A Tale Of True Demons - Book 1: Innocence Begone (Indra Otsutsuki)

Chapter 59: Together By The Muddy Pond

Hand in hand, both Indra and Krishna strolled through the forest path in total silence. Nothing was heard, that was besides the sound of their footsteps against the dirt, the soft chirps of neighboring birds and the soft rustle of the leaves as the gentle wind blew right past them. Suddenly, the girl stopped in her tracks, causing the male to do the same and turn to look at her.

"Krishna, is there some thing wrong?"

Raising her free hand, she then handsigned:

I. Thought. The. River. Was. That. Way.!.

She then ended her words when she lifted that very same hand to point towards her west.

"It is!" Pushing his heels to continue on walking, dragging the girl alongside him, he said "Lotus roots are what you're looking for, right?" Without stopping, the brunette then twisted her head a bit from over his shoulder just to meet eyes with the girl, he then added "Then I know the perfect place where we can find the best roots."

In that exact moment, the pair then stepped out of some thick bushes and into a clearing. And the very first thing both teens saw was the large muddy pond that stood in the very middle of it. However, what had actually caught their eyes the most were what was present within that pond, and that was hundreds or maybe thousands of lotus pads crowding and floating all over the pond's surface.

"Well, here we are!" That was all he said before letting go of the girl's hand and began walking ahead of her. "It's a lot easier and safer to pick some roots in a pond than in the river, the current just makes it harder for you to either pick the roots or carry it back to shore."

Since the pond was dark and muddy, there was the unbearable risk of staining the prodigy's white robes. So to avoid that, Indra then proceeded to untie the black sash that was tied around his waist and moved on to removing his white ninshu robes, revealing the black tights he wore beneath. Soon after, he then proceeded to remove the black boots on his feet and roll up his pants until it reached his knees.

Turning to look at the girl standing behind him, Indra he then said "Wait here, got it. I'll go and get the roots for you!"

Krishna surprisingly, only responded to him by simply nodding and humming in agreement. And with that, the male then began making his way towards the muddy pond. Thankfully, the pond was rather shallow, reaching only up to his calves.

Although, the moist bed beneath the pond makes it a bit hard for him to walk. But those alone were not enough to stop the teen from getting what the girl asked for. He then slowly bent his body a bit just enough for both his hands to dip beneath the water.

With the pond muddy and murky, Indra only needed to rely on his hands to look for the tubers. Finally finding what he was looking for, with all his strength, Indra then pulled it off the moist soil and out of the water, revealing what appears to be a brownish yellow rootstock. Afterwards, he then tossed the root from over his head, making certain that he avoids accidentally hitting the albino and instead, land near where she stood.

This went on for a few minutes, the many lotus roots back on land ever so slowly began to grow into a small pile. Upon noticing the rising pile of tubers, that's when Indra finally realized.

"Damn it! We are planning to gather some lotus roots, none of us barely even remember to bring along something to carry them back." Lifting his head to meet gazes with the female, he then said "Krishna, if you don't mind. I spotted some bamboos growing nearby, can you please get enough for me to make a basket out of it?"

How. About. I. Just. Go. Back. Home. And. Get. One.?.

Right when she was about to turn her heels and return to headquarters to retrieve said item, that's when...