The Endless Forest

Felix broke away from the group as the celebrations really took off. He gave a speech, a few simple words of encouragement and then faded into the background.

The reason? In his hands was a note, a note written by Yarnel…

In truth, Felix had nearly forgotten about the pixie dragon along with their contract. However, now that the eggs were hatched, Yarnel was free, so to speak. The dragon no longer had to remain hidden.

Thank the Gods he didn’t just crash the party. He tightened his grip around the note. He made his way to the edge of the clearing, hoping to slip away into the forest unseen.

The evening air was humid with the sun getting ready to rest for the night. In the distance, clouds were gathering. More rain, it seems. Hopefully–

“Hmm? What are you doing out here?” a voice asked from the treetops just ahead of him.

Squinting, Felix could just make out a familiar figure. “Ithea–”

The dragon woman fell from her perch and landed on the ground.

“–What are you doing…” Felix trailed off, glancing away for a moment as Ithea adjusted her purple dress.

“I am bored, if I’m being honest," she answered with a shrug.

“Bored? Wait, aren’t you aware– No, never mind, you wouldn’t join either way.” Felix made it to her. “Still, you know you don’t have to sit out, right?”

“Hah! And bring the mood down? No thank you. I know when I am not welcomed.” She waved his concern away. “But I appreciate the offer,” she added.

He frowned at that. “Listen–”

Ithea shook her head. “Felix, I was watching. I don’t have to be there to know how it all went.” She looked away and muttered, “Besides, it brings back…memories.”

Opening his mouth, Ithea cut him off again. “Anyway, you didn’t answer– Oh, I see.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Good luck,” she patted his shoulder.

Felix cocked an eyebrow at her. “Luck?”

“Yeah, luck. You saw how he was originally?”

He nodded.

“That’s when he has someone to talk at. You took that away from him for a couple of days… You are about to pay for it.”

A shiver ran down his spine. “I…see.” I’m going to need a plan to deal with him, aren’t I?

She gave him one of her signature icy smiles. “I hope so…”

With that, Ithea let him go.

Felix continued his journey into the forest, going deep enough to not be easily spotted. He took his time, wanting to come up with something that might help him deal with Yarnel.

Eventually, though, he came up with an idea. With that, he soon found a small meadow that he decided was perfect for their meeting.

Finding a large root sticking out of the ground, he sat down on it and–

“Finally! I’ve been waiting forever! You sure do know how to take your time.” A pixie dragon appeared above him, floating and looking rather displeased.

With a sigh, Felix put on a fake smile. “Hello to you as well, Yarnel.”

“Humph! We need to make this quick, I am missing important data.”

“Relax–”

“Relax?! Do you understand what you are saying? No, of course not. Shall I explain it to you?” The pixie dragon lowered himself to be at eye level with Felix.

“Yarnel,” he responded sternly. “I apologize for any inconveniences, but… Thank you.”

That caught the little dragon off guard. “Thank…you?”

Felix gave him a genuine smile. “Yes, thank you. Thank you for keeping your word, and thank you for not just popping into existence in front of everyone. Instead, you sent me this note,” he held it up. “Thank you.”

Yarnel gazed at him, unsure how to respond.

Felix pushed on, hoping this tactic would help placate the dragon. “It must have been hard, having to stay hidden. You could only observe from a distance… I’m sorry for that.”

He paused for a moment, checking to see if Yarnel would respond. When the dragon didn’t, he continued. “It was a stressful time, and I made you do something you clearly didn’t want to do. I’m sorry.”

Finished, Felix decided to wait and watched as Yarnel lowered himself down to the ground.

“I… No one ever apologizes. They merely just call me a nuisance– Buh! What do they know?! Only reason anyone even cares about me is because I’m the one responsible for, well, everything.”

That last part caught Felix’s attention. “What do you mean by ‘everything?’”

The little dragon perked up, a sly smile forming. “I mean everything! It was my calculations that allowed us to teleport to this island. The barrier spell that protects the island? My original spell.”

Yarnel held up a taloned hand and an instant later, several large crystals appeared and floated above it. “Mana crystals, very potent and almost impossible to form synthetically– That means unnaturally. Anyway, I’ve mostly mastered it…”

Felix leaned back as if being assaulted. However, it was clear that Yarnel wasn’t just boasting for the sake of it. He’s…excited. Was he just looking for validation? There’s got to be more to this.

