Moira, Kenneth, and Jericho sat at a table in Capriotii's Sandwich Shop.
A figure watched silently from the corner as they slowly ate their food.
"Thanks Jericho for treating us to lunch." Ken sighed. "I know you guys haven't eaten out much because of finances. So it means a lot."
Jericho smiled. "I earned some money from selling music recently and I have been craving a chicken cheesestake for years. Besides, I think all three of us needed a break after all that walking, dancing, and playing. I for one am going to relax and not play the game until after dinner. I might even wait until later than that."
Kenneth sighed. "It is a shame Rita's closes during the fall and winter. An Italian Ice sounds amazing right now. When spring comes I should take you two there. You will love it." He explained before taking a bite of his Capastami sandwich.
Moira chuckled and she dipped her spoon back into her large bowl of chicken noodle soup. "Alright, I look forward to it. Your treat right?"
"If it is only the two of us? Yes. If it is the three of us? Sure." Ken replied with a light smile.
"Smooth," Jericho quietly smirked at the kid.
Moira smiled and turned to face her brother. "You're happy."
Jericho gave a short nod. "Yeah."
The girl sighed. "I mean, YOU are happy."
The musician flinched as he realized what she meant.
Ken looked confused. "What are you talking about Moira? What is the difference between your two statements.
Jericho took a bite of his sandwich.
Moira sighed. "Brother, is it really such a bad thing for all of you to be happy? Even for a short time?"
The minstrel lowered his sandwich. "It is bad if the other me is happy. It is probably happy because I proved to myself that when it comes to you, my dear little sister, I have the courage to act."
The girl smiled. "Well, I'm glad that part of you is happy."
The young man looked enlightened. "Dark Jericho is happy too? I thought Dark Jericho was just all the unpleasant feelings you have been hiding."
Jericho shook his head. "So, she told you. You know it isn't nice to call people's other halves dark." He half teased. "Instead of calling my other half dark, I would explain it as the side of me others find very unpleasant."
The person eating in the corner stood up and left.
***
Earlier in game...
(Why was I acting weird before? Eh? There are friendly bi-pedal creatures over there and the forest looks normal around them.) A random fox said as it ventured closer to the party.
Ken got in a defensive stance as the creature approached.
(Wow! How is the forest normal around you?) The fox inquired as it looked around curiously.
Ken relaxed a bit. (You aren't going to attack us?)
The fox tilted its head. (Attack you? No, you are friendly creatures. Now are you going to answer my question, friend?)
Princess smiled as she continued to dance forward.
Lux pounced forward happily. (We defeated a demon that was affecting you and the mist! But the demon will come back in about seven days… We are leaving the forest before it comes back.)
(Oh! Then thank you!) The fox cried out happily. (I'm going to tell all my friends!). A piercing cry echoed through the surroundings. (HEY EVERYONE! I MET THE CREATURES WHO HELPED US NOT ACT CRAZY ANYMORE! LET'S LEAVE THE MIST WITH THEM BEFORE THE BAD THING COMES BACK!)
Various cries were heard in return as things stampeded towards them.
[You have received a new quest. Escort the animals, who want to leave, out of the forest. Reward: The animals will be happier. 500 Exp. 1 Special gift each.]
The horde of animals willingly followed the group west. {Such an easy quest.} Ken muttered as he watched the in game clock. {5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.}
[The timers for your Blood Transformation skills have reset.]
Ken assumed his human form and stretched. "Finally! Hey Jericho, how long did it take you and the satyrs to leave the mist after I ran off to rescue Princess?"
"I am not sure of the exacts but Princess summoned me here not too long after we escaped. We are moving much faster now though and I saw the mist visibly shrink in size. I am fairly confident her staff is doing something to it."
They journeyed in relative silence. The higher level animals they came across were strangely amiable and joined them as they continued to walk out.
"Hey Lux, why are all these animals being so friendly?" Ken asked.
Lux looked up past the brim of his hat. (Because you, Jericho, and Princess all have the Animal Friend title; now that these friendly guys aren't being influenced by the demon we took out, they were able to see your title again. If you didn't have that title most of them would have ignored you and some of them would have attacked you. But you shouldn't worry about that big brother since I would be here to save you again if they did!) Lux looked pleased. He transformed into his human appearance and spoke people speak in order to not upset any of the animals around them. "Oh, and I got some new hats! The Deer hat lets me run faster and the bear hat makes me stronger and healthier. I'll show you later. You should thank Jericho for giving me the opportunity to use the hat's power on the things the satyrs and your other friends fought." He reverted back to his feline form. (I'm getting stronger. Maybe next time we tussle I will win!)
Ken smirked. (Confident, aren't we?)
Time passed and the two performers swapped roles once again. "Is it just me or is the mist getting thinner?" Princess inquired as a patch of moonlight poked through the trees.
