CLASSIC [Magical Library Expansion]

[KingdomKey]

Re: CLASSIC 6 [Starter Pack (End)]

Gosh, a whole lot has happened in this chapter. I would of been satisfied with this if, this were the end of CLASSIC. I'm glad its not the end though. (xD) I'm greatly amused at the reveal of Reyes first name being Alice. There are a few things that come to mind that I'd like to ask about. How does Timberpatch summon guards out of thin air? Where did he get the stone to decrease Reyes powers? I am satisfied with what became of Timberpatch but, I'm still supicious about his death. I mean, this is a world of mages. I could imagine a necromancer bringing him back to life if, there was something to be gained. Rai is certainly eccentric. I'm surprised you went down that route by mentioning Chives Sword Guild might not be as innocent in all of this as it seems.

My favorite line would be this: "I can bring the lightning bolt if you can bring the thunder."

I actually didn't have any problem reading this. Nothing in particular stood out to me because, it flowed nicely and I kept on reading it without having to read things twice. I can't really critique it much. It was good overall. =D

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Re: CLASSIC 6 [Starter Pack (End)]

This is the end of CLASSIC, but it's only one of (hopefully) many ends! We finished the Starter Pack, so now we get to move on to other territories.

How does Timberpatch summon guards out of thin air?

A wizard did it. I forgot to mention it because I was rushing through the ending by that point, but one of the soldiers Bryer chains through was a low level mage. His only reason for being brought along with Timberpatch was to teleport the guards. He felt so very special for being brought along with the lord himself, but he was basically a glorified bus.

Where did he get the stone to decrease Reyes powers?

I plan to answer this in the next part, but it was something she was required to give him when she was brought into the fortress in case she went rouge. Lot of good it did him, though.

I am satisfied with what became of Timberpatch but, I'm still supicious about his death. I mean, this is a world of mages. I could imagine a necromancer bringing him back to life if, there was something to be gained.

I have no real plans yet to bring him back, but remember Leon and the necromancy. You never know!

I'm glad you enjoyed it as well. I put lotsa energy into that last part, so I'm glad it payed off! I just wish I could keep that energy going constantly instead of in short bursts lol.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Re: CLASSIC 7 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

Oh boy oh boy! Let's go on an adventure! Day 1 Writing Challenge! Expect Day 2 tomorrow, since I'm pretty sure that's how numbers work!

---

The Forgotten Forest Expansion
​

“Bryer? Dyson's ready to see you.” The secretary told me from her seat.
“Great, thanks.” I stood from the velvet couch and made my way across the small room. The secretary sat behind a wooden desk adorned with a quill and some paper, along with various documents and parchment. The walls around the room were a dark wood that always reminded me of some old classy house, and even though I thought it was far too much in the terms of style, I knew we had to keep up appearances. I opened the lavished door and stepped inside my commander's office.
“Bryer.” He greeted me.
“Sir.” I answered back, standing at attention.
“At ease, boy.” I slacked slightly and caught myself in the mirror hanging against the wall. Red coat and pants. Of course I needed to wear red. It's always red for me. Always has been, always will be. “Alright, Bryer, let's get started. You can sit if you'd like.” Dyson said as he sat down behind his own desk as I took the chair on the opposite side. “So.” He started before clearing his throat. “What the hell happened?”
“I did what I was told to do.”
“Really? I don't remember telling you to kill a lord from Fayfield.”
“With all due respect, I was given explicit instructions stating that if it came down to it, I was allowed to use my own judgment on the situation and was granted permission to apprehend, detain, incapacitate, or even kill anyone who interfered with the mission. That included Lord Timberpatch; I even asked the higher ups for clarification. I was within my boundaries.” Dyson sighed at me before rubbing his temples.
“Bryer. We give you a lot of leeway around here, you know that? How could we not? You're Mylene's son.” Oh boy, here we go. “But I'm starting to worry that they might start pulling back on your...ideals.”
“My what?”
“You associate yourself with a known member of the Band of Thieves, boy.”
“Chive is a valuable asset to the Sword Guild.” I explained for the nth time. “Without him, the last mission would have been a failure, as would have many others in the past.”
“I know that. Why do you think we haven't arrested him and instead let him walk these streets in broad daylight?”
“He hasn't stolen anything within our jurisdiction.”
“That we are aware of. They're keeping a hawk's eye on him, boy. One slip up and he'll be brought in to custody and none of what he's done for us will matter.” I wanted to groan, but kept my mouth shut.
“He won't slip.”
“For both you sakes, I hope not. If he goes in, you'll be taking a hit as well.”
“A slap on the wrist. He'll get treated much worse.”
“You should let him know that, assuming he doesn't know already.” He did. “Back to your mission. You did manage to get the plan of attacks from Fayfield, but they—”
“Are denying everything and claim Timberpatch was just a rouge agent with his own agenda.”
“Yeah. They found his body and must have realized what had happened, just like your mage friend said.”
“And the prisoners?”
“Without Timberpatch to give the troops orders, they all fled, ignoring the prisoners. Both Fayfield and ourselves have accounted for all of the prisoners, except for one near an entrance to a desert. Do you know anything about that?” I thought back to Rai. 'Don't trust the Sword Guild.'
“No, sir. We passed the door, but it had already been open. The prisoner most likely escaped some time ago.” Dyson stared at me for a second, and I felt a bead of sweat form on my forehead.
“Alright.” He said, shuffling some papers. “What else, what else...Alice Reyes. Your mage friend.”
“Yes.”
“She's hot.”
“Ye—What. Dude, she's like, twenty years younger than you.”
“Just saying.” Dyson cleared his throat, returning to his previous professional self. “We have her settled in to small hotel down the street. That's just temporary though. You brought her in, Bryer, what do you think we she do?”
“She's smart,” I told him, “she sees through plans easily, she is a well trained mage, and she cares more for the greater good than human life. Sounds like some of the Sword Guild's higher up.”
“I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that.” He told me with a smile. “She betrayed Fayfield, though.”
“Because she believed Fayfield was on the verge of starting a war. She is a valuable ally.”
“The Guild agrees, but we can't bring her in. We're the Sword Guild, after all. We can transfer her to the mage's area instead. She'll have to give them her personal suppressor, like every other mage does in case she decides to go rouge on us as well. Don't worry, she'll still live in the area so you can introduce me to her later.” He added with a wink.
“Right. Are we done?”
“Almost. I've just got one more thing.” Dyson opened a drawer and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment. He opened it up and placed it in front of him, putting small weights on both ends so it didn't snap itself back. “Timberpatch mentioned a hole in their defenses to you, correct?” I thought back to the first conversation I had with the lord.
“He mentioned his troops saying they were missing some equipment and herbs, I think. He thought someone was stealing from them.”
“Yes. Well, we have also been missing a large number of supplies as of late and had suspected Fayfield. However, now that we know they were also victims of theft, we need to find who is really behind this.”
“The Band of Thieves?”
“Not likely. They wouldn't waste time robbing supplies. We've noticed that all of the areas missing supplies were bordering the large forest that stretches between Blueshire and Fayfield.”
“And I'm guessing I'm going to be sent in to check it out?”
“Yes.”
“I'll tell Chive and Alice to pack their things.” I said as I begun to stand.
“No.”
“What?”
“The forest is known to be troublesome to groups. The best course of action would be to send in a single person. Whenever even a pair of people entered, neither of them returned. However we have dozens of accounts stating that a lone person is in next to no danger when exploring the forest.”
“So you want me to enter unmarked territory to look for possible bandits by myself?”
“Yes. Will that be a problem?”
“Not at all.”

I stepped out of the large building that housed the Sword Guild. As I walked down the small steps, I heard a familiar voice call out to me.
“'A valuable asset'? Is that all I am to you, then?” Chive asked, catching up to me as I walked down the cobbled street.
“You eavesd—oh, of course you eavesdropped. You know what I meant though.”
“'Course, 'course.” He told me as he took a bite of an apple. I stared at it before looking back at him. “Whut?” He asked with a full mouth.
“You payed for that, right?”
“They didn't have change for a bar of gold.” I glared at him. “Bryer! Come on, it's a joke! 'Course I payed for it. Not gonna do somethin' stupid like steal an apple here. I have honor, you know?”
“Look, just keep your head down, alright? Last thing I need is you getting busted. I'm have enough heat on me as it is just having you walk around, not to mention bringing Reyes to Blueshire.”
“Man, you guys sure do have large sticks up your butts.”
“I know. But it's all politics and business here. We protect the people, after all. Next to the army, we're one of Blueshire's biggest defenses. Listen, I need to talk to Reyes before I start getting ready. You coming with me?”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I should report back to the Band. Tell them I'm alive.”
“We both know they already know that.” I said with a smile.
“Yeah. Either way, I need to 'deposit' the loot I found from Fayfield.”
“Right. Remember to keep your nose clean.”
“I blow my nose every morning, Bry-Bry.”

After saying a quick goodbye to Chive, I walked to the hotel Alice was staying at. After telling the receptionist who I was, and more importantly, my position in the Guild, she pointed me in the direction of the mage's quarters. I rapped at the door a few times and it swung open. Alice's face popped out of the door frame and quickly scanned the hallways before grabbing me by the neck and dragging me in. She slammed the door closed before slamming me against it as well. She held her palm near my face, as if ready to fire something off at me.
“What spell did I use when we surrounded by darkness?” She hissed at me.
“Th—The fire ball thing.” I spat out. “It was like, on my palm but it didn't burn.”
“What color was it?”
“I don't—wasn't it just a normal red?” The magic user let go of my neck and took a few steps back. “I'm sorry.” She said simply. “I had to make sure it was you. I'm not sure how Fayfield is taking my absence.”
“It's okay, I guess.” I told her as I rubbed my neck. Gods, she had a hell of a grip on her. “So long as you don't like, set me on fire or something.” She walked into the small living room that had been prearranged with two small couches and a table. “You're paranoid about Fayfield?” I asked as she sat down.
“It's not paranoia if someone is out to get you.” She answered.
“Well in that case, I have some good news. The Sword Guild is going to transfer you to Blueshire's Magical Library. It's under the Guild's protection, and you'll have all the books and researching materials you could ever hope for.” The girl looked out of the nearby window and smiled.
“That sounds like a dream after what I've been doing.” I decided not to ask about what they had her doing back at that fortress. The less I knew, the better.
“They haven't told me how they're going to handle your housing, but I was told that you would be living around this area, so I doubt you'll be far from the Guild.”
“In case you need my assistance.”
“That's what I figured too. I'm also guessing you'll have some magical transportation to the Library and back, since it's quite a ways by foot.”
“A portpoint, no doubt.” I didn't answer, mostly because I didn't know what that was. She must have picked up on that, because she began explaining it to me. “It's like a door that acts as a teleporter. I'm sure there's a few of them scattered in this town.”
“Right.”

