Chapter 7: The Amber Forest
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Yukito and Celeste had traveled for what felt like forever along the road until they reached the edge of the Amber Forest. Dawn had broke and the road split into three at the treeline. The two companions headed directly into the dense forest. Yukito was astounded by what he saw once they got a short distance inside the treeline. There were gigantic boulders made completely of amber. They were strewn about all over the forest floor and there were fossilized tree trunks that were made entirely out of the substance. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. The light that filtered through the treetops shone through the amber causing a yellow hue to be present everywhere he looked. 

"We need to keep going for just a little longer before we can get off the road. I know a place where we can rest. This place isn't exactly safe, so we need to be careful," Celeste said.

"Okay. I'm beat, though. I'm not sure how much further I can go before I collapse to be honest."

Celeste didn't respond and just continued leading him down the road. I wonder what exactly caused all this amber to form here, or if it even forms in the same way as it does on Earth. he mused as he took in the wondrous place. They crossed a small stone bridge after a few minutes which spanned over a fairly wide stream. Once they were across, Celeste veered off to the right following the river downstream. 

"I used to come through here sometimes with my grandfather. There is a spot where we can rest nearby. Hopefully it will be safe enough and no one will find us."

Yukito followed along right next to her. His whole body ached and he just wanted to sleep. They wound around several trees that had the amber all over their trunks and he decided he wanted to see what it felt like. He reached out his hand to touch it. 

"No! Don't touch it!" Celeste slapped his hand away. 

"What? It's just like rock isn't it?"

Celeste face-palmed. "I forget that you're from a completely different world. The amber is a living thing, it's a parasite. Watch." She took out her knife and cut off a small strand of hair. She then held pushed him back a little and with her arm outstretched, dropped the hair toward the base of the tree and jumped back. Yukito stared in awe as the yellow substance exploded outward and consumed the hair before settling into a small puddle on the ground, becoming solid looking once more. He could see that her hair was now solidified inside of the thing.

"What the fuck! Even rocks try to kill you in this world?"

Celeste shrugged and explained that the forest had been infected with the stuff for millennia. Nobody knew where it came from or why it didn't spread beyond the forest. She continued leading him around the trees, rocks, and bushes. After a couple minutes they came to a small clearing. There was some grass on the ground and it looked like there wasn't a lot of the amber around. "We're here," she announced.

"Are you sure its safe here?" He didn't like the idea of waking up with a glob of amber expanding slowly over his body. He shuddered at the thought. 

"It's as safe as we can be in this place. I'm not nearly as tired as you must be, you should get some rest. We can take turns to make sure no monsters or soldiers can sneak up on us." Celeste sat down on the grass and removed her pack; she rummaged around and took out a loaf of bread and broke off a chunk. She offered the loaf to him, but he declined. 

"I don't really have an appetite right now... I'm going to get some rest." Yukito bundled himself up as best he could and lay down on the soft grass. It literally took less than a minute for him to fall into a deep dreamless sleep. 

When he awoke, he could hear the quiet sounds of Celeste crying. He opened his eyes slowly and looked around. She was sitting down next to the stream with her back towards him. Fate sure hasn't pulled any punches in regards to Celeste, either. I feel terrible that I couldn't save Rudra. I swear that I will burn that fucking castle to the ground if I ever get the chance.

Yukito got to his feet and quietly walked over to Celeste, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry about your grandfather." He sat down next to her by the bank of the stream. She looked over at him with large tears in her red, bloodshot eyes and then buried her head into his shoulder crying. 

"He was the only person I had left..." she sobbed. 

Yukito did the only thing he could; he wrapped his arm around her and allowed her to cry it out. 

"The Empire took everything from me. My father was forced to go to war... he never returned. When my mother tried to ask them about him they dismissed her and when she wouldn't go... the corrupt guards beat her to death in the streets for her insolence." She continued to sob.

Those bastards! What the hell is wrong with this place? His rage toward the Empire only grew in intensity as she continued to wail. He hugged her tight and after what was a long while she was able to stop. "I'm sorry, Celeste. If I can, I'll make them pay for what they have done to the both of us. Think you can get some rest? I can keep watch."

Celeste nodded silently and got up to go back over to the grass in the clearing. She lay down and pulled her cloak up over her head and fell asleep while he watched her. His stomach grumbled, and he went over to her pack and dug through it for some food. Inside he saw that she had all kinds of useful things, but what caught his attention the most was a small portrait of what was definitely her as a little girl. She was standing next to Rudra, and what he assumed to be her mother and father. His heart ached with sympathy for her again when he looked at it. He reverently placed the portrait back into the pack and took out the rest of the small loaf of bread she had offered him earlier. He got up and paced around to kill some time.

