《Eh! Where Did My Pen… Pen… Go!?!》


 Chapter 1: Rainy Days and Mondays…

    Book 1, Volume 1


    Chapter 1


    BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!


    "Grrrr... shut up... just 5 more minutes!" Michael grumbled to himself as he reached out to hit the snooze button on his alarm clock.


    KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!


    ¡°Don''t you dare hit that snooze button and go back to sleep Michael! We don''t want to be late for this little brother, so get up, wash up, and be ready to head out in 20 minutes,¡± Cara loudly said while standing outside his bedroom door.


    Yawn...streettchh... and off the bed. ¡°Alright... alright... I''m up.¡± Michael said as he grabbed the change of clothes he prepared last night and opened the door. He looked straight ahead, ¡°Eh... I could have sworn I heard my big sister huffing and puffing just outside my door a moment ago. Where ever did she go?¡±


    ¡°Very funny little brother...¡±


    ¡°Argh!¡± Jumping up in the air a little like a small frightened cat while placing a hand over his heart, Michael froze. Then looking down with brown eyes opened wide his body melted into his usual relaxed stance. ¡°Ah, there you are!¡± He smiled and gently patted Cara''s head, ruffling her wavy auburn hair. ¡°You gave me a fright, sneaking up on me like that so early in the morning...¡±


    ¡°It''s not surprising that my little brother is so easy to sneak up on,¡± she said slapping his patting hand away, then looking way up at him. ¡°After all, hill giants may be tall, but they''re quite obtuse.¡±


    ¡°Big Sister¡± Cara and ¡°little brother¡± Michael had often teased each other in this way: Michael did so to tease his elder sister about her short height of 5ft 2in. And Cara returned the favor to tease him about not only his tall height of over 6ft but his maturity as well. They''d been doing so since Michael''s 6th grade of school when he surpassed his older sister''s height.


    By now their friends were used to it and strangers that heard them just thought they read too much Wuxia. As for how Michael and Cara now felt about calling one another ''Big Sister'' and ''little brother'' it had changed over the years from being ''terms of teasing'' to ''terms of sibling endearment.''


    Just then, a door flung open and a little girl rushed out excitedly, then abruptly stopped before bumping into the pair bantering in the hallway. Both brother and sister turned to look at their youngest sibling.


    ¡°Morning Rori. You look so cute in that outfit.¡± Cara smiled, walked over, and gave her a quick hug.


    Rori''s vibrant blue eyes sparkled like the first day she got her Clankwerk''s Art workshop. Soon they would be going to the new Goddess Lokaini Entertainment building where they would enter the virtual ¡°World of Abrynth.¡± This was a brand new game with technology so far advanced that tech industry giants still didn''t know how it worked.


    ¡°Morning little gremlin.¡± Michael lightly chuckled. He looked at Rori''s outfit, up and down, then said, ¡°Umm... you do know we''re going to a virtual world and not a cosplay convention? Although, that really does look good on you.¡±


    Rori smiled. She had on brown steel-toed leather boots. A pair of black jeans with golden bronze vertical stripes. A black t-shirt that was a bit long and had a steampunk-inspired image of gears on the lower right side.


    Around her waist was a large brown leather belly pouch that seemed to be filled with only she knew what. On top of her semi curly bright flaming red hair, she wore a brown leather derby like hat accented with a pair of steampunk goggles. Her handmade necklace, of brown leather with burnt golden chain links, was adorned with her self-made treasure.


    That treasure, a gold and bronze clankworks bunny with sapphire blue eyes and a round clock in its belly, hung atop her small developing chest. She looked like she jumped out of a manga or an anime show: Rori, the little red-haired, blue-eyed, steampunk loli. A very cute and soon to be freshman high school girl.


    ¡°What are you doing just standing there like a tree? Hurry up and get ready so we can get there before the crowds!¡± Rori''s voice buzzed like a musically charged livewire.


    She was about to bulldoze her way past her older siblings, to wait downstairs in the dining area of their family food shop, when she froze, remembering something... something important and rushed back into her room.


    A moment later, she reappeared in front of them with an oversized steampunk inspired leather backpack on her back and talking to someone on her cellphone, ¡°What? You''re out front of our shop''s door, wait just a bit, I''m heading downstairs...¡± Rori covered the mouthpiece and looking up at Michael ¡°Hurry up, Sadie''s here now so we''re all waiting on you. Make it quick!¡±


    ¡°No, no, no... you''re not early Sadie. Everyone is ready except my big, BIG brother...¡± Rori''s voice trailed out as she went downstairs and out of earshot.


    Cara became quiet for a moment, her green eyes looking up at her little brother one more time. Hope this helps him to get over the breakup, it''s been hard seeing him so depressed this past month. Thankfully, summer just started this week and school''s out for the next couple of months, so he doesn''t have to see that rotten cheating girl and that delicate little pretty boy that claimed to be his friend, then betrayed him... garbage, the pair of them. Cara thought to herself, then lightly punched Michael''s shoulder.


    ¡°Well, if Rori''s friend Sadie is here already, then I''m sure my friend Irene isn''t that far behind. The floor is all yours, hurry up and meet us in the shop below once you''re ready.¡± Cara said, then disappeared down the stairs.


    Michael made his way into the bathroom, set his change of clothes aside, and then stared at himself in the mirror. Muddy brown hair and eyes, plain boring face, a giant height of 6'' 3¡±... well, at least I have a bit of an athletic build thanks to going to Ms. Tsukino''s dojo the past 5 years. Michael thought to himself as he looked himself over in the mirror again. He''d been doing that more often than he cared to recall since the breakup about a month ago.


    I fell for her during our freshman year. Took nearly a year to get the guts to ask her out during our sophomore year. Was so happy when she said yes. 6 months... 6 months we were together. Bliss. At least I thought so... believed her words... but in the end, guess I just wasn''t good looking enough. Michael turned away from the mirror, turned on the shower, and got in.


    Valentine huh. Said he was my friend. Ever since I saved him from those bullies our freshman year. They teased him, pushed him, picked on him... called him a ''trap'' boy. Delicate, pretty... I didn''t know that was the type of guy she truly liked. If only I could be... pretty. But I''m not... just a plain-looking unwanted giant. Michael closed his eyes as the water from the shower washed his tears away.


    Can''t be what I can''t be... pretty... just let it rest. Time to move on. World of Abrynth... a new world, a new life... let''s see if it lives up to all the hype. Got to admit, that live 1-hour midnight gameplay Livestream looked amazing. I really am looking forward to spending 8 weeks there. Well, according to the internet, in-game time moves at a 3 to 1 ratio so, 8 weeks in the real world will be 24 weeks in-game. Michael turned off the shower, stepped out and dried himself off. He then ran a quick brush through his hair, dressed and headed to his room.


    My best friends Aiden and Thomas said they were lucky enough to get in too. They were so hyped when they told me. A group of various high school club members got together, formed a group and entered their group name into the lottery... and won. A 12 pod room. There was 9 in the group so they raffled off 3 spots. He grabbed his dojo duffle bag, took a quick look around his room, then psyched himself up and headed downstairs to join the others with a painted smile on his face.

 Chapter 2: Fatherly Advice

    Book 1, Volume 1


    Chapter 2


    The Garden Lunchbox Shop kitchen greeted Michael as he stepped out off the last step. His dad was a little busy getting the kitchen ready for business. The door to the backyard was open bringing the gardens into view: A flower garden, herb garden, vegetable and fruit gardens... nurtured and well cared for.


    The gardens were essential for Dad''s Garden Lunchbox Shop and Mom''s online Fayre''s Garden Atelier Shop.


    Ever since Michael was little he''d help out in the gardens, helping his dad in the food shop, and helping his mother in her basement handicrafts workshop. Between helping out the family businesses, the gardens, school work, and the dojo his days were often busy.


    As for his sisters: Big sister Cara was better at cooking than him so, she mainly helped dad. While little sister Rori was a ''tinker blood''; She worked in her own attic Clankwerks Art Workshop.


    His family owned, lived in, and ran their family businesses out of their wonderful 3 stories European inspired stone building... well, 4 story if you counted the basement.


    His mom was named after her Irish grandmother, Fayre. Which explains Mom''s and Cara''s green eyes, Rori''s blue eyes, and mine... uh no, I had no such luck. Just plain boring muddy brown eyes for me. /sigh Michael thought.


    His mom''s online shop sold homemade soaps, shampoos, conditioners, scented decorative candles, essential oils, teas and herbs, and recently, Rori''s steampunk-inspired Clankwerks Art, which seemed to be selling quite well. Thanks to their family businesses, they were doing quite well financially.


    ¡°Morning dad,¡± Michael walked over and gave his dad a quick hug.¡±Thanks for letting us go. You know, most parents wouldn''t let their kids visit another city without them.¡± Michael made his way to the door that led to the dining area, turned, and smiled at his dad. ¡°But not my parents, pssh... another city, my parents are letting us visit another world!¡±


    His dad lightly chuckled. ¡°You all be good and enjoy yourselves. But don''t forget, even if it''s a virtual world, treat others as you would have them treat you... okay? Kindness with kindness... don''t want no bad karma... even if it is virtual.¡± His dad gave him a smile and a wink, grabbed a couple of baskets, and then headed out the back door into the gardens.


    Michael turned around, opened the door, and walked into the dining area that resembled some type of women''s only club meeting. Sitting around a table while chatting were his mother (Fayre), big sister (Cara), her best friend (Irene), little sister (Rori), and her best friend (Sadie).


    ¡°Morning ladies, hope I''m not interrupting your sisterhood of the fayre pants meeting. If so, I can head back into the kitchen while I wait for you little women to tell me it''s time to go.¡± Michael said as he started to turn around.


    ¡°Hmmph! We''ve been waiting for ages for you to be ready, took you long enough.¡± Cara walked up to him, stretched her arm up, and lightly thumped him on the head. ¡°What''s the matter you big oaf, did you forget how to work the shower? Is that what took you so long?¡±


    Michael quickly grabbed Cara''s arms, held her in a partial bear hug, while looking at his mom, ¡°Quick mom, I caught me a wee little leprechaun. Get some rope to bind her and force her to lead us to her pot of gold.¡±


    Laughter filled the shop''s dining area. A moment later Cara''s muffled voice broke through his bear hug, ¡°If you don''t let me go, the only place I''ll be leading everyone to is your pot of hentai!¡± Another round of laughter filled the room as Michael let her go.


    ¡°No need, I tossed that all out long ago,¡± his mother said as she got up off her chair and walked over to him. She gave him a hug and looked around the room. ¡°You all are growing up much too fast...¡±


    ¡°No, just Michael...¡± Rori and Cara muttered quietly.


    Not minding their comments, their mother carried on, ¡°After this summer Cara will be a senior, Michael a junior, and my baby girl Rori will be starting her first year of high school. My 3 babies will all be going to the same school together. That hasn''t happened since grade school...¡±


    ¡°Mom don''t you think it''s a little early to be talking about this, we still have all summer before school starts...¡± Cara said.


    ¡°Summers always past by in a flash, and this will be the first time we''ll spend it apart.¡± Their mother said. ¡°Well, we''ll see each other virtually at least. Remember, Father and I will be playing and forming a craftsman guild with some of the other parents from the PTA. We won''t be getting in the way of your fun, but we do want you to stop by and spend time with us every now and again. Understand?¡± She asked with a warmth in her heart as she looked at her children''s faces.


    ¡°I''ll be happy to mom, but you''ll probably have a hard time recognizing me,¡± Cara said in a dancing sing-song voice. ¡°I''m planning on being a tall female magic warrior race, that way I can finally make Michael look up to me when talking.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to burst your bubble big sister, but the game only allows you to make your avatar the same gender and height as you are in real life. Didn''t you read through the information pack?¡± Michael laughed as Cara became crestfallen like a little girl who''s ice cream fell on the ground on a hot summer day.


    ¡°Well, I''m hoping that I get chosen for a Unique race! They get their own starting story area, bonus attribute points, unique skill and/or spell, an extra god or goddess blessing, and a unique Soulryn.¡± Rori said excitedly. ¡°There''s common races, uncommon races, rare races, and the ultimate... Unique races. You''d have to be a major baka to decline a Unique race if you''re chosen.¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget though, even if you get a common race, don''t be sad, races can evolve into higher-tiered races or mixed races. It all depends on what you discover in the game.¡± Sadie said shyly while holding Rori''s hand. Rori smiled at her, gave her hand a gentle pat, and then turned back to the others.

 Chapter 3: Get Your Gameplan On!

    Book 1, Volume 1


    Chapter 3


    Cara then got up in front of everyone like a short conductor in front of an orchestra, ¡°Okay, everyone remembers the gameplan! Since we''re all from the same suite, we''ll be automatically added to each other''s friend''s list. Contact each other as soon as you''re able. We need at least 6 people to form our guild: Amaranthe Hearts Guild!¡±


    ¡°An all-girls guild,¡± Rori snickered. ¡°And a giant mascot...¡±


    ¡°With a guild name like that, no guy will want to join... what does Amaranthe even mean anyways?... ¡± Michael grumbled.


    ¡°Firstly, the name was chosen by a vote count of 4 to 1,¡± Cara said reminding him. ¡°Secondly, Amaranthe means Unfading. And three, you honestly expect us to believe that guys wouldn''t want to join a guild filled with good looking girls?¡± Cara rolled her eyes.


    ¡°It... it sounds better without Hearts...¡± Michael sighed.


    ¡°Anyways, be happy, we''re part of the lucky few that gets to play at launch. They already have over 100,000 people on their waiting lists and the game is just launching today. The first game of its kind, there''s no doubt millions will be playing by next year or maybe even sooner. That puts us ahead of all those people that will join later. This isn''t just a game, this is an opportunity!¡± Cara paused a moment to catch her breath and slow her pulse. She then looked around at everyone in the room.


    ¡°What I''m about to tell you is something that hasn''t been released to the general public. It''s something I learned days ago due to a fateful encounter... Here''s the secret news, not only can we have loads of fun and experience wild adventures in Abrynth, but we have the chance to make lots of money!¡± A pleased look filled Cara''s face as she looked upon everyone''s astonished faces.


    ¡°I know... I know... hard to believe but here''s what I learned: We can sell in-game money for real-world money. This is huge!¡± Cara said, slapping the table with her palm.


    ¡°Apparently there''s going to be an in-game world banking system and through this World Bank, you''ll be able to trade in-game money for real-world money. The trading prices will fluctuate depending on supply and demand but this is going to be huge news when it''s released. Because of this, it opens up many opportunities to earn real money while playing.¡± The room became silent as all eyes were locked on Cara yearning to learn more.


    ¡°One, you can sell in-game items that aren''t soulbound, items that you make or loot for in-game money. Then exchange that in-game money into real money... the rarer the item, the more you can sell it for.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t they afraid of making this pay to win?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°This isn''t like those games from before. Ruins and dungeons to explore, high sea adventures, floating islands, wars, and peace... an everchanging world where there are poor and rich mortals. And just like in our world, the rich can buy power, which adds realism to the game. Abrynth is a living breathing world. It''s hard to explain, but you''ll see soon enough for yourself...¡± Cara said.


    ¡°Also, don''t forget, the strongest gear you can use can only be 1 rank higher than your current rank. So if you''re rank 1 and you buy a rank 3 weapon, you won''t be able to use it until you become rank 2. Plus, Soulryns and Gear Awakenings add whole new dynamics to the game.¡± Irene added to the conversation.


    ¡°Okay, moving on... Two, you can gain knowledge that others don''t have and provide services for a fee. For example, I recently found out the reason sensei Ms. Tsukino''s brother is teaching all the classes at our dojo this summer. Ms. Tsukino is working for Goddess Lokaini Entertainment corporation.


    They hired her to be a live in-game player. I only found out when I met her at the market days ago. Long story short, she gets paid to play, plus she can make in-game money by starting her own in-game dojo and teaching students her martial arts that become in-game character skills!¡±


    Cara turned to face her mother, ¡°Isn''t that exciting mom. You and dad can bring our family businesses to Abrynth, you have the opportunity to make lots of real money. Don''t worry, we''ll be helping too by bringing you materials, crafting plans, and advertising through word of mouth and branding.¡±


    ¡°Good girl warms my heart that you''re thinking of your family. But don''t forget to make sure you''re enjoying yourself first. As my grandfather used to say if you love what you''re doing then it''s not work.¡± Their mother happily said. The other''s in the room were happily chatting with each other about the possibilities.


    ¡°And I saved the best for last...¡± Cara waited patiently for her friends and loved ones to quiet down and focus on her.


    ¡°Third, I have negotiated a contract for our group to provide video content to an up and coming Streaming Company that will edit and produce our gameplay video streams. This Streaming Company has a licensing agreement with the Goddess Lokaini Entertainment corporation and is allowed to produce and show our gaming videos to the public.¡±


    Cara reached into her bag and placed the contract on the table. ¡°I know you''re wondering if this is all legal and on the up and up... I can assure you it is. I had everything verified by the Hayes Law Firm.¡± Cara looked to her mother, ¡°That was the important reason I needed that money mom, thanks for giving it to me.¡±


    ¡°I''m just proud my girl has a good head on her shoulders and sought out legal counsel.¡± Her mom said as she patted her back.


    ¡°So here''s the deal, the more people that view our videos, the more money we''ll make, but only if you''re willing. I have already signed the contract, but I won''t force any of you to do the same. For those that do decide to join me and sign it, all the money will be split evenly amongst us, this way there''s no fighting about who makes how much... now, who''d like to join me by signing?¡± Cara finished as she placed a pen on the table next to the contract.


    ¡°I have a question,¡± Sadie said as she looked at Cara.


    ¡°Yes, Sadie. Go ahead and ask.¡± Cara said.


    ¡°I want to sign up, but am I too young to sign up for myself?¡± Sadie asked.


    ¡°Same here, I''m only 17, so legally still a minor, don''t we need our parents or guardian''s signature?¡± Irene added.


    ¡°Yes. Since it looks like everyone is going to join me and sign up, let''s get in mom''s van and head out. We''ll first go to Sadie''s and Irene''s homes to get their parent''s signatures, drop off the contract, then head to the Goddess Lokaini Entertainment building. Our entrance reservation is set for 10:30 am so we have plenty of time to get everything done.¡±

 Chapter 4: Arrivals and Invitations

    Book 1, Volume 1


    Chapter 4


    ¡°Wow. Just look at it....¡±


    ¡°Looks like a mash-up of a modern gaming building with all that glass and a 5 story white stone hotel...¡±


    ¡°I really love the landscaping out front. Flower gardens, stone walkways, rock gardens, stone benches, waterways...¡±


    ¡°... the big golden sign on top of the building says ¡°World of Abrynth¡± and look at the large royal purple banners flowing down the front...¡±


    ¡°... Rori, look... those statues... the tall one upfront...¡±


    ¡°... oh, she''s dressed in a beautiful victorian dress, wearing a top hat, and has a parasol cane...¡±


    ¡°Over there mom, the parking entrance is just ahead...¡±


    ¡°... look at all the people... so many, the line goes around the building...¡±


    ¡°... looks like most of the parking spots are taken, we''ll have to park in the last row...¡±


    ¡°Okay everyone, we''re here!¡± Their mom cheerfully said as she turned off the van. ¡°Everyone grab your belongings and group up outside the van.¡±


    Buzzing with excitement and wonder, they exited the van with their belongings in tow and began walking towards the front of the building while admiring the views.


    ¡°Just look at all those excited faces...¡±


    ¡°You can hear the noisy chatter from here...¡±


    ¡°With so many people already in line, it''s going to take us ages to get in... see Michael, this is why we told you to hurry up!¡± Rori said.


    ¡°Not to worry little Miss Clankenstein, we have golden tickets.¡± He told her with a wink. ¡°That means we get to pass Boardwalk and enter the dragon...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don''t listen to Ogre boy or you''ll lose some IQ points.¡± Cara took a large golden envelope out of her pack and waved it in front of the group. ¡°Since we have winning tickets, we don''t have to wait. We get to enter through the purple and gold door; it''s only for lottery winners.¡± She said with a smile.


    Everyone felt a great sense of relief knowing they wouldn''t have to wait in such a huge line. They made their way across the stone pathways to the steps leading up to the front entrance and paused for a bit, double-checking that they had everything with them.


    A broken-hearted sobbing voice caught their attention. They looked further up the steps to their left and saw a woman dressed in house cleaning clothes trying to comfort a young dark-haired girl. The young girl was dressed in old run-down clothes that seemed too short for her, clothes that she surely had outgrown.


    The young girl''s shoulders were down, arms dangling listlessly at her sides, and she was looking at the ground as her dark hair partially covered her lightly tanned face. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she did her best to keep from breaking down and crying.


    ¡°I''m sorry honey, but all the spots have been taken.¡± The young girl''s mother said as she hugged her daughter, trying to ease her pain. The young girl wanted to tell her mom that it was okay, that she understood, but she was afraid that all that would come out of her mouth were sobs.


    The group felt bad for the mother and daughter pair. The mother''s eyes were watery. She continued to hug, soothe, and pat her daughter''s back.


