The Box: Fate
Chapter 7 — Moonlight and the Old Cart
The group continued walking through the forest path after leaving the battlefield behind The road ahead slowly opened into a rough trail leading toward distant hills
For a while nobody spoke
Then Kataki finally broke the silence
"You all should admit something he said calmly while walking
Several players looked at him
"You used your skills without even checking your status first
His eyes moved toward the group and then stopped briefly on Murasaki
"Especially you
Murasaki crossed her arms slightly but didn't look embarrassed
Before she could respond Zanaki suddenly slapped his forehead
"Oh right!
He laughed loudly
"I completely forgot about the status system
He looked toward Murasaki with a playful smile
"But honestly your powers looked pretty amazing so maybe forgetting wasn't that bad
Murasaki gave him a quiet look
"Focus on surviving first
Zanaki shrugged with a grin
"Still worth mentioning
The others continued walking while the path slowly became clearer
After some time they noticed something moving on the road ahead
A wooden cart
Two oxen were slowly pulling a heavy cart filled with barrels and sacks Sitting on the front of the cart was an old man with a long beard and tired eyes
Akira raised a hand slightly
"Looks like someone from this world
The group approached carefully
The old man stopped his oxen and looked at the seventeen strange travelers
"Hmm… travelers? he asked slowly
Before anyone else could speak Kataki stepped forward calmly
"Old uncle he said politely
"You may not believe this but the barrels in your cart contain wine that is around three hundred to three hundred and fifty years old
The old man's eyes widened slightly
"You know about that?
Kataki nodded
"I'd like one jar of that wine
The old man studied Kataki carefully
"You seem to know a lot about rare things
Then he looked toward the mountains ahead
"This road passes through the hill in front of us he said while pointing forward
"That place is filled with monsters
He paused before speaking again
"If you travel with me and help protect the cart until we safely cross the hill I will give you three jars of this wine
Zanaki smiled
"That sounds like a pretty good deal
Akira nodded
"We'll help
The old man introduced himself simply as a traveler who carried rare goods between villages
While the cart slowly moved along the road the group walked beside it
During the journey they began asking questions about the nearby village
The old man explained that a small village existed beyond the hill where travelers sometimes rested
He also warned them that the monsters around the mountain became more dangerous at night
By the time the sun began to set, the group decided to stop near the base of the hill
A small clearing beside the road became their temporary camp
Some players kept watch while others rested after the long day
Soon the night became quiet
One by one the players fell asleep near the cart
Only two figures remained awake
Kataki and Zanaki
The moonlight covered the mountain and the surrounding trees in silver light
Zanaki opened one of the wine jars and took a drink before handing it to Kataki
"You really know how to find good stuff Zanaki said
Kataki drank quietly
"Information is useful
For a while they sat in silence on a small hill near the camp
Earlier that evening Zanaki had broken a small leaf from a tree and kept it in his pocket
Now he pulled it out
With careful fingers he shaped the leaf and placed it near his lips
A soft flute like sound filled the night air
The melody was calm and beautiful
Kataki listened quietly
I like that sound he said
It reminds me of Chinese dramas I used to watch
Zanaki laughed softly while continuing the melody
The quiet music traveled through the camp
Not far away someone slowly opened their eyes
Murasaki
She sat up slightly and listened to the flute sound echoing through the moonlit night
The mountain ahead stood silently under the moon
And tomorrow the group would have to cross it