"I feel as though something bad has awakened." Lucy mumbled before getting grabbed by Kiola. "Yeah, me." She grinned. As Lucy began to squabble and complain as usual, Lamb couldn't help but laugh at the sight while she drew some sigils with chalk on the cramped carriage's floor.
They had begun travelling on their way to the next town over, where reports of Kiola's ship was being held as a local tourist spot. It had been about a week since they had left Dustination, and ever since, everyone had been either training or in Min's case, eating as much as he could.
"Is your friend alright? He's been eating like a uhm... Uh... What's something that eats a lot?" Kiola asked with a light chuckle before being whipped by a jade chain. "You." Lucy said before being knocked into Lamb. "Baah! W-Why are you fighting in here?"
"It is not fighting when it is justified. It is justice... I said justice twice." The demon laughed, before seeing Min continue to eat more then his fill. "Actually, Kiola does bring up a good point. Why is he eating so much?"
Lamb looked over to the front of the carriage as Min ate a another chicken leg, tossing it on a pile of animal bones that laid next to him. "Oh, he's eating less... Something must be troubling him." She mumbled.
"Less?" Lucy asked with a confused laugh. "Min's body needs more food then he'd ever need. He's a walking famine with an Ego to match." She smiled, raising her shepherds crook as a silence filled the air.
After awkwardly sitting in silence for a a good few minutes, Kiola got an amazing idea as she took the bell that hung from Lamb's crook. "Watch this." She quickly made her way over to the front as Lamb was trying her best to get her bell back. Kiola loudly rung the bell in Ro and Min's ears, spooking not only them but the horses as well.
"Shit, shit, shit!" The two yelled as the horses began running wildly into a forest, going deeper and deeper in until they had quickly lost their way. Ro, fast on her feet, took off her mask and coughed on the four horses, knocking them out with a non-deadly disease.
As the horses crashed into the ground, Nvr, Grey, and Arlo, who had been lying on the roof from the carriage, were thrown off, falling through what seemed like the air itself. Everyone let out a loud yelp when they saw the three disappear.
"Kiola... What did you do!?" Lucy yelled, whipping at her with chains as they all stepped out. Lamb cautiously approached the area where the three had vanished, putting her hand forward to see that in vanished too.
Using her crook to poke and prod at the air, she noticed two trees that toward over them in a bizarre circular motion. "Oh I see..." Lamb turned back to the others, who had begun to argue over who's fault it was. She let out a sigh and whistled loudly to get their attention.
"What we have here is a portal to the Fae Realm. The place where our next hero resides."
"Okay. Have fun with that." Lucy said as she got back in the carriage. "Where are you going?" Ro called out while she put her back on. "Rule one of the V###u## name. Don't mess with the fey."
Kiola couldn't help but laugh at the statement, having never actually met a Fey creature before. "What? Is Wittle Wucy scawed of the bwig scawy fway?" The dragon said in a teasingly babyish voice before cackling with laughter.
Lucy turned back, unwilling to let herself be seen as lesser by someone she looked down on (Though physically having to look up at her.) "Fine then. I'll be in and out in a few minutes. I won't even need you, dragon."
Lucy quickly ran through the portal, disappearing without a trace. "I... Think I'll go with her." Min said with a sigh as he held his scruffy black hair up, letting his sunken silver eyes show. "Do you always have to be so dramatic?" Ro joked before watching him slowly walk into the portal.
Lucy and Min both found themselves in a surreal, ethereal forest, filled with otherworldly fauna. A constant bright moonlight covered the grove as the stars twinkled like diamonds. It was a rather breath taking sight... For anyone who wasn't Lucy.
"Halt! Who goes there!?" A young elven man with long blonde hair that rivalled Lucy's in terms of length, pointed a spear at the two after he hopped off an oversized mushroom. "Relax, Elf. We are just here to get our friends and dip." Min said as he raised his hands.
The elf didn't buy it, slowly inching closer cautiously. "Are you with that weird stich monster and Dog guy that arrived a few days ago?"
"A few days? That was like ten minutes ago." Min asked with a confused look, as Lucy lifted her bangs to reveal one of her eyes. "The Fey constantly screw with you. I suppose time works differently." She sighed, watching as the elf awkwardly shuffled around on his feet.
"Well, guy. Mind directing us to the where those two and their scarf are?" He asked, scratching his neck with a small smile. "Well I s-suppose I should take you in for questioning anyway. I'm First Guardsman and elven noble, Ayre Vinctum, at your service!" He put his hand out to shake.
"You know you shouldn't shake prisoners hands, right?" Lucy said bluntly, making him quickly reorganise himself. "R-Right, just follow me please!" He said as he lead them through the dense fauna.
As they walked, Lucy couldn't help but feel like that name was familiar to her, but she chose to ignore her mind in a place where everything could be a trick. Ayre was excitedly pointing out his favourite spots to hang out in while they walked, practically giving them a tour of his home.
After a couple more minutes of idle walking and having to yank Min away from some red and white mushrooms that he thought looked edible enough, Lucy found herself standing before a gigantic white palace with a colossal, beautiful, rainbow coloured Lily that wrapped around it.
"Come, come!" Ayre said with a cheery smile as he lead the two inside the palace. The inside was just as ornate as the outside, with the ground almost seeming to dance with the lights.
The elf was just about to lead the two into the holding cells to show them Nvr and Arlo, a small Pixie woman with neon amber hair blocked his path. She wore the same white and gold guardsmen outfit, though she had a badge to indicate her higher rank.
"Ayre! What are you doing with these outsiders?" She said in a nasally high pitched voice, flying close to his face. He flinched, awkwardly tapping his fingers. "S-Sorry Netel... These two wanted to pick up their friends and leave, so I-I figured it'd be fine?"
"I swear, one day you're going to get us all killed." The pixie said with a light laugh, looking over at Lucy and Min. "Fine. We won't tell father about these prisoners..." She sighed, clearly wanting to be praised.
The pixie quickly flew off while Ayre went off to fetch Nvr and Arlo. "At least this part was quick." Lucy mumbled. After a few minutes of waiting, the elf returned with Nvr and Arlo in chains, a sight that did make her smile.
"Well, you did come for me. I had almost lost hope..." Nvr said with a wide grin as Arlo let out a sad whimpering, hugging Min tightly. "They... They made me take a bath!" He cried out. The elf gave a light smile, giving a thumbs up. "Well you guys better g-get goin'. Dinner doesn't start itself."
"Why..." Lucy moaned as Min quickly leaned against his shoulder. "Say, would you mind inviting us to dinner? As guests of course. We are travelling with a foreign diplomat." Min said as he motioned to Lucy.
The elf got nervous, quickly saluting her. "S-Sorry, ma'am! I-I'll prepare you all a meal as apology for my mistake!" He quickly ran off, informing the staff of their new esteemed guest. The whole palace quickly became filled with whispers over the unknown diplomat.
"He's... Not very smart, is he?" Min said with a smirk.