“Was this a social call, or just business?” She asked. “I'm actually quite busy.”
“Nah, I just wanted to let you know about all of that before I headed out of town.”
“Another mission already?” She asked, once again seeing right through my words.
“Yeah. They've got me going to the Blue Field Forest.”
“The Blue Field Forest. “ The mage repeated. “You're going to see if you can find out more about the stolen supplies from Fayfield.”
“Yep. Turns out Blueshire's been missing supplies too.”
“What are you packing?”
“Huh?”
“You're going into the forest by yourself, I assume you're going to bring more than just a single healing gel packet.”
“Actually, I was...uh, just gonna take a packet of healing gel. Yeah.”
“Oh, for goodness sake.” Alice sighed. “I thought the Sword Guild was supposed to be prepared. Here.” The girl leaned towards the table and opened a drawer under it, pulling out a few bottles of liquid. “Give me your bag.”
“I don't have one.”
“Are you joking?” I shrugged. “How have you manage to survive so far? Give me a moment.” She stood from her seat and walked into a different room. I took the chance to look at the bottles. Antidotes, holy water, dispel charms, and other helpful items that removed negative effects from the body were lined up before me. After a few seconds, Alice returned with a small black pouch. “Here.” She said as she threw it at me. I easily caught it and noted the bag was completely empty. “You can have that one, I have a million of them.”
“There is no way this thing is going to hold all of those bottles.”
“It's a bag of holding.” She told me. “Magic. It can hold a near limitless amount of things, providing you can stuff it through the opening.” I dropped a bottle into the pouch then looked inside, but only saw darkness.
“How would I get it back out?”
“Just reach your hand in and think about the item.”
“Seems easy enough.” I said as I happily dropped bottle after bottle inside, inspecting the bag's interior after every drop.
“You're like a child.” Alice teased me with a smile.
“This is cool.” I said defensively. “Don't blame me if I'm not used to it.”
“Just be careful inside the forest. No one's really sure what's in there.”
“Yes, mother.” I said as I pocketed the pouch. Though it held all the bottles as well as my healing gel, its outer appearance was still of a tiny empty bag. Man, magic was cool. “In all seriousness, thank you for the bag. And the potions.”
“It's the least I could do.” She said as she walked towards the door. Taking the hint, I followed her towards the exit. “After all, you're making sure I have a place to stay. I'd rather not have you die in your own stupidity.”
“Right.” I'm not sure if that was an insult or if she was just stating the facts. I'm going to assume it was the latter. I exited her hotel room and turned to face her. “I'll be off, then.”
“Yes. Be careful. Don't die.” She held her hand out to me and I took it, shaking it firmly.
“I'll do my best.” I said. “Later.”
“Goodbye.” Was all she said before closing the door. After the abrupt farewell, I walked towards the receptionist desk just in time to see the employee hastily sit down.
“Oh!” She stammered. “Um, uh. L-leaving already?”
“Yeah?” I said, confused.
“She's uh...she's quite forceful, isn't she?” The girl asked me.
“What?”
“Your girlfriend. To think she would bring you into her room with such... such vigor.” What was she trying to say? I just wanted to talk to—oh. OH.
“No!” I defended myself quickly, feeling my face flush. “No no no, we didn't do—She isn't my—no no!” I recovered quickly. Get a grip, boy. You're part of the Sword Guild, show a little dignity. “She isn't my girlfriend.” I told the receptionist after clearing my throat. I looked at the girl sitting in front of me. ...Actually... “I don't have a significant other, to be honest.” I said, leaning on the desk as I stared into her eyes.
“Really?” She said as she leaned closer to me with a sly smile. “Well, I do.” Damn. Swing and a miss.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

CLASSIC 8 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

It's late and I'm tired. But I had to get this done before midnight. Day 2 of the Three Day Challenge! Whoo! It's pretty short when compared to Day 1, but it's better than nothing! Day 3 tomorrow, because numbers! Be warned that there are probably some spelling/grammar errors in this. I plan to go through it again tomorrow and fix stuff, but still.

---
​

I woke up bright and early next morning. Dyson wanted to see me again before I left and when we met he gave me a more detailed description of my mission. This first day was going to be mainly focused on mapping the areas of the forest: marking down points of interest, where the old roads are overrun with foliage, locations of any water deposits, or anything else worth noting. I was to return by nightfall and report anything I was able to find before heading back in the next day. Though he didn't have a real end in sight, I kind of suspected he was just going to have me going in and out of the forest for a few days until I found the thieves. If that sounds really ineffective, that's because the Guild put Dyson in charge. My commander was more of a fighter than a strategist. The only reason he was so high up the chain was because he's been a part of the Guild since it first started. All things considered, he's a lot lower than the other founding members. He's also a lot younger than them, which might have something to do with everything. I argued my point to him and even though he agreed, the higher ups didn't care enough to give us another plan. Funny. Whenever I want to refuse a job they pull the 'Oh, but you're the Scarlet Lightning Bolt's son! You have to prove yourself!' card, but heaven forgive if I try to flip it around to get myself out of these terrible missions. Day in and day out in a damp humid forest? Totally something I should be proud of.

I swapped my red outfit for a green breathable one instead. I didn't want to sweat any more than I already was, and the green might help camouflage me a bit from whatever animals I might run into. After sliding my sword into its sheath and pocketing Alice's bag of holding, I made my way to the far side of town where Dyson had instructed me to enter. Once I arrived, I stared at the sea of trees ahead of me. The town behind me suddenly seemed as if it ceased to exist solely because its growth had been halted by the sheer power of nature. The trees were so thick and packed so close together even this close to the town that I highly doubted I would be able to squeeze through them. Thankfully some other brave explorer had hacked his way through the trees and had carved out a road for others to follow. Judging by the thickness of the trees, I expected the path to be the only way through for a very long time, so I made a mental note to see if I could find any other area where someone might be able to squeeze through trees. Maybe then I'll be able to find unexplored territory and find the culprits. I took a quick breath and walked into the forest.

I had been stunned by the sheer magnificence of this place. I had been engrossed with how quickly darkness covered the area after entering. I had so many observations about the area around me that filled me with wonder and curiosity, but those emotions were quickly exhausted as I passed through trees that looked identical to ones I passed just a few seconds ago. It's hard to keep interest in something if it keeps doing the same thing over and over again, I guess. The road I was walking on seemed to hold itself fine, thankfully, and it showed no signs of ending anytime soon. I also noted that though my initial idea of finding a crack to slip through in the dense wood seemed solid at first, it was obvious now that it wouldn't work. A few yards into the forest showed me that the trees began to space themselves farther apart the deeper one went. I was pretty convinced that the road I was walking down was the only way to find my way back to town. Supposedly the road led all the way to Fayfield, but I don't think anyone had really walked all the way through the forest in a few years, especially since both magical and technological transportation was so readily available. I walked in silence for about half an hour before something caught my attention. Though I hadn't noticed it at first, I could kind of make out a soft clicking noise. The noise got louder as I kept walking and, unsure of what to expect, I kept myself tensed up, ready for a fight. I also suddenly realized that I had yet to spot any animals, nor had I heard any birds calling out. I wasn't much of an outdoors type of person, but I was pretty sure that was unnatural. I remember reading about how animals knew when to flee. Something about how their instincts or heightened senses lets them know about incoming danger. Is that what was happening now?

A sudden high pitched scream filled the air, and I turned my head to face the direction it came from. I dashed through an opening between a pair of trees and ran towards my best estimation of where the scream came from. Was someone in trouble? Could it be the bandits? Questions dotted my mind as my feet trampled over the soft mossy ground below. Whoever screamed had only done so once, meaning I didn't have a whole lot to work with. I only had a general direction to go with, and even then it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that the trees around me had echoed the cry, making me run in the wrong direction. I stopped running for a second as I cupped my hands around my mouth.
“Hello?” I yelled out, “Is anyone out there?” Of course, nobody answered me. Damn it. I was starting to doubt whether or not I had even heard the scream by this point. Maybe it was my imagination? Just as I was about to begin running again, something caught my eye. A dark skinned girl with long ears and short black hair was walking towards me. She was wearing a simple black top and skirt, but what caught my attention was her face, most notably, her eyes. They looked glazed over and almost completely empty of any emotion. “Hello?” I called out while moving closer to her. The girl ignored me completely and instead walked right passed me. “Hey!” I said as she brushed my arm, “Are you alright?” It was a stupid question; of course she wasn't. I grabbed her by the shoulder and held her in place as I tried to think of what to do. I reached into my pocket and pulled out Reyes' bag of holding. Clasping it with my mouth, I reached in with my free hand and thought Help. I need help. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I felt a bottle materialize around my hand. I yanked it out of the pouch as I walked around the dark skinned girl. Pocketing the bag as best I could, I undid the cork with my teeth and placed the bottle's opening on the girl's lips. I could see small drops of liquid slip past her chin, but she seemed to be drinking most of it. Once the bottle was empty, the girl immediately started to collapse, and I just managed to catch her fall. I sat down and placed her head on my lap while waiting for her to regain consciousness.

 

[ChibiHearts249]

Re: CLASSIC 8 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

I'm gonna comment on this stuff in the new 2.0 challenge thread! But I really like it so far, so keep up the good work!

 

[Cassette-Disk]

CLASSIC 9 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

Day 3 Challenge! I wanted to wrap up this expansion in the three days, but I realized that there was no way that was going to happen. Even after this third day we haven't even entered the 'forgotten' part of the Forgotten Forest. I plan to write a little bit a day for this though, regardless of challenges. This part was a lot of fun to write, but it was also tiring for obvious reasons. 'Daja' is pronounced 'da-ha', by the way. All the j's here have an 'h' sound. Don't ask me why, that's just how it is.

---
​

I placed my fingertips on the girl's neck and sighed in relief. Not only was she breathing, but her pulse seemed normal as well. I wasn't a medical expert, but I was fairly sure she was going to be fine. I leaned my back against a nearby tree as I looked up at the foliage that surrounded us. Dyson had said that pairs or groups of people who wandered into this forest were always at a serious risk while those traveling alone always returned without any incident. Why would that be? Would I be in danger now that I have a companion, even if she was out cold? As I readjusted myself, I felt my foot hit something small and hard: the now empty bottle I had given the long eared girl that was resting on my lap. Using the bottom of my foot, I carefully dragged it closer to me. I picked the bottle up and looked at the label. It was a dispel potion, used to ward away any magical ailments one might catch. Did this mean the girl had been hexed? She was pretty much sleep walking when I saw her, though she had screamed out before that. What would have happened if I didn't find her? Where was she going? Questions flooded my mind again as a rare breeze swept passed us, causing the sleeping girl's hair to sway slightly. Her long ears caught my attention, and without thinking I gently tugged at one of them. Not really sure why I did that, but whatever. I took a quick look around my surroundings and realized how dumb of a move that was. There was nothing but trees. What did I expect to see? I closed my eyes for a second. This girl was taking her time. Hopefully she'll be awake soon.

