It was almost sunrise when the small boat reached land. The captain of the ship had decided to dock at a small shanty town which looked deserted from a distance. On closer inspection it became apparent that there was still life. The buildings were all battered, some in desperate need of repair. The journey to the island had proven rather uneventful which had allowed the group to maintain weapons and regain strength so that they could be ready for anything the island had to offer. It had also given Louie adequate time to complain about the lack of things to do and annoy the other passengers on the boat with his outrageous boasts and big headedness.
They gathered up their things and disembarked the boat. The feeling of solid land beneath their feet was extremely welcome as they headed towards the centre of the small town they had docked with. Despair filled the air around the town as the adventurers entered what they believed to be the town centre. A veil of dull grey mist shrouded the town adding to the gloomy atmosphere, most likely some side effect of living so close to the sea. The wooden stalls were packed away under torn sheets, many of the walls of the buildings were cracked and damaged and wooden doors and shutters were splintered and split, some of the larger holes had been poorly repaired with a board nailed across to seal it. Occasionally an outline of cowering people could be spotted among the darkness of the shadows. Not a single person had dared venture out into the light to greet the adventurers, probably through fear of the weapons carried by the quartet and the uses they may have them for, or maybe for some deeper, darker reason that the group did not yet know and did not wish to find out.
"This place gives me the creeps" said Louie nervously
"Me too" added Merill
"I don't think we have any reason to stick around here, we should begin searching the island for clues on this treasure immediately" replied Genie
Just outside the town was a large, dark forest. Genie cautiously signalled for the group to advance into the forest after having examined it briefly only to find it gave her an extremely uneasy feeling in her stomach. She now stood with her weapon drawn and held defensively in front of her body to defend against anything that may be lurking in wait for them as they advanced. The rest of them followed eager to leave the gloom and misery of the dock town behind them.
The forest was quiet. There was almost no noise to be heard apart from an occasional gust of wind to rustle the leaves and the sound of twigs breaking under foot. This made the whole group feel uneasy. Forests normally bustled with life as animals scurried about and birds sang songs of joy. The tall trees created a barrier, blocking the sky from view and most the natural light, giving the forest an eerie feel to it. At times it felt as though the forest was watching them, waiting to see why these people had entered it.
"Ok, which way are we going to go now?" asked Merill
"Well, it appears from the tracks left that groups of people have travelled north and east from here both, of them quite recently too" replied Genie as she examined their surroundings carefully
"Hey, I know!" cried Louie excitedly "Why don't we go between them? That should put us on a path right to the middle of the forest"
"It is actually not a bad idea considering Louie came up with it" replied Melissa
"If we go straight through like that it will be difficult to get back, are we sure?" Genie asked as she turned to face the others to see their reactions
The other three nodded in agreement. They all gave one last check to their equipment, making sure that weapons were at hand and they had the relevant supplies before heading deeper into the forest. Genie gave one last look around for signs of trouble or being followed, gripped her broadsword tightly in her hands and then led them onwards into the darkness.