After losing two comrades to the everlasting crimson fog, the crew continued their journey silently and cautiously. The ominous crimson fog and a solemn atmosphere overshadowed the crew as they proceeded forward.
The unnatural warmth as well as the frequent appearance of human corpses reminded the crew every second about its evil powers. It spread an unrelenting fear amongst everyone.
At the front of the proceeding crew, Alister strolled closely beside the captain and the wizard, both walking at his sides. He could see the solemn expression on the face of the wizard as well as the vengeful glint in the eyes of the captain.
The hero shook his head — he too could feel what those two felt. But what use was letting that feeling overshadow him? The everlasting crimson fog is nature, nature can't be killed.
Silently and steadily, another three hours went by slowly since the death of the two soldiers.
Over the past solemn three hours, there have been four more screams of pleasure and pain, disrupting the journey.
But neither the hero, nor the wizard, nor even the captain bothered to go check on those soldiers — after they lost the two soldiers, Theobald announced to the crew not to stop at the sounding of the screams, as such actions were useless, there was no saving for anyone that had been invaded by the everlasting crimson fog.
With that warning in mind, the crew only became sadder at the sound of the new screams. Every new scream brought about a deep feeling of dread amongst the crew as they kept wondering who the next unfortunate member might be.
Just like that, another three hours passed — four more screams joined the previous six, making it a total of ten deaths.
A few minutes ago, the wizard announced that they would soon reach the exit of the feared bridge. The news brought about an iota of joy among the crew, but it was short-lived.
The fear of who would be claimed next by the everlasting crimson fog still lingered.
'It should be late afternoon right now. We really did make it to the exit of the bridge before evening.'
Alister noted inwardly while cautiously watching his surroundings as he always did. He could see very faint traces of a few members strolling behind them, their footsteps gentle and solemn, and he could see the bleeding fist of the captain. Apparently, he was still troubled by the death of his comrades.
Alister returned his attention to the path ahead and continued walking.
A few minutes later, the crimson fog ahead became somewhat brighter and less dense than before. After taking a few more steps, the crimson fog began to lose its usual thick crimson hue and became even brighter, as though a source of light was up ahead.
A smile appeared on the face of the hero as he realized that the exit was already closer than he imagined.
After about one minute, the three strolling at the front of the crew finally made it out of the bridge and away from the dangerous crimson fog.
The three found themselves standing on a plain sandy area that stretched out for quite a distance after the bridge. On this sandy landmark, several skeletal remains could be seen, both of humans and other creatures.
In this place, there wasn't a single living thing in sight—no birds drifting across the vast sky, no plants sprouting, and no insects crawling. It was utterly devoid of life.
Very far ahead, a huge and tall mountain could be seen. This mountain was weirdly shaped like a skull from afar.
Alister had seen so many mountains on earth, but none were as scary looking as the one very far ahead of them.
"The mountain of skulls…"
Osborne muttered as his eyes gazed at the mischievous excellence of nature. Beside him, the captain had the same amazed expression.
"The mountain of skulls is feared because of its large population of abnormalities. It is well known that at the beginning of time, this desert area was once a beautiful habitation for all living organisms, including humans.
But as time went by, the mountain of skulls began to spawn mysterious creatures that were soon known as abnormalities. These abnormalities brought about the extinction of all living beings around the mountain, starting by killing all the plants and preventing more from sprouting.
Humans and animals were starved for a very long time. Some of them courageously stepped into the mountains in search of food but met death instead."
Osborne began narrating the history of the mountain of skulls to the other two beside him. His tone contained a deep sense of dread and sorrow.
The wizard ended his story with a hopeful sentence though — "However, surviving the mountain of skulls is possible for the current generation as weapons and magic now exist. As long as we're strong and skilled enough, we can slay the abnormalities on our path and make it to the other side."
Alister took off his nose mask and let out a loud sigh. He really needed those hopeful words as he was almost beginning to lose hope as the history continued.
"We made it out of the feared bridge!"
The other crew members began to step out of the bridge one after the other. Upon landing on the sandy land, they were unable to keep their emotions in check and began celebrating.
The dread that accompanied them inside the bridge disappeared, replaced by relief. The king and the rest of the crew soon made it out of the bridge.
There was a brief sense of relief and joy amongst them, before their eyes fell on the mountain of skulls, which then resulted in a new round of solemn silence.
But the king quickly shattered it.
He strolled over to Alister, grabbed his hands, and lifted them before announcing his achievements to the soldiers, reminding them that there was hope.
DING!
[ Your knowledge and invention have successfully prevented the death of the king and improved the survival of his crew! ]
[ Reward: Skill upgrade token ]
[ The reward has been transferred to your inventory. ]
While the king's announcement continued, several system prompts flashed before the hero, causing him to subconsciously display a smile.
His subconscious smile became a beacon of hope for the depressed crew.
They chanted his name for a few seconds.
After the chant ended, Theobald announced for them to make tents and replenish their stomachs before resuming the journey of the day.
Crossing the feared bridge was already enough hard work for the day.