Something was picking at my ears, but I didn't care enough to check what it was. I let out a soft hum to show my annoyance and whatever it was thankfully stopped, only to continue where it left off a few seconds later.
“Quit it, Chive.” I mumbled drowsily, “Lemme sleep in for a change.”
“Quit...it”
“Yeah man,” I answered back, “quit it.”
“Yeah...man.” Came the response. “Qu'est-ce que cela veut dire?”
“Dude, what?” Whatever was picking at my ears was now picking at my lips. “Muuh.” I grunted in annoyance. What did a guy have to do to get some sleep around here? I felt two fingers forcefully pinch my bottom lip, causing me to jolt upright in pain. This in turn caused the person in front of me to jump backwards and onto their rear end. “Ow.” I said as I opened my eyes. The forest had darkened significantly, which was a feat in its own right. More importantly, the dark skinned girl was staring at me, her brows down in what looked like agitation.
“Qu'est-ce que cela veut dire?” she repeated.
“What?”
“Wh...at?”
“Do you understand me?” Instead of answering, the girl simply stared at me.
“Quoi?” She said, this time with more force. Looks like we're gonna have to caveman this. I took a deep breath before placing both palms on my chest.
“Bryer.” I said. “Bry...” I tapped both hands with my chest for emphasis, “...er.”
“Bryer.” The girl repeated, placing her own hands on her chest. “Bryer.”
“No... No, that's not right.”
“Bryer.” She said, repeated the motion. “Quoiqu'est-ce que ce que cela signifie?”
“That doesn't mean anything.” I told her. “Okay, let's try this instead.” I stood up and pointed at the tree I had been resting on. “Tree.”
“Tree.” She said, pointing at the tree.
“Yeah, tree.” I walked to another tree and placed my hand on it. “Tree.” I told her before heading to a different one. “Tree.” Then I crouched down and ripped a small amount of the greenery that surrounded us. “Grass.” I handed the turf to her before pointing at my face. “Bryer.” She took it, raising an eyebrow at me. Was any of this making any sense to her? She pouted at me and sighed.
“Tree, grass, Bryer.” She said quickly as she pointed at each object.
“Oh.” I said, slightly surprised. “Yeah. Bryer...” I said, pointing at my chest before pointing at her, hoping to at the very least know her name. She stared at my finger for a while before pointing at herself. The girl smiled mischievously at me, her face slightly red.
“Qu'est-ce...que vous essayez de dire? Quelque chose obscène? Paillard garçon, Bryer. Paillard garçon.” I don't like the look on her face.
“Right. A...anyway. I found you walking around in a trance and—”
“Quoi?” Right, no vocal communication. Okay.

“You,” I said, pointing at the girl. “walk,” I used my index and middle finger to mimic a walking motion on my other palm, “trance.” I pointed at my eyes, before covering them with both palms. When I looked back at her, the girl's face was full of concern. She pointed at her eyes and ran her fingers passed them.
“Yeux?”
“They looked glossed over.” I said, assuming she was asking about her eyes.
“glas...gloss.” She repeated. She stood up and reached behind her. “Ah! Où est mon arc?!” She cried.
“Uh?”
“Arc!” She cried at me. “Arc, arc!” She quickly extended her left arm ahead of her before reaching over her shoulder with right right arm, plucking something off with her fingers. She brought her right hand upwards over her head before orbiting it downwards to her left hand. The girl
pulled her right hand near her chest and suddenly opened her palm and stared at me. Unsure of what to make of it, I repeated the motion. “Arc.” She pleaded at me.
“Arc.” I said, repeating the motion again. “Oh!” I cried, as a light bulb went off in my head. “Arc! Yeah, uh,” I repeated the motion again, adding more at the end in the form of pointing at my left hand and then extending my finger away from it quickly, as if something had been shot out of it. “Arc?” I asked. She nodded, bouncing from one foot to the other. “Okay, uh,” I looked around the floor. She didn't have it with her when I found her, did she? I shook my head sadly at her and gave her a half shrug.
“Maudire.” She said. Without warning, she ran back towards the direction she had came from.
“Hey!” I called out, “Where are you going?” The girl stopped and looked back at me, her brows furrowed in concentration.
“Hmmm...Bryer, ce qu'il faut faire?” She mumbled to herself as I walked towards her.
“You use that 'q' word thing a lot. Is that like, 'what' or something?”
“je vais faire?” She said, rubbing her head with both hands in frustration. “Ah.” She finally said, standing upright. The dark skinned girl quickly grabbed my hand and started running, nearly causing me to trip.

“Jeez, lady,” I said as I regained my footing, “Give me a warning first.” The girl didn't answer and instead stared at the ground, narrowly missing tree after tree. We ran in silence for a few minutes before she stopped again. There was no way I was going to be able to find the path again on my own. It was already close to becoming night—assuming it already wasn't night—and I had lost my bearings. Hopefully this chick knew where she was going.
“Voir!” She said suddenly, pointing at the ground. Instead of grass, the floor here was mud.
“Cool.” I told her. “We found some mud.”
“Voir.” She said simply, pointing at her shoes. It took me a second to realize her soles had mud layered between the cracks.
“Oh!” I stared back at the mud and saw a foot print heading towards the area we were just in. “That's where you came from!”
“continuer à chercher.” She said, pointing towards more footprints.
“A... churchur...” I repeated, causing her to raise an eyebrow at me. Bad pronounciation? Gimme a break, lady. It's my first day with this language. She led my by the hand through the mud, and it didn't take long for us to find a discarded bow and quiver on the floor.
“Mon arc!” She said, dragging me towards the items before bending over to pick them up. She quickly strapped the quiver to her back and slid the bow around her shoulder. The girl slowly turned around and froze. “Là.” She whispered before looking at the sky and turning to me. “Bryer, vous venez à Evehom.” She once again grabbed my hand again and ran in a random direction.
“What? I mean, err...quoi?” The girl groaned in frustration and kept silent for the rest of the run. When we finally stopped, the girl looked at me.
“Bryer," She said seriously.
“Uh?” The girl swiped a palm across my chest and started swatting at my shoulders. "Quoi?" I asked, hoping that word actually meant something. Either way, she ignored me and motioned for me to turn around. I obeyed, and she patted down my back as well.
“Fini.” She told me as before doing her best to remove any dirt from her own clothing. She turned around and pointed at her back with her thumbs.
“Grass?” She asked.
“You got some on you, yeah. Uh, I mean...yeah, whatever.” I had no idea where any of this was going, but I was pretty sure it was important if we had to stop just to clean ourselves off. I tried my best to dust the back of her top and walked in front of her and gave her a thumbs up. Hopefully that meant something to her.
“Bien.” She said before grabbing my hand again and led me passed a few more trees. We were coming up on what I thought was a large wooden wall, but I quickly realized they were tall trees lined up so close together that they allowed no room to even see past them. The girl walked towards the natural boundary and to my surprise, two trees began shifting away from each other to let us through. I followed behind, unsure of what to expect.

We entered what I would describe as a village. There were many houses dotted here and there, and they were all surrounded by tall dense trees that seemed to offer the people who lived here protection from outside forces. I couldn't help but be mesmerized by it all. I looked up and saw the star studded sky for what felt like the first time in days.
“Wow.” I breathed.
“Bryer.” I snapped my attention back to the girl as she started to walk forward, and I followed behind. We walked through the small village, but didn't see any other people. Despite that, I heard hushed whispers inside every wooden house we passed by, and once or twice I thought I saw eyes staring out at me through the cracks of doors and windows. The girl led me to a large building, but stopped walking once she reached the steps leading up to it. Instead, she bowed deeply and, still unsure of what was happening, I followed her lead and bowed as well. We stayed like this for a few seconds and I was about to say something when I heard the door open in front of us.
“Qui avez-vous apporté à Evehom?” I heard an elderly woman say.
“Bryer.” The girl next to me answered. “Son langage est différent.”
“Mmm?”
“Grass.” I made out her arm point at the ground before it darted away from my limited vision. “Tree.”
“Ah. Can you understand me, Bryer?” I looked up in surprise.
“Oh hi. Yes.” I said. The woman standing on the top of the steps was ancient, to put it lightly. Her dark skin had wrinkled, drooping her cheeks significantly, and her braided hair had been aged in an undeniable grey.
“Good, good.” She said before talking to the girl next to me in their own tongue. They went back and forth a few times, and I heard my name every once and a while.
“So, Bryer.” The elderly woman said, “Samantha tells me you found her unconscious in the forest and took advantage of her.”
“I actually found—wait, what?!” I turned to the girl—Samantha. “Quoi the hell, man?!” I cried.
“The...hell.” She repeated. Great, I'm teaching her swears now. The old woman chuckled to herself.
“I'm joking, of course.” Fantastic, I've got the 'funny' translator. “Why don't you tell me what happened inside?” She said as she entered the building.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Re: CLASSIC 10 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

Horror Challenge. If you're only here for the horror, feel free to skip the first section of this.

---
​

I found myself sitting awkwardly next to Samantha on a loveseat while the elderly woman took a rocking chair besides us. I hadn't realized it at first, but the woman also had long ears, just like Samantha. There was a long wooden table in front of us, and I couldn't help but gawk at all of the random items that were displayed on the walls. There were shields with various designs on them, vases depicting different fights, tribal masks, staffs of various lengths and designs, even a few old framed photos.
“So uh,” I started, unsure of who to address, “May I ask who you are and where we are?” I looked at the woman as I spoke, and I couldn't help but notice Samantha next to me stare at my ears. I thought I saw her hand slowly rise towards my face as well, but it vanished when I turned to face her.
“My name is Eliz. I am the chef of this village.”
“You mean chief.”
“No, I do the cooking.”
“...Oh. Okay.” I thought I saw Samantha's hand once again come near my face and towards my ear, but it again disappeared when I faced her, and she gave me her most innocent expression. “Listen, is there anything I can do to bridge this language barrier?” I asked the chef, “It's great that you can interpret for me and all, but I don't—Ow!” I felt a sudden tug on my ear, and I quickly faced the girl besides me, who was giving me another innocent look. “Did she just yank my ear?” I asked Eliz.
“I didn't see nothin'.” The elderly woman said. Oh sure, gang up on the poor round eared dude. “I do have a solution to your problem though.”
“Really?” I rubbed at my ear while keeping an eye on the girl sitting next to me. In return, she smiled sheepishly back at me. “What is it?”
“You learn it. It should only take you a few years.” I stared at the chef for a few seconds, expecting her to smile at me, or give me some other confirmation that this was just another joke.
“Any other ideas?”
“If you want to take the easy way out, we can make a potion of understanding.” She turned to Samantha and spoke in their tongue, translating for me. The girl nodded before adding in her own input. “She says she thinks its a good idea as well. Come with me.”

Eliz led us into what a small kitchen and easily pulled a large black cauldron over a fire. Even though she was old, she was strong enough to move something that heavy before I even had a chance to ask if she needed my help. Maybe I was wearing my heart on my sleeve, because both her and Samantha were smiling and laughing softly at me.
“This will take a while.” The chef said as she added random ingredients into the brew before gesturing at a pair of stools for us to sit in. “Why don't I tell you a story while we wait?”

---
​

Years ago, when the hidden village of Evehom was still young, a group of explorers left for a day's trek. Their aim was to gather more resources, and to expand the village by beginning construction on a second village. This village was to bare the same name, and was mainly to be used as a second home for those who were caught out in the woods after night fell. Though the forest was peaceful during the day, it was a completely different story once the sun went down. Wolves, bears, and other carnivores roamed the area, hunting for anything that had neglected to find shelter before darkness took over. If one was unlucky enough to find themselves in the forest during the night, their best bet would be to either make a mad dash to a safe haven and hope the predators attacked one another, or climb the tallest tree one could find and pray they could hold on long enough for daylight to arrive. There were also rumors of a vengeful spirit that had found its way into the wood. No one is sure what its reasoning is, but those who have shared their story on their encounters have described the ghoul as a large round monster that is covered in a marshy substance. Though the group had a simple plan, they found themselves astray. Already night had begun to set, and they were farther away from home than they ever planned to be. They had found an area for the second village, and even placed the magical seeds of the tree walls that also surrounded Evehom, it would take hours for them to sprout, not to mention the days that would be needed for them to reach eternal adulthood and offer any real protection. Knowing full well that they were too far to reach their default saferoom, the group agreed to climb a nearby tree and rest on a large branch. Here they would take shifts watching the ground below, and they would use their bows to strike any predator that was large enough to knock the tree down should they be spotted. They helped one another climb the massive oak and easily set themselves on a massive branch. Though they were uncomfortable, they were safe, and that was all that mattered.

