The walk to the next key felt longer than it looked on the map. By the time we reached the east side of the forest, the trees opened up into a wide, empty space. In the center of it stood an abandoned village, broken and covered in dust. Houses had collapsed long ago, and everything around us was surrounded by tall cliffs, almost like the place had been trapped in a bowl of stone.
Clem looked around carefully. "It's too quiet… even for a dead place like this."
Living pointed at the map. "The key should be somewhere in this village."
We walked down the cracked path leading into the ruins. Old wooden signs lay rotting on the ground, and a cold breeze blew through the empty windows.
As I stepped forward, my foot pressed down on something small. A soft click echoed.
"Stop—" Living started to say.
But it was too late.
A sharp whistle cut through the air. An arrow shot past my face so close that it sliced a bit of my hair. It hit a broken wall behind me with a loud thud.
Chakshu yelped. "Bro! You almost got turned into a kebab!"
I took a shaky breath and looked down. Hidden under dry leaves were tiny metal sensors—old, rusty, but still deadly.
Palash crouched and examined one. "Whoever placed these wasn't playing around. This whole village could be a trap."
Clem scanned the rooftops. "And if the sensors are working, there might be more—crossbows, falling rocks, anything."
I stepped back slowly. "We move carefully. One wrong step and we all get skewered."
We spread out a little, walking in a tight group, eyes locked on every piece of wood, stone, and shadow in front of us. The abandoned village felt less like a ruin and more like a giant puzzle waiting to kill anyone stupid enough to mess up.
Somewhere in this place, the second key was hidden.
As we moved deeper into the abandoned village, something caught my eye. At the center of the broken houses stood a strange stone statue. It looked like an old warrior, cracked and covered in moss, but its hands were raised toward the sky as if offering something.
Palash took out his spyglass and looked carefully. His eyes widened. "It's the third key. Right there. In its hand."
Chakshu whispered, "Great. Just great. Of course it has to be high up. Why would life ever be easy?"
We slowly walked toward it, trying not to touch the ground sensors. Every step felt like walking on eggshells. The wind blew lightly, and even that sounded too loud.
Then—Two arrows slammed into the dirt in front of us.
Not from a trap. From above.
Another rival group stood on a broken roof across the village.
One of them shouted, "Oops! Did we make too much noise" Then he fired another arrow at the ground on purpose, making a loud thud echo across the village.
More sensors clicked. More hidden traps activated somewhere in the distance.
"Run! Hide!" Clem whispered harshly.
We didn't think twice. We rushed behind the statue and pressed our backs against the cold stone.
The key was still in the statue's hand, way above our heads. The fingers were wrapped around it tightly, and the only way to reach it was to climb the statue itself.
Palash looked up. "Someone's gonna have to climb this thing."
Chakshu poked me. "Magic, your turn again."
I glared at him. "Why is it always me?"
"Because you don't slip as much as he does," Clem said, pointing at Chakra's mud-stained shoes.
Living leaned close and whispered, "I can do it… but I'm not fast."
I shook my head. "No. If they start shooting again, we need you down here. I'll climb."
Above us, the rival group laughed, loading their weapons.
We didn't have much time.
I placed my hand on the statue's foot, grabbed a cracked piece of stone, and started climbing, hoping the statue wouldn't break—or that an arrow wouldn't hit me on the way up.
The moment I climbed past the statue's waist, the rivals noticed.
"He's going for the key! Shoot him!"
Arrows flew toward me from every angle. I pressed myself against the stone, trying to stay as small as possible, but it didn't help much. One arrow sliced my sleeve. Another hit the statue just inches from my face.
Chakshu yelled, "They're aiming at Magic! Fire back!"
Our group didn't hesitate.
Palash grabbed a fallen bow, pulled the string back, and released with a sharp thwip.The arrow flew straight across the village and hit one of the rival guys right in the head.
Chakshu cheered, "Lovely shot!"
Living took another bow lying near the broken houses. With calm hands, he fired too. His arrow hit another rival in the chest, knocking him flat on the roof.
Clem aimed next, keeping her body low behind a stone wall. "Keep them busy! Don't let them hit Magic!"
I kept climbing, even though every part of me wanted to jump down and hide. When I finally reached the statue's shoulder, I could feel the wind blowing harder up there. The hand holding the key was high above me, almost like it was daring me to fall.
Arrows hissed past my ears. One brushed my hair, and I swear my soul almost left my body.
But I stretched my hand out, grabbed the key, and pulled it free from the stone fingers.
The rivals saw it.
"STOP HIM!"
More arrows were fired, one after another, a deadly rain.
I didn't wait.
I pushed myself off the statue and yelled at the top of my lungs:
"CATCH ME!"
Everyone looked up at the same time, eyes wide.
Clem gasped. Chakshu screamed, "BROOOO—"
And I fell straight toward them.
Palash and Chakshu jumped forward first, arms out. Clem and Living ran in too, trying to reach the spot where I was falling.
"Don't let him splat!" Chakshu shouted.
I landed hard into all of them. We crashed into the dirt in a huge messy pile—groaning, coughing, but alive.
Chakshu wheezed, "Bro… you're heavy… why are you so heavy?"
I held up the key proudly. "Got it."
Clem grabbed my arm and yanked me up. "Move! They're still shooting!"
Another rain of arrows hit the ground where we had just been lying. The rivals were furious now, yelling and trying to reload as fast as they could.
Palash pulled me by my jacket. "Run! Into the side alley!"
We sprinted between two broken houses, using walls as cover. Arrows hit the stone behind us again and again, echoing loudly.
Living pointed at a gap in the cliff. "There! We can escape through that crack!"
We slid through the narrow opening one by one, the sound of our boots scraping against rock. Another arrow barely missed Clem's back as she slipped inside.
Once all of us were through, we didn't stop running until the village was far behind us.
Only then did we catch our breath.
Chakshu leaned on a rock. "Man… we almost died. Again."
Palash looked at the key in my hand and nodded. "Two keys down. Four to go."
Clem stared at the map with a serious face. "We need to be faster. If other groups are this aggressive, they'll do anything to get the rest."
I pocketed the key and looked at everyone. "Then we move before they recover. Next key."
We began walking again, leaving the deadly village behind, our hearts still racing from the close calls...