"Hello? Travis? Josh?"
No answer. I take a deep breath.
"Stay calm; panic kills."
My heart slows some but I can still hear it pounding in my eardrums. I try and think of a plan but none come to mind; I'm completely disoriented. Feeling like I have no other choice, I walk forward in a straight line. Everything turn looks the same while simultaneously existing beyond anything I could imagine. I hold my spear and sheild up but fortunately no monsters attack.
"Ah." I jump at an oddly familiar voice coming from behind me. I spin around and see a small pairs of wings sticking up over a root.
"Woohee! Boy am I glad to see you. I'm lost and I could really use your help getting back out of the forest."
She doesn't respond and only ducks further down.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, I'm just in a real tight spot right now. Look," I say as I grab a cookie from my pocket. I bought it from the baker on the way here because i knew we'd be going into the forest. "I'll give you this whole cookie, I just need you to point me in the right direction. Please?"
Woohee ducks all the way down until I can't see her.
"Damn." I say as my shoulders slump. If she's not willing to help me then I'm basically screwed.
I sigh and turn around to find a number of small glowing objects hovering around me. At a second glance I see that they're fairies. A lot, of fairies.
"Heyyyy, I was just leaving." I smile and whirl back around to find myself surrounded. I drop my equipment and put my hands up in the air. While they look harmless enough, you'd have to be an idiot to pick a fight with any group that can live in such a dangerous forest.
"Nick, is it?" I look to my right and find a larger fairy with bright red hair wearing very flattering armor. While most of the fairies appear androgynous, she has an undeniable womanly figure.
"Yes, that's me."
"I appreciate you helping out my Woohee, she can be a bit unreliable at times."
"Yeah, no problem. So, you're not going to murder me? Cause it really looks like you're going to murder me."
"I haven't decided yet." She says, coyly.
"What's the criteria? Is this a test? I don't have any money."
"I don't need your worthless currency."
"That's a relief." I wipe my forehead from imaginary sweat. Despite the that fact that she's threatening me, she's surprisingly easy to talk to.
"Come with me." She says as she floats away. I watch her back hoping glean something from her posture or her movements. While Woohee was only about six or seven inches tall, This red-haired is about twice her size. Her armor is her with gold accents and only covers her torso. Her wings, which are covered in soft white feather, flap slowly as if only pretending to aid her flight.
It doesn't take long before we enter a small clearing. Several Mammoth trees have been carved out to open the space which seems to have been filled with small dwellings. A number of fairies are scattered around moving materials of floating about but they all turn toward me when I approach.
"Yo." I say to break the tension, not really expecting a response.
"Hi, hi!" A green-haired fairy flies up only a few inches from my face. She has tanned skin and is wearing leaves for clothes, which seem to be the accepted decorum.
"I'm Nick, nice to meet you."
"I'm Hai." She smiles and flutters away.
As I step into the center of the fairy village, I see a young boy laying on the ground.
"Ah, great. You are going to kill me. What is this some kind of ritual or something?" I say as I gesture his way.
"That's actually why I brought you here," The larger fairy says. "I'd like you to take him back with you. We have no use for him."
"So, no human sacrifices?"
"Not yet, at least." Her faint smile sends a chill down my spine.
"Take the kid, got it." I say as I hoist him up onto my shoulder. "Anyway, thanks for having me over, lovely place by the way, but I really need to get going. If you wouldn't mind just pointing me in the right direction I'll get out of your hair."
The red-haired fairy lands on a branch and leisurely points back the way we came. Her head tilts to the side as if she were a cat playfully watching a mouse.
A couple fairies lead the way back through the fungal layer.
"Nick!" I hear someone shout my name.
"I'm here." I reply and step through the dark forest edge into the light.
"Where were you?!" Travis shouts as he grabs my shoulders.
"I think I got kidnapped by some fairies, they gave me this." I flop the unconscious boy on the ground.
"Will!" Tyrion runs up out of nowhere and slaps the kid's face.
Sam bends over and feels his pulse.
"Looks like he's out," she says. "They probably cast some sleeping magic on him or something. He should wake up in a few hours but I'll call a medic over just in case."
"Good job, Nick."
"Oh, yeah. I'm amazing at getting kidnapped." I shrug.
"Whatever you did, it worked." Travis slaps me heartily on the back and I have to shuffle my feet to prevent myself from falling over.
"I've had enough excitement today, I'm heading home."
My head is still spinning from everything that just happened and both Nick and I conk out early.
I wake up the next morning to the sound of rough banging on the door. Carroll must have answered because I hear her having a terse conversation with the guest.
"Nick? Could you come down here?"
'You're up kid.' I say from deep within him mind.
"Are you sure?" He asks as he stands and gets dressed.
'You know I'll be there to back you up if things get out of hand.'
"Okay. Coming!" He yells at the door.
