The Against All Odds

CH 36 - Cariole 2

The chariot, called cariole, drove slowly through the cobbled streets, entering the lush forest as the sun dipped in the western horizon. The towering trees block the remaining twilight, forming a thick green canopy.

When Cariole entered the forest, the atmosphere became darker and quieter. The sound of crickets began to earthy around them, creating a melodious natural orchestra. Luminous fireflies began to appear, adding to the beauty of the night scene.

They feel comfortable in this cariole, especially when the day begins to creep into the dark, at least they do not need to walk to pass through this forest. Belladona deftly turned on the oil lamp that hung on the outer side of the cariole. Although there was still a bit of darkness on the inside, the lights were enough to provide adequate light. However, if the oil lamp was placed inside the cariole, their faces would definitely be covered by the black smoke coming out of the lamp. As darkness devoured their surroundings perfectly, their cariole became the only moving light.

In a cariole or chariot, Belladona uses his wand to provide additional light, making it a much more friendly source of light than having to enter an oil lamp. Barla was busy checking two maps. The first map contains information about the location of the goblin village, while the other map contains the whereabouts of Medusa.

Besides, Alisha was concentrating on cleaning the gun she was carrying, making sure her weapon was in top condition. Matilda, on the other hand, looked dumbly at the road ahead that was beginning to sink into the slowly creeping darkness.

While Leo and Glint seem to be busy talking in the driver's seat, maybe sharing a story or just chatting to drive away the silence that envelops their carioles. Leo clearly asks a lot of things about Erder's world that still feel new to him, even though he has retained some memories of King Sullivan. To him, all the information he had right now was simply not enough. The atmosphere inside the cariol felt familiar even though the night was approaching.

The silence of the night began to envelop the karyols that were speeding within the forest. Leo sat in the driver's seat, observing the dark scene within the forest. The sun has long sunk in the western horizon, and was replaced by bright moonlight.

Matilda sitting behind Leo had yawned widely, until her warm breath was felt behind Leo's ears and neck. Leo smiled faintly at the sleepy Matilda. "Sleep, Matilda. I'll wake you when we get there." Matilda simply nodded and immediately went to sleep.

Meanwhile, beside Leo, Glint also seemed overwhelmed by his drowsiness. He rubbed his eyes and tidied up his glasses that were about to fall off. Glint tried hard to stay awake, but his eyes and body had rebelled from exhaustion. Leo who saw it understood the drowsiness.

Leo gave a gentle touch by patting Glint's shoulder. The action made Glint wake up and was a little surprised. "Sleep inside, Glint," Leo said in a relaxed voice.

Glint looked at Leo with gratitude. "I'm sorry, Leo. I don't know why it's so sleepy all of a sudden."

Leo simply smiled calmly, "It's only natural after such a long journey. Come in, rest is important too."

Glint eventually followed Leo's advice and entered cariole to sleep.

Leo sat alone in the driver's seat, feeling a hint of drowsiness that began to approach him, but he knew that their journey had to continue. Yawning widely, Leo covered his mouth with his hands, and his eyes began to water. Right at that moment, their horse carriage shook slightly, making Leo look back.

Alisha stepped closer to Leo through the parapet between the back and the cariole driver's seat, then slowly sat down next to him. His long blonde hair slowly pigtails, and Leo notices every move he makes. Alisha took out a short piece of cloth and bit her, a sign that she was focusing on tidying up her long, unraveled hair. Leo's gaze still led to him, making the atmosphere become silent.

Leo decided to open the chat, so that the awkwardness that suddenly appeared could disappear. "Has Glint and Matilda slept?" leo asked while looking at Alisha.

"Eh, everyone?" Leo was a little surprised. He opened the cariole curtain and looked at his sleeping friends. This includes Belladona, who usually spends more time reading than sleeping. Usually, he only slept for at most 6 hours a day.

Alisha yawned and stretched her hands up, the sound of crutches coming from her muscles that might feel sore. He wiped away the tears that came out as he yawned, then replied, "Maybe they are all exhausted. You're not sleeping, Leo. Let me take your place."

Leo gently hit Alisha on the head with his left hand, while his right hand remained tightly holding the horse's reins in front of him.

"Ouch!" Alisha held her head with both hands, she looked at Leo with her mouth round filled with air. "Is that polite, always hitting your boss's head like that?" with annoyance.

Leo only laughed a little, then rubbed the top of Alisha's head that he had just hit. "I'm sorry, I yelled at you that time."

Instantly, Alisha's face flushed red. "That's not a problem at all" he said, throwing his eyes away. "After all, you did it because I was too stubborn. I don't know if your brother is in the same world as us."

Leo looked at the starry sky, then sighed. "It never occurred to me that everything would go like this." Alisha understands Leo's feelings. He looked at his friend with understanding.

Leo continued his story, still not believing in how his life from childhood always followed the flow of life, like a dead fish carried by the river. She told me about her decision to register as a police officer, was her hope to at least ease the pain she felt after the departure of her older sister. Leo knew that in his role as a cop would help him ease that pain, he had investigated various missing persons cases, kidnappings, and so on, trying to help people in need, she said, at the same time hoping for a miracle to come to meet him with his brother.

In the story, Leo also shares how he met his new friends, Neil and Alisha. They have together experienced incredible adventures both in the old world and in the new world, even though Neil has not been with them. Leo and Alisha face various obstacles they never imagined before. However, despite the many things he has yet to understand about this world, he knows that Nythorian power has chosen him while at Menhir Bastion, and he feels responsible for living the role given to him.

As Leo continued to talk about it, he saw Alisha who had fallen asleep with her head resting on her shoulder, her voice like a pig that had fallen into a deep sleep.

Leo smiled and shook his head slowly. "So he said he wanted to replace me as a coachman." he muttered in a slow tone, despite knowing that Alisha had fallen asleep and had not heard it.

Leo continued his journey on this quiet night, carrying stories and memories in his heart. Although there are still many mysteries surrounding this world, he is sure that along with his friends, they will answer all the questions that haunt them.

Deg

Suddenly Leo's heart started racing when he heard the sound of a woman crying in the middle of a dark forest.