Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube

"-Still, no matter how good things seem, you've gotta remember that this is a dangerous world, even beyond the whole invasion thing," Pato warned as their talk went on. "I've seen and been through some crazy stuff since getting here."

"Yeah? You're not alone there but that's actually kind of nice to hear. People who live on this planet seem to think it would be pretty sunshine and rainbows if not for the invasion but I'm pretty sure I've had to deal with a couple attempts on my life each year since I arrived. Seriously, having to avoid being murdered constantly is not normal."

"...No it isn't." Pato agreed, not having gone through any of that himself but was open to the chance he may have just been getting lucky on that front. "But there's some downright bizarre crap out in these woods too, I'm honestly a bit worried we'll just stumble into something else on our way."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Man, it's hard to describe if you don't see it yourself, it doesn't really capture the feel unless you go out to it, but since I can teleport at such a high level I get sent to do a lot of stuff. Transport and deep expeditions like this aren't unusual but one of the ones that stands out the most is when we were sent to examine this one area. A huge place, should have been teeming with beasties but was left completely dead and desolate save for the plants around it."

"Okay, a little weird but the ecosystem of this planet is kind of a nightmare from the hundreds of alien species that were dragged along with the survivors when the gods brought them here. It's possible that some predator moved in and whatever was already living there just wasn't able to compete."

"Not a bad idea but that's not what it was. Once you got to the heart of this dead zone, you'd find something. A giant wall, built right in the middle of the woods with nothing else around it surrounded by red earth, the entire area stained by the sheer quantity of blood that had been spilled there."

"...You don't say," Ben responded, trying to sound casual and sculpting his face to keep any reaction from giving away that he already knew what Pato was talking about as well as who'd been the cause of it all and to his luck it seemed the other didn't notice, too invested in going on with his story.

"Trust me, you don't really get the scale unless you see it for yourself but that wasn't even the worst of it. On the same expedition that sent me out there, me and the others were also sent to look at another area that was maybe even worse. Seriously, just close your eyes and try to imagine this. You're walking through the woods when you start to notice something strange. You can't place your finger on it at first until it hits you, there's something wrong with the trees! All of them have branches that are unusually straight until they start turning at sharp right angles, bending themselves so they all look like cubes."

"Uh-"

"But not just that!" Pato went on. "As you look closer, you realize that the leaves on all of them are deformed too, all of them strangely square in shape no matter what species they're from."

"..."

"And if all of that wasn't spooky enough, eventually you see that the nests and hives built in all of the trees were constructed in exactly the same way, angular in a way nothing would naturally do and then as you've finally had enough and decide to leave, you get one last shock!"

"What?" Ben asked weakly, trying to play his part in the conversation no matter the psychological blow it was dealing him as Pato finished.

"Even the bugs were affected there! All of them I could see were flying in these unnatural, angular formations. Of everything I'd seen, those two places must have been the scariest!"

"I bet, that sure sounds spooky."

"You don't know the half of it," He sighed before leaning in a bit and speaking softer. "Honestly, sometimes I worry a bit that I was affected by whatever was going on there. I still sometimes dream of both of those places."

"Probably just stress," Ben tried to reassure. "I mean, even if something was affecting the life in that one region, it doesn't sound like there was anything in the first you went to, right? Sometimes events just have a habit of sticking with you like that."

Even as he said it though, a completely different thought was going through his head.

I need to burn those bits of forest down before any more people stumble over and freak out.

At the very least, it seemed Pato wasn't the same one who found the demidemons and with that bit of reassurance given, the other nodded.

"Yeah, you're probably right but it was intense in a way I don't want to repeat. I've been a bit more cautious about whatever deep-wood requests I've taken ever since. Anyway though-"

"Alright all, break's up!" Fone called out to them. "Let's get a move on for now and try our best to clear as many as we can before taking another!"

"Ah, looks like it's back to work," Pato sighed before standing up and stretching. "But it was good getting to talk to you. Next break we get, make sure to tell me a bit of the stranger stuff you've put up with since coming to the world."

