Garden Gnomes, an Omen for a Very Not Good Day

Had it not been for the odd shriek of some creature hidden within the treeline, bird song or the sound of footsteps on dirt, Osmond, Takashi and Wendell alike agreed that besides each other's company, they were very much alone.

The hot air was offset by a pleasant breeze the ploughed through the trees, making them sway and dance in the wind. almost an idyllic setting where the forest itself growing darker as you ventured further into it.

Additional noise broke from the still of the otherwise tranquil forest growing around them when once again, Wendell felt a need to vent frustration at an already distracted Takashi, who was staring at a thin glowing device Wendell could only assume was a type of enchanted mirror. A mirror projecting all manner of strange images he tried to ignore...

Soundly oblivious to both Takashi's jabs at Wendell's character, and Wendell's unsavoury comments, Osmond instinctively busied himself with documenting and appreciating their surrounds, pasting leaves into a journal he'd ripped from branches and quickly sketching bugs and other wildlife for as long as he could, staying mindful as to keep up with the other two.

It was only until he heard a sudden change in the sound of footsteps and a painful thud, further followed by a bellow of laughter from Takashi he snapped back into the present, looking up from his journal.

It was humourous indeed to see that Wendell had seemingly tripped on his robes and was scrambling to regain booth his footing and dignity as he reactively produced a slender blade from his gauntlet, pointing it at Takashi haphazardly in a frail attempt to shut him up. Takashi hummed an "oo" in response to the medic's short temper.

"Is that butterknife as big as your dick because that'd explain a few thi-"

"Shut it Kawasara." Wendell snapped, his grin faltering under a twitch in his face as he holstered his blade, "I'm trying to be courteous with you but I don't think I should bother."

Grinning himself in turn the two went ahead in a staredown while throwing another barrage of insults at each other. One would think it just a very intense sibling rivalry case because witnessing it copious amounts of times, Osmond himself was starting to grow accustomed to both doctor's scuffles.

It wasn't nearly as bad as their initial meeting though, so that was something, he figured to himself.

However, Osmond was preoccupied in yet another thought as his gaze fell away from the skirmish and to the ground. That's when he saw a peculiar but familiar shape sticking up from the dirt. a little stone point peeking from the ground just inches from where Wendell had tripped.

Excitedly Osmond rushed to the point and began to pry it out from the ground and digging it out with his bare hands. This was not the first one he'd seen on their day trip into the forest.

"I've worked with orcs more pleasant than you!" Wendell snickered while gritting his teeth in irritation.

Takashi, pocketing his phone, wiggling his fingers and stooping to Wendell's eye level, "awh, you hurt my feelings, Tinkerbell!"

In a more bitter tone, Wendell retaliated, "I hope you rot slowly in-"

Osmond, finally speaking out after a half-hour, completely diffusing the tension with one shout of enthusiasm, "doctor! I found another!"

Instinctively both Wendell and Takashi looked to Osmond and recoiled from each other's vicinity to look at what Osmond proudly held above his head with a grin: a small, stone gnome, with a pointed hat and vacant expression with its mouth open in gawk.

"I believe this is what you may have stumbled on, Vendell! Und it's not the first one, nein, look-" he proceeded to gently tip out the contents of a satchel he carried, and low and behold, a small heap of gnomes tumbled out, all with a varying expression or pose.

Wendell, lowering his arms to be more passive, seemed struck at the abundance of gnomes Osmond had collected.

"You just found these along the trail?"

"Ja!"

"And we've been on this same trail for over an hour solely because of your newfound gnome collecting hobby?"

"Uh-"

Takashi quickly butts in as to raise a defence for Osmond and his so-called growing gnome collection, "if the man wants an army of gnomes he has his right to do that!"

Wendell, rolling his eyes and letting a somewhat kinder smile streak across his face, "collect what you will, I don't care. It's enlightening to know however our quests are governed by what we just happen to find on any given path... I guess it's glorified lawn ornaments this time."

Takashi, snatching up a gnome, poked its stone face and probed a finger in and out of its open mouth provocatively, jesting as he asked, "Any reason why they're just lying around in the middle of fuckin' nowhere?" 

Wendell's ears drooped a bit while he thought, Osmond, listening in too as he scooped up his gnomes back into his satchel.

"That's strange because gnomes around here aren't typically... inanimate. And these are very expressive and well made. I would go as far as to say these were once healthy living little pests."

Osmond, his face stunned into an intrigued shock at where Wendell was going, "oh! So you believe they were turned to stone?"

Wendell nodded in conclusion. "Gnomes take great offence to their likeness being used in lawn decor, so unless someone is looking for an infection, I don't believe these are the work of a craftsman."

"Oh, fascinating! How would stonification even work like this? is it gradual or instant? is it scientific or magical?" 

Osmond continued to bombard Wendell with questions on the intricacies of how living tissue could be converted to stone in such a way, and while Wendell tried to keep up with the barrage of inquiries, the two failed to see that in their obliviousness, Takashi had found something a bit more impressive than a gnome lying in the forest clearing hey had all come to.

"Looks like an art nerd threw up out here, look at that, everyone's got their ass 'n dicks out!" he exclaimed, amused.

Osmond tilted his head to peek around Takashi's frame, Wendell cutting himself off from the conversation.

"What vulgarities are you spewing now- Oh!" Wendell blinked in surprise at the scene laid out in front of them.

Osmond swerved past the two to enthusiastically get a closer look.

Stretched out in front of them was sizable but compact courtyard in a stage of disrepair that suggested it and the structure behind it had not seen any company for a very long time. Vines, foliage, wildlife and an abundance of fungi had overtaken the grounds, the marble pillars supporting the lawn decor and the walls showed cracks and holes live with plant life and bugs crawling across their surfaces.

But what was even more intriguing if not indicative of a strange presence hanging in the air, was that the courtyard was very cramped with stone figures.

All these seemingly expertly crafted statues ranged from human, inhuman and animal alike, a huge variety of people from all walks of life and profession decorated the yard. The ornaments also showed a diverse range of expression. Just like gnomes.

Takashi had since walked on to poke around and disgrace the statues that had little to no clothing draped on them as he giggled to Osmond to show him his kiddish work. Osmond indulged the doctor's behaviour with his attention as they joked, filling an otherwise dead courtyard with laughter.

"Ah, doctor, go easy on her-" 

A loud crack sounded followed by more giggles from Takashi holing a stone served arm he'd accidentally yanked off a stone woman's shoulder.

"Oh dear, well, it's not like she needed it anyway, huh, fräulein?" 

Wendell, however, wasn't impressed. His face went white, his rosy cheeks, cold and wide-eyed as he tried to pry Takashi of the back of an inanimate horse.

Panic overshadowed his tone, "we've got to get out of here, now." His voice was whispered and urgent, uncharacteristic of him.

"What's wrong, are you feeling feverish, doctor?" Osmond asked.

Takashi bounced off the horse, still with the stone arm in hand, waving it, "you do look like you're in need of a rectal examination, pin-ears, I have just the arm to help." 

"You don't understand, we-!" once again, Wendell's explanations were cut short on account of a louder, more ominous cracking noise emitting from below their feet.

Under their combined weight, tiles began to falter and chip away into dust like they were standing on thin ice. They all stared at each other in a brief silence with arms outstretched before collectively, their vision went blurry on account of finally falling victim to gravity, plummeting into a dark crevasse below.

To Be Continued, lol.