" she said to them .

"Really???!!!" They said two small heads popped out the side of Josalyn a black haired young boy and girl no older than 7 or 8 looking at us .

"NANA!!! Two of them are elves and there's a weird girl with horns!!!" They said to her in total surprise sounding extremely excited .

"Yes yes . . . the two elf girls are call Grace and Helen, the Horned girl is called a Tiefeling her name is Daisy . . . . . The other two are named Emilia and Jay . . . . remember our manners . . . " She said to them .

Out popped their heads again, "Hello Grace, Helen, Daisy, Emma and Jack!" They said before disappearing again quickly . Jay raised his hand as if to correct them, but then lowered his hand forgetting about it .

"Will they really find daddy for us?!!" They asked Josalyn sounding extremely excited and hopeful .

"That's what they told me . . . . " She answered them .

The two kids instantly came bursting out giving Helen and grace a hug . "Can you find daddy for us? . . . " they asked .

Helen and Grace knelt down like a mother talking to their child, "We will try our best . " They said with a smile .

"Thank you!" The children replied giving them another hug .

"You know . . . this is the most affectionate I've seen Grace ever be . . . " Jay whispered to me causing me to chuckle a little . Grace turned around hearing him shooting him a glare somehow hearing his whisper .

"Okay children . . . . go out to the garden and play . . . so we can talk about adult stuff . " Josalyn asked her Grandchildren .





"Okay!! Nana . " They said letting go of Helen and Grace giving us one last thank you before running off .

"Would you like some Tea? . . " Josalyn asked .

"No its okay . . . . I think we should get going soon . . . . it's already been three days . . . . . " Grace answered her .

"Ohh okay . . . " she replied remembering how long it's been .

"Could you tell us where the Cave is located? . . " Jay asked .

"I'm not sure myself . . . but I remember Tolum telling me it's the forest near the west exit . . . " She answered .


"Okay . . . . We'll try our best!" Jay said .

"Yes Nana don't worry! We will bring him back . " Daisy said .

"Yeah . . . we better be making our way now . . . . " Grace said .

"Umm . . . okay . . . . good luck . . . " She said walking to the door to open it for us .

"Stay safe . . . " Helen said kneeling down giving her a hug .

Bidding Josalyn farewell and began making our way out the house towards the western exit .

"Daisy you shouldn't have promised her that we will bring him back . . . " Grace said to her the moment the door closed .

"Yup . . . it's been three days . . . there's a good chance he may no longer be with us . " Jay agreed .

" . . . I'm sure he's fine . . . . . " Daisy said with a smile .





Taking the western exit we followed alongside the road . There didn't seem to be anyone else walking . Only carriages and carts travelling on the road similar to how we have it at home, the road swerved around the forest . Every so often some children popping their head out pointing at Grace, Daisy and I .

"Why are the pointing and staring at me as well . . . . ? . . . " I asked a little confused .

"It's because your skin colour is unique . . . . " Helen replied .

"Ohhh I see . " I replied giving the kids a smile and a wave, they jumped in excitement tugging on their mother sleeve pointing at me . Their mother waved back and smiled while trying to calm down her children .

"Life here is so different to back home . . . . " I said to everyone .

"How so . . . ??? . . . " they asked .

"I dunno . . . . . Everyone back home just kinda minds their own business . . . . . " I explained .

"Hmmm I'm sure it's not too different here . " Helen replied .

I looked up into the sky absorbing the freedom, being free of responsibility . A part of me really didn't look forward to spend the rest of my life working living a mundane life .

"So any idea where to go once we meet the forest?? . . . "Jay asked .

"Hmmm . . . . . I can ask some animals . . . . if we come across one . . . . and Grace is an excellent tracker . . . " Helen answered Jay .

"You can talk to animals?? . . " I asked for some reason still shocked that those things were possible .

"Yup is a relatively easy druidic spell . " She said with a smile .

"Ohhh would you be able to teach me??? . . . " I asked .

"Of course . . . . it should be easy . " she replied smiling .

Eventually arriving at the edge of the forest . . . . . "Just an eerie forest . . . . what could possible go wrong . . . "I commented staring into it a quite empty forest .





"It will be fine . . . . we're so close to the city . . . there's gonna be nothing dangerous here . " Helen replied .

"Say that to my body . . . . " I said as chills began running up my spine, the eeriness filling me with anxiety .

"Yeah just follow me . . . and stay close . . . I'll keep a watch out for everyone" Grace said leading the way . "Oh and have your weapons nearby just in case . " She smiled .

Although eeriness was surprisingly peaceful . . . . . Living up and growing up in a city I've never experienced such silence . The sounds of the wind whistling through the trees rustling the leaves, the small patches of sunlight that managed to pierce through the forest canopy .

"Oi . . . Daisy why you running off? . . " Jay asked .

"I'll be a minute!" She shouted back .

"Okay . . . . don't fall behind too much!" Grace said still carrying on walking .

I stopped a little ahead waiting for Daisy, as everyone else carried on walking making sure she wouldn't lose us .

"Look what I found!!!" she said once she finished what she was doing walking towards me with something in her hands

"What is it? . . " I asked .

"Its flowers!!! Isn't it pretty?!" she said showing me some flowers she picked .

"Yeah they are pretty!" I replied to her .

"Don't fall too far behind!" Jay shouted to us .

"Coming!!!" Daisy shouted back putting a flower in her hair above her ear, and went to put on in my hair .

"Thank you . " I smiled at her .

"Lets go!" she smiled .

"What was you guys up to? . . " Jay said when we caught up .

"Nothing you would understand . . . " Daisy replied to him and went to Helen and grace .

"How comes we stopped? . . " I asked .

"I think Grace found a track or something . " He explained .

"Ohhh I see . . . " I replied, Grace was knelt down on the floor looking at a small area of the ground .

"Ohh thank you!" Helen thanked Daisy as she put a flower in her hair .

"Hmmmm this is interesting . . . " Grace said .

"What's going on? . . . " Jay asked .

"Well . . . this looks like we've come across several footsteps all leading the same way . . . . " Grace explained .

"That must be the way then . . . . . " Jay said .

"Yeah . . . but there are some larger footsteps as well . . . . " Grace explained .

"Want me to ask a tree? . . . " Helen asked .

"This is the only set of footprints we've come across after 3 hours . . . . this is defiantly . . . what we are looking for . . . " She said .

"How many sets of footsteps we got here? . . " Jay asked .

"Looks like we have . . . . 5 maybe 6 unique set of footsteps . . . . and then two additional larger one . . . . . Alot larger . . . " She informed him .

"Hmmm that don't sound good . . . " Jay replied .

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