"Yeah, will do."

With their rest over, Pato walked to the front to begin opening portals as Thera moved back to Ben's side once done with giving the other women pointers, looking as uncomfortable as Ben felt on the inside, with the guess as to why not too hard to find.

"I take it they told you about some of their adventures in the woods."

"Unfortunately. Same with you?"

"Unfortunately."

They said no more on the topic, an unspoken agreement between the two to let the matter drop and pretend they'd never heard anything as they went with the rest, beginning their journey to the third group of demons.

It wasn't long between portal jumps that something caught Ben's eye as he waited for the rest of the chimeras to pass through the current gate Pato had opened, with a strong sight of souls off in the distance between the ones filling all of the life of that world to an extent he hadn't seen before.

It went beyond what he'd see in the people around him, drawing his interest in a way he wasn't used to and demanded investigation, turning his attention to Fone to ask before running off.

"Fone, I think there might be something weird out that way, would it be cool if me and Thera took just a couple minutes to investigate?"

He looked at Ben in curiosity for a minute before turning to address the nearby chimeras. "Do any of you detect anything that might be a demon around?"

"No," said one, with the rest in agreement.

"Anything over there of note at all?"

"Not that we can detect."

"Galda, anything?"

"Nothing for me either."

"I see. And Ben, you're certain there's something over there worth investigating?"

"If it will be worth it, I can't say, but there's definitely something that way. Although if nobody else can't tell then that would imply to me it might be worth looking into."

"Very well, then I'll be joining as well. The rest of you, stay on guard until we're back. Pato, should anything happen, you're in charge of judging whether to follow or fall back."

"Understood."

"Very well, then let's go."

"Cool, Thera, to make this quick you mind taking us that way?"

"Can do."

She lifted the ground under their feet and carried them the way Ben was pointing, navigating through the trees and beyond to bring what would have been a walk of a few minutes down to less than one, revealing what Ben had been able to see so clearly and instantly putting the other two on guard.

Ghosts, a crowd of them in the dozens that was clearer in his eyes than ever before thanks to the new way of seeing he'd gained since he'd last encountered one as he took them all in for everything they had, trying to determine the changes that existed in them compared to a living soul since he was getting the chance, even as they drifted by, completely unaware of their existence.

Fone spoke low as they watched them go, more than aware of the potential danger they posed since the number of them on the planet had exploded with the gate to hell opening only a few months prior.

"The fact they haven't reacted to us is a good sign but if they have awareness we could be in trouble. We should get Pato to deal with them if he can."

"We won't need to, Thera can handle them but before we go all in on that, there's another issue that might be worth considering. I can feel something drawing them in."

"What?"

"I have a few soul skills," Ben explained, keeping light on the details as he connected to the bunch of them. "I don't know what it is or how far off they're going but something is drawing them in the way they're heading and is suppressing their minds to keep them from going off track. It might be worth checking out."

"...And you don't know how far off they are?"

"No idea."

"Then we don't have the time," Fone said, shaking his head. "We have our job and we have to stick to it. None of the remaining groups we're looking for would be in that direction either so these are completely unrelated, even if the likely culprit is going to be some other group of demons or an animal with a death effect. When we get back I'll bring it up with the guild including where we are and the way they're going but for now we can't just change our objective."

"Okay, I understand."

"Thank you. Thera, if you can deal with them I'll ask you to, just because we don't have the time to follow them doesn't mean we'll leave them unimpeded."

Thera nodded and cast her spell, forcing them to peace as they passed on, leaving that plain and that portion of woods empty as Fone nodded.

"Thank you. And Ben, good eye. I'm sorry we couldn't investigate further but if you notice anything else please continue to speak up."

"Of course, will do."

"Good, in that case, let's head back and continue on our way."

With the minor detour over and unanswered questions that continued to scratch at Ben's mind, the three went back to the rest and let Pato create his next portal, continuing on their way to the next waiting swarm.