He bounds downstairs and stands next to his mother who has a very worried look on her face. She pulls the boy close and runs her hands gently through his hair.Dubois is standing in the entrance with two other men. The man in the middle shares the same furious expression as Dubois but the man on the left is apprehensive.
"Are you Nick?" The man in the middle asks.
"Yes?" Nick responds as he grabs his mother's arm.
"How dare you attack a Nobleman! I should have you hanged for lèse-majesté!" He bellows while looking far down his nose at the child.
"Now hold on just a minute." Carroll interjects.
"Shut up!" The man wheels on her as if he was just looking for a chance to escalate. "You should be ashamed for raising such a hooligan and I'll make sure to have your crappy library shut down!"
I look around at the people standing here and make a quick assessment. Things are getting out of hand. That said, I can't shake the feeling that he's bluffing. Wouldn't he go through more official measures if he was actually seeking retribution?
Nick breaks down in tears at the assault of words. This only seems to embolden the man and he makes increasingly vicious comments.
"I'll make sure your family falls into ruin and has to beg on the street because no one will give you work and I'll have you whipped for daring to injure one of my fellow knights of the prestigious Reynolds household."
Now the pieces are coming together. I notice Carroll's gaze out of the corner of Nick's eye. She's looking at me. Not at Nick but at me, I'm sure of it.
'Alright, move over.' I say as Nick tries to apologize.
This is completely my fault so I know I need to step in anyway but it still feels presumptuous.
"Last time I checked, the count handles any disputes between nobles, isn't that right?" I say as I nod toward the man on the left. Perhaps stunned by my sudden change in attitude, He stammers.
"Uh, Y-Yes, that's right."
"So, sir knight, I assume you've come here on the count's orders, correct." I step toward the man in the middle and tilt my head to the side.
"How dare you speak to me like that!" He shouts, his face red from exertion.
"I apologize if you think I'm being rude, but I'm only asking a question."
"You shut up or I'll have your family's funding revoked."
"I'm sure the count has better things to do than undermine the confidence of the townspeople by removing one of their entitlements, especially after such a devastating storm; but I'm sure you know that already."
"You little shit." He hisses.
"Wow, insulting the child of Noble who outranks you; I'm sure there's a word for that but I can't think of it off the top of my head."
Seeing the conversation turn, the man on the left shifts from apprehensive to bemused.
"I believe it's lèse-majesté." He says.
"Right, of course. You see, I'm only a child. I'm prone to making mistakes, missteps. I'm sure you gentlemen have children of your own, do they all behave without ever making a mistake?"
"None of my children have ever attacked an injured a knight before." The man in the middle asserts.
"I'm glad you're so comfortable saying that. I would never doubt the strength of the Reynolds family but I would be concerned that others might; given one of their powerful knights was so grievously injured by a child who just had his seal ceremony."
"You insult Baron Reynolds?!"
"I would never, as I already said. I'm just worried about what the citizens may think." I say dramatically as I put my hand to my chest. "They just suffered through such a terrible storm and one of the few resources they have to pass the time is being threatened. We Nobles need to stick together. Why, I can only imagine the yarns they'll spin at the bar were they to hear about Sir Dubois here beaten half to death by a small child."
I throw Dubois a pitiful expression.
"You-"
"And let me say I deeply apologize for harming such an honorable knight as yourself." I say with a bow.
"This isn't over." The knight says as he walks away with Dubois. Surprisingly, the man on the left stays by the door and waits for them to leave.
"I'd like to apologize for Sir Farah's behavior. I came along with him when I heard he was talking about harming the child who saved my son, but it seems my concern was unnecessary." Will's father says.
"Oh, thank you..."
"Baron Fontaine. And it's nothing at all. It's the least I could do. I should be thanking you twice over because there's a good chance the fairies would have killed Will if one of there own was murdered."
"Quite possibly. I think we're lucky it didn't come to that."
I'm uncomfortable being praised and feel the need to downplay my involvement but I know that wouldn't be beneficial so bite my tongue.
"Yes, yes, very lucky." He smiles uncomfortably while holding something in his robe. "I wanted to give this back to you, or your family, I guess."
He pulls out a book from his robe. 'Modern Infrastructure' is written across the cover.
"Oh, thanks." I say as I awkwardly take the book.
"I bought it off your Father many years ago but I no longer have any use for it."
"That's very much appreciated."
"Right, right, well, I don't want to keep you. Have a good morning."
"I certainly will, thanks again." I wave him off and sigh. What a way to start the morning.
Now that I'm finished, I hand the controls back to Nick who immediately bursts out into tears and jumps into his mother's arm.
"There, there. I'll make you your favorite Kac Kac pastries breakfast." She coos. While relaxing in the mind sea I begin thinking of countermeasures against the two knights. I doubt that will be the last I see them and I'd like to be better prepared next time. I should also keep in mind that my name seems to be on the tongues of several powerful people in this small town. I need to be more careful with my actions going forward, that child excuse is only going to work for so long.