    ¡°Rori, isn''t that Koko?¡± Sadie asked.


    ¡°Yes. I believe so.¡± Rori answered.


    ¡°Who''s Koko?¡± Rori''s mother asked.


    ¡°She''s a girl from our school. She''s in the same grade as Sadie and I. She spends most of her time alone in the library, losing herself in books... because of all the bad things that happened to her...¡± Rori said, looking at her mother.


    ¡°Bad things, what bad things?¡±


    ¡°You know mom... It happened over a year ago. It was in the newspaper. Hmm... You may have missed it because you and dad seemed focused on that story about some strange explosion that happened in the desert."


    "Oh ya! I remember that... I still say ''it'' was some type of covered up UFO incident, no way the government woul..." Her sister Cara was in the midst of saying.


    "Focus! We''re talking about Koko now; Anyways, her father was an abusive drunk. Anytime something went wrong in his life he''d blame them and hurt them... Koko has the cigarette burn marks on her arms to prove it.


    But it got really bad a little over a year ago when he lost his job again. He got home raging drunk, started beating on her mom... Koko tried to stop him, but he was too strong. He kicked her knee, bones broke, and she hit her head on the table during the fall.


    Her mother got up off the kitchen floor, saw Koko lying on the ground; her daughter''s leg bent in the wrong direction, and a pool of blood forming on the ground where her head lay... her father standing over her, looking down at her broken and bloody body.


    Her mother lost it. She grabbed a big kitchen knife off the counter, and stabbed him in the lower back, severing his spine. He dropped to the floor and passed out from the pain. Luckily the neighbors heard it all... they rushed in, saw all the blood and bodies on the ground and called the cops and ambulance.


    The newspaper reported the incident and its aftermath. Her father became paralyzed from the waist down and was sent to jail. Her mother divorced him and works as a house cleaning lady to provide for them. And Koko walks with a permanent limp and has a scar on her head... as well as the other scars on her arms.¡±


    Rori looked around at everyone, the sad story left them all teary-eyed and silent for a while. ¡°Sadie and I greet her whenever we go to the library and see her there. We invite her to hang out from time to time, but she always declines...¡±


    "Hmm... No doubt her heart is scarred as well..." Her mother softly said.


    ¡°Still, we''ll keep trying... right Rori. I''m hopeful that one of these days she''ll accept our invitation and join us.¡± Sadie said looking over at Koko and her mother.


    ¡°Then why not today?¡± Cara said with a determined look in her eyes. ¡°Our suite has 8 pods, but there''s only 7 of us. Let''s not let that pod go to waste, let''s invite her into our suite and into our gameplan.¡±


    ¡°Aye, that''s a fine idea, Cara.¡± Her mother said. ¡°If they agree to join us, I''ll call to have the streaming contract faxed over and help them get that all straightened out. Let''s all head over...¡±


    ¡°That sounds good. While you all are taking care of that, I''m going to head on over to that group of people over there... Aiden and Thomas are there. Let me know when its time to go in.¡± Michael said, then turned and walked on over to where his best friend''s Aiden and Thomas were.

 Chapter 5: Words You’ll Live to Regret

    Book 1, Volume 1


    Chapter 5


    Michael made his way up the steps, heading towards his two best friends. They were standing next to their group, gathered around some stone benches.


    A group of people walked past Michael. Quite a few female eyes repeatedly peeked over towards his buddies. By the snippets of the conversations that he overheard, he could tell they were talking about Aiden and Thomas.


    Who could blame them? Aiden exemplified the good looking auburn hair, green-eyed intellectual type, while Thomas sported the gray-eyed raven hair guitar playing musician type.


    Both were fit and in shape with Thomas having just a tad more muscle tone. They were friendly, outgoing, and easy to get along with so it was not surprising that they drew so much unnoticed female attention.


    ¡°My, my, my... look what the cat dragged in,¡± Michael said smiling. He walked up in front of them and gave them fist bumps. ¡°Aiden... Thomas... how''s it going? Ready for the hype?¡±


    ¡°Well, speak of the devil... I''m doing good. Can''t wait to get in the game... just look at this place, it''s amazing.¡± Aiden said looking towards the building.


    ¡°Michael! Looking good I see,¡± Thomas greeted him. ¡°Doesn''t this feel unreal? They built this place so fast... in mere months. And so nearby, just half a mile outside our city. We''re so lucky they built it in our neck of the woods.¡±


    ¡°I''m surprised they chose here too, not like we have a huge population, but I ain''t going to complain about it. Still...¡± Michael looked over to the large company sign, ¡°I don''t get the name... Goddess Lokaini Entertainment. I mean, what type of person calls themselves a Goddess? Narcissistic much?¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m guessing it''s the type of person that can create a world,¡± Aiden answered. ¡°Even if it is virtual.¡± They shared a happy laugh.


    ¡°That''s a very valid point...¡±


    ¡°Hey Michael, you here alone? Where''s your tribe?¡± Thomas asked.


    Michael turned around, spotted them, and pointed them out. His group was still gathered around Koko and her mother. He felt relief when he noticed a huge smile on Koko''s face; Koko''s mother looked to be talking happily with his mother.


    Michael turned back toward his friends. ¡°They''re talking with a classmate of little Rori, adding her to our group since we had an empty pod in our suite. Looks like our guild will now have 6 members, 8 if you 2 join too.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Michael, we''d love too, but our group already made plans to form one. The name has already been decided: The Puppet Asylum Guild.¡± Thomas patted Michael''s shoulder. ¡°Otherwise, we''d join you.¡±


    ¡°Still, we can always form a guild alliance, and we''ll be on each other''s friends list. Just let them know our names and that we''re from the blue pawn suite, number 222.¡± Aiden said.


    ¡°Cool. We''re in red bishop suite, number 311. Our guild''s name is going to be Amaranthe Hearts Guild.¡± Michael said with a hint of embarrassment on his face. ¡°Don''t look at me, I didn''t choose the girly name. I was badly outvoted...¡±


    ¡°Amaranthe?...¡± Thomas had a puzzled look on his face.


    ¡°My big sister Cara said it means ''Unfading''... basically Unfading Hearts guild... I''m not giving up hope on convincing her to drop the heart part of the name. Anyways, what class are you loo...¡± Michael''s words suddenly stopped.


    Time seemed to slow down as the color left Michael''s face; His eyes looked past his friends, past the group. He spotted two people walking, hand in hand, towards them.


    The cute brunette girl on the left had on a short sleeve evergreen top, beige shorts, and a pair of matching walking shoes. She was chatting with the person walking next to her. Her smile genuine, reaching her dark eyes... she looked the picture of happiness.


    As for the pretty delicate-looking girl walking beside her on the right, holding her hand... well she was none other than the boy named Valentine. The boy who claimed to be Michael''s good friend for well over a year. The boy that betrayed him by making out with his at the time girlfriend; the cute brunette girl that he was currently walking, hand in hand, with towards him.


    The newly formed love birds didn''t seem to have noticed Michael standing there in the group, next to Aiden and Thomas. They were lost in conversation, off in their own little world, probably talking about all they planned to do together in the World of Abrynth.


    Delicate and pretty... I can never be... Michael thought to himself as he looked at Valentine. ¡­ soft locks of hair like golden caramel and eyes to match... face that takes after his beautiful mother... a lean lithe body that''s a bit below average height... everything I''m not... pretty...


    Alarm bells went off in Aiden''s and Thomas'' heads as they noticed the distressed state in which Michael seemed to be frozen in.


    ¡°Damn, they got here before we could warn you.¡± Thomas stepped up to Michael, gently shook him, and then turned him to face the opposite direction of the new love birds. ¡°Sorry Michael, we were going to tell you, just didn''t expect them to get here this early. Our group is scheduled to enter at 12.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it''s like Thomas said... we really didn''t think they''d come until after 11...¡±


    ¡°Why are they even here?¡± Michael asked with a confused look on his face.


    ¡°About that, remember how we said that there was 9 of us in our group and that the suite we won had 12 pods? I believe we mentioned that we were going to raffle off the 3 open spots...¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I thought about that earlier this morning,¡± Michael said.


    ¡°Well, as luck would have it, (¡°Yeah, our bad luck...¡± Aiden interjected) they ended up winning two of the spots. Aiden and I wanted to not give them the tickets, to give them to anybody else but them...¡±


    ¡°But legally speaking, we couldn''t,¡± Aiden said sadly. ¡°On the bright side, Abrynth is a huge world and they''re not on your friend''s list so I doubt you''ll see each other in the game.¡±


    ¡°And even if you do, you probably wouldn''t even recognize one another right? So don''t let this get you down and ruin your fun okay? Just forget about them and focus on having fun with all the people that really matter. Okay, Michael? Let''s make loads of great memories there!¡± Thomas encouragingly said.


    ¡°... Michael....¡±


    ¡°That''s right Michael...¡± Aiden was in the midst of saying.


    ¡°... hey, little brother... it''s time...¡±


    Michael looked towards the sound of his sister''s voice, saw his family and friends waiting for him. He looked at the happy smiles on the faces of Koko and her mother, thought about all the hardships they went through, before strengthening his heart.


    He then looked back at his best buds, put a smile on his face, and said in good spirits, ¡°Yosh! Looks like I''ll be going down the rabbit hole and seeing what''s on the other side of the mirror first.¡±


    Michael gave them each a quick ''man hug'', ¡°I''ll be waiting for you both on the flip side.¡± He then made his way to his family.


    Michael laughed as he heard Aiden asking Thomas, ¡°Yosh? Michael is not part Japanese is he?¡±


    ¡°No, he''s part Manganese.¡± Thomas jokingly said.

 Chapter 6: Who says you can never be… pretty?

    Book 1, Volume 1


    Chapter 6


    On the top floor of the Goddess Lokaini Entertainment building, in the extravagantly decorated executive office, stood a breathtaking woman looking out the wall-sized window overlooking the front of the building. Her gold eyes taking in the scene below as she gently tapped the victorian parasol on the soft plush carpet beneath her feet.


    Gentle mirthful laughter filled the office air, a playful smile lighting up her divinely beautiful face. ¡°So you think I''m narcissistic, do you?¡± Her eyes focusing on a muddy brown-haired boy below.


    Standing inside the office, on either side of the rich luxurious oversized door were two attractive girls. They were both dressed in silk Miko shrine maiden clothes of purple, gold, and white. One of the girls had silvery blue bunny ears on top of her head and a fluffy bunny tail while the other girl had golden fox ears on top of her head and a fluffy foxtail.


    They both looked at each other knowingly, with playful eyes, when they heard their divine mistress'' words. ¡°Silly mortal, daring to utter such nonsense about our Goddess...¡± the fox girl muttered quietly.


    ¡°It appears our Goddess has found a new toy to play with.¡± The bunny girl happily whispered to the fox girl.


    ¡°I can hardly wait to see what wonderful game she has up her sleeve for this mortal this time.¡± The fox girl cheerfully said.


    The otherworldly beautiful woman''s smile never left her face as she continued to watch the boy and his two friends below.


    Her right hand continued to use the purple and gold parasol as a cane, softly tapping the carpeted floor. While in her left hand she played with a golden pair of many-sided dice: One of the dice had images of different colored chess pieces and the other dice had numbers.


    She continued watching the scene below, her body slightly twirling side to side, as her beautiful victorian inspired dress gently swished to and fro. Her gold eyes shined the moment the boy abruptly stopped talking and froze. She focused in on him.


    ¡°Pretty... can never be... who says you can never be... pretty? Surely not I.¡± She said with an infectious laugh. The laughter that was joined in by her two Miko beastkin girls. ¡°Pretty, pretty, pretty, oh so pretty. Wish GRANTED! And you say I''m the narcissistic one... pfft.¡±


    She watched as Michael walked back to his family and then watched their happy little group enter the building. An ever-growing smile in her heart.


    ¡°Good, good. Red Bishop, Suite 311. A group of pretty girls, a signed video streaming contract. Good for them, and good for business! Since that''s the case, then let''s help them all out. Give each of them ''unique'' little gifts that will attract a viewing audience. And a very special ''unique'' gift for Michael.¡±


    She stepped back from the window and looked towards the wall on her left that was covered with dozens of large flat-screen monitors. Some were showing the people outside, while most were lit with videos of the people already inside the game. She looked at the dice in her left hand, walked up to the desk, and rolled the dice.


    ¡°Red Bishop, 311¡±


    ¡°Anari.¡± She called out while looking at the results of her dice roll.


    Electric light flashed in the office and a bluish ethereal hologram of a fox woman dressed as a victorian inspired circus ringleader appeared on the other side of the desk. ¡°How may I help you, Mother?¡±


    ¡°Daughter, I would like you to give some gifts out for me. Here''s what I''d like you to give...¡± Joyful laughter filled the office as she started telling Anari the details of each gift. ¡°I hope you enjoy the gift Michael, I know I will.¡±


    Meanwhile, somewhere in the building below...


    ¡°Ah... Ah... Achoo!¡±


    ¡°Bless you, Michael.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, mom.¡±

 Chapter 7: Boy before Girls…

    Book 1, Volume 1


    Chapter 7


    DING!


    ¡°This is our floor, please follow me out of the elevator and I''ll lead you to your suite.¡± The young woman''s name was Claryndel and she was highly attractive. Then again, it seemed all the women working here were beauties of one type or another.


    ¡°Off we go...¡±


    The thing that stood out the most to Michael and the others, besides Claryndel''s beauty, was not her long golden hair that reminded one of a warm sunny day, nor her athletically well-proportioned body which stirred Michael''s blood (amongst other things)... no, what stood out the most was her long pointy ears. Whoever they hired to do her special effects make up was amazing. Her pointy ears looked so life-like as if she were a real elf.


    In fact, many of the girls working in the building had amazing special effects work done, like living, breathing fantasy world girls.


    Not only were the girls and their variety of eastern and western-inspired outfits amazing, but so was the interior of the building they were walking in. Soft muted earth tones painted the walls, beautiful fantasy flavored paintings and artwork placed here and there, carpeting so soft it felt as if they were walking on clouds, and the gentle scents of wildflowers filled the air.


    ¡°We''re here,¡± Claryndel said bringing the group to a stop just outside the red door. The door had a golden bishop chess piece artwork embedded in it. The number 311 was engraved on the bottom of the bishop. Claryndel swiped the room card across the scanner, the door opened, then she entered the suite calling out behind her in an inviting tone, ¡°Welcome to your room.¡±


    The group walked in excitedly and gazed about the large upscale room. The room was a mixture of old-world comfort meets new world technology. Big soft-looking sofas, cherrywood coffee table, tasteful d¨¦cor, and a wall filled with multiple flat-screen viewing monitors.


    ¡°Feel free to take a moment to look around the room,¡± Claryndel said.


    ¡°... these paintings are beautiful, they almost seem alive...¡±


    ¡°Rori, come look over here, a sliding panel...¡±


    ¡°... open it... oh, it''s like a built-in food and drink dispensary...¡±


    ¡°... you have to try these sofas, Michael, they''re so comfortable...¡±


    ¡°... look at the monitors, they have playback options, I think we''ll be able to see our own gameplay when we''re not in the pods...¡±


    ¡°... or see each other...¡±


    ¡°Look at these pods at the far end of the room... they look to be made of some type of smokey midnight colored crystalline glass... so cool to the touch... what''s this? Strange writings... is that a language?...¡±


    ¡°Wonder what''s behind those doors...:¡±


    ¡°Now that you''ve all taken a moment to look around the room and get yourselves situated, I''d like to point you to the dressing rooms. Girls, please enter the left door and boy the door on the right. Everything has already been prepared for each of you, now move along, times a wasting.¡± Claryndel said with an encouraging clap of her hands.


    Michael entered the boys dressing room, quickly located the narrow personal-sized armoire closet that had his name tag on it. He looked about for a moment and was relieved to see a nice sized restroom and shower attached to the dressing room. He was happy to have the place all to himself.


    He then opened the closet, took out the light silvery blue bio-pod suit, and began changing. Not sure what this material is made from, but it feels very cool to the touch and soft on my skin, like silk. Its a bit snug here, and especially there, but I think I have everything on in the right place. Looks like I''m ready to go downhill ski racing. Michael chuckled at the thought, put his things away, and then stepped out of the dressing room.


    Michael looked over towards the sofas where his mother was sitting with Koko''s mother, chatting. Seeing him, his mother got up smiling, ¡°Just look at you, ready for the winter Olympics.¡± Looking at her son up and down with a crooked smile on her face. ¡°A bit snug on you, ain''t it?¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Michael protested, his face dyed in embarrassment. Soft laughter filled the room.


    Claryndel then walked up to Michael with a lovely silver tray in her hands. On top of the tray was a golden honey nurture bar, a glass of silvery-blue liquid, and a small container.


    ¡°Seeing as women always take longer than boys to get ready, why don''t you enter first Michael?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I''d love too!¡± The last thing he wanted was for his sisters and their friends to see him in this snug bio-suit.


    ¡°Good then, let''s start by having you eat this delicious nurture bar.¡± Michael accepted the bar and took a big bite out of it. Claryndel wasn''t lying, the nurture bar was absolutely tasty like golden honey peaches, each bite melted in his mouth and he felt a warm flow of energy spread throughout his body.


    ¡°Next, be a good boy and drink this all up.¡± She handed him the silvery blue drink. He brought the glass to his lips, tilted the glass, and drank the cool liquid. The cool liquid tasted of wild berries and nectar. Mmm... he felt another wave of energy course throughout his body, this time it felt cool and refreshing.


    Claryndel then set the tray aside on top of an end table, took the small container in her hands and opened it. ¡°These are our state of the art Orynfused Contact lenses. They never need to be removed to be cleaned, they are absorbed right into eyes. They will literally change the way you see the world. Would you like my assistance putting them on?¡±


    ¡°Yes please.¡± Having never used contacts before in his life, he''d be foolish to not accept her assistance.


    ¡°You''re a bit tall for me, so let''s have you sit over here.¡± Claryndel led him to the back end of the room, where the bio-pods were lined up like four rows of bunk beds. They stopped in front of a pair of bio-pods that were situated furthermost to the right.


    She pointed at the steps that led up to the top bio-pod. ¡°Have a seat here.¡± Michael sat down, then she placed the contacts into his eyes.


    He was surprised, he thought they''d be highly uncomfortable, but it just felt as if a drop of cool water was placed in each eye, then the sensation was gone... amazing.


    ¡°Congratulations Michael. You''re all set to begin your new life in the World of Abrynth. We''re sure you''ll have life-changing experiences.¡± Claryndel said with a smile. She then stepped away to wait for the others while his mother appeared in front of him.


    ¡°Well mother, off I go.¡±


    ¡°Aye, just let me get a last good look at my boy.¡± She then gave him a big hug. ¡°Be good to your sisters and their friends in there. And be good to yourself. Remember, no matter the difficulties or changes that life brings you, your family will always love you and stand by your side so make us proud.¡±


    ¡°Love you too mom,¡± Michael said. He then stepped out of his mother''s embrace, turned, went up the steps, entered his bio-pod, and closed it shut.

 Chapter 8: Greetings Starblood

    Book 1, Volume 2


    Chapter 8


    A world of silent darkness greeted Michael when the bio-pod''s door closed shut. He felt like a spirit floating in space as time seemed to slowly pass by. Just when he was about to call out to ask if anybody was there, dots of light, like stars began to fill the empty darkness.


    Anari''s voice then broke the silence. ¡°You are about to travel across the very stars, to be born as a mortal of the World of Abrynth. A vast magical world fueled by Oryn energy, created for the pure entertainment of the Gods and Goddesses throughout the multiverses.


    A world created by our glorious divine mistress Lokaini, the Goddess of Games and Entertainment.


    You, chosen by fate, will receive one or more divine blessing upon your newly created body. These blessings will be manifested upon your new body, as tattoo like sigils, on the back of your neck. Sigils that mark you as Starblood to the mortals of Abrynth.


    Knowledge of the arrival of a race of undying beings that travel cross the heavenly stars has been foretold by the Oracles of Abrynth. They are expecting you.


    But be forewarned, there are those that will greet you with open arms, those that will seek to use your growing powers, those that will fear you, envy you, and many with hidden agendas.


    You choose which road you wish to take or create your own path.


    Thus I ask you, are you ready to begin your journey young Starblood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''m ready for my new life.¡± Michael happily answered.


    ¡°Your will has been heard and accepted. Beginning the process.¡±


    A series of golden rings made of light appeared above his head. The rings began to move back and forth from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, washing him in warm golden light.


    Silvery blue star orbs came rushing towards him, abruptly stopping out of reach. Images began to appear within the star orbs. A gasp escaped his lips as he noticed the images being displayed in the star orbs were memories of his life.


    Memories of when he was small, trying to learn how to ride a bike, falling and scraping the palm of his hand. His parents rushing to him, to soothe his pain.


    Memories of being outdoor in their gardens. Watching the butterflies and bumblebees as he watered the plants.


    Memorie of school, of friendships born with Aiden and Thomas.


    Memories of eating at the family table with his sisters and parents. Helping in the kitchen to make soul comforting food.