During various times through the night, the group caught glimpses of shadows scurrying below them, and they counted themselves lucky that none of the creatures were large enough to strike at the tree in an attempt to topple the group down to the floor. As if signifying a change, a sudden gust blew through the forest, causing the tree to sway slightly; those who were awake on the branch held down those who were asleep. In the distance, the group heard a loud roar, and those resting were jolted awake by the sudden cry. They looked at one another, unsure of what to expect. Once they regained their composure, they readied their bows and awaited whatever was out there to make itself known once again. The group heard the shriek of a hurt animal cut through the air. A wolf, one of them had said. The sounds of the pained creature echoed through the woods as it cried out to its pack. They could tell the wolf had been slashed through the neck, for the noises it made were a gargled mess, and the sounds of agony it made were those begging for death. One of the members shivered at the echoing noise, and she prayed that it would stop. In between cries, the remainder of the forest was deathly quiet. What was just minutes ago an area filled with the sounds of crickets chirping and paws softy patting along the forest bed was now as empty as a graveyard, save for the dying wolf. The creature cried another waterlogged howl, but was suddenly cut off by a loud crunch and, just like that, silence once again washed over the area. The group looked at one another, each one shared the same scared and confused look. Though none of them said a word, they all thought back to the rumors they had heard of the supposed phantom that haunted the forest.

Hours passed as the group sat in strained silence. There was no follow up after the disturbing interruption of the fatally wounded wolf, and the woodland was still in an isolated silence. The group had begun to lower its guard. Dawn was rapidly approaching and they yearned for their loved ones and homes. Right as they deemed themselves safe, a sudden rocking shook the tree they had nested on. Expecting a bear, the group aimed their bows down to the base of the tree. Streaks of early morning haze raced through the leaves, and the group could clearly see the forest floor. There was simply nothing below them, yet they found their tree rushing in a single direction, nearly causing them to lose their footholds. Recovering quickly, the bolder in the group fired their arrows at the ground below. The arrows struck the air, and as they floated in midair, soft red drips began to form around the invisible figure. No noise escaped from the creature and it again rammed into the tree, this time with much more force than before. The sudden collision was powerful enough to cause every member to fall and even though they gracefully landed on their feet, the invisible creature's stomping behind them was more than enough of a warning for them to run with all their might. Dashing past trees, one member who was ahead of the group heard scream after scream behind her. She felt her heart race in her chest, and prayed once again that everything would just stop. Her feet pounded against the cold floor, and when she finally reached the walls bordering Evehom, she heard the deathly silence behind her. She turned around and found herself alone. She had survived, she and she alone.

The next day, while another group of explorers were out picking food, they spotted a person walking through the forest. Though he was quickly identified as a member of the group that had gone missing the night before, he was missing all of his equipment, and his eyes were glazed over. He walked by the gatherers, almost as if in a trance. Without any other option, the gatherers brought him back to the village, though he struggled greatly with them. They had lain him down and were forced to strap him in when he kept standing and attempted to leave the village. The village knew of no cure for whatever ailed him, and despite the restraints, he had somehow broken free during the night and was never heard from again.

 

[KingdomKey]

Re: CLASSIC 9 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

The Forest Expansion Review: I'm really curious. Is this language Samantha speaking in real? I was amused by Bryer trying to describe what everything was to Samantha. I thought it was hilarious when, he accidently taught her a swear word too. (xD) Anyhow, I like that Alice was kind enough to look after him by giving him a bag that holds more than one object at a time. I laughed at the receptionist part since, it reminds me of reading Max's Classic 7: True Story HISHE. I also like how it ties into the horror story you've written too. And yes, I've read everything you've written for the challenges. Most are in their own respected threads. I hope to see more of this soon, CD-Man.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Re: CLASSIC 9 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

The Forest Expansion Review: I'm really curious. Is this language Samantha speaking in real?

It's all gibberish, which was stupid of me to do. If I had thought things out, I would have just googled an Elvish language from like, DnD or something and just used that. I might change it later, but yeah it's not a real language by any means haha. And yeah, I'm gonna give Max's HISHE a little nod near the end by adjusting something I was going to do anyway.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

CLASSIC #11 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

Samantha had fallen asleep and was once again resting her head on my lap. I had been so engrossed with Eliz's story that I didn't notice, and I even found myself idly playing with her long ears. I guess the differences are like magnets to our hands or something.
“When did you say that happened?” I asked softly, trying my best to not wake the sleeping girl.
“What? The story?” I nodded. “Well it's not true, obviously. It's just a story we tell so good little boys and girls will stay within the village. Like a story you tell around a campfire.”
“Oh.” I said, lightly pinching the tip of Samantha's ear. Eliz clapped her hands twice, waking the slumbering girl.
“Ah” I heard her say, “Est-il prêt?” Eliz nodded in response, and Samantha's hand went straight to her ear; the same ear I was still pinching. She froze as our hands touched, clearly still in a drowsy state of mind. Unsure of what to do, I kept still and looked at the elderly chef for guidance. She of course, gave me none. Realization suddenly hit the girl as she shot upwards in her seat, knocking my hand away before saying some long sentence I couldn't keep up with as she rubbed her ear.
“She says to not touch her ears. Just in a not so polite way.” Eliz said.
“Well, tell her to stop falling asleep on me.” I answered before adding on, “And to not tug on my ears either.” After another quick back-and-forth, Eliz went on.
“She said—”
“Look, is that potion done?” I interrupted.
“Almost, it's only missing two ingredients. Spit.”
“Sorry, What? Is this another one of your jokes?” The elder spoke to Samantha again, who had a similar reaction to my own. After a few more yaks, the girl stood up and walked to the cauldron. She grimaced a bit before spitting into the concoction, which made me shudder.
“You next.” Eliz told me.
“Why?” I just had to know why we were throwing in our own DNA into this.
“This potion binds two people together,” the chef explained, “As long as the two people who share their essence live, they will also share their knowledge in certain areas. In this case, languages.”
“Their essence?”
“Spit works. So does blood, but it makes the potion taste funny. At least this way it's tasteless. We could put any bodily fluids in though. For example your—“
“Okay okay! I'm spitting in it, I'm spitting in it!”
“I was going to say sweat.” Eliz said with a shrug. I stood from my stool and walked over to the opposite side of the cauldron. I looked into the bubbling stew and scrunched my face before spitting into it. As if responding to the final ingredient, the potion began shifting between various colors before stopping to a light blue. “Nice.” Eliz said, “I'll get a pair of mugs.”

After leading us to the dining table, Eliz placed two mugs on the counter filled with the potion of understanding. “Drink up, now.” She told us. I picked up my mug and looked into it before staring at Samantha. Her spit was in here. Gross. The girl looked up at me, one of her eyebrows raised.
“Uh, well... Cheers.” I told her, raising my mug.
“Santé.” She answered back as she raised her own before we both began to drink. The taste of herbs assaulted my taste buds, and I did my best to ignore any slimy textures. I slammed the mug on the table as I finished off the brew, and I looked down in agony. Ugh, that tasted pretty bad. Are all potions like this? I looked back to Samantha. Did it work? How long would it take for it to take effect? Maybe it needed time to be digested.
“Hi.” I said.
“Hello.” That wasn't English. My mind made it outstandingly clear that she wasn't speaking in English, but I was still able to understand it.
“That's Elvish.” I said. “This is Elvish.” I repeated in Elvish, as if to prove a point.
“Well, duh.” Samantha said, “Long ears, bow and arrows, village in the middle of the forest, what did you expect?”
“I didn't really think about it, to be honest.” At that moment I decided to switch the subject before my intellect was insulted by a second girl in the same number of days. “The chef told me about the story involving the group of explorers and the spirit that is said to haunt these woods.”
“Chef?”
“Eliz, yeah.”
“You mean our chief.”
“Chef. She said she did the cooking.” Samantha smiled at me.
“She's always playing jokes like that. She's our chief, but she never takes anything seriously.”
“What can I say?” Eliz chimed in, “I'm a people person.”
“That doesn't even make sense in this context.” I told her. “Anyway, the guy that came back in the story? He was walking around in a trance, right? Because that's how I found you out there. Not only that, but before I found you, I heard you scream.”
“What?” Eliz said, suddenly serious.
“Yeah. When I heard the scream I ran to find her, but by the time I got there she already in a trance.”
“Why did you look for me after you heard the scream?” Samantha asked.
“Why wouldn't I?” This caused the elf to frown at me.
“Wouldn't have been smarter to run away and stay safe?”
“That...” I hadn't even thought about that. At the time, the danger didn't even cross my mind. All I knew was that someone probably needed help. “Maybe. But in the end it worked out, didn't it?” The girl stared at me in what I assumed was curiosity.
“Yeah. I guess so. Thank you.” She said, darting her eyes to the table. She suddenly seemed very interested in a speck on it and focused all of her attention to it. “You know, for saving me and stuff.”
“No problem.” I said, waving it away easily, “I was just in the right place at the right time.”

I looked passed the elf and through a window. Though I saw the night sky when I first entered the village, it didn't really hit me until now that night had truly fallen. Tall torches were placed between houses in order to illuminate the community, and though I'm sure it was commonplace for anyone living here, to me it gave off a mystical feeling. It made me very much aware that I was an outsider here.
“Bryer?” Samantha asked, breaking me away from my thoughts, “Are you alright?”
“Fine, yeah.” I said quickly, probably a bit too quickly. “I just...need to get going.”
“What?”
“I was supposed to report back to my commander by nightfall. I guess I kind of lost track—“
“Commander? Are you with an army?” The girl asked, worried.
“No, nothing like that.” I saw doubt linger behind her bright green eyes. “I'm part of the Sword Guild. We're—“
“The what?”
“Sword Guild.”
“What's a guild?”
“I—It's like a... uh, large organization of people who work together. In our case we help and protect the people in our city.”
“What's a city?” Oh boy.
“Bryer,” Eliz told me before I was able to answer, “We'll help you get home as soon as possible, but for the time being, you're stuck here. The gates have closed shut for the night and nobody is allowed in or out. I'm not even sure how or why the trees let you two in.”
“Damn.” Dyson's not going to like waiting around for me. Knowing him, he'll just fill out the paperwork after an hour of waiting and go home. I'm not sure what he would think happened to me, but he wasn't the one to worry about us too much.
“Chief?” Samantha asked, once again bringing me back to the real world. “Since he can't leave and the others will be untrusting of him, we should just let him sleep here.” The elderly woman nodded at this.
“Either that or we let him sleep outside.” She answered back.
“I enjoy sleeping with four walls and roof, thanks.” I told the chief. “In all seriousness, I would appreciate a place to sleep. Just for tonight, I'll be out of your hair in the morning.”
“Of course,” Eliz said warmly, “It's the least I can offer for saving my granddaughter.”
“Right. I was—wait, granddaughter?” I looked between the two quickly, trying to find some kind of resemblance. Due to the chief's...uh, ancientness, I couldn't really make any out.
“Did we not mention that?” Samantha asked as she stood from her seat before turning to the chief. “I'll show him to the guest room, Nan. Rest your old bones.”
“I got yer old bone right here,” Eliz answered, grabbing a decorative staff off of the wall and lightly bumping the top of Samantha's head.
“Nan, I'm not eight anymore!” The young elf answered, her face blushing. “Come on, Bryer. This way.” She walked out of the kitchen and I followed behind, giving the chief a small wave as I went.

