The path to this forest is through this gorge hidden by thick foilage. The path to foilage is through a narrow path from a village nearby. No one knows for how long the forest have been known to local people. The forest has a thick canopy, short in height the trees form a dark, damp and humid climate.The air is damp and the surface is wet. Their is no dense overgrowth, the floor is covered with decaying leafs. The truck and the roots of the ancient tree gives a vibe that the trees have seen better days. And their is this air of mystery around this forest. As told by my local guide, this forest is a type of evergreen forest.
So what i am doing in such a place, I am a legionary hired by EASTEVE, a pharmaceutical company. Some decade or two my contractors sent a hired scout unit(not the boys scout one) into this forest to get hand on some new samples of undiscoved flora. The team consisted of 6 members and a local guide. They never came back.
"Mr. Smith do you think it is a good idea to enter this wretched place?" questioned larsson about my intention of entering this forest. "Heavens forbid the amount of young blood and soul we lost to this cursed place..." He comments lamenting. " My youngling.. i warned him not to enter this place... But hee.. entered into that HOLE OF A PLACE!!" in a feat of both rage and grief. " Larsson you know our end of bargain, you lead us and we may lead you through the forest, you can find your son, while we find our contractors assets." I tried to remind and calm the much agitated Larsson. Our group consist of Larsson and Nilsson, two native from the nearby village. While Larsson is a local hunter and a experienced guide, Nilsson acts kind of a porter, He is from the same village. EASTEVE hired me and Martin. I am a generalist by profession i know of ins and outs in our profession, how to behave with clients from different segment of society, deal with locals or negotiation with the contractors. I am also good with gun but it is so and so. Martin is the weapons expert in our duo team he can use all kinds of guns from old gunpowder based rifles to new steam powered rifles, also proficient in hand to hand and hand n knife combat. But he is a man of few words. "Mr Smith! look!!" Nilssen pointed his finger in mix awe and fear towards the direction of ahead. And i looked towards that direction.
And behold my sights fell into the entrance.How to describe it? the entrance was a gloomy, cold but with odd charm to seduce the hearts of men, it felt like an alluring voice of a siren charming the very soul of sailors. "larsson how much more trekking to reach?" I asked, larsson replied " Half hour give or talk". We trekked the the remaining half hour through the gorge, while the gorge was a beauty in itself, it faded in comparison to mysterious enchantress that the entrance lured.
"So this is it, the entrance to your wretched place?" I asked mockingly to Larsson. "For the love of old gods! don't take this as a mere folktale of counterside, this is a evil and wretched place!" Larsson warned me again. "Fine, lets go into the Dark Forest."
fin