    Memories of working with his Mother in the basement workshop. Making soaps, candles, lip balm, and various other items as the scent of essential oils filled the room.


    Memories of sensei Ms. Tsukino and the years he spent with his sisters there, learning how to defend themselves. And staying fit.


    Memories of the girl who brought so much joy in his life, and so much pain.


    Memories of a delicate boy as pretty as a rose, that taught him the lessons of betrayal.


    And memories of today, of him chatting with his friends Aiden and Thomas. The words he said seemed to softly whisper out to him, ¡°What type of person calls themselves a Goddess? Narcissistic much?¡±


    Soft playful laughter echoed across the starry expanse, fading away into the unknown reaches.


    ¡°Scanning complete. Congratulations Starblood! It seems you''ve caught the eye of our glorious Goddess.¡± Anari''s voice rang out. ¡°You''ve been given the golden opportunity to begin your new life as a Unique race. You are the envy of many. Will you accept the Goddess'' gift of a Unique race or would you like to decline and choose another race from the list of commonly available races?¡±


    Michael''s heart began to beat faster, his little sister''s words echoing in his head, "You''d have to be a major baka to decline a Unique race if you''re chosen."


    ¡°I accept.¡±


    ¡°Remember young Starblood. Once the process has begun, it can''t be stopped or undone, so I ask once again because of the changes...¡±


    ¡°Yes. I choose the Unique race. Thank you very much.¡± Michael interjected, cutting off the warning that Anari was about to give.


    ¡°Very well, as they say, all sales are final. Your choice has been recorded, confirmed, and approved. I leave you with these words as we begin the process of rebirth.


    Always remember, the Gods and Goddesses will be watching; experiencing the World of Abrynth through all of your deeds. Sharing in your joys and sorrows, your trials and tribulations, your successes and your failures, and your growths through divine Livestreams.


    Those Starbloods that please them will find their paths filled with rewards, while those that garner their ill-will will find their path filled with thorns.¡± Anari''s voice gently faded away.


    Space once again returned to darkness as all the star orbs faded into blackness. Michael felt as if his body was lying down on a bed made of nothing.


    Out of the dark nothingness surrounding him, a golden green orb slowly came into existence. A multitude of different colored lights seemed to be contained within the newly formed orb. It floated gently over his stomach.


    The orb vibrated for a moment, and then silently split into three smaller orbs. They hovered over his body, and then quickly flew straight into him: one entering his lower stomach just below his belly button, one entering his chest, and one entering his head.


    The space around him then returned to darkness.

 Chapter 9: Playing with Mofus

    Book 1, Volume 2


    Chapter 9


    Time slowed as he felt warm pulses of energy begin to emerge in his lower abs, chest, and head. The warmth began to rise in temperature, the pulsing energy increased in tempo, every inch of his body began to tingle.


    As the heat rose and the tempo increased, his body began to feel as if a great weight was being pressed upon it, feeling compressed.


    [ DING ]


    Michael began to panic in pain. The heat was much too hot, and the pressure was much too strong. Sounds of cracking bones and dinging bells entered his ears. He couldn''t move, couldn''t scream, could only endure.


    [ DING ]


    Just when he thought he was going to pass out from the heat, it faded away, but the pressure remained, continuing to compress his body.


    [ DING ]


    A moment later, cool energy began to pulse from his lower abs, chest, and head. It brought soothing comfort to his pained body. But just like before, the energy got colder and colder and the pulsing tempo got faster and faster.


    Argh! What''s happening, I don''t remember reading anything about this being painful to ¡­ ARRGH!


    [ DING ]


    Michael''s thoughts were interrupted by an intense bout of brain freeze.


    Just when Michael thought he was going to pass out, everything stopped: The cold went away, the pulsing energy stopped, and the heavy pressure left his body, leaving him feeling as light as feather.


    It feels as if I''m floating on air.


    Then he began falling. Faster and faster, spinning round and round down he went. It felt like his stomach was up in his throat. He wanted to vomit. He closed his eyes, hoping that would help.


    Darkness and soft playful laughter followed him down, down, down.


    Then things changed, he felt a cold wetness on his skin, like one feels from a misty morning jog. Light overcame the darkness of his closed eyelids. The sound of rushing wind swooshed by his ears. He opened his eyes.


    He was falling in a world of white mist, his descent and spinning greatly slowing.


    His body hit the soft green ground below.


    [ DING ]


    Finally! It''s over. Michael turned over, kissed the ground, then continued to lay down on his back on the soft green grass. He patiently waited for his heart to stop pounding.


    He looked side to side, but he didn''t see much, the fog was much too thick.


    Hmm... On the bright side, it looks and feels like I''ve arrived in Abrynth. On the downside, I''m alone without a clue as to where I am, and it''s much too foggy to be wandering about. Don''t want to be some major noob and walk into some beast''s lair and get eaten right at the start of my journey. I''d die from embarrassment once everyone found out.


    It was then Michael discovered that he was actually starting to feel a bit cold. His body felt cold and wet from the fog. This is amazing, everything feels and looks so real. It''s as if I''m actually in a real live body in another world. I can even smell the wet grass, and hints of wildflowers.


    As for sound. Michael snapped his fingers. Yup. My ears are working fine too. He then pulled some grass out of the ground with his hand, not noticing the little purple and pink flower in the batch, he put it in his mouth and chewed.


    He was surprised by the explosion of sweetness that greeted his tongue. This is so tasty, like cotton candy. Michael thought.


    [ DING ]


    There''s that dinging... huh... what''s that coming...


    Colorful palm-sized lights began to dance around in the foggy air above him. They fluttered about, just out of reach. They looked so soft and fluffy. Mofu... must pet and hug the Mofus... Michael''s eyes were completely mesmerized by the ''Mofus'' as sweet joyful laughter rang out in the foggy world.


    ¡°Here Mofu, Mofu... come play with me... pretty, pretty Mofu... flying about like a bumblebee... I''ll kiss you, and squeeze you, then set you free... pretty, pretty Mofu come play with me...¡± Michael''s singing and giggling filled the air like a merrily flowing brook.


    His little body was stumbling across the foggy meadow grass. His long thick silky hair bounced behind him like the tail of a kite, touching his lower back whenever it bounced back down.


    His little body tripping, falling, and rolling back onto his feet [ DING ], continued to chase after the colorful fluffy Mofus.


    ¡°Mofu, Mofu playing chase with me... Mofu, Mofu I''ll catc...¡±


    BOINK!


    [ DING ]


    ¡°Ouchie... ouchie..."


    [ DING ]


    "What''s poking me... ouch...¡± Michael, who was now sitting on his bum on the ground, looked up with watery eyes and saw a huge tree in front of him. He then looked down and noticed a ring of flowery bushes surrounding the tree.


    They look like... like... why can''t I think straight?...


    [ DING ]


    Oh, I remember now. They look a lot like rose bushes... ouch, what the heck is poking my bum? Michael leaned over to his right, then reached beneath his left bum cheek and removed the source of his pain.


    [ DING ]


    All this dinging is really starting to get annoying. I hope there''s a way to mute it. Anyways, what is this thing that''s been hurting me? Michael looked at what he held in his hand.


    It was a branch that had broken off of the thorny flower bush surrounding the big, beautiful tree he had ''boinked'' into while chasing the Mofus. Speaking of Mofus, they seemed to have all disappeared. His heart was saddened.


    Ugh... what''s going on, stop getting distracted, focus on the branch in my hand. Michael thought to himself, once again examining the broken flower branch in his hand. ¡°Now, just what are you?¡±

 Chapter 10: EH! Where did my Pen… Pen… Go!?!

    Book 1, Volume 2


    Chapter 10


    [ DING ]


    ¡°Oh, so that''s what you are...¡± Michael whispered as his golden honey-hued eyes, shimmering with hints of vibrant green, lit up like a kid in a candy store.


    A holographic box appeared before his eyes as he concentrated on the broken branch in his hand. In the ''Loot Box'' was written a description that reads:


    [ Royal Spider Lotus Wand/Rod


    Divine Growth Type Weapon Soulbound to Wylla Wylden


    The Royal Spider Lotus is a beautiful and fragrant plant that only grows around the majestic divine Oryn Tree. As such, they can only be found in extremely well-hidden locations outside the realm of mortals. Those who are fortunate enough to stumble into such meadows should thank the young Goddess of Plants and Forests, Sylvenori for their incredibly good luck.


    Current Weapon Strength: Rank 0, Tier 0, Lvl 1


    Weapon Skills:


    Wand Skill: Seed Burst - Shoots a pointy seed at high velocity towards the target. Current Damage Strength: 1 to 2 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage.


    Cost to Use Skill: 3 Oryn Energy Power


    Rod Skill: Royal Spider Lotus Bite - The Royal Spider Lotus animates, growing two thorny fangs that bite into the target upon contact. Adding piercing damage to the crushing blow. Current Damage Strength: 3 to 5 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage.


    Cost to Use Skill: 4 Oryn Energy Power ]


    ¡°This weapon... isn''t it... amazing! I don''t know who this girl Wylla Wylden is that it''s soulbound too, but it''s mine now.¡± Michael fervently whispered to himself, gently caressing his new found treasure.


    He loved the dark beauty of his new weapon: Darkwood shaft like a pair of black faded jeans, sharp onyx thorns that screamed ''dangerous'', long evergreen tendrils that wrapped around the shaft springing out from underneath the beautiful Royal Spider Lotus flower that formed the tip of the weapon.


    The Royal Spider Lotus flower petals were a melody of various shades of purple, from dark to light, like the colors of a sakura tree. And it gave off a subtle sweet fragrant aroma that he found extremely pleasing to his nose.


    Odd, I don''t recall ever liking the sweet scent of flowers this much before.


    Michael wanted to run out and find some evil beasts to try his new weapon out on, but maybe it''s best if I stay here and practice until the fog finally lifts. Also, I should get used to this new body, feels way different than my real body, must be the game. Michael thought as he stood up, stretched to the skies and then looked at himself...


    ¡°EEEHHHH!¡±


    Michael''s high pitched panic-stricken voice echoed across the foggy meadow.


    ¡°NO! No! no, no, no... this can''t be... can''t be different size... height... or gender from ones real-life body... this has to be a mistake... I need to contact someone... MENU!... MENU!!!¡±


    A holographic menu popped up in the air in front of the panicking Michael. He reached out with his small slender hands, quickly navigating through the menus, looking for the Help Me button or the Logout button.


    He found the first button, but it was grayed out, unable to use. Then he found the Logout button, which was also grayed out, unable to use.


    ¡°What''s going on, I''m trapped.... this can''t be happening...¡±


    Stop... think Michael... calm down... breath... think... there has to be an answer... a solution. Michael thought to himself, finally getting his emotions under control, but then he made a big mistake, he looked down at himself and noticed two very important things.


    One, he was currently stark naked, which brought the two small bulges on his chest to his attention.


    And two, looking down to his small feet he noticed he was missing a very important bulge... frantically reaching down and searching for it, another scream echoed throughout the foggy meadow:


    ¡°EH! Where did my Pen... Pen... Go!?!¡±


    It was then that a long-tailed bluebird, which had been resting up in the branches of the Oryn tree, was rudely awoken by the loud musical cries of an awfully pretty little girl with long thick semi curled hair. Hair that, like the Royal Spider Lotus flower, was a blend of a melody of colors: Her''s happened to be greens, from evergreen to vibrant grass green, to a light silvery green. Simply beautiful.


    The little girl then hyperventilated and passed out, falling to the ground.


    A chorus of jubilant laughter filled the air, the sounds coming from above. ¡°Narcissistic huh? Be happy I''m not petty like some of the Gods and Goddesses, instead of granting your desire to be pretty, they would have turned you into a toad, or worse. Well, guess its nighty night time for you my little sleeping beauty, I look forward to watching you when you wake up."


    Storymask


    Well, looks like I have completed my first goal which was to post the first 10 chapters of the story in one semi-staggered go. From here on out I will be posting 1 to 2 chapter per week, although I haven''t quite decided on which days of the week that will be.


    As for where I am in the story writing process; I''ve completed up to chapter 16, and I''m halfway done with chapter 17 (which I will need to break down into 3 or 4 chapters because it''s becoming longer than I thought it would).


    In addition, I have already completed the last chapter and epilogue of Book 1, Volume 1 (I really like how it all comes together there)... now I just have to drive the story to its destination, while enjoying the scenery along the way.


    So thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy what''s to come. :)


    P.S. I''m happy to announce that my niece, whom is very talented at drawing anime style artwork, will soon be illustrating this story for me. Her first project this week is to draw the cover for the story, which I''m really looking forward to seeing. Well, that''s it for now... off I go.


    New Note Added 9-22-19:


    My niece and illustrator just sent me to new drawings that I thought I''d share with everyone. I also added them to the Glossary.


    If the images aren''t coming up for you I do have them posted over on my Storymask.com website in the Our Illustrator''s Box top menu link bar... Hope this helps.

 Chapter 11: Think of this Guide as your Yellow Brick Road

    Book 1, Volume 2


    Chapter 11


    Michael woke up to the sounds of singing birds, the sky bright blue, the sun shining down on his body seemed to energize him. Ah, it was all just a dream... just a dream...


    Unfortunately, he knew it was no such thing. He was really in a young girls body. How did this happen? What went wrong? None of this makes sense. The official information package that he read before coming here said that a person couldn''t make their game body too much different from their real-life bodies, let alone a different gender...


    [ DING ]


    Ugh! That obnoxious dinging... how do I turn it off...


    [ YOU GOT MAIL... box ]


    Hmm... how do I get my mail? He sat there scratching his head for a bit before saying, ¡°Mail...¡± That didn''t seem to work... ¡°...how about, Mail... box?¡±


    A holographic mailbox appeared in the air before him. He reached out with his small soft hands Yup, I still have little girly hands and opened the mailbox. Inside he found a letter. Grabbing the letter he ripped it open and began reading:


    Greetings Young Ms. Starblood,


    This letter is a little guide to help you start your journey in the right direction in the magical World of Abrynth. [ Pro Tip: Think of this guide as your Yellow Brick Road. ] The few Starblood''s that were lucky enough to be chosen as a Unique race [ talking about you here little miss lucky star... blood ;) ] each starts off in their own Unique starter area.


    Everything you need to gear up for your journey out of the starter area can be found within your starting area. [ Just like that sweet, sweet divine weapon you stumbled upon. ]


    We highly advise you [ We being me ] to look through every nook and cranny in your starting area before leaving to venture forth into the World of Abrynth. That being said, here are a few more pro tips to get you moving:


    Get to know thyself by saying: ¡°Show Status!¡±


    You can learn new skills, spells, and abilities in the game through real-world knowledge [ like your martial arts ] to scrolls and grimoires to entering states of enlightenment to learning from others [ like trainers, hidden masters, and such ]. The path to capturing them is many so go on out there and catch them all.


    Break out the Rocky training montage videos! All skills, spells, and abilities have proficiencies which you can increase through usage. Here is the breakdown: Five levels increases your skill tier by one. Five tiers increase your rank by one. Current skills, spells, and abilities are rank capped at five.


    Your personal rank cap is unlimited, but the higher your rank, the more experience you''ll need to level up, so the slower you''ll rank up.


    Bad News: As a newbie, you start off at the bottom: Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 1. Good News: There''s nowhere to go but UP! And at a quick pace. [ btw... You earned 100 XP for finding that sweet weapon, earning a level up :) ]


    ("Nope, no bad news for me." Michael said out loud while clenching the virtual letter in his small hands as if it was his lifeline. "I''ve always loved growing my characters from weak to strong in games. That part will be fun... even if I have to do it again once I get this whole body mix up fixed.")


    Loot what you kill. Think of all the bad beasties as fun little pinatas! Bust them open to get the yummy treats inside.


    Don''t fight what you can''t kill. No seriously. There is no shame in running away to live another day. Dying is no bueno. You get resurrection curse when you''re brought back from the lands of Yomi. This curse will weaken all your stats, damages, and defenses by a huge 30% for 8 whole hours.


    (Michael nodded energetically, his free-spirited hair bouncing up and down, "Yup, yup... no need to tell me twice... when in doubt run and hide.")


    The only way to get rid of this curse is to pay someone to do it or by using the right scroll. Either way, bye-bye gold. Also, each time you die there''s a risk of you dropping gold or non-soulbound items that you have on your small slender body at the time of death.


    [ Pro Tip Plus: If you don''t currently need what you''re carrying, then how about leaving it in the bank, where it''ll be safe. ] There are many tough baddies in this world. Don''t be fooled by how cute or scary something looks. Which leads to the next step...


    Get to know the power of monsters: Monsters, beasties, baddies, loot pinatas, or whatever you''d like to call them all come in different strengths of Rank, Tier, Level plus Stars. The Star ranking is as follows:


    Baddies with one-star are cannon fodder! They are there to make you feel like a demi-god! So group them up and blast them with your AOE skills... btw AOE means Area of Effect.


    Two-star baddies a bit tougher, stick to about three of these bad guys and gals at a time when fighting, unless you got mad skills.


    Three-stars are a little weaker than a Starblood of the same rank. It''s okay to fight two of them, as long as you know how to use some crowd control skills [ i.e. stuns, snares, traps, and the like ].


    Four-star baddies are tough. Fighting one at your rank will require you to bring your A-game! You''ll need to make good use of your offensive, defensive, and control skills. Also, support skills like buffs and debuffs are really sweet to use here too.


    Five-star baddies... run. No seriously, if you''re alone run, unless you get extremely lucky like a star falling from the sky and landing on the baddie, bringing it to an inch of its life... yup, without a group of three or more people... run. Even if you have three to six people, if you don''t have a tank and a healer... run and save yourself from the repair bills.


    Six-star baddies are what''s known in the biz as raid bosses. Yup, if you don''t have tanks, healers, support, damage dealers, good leaders, and sound strategies just forget about it... I think you have a good idea of how to read baddie''s strengths by now, so Happy Hunting and be safe out there.


    (Michael''s face scrunched up, then lightly tapping his head, "This is really good to know but how do I see their Stars?" He gently rocked back and forth for moment or two, then his golden honey eyes lit up like a new moon breaking through clouds on a stormy night; Ah, it''s probably a skill I haven''t found yet. That one in mangas... appraisal or something like it.)


    And the last tip of the guide: How Ranks Work.


    For every rank a baddie, beastie, or opponent is above you, they''ll deal 20% more damage to you and take 20% percent less damage from you.


    This means if you''re rank 1 and your opponent is rank 2, you''ll deal 20% less damage to them. And they''ll hit you for 20% more.


    On the flip side, if you''re the one that''s rank 2 and the baddie is rank 1 you''ll be at the advantage of taking 20% less damage from their attacks and dealing 20% more damage. I think even the old giant obtuse you would get the picture, so I have no doubt that the new lovely delicate pretty you know what this means.


    (Michael''s cute little cheeks puffed out as his soft gentle voice released the complaint in his heart, "I was never obtuse... that was just Cara''s teasing...")


    Well, there you have it. A highly intelligent, simple, easy to understand, well thought out starter guide that any new Unique Starblood can follow to get them started off in the right direction. We here wish you many happy adventures and new self-discoveries [ keep them PG-13 please, it''s a family-friendly Livestream you know ;) ].


    (Michael''s body squirmed about a for a bit, forcing him to avert his bright eyes, to not look down as warmth spread to his cheeks turning them red. Focus... focus... focus...)


    So pick yourself up, pull yourself together, set your plan of action, and go out into that great big beautiful world and show them how strong you are [ Girl Power Activate! :roar: ].


    (Michael covered his face with his hands, a cold shiver ran up his spine as he rocked his body back and forth once again, trying to get rid of a bad dream, "Good grief.")


    With Love from Above,


    Anari


    Daughter of the Goddess Lokaini


    P.S. Bonus tip: Don''t overlook professions. They are highly rewarding and allow some to express their artistic sides.


    P.S.S. Almost forgot the paths out of your starting area will reveal themselves once you reach Rank 1 [ as well as unlocking your Soulryn ]. Once you''re out of the starting area you will have access to your friend''s list, Help Me button, and Logout button


    (Michael sprang to his feet, pumping his fist in the air, bouncing around up and down in a small circle like some sort of cute little dance. Yes! Just what I wanted to know.)


    P.S.S.S. [ Don''t you just love P.S.S.es? ] Be adventurous and try doing many different things because doing so may unlock useful skills... be sure to train them up. Then reach Rank 1 and summon your Soulryn before taking on any strong opponents that may [ read that as most definitely will ] pop up to block your way out. [ Will you look at that, a mini-guide within a little guide... who would''ve thunk it ;) ]


    "Thank You Anari!"


    [ DING ]


    Storymask


    Author''s Note:


    I was really torn as to whether I should provide so much information in this chapter (in the form of a guide) or not... afraid of information overload. But the reason I decided to go ahead and do so is threefold:


    1. Doing so felt real to me, a natural thing to do for the story. It fits the situation of playing the first of its kind VRMMO (and fits my idea of a light novel lit-RPG genre story). It reminded me of when I first played an MMO. I spent quite a bit of time learning about the game and reading guides to make sure I started off on the right foot. And the guides I read were way longer so I condensed it to what I wrote above.