His thoughts drifted to his own family, and he thought that they must be feeling much the same as she did right now; he wondered why he didn't feel as sad as he felt that he should. What happened to my body on Earth? Did I just disappear into nothing, or was my corpse found on the train this morning? Neither situation sounded very good to him. He felt bad for what his parents must be going through, but they were tough and they would be okay. He was going to be going away to University soon anyway and it wasn't like he ever spent time with them anyway; he had been too busy with his studies for the past several years.

I want to go look around a little. He wandered around the area in circles looking at everything. He saw that there were some dead animals encased within some of the amber lying around. Everything from bugs, to lizards, to birds had been consumed by the stuff. I wonder how many people were dumb enough to get eaten by this stuff before they got wise and built that road through this place. 

He walked under a branch and just as he passed under it a glob of amber fell to the ground behind him. Jeez! This stuff isn't actively trying to get me, is it? He looked back toward Celeste through the trees and saw that she was still soundly asleep. He didn't really know how much time had passed, but he had spent a lot of time in thought and wandering around. I should let her sleep a little longer at least. It seems safe enough there, I just want to explore a little further. 

He continued another dozen paces and through the trees he saw the mouth of a small cave that was essentially just a round hole in the ground. He looked down inside and saw that it lead off underground at a steep slope. I definitely wouldn't want to have to go down in that. he thought as he turned around and went back toward Celeste. Through the trees in the distance beyond her, he heard the sound of leaves crunching and then he saw movement. Damn! 

Yukito ran over to Celeste and shook her. "Wake up! There's something or someone out there!" he whispered urgently. 

Celeste's eyes shot open and she sat up looking around. He pointed in the direction he had seen movement and they saw it again; it was a soldier with a spear trudging right in their direction. Luckily they were mostly blocked by the thick trees and the guy hadn't seen them yet, it was only thanks to his advanced hearing that he had even looked that way in the first place. It would be a matter of seconds until they were discovered. I wonder how many there are. Should I kill them, or should we run? 

He felt a lot better than last night, but he still wasn't at 100% after that beating he had taken from Scorpina and her pet. "There's a cave nearby, let's try to hide," he whispered urgently. 

Celeste nodded and they quietly moved off behind more trees toward where he had seen the small cave. I just hope I'm making the right choice, here. Who knows what kind of stuff could be down in that cave. It only took a minute to make it over to the cave and they stopped outside it and looked down. There was some amber on the walls of the mouth of the cave, but the interior looked to be clean. Could they count on that though?  

Yukito listened hard to see if they were still coming. He heard the faint sound of voices. 

"The grass is matted, someone or something has been here recently. Fan out and look. You. Go report to Lord Olean and bring him back here at once!"

"Sir!" 

"Does the name, Olean, mean anything to you?" he whispered.

The blood drained from Celeste's face at the mention of the name. "Why?" she asked.

"He's outside the forest. They sent someone to get him." 

"We need to get out of here. Right now." Celeste looked down into the cave and climbed down inside, carefully avoiding the amber around the two edges. "Come on."

I guess all I need to know is that he is trouble, and I don't want any more of it for now. He prepared to jump down into the cave when a man shouted behind him. "There he is! Halt!"

Fuck my life. Yukito turned and saw that there were seven soldiers who were charging through the forest after him. "Stay there. I'm going to take care of these guys and come down." He unsheathed his blade and ran to meet his foes. Once he was close he activated his ability. 30 seconds! I can do this! 

He dashed to the lead guard and decapitated him, and then moved onto the next man down the line. He shoved him into a tree covered with amber, and did the same to the next one down the line. He slashed the fourth and fifth men's throats and he only had a few seconds remaining. I have to finish them all. No one can see where we go and live to talk about it if we want to get out of this forest alive. 

His time ran out and there were still two guards standing. They had just seen their companions fall in a blur and one of them turned to run away. Oh no you don't! Yukito spun around a sudden spear thrust from the guard who had stood his ground and his spin put him in range. He slammed the blade into the side of the man's neck and pulled it free with a jerk and then chased after the second soldier.

The man was fast, but not as fast as Yukito. He caught up after only a few seconds of chase and shoved the man face first into a rock covered with amber. The man tried to scream but nothing came out. The substance quickly expanded and enveloped the man's entire body in the blink of an eye. Yukito stared in amazement for a moment before turning back and running toward the cave. He left the bodies where they lay; there wasn't a lot of time to spare. If that other soldier had run full speed to get that Olean guy, then they would already be on their way back and he wouldn't be able to use his power again for several minutes.

He reached the edge of the cave and hopped down inside. Celeste had a fist-sized clump of what looked to be moss in her right hand and she pulled him into the darkness. The moss began to emit a steady green glow as soon as they were out of the light. It wasn't exactly as good as a torch or a flashlight, but they could easily see their surroundings. I don't have a good feeling about this. he thought as they continued in a downward trajectory. Soon, the small pool of light from outside disappeared completely and still they soldiered onward.

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