Ken nodded. "I think you are right. We must be close."
They continued to walk and the number of trees thinned. The terrain started having more ups and downs.
Princess received multiple notifications. [You have left The Mist of Pren. You have completed the quests Escort the animals and Leave the Forest.] [The baby pipe fox is now safe from the demon. You may give him a name.] [You have gained 500 Exp for escorting the animals out of the forest. You have been given the Necklace of the Fox (LV15): While worn: +5 Agility +5 Wisdom.]
Jericho received only one notification. [You have escorted the animals out of the forest. You have gained 500Exp. You have been given a small hollowed out horn. You have gained 100 MExp.]
Princess smiled. "I'll name him Forryn"
[Pipe fox successfully named Forryn. You have 1 quest related to Forryn.]
"Finally," Jericho sighed. He leaned against a nearby tree and converted the MExp into MC again. "I know this game provides us with the sleep we need but after that a real nap sounds nice."
[You now have a total of 350 MC]
Ken looked up. "Hey, what is that over there?" He pointed to a small hut.
Jericho forced himself to stand back up and walk over. "It looks like somebody's home."
"It is!" A crackly voice sounded loudly behind him.
Jericho jumped back and turned around. "You startled me," he said to the old stereotypical witch.
"Hehehe. No need to worry I won't harm you. In fact, I must give you thanks for saving my work. The mist almost overran my little hut here but your efforts kept drawing it back."
Jericho smiled at the sweet old lady. "I'm glad we were able to be helpful."
The witch cackled some more. "You aren't like those other fellows. Many who have seen me have either run away or tried to kill me because I'm…" She went silent.
Princess walked over and gave the old witch a hug. "It can be hard when people are mean."
The witch caressed princess' hands. "Such sweet children. Come inside, it must be fate we have met."
As the group was about to walk inside the witch turned to Ken and Lux. "Not you two. You two animals can stay out with the rest of the beasts."
"But."
"If you don't stay out I will turn you into a house cat," the witch threatened.
Ken and Lux backed off. "Lame."
Princess gave Ken an awkward smile. "It is almost 7 AM. We will probably be logging off soon anyways."
"Alright, keep me posted. We'll wait outside for now," Ken replied.
The performers entered the witch's hut.
[You have been invited into the witch's hut as a guest. You can use the teleport feature from any town to come to this point.]
"That's handy," Jericho said after reading the notification.
The witch smiled and sat down. She motioned for them to sit as well. "Don't worry about your feline friends; I wouldn't really turn them into house cats unless they started making a mess of my place."
Princess exhaled. "That is a relief."
"It is very rare for humans and elves to enter the mountains from the forest. It is normally dangerous to do so, but it seems the animals like you."
The two performers nodded. "I'm Jericho, this is Princess, and those two you told to stay outside are Ken and Lux. What is your name?"
"They call me Cannon. So why have you come to the Clogwyni mountains?" the witch asked.
Jericho looked at the witch. "I was told by the wood elementals in the forest to come here and meet the Earth elementals."
"I see, then you are far too weak to be here. Not only do I get the feeling that a part of you is missing, the monsters that guard the area the earth elementals are around level 20. At a minimum it would be best for you to be at your original strength." She pulled open a small cabinet with a crystal shard in it. "Call your two animal friends inside. I will send you back to a safe place. Remember to return when you are stronger. Level 20 or 25 would be the most productive. I have a request but I shan't give it to you now."
Princess called Lux and Ken inside and confirmed to them that they would not be turned into house cats.
As the two felines walked in, Jericho turned back to the witch. "It has been a pleasure to meet you, Cannon."
"Likewise; I will see you again," the witch cackled. She channeled magic into the crystal and the party vanished from the hut.
Jericho opened his eyes after they finished their blinding teleportation. "Trillith?" He inquired as he scanned the familiar surroundings.
{Indeed. This is that town near our home. You should be able to restore yourself better by returning to the heart of the lake.}
Jericho chuckled. "Then for nostalgia's sake, let's have a performance at the well before we log off."
***
"Lednar, I have some work to do with the satyrs. Go have fun with your new friends," Harr told the boy.
The young man gave a nod and walked back over to Purai and Lillith. "So, what are the two of you going to do?"
Purai smiled. "I'm going to go find an apothecary in a new city or town to further my skills. I have a lot to learn but I also have learned a lot."
Lillith smiled as well. "I'm going to go with and learn how to play some really relaxing melodies on my flute. Jericho gave me some sheet music to help me practice. So I am going to travel with Purai while I improve my skills."
"Would you two like an escort to the nearby city of Durango? Harr back there has some business with the satyrs and that leaves me free for now," Lednar explained.
"That would be nice." Purai smiled at the young gentleman who looked just a couple of years younger than her.
"Then let's go!"
© J Eranoth