The village was full of warmth, and smiles could be seen on the villagers' faces despite the harrowing situation they were in, considering they were nestled in the life-ending Doom forest.
Nights in Doom forest was surprisingly quiet and tame - at least that's what appeared on the surface, the truth was that weaker predators took shelter to protect themselves from becoming prey of the elite monsters that came out to hunt in the veil of night - any noise made in the open of the forest alerted predators that would immediately rise to the task of hunting the exposed prey. The day was noisy and full of lurking danger, but the night was even more so if any wanderers landed in another creature's hunting ground.
The village was deeper into Doom Forest, and therefore closer to the more nefarious and elusively dangerous monsters, but what baffled Seth was that despite all the surrounding danger, the villagers hadn't yet become monster food.
'A village located in such an obvious place for creatures to hunt is still in one piece. What sorcery did they conjure to survive this long?'
Seth thought of asking the villagers, but he wondered if doing so would be invasive prying - hence, he hadn't so far.
He stole a glance at the chief, who was seated around a separate fire far away from him; the warm fire illuminated his face in a red-orange light. Three elderly people surrounded him, whose faces seemed aged by the constant task of trying to survive. The way Seth saw it, the group of three besides the chief must have been his advisers or people holding a similar title. His trained ears picked up the conversation.
"This boy, are you sure he is a disciple of Wung Dao - he looks...well, too soft to have lasted this long in Doom Forest! He could be one of these adventurer brats trying to make a quick fortune by fooling us. " One of the aged advisers said - this one had a balding head of grey hair and a long beard, he looked far older than the Chief.
"This boy is a lying thief, a snake waiting to slither into our homes and take our belongings when our guards are down. I bet he has a crew of his friends waiting right outside the village borders to come to his call when we're all sleeping! " Another adviser hastily spoke, this one seemed older than the chief as well, but probably by a decade.
The last one of the three advisers seemed relaxed in comparison to the others, to the point where his expression held an immediate dismissal of the panicked and paranoid elders' claims. The burden of survival seemingly hadn't aged him, if Seth was right - he was equal in age or younger than the Chief.
"Tell me, Old Rio and Elder Gral, have you ever seen any adventurers in the last twenty years that dared enter Doom Forest? And also the boy said it himself, there isn't anything worth stealing in this village, and even if there was, it would take large amounts of greed to even think of braving the dangers of Doom Forest - we all know how harsh and unforgiving it always is."
The two older advisers didn't seem to think so, judging by the frowns on their faces - and the slowly emerging snarl in Old Rio's face.
"Chief! Please think of the safety of the village! The kindest mercy we can offer this boy is to throw him out of the village; this boy brings trouble, my old bones can feel it !" Old Rio bitterly spat.
Seth sighed, then returned his eyes to the slab of meat that he was roasting in the fire. If they decided to kick him out , he'd accept it and leave after giving the letter to the owner. He could have left already, but as he was now, he was hungry and a bit exhausted hence why he hadn't relented and stayed like a stubborn guest despite the unwelcoming gazes from some of the villagers.
His eyes slid across his own circle of people gathered around the flames. Women and young children were gathered around it enjoying the warmth of the fire. Most of the villagers spoke in hushed whispers , and their eyes that glistened from the firelight glanced at him from time to time with wariness.
It was only the strange elf that was to his left who hadn't joined in the villagers' hushed conversations that were no doubt about Seth. As it seemed , the elf had been tasked with keeping a close eye on Seth while the elders and the chief were deciding what to do with him. It was a rather close eye though. Seth turned to face the elf, who hadn't removed his eyes from Seth in the last fifteen minutes.
'Continue staring at me so hard and you'll carve a hole right through me.'
Infact, he was starting to become bored. He cleared his throat.
" So , how did an elf like you end up here? " Seth asked.
Despite the said elf's undisguised enmity , Seth couldn't help being curious about how the elf had ended up in a village in Doom Forest. He wondered if it would be rude to size him up , he couldn't be blamed - it was his first time meeting an elf face to face after all, after almost getting skewered by said elf's arrow.
The elf didn't offer an answer , the hostility in his eyes increased - as if he was reassessing how dangerous Seth was.
'He must be thinking I am intentionally trying to lower his guard by asking casual questions.'
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Harsh , but fair.
Seeing the slab of meat was now cooked well enough, Seth pulled out a pouch full of thoroughly crushed plants and mixed with a bit of salt - this was Seth's contortion of spices he had decided to make for himself , Wung Dao as a high-level cultivator rarely ever needed to eat much , so he never minded eating cooked bland meat - but Seth was still a growing adult, he needed all the meat he could get and eating tasty meat was just about the only nice thing in this accursed forest.
He took his time eating, while passively observing the villagers - a habit he had developed from having to observe the chaotic ecosystem of Doom Forest to survive. Most of the village was surrounded by the strange bushes that
'Interesting, if my guess is right then these bushes are what is keeping the village and its inhabitants alive - appraisal stated it to be highly lethal, most creatures probably can sense the danger emanating from these little ferocious things and subconsciously avoid going anywhere near them.'