A moment came for him to ask that very question. “Is it true– I mean, do people not really appreciate you?”

Yarnel blinked, acting like he was caught off guard. “Well… Not exactly, I must admit– But! Many fail to understand the magnitude of my research.” A wistful expression overtook him for a moment. “Queen Fea understood… Perhaps, maybe you do as well.”

Felix shook his head no. “I’m afraid not, however, that’s sort of why I wanted to talk with you…”

The dragon lifted himself up onto his legs and peered up to him. “Oh? You wish to learn? Well, there is no better teacher than I.”

“Well… Look, I don’t have a great understanding of magic. I’ve been struggling with simple spells, despite being able to manipulate mana. Though, I suppose I’ve learned something recently.”

Yarnel lowered himself. “And what is that?”

Felix chuckled, “To ask nicely.”

The dragon cocked his head in puzzlement. “To ask nicely?”

Deciding to demonstrate, he held up his hand and closed his eyes. Please… A moment later a shifting, yet stable ball of mana formed in his hand.

Yarnel gasped as he opened his eyes. “Intriguing! It’s rare to see mana in such a state!” The pixie dragon scurried up and poked it. The ball protested but held its form.

“Truth be told, I already knew you could manipulate mana. I just hadn’t realized it was to this degree– Ah! This makes so much more sense now!”

“What do you mean?” Felix asked.

“In the den, with that young male elf! I saw you performing something quite remarkable. The only problem was the density of essence and mana! It made it nearly impossible to understand without me getting closer…”

He dropped his concentration and let the mana ball dissipate, much to the dismay of Yarnel. “Wait, you were there for that?”

“Yes, yes… Ithea kept me back, said I would only cause trouble. Now, please, bring it back. I want to study it a bit more.”

Obliging, he called upon his mana again…

***

Felix emerged from the forest as night fell. Ahead of him, near the hatchery, a large gathering of kobolds was forming.

What’s going on? He called out to Zira, unsure if he should be concerned or not.

Finally done? Good, you are going to want to see this…

What’s happening? he asked, picking up his pace.

Watcher is possessed.

Felix nearly tripped.

Watcher stood with his arms raised, gazing straight up into the sky. As everyone looked on with concern, he watched the multiple futures play out before him.

The first was a peaceful one, races of all kinds stood together smiling, laughing…

The second was starkly different. Fire filled the sky, ash falling like snow, the burned bodies laid smoldering where they fell. It was as if Hell had come and taken over…

Then there was the last one, the last vision… This one was something of a mixture of the first two. It had various races fighting, surviving, and helping each other. Fire was a constant threat, but hope lived on.

Out of the three, the last one seemed to be the most likely outcome. It was little comfort, however. Many still lay dead, burned, and unburied. Still, there was a promise of a better future, just one that would have to be fought for…and won.

“The False Lord is sending his Champion, be wary and cautious. They are not in sync but Hell follows him, a mere puppet…” The words leaving his mouth were not of his, but it did not matter. He believed in them.

“A shadow stalks the land, recruiting the unsavory. Disruption and deceit are his specialty, the foolish his tools. A plot is underway.”

With a gasp, Watcher felt her leaving his body. Unsteady, he fell to his knees. He now truly understood…

“Watcher…?” It was Felix, the human cautiously approached. The hesitation and hint of fear was distinct in his scent.

“Mas…ter,” he croaked. With a shivering hand, he reached up and grasped the hem of Felix’s pants. “Watcher… I see–”

“Shh, it’s okay. Let me get you some water,” Felix whispered as he lowered himself down. A moment later a cup was handed to the kobold.

Watcher wasted no time in downing it, letting out a relieved sigh. He hadn’t realized just how thirsty he had become.

“Feeling better?” the human, his Master, asked.

“Watcher…better. I thank Master.”

His Master smiled. “You’re welcome.” There was a pause, but Watcher had a feeling he knew what was about to be said. “Can you tell me what that was about?”

He nodded. “She possess Watcher–”

“She? Do you mean Fea?”

Watcher shook his head, no. “She feel like old Master… But she no old Master. She is–” Watcher stopped, searching for the right word within his small, but growing, vocabulary.

“She is Goddess.”

