Chapter 195: The Misfits
A Few Hours Earlier...
Ralph brought his axe down into the log, splitting it in half with a single powerful strike. He reached up and wiped at the sweat that was pouring down his brow. With a sigh he placed his tool down and stretched, allowing his eyes to wander over Apple Tree village.
It was a nice little town. One surrounded by dozens of trees, which made collecting logs very easy. He imagined the village also stocked up on a lot of apples, which was likely the reason it got its name. He honestly didn't really know, though, since this wasn't where he lived, and it wasn't a village he helped build either.
"Dad?" Ralph turned when he heard the voice. A young boy was looking up at him. "What's wrong? You've been out here all day. Why don't you come back inside?"
Ralph managed to give a small smile and tapped at his forehead. "Sorry. Just been trying to get all this guy's memories. I wanted to know if he knew where Magnolia Tree City was. Sadly, he doesn't. That's okay; I'm sure someone from this village knows where I can find the city."
The child frowned and cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean by that? You're not making any sense, Dad."
Ralph went to say something but stopped. His eyes suddenly rolled back into his head, and he collapsed forward, much to his child's horror. The boy screamed out as his father landed on him and knocked them both to the ground in a rough manner. From Ralph's back, a hand suddenly emerged. It didn't rip its way out of him. Instead, it seemed to literally phase through him. It was followed by a second hand, and then a person lifted out of Ralph's back, going all the way through him.
It was a woman. One with long silver hair and eyes that seemed more like a night sky filled with dozens of glimmers. She wore a white suit that clung to her body, and she was completely barefoot, but dirt didn't seem to cling to her.
Phantom sighed and casually flipped her silver hair. "No dice. He didn't have the information we needed." Phantom spoke in a soft, melodic voice that seemed to float in the air. "It'd take too long to keep jumping into people here. Go ahead and use your power, and let's head to our base."
Yelling filled the village as some people heard the crying child. A large man rushed forward and tried to grab at Phantom, but she stepped through him, phasing herself out onto the other side. The man spun around and was about to try again, but before he could, a soft musical noise filled the air. It sounded like someone was playing a flute or some sort of instrument like that. Instantly, the man's eyes turned dull, and the tension in his body faded.
He wasn't the only one, either. Everyone in the village suddenly became dull and almost seemed to lose all the life within them. Ralph stood up off of his son, who was also in a daze, much like his boy, and they both turned and began to march forward, heading to the noise.