    So seeing as how Michael has just woken up from such a shock, and the situation he''s currently in, I believe he would welcome such a useful and timely guide.


    2. There are some lit-RPG light novels that I''ve read that do similar: In one of them, a pair of brother''s sat in a restaurant, enjoying a meal in-game, while the older brother explained the basics of the game to the younger brother.


    Yes, this did slow down the flow of the story at the time but made it easier to follow (understand) the story the rest of the way. Also, the authors were then able to focus on the story from then on leading to fun adventures... and stories.


    This is sort of similar to that but in the form of an in-game letter sent by the A.I. Anari.


    3. I''m able to flesh out and further introduce Anari''s character through the humor and emoticons she uses in the guide.


    As for the readers, I do hope the chapter provided the information in a simple, easy to read and entertaining (through Anari''s humor) style.


    As for my readers that do not care for chapters such as this one, all I can only say is that now that the foundation of the game world has been set, there won''t be any more like this one to follow. From here on out, new features about Michael''s game world will be discovered in small easy to swallow bites.


    Well, that''s about it for now. Thank you all for taking the time to read my notes and I hope you enjoy the many chapters of the story to come.


    P.S. Next chapter we''ll take a look at Michael''s status which will reveal his unique race and give some hints as to his future class.

 Chapter 12: To Know Thyself

    Book 1, Volume 2


    Chapter 12


    Michael sat there for a while, elbows on his knees, hands on the sides of his head ruffling his long silky hair, looking down trying to control the light fluttery feelings in his stomach. Okay, stay calm and focus. The first step, check my status. The second step, cue the Rocky training montage. The third step, stop being a weird little naked nature girl and gear up. In other words... get clothed. The fourth step, explore while ranking up. The fifth step, summon Soulryn upon rank up and look over the area one more time before choosing a path out of here.


    ¡°Well, here we go... Show Status!¡±


    A large-sized holographic window popped up in front of Michael''s face, making it hard to see anything else. Note to self: Never say Show Status while fighting or in the middle of doing something important. Sitting on the soft green grass, and greatly enjoying the scent of the surrounding wildflowers carried by the gently blowing wind, his bright golden honey eyes began reading his status:


    [ My Status


    Real Name: Michael William Mitchell    [ New Name Pending: Wylla Wylden of the Mitchell Clan ]


    Starblood Name: Wylla Wylden      Rank: 0 Tier: 0 level: 2/23%


    Health Pool: 22 points      Oryn Pool: 30 points


    Gender: Female    Age 10     Race: Sylven


    Racial: Bonus to Plant Magic, Herbalism, Alchemy, and Regeneration. Bonus attribute: Charisma [ Who says you can never be... pretty? Surely not I. Wish Granted! ]


    Affinities: Plants, Water, Earth, Wind, Sun, Moon


    Class: Unknown


    Job: Unknown


    Title: Narcissia [ Mother just knew you''d love it... something about you liking words that begin with Narciss... ]


    Main Hand Weapon: Royal Spider Lotus Wand/Rod


    Wand form Rank: 0 Tier: 0 Level: 0


    Rod form Rank: 2 Tier: 4 Level: 4


    Off-hand: Empty


    Summoned Soulryn: Unknown


    Skills and Spells:


    Seed Burst (Wand Attack ¨C see weapon for details)


    Royal Spider Lotus Bite (Rod Attack ¨C see weapon for details)


    Bonus Spell: Healing Nectar ¨C create a delicious cup of sweet juice that will heal the drinker for 5 health points. Please note: Caster must have 1 small fruit of any kind. Cup to hold the Healing Nectar will be formed out of the fruit. As such, the cup is edible.     Cost to Cast Spell: 3 Oryn Energy Power


    Attributes:


    Body


    Strength: 6     Athletic: 10     Constitution: 11


    Bonus Attribute - Charisma: 20 [ Pretty, Oh So Pretty... ]


    Mind


    Intellect: 12     Wisdom: 12     Focus: 13


    Soul


    Faith: 8     Will: 13     Aura: 15


    Unassigned Bonus Attribute Points: 15


    Skills/Traits:


    [ Pain Tolerance has evolved into Pain Dampening: I wonder what could have caused you so much pain for it to evolve that quickly; Replay "Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!" Yup, that''s still funny every time I watch it... ]


    Pain Dampening: Rank 0, Tier 3, Level 4


    [ Alluring Body Fragrance and Narcissia Title have combined to create Influencing Charm: A gift from your new secret Godmother Lokaini... shhh... that''s just a Lil'' secret amongst us sisters ;) ]


    Influencing Charm: Rank 0, Tier 2, Level 1


    [ Poison Tolerance: Hmm... maybe it was something you ate. Remember: A lesson learned is a lesson earned. ]


    Poison Tolerance: Rank 0, Tier 3, Level 3


    [ Acrobatic Dancer: I just Loved your performance of ''Dancing with Mofus!'' ]


    Acrobatic Dancer: Rank 2, Tier 1, Level 4


    [ Camouflage: It turns out you''re hard to spot when you''re sleeping in the grassy meadow when you''re covered by your hair. ]


    Camouflage: Rank 1, Tier 4, Level 1


    [ Grace Under Pressure: You''ve handled all the challenges this game has thrown at you like a champ! :roar: ]


    Grace Under Pressure: Rank 0, Tier 3, level 4


    [ Musart: Not only did you master the art of dance, but who could ever forget your wonderful singing rendition of: "Mofu, Mofu... come play with me..." Simply breathtaking. I couldn''t take my eyes off of you... tears were shed... ]


    Musart: Rank 2, Tier 1, Level 2


    [ Lil'' Miss Know-It-All: Aye, and who wouldn''t be after reading such an intelligent well thought out guide? That author must be a Genius I tell you, a genuine grade A Genius. ]


    Lil'' Miss Know-It-All: Rank 1, Tier 1, Level 1


    Divine Blessings:


    Plant Goddess Sylvenori Divine Blessing: Rank 5 [ Unfair Plant magic boost... no seriously... total cheat... ]


    Moon Goddess Elunora Divine Blessing: Rank 3 [ Oryn regeneration boost.. spell casters will envy you... ]


    Sun God Solin Divine Blessing: Rank 3 [ Health Regeneration boost... tanks will envy you... you are now the subject of much envy with these blessings... plus, your racial bonus stacks on top of these bonuses... sheesh, how lucky can you get? ]


    Starting Area: Havenscent Meadow ]


    [ By the way, in case you''re wondering why you got such sweet racial traits and blessings, it''s because your race and body is the first one the young Goddess Sylvenori ever created. So you were and will always be her first... you know, now that I think about it, it also kind of makes her your mother, which makes the whole being her first analogy icky... best not to think on it.


    Anyways, since the young Goddess is the child of the Moon Goddess and the Sun God, and the two of them being such loving and doting parents... how could they possibly resist giving you their Blessing too? Hence, you hit the jackpot with your Unique race :) ]


    Michael sat there silently, little heart "Thumping" loudly in his ears, his body quivering. His small hands massaged his head getting his scattered thoughts in order. First, I''m not even going to touch the thing about ''new name pending''... that has got to be Anari messing with me... "I...I hope." His small voice shaken and stirred. So, let''s focus on my race, just what is a Sylven?


    Michael focused his mind on the word Sylven in his Status page, and a small holographic info box popped up with minor details about his race:


    [ Sylven: A new race born into the World of Abrynth, created by the young Goddess of Plants and Forests, Sylvenori, from which the name of the race is derived from. The Sylven race is a highly charismatic female-only race born of the plants, trees, and Oryn energy of the world. As such, this new race is much loved by nature.


    They are classified as Humanoid Magical Beings. As such, they may produce offspring with other Humanoids that have high amounts of Oryn energy. Please note that all female offspring will be born Sylven race like the mother. And all-male offspring will be born the same race as the father. Furthermore, all offspring have a 60% chance of being born female due to the magical nature of Sylven. (I refuse to go into further detail about that... hentai!) ]


    Michael groaned out loud, his fingers whitened as they dug into his scalp as golden honey eyes jolted left to right repeatedly,  taking in the same words over and over: The Sylven race is a highly charismatic female-only race.


    Bloody hell, I''ve been duped. I really am obtuse. Michael sat there quietly, breathing in and out, in and out...


    [ DING ]


    ¡°Why do I keep hearing dinging?¡±


    Another holographic info box popped up:


    [ Dinging occurs whenever the Starblood has advanced in level, learned a new skill or spell or ability, and other special reasons. For example, the most recent DING was due to your learning the new skill: Spiritual Meditation Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 2. Congratulations! ]


    [ Would you like to lower the volume of the DING? Y/N ]


    ¡°Yes please.¡±


    [ Answer accepted, the volume has now been softened: ding. ]


    ¡°Much better, thanks Anari.¡±


    [ You''re welcome Wylla ;) ]


    It''s Michael, but I don''t want to get on her bad side... like I seem to be with her mother. Narcissia... Ugh... why did I have to say those words? I already have enough problems as it is... like my Starblood age... 10 huh.


    ¡°Wonder why it made me 10 years old... I''m 16...¡±


    Another holographic info box popped up with the answer:


    [ In order to comply with the Starblood''s wishes to become the Unique Sylven race, the Starblood''s gender had to first be changed. To accomplish such a task, the Starblood''s body had to first be reverted to an optimal preteen state, gender bendification then took place, and our Starblood''s wishes were then Actualized. We are very proud of our achievement. You are now a healthy beautiful Sylven girl of 10 years of age. Happy Birthday, Wylla! Yay! ]


    I don''t want to rain on her parade, but if I had known this was going to happen I would have chosen to be a baka and refused the Unique Race option...


    Michael once again returned his focus onto his Status page and was happy to discover he had 15 unspent bonus attribute points. Although I''m not 100% sure what each attribute does, I do know that I never liked min-maxing my stats, so lets even them out a bit.


    After looking his stats over for a while, he went ahead and assigned the points.


    Attributes:


    Body


    Strength: 10 (increased by +4)   Athletic: 15 (increased by +5)   Constitution: 12 (increased by +1)                     Bonus Attribute Charisma: 20


    Mind


    Intellect: 14 (increased by +2)   Wisdom: 13 (increased by +1)   Focus: 13


    Soul


    Faith: 10 (increased by +2)   Will: 13   Aura: 15


    [ Confirm changes: Y/N ]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [ Changes confirmed and implemented. ]


    There, done with that, on to step 2 and 3, time to start training, exploring, and getting geared up.... especially clothes!


    Storymask


    Attributes Explained:


    Body


    Strength: Increase physical damage. Increases the weight one can carry and certain actions one can take that require strength. Also influences one''s physical toughness and amount blocked when using a physical item to block physical attacks.


    Athletic: Influences one''s physical defenses, hit chances, endurance, and speed. Also, influences one''s chances of learning new physical skills and abilities. As well as influences the speed at which ones gain proficiencies in said skills and abilities.


    Constitution: Influences one''s health pool. As well as increases ones resistances to injury, illness, and poisons. Also influences one''s ability to recover from exhaustion.


    Bonus Attribute - Charisma: Influences one''s physical beauty and physical charm. Influences interactions with others, some positive and some negative [ like catching the eye of the wrong type of person... nope no future flags here... ].


    Mind


    Intellect: Influences spell damage. As well as increases the likelihood of learning new spells through study: scrolls, grimoires, and ancient languages (like runes, sigils, and the like). Small influence on increasing speed at which one gains proficiencies through study.


    Wisdom: Influences Oryn energy regeneration. Also increases the likelihood of learning new skills, spells, and abilities through observation and enlightenment. Small influence on increasing speed at which one gains proficiencies through enlightenment by spell usage.


    Focus: Influences the ability to use skills, spells, and abilities without interruption. Also, decrease the effects of skills, spells, and abilities to affect the mind.


    Soul


    Faith: Influences the chances of things going right and one''s blessings. Also, increases the likelihood of receiving rewarding loot.


    Will: Influences one''s magical defenses and determination to see things through to the end. Also, decreases the negative effect of certain skills, spells, and abilities that attack the soul.


    Aura: Influences the size of one''s Oryn pool. Also, influences ones Oryn based charm, self buffs, and decreases debuffs placed on oneself.


    Well... that should just about cover today''s chapter. It ran a bit longer than usual, but I had fun writing it; I hope you all enjoy it as well. And now here''s a little title teaser for what is Coming Next Week - Chapter 13: Wylla the Explorer and Chapter 14: Cute But Deadly (Wylla''s first battle!)


    P.S. By the way... my niece just sent me a Head Sketch of Wylla... I posted it in the Glossary just a moment ago for those interested in taking a peek. (added 9-4-19)

 Chapter 13: Wylla the Explorer

    Book 1, Volume 2


    Chapter 13


    Michael stood up and slowly spun around to take in his surroundings. According to my status page, this place should be called Havenscent Meadow. It truly is beautiful.


    He appeared to be standing on a small grassy hill covered with wildflowers. He was standing near a large Oryn Tree. How did he know it was an Oryn Tree? Because it was mentioned in the description of his awesome weapon. No matter which direction he turned, there was clear open space for at least 400 yards.


    Forests surrounded Havenscent Meadow from three sides. The north was blocked off by a tall cliff; there was a crystal blue waterfall flowing down the left side of the cliff. It was about 20 feet wide and formed a large-sized pool of water that looked good enough to swim in. The pool fed into a river that snaked through the left side of the meadow and disappeared into the bordering forest.


    I''ll definitely explore that pool of water later, but first this huge Oryn tree.


    The majestic Oryn tree reminded Michael of a cross between a sakura tree and an ancient oak tree. The trunk was guarded by a ring of thorny Royal Spider Lotus bushes; Michael stood there a moment rubbing his left bum cheek got to be careful of those fierce thorn guards... don''t want to go through that again. Yup, he well remembered ''them'' due to his painful run-in with them earlier that morning.


    The tree trunk was wide, very wide, and rose a story and a half high, then split into four good-sized branches that spread out up towards the sunny sky. The leaves were palm-sized and shades of purple and deep cherry red. He spotted a fist-sized round golden fruit hanging from one of the branches.


    Hmm... With all those thorny bushes surrounding the tree and with how wide and tall the trunk is, I don''t think I can climb up there with this small body. Maybe there''s a way up on the other side of the tree.


    Michael began to walk around the tree to see what was on the other side. The sound of falling water entered his ears, confusing him; The waterfall at the cliff was too far away to hear so he was puzzled by what was causing that noise. It seems to be coming from the tree.


    ¡°Wow... how is the tree doing that?¡±


    Michael was now standing in front of the other side of the tree. Water was falling down the length of the trunk, gathering into a small pool at the foot of the tree, due to the roots forming a natural ring. The source of the water appeared to be the center of the trunk, the water flowed down from where the 4 branches split off heading up into the sky.


    He took a step towards the pool, the golden blue water looked highly refreshing. He bent slightly forward to scoop up some water to drink when his long silken hair draped over his shoulder and onto his arm. He was confused by the color of the hair, a blend of shades of cherry red, just like a sakura tree, from dark to almost white...


    But I could have sworn that it was shades of green before I passed out this morning.


    ¡°Anari, is something wrong with my hair? I could have sworn that I had seen flashes of it being shades of green earlier.¡± Michael asked out loud while looking up into the sky.


    A holographic info box popped up:


    [ You are correct Wylla. Earlier, your hair was beautiful shades of green and now its stunning shades of cherry red. The reason for this is twofold: First, you were born the very first Sylven of Abrynth, as such, extra care went into your creation.


    Second, very pure Oryn energy from plants and trees was used in your creation, and that energy was infused into your wonderful hair. As such, your hair will change with the rising of the sun and the moon... As will the glimmer of color that flashes across your golden honey eyes. ]


    ¡°Thank you Anari.¡±


    [ You''re welcome Wylla. ]


    Well, that answers that. Have to admit, they did do a great job on this hair... Michael turned his attention back to the pool of water when suddenly, he heard BZZZZing sounds coming from behind him.


    That can''t be good. He quickly stood, turned around, and aimed his wand in the direction of the buzzing as his eyes scanned the air. That''s when he spotted them, four fat football-sized bumblebees!


    They were bobbing up and down, wobbling to and fro in the air as they came flying towards him at a jog-like pace. Their wings beating furiously, trying to keep their oversized fat furry belly''s afloat in the air. The scene was quite comical, and a bit dangerous.


    The two lead bumblebees had green, yellow, and black stripes round their little fat furry bellies. They were a bit smaller sized than the two behind them. One of those had pink, purple, and black stripes while the largest one in the back of the furry bees group had red, pink, and black stripes.


    Oh, Cute. Guess this is what they mean by cute but deadly... I think that''s how the saying goes?


    ¡°Maybe there''s still time to hide, I might not have been spotted yet...¡±


    [ Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Wylla buuutttt, these fat little Furbees love the sweet scent of flowers. And you''re currently standing upwind... so you do the math. ]


    [ P.S. Here''s a little hint taken straight out of your status page, in case you''ve flunked math: Alluring Body Fragrance ;) ]


    Yup... just my luck. I''m sure this is not the last of my problems that this little body will get me into.


    Michael stood straight and steady, pointed his wand, and aimed at the Furbees that were now only 20 yards away. Ugh, hold still! Stop dancing about so much.


    ¡°Well, time for my first battle in Abrynth... no training, just jump right into the fire. Guess it''s ''do or die'' so here goes.¡± Michael nervously said out loud to nobody in particular. His arm slightly shaking, moving up and down, to and fro, trying to match the Furbees movements: ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    Storymask


    A quick note: Wylla''s first fearsome foes have made an appearance... I don''t know about you but I find them to be strangely cute and fluffy (If you like the little Furbee be sure to click the little heart like button on this page ;) The Illustration of the Furbee was created by my niece and is nearly complete; All that is left to do is add the colored stripes which she is working on for the soon to be finished book cover :)


    Coming up next: Chapter 14: Cute But Deadly (Wylla''s first battle!)

 Chapter 14: Cute But Deadly

    Book 1, Volume 2


    Chapter 14


    Michael felt the energy in his mind and pit of his stomach converge and merge with the energy in his small developing chest. The energy then flowed into his arm, down to his hand, and out into his Royal Spider Lotus Wand. The purplish Royal Spider Lotus at the tip of the wand seemed to come alive, as it then spat out a seed toward the lead green, yellow, and black striped Furbee at high velocity.


    WOOSH!


    [ Swing and... a miss. Don''t give up ''Use the Oryn'' Wylla! You have 27 left. ]


    27? What is she talking about... ah... focus, focus!


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WOOSH!


    [ Swing and... a miss. Strike two, but that one was much closer. You can do it Wylla! You just have to believe in yourself as I believe in myself! Btw, you have 24 left.]


    What''s with the numbers?... anyways... believe... believe...


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK!


    [ Swing... and a HIT! Furbee 1 has been hit by Seed Burst for... 2 points of damage + 2 from your cheat blessing. Good News: Just 2 more hits and he''ll be down for the count. Bad News: Just 21 points left... and 4 really angry Furbees just 15 yards away and closing! ]


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK!


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WOOSH!


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK!


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have vanquished your first beastie in Abrynth! Bards shall sing of your heroic deeds, national holidays will take place in your honor, and all the world shall bask in your Glorneficence... or not.


    Either way, you have received 10 experience points and your wand skill has leveled up as well. You now have 12 points... no, correction; thanks to your racial bonus plus blessings you now have 17 points left... such a cheat. Now back to our program already in progress. ]


    Well, whatever those numbers are for, it sounds like I''m doing okay. Yosh! Let''s slay another one before they reach me.


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK!


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK!


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WOOSH


    Darn it...


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK!


    [ Now you''re getting it Wylla! 2 cannon fodder down and 2 meanies to go, now get up in there and swing away like you''re at a pinata party. 5 points left... oops, make that 9 points little miss cheat. ]


    The pink Furbee buzzed with anger at Michael, entering melee range. Pinkie aimed its butt... err mean its stinger at him, and dove towards his head.


    Time to see if all those years training in Ms. Tsukino''s dojo was time well spent. Michael dove under the attacking Pinkie, rolling to its left and bounced back up onto his feet. [ ding ]


    WOOSH


    Pinkie''s attack just missed his head, moving past him.


    ¡°Now, how do I change this thing into a rod?¡± Michael asked no one in particular as he waved the wand about.


    [ That''s simple Wylla, just tap your heels together three times while saying ¡°There''s no weapons like rods.¡° ]


    Michael rolled his eyes.


    [ I can''t give you all the answers Wylla, what fun would that be if I taught you how to summon rod form? Just be the best you that you can be. ]


    Roars of laughter rang out from above as a lively little girl danced about in the meadow, arms flailing in the air waving a flowery stick about, dodging and rolling as two angry Furbees continued swooping and diving at her.


    If this keeps up I''m going to die of exhaustion. Think... transforming into a rod... transforming...