His Master’s eyes widened. “Goddess…?” He muttered, looking up from Watcher and to Eri. Watcher did not see her expression but his Master’s reaction was enough.

“She help Watcher. She show Watcher… Watcher think it old Master– Watcher wanted old Master…” He slumped down, only to be caught by Felix. “Watcher was confuse. But I see now. I know now.”

Shaking his head, the kobold pulled himself together and began to stand. “I see what we need. I see path we follow. She is spirit of kobold, of dragon…” He stood tall and stared into his Master’s eyes.

“She is Guardian.”

Torm felt a cold shiver despite the warm night’s air. The sky was cloudy, the sound of distant thunder rumbled across the sky.

He and his caravan had finally made it to the base of the Gaelstone, the mountain that served as the dwarves’ home. Here, they would set camp and begin the process of unloading their wares. At least, that is what they normally did…

However, now, Torm felt the prying eyes watching from his shadow. In it was a monster, in it was perhaps the single greatest threat within the island.

Another shiver ran through him as a whisper brushed his ears.

Find the dwarf, Hansel. I will guide you.

Torm gulped, the entrance to the mountain home was shut. No one was allowed in until morning, but he knew better than to talk back to his shadow. He had learned his lesson already…

Instead, he dropped most of what he was carrying, save for a small purse, and approached the cavernous entrance.

He felt the curious stares of his men as he passed by, but none said anything. In fact, most seemed to be enjoying what was sure to be a spectacle.

Torm ignored them, most would probably leave on their own after what happened in Bernel village. They had simply lost confidence in him, and the only reason they were staying now was to fulfill their contracts and to make a last bit of extra profit.

“Halt,” a burly, if small, guard shouted from in front of the gate. It could only be a dwarf, and he was in half-plate and chainmail, typical for most of the guard. His beard displayed magnificently for all to see. “Gate’s closed, check back in the morning.”

Torm took a deep breath, reaching for his merchant talent. “I understand, but good sir–”

“I said the gate is closed. I don’t care what your reason is, I’m not letting you in.” The guard narrowed his eyes.

If this were an elf, Torm would have given a bow and leaned heavily into politesse. But this was no elf, and he had plenty of experiences with dwarves. He knew what would make them listen.

Reaching for his purse, Torm pulled a singular item from it. The dwarf’s eyes widened at what he saw.

“Perhaps now you will listen?” He asked, holding a purple scale.

The guard gave him a suspicious look. “Is that–”

“A dragon scale, yes,” Torm whispered. “And it could be yours, if you let me through. Fear not, I am not here to cause trouble… Just to see an old friend.”

“An old friend, huh? What’s your name?”

“Torm,” he said with confidence.

“T–” The dwarf coughed. “I see, I apologize, I have not had the pleasure of meeting you.” The dwarf gave a slight bow, a sign of deep respect in their culture.

Torm cocked an eye at that, indeed this guard didn’t look familiar, but he hardly paid much attention to them. “New to the guard detail?” he asked.

The dwarf shook his head, “No, retired actually– Well, I was, but they are activating a lot of us again.”

“Interesting, why? Has something happened?” a hint of real curiosity in his voice.

The guard lowered himself needlessly and glanced around before answering. “Council says trouble is brewing, especially after that…human showed up. They’re worried, and our sage has been suspiciously quiet on the subject.”

“Ah, indeed. I’ve heard about him… Baffles the mind why the Dragon Queen would allow such a thing.”

“Hah, I know. But to be honest, I’m not too worried. The guard at least promoted me and bumped my salary, along with compensating me for the lost business…”

“That is good to hear, but alas I need to get through…” Torm held out the scale towards the dwarven guard.

“Very well, give me just a moment.” The dwarf quickly pocketed it before heading off to a side entrance carved into the stone walls of the cave.

A few minutes later, the gates cracked open and a short, stubby hand appeared, waving for him to enter. “Quickly! And be quiet… The other guards are too busy drinking, but they’ll get suspicious if they see or hear you.”

Torm quickly entered, and gave the guard a smile. “Understood, and thank you. I hope the rest of your watch goes uneventfully.”

“Hah, I hope not… Nothing worse than nothing happening.”

“I see, then I hope entertainment finds you.”

The dwarf patted the spot where he stashed the scale away. “Oh, I think I will find some good entertainment for sure… Anyway,” he cleared his throat.

“Welcome to Gaelstone.”