Samantha led up up a flight of stairs in silence before opening the second door to our right in a small hallway.
“It's not much,” She said as she entered, holding the door open for me,“but it's got four walls and a roof.”
“Just like home.” I told her jokingly as I entered. I walked towards window provided and saw the majority of the village. The torches were still going strong, flickering like beacons in the night. Lighting up nearby houses and roads, they seemed to almost ignore the outskirts of the village where the tree borders stood, outlining the village in darkness. The unfamiliar glimpse once again reminded me that I did not belong here. “This place is...really something.” I thought out loud.
“Is that good or bad?”
“Good. I like it. It's...” I brought my forehead to cool glass, as if that would get me a better view of the area. “Serene. I think that's the word I'm looking for. Everything looks so peaceful in here. Nature surrounds this place, and I can hear insects and animals all around us. Where I'm from there's nothing but silence in the night. Being here now, I feel like everything is right in the world.” Timberpatch's smug face suddenly appeared in my mind, almost as if to remind me that my words were false, and that there were wrongs happening in the world even now. Damn it, even in death he annoys the hell out of me. I turned to Samantha. “Sorry, that probably doesn't make sense. I'm just a...tourist here, I guess. Ignore me.” The girl looked at me in silence while fidgeting with her hands. She simply stared at me for a few seconds before answering.
“Okay.” She finally said. “Um. I know I already said this,” She mumbled as she walked towards me, “but thank you. For saving me.”
“Yeah sure. Like I said, it—“
“No, really.” She was about three feet away from me as she stopped suddenly. “I...It just hit me. I would probably be dead right now if you weren't there.” She looked up at me suddenly before talking again. “This is only going to happen once, so don't get used to it.”
“What's going to happen once?” I asked. Answering my question, Samantha briskly wrapped her arms around my body and brought her face into my chest.
“Thank you.” She said, her voice slightly muffled as I brought my own arms up in surprise. Before I could react, she quickly let go of me and backed away. She was glaring at me, but I could see a light redness from her cheeks. “Good night.” She told me as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I stood alone in the dimly lit room for a few seconds before reacting.
“What.” I said aloud, unsure of what just happened.

I found myself staring out of the window again. There wasn't anything interesting to look at, but it still all caught my attention. My body ached for rest, and I finally decided to give in. I placed my sheathed sword against the bed and dropped Alice's bag on the table. Taking off my green coat and pants, I decided to hang them on a chair in front of the same table before crawling into the bed. I found it to be surprisingly comfortable, all things considered, and I was quickly lulled to sleep by the sound of chirping birds and cicadas.
“Hey, Bryer.” I heard Samantha's voice call me. “Wake up.” She pinched at my ear again, forcing me to open my eyes.
“Wha.” I mumbled, completely out of it. “Whaz happening? Are we getting attacked?”
“What?” She asked, “No stupid, nothing like that.”
“Is it morning?” I looked out the window and found that darkness still covered the village.
“No.” I rubbed my eyes before looking at the elf. She had swapped her previous outfit for a white light dress. I almost wanted to say it was a sleeping gown, but to be honest I had no idea what the hell a sleeping gown looked like. The girl looked out the window before bringing her gaze back to me. “I just...wanna talk.” I sat up against the wall and rubbed my eyes again, as if that could erase the sleep away from my body. “I want to know where you come from. I want to know what a city is. I want to know about guilds, and buildings. And the world outside of nature.” I saw her eyes flash in the dark room. “Will you teach me about your world?” I looked at Samantha. Would this be a problem? I doubt it, but it still worried me a bit.
“Okay,” I said, “What do you want to know?” So we spent the night talking about the world outside the forest. I told her about cities, and how they were part of countries, and how countries were just a part of continents. I told her about kings and guilds, about armies and war, and I told her about technology and magic.
“How does magic work?” She asked.
“I'm...not sure.” I admitted. “I think it has to do with spirits of the world or something. Like nature, the elements around us have...stuff that lets people who posses the power to harness it to manipulate it and use it. Or something.” I scratched my head in confusion. “Wait, no I don't think that's right. Um.” Why wasn't Reyes here? She'd be able to explain this.
“Do you know any magic?” I shook my head, which brought a disappointed look to her face.
“Actually,” I said as I was about to get out of bed. I lifted the covers and immediately brought them back down, realizing I was without my pants. “Get me that bag on the table, will you?” I told her, pointing to the bag of holding. She raised an eyebrow, but obeyed me.
“It's empty.” She said as she handed it to me.
“Yeah?” I said, reaching my hand inside, “Then what's this?” I pulled my hand out and showed her the empty glass bottle I had administered to her earlier.
“What?!” She whispered in awe. “That wasn't there when I brought it over!”
“Right?!” Finally, someone else who thought this was cool! “Check it out.” I dropped the bottle back into the back and crumpled the sack in my fist.
“That's awesome!” She said.
“I know! Here,” I handed her the bag, “put your hand inside and think of the empty bottle.” Doing as she was told, the girl yelped quietly as the bottle materialized around her palm.
“This is amazing.” She told me as she pulled the bottle out. Do you have any other magic stuff?”
“You're like a child.” I said with a smile. It wasn't often I get to tell others that.
“This is cool,” She said defensively, “don't blame me if I'm not used to it.”
“Okay. I don't have any other tricks though. Just that, which is holding some potions and stuff.”
“Right.” She handed me the bag, which I tossed back to the table. Due to its emptiness, it didn't have as much mass as I expected it to have and it fell a bit short, landing on the floor. “You should get some sleep. It'll be day soon.” I looked out the window, but saw nothing but darkness. I was going to ask how she knew how close we were to daylight, but a yawn escaped my mouth instead.
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” I told her as she stood from the bed. “Good night, then.” I said, slipping my whole body back into the covers.
“Goodnight.”

 

[KingdomKey]

Re: CLASSIC #11 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

Bryer. You lucky dog. If Chives were here, he'd hit you on the head. Gosh, he must get hit on by a lot of girls because, first was Alice and now its Samantha. I'd count the receptionist if, it weren't for the fact she turned him down. (xD) I enjoyed this chapter a lot and I don't envy Bryer for having to drink a disgusting potion. I laughed and smiled a lot during this chapter. It should of dawned on him sooner that Samantha was important to Eliz. I was thoroughly pleased with the sweet gesture of Bryer playing with Samantha's ears and teaching her about his world and magic.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Re: CLASSIC #11 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

Bryer. You lucky dog. If Chives were here, he'd hit you on the head. Gosh, he must get hit on by a lot of girls because, first was Alice and now its Samantha. I'd count the receptionist if, it weren't for the fact she turned him down. (xD) I enjoyed this chapter a lot and I don't envy Bryer for having to drink a disgusting potion. I laughed and smiled a lot during this chapter. It should of dawned on him sooner that Samantha was important to Eliz. I was thoroughly pleased with the sweet gesture of Bryer playing with Samantha's ears and teaching her about his world and magic.

Bryer gets all the ladies.
This was never my intention, of course. Especially with Alice, haha.

I'm also probably going to go back and change all the gibberish language to French. That's this world's 'Elvish' now because of reasons.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

CLASSIC #12 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

I hate to say it, but I might be taking a break from Appreciate in order to focus on CLASSIC. At the moment, this is drawing me in more than Appreciate is. Despite that, I can almost guarantee that the opposite is going to happen in a few months and Appreciate is going to my focal point.

---
​

The smell of wood and nature surrounded me as I groggily opened my eyes. The wooden roof above greeted me, as did the sun pouring into the large window. As I began to stir, I felt a soft warmth curled on the side of my body that reminded me of slumbering cat. To my surprise, when I turned my head to face the source, I found Samantha lying next to me, wrapped up like a ball.
“Shh.” I heard someone say. I looked up towards the door and saw Eliz peering through as she slowly walked in. “Play dead.” Unsure of what to expect, I quietly placed my head back on my pillow and closed my eyes. I made out the sounds of the chief walking towards the bed, and felt her tap the body next to mine lightly. “Good morning, my precious flower.” The girl stirred a bit as she woke up.
“Oh...nan, hi.” I felt Samantha's body stiffen suddenly at the realization of where she was. “This isn't my room.” She said.
“It is not.” I felt the elf slowly get to a sitting position, and I imagine she looked at me for a few seconds as silence passed us by. “It's not what it looks like!” she told her grandmother quietly, “I was... we were talking last night about his world and stuff, and I guess I...lost track of time?”
“His world?”
“Ah...” Uh-oh. Maybe I shouldn't have told her after all? I didn't know if Eliz wanted to keep the outside world a secret from her granddaughter. Maybe she wants to keep her safe from the outside or something?
“Did you learn anything new?” The chef asked cheerfully.
“Yes! It's so interesting! Did you know that there are other types of roads besides dirt ones?”
“Maybe we should talk outside. Where we won't wake him. I'm sure you'd rather not have him know about how I found you here.”
“Oh...right...”Samantha stood from the bed and I made out the sounds of the two walking out out of my room followed by the soft clicking of a closing door.

I waited a few minutes before moving, just to make sure they had really left. I got out of my bed and put my clothes back on before looking out the window again, eager to see what the village looked like full of life. To my disappointment, nobody was out of their homes. Was it still too early? Maybe everyone had already left the village and headed into the forest? Or maybe...maybe they know I'm still here and are afraid of me. I'm a foreign object here, something no one was used to. They didn't know what I was capable of or how I would act to them. I sighed as I bumped my forehead against the glass again. One night of sleeping here didn't change the fact I was an outsider. I heard a soft knock from the door as I brought my head away from the glass.
“Yeah?” I asked, facing the door.
“Bryer?” Samantha asked. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” The door opened again as Samantha entered, wearing a black tank top and shorts.
“How'd you sleep?”
“Good, good. Hey, do you guys have any cats?” I asked, unable to fight the urge to tease her. “I could have sworn I felt something sleeping next to me last night.”
“No!” The elf said, blushing. “We don't have any cats! I'm sure that was just your imagination!”
“Okay.” I deadpanned, turning back to the window to hide a smirk that was quickly growing on my face. “Must have been dreaming or something, then.” I took in the scenery again. Now that there was natural light, the tall torches had been extinguished by someone and I could just barely make out the smell of smoke they produced, like the chimneys back home. The girl walked next to me as I looked over the wooden houses. There was a dirt road connecting each house together and a torch stood between each intersection, but aside from that the village was covered in grass. I worried about the torches tipping over and started a fire, but quickly saw that each torch was covered safely, and there were buckets of water at the entrance of every house. The village was still surrounded by the ever present wall of trees that had granted us access, and I couldn't help but marvel at it.
“This place is beautiful.” I said aloud.
“You think so?” Samantha asked, placing her hand against the windowsill as she stretched her back.
“Yeah. This place is so different than home. I kinda wish...” I kinda wish what? “...Never mind. I like it here.” We looked on in silence for a bit before a door to one of the houses opened, surprising me. Though I expected an adult to exit the building, I instead saw a little boy skip merrily out of his home. Much like Samantha and Eliz, his ears were pointy but he was light skinned. The boy stepped onto the dirt road and picked up a rock and threw it playfully at the torch. Hitting its mark, the rock bounced off and landed harmlessly in the tall grass. The little boy raised his arms in triumph before bringing his gaze to us. He lowered his arms and stared at me as I tried to give my most harmless expression. After a few seconds, the little elf grinned and waved happily at me. Relief flushed through me as I smiled and waved back. All too quickly, a light skinned woman hurriedly walked out of the house and scooped her son off of the dirt road before practically running back inside. I couldn't help but sigh.
“Hey...you okay?” Samantha asked.
“Yeah. I just...” felt completely dejected. I'm an outsider. I don't belong here and am not trusted. And it...hurt. “I'm just a bit tired, I guess. I'm okay.” Maybe my lie was obvious because I saw the elf stare at me with concern.
“Alright.” She told me. “Breakfast'll be ready soon. Hope you don't mind fruit for a meal.”
“Sounds good, yeah.” I said, finally looking away from the window.
“Right.” She made her way towards the door while still facing me, “And uh...” the girl stalled a bit, looking for the right words to say. “Yeah. Okay.” She said, unable to do so. “Head downstairs in about five minutes.”

