The Messenger of Death

As they approached the site that was directly under the cloud of smoke, they saw some of their companions there already. They had a smile on their faces and they kept on urging them to hurry over. It was the group that was tasked with mapping out the topography of the forest.

A few seconds later the aegis team arrived at the site too.

Alex got confused by their facial expressions. 'If there was something wrong, why would be they be smiling like they just won the lottery.' He reasoned.

"Why did you guys throw the smoke bomb?" Camron asked.

"Come on guys hurry up, we found something." One of the perpetrators urged. He ignored their questions and ran into the forest. Everyone else was wondering why and what they had found so they quickly followed behind their companion.

['They might have found something good. For him to leave where they had found what they found and alert the rest of us from a different position… it was wise of him. He did that just in case there were unwanted people around that also gets alerted by the smoke bomb.'] Xander commented.

['There are already unwanted people, I am sure of that. It's just that none of them have noticed that we are being watched and followed. I don't know how strong our pursuers are but I know that we should get the hell out of this forest quickly. The uneasiness I'm feeling is getting worse by the minute.'] Alex stopped and looked behind. He had felt the menacing gaze once again.

['Alright, I have to bring this to their attention.'] He ran to where his teammates were.

"We are here." One of them said.

Right in front of them was a stream with an endless waterfall and rainbows that knew no boundaries, trees with fruits that shone like the stars, and flowers that they have never seen before.

The most eye-catching thing about the Flowers was that they were made of energy crystals. Even the QI in the area was very dense. The whole scene felt like that of a dream that was brought to life.

"Wow!!" They exclaimed.

"We are rich!!!" Amelia screamed in excitement as she started to pluck the flowers that were made of energy crystals. And soon the rest joined her in hoarding whatever they could. Some had already started eating the fruits they plucked.

['Why didn't the system notify me about this place? It should be within its range of search. Is the system malfunctioning?'] Alex thought.

['That's possible, and it is also possible that the energy here is different from what the system analyzed.'] Xander pointed out.

['That's true.'] Lex concurred.

"System is the ener-"

*Activating gas mask. Hallucinogens and incapacitating agents found in the air.

The system interrupted Alex.

*Gas mask activated.

['What the f*ck!'] Al cursed.

Alex was in a trance for a few seconds, then the scenery in front of him started to change. The endless waterfall change into a dead tree with dark branches and trunk. Its branches looked like claws and hanging at the ends of the branches were black apple-like fruits with mucus, flies, and worms falling out of it.

The rainbows turned into a mist that covered the sunlight. The flowers that looked like they were made of energy crystals changed into a green and purple colored sunflower. Amelia still had one of the plants in her hands, it had already started growing roots on her arm, but she couldn't feel or notice anything happening to her.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Alex Shouted. He saw that Camron was about to pick one of the green and purple colored sunflowers and he quickly threw his spear at the plant.

"Camron, don't touch anything here, in fact, stop breathing!" He screamed at his friend.

"What the fuck Alex, there's enough for everyone here. Don't be stingy." Camron snapped at Alex. He looked like he was crazed and angry at Alex

"What in fuck's name is going on here!?" Alex dropped deeper into confusion. That was not something Camron would have said.

['Maybe it's the hallucinogens that made him act like that. Do something before he picks one of the plants.'] Xander urged.

Alex closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, and when he exhaled, Steam came out of his nose.

-Fvoom!!

Alex opened his eyes and his whole body was in flames. He could feel the power and strength that came along with activating the fire elemental part of his bloodline.

"System locate where the hallucinogens are coming from.

*To answer the user, they are coming from the trees and plants around.

"Arrgh!!" Alex howled and shoot waves of flames at the corrosive vegetation around him.

-Skeee!!

The trees and plants made weird and loud sounds. It sounded like they were crying in pain. The cries they made, woke everyone else from the hallucination they had been put into; they all saw Alex who was on fire, throwing flames at the trees and plants that they couldn't recognize.

"Ahhh!!!" Amelia screamed when she saw what was in her hand. The plant had been sucking her blood this whole time. She ran to the closet fire as quickly as she could, but she stopped mid-way because of the heat that came from the flames.

Amelia was almost certain that if she got too close or put her hand in it she'll get at least a second-degree burn.

She brought a dagger out of her storage and sliced the plant into pieces within a few seconds. Blood spilled on her body, the blood that the plant had been sucking.