    ¡°... transform rod form...¡± Nothing... oh, duck... ¡°... rod transformation...¡± Nope.... roll... ¡°... need it to transform... where''s all that laughter coming from?... roll... ¡±... ouch, ouch, ouch ...¡±


    ¡°Bwa ha ha ha...¡± ¡°ah ha ha ha...¡± ¡°mwa ha ha ha...¡± ¡°hee hee tee hee...¡±


    [ Wylla has taken 5 points of damage from rolling into a Royal Spider Lotus bush. Either Wylla is a Masochist or she really lacks Spatial Awareness during battles. Big Sister Anari highly recommends learning said skill, your life just might depend on it. 9 health points remaining... things aren''t looking good for our young heroine. ]


    Ugh... Anari''s no help, the least she could do is give me a clue... ah... roll... how... ¡°...to summon... (Duck...) rod form...¡±


    Michael felt the Oryn energy from his abs and his head once again converge into his small heaving chest and merge. The energy once again flowed into his arm, down to his hand, and out into his Royal Spider Lotus Wand.


    The shaft of the wand then grew into the length of a short sword, thickened in roundness, and became sturdy and solid as the Purple Spider Lotus climbed to the side of the top of the rod, ready to bite when ordered.


    Not quite sure how I did it, but now is not the time to reflect... now is the time to break open some loot pinatas!... roll...


    Pinkie, who had taken some damage from time to time from Michael''s flailing attacks, once again dove at him, stinger sharp and ready, aimed at his chest. As for Red, it just missed Michael a mere second ago who rolled out of the way so it was now behind him and trying to come around for another attack.


    Michael patiently waited for a second or two, his rod at the ready, then released a powerful blow at the incoming fastball pitch that was Pinkie.


    ¡°Royal Spider Lotus Bite!¡±


    WHACK!


    Pinkie crashed into the ground, wings broken, and with several feet in the grave.


    [ Down Goes Pinkie! Out cold and with Broken Wings (cue the music) 5 points of damage from the bite, 3 points of damage from the crit, and 5 points of damage from the cheat racial bonus plus blessing. Btw... you now have 6 Oryn points left.]


    BUZZ!!


    Uh oh, that sounds close... rol...


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    Red hit Michael''s shoulder, sending him sprawling into the ground, in front of the Oryn tree.


    [ One should not stand still, admiring their powerful blow, when there''s still foes to be fought. 5 points of damage taken. Just 4 health points remaining. ]


    Michael scrambled back to his feet, set his stance, rod drawn back, and patiently waited for the right time to strike.


    [ Both combatants are greatly damaged, the next strike determines the victor! Two men...err... fighters enter, one fighter leaves! Good luck Wylla. ]


    Red flew up into the air, turned around, its body floating to and fro as its wings fluttered wildly. It hung there a moment in the sky, preparing itself as if it knew this was the final attack, winner takes all.


    With a loud BUZZ, Red bobbed down, then back up, and then came diving down, like bat out of hell, with its butt pointed and stinger shinning in the sun, aimed straight at the deliciously fragrant, cute but deadly, small little girl with the flowery stick that had taken the lives of its friends.


    BUZZ!


    ¡°AHH!¡±


    BUUUZZZ!


    ¡°AAHHH!¡±


    BUUUUZZZZ!


    ¡°AAAHHH... NOW!...¡±


    BUZZ!!!


    ¡°ROYAL SPIDER LOTUS BITE!!!¡±


    WHACK!!!


    The rod slammed into the fat furry red, pink, and black stripe belly as the spider lotus pierced its furry flesh with its thorny fangs, Red''s stinger struck into the shaft of the rod, the stinger broke and the force of the blow sent Red''s lifeless body spinning in the air as it slammed into Michael''s small tired chest.


    ¡°Ooof!¡±


    The impact sent Michael stumbling backward, the back of his foot hit something hard on the ground, and he found himself falling backward with arms ''whirlwinding'' about in the air.


    SPLASH!


    Water entered Michael''s eyes, nose, and mouth, confused and gasping, he flailed about; He lifted his upper body out of the water, shifting into a sitting position, and wiped the cool tingling water from his eyes.


    [ding ]


    [ You have learned a hidden skill: Oryn Spirin Eyes ]


    Meanwhile from the unseen divine Box Seats up above; A chorus of uproarious laughter rained merrily, merrily down as a cute little girl sat soaking wet in a small pool of water in front of an Oryn tree.


    [ That was highly entertaining Wylla! You really had me on the edge of my seat. You deserve your victory bath, to soak in the glory of a battle well fought. You have 1 health point remaining and 1 oryn point left. ]


    Michael sat in the cool Oryn tree pool of water, letting it soothe his small tired body. He cupped his hands, and drank from the pool, too tired to care that he was in it. [ ding ]


    [ Wylla has received the following: 20 experience for defeating Red. 15 experience points for defeating Pinkie, who passed away during the battle with Red. 250 experience points for completing the hidden quest ¡°First Blood.¡± Congratulations Wand and Rod skills have leveled up.


    Congratulations You have leveled up.


    Congratulations you have learned Unarmed Martial Arts.


    Congratulations Unarmed Martial Arts has unlocked: SnapDragon Kick


    Congratulations Unarmed Martial Arts has unlocked: Orchid Butterfly Steps


    Congratulations you have reached Tier: 1


    Congratulations you have earned the purely cosmetic Title of Battle Jester!


    You now have 5 Unassigned Attribute Points earned for Tiering Up.


    Plus 3 Unassigned Bonus Attribute Points earned for Tiering Up.


    1 of your Bonus Attribute Points has now automatically been added to Charisma for Tiering Up ]


    Looks like that was a very rewarding battle. Lots of skill ups and 1 tier closer to hitting Rank 1. Plus, I have 7 points to use for my Attributes and 1 point, that I don''t get a say on, that''s automatically placed in Charisma... what a waste of a precious point. Can''t be helped... Oh well, let''s do this.


    ¡°Anari, I''d like to put 5 points into Strength and 2 points into Constitution.¡±


    [ Ooh, someone sounds like they have dreams of becoming a powerful little Barbarian Princess but no can do Wylla. First, only 1 point can be added to anyone Attribute per Tier Up. Second, you are a Sylven, as in magic is in your blood. As such, 1 point will automatically be assigned to each of the following Attributes: Intellect, Wisdom, Focus, and Aura. And one of your 3 bonus attribute points will always be used for Charisma... Mother just knew you''d want it that way. So, that leaves you with 3 points to assign each time you Tier Up. ]


    ¡°Hmm... Oh well, if that''s the case then I''d like to add 1 to strength and constitution. As for the last one, I''ll choose Athletic this round.¡±


    [ Confirm changes: Y/N ]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [ Changes confirmed and implemented. ]


    ¡°Thank you Anari.¡±


    [ You''re welcome Wylla ]


    Storymask


    Well, it was one busy week for me and my niece this past weekend. My niece not only finish sketching out the cute but deadly Furbees (as seen in chapter 13) but has also completed the look of Wylla! (As you can see from the new Wylla illustration adorning this chapter.)


    And while my niece was busy working on the illustration I was busy watching lots of youtube tutorials on how to build a website... I learned quite a bit and put together my new website over at Storymask.com. I''m quite happy with how it came out, it''s a simple look but does what I want it to do... I just need to think about whether or not I want to get rid of all those ''leave a reply'' boxes... I prefer using the ones here.


    Oh, and I was really happy that I learned about Logomakr.com, it''s a site that lets you make free logos (I learned about it through one of the youtube tutorial videos). Not only did I use that site to make my fun little Storymask.com logo but I also used it to make my profile image... quite a handy little site.


    Well, that''s about it... as for what''s coming up next week: Chapter 15: The Spoils of Wa

 Chapter 15: The Spoils of War

    Book 1, Volume 2


    Chapter 15


    Now that that is done. It''s time to get some loot. Fingers crossed for some clothes. Michael stood up, stepped out of the pool, and then shook himself semi-dry as the water droplets rained down from his long silky hair. He walked past Red''s and Pinkie''s bodies, wanting to save the best for last.


    He stepped up next to Furbee number 3. Not sure how this works, but let''s try touching it. Really hope I don''t have to cut it apart and dismantle it. He lightly shook his small body and puffed his small cheeks at the thought of doing such a gross activity. Reaching down, he touched the Furbee''s fat furry belly, and a smile of relief lit up his face when a holographic Loot Box popped up:


    [ Young Furbee (Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 1, Stars 1) has dropped the following loot: 1 low-quality stinger used in Blacksmithing and Alchemy. 2 low-quality Furbee''s legs used in Alchemy. And 1 low-quality pair of furry shorty shorts. ]


    ¡°Yes! Clothes, I don''t care how they look or that they are low-quality shorts. I can finally be commando free. Plus some good starter materials... what, no Furbee steak materials for cooki...¡±


    [ Some materials require the Dismantling skill in order to loot. And some skills require having the right tool for the job. ;) ]


    I was only joking about the Furbee steaks, but that''s good to know. And since I plan on taking Alchemy as my job later, to take advantage of my racial bonus... Hold up... what am I even thinking!?! I almost forgot I plan to get this whole crazy situation with my race and being a girl fixed once I get out of this starting area... Still, I can give the materials to mom and dad, I''m sure one of them will take Alchemy.


    Michael then touched each item listed in the Loot Box and watched them materialize on the ground next to the Furbee''s body. He happily picked up the furry green, yellow, and black striped shorty shorts and put them on. They felt a bit snug on his hips and short on his bum, but it was a million times better than walking around naked.


    After a few moments of being empty of loot, the Young Furbee''s body broke into small colorful bubble-like particles of light and faded away as they floated up towards the sky.


    He then gathered up the material items and walked over to loot the next Furbee:


    [ Young Furbee (Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 1, Stars 1) has dropped the following loot: 1 low-quality stinger used in Blacksmithing and Alchemy. 1 low-quality Furbee broken wing used in Alchemy. And 1 low-quality furry ribbed halter top. ]


    Michael wasted no time and looted it all. He then put on the furry green, yellow, and black ribbed halter top. He wasn''t sure if the top was too short or if it was supposed to show off his belly button, but other than that it was quite comfortable.


    ¡°Finally, I''m clothed like a civilized person. No more running around like a little naked feral child.¡± Michael said to himself as he spun around with his arms up in the air like a small little ballerina and a smile on his cute little face.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have earned 150 experience points for completing the hidden quest ¡°Dressed to Impress¡± and might I add that you look adorable in your new Furbee outfit ;) ]


    ¡°Thank you Anari.¡± Michael happily replied.


    Now to see what the big ones have... Michael walked up to Pinkie''s body and touched it. Hoping for something good he could use. The Loot Box popped up:


    [ Young Furbee (Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 1, Stars 2) named Pinkie has dropped the following loot: 1 low-quality stinger used in Blacksmithing and Alchemy. 4 low-quality Furbee''s legs used in Alchemy. 1 low-quality broken wing used in Alchemy. 1 small low-quality beast core used mostly in crafting. And 1 medium-quality large-sized belly pouch used to hold herbs, small materials, and/or potions. ]


    ¡°Yes, a pouch! Great timing. And something new, a beast core. Sounds useful...¡±


    Michael took all the loot. He then strapped the furry pink, purple, and black striped belly pouch around his slim waist and was happy to find that he was able to fit all the materials he looted inside his new pouch. Michael then skipped over to the last Furbee body he called Red.


    ¡°Now to see if it was truly the best for last.¡±


    He reached down and looked into the Loot Box. His golden honey eyes shined as he unconsciously started humming Christmas tunes.


    [ Young Furbee (Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 2, Stars 3) named Red has dropped the following loot: 1 medium-quality broken stinger used in Blacksmithing and Alchemy. 3 medium-quality Furbee''s legs used in Alchemy. 1 small medium-quality beast core used in most crafting. And 1 medium-quality large-sized traveler''s pack. ]


    Michael took all the loot, then quickly transferred all the items in his belly pouch into his new furry red, pink, and black striped traveler''s pack. He sat there on the ground for a while, collecting his thoughts and his bearings. He found it so hard to believe all that had happened to him, had happened in such a short period of time.


    Not even half a day had gone by (or so he thought) and he found himself painfully trapped in a little girls body, alone in a strange magical lifelike world, naked til just mere moments ago, drugged by something he ate, painfully pricked by a thorny bush, seemingly friends with a ''playful'' A.I. named Anari, in a near-death battle against a group of creepy but cute fluffy Furbees, and trying to get strong enough to leave this place so that he could call for help and return to normalcy.


    ¡°I can''t even remember what I was planning to do right before those Furbees showed up...¡±


    [ Here''s a little hint Wylla... lookup. ]


    Michael looked up. He saw the blue sky and a part of the Oryn tree. Figuring Anari wasn''t hinting at the blue sky, he focused on the tree... and that''s when he saw it, the fist-sized round golden fruit he had wanted to gather before he got distracted by the pool of water that was formed by the majestic Oryn tree, and was then so rudely interrupted by a group of cute but deadly Furbees.


    ¡°So back to the drawing board, how do I get that fruit?...¡± He thought and he thunk, then he pondered for a bit as he repeatedly tapped the side of his leg with the rod.


    Storymask


    Well, things went well for me yesterday as inspiration struck and I was able to write more than I had planned. As such it allowed me to release this chapter about 4 to 5 days earlier than scheduled... hope you enjoy it... even if it is on the shorter side of most of my chapters.


    Anyways, coming up next week is Chapter 16: You''re Killing Me Smal¡­err¡­ Wylla!

 Chapter 16: You’re Killing Me Smal…err… Wylla!

    Book 1, Volume 3


    Chapter 16


    [ The answer is on the tip of your tong... fingers ;) ]


    Thinking about Anari''s tip, Michael looked down at his hands, scrunched up his cute face for a moment, before it dawned on him, ¡°Oh, that''s right, I can use this...¡± he said as his face ''unscrunched'' while looking at the rod in his hand.


    With a look of steel determination, Michael got in a stance, looked up at his target, and wound his arm back, rod in hand, like a pitcher on the mound.


    [ Oye! Oye! Oye!... Really Wylla?... is that really your answer?... ]


    Michael froze while in his throwing stance, and thought things over again. If I throw it and hit it, the rod seems heavy enough that it should knock the fruit down... ¡­ ¡°Oh yeah, I didn''t think about that. What if my rod gets stuck up in the tree when I throw it? Then I won''t be able to climb up and get it. Thanks for the heads up Anari!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha haha ha...¡± ¡°bwa ha ha haha...¡± ¡°Tee hee hee hee..¡±


    Ugh, there''s that laughing from above again. ¡°Since, throwing my rod isn''t the answer, what else...¡± Michael spoke out loud to himself as his golden honey eyes scanned the area, then lit up as if to say ''Eureka!'' when they spotted the Royal Spider Lotus bushes guarding the Oryn tree.


    Michael lightly swung the rod to and fro as he began to approach the thorny guards. The thorny guards began to shake like mice in front of a small adorable ragamuffin kitten as they heard the much too cute little girl that was getting closer and closer muttering, ¡°If I bash those thorny bushes apart I''ll then have plenty of sticks to throw at the fruit...¡±


    His mutterings and intentions were greeted by another round of mirthful laughter. As well as another exasperated message from Anari:


    [You''re killing me smal...err... Wylla! ¡­ I guess being obtuse isn''t just a giant trait. Now think Wylla... if only you had something that could shoot down that fruit like a slingshot... or a... come on... I know you can guess it...]


    He once again stopped what he had been preparing to do and thought things over. He once again looked down at the rod in his hand mumbling ¡°... something that shoots like a slingshot... something that shoots like... oh, I got it. My wand!¡± He smiled like a contestant giving the winning answer on a game show.


    ¡°Thanks, Anari! I don''t know why I''m being so ''muddleheaded'' but thanks for helping.¡±


    [You''re welcome Wylla. Your ''muddleheadedness'' is probably due to the great number of changes that you have gone through recently. Worry not, I''m sure things will get better with time :) ]


    Michael stood in deep thought scratching his head for a moment, then lifted his rod up, and called out, ¡°Transform Wand Form!...¡± ¡°....nothing... okay, Wand Form Transformation!...¡±


    [Think Wylla... think back to the words you said to summon rod form.]


    ¡°That''s easier said than done... I was in the heat of battle... wondering how to summon... rod form...¡±


    A soft musical rain of divine words and laughter came down from above again: ¡°ooh, I really thought she was going to say it...¡± ¡°... so close...¡± ¡°.... don''t give up little girlie...¡± ¡°... she''s so cute...¡± ¡°.. adorable, I want to put her in my pocket...¡± "... Oye! Oye! Oye! No one''s taking my sweet little Wylla... I''ll fight you for her..."


    A shiver went down Michael''s spine as he bunched up his shoulders, then decided to shake it off and pretend that he didn''t hear what he heard. "Moving on...." He continued to stand there, hand on chin and forehead rumpled, ¡°... so how am I suppose to summon wand form?...¡±


    As soon as Michael finished uttering the triggering keywords: ¡°summon wand form¡± Oryn energy quickly converged, then flowed through him into the rod, which then transformed back into its wand form.


    ¡°Yosh! I did it.¡±


    [ I always knew you could Wylla... eventually. Now for the hard part... this could take a while, but on the bright side, it''ll be great training. Pro tip: Pay attention to your Oryn energy, always make sure you have at least half in the pool in case more Furbees or other loot pinatas decide to show up. ]


    ¡°Ooh... good point. Will do Anari.¡± Michael then spent half an hour circling the tree, searching for Oryn fruits. He spotted 11 of them, but about half of them seemed like they would be too hard to shoot down.


    ¡°Well, since I need the training, let''s see how many I can knock down.¡±


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    BUZZZ...


    "Ugh! Just when I was about to get started... Fine, come at me if you''re looking to die!"


    Storymask


    Just when Michael thought he was free of them, they come to pull him back in... Coming Up this Thursday: Chapter 17: Furbees Come Out and Play!


    (Yup yup... another movie reference chapter title... wonder which one? ;)

 Chapter 17: Furbees Come Out and Play!

    Book 1, Volume 3


    Chapter 17


    Wylla stood there scanning the new group of Furbees coming her way: 3 Greens, and 2 Reds. Hmm... this group is a bit stronger than the last group... but so am I now! "And this time it won''t be like last time. This time I know how to transform my weapon and know how to use my two skills... skills... two skills... why does it seems like I''m forgetting something?¡±


    Wylla''s forehead scrunched up again, her free hand gently tapping her noggin as her golden honey eyes tracked the new Furbee group just 25 yards away and closing in at a light jogging pace. "Just what am I forgetting? Is it about weapon transformation... nope. Then could it be my two skills... two skills... skills... Ah, that''s what it is! My skills, I have more now... what were they again?¡±


    ¡°Oh ya, that''s right the first one I got was from falling in the Oryn tree pool of water. What was it called again?... Whoa, better run back a little, give myself more room while I figure this out.¡± Michael said as he turned and ran 20 yards back and a bit to the right of the Oryn Tree.


    [ That would be Oryn Spirin Eyes Wylla. ]


    ¡°Yup, yup... that''s it. Thanks, Anari... now to find out what Oryn Spirin Eyes do...¡± The moment Wylla''s musical voice said the skill''s name, she felt the Oryn energy in her head flow directly into her eyes.


    The world around her became much clearer and in focus. And what''s more is she could see the colorful aura of all the living things she focused on: The blend of the golden-green and white light of the Oryn Tree''s aura, the purple-pink green blend of the thorn guard''s aura, and the light golden green of the Furbee''s auras.


    But that wasn''t all, an Info Box popped up as she concentrated on the group of Furbees once again 25 yards away and closing:


    [ A group of Young Furbees: 3 Young Furbee (Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 1, Stars 1) now named Green and 2 Young Furbee (Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 2, Stars 3) named Red. Furbees are soft furry bumblebee like plant beasties. They are a mix of plants and insects with soft silky Spiln Fur.


    Spiln is soft silky fur-like plant threads, like a type of grass.


    Furbees are attracted to the sweet scent of plants and flowers. Furbees are docile by nature, they rarely attack others unless attacked themselves or if their hive is in danger. Furbees make delicious and nutritious Furbee Honey in assorted flavors... but good luck trying to get some from their hive, you''ll definitely need it. ]


    ¡°Oooh... isn''t this... wonderful? I got it. I got the appraisal skill I wanted!¡± Michael said in a soft but lively tone as he quickly glanced over the information, distracted by the incoming group of buzzing Furbees.


    [ Oh, I think you''ll find it''s so much better than just some mere ordinary appraisal skill Wylla... but I''ll let you discover that on your own ;) ]


    BUZZ


    2 more skills to learn but I''ll have to open my Status page which will cover the whole view in front of me... retreat and check... Wylla thought to herself as she hustled over to the other side of the Oryn Tree getting more distance between her and the Furbee group before saying: ¡°Show Status.¡±


    The Status screen popped up in front of her, blocking most of her view. Her golden eyes jolted up and down, left to right as if searching for a lost child in a crowded store. Skills... skills... where are yo... oh, found them! Michael''s eyes focused in on each skill, quickly reading their descriptions:


    [SnapDragon Kick: Infuse your low kicks, sidekicks, high kicks, and roundhouse kicks with the power of a SnapDragon. Once activated the image of an illusionary flowery serpentine-shaped SnapDragon will follow your kicks increasing the damage of the kick''s impact. Current Damage Strength: 3 to 5 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage.