Having been satisfied with his theory , Seth contemplated searching and analyzing the perimeter while chewing on his slab of meat. In the end he decided against it - the elders already considered him suspicious, and he hadn't done anything but be an uninvited guest. Exploring their village would no doubt be misinterpreted as him searching for anything worth stealing for later.
When Seth returned his attention to the elders and the Chief , they were already approaching him . A deep scowl was on Old Rio's face , and Elder Gral followed behind him looking quite indignant. It seemed the debate had ended in his favor or was tipping towards it.
The Chief sat next to him with a serious expression, his previously trusting eyes were now scrutinizing.
" Kid , may I see the letter Wung Dao gave you? "
Seth's face was expressionless. He took out the folded piece of paper from within a hidden pocket in his garments and handed it to the chief without hesitation. So they were testing the authenticity of his claim.
The chief immediately opened the letter , and from it sprouted actually two pieces of paper - two letters. One addressed to 'Little Cheng' , the other to 'Mei Li'. The chief's expression was shaped to that of recognition as he read Little Cheng's letter- Seth was able to quickly read the first few lines of the letter as well.
Hello little Cheng, if you're reading this that means you've apprehended my disciple and questioned him of his motives. The discussion between you and those stern elders ultimately led to you attempting to read the contents of this letter as confir-
The chief quickly closed the letter before Seth could read further.
" This bastard's handwriting, I'd recognize it anywhere! And he dares still call me little Cheng! " The Chief sounded outraged and humiliated, yet a warm smile was overtaking his previously stern face. His entire expression looked akin to that of a man remembering sweet distant memories.
'My master must know the chief and his advisers really well to have predicted this situation and prepared for it in advance.'
Seth wondered how old Wung Dao really was , he seemed no older than twenty-five - but appearances could be deceiving , especially for high-level cultivators who attained longevity close enough to immortality.
The nickname he had given the chief, 'Little Cheng' suggested Wung Dao had been there when the chief was young - which made Seth more curious about the letter addressed to Mei Li. What was the relationship between Wung Dao and the woman?
The chief glanced at the other letter addressed to Mei Li , presumably remembering its existence. He visibly hesitated opening it.
" This Mei Li, I don't know who it is but I know someone who might. There's a woman in this village who lives alone in her hut , she's the oldest of all women in this village and was amongst the first survivors several years ago to flee to Doom Forest and build this village , if there's someone I don't know - chances are she does. "
'So , a referral then.'
" I would be delighted if you brought me to the humble steed of this woman. "
'Hmm, did that sound too sophisticated and enthusiastic ? Ahh, I need to speak to people more.'
Being exposed to Wung Dao's quiet nature had shaped Seth.
'I won't become a hermit like him will I?'
The thought scared him a bit.
"Very well then , follow me."
* * *
" To My Friend , Mei Li. It has been quite a while old friend , I hope your old bones are treating you well.."
Seth read the first lines of the letter, then frowned when he reached the next. It was written in a different language , completely indecipherable to him.
He glanced back at a woman in front of him , who was sitting patiently and waiting with a child-like eagerness. It was a bit surprising to see that expression on someone her age.
She was the oldest woman in the village, the chief had introduced to him, the one who lived alone in her hut as if banished from the rest of the world. She was also Mei Li , who was now known as Zhou Li.
Her gray eyes stared at him with anticipation and kindness , she sat across him on a mat.
When Seth had come in hopes of discovering more information about the Mei Li to - well, unknowingly Mei Li herself, he had expected to see an aging bitter woman, who would be too glad to cast him out of her house with a snarl after directly refusing to help him.
But instead, the woman in front of him had invited him with a weak smile and beckoned for him to sit across her. Her eyes had watered with tears when Seth began asking her about the woman Mei Li. Pain, happiness and nostalgia were visible on her aged face.
And now, Seth was reading the letter Wung Dao had written to her - or at least he tried to.
But the rest of the letter besides the parts he had already read out loud were written in strange letters that had several curls and twists, as if a sophisticated doctor's signature.
To say the least , it was completely baffling and indecipherable to him.
He smiled awkwardly.
" It seems the rest of the letter is written in...Uhh, strange letters - I can't read it. "
He announced to her sadly. It was a shame to crush the enthusiasm and anticipation she had because of the contents of the letter , but there was nothing he could do to help. The reason why he was reading for her was that Mei Li had an inconvenience - her aging had caused cataracts to form in her eyes and greatly affect her vision, meaning she was utterly incapable of visually reading the letter that was written to her.
But instead of dread , what he saw in her eyes was realization followed by determination.
" Can I see the letter, child? "
Seth handed her the letter.
She ran her calloused hands over the surface of the paper, drawing lines across the writing. When her fingers finally reached the seemingly indecipherable language, she continued - a small smile formed on her lips and her glassy eyes began tearing.
Droplets of tears were rolling down her cheeks by the time she was done reading the letter using her hands.
"Thank you"