The Children Of Thalia

In The Forest

Major Thorin said that Avid, the horse he had entrusted us with, was the fastest in the village. I thought he was just a little exaggerating, this horse is his favorite. But that title was not a figment.

We sped across the savanna at a speed like riding a motorcycle. The strength of my hand gripped the saddle, or I would fly on the ground by the shaking and speed of the horse which made the wind that hit my face feel like a solid fluid. But this is really amazing. If it feels like riding a motorcycle it is just the wind that hits the face, then the horse is a different level. I really tightened my thighs all the way, thinking if I let my guard down a little, I would fall.

"Hey, do you think we're taking a five-minute break?" Will asked, shouting loudly amid the wind that sounded more dusty.

"Great idea!"

The grasslands have passed. This honestly amazes me. When looking at the horizon from the village earlier, there was nothing to be found except the meadow, that was it. But fortunately it is the correct choice to follow the river's course. Fifteen minutes we spent on horseback, and now the dense forest is visible again.

The giant rainforest. Although it's not the center, but I'm sure the forest in front of us is part of it. The city of Sintes has a large circle arrangement in the middle with four small circles in the four cardinal directions. In the North circle there is an iceberg, in the west circle there is a desert, in the east circle there is a dense rain forest, and the South circle is the ocean. I don't know how the climate concept here can make this incredible environment possible, but it's clear that the fabricators of this fake world have a myriad of wild imaginations. In front of us now was a part of the elongated rainforest. I've seen the map, to the midpoint of having to pass through this forest first, or the tundra in the north.

Will pulls Avid to the edge of a large rock on the river's lip. The stone is smooth and wet, but there is no visible moss. Are moss data also not included? Well, it doesn't matter. That means fewer incidents will slip later in the forest.

"Here may be suitable, before entering the great forest." Will's proposal while pulling full of saddle straps, making Avid stop stepping.

"Suitable." I said. This is a suitable seat. Not too hot because there is a forest, cooler next to the river. Moreover, the river is not a swift river. 

I went down first with an impatient leap, which immediately made me regret that the light I received while treading on the ground was very strong. Leg tingling. My body hit the ground, but I laughed out loud with him.

"Oh, huh-hah-hah! Shit, it's stupid I didn't expect this." I cursed, laughing at myself. 

"Who jumps like that from a horse of this size? With tingling feet anyway." Reply Will. Although it sounded sympathetic, I'm sure he also held back a laugh. My falling pose isn't beautiful, is it?

"I forgot."

My elbows and knees are dirty, but I really care. I turned around, pulled these two numb legs with my waist, then leaned against the large rock. Will came down more carefully. He stretched, pulled his waist high until his clothes were raised slightly, then stretched his arms and jerked his legs to the ground. He's also tingling. Obviously, Avid is like no other horse. He really is a beast.

"Still tingling?" Will asked with a shady serenity that pissed me off.

"Slightly, no need to ignore." Abai answered. "Maybe it's good we go on with the walk."

"And let's ask for a bottle of water."

Right, that also makes me feel more stupid. I completely forgot about water. Now all I can do is laugh at myself.

"I forgot."

"Too enthusiastic it's not good, huh?" 

Will reached out, I accepted with a firm grip. The power is big, unexpected. But it makes sense considering he's an archer. He pulled me easy, because I myself was sure I did not use too much energy when trying to stand up. Maybe his body is indeed muscular behind sports clothes that cover almost all of his skin.

"We're leaving now?" Ask Will. I stretched my body for a moment, stomping my feet a few times onto the damp ground. Still a bit tingling, but it can be overcome. 

"Come on."

Continue walking us, into the forest. Just a short break. The examination time was only two and a half hours away, already more than three hundred people were eliminated, but no one had filled the quota of passing the examination. Helder did not hold back by giving the opponent a grassland fairy class at the beginning. I wonder what kind of opponent the other participants are facing, especially in the ocean region. 

"Talking a little about Avid, doesn't artificial energy seem to be useful in the real world?" my question was, glancing a little at the engine horse that followed us quietly behind.

"Maybe not for the economy, but obviously for dangerous jobs." Will answered without looking. "I'm not very tech-savvy, but just a quick look at me can tell that Avid is a technology on a different level. He's really sophisticated. If there is in the real world, it may be protested by the workers unit so efficient use of Avid. But well, I'm sure you also know how many years it's gonna take for Avid to actually be made in the real world, right?"

Will knows about that, too. Of course, just at a glance, people can know how sophisticated the technology composing Avid. Maybe so sophisticated it is still in the realm of almost impossible.