    Cost to Use Skill: 4 Oryn Energy Power ]


    [ Orchid Butterfly Steps: Infuse your body with the colorful energy of the beautiful Orchid Butterfly for 10 seconds. During this time you will sprout two ethereal Oryn antennae from your forehead and a pair of colorful Orchid Flower Butterfly wings from between the shoulder blades of your back allowing you to dance about in battle like a graceful fluttering butterfly. Floating to and fro greatly increasing your ability to dodge, evade, and move around on the battlefield. Current Transformation Strength: 10 seconds. Battlefield awareness increased by 20%.


    Cost to Use Skill: 5 Oryn Energy Power ]


    ¡°Amazing! Another attack skill and a much needed defensive skill!¡± Michael''s eyes gleamed like a predator on the hunt while a little wicked smile crossed her soft full lips. ¡°It''s Playtime!¡±


    BUZZ


    Okay, almost ready to do this... first let''s check my Oryn Pool. His eyes scanned the upper left area of his vision where he saw 3 bars that only Starbloods could see. The top golden-red bar was his Health Pool, which thanks to the recently added 5 constitution points now read: 32 Health Points. The middle golden-green bar was his Oryn Pool, which also thanks to the recently added 10 aura points read: 50 Oryn Points. And the bottom burnt orange bar displayed his Fatigue Status which read 93% full... plenty of energy in all tanks.


    50 Oryn Points! Yosh! That''s huge, thanks Oryn Tree pool. You''re the best! Now, lets whittle down this Furbee group by getting rid of the Green cannon fodder first. Michael got within 20 yards range of the still following Furbee group, lifted his right arm, and aimed his Royal Spider Lotus wand at the lead Green Furbee.


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK


    [ Yay! Way to go Wylla. 1 down 4 angry buzzers to go... 41 points left. ]


    Taking 3 damaging hits the targeted Furbee crashed headfirst into the ground and stopped moving. This attack riled up the rest of the Furbees BUZZZ! As they came rushing at Michael seeking justice.


    This isn''t like last time! Michael wasn''t about to stay rooted to the spot while they came at him. Nope, not this time. This time he''d use his head a little and turned and ran back keeping the distance between them around 20 yards, then turned and:


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHOOSH


    ¡­darn it... ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHACK


    [ Another one bites the dust! Just one little greenie to go and 2 big Reds. 29 poi... no, make that 34 points to go Ms. Cheats ;) ]


    Michael once again turned and ran... ¡°Now!¡± Turning once again to face the 3 remaining Furbees...


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    WHOOSH


    ¡­mis...


    SMACK!


    Huh? What was that? I know I missed. Wylla thought to herself as she paused her next shot, her eyes tracking the location where she heard the SMACK come from.


    That''s when she noticed the Oryn Tree behind the last Green Furbee she had just missed. Stabbed into the trunk of the Oryn Tree was the Seed bullet that she had just fired and missed with.


    A thick golden gel-like liquid slowly oozed out of the wound the seed had inflicted upon its silvery ash hued bark. The wind then blew from the tree towards Wylla and the Furbees.


    They all paused mid-fight when the wind reached them, carrying a most delicious scent of honey and mint. Ooh... that must be the scent of the Oryn Tree''s sap... so good... Oh right, must snap out of it, I''m in the middle of a fight. Michael shook his head to clear his thoughts as his long silky hair bounced to and fro. He then refocused his sight on the Furbee group. Huh, since they''re still distracted by that wonderful scent let''s not let this opportunity pass me by!


    Michael carefully targeted the last Green and Fired!


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    The Royal Spider Lotus wand then shot out the pointy seed with great velocity. The pointy seed flew straight at Green''s head like a fastball pitch headed straight into the strike zone.


    THWACK!


    The pointy seed nailed Green right between the eyes with a great impact sending a little puff of spiln fur fluttering into the air. Green wobbled a little, hung in the air for a second, and then the life went out of its eyes as it fell crashing down to the ground.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have one shot Green by striking his Vital Point! You have unlocked a new passive skill: I Got You Deadbang! You now have 31 points and 2 super angry Reds. ]


    BUZZZ!!


    Storymask


    Looks like Michael''s battle game has definitely upgraded! Everything seems to be well under control or is it?... Find out this Monday in Chapter 18: Furbees Seething Red!


    (btw... I had a little fun naming his one-shot skill... it''s a reference to a fun movie I like made quite some time ago now... just where does the time go?... ;)

 Chapter 18: Furbees Seething Red!

    Book 1, Volume 3


    Chapter 18


    The 2 Reds were buzzing his way, just 10 yards, and closing now. Alright, time for phase 2 and too try out one of my new skills! Michael thought to himself as he ran forward to meet the 2 Reds charge while saying: ¡°Summon Rod Form!¡±


    The energy flowed through Wylla''s body, converging in her small developing chest, and then rushed into her wand through her arm, changing its form into her trusty Royal Spider Lotus Rod.


    With butt aimed down at the cute little fragrant girl, and stinger sharp and ready, Red 1 dove down towards the little girl''s head.


    SWOOSH!


    Red missed as the little girl rolled right and quickly got back on her feet.


    Michael''s small chest heaved a little, breathing in and out, after rolling out of that near miss. He stood with Rod at the ready looking at the second Red that was now in front of him. Red 2 didn''t rush in to attack, instead, it stayed there in the air out of reach of the cute but deadly little girl, bobbing up and down waiting for the right chance to strike.


    Meanwhile, Red 1 came back around and did the same as Red 2, but from the little girl''s backside. As if signaling each other both Reds bobbed down, then up, and then dove down towards the little cherry red-haired girl that reminded one of a sakura tree in full bloom.


    BUUUZZZZ!!! BUUUZZZZ!!!


    Michael stood there dead still, muscles tensed, golden honey eyes glowing, and ears listening... listening for just the right moment and then: ¡°Orchid Butterfly Steps!¡±


    The Oryn energy came flooding out of his Oryn Energy Trinity cores located in his head, chest, and lower belly; the energies converged and merged with each other and then separated as it went coursing throughout his whole body and out into his back where 2 beautiful Orchid Butterfly Wings sprouted from between his back shoulder blades while two ethereal Oryn antennae sprouted from his forehead above his golden honey eyes.


    Michael felt light as a feather and filled with overflowing energy. His pair of antennae flicked to and fro sending out some type of Oryn-fused pulse that allowed him to get a better grasp of the battlefield. He quickly fluttered to his left as both Reds came barreling towards him.


    SWOOSH!


    The two Reds missed the no longer there Wylla...


    CRASH!!!


    With their target no longer between them to stop their momentum, they crashed into one another painfully; BZZBAM!!! As a small cloud of soft spiln fur puffed up into the air.


    Both Furbees wobbled up and down, and side to side for a moment before falling to the ground. With a great big Cheshire cat-like smile on her cute little face, Wylla floated back in; her shadow blocking the sun was the last thing both Reds saw before: ¡°Pinata Time! Royal Spider Lotus Bites!¡±


    WHACK! WHACK!


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You did it! And your Lil''-Miss-Know-It All skill has evolved into ¡°Knowing Is Half the Battle!¡± You sure showed them this time.


    Ah, they grow up so fast; One moment she''s putting things in her mouth she ought not to be eating and the next moment she''s turning into a cute little fierce predator. :roar:


    Now, let''s count up the experience rewards: That''s 3 Greens for 10 XP each, plus 2 Reds for 20 XP each brings you to a big 70 XP! Won''t be long before you level up again. ]


    ¡°Thanks, Anari.¡± Elation filled Michael''s voice as he bounced up and down on the balls of feet with both hands clutching his flowery weapon to his small chest.


    [ Yup... just around 40 more Greens or 20 more Reds and you''ll Tier UP! Hurray! ]


    Michael''s face went from one of elation to one of a child whose big circus balloon just popped. Tier up... think you said it wrong... sounds more like tear up... /sigh


    Storymask


    Looks like Wylla... err... Michael has battling Furbees all figured out! But that isn''t the only fight she''s... ummm... he''s facing. Coming up Thursday Chapter 19: Me, Myself, and¡­ Wylla?


    On a Side Note: I just received some wonderful illustrations from my niece Kaylin Marroquin and I thought I''d share them with everyone... hope you enjoy them as much as I do. :)


    If the images aren''t coming up for you I do have them posted over on my Storymask.com website in the Our Illustrator''s Box top menu link bar.

 Chapter 19: Me, Myself, and… Wylla?

    Book 1, Volume 3


    Chapter 19


    [ Cheer up Wylla! Remember it''s not about the destination, but the journey that''s important. After all, this is just the starter area otherwise known as the tutorial. Just look at how much you improved compared to your first battle. ]


    Two rather large holographic orbs appeared in front of Wylla, showing her two battles side by side.


    Michael stood there for a moment, taking it in, a smile lighting up his face as he saw the little feisty spitfire girl that was him dancing about and struggling fighting Pinkie and Red in the first orb. He groaned inwardly as he watched herself roll into the Royal Spider Lotus thorn bushes.


    [ That part is one of the most replayed videos of the day moments on the Livestream channels Wylla! Yay! You''re becoming a famous little girl, isn''t that wonderful? Keep this up and you''ll have a bright future filled with rewards ;) Much better than one filled with thorns. ]


    ¡°Well, I suppose that is true... I sure don''t want any more thorns in my future.¡± Michael softly mumbled in agreement as his hands fiddled with his hold on the rod as he continued watching the orb.


    The battle was both fierce and comical as he watched the mistakes that ended with her defeating Red while being sent ''whirlwinding'' into the Oryn Tree pool of water with just 1 health point and 1 Oryn point left.


    It was nothing like the second battle in which she used his wits and skills to their fullest. Kiting the Greens first while paying attention to the battlefield so as to not roll into hazards again. He was proud of her clever trap of luring the 2 Reds in to attack him from both front and back and then using their attacks against themselves causing them to crash into each other with the timely use of her new skill.


    Michael rubbed his head with small lightly shaking hands... something is off... I keep switching... he... she... him... her... Michael... Wylla... becoming cloudy, muddled, merging... Ugh, Why? Is this... Is this the reason we''re not allowed to make our in-game bodies that much different from our real-world bodies?... Changes, the changes seem to not only change the in-game body but affects in-game minds too... but isn''t my in-game mind the same... same as my real mind? So that means... I''m losing... losing me, myself, and...


    The sudden realization caused Michael''s pulse to quicken and sweat to form on his scrunched brow in alarm as his hands tussled with his long silky hair. I need to focus, to remember... me: I''m Michael! A 16-year-old boy that will be a high school junior the start of this school year. And my current goal here is to reach rank 1, escape from the starter area, logout, and give whoever is in charge of this place a piece of my mind and... force them to change myself... my in-game character to male or else! Even if it means losing my Unique race. Michael thought without realizing that a sad little frown was etched upon his cute little face as his heart seemed to stutter.


    Such a shame... this Sylven race really is perfect for me... why couldn''t there be males? Michael''s thoughts paused as the sweet delicious scent from the Oryn Tree sap caught his attention once more. Without even realizing it, he found himself right in front of the Oryn Tree, just outside the ring of thorn guards.


    His golden eyes were drawn to the golden sap like magnets. He looked down at the thorn guards and pushed them aside with the use of his rod while warning them: ¡°Prick me with your thorns and I''ll bash you to pieces with my rod! Understand?¡±


    The thorn guards quivered in understanding as the cute little bully stepped into their circle beside the Oryn Tree. Michael got up on his tippy toes, reached up with his small left hand, and scooped a glob of the golden sap off the trunk before retreating back outside the group of thorn guards.


    It''s so sticky and feels softly warm and this scent... this scent of honey and mint seems so delicious. Michael stood still, staring at the fingers of his left hand that was now held up in front of his cute little face. It was as if everything was fading, disappearing and all that was in her sights was the thick golden gelatinous sap that had such an inviting scent.


    A couple of long-tailed Bluebirds seemed to be dancing and singing in the branches above as if in the middle of some type of courtship; The musical noise broke Wylla free... out of the trance.


    This sap is so sticky it''s hard to pull my fingers apart now. Wylla''s face glowed like the beautiful morning sun as her smile touched her bright eyes. Playing with this sticky sap brought back memories of making taffy with dad back in the Garden Lunchbox Shop during the month of October in preparation for Halloween. ¡°Hmm... I still need to loot the Furbees... so I need to clean my hand now... but how?¡±


    [ That really does look sticky Wylla. I wouldn''t try wiping it on something, it would just make your sticky situation way worse... maybe try something... oh I don''t know... wet? ]


    ¡°Oh yeah. That''ll work.¡± Wylla happily said as the sweet-scented answer naturally came to her. She then put her fingers in front of her small mouth and with her small rose-pink tongue took a lick of her sap covered fingers.


    It was then that three things happened: The first one was that her small rose-pink tongue was washed in the blissful taste of honey and mint. It was just so tasty! [ ding ]


    The second thing was, her tongue was now stuck to her fingers like a little kid sticking their tongue onto a frozen metal pole in the middle of winter.


    The third thing was she felt as if that thick sticky gelatinous sap had entered her mouth, went down her throat, entered her body and then spread out into her heart to be carried to every part of her body. The flowing energy was both warm and minty cool, simply exhilarating... she felt as if changes were once again taking place within her. [ ding ]


    And the fourth (unlisted) thing was a merry stream of musical laughter falling down upon her from the unseen divine Box Seats up above.


    [ That''s my Wylla ] Anari proudly proclaimed.


    ¡°... ''nari, helf meh... wat shuld I du?...¡± Wylla mumbled.


    [ Here''s a riddle Wylla: What''s wet, near you, and not your tongue? ]


    Wylla''s golden honey eyes moved left and right, then stopped a moment to think... which would be a lot easier to do without the noise of the 2 long-tailed Bluebirds above and the trickling sound of falling water... Yup, that''s when it hit her.


    Wylla hurriedly walked around the Oryn Tree, with her rose pink tongue stuck to her small slender fingers and stopped in front of the Oryn Tree pool of water. She then knelt down and lowered her upper body so that her left hand and accompanying tongue submerged into the refreshing water.


    Three short breaths later, she felt her small tongue come free from her no longer sticky fingers as the Oryn Tree sap dissolved away into the pool of water.


    ¡°Thanks, Anari. That was weird, I just couldn''t help myself, it just smelled sooo delicious to me... and I felt that it did something to me... to this body.¡±


    [ Oh that''s nothing Wylla. It''s just you becoming more... you :) ]


    Cryptic much?... Oh well, guess I shouldn''t worry about it much anyways. I won''t be staying... staying in this body for long anyways. Wylla''s eyes then glanced around landing on the lifeless Furbee bodies as her previous thoughts faded away into the horizon and new ones emerged; She remembered quickly reading about the Furbees when her Oryn Spirin Eyes activated, but since she was in the midst of battle, she really wasn''t able to focus on everything the Info Box said about them.


    Storymask


    Hmmm, seems like the Michael vs Wylla Mind Battle is now underway... Who will be the victor in the end? And what about the Furbees? Just whose side are they on anyway? Coming up Thursday Chapter 20: Furbees ¨C Friends or Foes?

 Chapter 20: Furbees – Friends or Foes?

    Book 1, Volume 3


    Chapter 20


    ¡°Anari, I didn''t really have much time to read about these Furbees when my eyes spell brought up their details in the Info Box; Is there some way to bring it up again so I can fully read it this time or do I have to use my eye spell again?¡±


    [ No worries Wylla. You don''t need to use your eyes spell again. I''ll bring up the in-game logbook... And there it is. ]


    ¡°Thanks, Anari,¡± Wylla replied as she began reading the Furbee Info Box again. Her eyes moved left to right several times before reaching a certain part that caused her eyes to water and a frown to appear on her face.


    ¡°I... I didn''t... know...¡± Wylla quietly whispered in a small quivering voice as she clutched the middle of her chest with her free hand. Her shoulders drooped down as she read the words again: ¡°Furbees are docile by nature, they rarely attack others unless attacked themselves or if their hive is in danger...¡±


    ¡°They''re docile... and ¡­ and I killed them...¡± Tears flowed down Wyllas cheeks as her sakura hued hair hid her heart pained face like a pair of partially sheer silken curtains.


    [ Before you get too down on yourself Wylla. This might be a good moment to reflect: In Abrynth as in life, things aren''t always as they appear to be. It''s not always good to judge a book by its cover. But that being the case, it''s also not good to let your guard down when unknown things appear. Being unguarded is a good way to get hurt, especially to the unknown. Understand? ]


    ¡°But then how am I suppose to know... even though I should have known since my Spirin Eyes told me so...¡±


    [ That might not be the case: Remember first that your Oryn Spirin Eyes spell is new and very low ranked so it will only give you the basic known knowledge. And second, Furbees are attracted to the sweet scent of plants and flowers. And you, being the brand new Unique one of a kind race of Sylven, are exactly what Furbees are attracted too and may find quite tasty. So while they may be docile to others, that doesn''t mean that it applies to you. ]


    ¡°So then, if that''s so,¡± Wylla said wiping the tears from her cheeks dry, ¡°how am I suppose to know if they''ll try to put me on their menu?¡±


    [ Well, isn''t that for you to figure out Wylla? ;) ]


    Wylla wanted to roll her eyes again, but Anari did have a point. This was something she had to figure out, to make some sort of plan... an experiment to determine if Furbees were friends or foes. With that firmly placed in mind she then looked at the bodies of the Furbees lying on the ground:


    ¡°Waste not, want not...¡± Wylla quietly said to herself as she reluctantly walked up to the Greens first to loot them.


    After looting the 3 Greens she made a small pile of the loot she gathered from them. Looking at that pile she found that she really did get quite lucky with the first group she fought since they all dropped useful and much-needed items for her.


    But this time the only things these 3 Greens dropped were low-quality materials and 1 low-quality... bikini top? Or is it a half tank top? Or maybe one of those sports bras? Wylla held it up in front of her eyes, her head tilted to the side as she stretched the soft clothing item this way and that with her small curious hands.


    Wylla then eyed her small developing chest while holding the new clothing. Either way, if I can wear it under my current top then I don''t see why I shouldn''t since it should add at least a tiny bit more protection... I think.


    Having made the decision to wear it she went about doing so and was happy to find that she indeed could wear the new top underneath her furbee ribbed halter top. She moved her arms up and around and found it to be quite comfortable. Hmm... it seems clothing drops automatically adjusts the size to fit the looter... well at least they do so far. Would be great if clothes did that in the real world since I''m so tall and things I like are hard to find in my size.  She slightly shook her head, clearing her wishful thinking, then moved on to the next task; looting the Reds.


    She walked up to the first Red and touched it as a Loot Box sprung up in front of her:


    [ Young Furbee (Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 4, Stars 3) named Red has dropped the following loot: 2 medium-quality Furbee''s legs used Alchemy. 1 small medium-quality beast core used in most crafting. And 1 medium-quality small-sized onyx black stinger dagger. Plus, 1 high-quality dagger sheath as a gift from one of your Divine Livestream viewers!]


    [Congratulations Wylla! You have received your first Divine Livestream gift from above for providing a highly entertaining Livestream feed! ]


    Storymask


    Looks like Wylla''s stalkers... erm... Divine Viewers have fallen for her charming ways of doing things. Will this new-found fame go to Wylla''s head? Find out Monday in Chapter 21: Video Killed the Radio Star


    (Little Side Note: It was a toss-up between that chapter title or She''s a Livestream Diva... Got Stars in Her Eyes (which is a play on Juke Box Hero))

 Chapter 21: Video Killed the Radio Star

    Book 1, Volume 3


    Chapter 21


    Wylla wasn''t quite sure what to do. She had her rod in one hand and saw the small stinger dagger and sheath in the Loot Box, but only had one free hand to hold them. Guess I can slip the rod into the belt of my belly pouch.


    As Wylla sought a way to secure the rod to her belly pouch belt the Royal Spider Lotus on the rod seemed to come alive and gingerly crawled along the shaft of the rod using its spidery tendril legs. It then wrapped half its legs around the lower end of the handle of the rod and the other half of its legs wrapped around the belly pouch belt securing the rod in place. Which brought a happy smile to Wylla''s cute face who had been quietly humming ¡°The Itsy Bitsy Spider¡± song as she watched this all take place.


    Wylla then looted the small sharp stinger dagger and held it in her right hand as her left hand held onto the redwood hued leathery dagger sheath with the flowery design. She inspected them with big round curious eyes. This small dagger seems more like a small knife. It doesn''t seem to be much use for combat but maybe it could be useful in other ways and this redwood ''leathery'' sheath is quite beautiful and soft... and has a light scent of forests and flowers. Wylla calmly thought as she held the redwood sheath up to her small round button nose, taking in its soothing scent one last time before putting the stinger knife in the sheath and then placing it in her belly pouch.