Those that had started eating the fruits realized that what they were eating wasn't something that should be consumed nor should it ever be considered as something edible. They threw the fruits into the fire and proceeded to vomit all they had in the stomachs.

"Die!!" Alex sent out more flames.

The trees had no chance of survival when they came in contact with the flames that Alex shot at them, they immediately caught on fire and burnt to ashes in no time.

Alex stopped spewing flames and watched as every tree and plant around him caught on fire and burnt to ashes. Those that had been standing close to where Alex had spewed his flames ran to a distance safe from the scary heat of his flames.

'Those flames are way too hot, how can someone with his level of cultivation achieve such feats. Is his affinity with the fire element that high? Even so, I have never heard of someone setting themselves on fire. Unless it's a bloodline ability.' Amelia pondered.

Similar thoughts went through the minds of others.

Alex was breathing heavily, using his bloodline ability took a lot of energy from him.

"Are you all stupid!?" He turned and faced the crowd of people that he just saved.

"Don't you think before you act!! Do you think that we are lucky enough to find good things laying on the ground waiting for us to come to pick them up!!" Alex scolded them.

['Calm down Alex, you also fell for the trick. If you didn't have the skin crawler you might have also been doomed.'] Lex said.

Alex kept his comments to himself. Everyone present felt nothing but shame and gratitude. If wasn't for Alex something bad might have happened to them.

"Thank you for saving us, Alex." Sara bowed her head expressed and her gratitude. Everyone else did as she did…

"Don't thank me yet! You still guys still haven't realized that we are being watched and followed since last night?" Alex asked.

"What!?"

They all became extra conscious of their surroundings, some of them entered a defensive stance and brought their weapons out. After checking for a while none of them noticed anything wrong.

"How did you know that we were being followed?" Lenny asked.

"My instincts," Alex said in a flat tone.

"Seriously? You want us to rely on your measly instincts!?"

"It was this measly instinct that saved you all." Alex walked over to where his spear was and picked it up.

His reply struck Lenny and forced him to keep his mouth shut.

"What do you suggest we do?" Sara asked.

"We have to leave this forest this afternoon… or evening." He looked up and saw that he couldn't discern if it was still afternoon or evening, the mist over their heads had intensified. Alex checked the time on his skin crawler.

'14:19'

"It's still afternoon. We should leave now!" He urged as the uneasy feeling he had been feeling intensified.

-Blech!!

All of a sudden some people dropped to the ground and started to vomit. They had been poisoned by what they ate.

-Click! Click!

Suddenly they were cornered, by creatures that looked like they were humans; about 16 of them. The differences were clear though, they had yellow slit eyes, cracks on their muddy skins, shark like teeth, and torn clothes.

"Where… Do… Y-you think you are going to?" One of them said in a hoarse voice. Clearly, they also had problems with speaking properly.

"Cap…ture!!!" The creature commanded its fellow species.

-Eeeee!!

They cried out as they ran towards Alex and the rest.

"Don't worry about them, they don't seem to have a core. Without QI they can't possibly go against us, only I will be enough for them." Lenny announced after he attempted to probed into them. He ran towards the creatures.

Lenny was right, he alone would be able to take them on and he did just that. In no time he had killed them all. He threw their dead bodies, all at a corner.

"What a waste of intelligent species." Adrian lamented.

"Do you still feel like we are being watched?" Lenny asked Alex.

"Yes, something is still off about everything here." Alex narrowed his eyes.

So did everyone else, it was now hard to see. The mist had dawned upon them and started to affect their sights. They could hardly see what was in front of them.

"Arrgh!" A companion of theirs that had been poisoned shouted.

"What happened!?" Sara screamed. She tried to locate where the cry had come from but unfortunately, she couldn't.

"System, activate night vision."

-Ping!

*Night vision activated.

Alex looked around trying to figure out what had happened. His gaze crossed the place where Lenny had dumped the dead bodies of the creatures and most of the carcasses were nowhere to be found. He looked closer and saw that the said to be dead creatures were standing up one by one.

"Lenny are you sure that you killed all those creatures?"

"Yes, why?"

"The dead creatures aren't dead, they are getting up…" What Alex said stunned everyone present. They all felt cold chills run down their spine.

"Argh!!" A girl screamed.