"Maybe, at least ten more years." I replied, throwing a slight upward glance trying to take into account the possibilities. "I think the makers of this simulation world only included data input on a cutting-edge machine horse that could move when creating Avid, so some of the functions felt awkward."

"Right, it's just a simulation. Almost everything here, it doesn't make sense. Even that village. A bunch of self-contained droids, building a village, making everything work. They also created a system of government with a Major who became the leader. But maybe it was programmed that way from the start, maybe. Now that he remembered, Major Thorin himself could show an expression of natural shock, like a real human being. Everything we see here is a simulation."

"Simulation that resembles the real world........." For a moment, I felt my neck shudder. "Gruesome."

The further we went through the forest, the more we felt we were lost. The trees grew increasingly densely closed the view. The leaves fall off, the ground begins to feel dense with leaves and wet branches that smell distinctive. Insects sang along with the echoing chirping of forest birds. What feels lacking is that there are no mosquitoes here. The atmosphere is truly the atmosphere of the forest. No, it's profitable. It would be disturbing if I walked while clapping my hands trying to ward off mosquitoes. 

"Ugh, do we win having to go through this forest?" will complained as he wiped the sweat dripping from his chin. "No detour or go straight to the center?"

"You know what else, yeah...."

"Prophey, this forest is still long."

That's what I saw on the map. We haven't even been halfway through the forest. Get out of here, there are two more villages and a small savannah, then go straight to the central district gate. This forest is the most disturbing, maybe half of this journey was spent through the forest. Fortunately it's a rainforest, so we don't have to worry about freezing to death. Just passing through the damp and sultry rain forest.

That's what I thought, until the sound of a loud roar that echoed throughout the forest made us jerk as well as wailful. The birds were flying frantically away, the animals were running agitatedly, even Avid was jumping up and down, walking on the spot as if anxious as to what was coming. Without saying any more words, Will and I went straight to each other on the back, wary of what was behind. Will pulled out his wind arrow, looking for the existence of danger that made the entire forest scramble.

"Where from??" Ask Will.

"The voice echoed, it's not clear from where."

"Dam. Stay alert!"

"I'm ta-"

The second roar cut through my words, followed by the painful cry of someone full of fear and despair. The animals were increasingly frantically running around, except for Avid at the back who was just circling in place. That's the program, I get it. The program is to follow us, no matter what.

Will turned his head to the South, focusing on gazing into the darkness created from the shadows of the large trees. Even the sunlight was hard to penetrate this place, but Will's sharp gaze looked like he could clearly see what was ahead.

"From there, huh?" many ensure. Will nodded.

"Yes. You hear someone screaming too?"

"Look."

"Then let's go."

"Wait a minute!" I called out, pulling Will's shoulder that had gone long first. "Do you remember what Major Thorin said?"

Will looked over, somewhat annoyed and impatient. "About what?"

I hope it's wrong, or that's what I want to believe. In fact, every time I say something like that, it always ends up being true.

"Garden of the pasture. Major Thorin said even an eastern bear can't beat him." Obviously, it makes Will seem a little breathless.

"No, it's impossible." Will shook his head strongly. "Where are there bears in the rain forest?"

"There is, you know?" Reply firmly. I'm sorry, but I have to be firm to be vigilant. To be sure, I opened the guidebook again. It was written on one of the pages about this. "It's not about simulations, some rainforests are indeed their native habitat... Well, look at this."

What I showed Will was a terrible image of a giant creature, human-tall when walking on four legs, three times when standing. His head was a skull, his body was covered in thick metal armor. Chains rolled on all four legs, with shiny metal claws. Both round eyes glowed red as if glaring behind our eyes, as if directly watching us in a place we could not see.

"East Bear, is it?" will muttered the name of this monster. He grinned, chuckled, rubbing his face strongly. He doesn't want to accept the facts, but has no choice. "Yes, that's right. Why did I forget. Between a cold forest, a tundra, and a pack of ash wolves in the North, or a rainforest with all the dangerous fauna here."

"You know what else, this is a test" I said, closing the guidebook. "Hows it? Want to go there or just ignore the dodge?"

"Will this go into judgment?"

"Maybe..."

"Side of the exam?"

"Clear."

"Heh-heh-heh.........." Will rubbed his head firmly, combing to the fine tip of his blonde hair. "There's no bear there yet. But if there really is, do you think we have a chance of winning?"

"Have, obviously have. At least one to eight hundred."

"That's a big number." Will took a long breath. He patted his own face strongly. His eyes sharpened, like a hunter ready to hunt. "All right, let's beat him."

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