    Wylla''s focus then once again returned to Anari''s words. ¡°Divine Livestream gift for providing what highly entertaining Livestream? I thought it would take a while for the company to receive, edit, and produce our Livestream video streams?¡± Wylla asked with her head slightly titled to one side while one arm was wrapped round her small body, just below her small chest, and the other hand held her chin in an ''I''m pondering'' fashion.


    [ The Divine Livestream channel is a special Livestream that may only be viewed by those with divine blood. As for the other Livestream channels they have already been up and running for quite some time. In fact, you are a top 10 Livestreamer with 5 of your Livestream video moments already in the top 50 most-watched! ]


    This news caused Wylla to stand proudly with small chest puffed up, shoulders straight, feet apart, hand on hip while the other hand held up a victory sign with her fingers in the air...


    [ Indeed! They like you, they really really like you! And what''s not to like? You have 3 videos in the top 20 most viewed, one of which is currently the top number 1 Livestream video! Hurray! On the Comedy Livestream channel.


    With the videos titled ¡°Victory Bath¡± ¡°Rolling Out of the Frying Pan... and Into the Thorny Fire¡± and the song and dance of ¡°Playing with Mofus!¡± How could you not be a little Livestream Diva!?! ]


    After learning this Wylla''s puffed up chest and victory stance started to deflate... And as for Anari, she kept on sharing the good news with Wylla as if she didn''t notice a change in Wylla''s demeanor:


    [ And this breaking news just in... now there''s a new Livestream video of you flying up the charts, one that just broke the top 50 list in record time and is quickly streaking its way into the top 10 titled ¡°Sticky Tongue!¡± You should see the comments on that one... uh... Ummm... never mind. You shouldn''t see those comments... especially not on a family-friendly channel. ]


    Wylla stood there now completely deflated with cheeks puffed out and shoulders drooped.


    [ Your a Livestream Video Star Wylla! With this much popularity is it any surprise you received such a useful gift from above? And don''t be disappointed that the gift isn''t some legendary item that can defeat your foes with a single thrust since we don''t allow such high scale game-breaking gifts to be given because if we did allow it, there''s no doubt you would be given many thanks to your highly entertaining Livestream videos. Yup, almost all Divine Gifts will be of a useful and/or cosmetic nature. Just the ''powers that be'' way of showing their love of you being so uniquely... you. ]


    Hmm... okay then let''s focus on the good and get back on track. One more Red to loot. Wylla shook her little body like a wet fluffy puppy after bath time, dispersing herself of the cloudy emotions and made her way to the last Red.


    Something new popped up when she touched the last Red:


    [ Would you like to Dismantle and Loot Red? Y/N]


    Wylla tilted her head to the side as she thought about why she was now asked about dismantling. Why now? What''s different?... Oh ya, I think I recall Anari mentioning something about some skills requiring the right tools. And the only new thing I got that could be used as a tool would be... the small stinger knife I just looted! Yes, let''s do this.


    ¡°I choose Yes Anari¡±


    [ Answer received and approved... please get your dismantling tool ready Wylla ;) ]


    Wylla quickly took the small stinger dagger out of her belly pouch and removed it from its sheath. That''s when it started, she saw a holographic Red Furbee body and a pair of hands, one of which was holding a knife. The free hand would then move the Furbee body around into certain positions, dotted lines would appear on the body, and then the holographic hand holding the knife would then cut along the dotted lines.


    Meanwhile, Wylla was doing her best to copy the holographic dismantling mini-game or simulation tutorial (since she wasn''t quite sure which it was) and praying that nothing gross would come pouring out. She did her best to cut along where the dotted lines showed her to cut, with the same speed and motion as in the dismantling mini-game or simulation... probably both.


    Wylla was really happy to discover that nothing gross came out and that the game guided her in the dismantling process with flashing red dots and soft stern beeps whenever she was cutting it with the wrong speed or motion or depth.


    A gold light then shone down on the dismantled Furbee when she was done as a Loot Box appeared signaling the completion of the task.


    [ Young Furbee (Rank 0, Tier 0, Level 4, Stars 3) named Red has dropped the following loot: 1 medium-quality stinger used in Blacksmithing and Alchemy. 1 medium-quality Furbee''s legs used Alchemy. 1 small medium-quality beast core used in most crafting. In addition, your dismantling job was 23% successful! You receive 1 small Furbee steak used in Cooking. ]


    [ ding ]


    [Congratulations Wylla! You have learned The Dismantler skill. ]


    ¡°Yes! Thanks, Anari.¡±


    Storymask


    Yup, Wylla''s well on her way to becoming a Livestream Star! Yay! But she still has more important things on her plate to worry about and resolve if she wants to achieve her goal and that takes planning. Coming up Monday Chapter 22: Tasty Plans

 Chapter 22: Tasty Plans

    Book 1, Volume 3


    Chapter 22


    Wylla then gathered the loot and started stuffing most of them into her slightly bulging traveler''s pack. She held the moist green Furbee steak in her hand, the scent of honey with a hint of flowers making her small full-lipped mouth drool. She really wanted to take it with her but didn''t want to stuff it into her pack for fear of the mess it would make.


    ¡°It''s not even cooked and yet the scent is already this delicious. I wonder if I can eat it raw like some of those thin raw meat dishes people eat in mangas and tv. I mean, it is part plant so maybe... but it''s also part insect so it might be better if I didn''t... even if it does smell really really tasty.¡± Wylla said back and forth to herself as her hand brought the moist Furbee steak closer and closer to her mouth.


    ¡°Oh I know,¡± Wylla said as her Furbee steak holding hand paused inches away from her mouth. She then lifted the Furbee steak up to eye level and said, ¡°Oryn Spirin Eyes.¡± Her eyes lit up like a pair of blueish golden honey wisps as the Info Box popped up in front of her vision.


    [ Small Furbee Steak: Healthy Furbee steaks are mostly green and have an aloe moist feel to them with an eggplant like texture. They give off a sweet honey scent with hints of flowers or fruits, depending on what the Furbee fed on for sustenance. Furbee steaks are a blend of plant and insect meat that can be eaten cooked and/or raw depending on one''s preference. Classification: Cooking Ingredient.]


    ¡°Yes! Although I''m not really hungry, which is strange since I don''t remember the last time I ate, I''d hate to let it go to waste.¡± Wylla was saying to herself as she looked around for a place to prepare her Furbee steak.


    [ The reason for not really feeling hungry is two-fold Wylla. First is you''re in a special starter area where there is no hunger. And second is because you''re Sylven. Remember, Sylvens are a magical mortal plant race and as such you get part of your sustenance from the sun, water, and earth beneath your feet.


    That means only about half of your sustenance needed to survive comes from food! Well, provided the weather is good... otherwise you''ll need more food but still, you''ll find this to be quite advantageous when in certain survival scenarios. ]


    ¡°Ooh, that is good. No wonder the sun on my skin feels so comforting and energizing. Thanks, Anari!¡± Wylla said as she started flattening a patch of meadow grasses into a round plate shape, making the fragrant grassy ground look like a mini crop circle as seen on those UFO investigations shows since she couldn''t find a place to prepare her steak on.


    She then placed the Furbee steak on top of the meadow grass plate, took her knife out and cut the steak into a couple dozen thin strips. Mmmm looks like green honey-scented bacon strips. Wylla thought to herself as she put the knife away and picked up a slice bringing it to her mouth. And I would eat you in a box and I would eat you with a fox. I would eat you here and there...


    The Furbee steak strip burst with honey and flowery juices as Wylla slowly chewed with a smile on her lips and crescent moon shaped eyes. ¡°It really is tender and firm like cooked eggplant... just like the Info Box mentioned... and the honey flower flavor... Mmmm...¡± [ ding ]


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You''ve learned Garden Cooking skill. You can now appear on your very own Livestream Cooking Show! ]


    ¡°That does sound fun but that''s more up Dad and Cara''s wheelhouse or is that alley... either way they''re both better at cooking than me.¡± Wylla softly responded between tasty bites of her Furbee meal.


    [ Worry not Wylla, one doesn''t need to be the best chef to have the best Livestream Food Show. If there''s only one thing I''ve learned from the results of your Sticky Tongue video it''s this; People really really love to watch you eat while using the slow-motion and pause buttons. As such, I believe there are lots and I do mean lots of people that would enjoy watching you cooking what you eat and slowly eating what you cook. ;) ]


    ¡°Well if you say so but... but right now I... I have more important things on my mind,¡± A tomato faced Wylla said desperately changing the topic. She didn''t want to think about the type of people that wanted to watch her eat food slowly, especially as she continued to eat the tasty Furbee steak strips.


    [ So have you come up with a plan to resolve the Furbees friends or foes dilemma? Or are they too tasty to put on your friends list? ]


    A frown appeared on Wylla''s face as she continued to chew the tasty steak strip. Swallowing what she had in her mouth, she lifted another strip and began to slowly eat, savoring the flavor since it may be the last time she''d ever eat Furbee steaks again.


    ¡°Hmmm... I think I have an idea of what to do Anari.¡± Wylla said as she thought back to all the light novels and manga she read over the years. ¡°Since they appear to be drawn by scent as you said earlier and they always seem to come here, most likely drawn by the scent of the Royal Spider Lotus bushes and Oryn Tree then that means I think the plan I''m thinking could or should work.¡±


    [ Then by all means, please share your plan with the class Wylla :) ]


    Wylla continued to eat the rest of the Furbee steak strips while explaining her plan to Anari. The more she talked about her plan, the more details emerged, the better the plan became and thus having finished eating the last of the tasty Furbee steak strips she stood up, wand in hand, and headed to the Royal Spider Lotus bushes while saying "Time to start my Oryn Tree Fruit Harvesting And Checking to See if Furbees Are Friends or Foes While Training 3 to 5 Skills Plan!"


    [That sounds like a very good well thought out plan Wylla. Horrible name, but good plan. Well, looks like this will take you the rest of the day and maybe into the night, shall I play some music while time skipping ahead? Y/N ]


    Wylla just rolled her eyes and began doing what needed to be done.


    Storymask


    Looks like Wylla will be busy for the rest of the day and maybe All Through the Night (cue the song). But while Wylla''s been busy with her first day awake in Abrynth, other events have started taking shape in the real world, bringing a smile to the lips of the Divine Beauty sitting in her throne-like chair in the luxurious executive office on the top floor of the Goddess Lokaini Entertainment building. Coming up next chapter the start of the 4 part mini-arc titled: The Goddess'' Plans Bearing Fruit

 Chapter 23: The Goddess’ Plans Bearing Fruit (Part 1)

    Book 1


    Chapter 23


    On the top floor of the Goddess Lokaini Entertainment building, in the luxurious executive office a calliope of laughter was being shared by a group of beautiful women: Two were dressed in Miko outfits, one was dressed in lovely eastern wear, and the divinely gorgeous woman dressed in victorian inspired clothing was seated comfortably in a throne-like executive chair behind an oversized old world dark cherrywood desk which had an exquisite crystalline globe of the world placed near the right-hand corner of the desk.


    Three of the women were merrily laughing as they listened to the fourth woman who was animatedly regaling them with a certain mirthful tale...


    ¡°... and then she brought her small sappy hand up to her face as your daughter Anari gave her a hint as to how she could clean her sticky fingers of the Oryn Tree sap. She then tilted her cute little head a bit, thought for a moment and then her eyes widened as if she discovered the answer!


    She then stuck her cute little rose pink tongue out and... she licked her sticky fingers...¡± ah-haha ah hee hee hee he... laughter filled the room as Claryndel, the storyteller, doubled over trying to catch her breath while the other two Miko girls were in similar states.


    Claryndel then got a hold of herself as she continued,¡± That''s when the camera zoomed in, with her little tongue licking her sappy fingers and her whole little face lit up as if she was licking the tastiest spoonful of ice cream sundae delight on a hot summer day! I even wanted to try it after seeing that look on her face, true joy.


    Then the next moment everything changed as she realized in a panic that her little rose pink tongue was now stuck to her sticky fingers!¡± ah haha hee he hee... It took quite a while for everyone in the room to regain their composure.


    ¡°I''ll tell you Mistress Lokaini, your new Goddaughter is a true delight! It''s no wonder she has one of the most-watched Livestreams in both this realm and the divine.¡± Claryndel happily said as the 2 Miko girls nodded along in agreement.


    Knock     Knock     Knock


    They all turned their attention to the door as the Goddess Lokaini said in an obviously cheerful tone, ¡°Enter.¡±


    A pretty young girl in her late teens opened the door and entered. She had short styled hair that was shades of pink, short double-pointed ears, moonlight skin, one small silvery purple horn growing from her forehead, and intelligent vibrant eyes the same shade as her wonderful horn.


    She looked at everyone in the room and was grateful to see that everyone was in a good mood, even with it being the Opening Month for the World of Abrynth and the business being flooded day and night with customers. They even had to open up the first two underground floors and were still struggling to keep up with demand.


    She returned their smiles, smoothed down the sides her mainly purple silk dress that fit her small athletic body perfectly, and walked up to the front of the executive desk before giving her Goddess a bow. ¡°Greeting my Goddess! I bring news from the Genesis Command Center below.¡±


    Hearing this, all eyes and ears in the room focused on her. ¡°Then pray tell, do report.¡± The Goddess Lokaini said as her eyes squinted a bit and a sly smile formed on her radiant face.


    ¡°Yes. Last night, during the witching hour, we felt or rather our Sensors felt a series of heavy Oryn energy fluctuations from ground zero of the Genesis Project: Eden Oasis. After spending hours going through the data it was decided to send a FairyTink spy unit to see first hand if and what changes may have occurred.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you sent the FairyTinks. Good, good. Since that''s the case we''ll be able to see for ourselves then. I''m really looking forward to this. Tell me, when do you think they''ll arrive at the destination?¡± The Goddess Lokaini asked while leaning back in her comfortable throne chair.


    ¡°That is the reason for my coming here, my Goddess. They should be arriving any minute now!¡± The pink hair girl happily replied. She then turned to face the wall of monitor screens, held up her empty hand, mumbled a few arcane words, and an iPhone-like remote control device appeared in her hand.


    She then pointed the remote device at the main big screen monitor in the center of the viewing wall and pressed an icon on her remote''s screen.


    The Goddess Lokaini then moved her chair up to the desk, placed her elbows on the desk while her hands clasped each other forming a small pyramid as her golden eyes focused in on the big screen monitor that brought up a Livestream camera feed that was looking down on a desert wasteland that was quickly rolling by at high speeds.


    Storymask


    Looks like Wylla isn''t the only one with Tasty Plans of her own. Seems the Goddess Lokaini has been keeping busy in the real world... Next up on Monday, the FairyTinks will give us a closer look into Genesis Project: Eden Oasis (in Part 2 of this 4 Part Goddess Lokaini Mini-arc).

 Chapter 24: The Goddess’ Plans Bearing Fruit (Part 2)

    Book 1


    Chapter 24


    On the left of the camera feed was a colorful hummingbird sized female FairyTink flying straight ahead. The FairyTink had beautiful ribbony wings that moved too fast to see with mortal eyes due to the speed they were flying. Parts of her body were made of Orynfused metals not of this world while her skin was made of soft golden bronze bio organic flesh.


    Her hair was shades of sapphire gold braided into a long ponytail giving the appearance of a tiny kite as she flew ever forward. She looked like a cute little doll, a cute little magic doll that you definitely wouldn''t want to get on the bad side of.


    The oddest thing about her though was the spinning windmill flower that seemed to come out of her back and hung over her head as it swiveled to and fro. It was when it swiveled toward the monitor screen that one could see that in the center of the windmill ''Orchid-ish'' flower was a camera lens making this flower spy gear.


    ¡°FairyTink 1 report!¡± The pink-haired girl named Mila said into the remote device in her hand.


    ¡°FairyTink 1 here! We''re near the targeted destination, it should be coming up on camera any minute now. Over.¡± His voice came out over the remote device''s speakers sounding like clinking glass.


    ¡°Good! Continue with the mission our glorious Goddess is with you watching so give us a good show!¡± Mila replied back in a lively voice.


    Soft sounds of fast clinking glass came through the device''s small but crystal clear speaker, though no one knew what they were saying, for the FairyTinks were speaking much too quickly, it was easy to tell that news of their Goddess watching made them all highly excitable.


    It was only a couple of minutes later when a spot of green and blue showed up on the upcoming horizon of the monitor screen. The spot of green and blue was quickly growing in size as the dry desert ground below was blurring past. Soon trees and greenery could be seen as well as a blue pool that was getting larger and larger the closer they came.


    ¡°My Eden Oasis does seem to be thriving.¡± The Goddess Lokaini commented as the corner of her lip lifted up. ¡°Seems my Genesis Project wasn''t in vain.¡± Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, they all felt truly blessed to be chosen as their Goddess'' servants; Being so allowed them to personally witness many wondrous places and historic moments.


    More and more details of the Eden Oasis came into view as the FairyTinks were just a few hundred yards away from the outer edges. They greatly slowed down so that everyone watching their video stream, especially their Goddess, could enjoy the view.


    The place was turning into a splendid fragrant garden filled with life thriving in this once desolate desert landscape.


    The FairyTink unit arrived, panned the camera about for a moment, and then zoomed in towards the right side where the large pool was (or rather maybe it should be called a small lake?) because they could hear sounds coming from that direction... sounds of battle?


    ¡°All right FairyTinks, stay in Swan formation as we go investigate the source of the sounds.¡± ¡°"""Yes Sir!¡±¡±¡±¡± They all responded and flew over in a V-formation with FairyTink 1 in the lead.


    A moment later they arrived, guided by the high pitched noises of what sounded like a girl crying out and the click clacks of what was soon discovered to be 3 large dog-sized desert scorpions.


    The FairyTinks hovered above in spread formation filming the battle scene below from multiple angles.


    The 3 scorpions had their young shaking prey surrounded in a triangle formation. The sounds of the click clacks from their sharp pincer claws filled the air as their long stinger tails swayed side to side waiting for a chance to strike causing their prey to turn about erratically in fear, as her big eyes jolted about here and there not knowing where an attack may be coming from.


    The backside scorpion then rushed in with a claw attack, but luckily the young female prey sensed the incoming attack from the soft scuttling vibrations in the sand and swung her long powerful serpent tail towards the attacking scorpion!


    KRRSSHHH!!!


    The scorpion''s claws closed, grasping only air as a powerful snake tail slammed into its side with a shell rattling BAM! Sending it flying 5 yards away, where it landed in a spray of sand and rolled in a series of soft THWUMPS.


    ¡°It''s a lamia! A young beautiful lamia! The Genesis Project Eden Oasis''s first birth is so adorable. Just look at her, she''s so young and cute and... scared." The young silvery-blue moon hare Miko girl said in a voice laced with worry.


    "Are those small curvy horns on her head? Could it be... she''s unique?" The golden sun kitsune Miko girl asked.


    "Aye! I believe so," Clarendyl said as her eyes then focused down on the lamia girl''s beautiful serpent tail. "Just look at the scales of her tail; They''re shaped and layered like a draic serpent''s scales which means she must have draic blood in her... making her a unique lamia... a Draic Lamia. Amazing!"


    "But she''s so young and scared and very much alone..." The girls in the room all turned their puppy dog eyes towards their Goddess as each of them held their hands to their hearts in prayer of a miracle.


    And who could blame them? There on the screen was a cute, newly born lamia girl whose upper body was that of a young preteen girl with desert red hair and big beautiful teary green eyes. Her scarlet draic serpent lower body shivered and was a bit battle-torn and bloody. But still shone brightly under the hot desert sun as the golden lines that decorated her scarlet scales gleamed.


    She was looking about frantically, wanting to escape but too afraid to turn her back on her attackers. Sobs threatened to escape her lips as her small white fangs bit into her lower lip to keep from crying out.


    Everyone in the room could see her look with teary eyes towards the camera as she spotted the FairyTinks hovering above. She seemed washed in worry as to whether the FairyTinks were new foes or something else. She was just too young and battle inexperienced, fighting with nothing but instinct.


    A sigh escaped the Goddess Lokaini''s lips as she pretended to have not noticed everyone''s hopeful gaze on her. She then waved her left hand and said in a soft but clear voice, ¡°Let''s see what the Dice have to say.¡±


    A pair of golden hexagonal dice appeared in her left hand. She then rolled them across the top of her exquisite desk: Clickety-clack, clicky-clack, clickety-clack.


    Storymask


    Ah! It seems the young cute Draic Lamia girl''s life is in danger of ending at the claws and stingers of those mean desert scorpions... her life now hangs in balance of a roll of the Goddess'' Dice; Will they roll 7-11 or come up Snake Eyes? Find out next time in Chapter 25: The Goddess¡¯ Plans Bearing Fruit (Part 3)

 Chapter 25: The Goddess’ Plans Bearing Fruit (Part 3)

    Book 1


    Chapter 25


    The dice came to a stop near the crystal globe. Everyone in the room held their breath as their Goddess Lokaini read the dice, ¡°Snake Eyes!¡±


    The Goddess then gave a nod and a smile to Mila. ¡°The dice have spoken. Send in the FairyTinks.¡±


    Everyone then released the breath they didn''t realize they were holding, smiles lit up their faces like candles on a cake, and they found themselves lightly clapping and cheering on the young newborn draic lamia girl.