After picking my bag off the floor and spending a few more minutes gazing out my window, I made my way downstairs and back to the dinning room. The table had various different fruit on platters on it, just like Samantha had told me. What surprised me was the variety of the fruit. I had expected a few common tree-bound fruit like apples and pears, but what I found instead peaches, cherries, sliced melon and pineapple, grapes, berries, hell, there were even some bananas.
“Whoa.” I said as I entered.
“Oh, good morning.” Eliz said as she placed down a plate of strawberries. “I was just finishing up. Go ahead and take a seat, and feel free to help yourself.” I obeyed her and sat across from Samantha as the chef sat on the far end of the table. “How did you sleep?”
“I slept pretty well, actually.”
“Would you say you slept like a curled up kitten?” I saw Samantha's face turn red again.
“Yeah, I guess I would!” I told her as I picked up a few apple slices and placed them on my plate. “Actually, I was just asking Samantha about this, but do you have any cats? Because I swear I felt something sleeping next to me last night.”
“Actually...”
“Nope!” Samantha interrupted, “No cats! Just a dream, remember?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” I answered as Eliz chuckled to herself.
“Anyway.” The younger of the two elves said, “Bryer, what do you normally have for breakfast?”
“Hmm? Oh, uh. I dunno... I guess bacon and eggs?”
“Eggs?! You steal eggs from birds and eat them?!”
“No, what? No see, we have farms where we keep animals to produce food. Stuff like wheat and vegetables and eggs from chickens. And meat.”
“You eat meat for breakfast, then?”
“Oh dude, totally.” I popped a grape into my mouth. Wow. These things were really really sweet. Almost like little balls of sugar.
“I see, We usually only eat meat for lunch or dinner.” Samantha told me as she played with a slice of orange melon. “We don't eat eggs though. That sounds...weird.” I never really thought about it, actually.
“I can kinda see why you'd find it weird, but it's pretty normal for me. Anyway, I was wondering about the forest. Mostly about how I'm going to find my way back? I don't think I'd be able to find the main road without a map or something.”
“I can lead you to it,” The elf said, “it's not too hard to find from here. Do you need to leave right away?”
“Yeah, the sooner the better. I need to let my friends know I'm okay.” The girl nodded before biting into her fruit. We filled the rest of the meal with small talk, mostly questions directed at me about Blueshire and other things that I thought were simple, but seemed to blow Samantha's mind.
“You're lying to me.” She said as we exited the house after saying goodbye to Eliz.
“No, really.”
“There is no way. No way on Earth that's true.”
“It's totally true.” The girl led me towards the large tree-gate and I was once again astounded as two trees parted ways to let us pass. “How are you going to look at me with a straight face and not believe that we have air conditioning while we're walking between a magical tree fortress?”
“It just sounds like something you'd make up just to mess with me. There's a device you place in a window and it sucks up cold air and spits it back into a home? Even during summer?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“And it's not magic?”
“It's technology.”
“It's a lie is what it is.”

I don't know why this is the one thing she determined was the thing I was lying about, but we spent the entire walk arguing about an air conditioner. The fact that I didn't know how it actually worked didn't help me out, and she kept using that against me.
“Look, do you agree that the sun exists?” I asked her as we walked on the main road back to Blueshire.
“Are you trying to trick me? Don't just change the subject because you're too stubborn to admit your wrong.”
“No seriously. The sun exists.”
“Okay,” She sighed, “yeah, the sun exists.”
“How does it work?”
“What?”
“How does the sun work?”
“I don't...it just does.”
“How do fruits and vegetables grow?”
“...Uhh.”
“This is kinda the same thing. We know these things are, but we don't know how they work. The only difference is that an air conditioner is man-made and I just don't know the specifics of it.”
“I'm still not thoroughly convinced about it though.”
“Says the elf speaking in a different language thanks to a potion.” I said in elvish.
“That's magic!” She cried, “That doesn't count!”
“Okay. Hey, is that the exit?” I asked as the trees once again begun huddling together.
“Oh.” The elf said, “Maybe? I've never actually been this deep before. Err, shallow in?”
“Whatever.”
“Whatever.” We both said at the same time. I pushed back some foliage, letting in sunlight from outside of the forest entrance.
“Yeah, this is it.” I felt Samantha move beside me and peer over my shoulder, staring at the buildings housed in the city.
“Wow.” She breathed.
“Clock.” I said, pointing at the large clock tower that towered above the rest of the city before pointing at my face. “Bryer.”
“Don't ruin this for me.” She said seriously, taking in what little of the city she could see. I stepped out of the forest and into the empty field that marked the entrance.
“You wanna come with me?” I asked, facing the invisible line between man and nature. “I can prove that air conditioning exists.”
“Ah, um...” The girl looked at me and I could tell she was conflicted. “Maybe... maybe next time. No offense, but that's... a big step. I probably shouldn't leave the forest yet.”
“Okay.”
“Uh, sorry.”
“No, nah, it's cool. The city ain't going anywhere. Actually, that was kind of a dumb question. Eliz might worry if you aren't back soon.”
“That's right!” The elf yelped, “I only said I was going to show you to the road, but your stupid lies distracted me too much!”
“What?”
“Nothing, Look, um. Are you coming back? To the forest?” Her head was poking out behind a tree, reminding me of a curious cat and I couldn't help but smile.
“Yeah. Probably tomorrow, bright and early. I still haven't found what I'm looking for.”
“Okay. If you get lost again I can probably find you. I'll keep an eye out.”
“Right. Thank you. I'll try not to get too lost though”
“Uh-huh.” She said awkwardly.
“Uh,”
“Yeah. So, um... do you--”
“Bryer!” I heard Chive's voice cut through the empty field, and I instinctively looked behind me. Sure enough, the happy-go-lucky thief walked towards me with a smile that looked right at home. “There you are, good buddy! Where've you been?” I quickly looked back to the forest before addressing Chive. The spot behind the tree was empty. “Hey?” My friend asked as he reached me, wrapping his arm around me shoulder. “Dyson's pissed, man. To the point where he actually asked me to look for you. Can you believe it? Man, good thing you showed up though. I really didn't wanna into that spooky forest.”
“It's not spooky.” I said defensively. Maybe a bit too defensively, actually.
“Whateves.” He said, easily shrugging off my comment.” Let's go, Dyson probably wants ta' see you.”
“Okay.” My friend walked ahead of me and I took the opportunity to look back at the forest again. Eyes gleamed out behind the dark shade the trees provided and I gave Samantha a quick smile and wave before following behind Chive.

 

[KingdomKey]

Re: CLASSIC #12 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

Samantha is a real cutie. I like how she has similarities to a cat, and can be so easily picked on by Bryer. I thought it was funny how she didn't believe in an air conditioning. I mean, REALLY?! For crying out loud, you're surrounded by magic. Which is really baffling compared to something man made. xD Gosh, those two are the best. I was really happy to see Chive again. Anyhow, I kind of wonder what Dyson will think of the story Bryer will have to tell. :3

I do have a question! How old is Samantha? Compared to the last chapter, I thought she was much younger than Bryer until she could speak in the same tongue as Bryer. Also, I don't mind if you continue working on CLASSIC instead of Appreciate! All good things come to those whom wait.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Re: CLASSIC #12 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

Samantha is a real cutie. I like how she has similarities to a cat, and can be so easily picked on by Bryer. I thought it was funny how she didn't believe in an air conditioning. I mean, REALLY?! For crying out loud, you're surrounded by magic. Which is really baffling compared to something man made. xD Gosh, those two are the best. I was really happy to see Chive again. Anyhow, I kind of wonder what Dyson will think of the story Bryer will have to tell. :3

I do have a question! How old is Samantha? Compared to the last chapter, I thought she was much younger than Bryer until she could speak in the same tongue as Bryer. Also, I don't mind if you continue working on CLASSIC instead of Appreciate! All good things come to those whom wait.

It's funny cuz Crystal also has similarities to a cat but it was much more subtle with her. XD

And she is a year younger than Bryer (he's 25 years old), but her mind is like a child.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Re: CLASSIC #13 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

I think I hit a block with this story as well without realizing it. I didn't really enjoy writing this part (which is why it took so long to get it done despite its short size), but I'm hoping that jumping back into the forest will invigorate me. Sorry it's not a whole lot, but I felt like I needed to put something out there since it's been almost a month since the last update on this story.

