Kikrrrrrrik! Kikrrrrrrrik! Kikrrrrrrrrik!

It was several minutes since the two sojourners were walking. Sounds of crickets bathed the surroundings as they paved the path. Swatting the vines that were blocking the way beside the road, they felt so slowed by its presence.

Crickets became louder and louder as the night grows deeper. Their sweat was getting cold as the temperature was low while inside the deep jungle. Mosquitoes were buzzing left and right that made their travel more unsettling. Making their ears to be heated in the process.

While they travelled, the floating lights followed after them. Making the two have better sight on the way. While striding the path, moss was all over the place. Vegetation and flora were in their thickest and it made the path to be old and unused. .

Still, Isaias led the way while swatting the vegetation aside. Making a new way for the two of them. Into their surprise, the place was teeming with snakes.

“Snakes Isaias! We are surrounded by snakes!” Joan perplexed. It was the first in his life to be in such situations.

“Shush, Joan! You are being loud!” Isaias said while motioning to keep quiet.

Snakes crawled and hanged on tree branches, it hissed at them and others were prepared to bit them. Making Isaias batter all of them and stomped their heads. Rattlesnakes then started to sound and bathed again the surroundings, making the two have their hairs stand up.

“Be careful not to step on rattlesnakes. You don’t want to get bitten do you?” Isaias said to Joan.

“I don’t wanna. Better not to be careless this time. They seemed to be numerous in these parts, why?” Joan asked.

“They were on their breeding season. Maybe these parts were their breeding grounds. Look at the snake skins here, they were pretty numerous,” Isaias said while pointing at their skins littered the ground.

Joan can only scratch his head, walking closer to him. Not wanting to accidentally step at the living creatures in the surroundings.

It was then, the two saw a rattlesnake shaking its tail but it was not moving from its original position. Choosing the right decision, the two left him as he was and just walked away.

While the road was still distinguishable, they paved the way onwards. They moved with more care this time. As the two was on their way, they have seen eyes were blinking in yellow. It was then a bellow was heard and they all shouted.

Forest monkeys all surrounded them and were swinging on the trees’ branches. Wailing while they saw intruders in their homes.

If the two observed, they were a couple of hundreds. Making it nasty to have a brawl with them. Still, they were animals and not monsters. Making them not enemies of Joan and Isaias.

They were shrieking at them and Joan can only think to just scare them off. Touching Isaias on his shoulders then whispered at him.

“Can I scare them off? They seemed harmless to me,” Joan asked Isaias.

“No Joan, they would not be intimidated in the slightest but will attack you instead. Better be friends with them. I remember giving bananas to them in the past hundreds of years ago,” Isaias whispered in low voice.

“Do we have one?” Joan asked.

“Yes we do, this one!” Isaias said then showed him a hand of banana behind his back.

“You sure are resourceful! Now, how do we befriend them?” Joan asked.

“You give it to them,” Isaias then gave him the bananas.

Joan received it then slowly approached them. Thinking that they will be friends with them, he slowly gave them the banana and tried his best to show harmless. His hands perspiring, shaky a bit and his throat run dry. Sweat trickled his face and he breathed slowly. Giving a hand then they all jumped at him. Making Joan jolt and jump back. All of them were fighting for it and were in chaos.

“Now Joan! Run!” Isaias shouted.

Without a hint of thinking twice, he dashed ahead. Leaving the rowdy bunch of monkeys. Their shouts became echoes as they get farther away from their location. Soon after, they made it safe and was panting. Joan can only shake his head in the process.

“I thought that we will befriend them. It suddenly became an escape mission,” Joan said to him. Hands were on his knees, breathing deep.

“Haha, we sure did. But they will become friendly the next time we met them. They would ask again though,” Isaias said to him.

“Yeah yeah, we should move on. Let us continue the journey.” Joan said to him. Inhaled deep then stretched his back.

The two then went on with their journey. Trailing the path that leads to a fallen tree trunk that blocks the way. So big that it was a size of a one storey building.

Just as they were planning to climb it, they saw tracks. All were on Isaias’ foothold and they were numerous with it having mixed foot sizes. While seeing it, Joan volunteered to climb the tree first. Not that Isaias can’t but was something Joan can do better. Upon climbing the tree with just a jump, he saw by the distance of torch lights from afar. Even more so, tracks were seen on the other side of the tree. More numerous compared to Isaias’ side.

“Hey Isaias, I see torches from afar. It was like a pyramid with torches lighted on its bottom. Is this the tomb of corruption?” Joan asked. Eyes straight towards the direction of the road.

“Yes, that would be it. We arrived sooner than later. But torches means that they were already there,” Isaias said to him.

“Help me climb up Joan, let me see it with my own eyes,” Isaias requested.

“Sure!” Joan then used his skill [Telekinesis] and lifted Isaias. Perching him on the large trunk of the tree.

Just as he stands there, he saw the tomb of corruption with his eyes. The tomb was emerging from the forest with stars glitter in the night sky. Lights were seen flickering from afar and can see some persons holding torches while patrolling in the entrance.

“It has been a thousand years since we sealed the Lord of Corruption. Erecting the tomb with him sealed inside it. Hundreds of years to construct the pyramid with traps but here we are, it was liberated that easily. Maybe they disabled the protection and the barriers.” Isaias said to Joan.

“Well, let us storm it then?” Joan suggested.

“Nice idea, sneaking inside will only delay us,” Isaias said to him.