---
​

“Bryer? Dyson's ready to see you.”
I was once again sitting in the same waiting room as the day before, but this time my good friend was sitting next to me.
“...Bryer?” Chive said, nudging me, “we're up, dude.”
“Huh?” I looked at my friend who was now standing as I broke away from my thoughts of trees and grass. “Oh. Right, yeah.” I said as I stood and walked into Dyson's office. Man. I didn't even get a chance to shower or anything. I probably smell like sweat and leaves. If I did, nobody mentioned it.
“Hello Bryer, Chive.” Alice said, surprising me. She was sitting in one of the chairs facing towards Dyson's desk, and three more chairs surrounded her. Dyson himself was sitting behind his desk, looking as if he just wanted to go home.
“Yeah, hi you two.” He said. “Skip the formalities, just sit down.”
“Alrighty.” Chive said as he sat on the chair furthest away from Alice. I played middle man and sat between them.
“Okay, Bryer, spill it,” The man told me as he leaned forward, “why didn't you report back last night?”
“I got lost.” I told him simply.
“So you just camped out in the middle of no where until morning and then magically found your way back out?”
“Well, not exactly...” I told the group about the day I spent inside the forest, leaving out unimportant pieces. “...And after she showed me the main road back we said goodbye and here we are.”
“No, see that's not true.” Chive joked. “He forgot about the part where I found him in the forest. He was surrounded by like, ten—no no twenty—bears. That's when I swooped in and beat them all up bear handed. Ha! Bear handed, get it?”
“Yeah, whatever.” Dyson said, waving the thief away. “So you found Evehom, huh?” I nodded in response.
“I didn't even know elves lived in that forest.”
“Yeah. It's not exactly a secret, but the Guild usually doesn't talk about it unless people ask.”
“Why?”
“That's just how it's been. They're a small band of elves, nothing like the ones that live far off in Tetus.”
“That potion,” Alice said suddenly, reminding me of her presence, “how was the quality of it?”
“Uh?”
“Here,” The mage grabbed a sheet of paper off of Dyson's desk along with a pen. After a few seconds of scribbling, she pushed the paper towards me. “Read that.” I looked over the paper. That wasn't English.
“This is written in Elvish,” I read aloud, “I can read in Elvish. Chive smells like a bird.”
“Hey!”
“Better than I expected.” She told me. “The potion only lasts until of you dies, correct?” The mage asked in Elvish. Of course she knew Elvish. Why wouldn't she?
“Yeah.” I answered as the other two men stared at us in confusion.
“Then you are bound together for the rest of your lives.”
“That's what the chief said.”
“English, please.” Dyson said as he rubbed his forehead.
“I need to invent a translator or something.” Chive said next to me. “Imagine all the info I can get off of people if they think I can't understand them.”
“Not you, thief.” Dyson said, “You can keep quiet.”
“Classist.” He answered back as he crossed his arms.
“There's something I don't understand.” I told the group, “if people who enter the forest in a group of two or more vanish, why were Samantha and I okay?”
“It probably has something to do with the fact that she's an elf.” Dyson answered. “They're probably immune to...whatever the hell happens out there, I don't know.” He stretched backwards as I heard small pops and cracks coming from his joints. “Anything else you need to tell me?”
“If it's not a secret that there's a village of elves in the middle of the forest, why does no one know?”
“Discrimination.” Alice answered. “No matter how much they look and act like humans, they are still different. The smallest change in a person is reason enough to breed hate towards him. Elves are said to be powerful. Having something that is superior to a human is not easily accepted, so they are shunned or feared. That's why we don't see many—if any at all—elves in this continent. The fact that Evehom has lived peacefully despite being surrounded by humans is a blessing. I wouldn't be surprised if Evehom itself is the reason many avoid the forest.”
“What the girl said.” Dyson nodded.
“That's stupid.” I told them.
“Most human things are.” Alice snapped.
“We done now?” Dyson asked. “'Cause Bryer needs to go back into the forest bright and early tomorrow.”
“Just stab me.”
“Not until you find the info we need. You're all dismissed. Go on, skedaddle.”

“Damn it.” I yawned as we walked down the steps outside of the Sword Guild's main building. “I was hoping to at least get tomorrow off or something.”
“Not very hard working for a captain.” Alice teased at me.
“I would be more assertive if I wasn't so out of my element. I'm flying blind into a forest to look for bandits with no leads to work with. Plus the only way for me to get out of this is to either finish it or get called into a more important mission. It's frustrating.”
“My potions came in handy though, didn't it?” I looked at the mage in confusion.
“Oh yeah! Yeah, thanks for that. Do you need the bottle back?”
“It's yours to keep.”
“Alright. Yeah, it really helped out.” I felt Chive wrap his arm around my shoulder and already knew he had a stupid grin on his face.
“Say Bryer, old buddy, old pal of mine.” He said with a stupid grin on his face. “Since you're going back into the forest tomorrow, what say we spend the night on the town? We can take the harpy with us and show her the best spots.”
“I wholeheartedly refuse.” Alice said.
“That's okay, I was just gonna ditch you the first chance I got anyway.” The thief answered back as I frowned at him.
“No way man,” I told him as I removed his arm. “I need to shower. And change. And I don't want to go back into the forest with a migraine.”
“Aw. Fine, your loss.”

After give the pair a goodbye, I made my way down the street to where my apartment was located. It was a pretty sweet digs if I do say so myself. I entered the the white building and waved at the receptionist sitting at the front desk, which reminded me of the receptionist at Alice's hotel. That experience was less than favorable.
“Hello, Mr Alma. We missed you last night. Another one of your missions?”
“Mmm,” I answered, “I should be alright from here on though. If I miss another night, don't panic.”
“Of course, sir.” Man, I was never going to get used to being called 'sir' or 'Mr Alma'. I already told them to just call me Bryer, but I guess it's in their contract to be formal or something. I gave the lady a quick wave as I walked up the stairs to my apartment. After a quick shower I found myself loafing around on the couch with a book. I flipped through pages, but I wasn't really reading any of it; it was just kinda in front of me. I stood up and walked towards the window, looking out. Concrete and cobblestone floor. Buildings blocked my view of whatever lay beyond them as well as part of the sky above. There wasn't any grass here, except in the park. I felt a wave of fatigue hit me suddenly, and I made my way to the bedroom. I fell face first into the bed, and lost consciousness.

 

[KingdomKey]

Re: CLASSIC #13 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

A cliffhanger! Nah. Exhaustion must of caught up to Bryer. I'm impressed with Chive for sticking up for Bryer. It was amusing to think of a mere thief single handedly taking out a bunch of bears. I kind of wonder if Dyson knows more then what he lets on about the elves. Alice remains a favorite of mine in this story; it makes me laugh when she teases Chive. That aside, I kind of feel concerned about Samantha's safety. Since Bryer and Sam are connected to each other, does this mean if, Bryer dies then Sam will die too?

And don't worry about writers block. Happens to everyone. Sometimes it takes awhile to get back into the groove of things. xD

 

[Max]

Re: CLASSIC #13 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

I'm two chapters behind on this... I am so sorry.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Re: CLASSIC #13 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

That aside, I kind of feel concerned about Samantha's safety. Since Bryer and Sam are connected to each other, does this mean if, Bryer dies then Sam will die too?

Nothing that drastic. If one were to die, the other would no longer be able to speak/read/understand the language they learned from the other. It seems really useful, but the potion itself is difficult to make.

I'm two chapters behind on this... I am so sorry.

Jeez, Max. How could you. ;-;
srs: don't even sweat it, man. We're all busy with our own things.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Re: CLASSIC #14 [The Forgotten Forest Expansion]

NaNoWriMo time! It's been a whole week already, and boy am I off to a slow start! I only planned to write 1000 words a day for a total of 30,000 words, but after seven days I've only gotten 3911. I gotta step it up! I've been surprisingly busy, but I should still make time to write.

---​

I rolled to the right, just managing to skip over a marshy puddle. As soon as I did, the Kaytrap slammed itself on the ground behind me, having been too slow to keep up with me. Kaytraps were large reptiles that lived in swampy areas; they walked on all fours and were roughly five feet long. Their jaw strength wasn't all too impressive, but their saliva was a literal cesspool. Coated with various bacterium and viruses, it wasn't really something you wanted in your blood stream. Being bitten by one meant hoping you didn't catch an incurable disease. A Cure-all would most likely cure you right up, but since Kaytraps were only found in swamps, the chances of you finding that potion in the middle of no-where were slim, to say the least. Kaytraps almost always seemed to be drooling, as if to show off the incomprehensible amount of poison stored in their mouths. Thankfully, just touching the saliva wasn't enough to infect someone; it had to enter the body somehow, otherwise it could just be washed off. I swung my sword at the Kaytrap as a warning. Keep away, or get put down. It looked at me as it recovered from its failed tackle before opening it's mouth and flicked out a two pointed tongue at me in contemplation. ...At least I think it was contemplating, anyway. Regardless, after a second or two passed, the large reptile once again charged at me, fangs baring. I hopped backwards, avoiding the deadly bite, then countered with a stab at the cranium. My sword met little resistance as I pushed deeper into the beast's brain before tugging my now bloodied weapon away. The monster collapsed, defeated. I sighed quietly to myself while I fished into my pockets for a way to clean my blade. A dull roar emitted behind me, and too late I realized my folly: the Kaytrap had a mate. I turned around in time to see a jaw open in front of me. Before I could react, I felt something fly above my shoulder as it struck the second Kaytrap. The arrow collided into the monster's snout, stunning it long enough for me to side step away. Another arrow flew off, hitting its mark. Then another, and another. A volley of arrows flew free from the shades of the surrounding trees, pinning the Kaytrap down until it let out a low gurgle and collapsed, signaling its end.

“Je vous ai dit de ne pas jouer avec le Kaytraps, Bryer.” I faced the direction the voice came from and saw a dark skinned girl with pointed ears looking at me. She had her bow pointed downwards, though she had an arrow notched, ready for another attack.
“Gimme a break, Sam.” I answered in English. Samantha was an elf living in a small village in this forest. Her grandmother was the chief of that village, though Samantha herself seem far from ready to take over those duties. Though the elves speak their own language, Eliz, the chief, created a potion of understanding so that we could communicate. The most important ingredient happened to be bodily fluids of the two people who were to drink the potion. ...Spit, I mean. As a result, the two who drank understood the language of the other, and vice versa. The side effect was that the potion bound the two together until the other died. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I didn't want to find out. “I wasn't 'playing with the Kaytraps',” I told her while walking into the trees. “I was...exploring.”
“I thought I also told you to not enter the Kaytraps territory. Aren't you a captain of some Sword Guild thingie? Are those just low ranked watchmen? Because I can't see someone who can't follow directions getting very far.” I sighed loudly. Why does everyone always have to turn my rank against me?
“Look, the Guild has me searching the forest for clues on whoever's been stealing supplies from both Blueshire and Fayfield. Since I've crossed the elves off of the suspect list, that means I need to find new ones. I've been wandering around this forest day in and day out for two weeks now, and the Kaytrap's area is the only place I haven't really checked.” Samantha leaned her back against a tree after placing her last arrow back into the quiver on her back.
“Trust me,” she told me with a smile, “you haven't even seen a quarter of this place.”
“That's awful. F-For me, I mean.” I added quickly before she could give me a glare. “You might wanna fetch those arrows, by the way. You're down to your last one.”
“Humans aren't the only ones with magic, you know.” She winked at me before changing the subject. “Why have you been coming into the forest all this time? Most humans try to avoid this place.”
“It's a job.”
“That's not it. There's something more.” Samantha pushed herself off the tree and walked in front of me. “You like me, don't you?” I didn't answer while she played with the zipper on my jacket. “I think that's a princess syndrome or something where the damsel in distress falls for the knight. Nan told me a story like that a long time ago, except in this case it's the knight that's fallen for her.”
“Are you saying the princess doesn't enjoy the knight's company?” I asked, turning the tables on her, causing her to let out a small laugh.
“You should spend tonight in the village.”
“Boy, you move fast.”
“That's not what I meant.” The elf told me, playfully punching me in the chest. “Nan hasn't seen you in the past few days. She asks about you, you know. I think she likes you.”
“The princess better watch out. She's got some competition.”
“Oh gods, you're gross.”
“I'm joking!”
“I sure hope you are. I think she asks because she knows I always end up finding you in here.” It's true. Ever since my first day out in the forest, I've run into Samantha at some point. The first times were supposedly coincidental, but after the fourth day, I would normally find her waiting for me in the middle of the dirt road. “It'll be nice for her to see you again.”
“I guess that's true, its just...”
“What?”
“I always feel so isolated when I go into your village. Everyone always hides from me in their houses and ignores me. Only you and Eliz bother to put up with me.”
“They're just being overly protective.” Samantha said, placing her palm on my cheek. “We've lived alone in our village for a long time. We've been kind of afraid that humans might try to raid our village--”
“I would never let something like that happen.” I interrupted. “I think most humans that know about Evehom are more afraid of you guys, anyway.”
“But most of us don't know that. That's why you spending more time with us can change that.” She moved her hand away and pressed her body against my own. “I can show how to use a bow and arrow, too. They'll take that as a sign that you're learning from us, and they might start to open up some more.”
That was a good point.
“Alright alright, I'll spend the night. Lemme just report back to the Guild first. I also want to check this place out some more too.”

Samantha made her way back to the village on her own as I poked around the Kaytrap's marshy habitat some more. There had to be something here that would help me. Pushing passed the fallen bodies of the two reptiles, I carefully made my way across the small swamp and into another area of tall trees. There was something strange about this place, though. Most of the trees in here were either grouped so close together that they made crossing between them impossible, or were so far apart that sometimes you could easily see the sun shining through the parted leaves. But this spot was odd. The trees bound together again, but there was a small opening between them. The gap was so small that I almost overlooked it entirely, but now that I noticed it, I could no longer ignore it. Jumping through the gap led me to a large circular clearing where the trees were still packed closely together. However, unlike every other part of the forest, there weren't any leaves above me, and I could see the clear blue sky high above the treetops. I stopped to gawk. This place reminded me a lot of Evehom—The village of the elves here in the forest. Unlike there, the perimeter were actual trees instead of large wooden spikes that opened and closed for villagers due to magic. A soft wind blew through me, kicking off abandoned leaves from the ground and I found myself wandering into the center where a lone stump stood. I would have to remember this place. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about it seemed special. I sat on the stump and rummaged through my pockets before pulling out my bag of holding. I still had trouble believing this little sack could hold an infinite number of items, but that's magic for you. I reached into it and produced a small blue crystal. I squeezed it firmly, causing it to shine for a moment. “Hey Alice, can you hear me? It's Bryer.”
“Yes, I can hear you.” A voice rang out from the shard. “What do you want?”
“Straight to the point as always, huh?” This mage was all business and no fun. “Listen, can you tell Dyson to not expect me tonight?”
“Another night at Evehom, then?”
“Yeah. ...Wait, another? I've only spent one, maybe two nights there.”
“You've spent five nights there, Bryer.” Alice told me. “I understand how jarring it must be to find an entirely different culture and wanting to learn about it, but stay focused on your mission. You might be fascinated in the elves, but they might not be quite so fond of you.” Man, she has a way of putting me off with how she sees through my words.
“I'm hoping I might be able to get them to open up to me, actually.”
“That's naive and childish.” She can also be disgustingly honest. “You can't change their opinions on humans.”
“I can try.”
“Then try. Just remember that I've warned you. I'll let your superior know about your whereabouts.”
“You know, most people might feel offended by how blunt you are.”
“You aren't most people. Is there anything else?”
“That'd be all. Thanks.”
“Goodbye.” The gem let out another quick shine of light, signaling the loss of communication before I dropped it back into my bag.

I stood from the tree stump, ready to make my way to Evehom when something stopped me. Just ahead of me was the entrance I had used to enter this clearing, but to my right was another opening between the trees. I made my way towards it, hoping it would lead me to another unexplored area. When I reached it, another breeze hit me, this time stronger than before. I ignored it and tried to walk through the small gap, but the closer I got to it, the stronger the wind became. Thinking it was just a coincidence, I walked through the trees, but the soft wind quickly worked itself up, and I found myself struggling to stand upright in the sudden violent gust. I lifted a leg up to move forward, but the wind caught me off balance and dropped me to the ground, onto my back. Before I could stand, an updraft caught me and lifted me off the ground, tossing me uncaringly back into the clearing. I coughed slightly as I tried my best to stand.
“Bryer?” I heard Samantha's voice from behind me. I looked back in the direction of the second opening only to find it closed off. What the hell was that? “Bryer, are you around here?”
“Ye-yeah.” I answered weakly. “Passed the Kaytraps.” I walked towards where the gap used to be and tried to push the two trees apart. They refused to budge, and I doubted I would be able to move them with any tool.
“What are you doing?” Samantha asked, her head poking in through the entrance. “And what is this place, anyway?”
“This is your forest, you tell me.” I said, not unkindly as I arched my back, hearing a small crack coming from it. That felt way better than it should have.
“I have no idea.” The elf admitted. “I always keep away from Kaytraps, so I must have never noticed this place.”
“Does it get windy in clearings like this?” I asked her. “Because man, I just had a really crazy experience.”
“Not really. Just a light breeze. Anyway, come on!” Sam grabbed me by the arm and led me out of the clearing, “We gotta go to the village!”
“Oh great,” I answered sarcastically, “I can only wonder what she has in store for me...Actually, hold on. Weren't you going to the village by yourself first? Why'd you come back?”
“I dunno,” Samantha told me as she continued to lead me down the forest road, “I just felt like you were in trouble or something. Is that weird?”
“A little, I think.”
“Oh, that's right!” She said, breaking away from our train of thoughts, “Nan also told me she wanted you to try one of her elvish dishes a bit ago.” Ugh. I wasn't a fan of her grandmother's cooking so far, aside from the simple fruits.
“Princess' chances are looking way better than her competitors', I'll tell you that.”
“Damn right they are.” She said with a smile. “Wait, you're not serious, are you? She was never really a 'competitor', right?”
“What? No. What?”
“Just making sure. Turn around.” I hadn't realized it, but we had already made it to the towering gates that encircled Evehom. Large wooden trunks loomed ahead of us, packed so closely together that I couldn't see passed them. The very tips were enriched with leaves and foliage, so that people who saw into the forest would mistake them for regular trees. “Come on, turn around.” Sam repeated. I did as I was told and showed her my back, which she quickly swatted away, removing any dirt that might be on it.
“Why do we need to do this every time I go in here?”
“You're an outsider. You need to look as presentable as possible. Not only that, but don't you want to make a good impression on the other elves in here? And for Nan?” I guess that made sense. I couldn't really earn the trust of anyone if they thought I looked like a pig that just finished rolling around in mud. “That's good enough, let's go.” She said as she led me towards the large wooden pillars.

As we reached them, they slowly began to vibrate. The two closest to us trembled the most, and suddenly began sliding apart from one another, granting us access to the forgotten village of the elves. We walked in slowly, with Samantha leading on ahead. As we made our way across the dirt road, I realized that, for the first time, other people were still out of their homes. Every other time I've entered here, the elves would dart back inside until I entered Samantha's house, dropping everything as if I were a murderer out for blood. But as the large magical gate slid closed behind us, I could see quite a few elves outside. They all had long ears, though not all of them were dark skinned. From what I could tell, only children were light skinned, and they darkened as they got older. Though the elves didn't flee at the sight of me, they did halt their movements, and stared at me. Some looked at me with fear, others with curiosity. Others still had what I thought was hatred in their eyes.
“Wha—what do I do?” I whispered to Samantha. This would be my first real encounter with other elves, and I didn't want to blow it.
“Keep your arms to your side,” She whispered back hurriedly as we made our way to her grandmother's house, “and face forward. Don't look make eye contact, and get that scowl off your face.” Was I scowling? I didn't think I was scowling but then again, I can't see my own face. I took a deep breath and followed her orders, doing my best to put on an innocent expression on my face. I felt myself charge with nervous energy as we walked. I bet tripping would be a seriously bad move right now. As would sneezing. Great, now I'm paranoid about spreading disease. All was well in our village until the human came. Gods above, give me strength. Using my peripheral vision, I was able to somewhat see the faces of the elves staring at me. They were all stock still, and the idea that they were more scared of me than I was of them popped into my mind. ...Was I scared of them? A little, I'll admit. Aside from being hugely outnumbered with no real way to escape if things got really really sour, and that there wasn't a guarantee Samantha's or her grandmother would be able to call off every single villager if they became hostile, there was also the social fear that shook me. Samantha had a crush on me, it was obvious to the both of us. But if her entire village disproved of me, what then? Not only that, but knowing that an entire village of people hated me that lived just a few quarter hours away would seriously mess me up. Stay positive, Bryer. You have a decent chance here. We had walked roughly two thirds of the way down the dirt road with no incident, and I was so sure that we were home free when it happened. A tall woman that had, up to this point, watched us from ahead, suddenly stepped in front of Samantha's path.
“Who are you, human?” She asked in Elvish.
“He is a guest.” Samantha answered back. “He was invited by my grandmother, and is my personal friend.”
“I was not talking to you, fledgling. Or is your 'friend' so unaware of us that he cannot speak in our tongue?” Oh boy. I really needed to thank Eliz for that potion. I didn't realize that they were going to use languages against me. I decided it would probably be best to keep quiet for now. Anything I said could easily be turned against me, and I didn't know enough of their customs to know if what I did would offend them.
“He speaks as much of our language as I do.” Samantha answered. Well, it wasn't a lie, at least.
“Really, now? Let's have him prove it, then.” Uh-oh. Samantha looked at me and nodded once. I took another short breath. Man, I'd rather fight another tiger than be here right now.
“My name is Bryer Alma.” I told the woman. “I...I mean no harm or disrespect to you or your people.”
“So the human can talk.” the woman taunted me. “How did you come across our village? Did someone send you?”
“No. I was in the forest when I heard a cry. Following the voice, I found Samantha wandering in a haze, almost hypnotized. With no weapons or sense of self.”
“He saved my life.” Samantha said. “If he wasn't there that day, I most likely would be dead. I owe him my life.” When you say it out loud like that, it makes it seem way more impressive. I was just in the right place at the right time.
“I see.” The woman answered, glaring at me. “If what you say is true, then you have our thanks. But know this:” She bent down, bringing her face closer to me, “I do not trust you. If you make a single move that seems suspicious, I will know of it.” Samantha stood between the two of us, blocking my view of the woman's green glaring eyes.
“If that is all,” she said, “we must be going. My grandmother is expecting Bryer.” The woman scoffed at us and stared over Samantha's head and at my face for a few seconds before stepping aside. We walked the rest of the short dirt path in silence, and quickly entered the large house that was home to the chief. As soon as the door closed behind me, I let out a long sigh and slumped against the door.
“That was kinda tense.” I admitted aloud.
“I'm sorry,” The young elf said, facing me, “That was Maithy I knew that if any of them were going to cause a scene over you, it would be her.” The girl walked closer towards me with a big smile. “But this is good. Now everyone knows how we met. How you saved the princess!” She slowly brought herself closer to me, and by now she was holding on to the two open flaps of my green jacket, pulling them towards her. I stood there, with my back against the wall, and she used used the jacket's pull to bring herself even closer to me. Her face was now fully obstructing my view, and I only now realized just how bright her green eyes were. They reminded me of emeralds, shining brightly in a dark cave. Samantha bumped her forehead against my own, and I could feel her breathing against my upper lip.
“Are you two going to get married?” I heard Eliz's voice ring out somewhere ahead of me, blocked by Samantha, who was now looking stunned and wide eyed. “Because I'd love great-grandchildren if I could get them.” I held myself back from laughing as Samantha practically jumped off of me, stammering for an explanation, her cheeks an explosive shade of red.
“I...this...It's...we were just...” She looked back at me, her expression begging me for help. I let out a short chuckle as a response. I guess I wasn't taking this as serious as I should be.
“This isn't what it looks like!” Samantha finally blurted out. “We...we had just...just finished talking to the other villagers, see. And uh...”
“I saw that,” The elderly elf answered easily, beckoning us to follow her, “but I couldn't hear any of it. How did it go?”
“Oh. Oh, that? It went awesome!” The girl said excitedly, her attention quickly pulled away from what had just happened. “You should have heard it! Maithy was giving Bryer a lot of smack because he was a human, but we turned it all around by telling everyone about how he saved me! I think that's going to do it and make everyone start trusting him.”
“I see.” Eliz said, leading us to the living room.