    ¡°FairyTinks! You are now Greenlit to assist the young draic lamia girl. The Goddess'' Divine Dice have spoken!¡± Mila called out energetically into the device.


    ¡°Yay! We are now live to give battle support to the draic lamia girl! All FairyTinks assist and rebuff her foes! Our Goddess is watching so let''s show her what we can do!¡± All the FairyTinks cheered catching the attention of all the combatants below, including the 3rd scorpion which had recovered from the draic lamia''s Tail Strike.


    FairyTinks 1 and 3 hovered over scorpion 1. FairyTinks 2 and 4 hovered over scorpion 2. And FairyTinks 5 was the lone wolf, she hovered over scorpion 3.


    Seeing that everytink was now in position FairyTink 1 shouted out ¡°Remember everytink we are providing support! Not stealing kills... so commence Sparklight Bombardment!¡±


    The young draic lamia girl stood there in a daze as little colorful orbs of electric lights burst out from the little winged beings in the sky above, (ZZAAPP!) slamming into the faces of the scorpions below, causing them to recoil and stop attacking her and to start shielding themselves with their razor-sharp pincer claws.


    This was the perfect opportunity for the young draic lamia girl to run, but she just couldn''t bring herself to abandon these cute little beings that were helping her. She turned her attention to scorpion number 3 that was only being attacked by FairyTink number 5 and her green eyes narrowed with determination.


    She approached the scorpion and slithered around to its left backside. The scorpion only partially saw her since it was shielding its face with its large pincer claws blocking the stinging electric orbs that the little pest above was raining down on it.


    The scorpion felt something near its backside so it swung its tail fiercely in that direction and hit... air. Swoosh!


    The young draic lamia girl seized the opportunity to strike, slithering into position as she felt a strange slippery energy building up, humming within her small heaving chest like a gas-fueled generator. The energy coiled around her fast-beating heart, then shot downwards past her smooth well-toned belly nestling in her powerful scarlet tail as her eyes flashed a brilliant green.


    "Aieeaahh!" Her high pitched battle cry rang out in the air as she twisted her sculpted waist adding force to her empowered Scarlet Tail Strike as it flew towards the desert scorpion''s blindside, leaving behind a blurry illusionary trail of scarlet and gold.


    KRRRSSHHKKK!


    A split second later the scorpion felt a great impact (SKREE!) on the back left half of its body as it was sent flying off the ground a good 10 yards away as pieces of broken shell that covered its body flew here and there. The scorpion''s battered and broken body landed with a series of THUDs, rolling and kicking up sand until it came to a sudden stop as its back crunched into a tree.


    The draic lamia girl stood there a moment watching as she sent that ''meany'' scorpion flying, a little fanged smile of relief formed on her cute face when the scorpion''s body came to a crunching stop on the tree''s trunk and then lay there motionless.


    A warmth entered the Goddess Lokaini''s heart as she watched the young scared draic lamia girl stand and fight to help her FairyTinks instead of taking the opportunity to run like a frightened little mouse.


    ¡°Good girlie... your courage has moved my heart. As such, you shall be rewarded. And seeing as to how you have no parents and are all alone in my Genesis Eden Oasis I shall take you in and make you my second Goddaughter.¡±


    Everyone in the room was happy for the young draic lamia girl, and for their Goddess Lokaini. Before coming to this world she had no Godchildren of her own and now in less than a year and a half in this new world she has gained not one, but two young beautiful Goddaughters! Yay!


    A flash of light lit the room and a new young holographic fox eared foxtail woman dressed in victorian inspired circus ring leader apparel appeared in front of the Goddess Lokaini''s desk.


    ¡°Is it true Mother!?! A new Goddaughter is going to be added to our family?¡± Anari asked bouncing up and down on her heels.


    The Goddess Lokaini rose up off her chair and onto her feet. She smiled at her lovely daughter as she grasped her divine parasol with her right hand. ¡°It is true my dear Anari. I have found her worthy of our love and my blessing.¡±


    The Goddess then tapped the lush carpet floor with her parasol (thump, thump) and a magic circle then appeared. She then opened the small bag on her waist, grabbed a few items that were the size of small toys, and dropped them all into the magic circle on the ground.


    The magic circle then swallowed the items up and with a small flash of golden purple light disappeared from existence in the office.


    The very next moment, in the monitor screen, the very same magic circle opened up on the ground in front of a very startled draic lamia girl. The circle flashed a small burst of golden purple light as a pair of ethereal hexagonal dice and a queen chess piece flew past the draic lamia girl''s shoulders, turned in the air, and then dove straight into the back of her neck.


    ¡°Aiee!¡±


    The cute draic lamia girl let out a small high pitched yelp of surprise as the ethereal dice and queen chess piece sent a cold electric jolt of energy up and down her spine, forming a small blessing sigil on the back of her neck. Her body shivered as cold and warm energy then flooded into her Oryn Trinity Cores, strengthening her.


    Her eyes glowed as the energy pulsing in her head downloaded information into her mind; Giving her basic information about this world, about the Genesis Project Eden Oasis, about language, and lots of basic information that would help her survive and thrive in this world.


    Tears of happiness flowed down her cheeks. Why? Because the information finished by letting her know that she''s no longer alone! She now has a family, lots of friends that will help aid and watch over her like the FairyTinks, and a wonderful new Godmother; As well as two ''godsisters'' named: Anari and Wylla! She could hardly wait to meet them.


    Storymask


    Looks like Eva is done playing the mouse and is ready to kill the cat... err... the meany scorpions as we finish up with the Goddess mini-arc in the next and last installment of The Goddess¡¯ Plans Bearing Fruit.


    P.S. This means Wylla will be back in next Monday''s chapter: A Royal Visit.

 Chapter 26: The Goddess’ Plans Bearing Fruit (Part 4)

    Book 1


    Chapter 26


    Looking down, she noticed that the magic circle hadn''t finished doing what it was supposed to be doing. Three more flashes of light appeared as 3 toy-sized items that the Goddess Lokaini sent over appeared in front of the draic lamia girl named Eva Brielle Everlyn: A name that her Godmother had just blessed her with.


    ¡°I have a name, I have a name! Eva Brielle Everlyn! Yay! Thank you Godmother Lokaini!¡± Tears of joy flowed down Eva''s cheeks once more.


    Eva then got a hold of her emotions and focused on the 3 toys that were floating in front of her. She reached out and touched the one on the right side first. She felt a flash of energy enter her from the toy and then the energy from inside her reached out and entered the toy completing a soulbinding ritual.


    The item then pulsed with energy and grew in size and shifted shape. In less than 3 breaths time there was a mighty Scarlet Warhammer in front of Eva. She reached out innately knowing that it was now hers. The moment her hand touched the mighty Scarlet Warhammer a door of knowledge opened up in her mind giving her the basic skills needed to wield it.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Eva grabbed the Scarlet Warhammer and spun it about and thrust out with it to bash an imaginary opponent. She then swung it to and fro getting a feel for its weight and balance which seemed to suit her perfectly. One side of the Warhammer''s head was flat and used for smashing while the other side was like a pickaxe used for puncturing.


    While most strong people would need 2 hands to wield this Warhammer, she only needed one. Seeing as there were still 2 items left floating in the air and that there were still 2 scorpions being held at bay by her little FairyTink friends, Eva quickly touched the next 2 items as the magic circle then disappeared.


    The next item she touched turned into a powerful scarlet scale tower shield with golden Sunfire highlights while the last item she touched turned into a half tank top shaped scarlet scale chest armor with golden highlights. Both items became soulbound and the basic knowledge to using them entered her mind.


    She was actually quite surprised at how comfortable the scale chest armor was; While the outside of the armor was a strong blend of Orynfused metals not of Earth, the inside part was lined with a lightly padded silky soft cloth which felt good against her bare skin but the lining was also as tough as griffon skin so as not to rip.


    She stood there now powerfully geared and armed, facing the 2 angry scorpions like a lovely fierce Scarlet Sun-kissed Draic Knight ready to rain down pain and death to her foes... and protect her cute little flying friends.


    She held her Scarlet Sunfire Tower Shield firmly in place and then charged right at the scorpion on her left...


    ¡°Wow! Just look at Eva go!¡± Claryndel cheered her on.


    KRRNNCCHH!


    ¡°Oooh! That Sunfire Shield Bash skill she just put on that scorpy looked painful... see... it''s not moving anymore even though it''s still burning.¡± Mila said as she patted and rubbed her arms as if putting out an imaginary fire on herself.


    BASSHHKK!


    ¡°And there goes the last scorpy. Crunched by her mighty Scarlet Warhammer Slam.¡± The Miko girls said in unison giving each other a happy high five.


    Everyone in the room started clapping and cheering for Eva''s first successful real-world battle.


    The Goddess Lokaini then turned her attention back towards the short pink-haired Mila whose whip-like tail was flicking to and fro from the excitement of the Livestreamed battle.


    After a few moments the room settled down and all the girls in the room turned their full attention towards their smiling Goddess.


    The Goddess Lokaini then waved her hand towards the crystal globe causing it to glide over the desktop to her. She then lightly spun the globe as silvery purple light sparkled about the room.


    ¡°Looks like the Oryn Planet Seed I planted into this world''s core has taken root and is bearing some highly entertaining fruit at a pace faster than planned.¡±


    The Goddess Lokaini leaned back in her comfortable luxurious throne chair. The beautiful look on her face reminded those looking upon her of a craftsman who had just completed a hugely difficult but wonderful home renovation project and couldn''t wait to share it with everyone.


    ¡°Mila, inform the FairyTinks that they are to stay with my Goddaughter Eva at the Genesis Eden Oasis until called back in a week or two. In addition, I''d like you to send out 3 units of Protectors, 5 units of Builders with Shrine and small resort plans, and send my Goddaughter 2 instructors; 1 life instructor and 1 battle instructor... have them all head out tomorrow. Hmm... I wonder if I''m missing anything...¡± The Goddess Lokaini said while looking at her daughter Anari.


    ¡°Yes, Mother. Let''s send Eva her own personal bio game pod! She said she wanted to meet her sister''s Wylla and I. I would like that very much as well. And I''m sure Wylla would too.¡± Anari happily replied.


    ¡°Very well, let''s do that as well... oh and one more thing,¡± the Goddess said while looking over at Mila, ¡°Inform my new Goddaughter Eva that I will visit her this evening around 9ish to welcome her into the family!¡±


    ¡°It would be my honor, my Goddess,¡± Mila said with a bow. ¡°If that is all, I will take my leave to see to it that your wishes are fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°Thank You, Mila. That is all and be sure to thank everyone for their hard work in the Genesis Command Center.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be sure to do so. I know they will all be happy to hear about today''s meeting and your gratitude. Bye, everyone, I''ll see you all later.¡± With that said Mila then turned around, walked to the large door, and exited the room with a bounce in her steps.


    ¡°Well, that''s my cue to leave as well... oh... I almost forgot! One more thing Mother. I have a plan I''d like your okay with so that I can play with Wylla and Eva in the game...¡± Anari then proceeded to explain her plan in detail to her Mother Lokaini who listened attentively and then smiled as she gave her daughter her consent to do so which caused Anari to jump up and down joyfully. ¡°Bye-bye, everyone!¡± Anari then flashed out of the room and back into the World of Abrynth.


    ¡°Oh, this is so exciting! Everything seems to be moving along at such a quick pace...¡±


    ¡°Aye! Things are going to start getting a lot more entertaining in this small city...¡±


    ¡°Small city? You mean in this small world!¡± They all broke down into fits of laughter as thoughts of the fun and games soon to come danced in their heads while the crystal globe on the Goddess Lokaini''s desk continued to spin spin spin.


    Storymask


    And that brings our Goddess mini-arc to a close as the world gets a little more ''entertaining'' and Wylla''s happy family grows... but just how will Wylla take the news? Well... that''s a story for another day for at this moment Wylla has other things on her mind (in Monday''s chapter) as she receives A Royal Visit.

 Chapter 27: A Royal Visit

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 27


    ¡°Seed Burst!¡± The seed flew true, hitting the small branch that was weighed down by the roundish golden fruit. With a small crisp snap, the Oryn fruit came falling down from a height of nearly 20 feet.


    ¡°Orchid Butterfly Steps!¡± Beautiful Orchid Butterfly Wings sprouted from the cute little girl''s back as a pair of ethereal antennae sprung up from her forehead. The little girl''s golden honey eyes tracked the falling fruit, her body floated over in place as her hand hung her wonderful wand onto the belly pouch belt around her small waist. She stretched her arms up, catching the incoming falling fruit with soft hands like a little league baseball outfielder catching an easy pop fly.


    ¡°Yes! That makes nine of them Anari!¡± Wylla chirped as she quickly ran over to her traveler''s pack on the grassy ground near her. She opened the flap and placed her catch inside. ¡°That should do it. I couldn''t spot any more Oryn fruits with my Oryn Eyes spell... well anymore within reach that is.¡±


    [ Still, you got a great harvest Wylla! Not to mention how much those 4 spells you''ve been using have leveled up. They should be Rank 1 or above by now if I''m not mistaken. ]


    ¡°Ooh, you''re probably right.¡±


    BUZZ


    ¡°Let me check... Ugh, another round of Furbees incoming...¡± Wylla quickly picked up her traveler''s pack, slung the strap onto her shoulder, and turned to run... Orchid Butterfly Steps! [ ding ]


    The energy rushed out of her Oryn Trinity Cores, merging near the center of her small chest, and flooded out into her body as the Orchid Butterfly Wings once again formed as did her pair of ethereal antennae.


    She quickly floated around the Oryn Tree, gently patting many of the Royal Spider Lotus guards along the way, and then quickly ran a good 30 yards down the slightly sloping grassy meadow as she laid down on her tummy on the soft green ground with her hair covering half of her body.


    ¡°Spiln Serpris Camouflage!¡± Her cherry red hair changed colors to blends of green matching the grassy ground as her hair began to lengthen, slithering over her bum down past her thighs and calves stopping at the bottom of her cute small feet.


    Her head was slightly up looking towards the Oryn Tree as her small mouth was biting the palm of her hand; Focus... focus... don''t squirm about or giggle or else they''ll spot me Wylla thought to herself as her hair slithered down her tensed little body.


    The Furbees then came into view, gently buzzing as they circled around the Oryn Tree over the Royal Spider Lotus bushes. They seemed to focus in on the lotus flowers that she had touched and left her scent on.


    It was then that it hit her, ¡°Didn''t I just use my Butterfly spell without using words to cast it?¡±


    [ Yes you did Wylla! Congratulations you have learned the Mental Casting skill. You can now cast spells that you have a rank 1 or higher proficiency with by simply thinking of the trigger words. ]


    ¡°Ooh, that''s great! Thanks, Anari.¡± Wylla happily whispered as she continued to watch the Furbees flying round the Oryn Tree.


    Just as the Furbees started gathering nectar and pollen Wylla noticed one that was different than the others flying about 5 yards around the busy Furbees as if overseeing their work or something. This Furbee was not only bigger but its color pattern was also completely different than any of the others she had seen before.


    ¡°Could this be?¡± Wylla whispered as her golden eyes slightly narrowed, tracking the unique Furbee. The Furbee''s face was a light pastel purple while most of its body was colored in a rich deep purple; Its bottom half up to where its legs grew out of its fat fluffy body was colored in a deep golden honey color.


    Oryn Spirin Eyes The energy entered Wylla''s eyes as she concentrated on the cute fluffy unique Furbee. Thanks to her oryn eyes spell she was even able to make out a pattern of golden honey flowers around the top of the Furbee''s deep purple body. The InfoBox then popped up:


    [ Young Furbee Princess Rank 1, Tier 0, Level 0, Stars 4: Furbee Princesses are rare elites that begin to leave the hive with a small entourage when they are near of age to start their own hive... ]


    ¡°It is! It''s a Rare!¡± Wylla whispered as her pulse and breathing quickened while her hand gently reached down her side, grabbing a hold of her wand and bringing it forward. ¡°And Rare''s mean big experience points and rare loot!¡±


    She could feel her body tingling, her fists pushing into the ground as if ready to do a push-up. She has 4 stars making her an elite plus she''s Rank 1 adding up to a really hard fight... but the rewards Wylla thought to herself as her muscles twitched here and there in anticipation of a tough fight.


    Just as she was about to launch herself up to begin kiting the Furbee group to whittle them down, 2 greens loaded with pollen and nectar bobbed over to their princess. Buzz Biizzz Buzzz


    The fluffy Princess Furbee then moved forward towards her 2 cute subjects and gently nuzzled their foreheads with her small beak-like muzzle. Brrzz Bzzz Bizzz


    The 2 greens quivered making soft buzzing sounds as their Princess nuzzled them causing Wylla''s heart to melt as the tension and fighting spirit drained out of her body. ¡°Their just way too fluffy and adorable... a happy little family... I just can''t do it... can''t kill them... even if the loot and XP are no doubt very rewarding. I''d feel horrible, like some kind of monster.¡±


    Wylla watched as the Furbee group spent the next 5 minutes gathering nectar and pollen before heading back to their hive towards the northernly west part of Havenscent Meadows. She may not have got any rare loot but she did get a very special heartwarming memory which brought a smile to her cute face.


    Now, what should I do? Wylla thought to herself as she looked up to the eastern sky seeing a full silvery-blue moon beginning to rise above the treeline while the Sun was still an hour or so away from setting in the west.


    Hmm... it''s too early to sleep... Heck, I''m not even sleepy and there are loads of places to explore. She then stood up and took another look around and noticed that the forests to the East, South, and West all seemed different from each other by the shapes and colors of the trees.


    Oryn Spirin Eyes ¡°Yup, each forest is definitely different not just the shape and color of the trees but also their auras,¡± Wylla said as she looked down at the grassy meadow, absentmindedly focused on a purple and pink petaled wildflower.


    Just as she was about to look back up towards the south an Info Box popped up: [ Dreamnisca Wildflower: A purple and pink colored wildflower that grows in Havenscent Meadows which contains sweet-tasting poisonous nectar that causes one to hallucinate as if caught in a dream. Classification: Alchemy and Cooking Ingredient. Would you like to Harvest this Dreamnisca Wildflower? Y/N ]


    Wylla''s eyes widened at the question being asked. Wouldn''t this unlock the herbalism skill? ¡°Yes! I''d love to harvest it.¡±


    A holographic pair of hands, one holding a small knife, appeared around a holographic Dreamnisca Wildflower. Realizing what little mini-game was about to begin Wylla quickly retrieved her small stinger knife from her large belly pouch and followed the instructions of the holographic tutor hands.


    A moment later Wylla received a soft [ ding ] followed by a Loot Box:


    [ You were 73% successful in harvesting the Dreamnisca Wildflower. You receive 1 Dreamnisca Wildflower and have unlocked the Flora Herbalism skill! Congratulations Wylla! It seems all that garden knowledge you brought with you into the game paid off. ]


    ¡°Yes! Thanks, Anari.¡± Wylla said as she put her loot and small stinger knife away into her belly pouch. ¡°Hmmm... since it seems night is still an hour or more away I think I''ll work on my herbalism skill.¡±


    Wylla looked around at the wide-open green space and then looked back at her slightly bulging traveler''s pack. She tilted her head to the side, one arm wrapped around her body just below her small chest while her other hand held her chin, thinking.


    Coming to a decision, she grabbed her traveler''s pack, walked to the thorny guards, and then hid her pack within their ranks. ¡°There, since I''ll just be gathering herbs around this area, there''s no need to lug that around so it should be nice and safe here. You all take good care of my pack,¡± Wylla sternly said instructing the Royal Spider Lotus bushes, ¡°Or else I''ll bash you!¡±


    The thorny bushes lightly shook. Satisfied, Wylla then turned (Oryn Spirin Eyes) and began searching for herbs in a southerly direction.


    Storymask


    Now that Furbees are off the menu where will Wylla look too for leveling up? Coming up next Chapter 28: Into Desparu Woods


    Side Note: Wylla''s Camouflage skill has changed a little to better reflect how it works and is now called Spiln Serpris Camouflage.

 Chapter 28: Into Desparu Woods

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 28


    ¡°That makes 13 Dreamnisca Wildflowers and 7 bundles of Medy Grass,¡± Wylla said as she put the freshly cut bundle of Medy Grass herbs away in her more than half-filled large Furbee belly pouch.


    According to her Oryn Spirin Eyes, this long green grassy herb with bluish highlights around the edges is used to brew health potions. Something she was looking forward to making... once she learns Alchemy that is.


    Wylla then stood up, cleaned off her knees, took a deep breath, and looked up at the silvery-blue moonlit twilight sky as a slightly pungent woodsy scent perfuming the air caused her round button nose to slightly crinkle. Wow, I didn''t realize I was so close to the forest Wylla thought to herself, eyes looking forward. ¡°Guess I lost track of where I was going while harvesting herbs.¡±


    Wylla stared at the tall dark willowy trees just a dozen or so yards ahead of her. She looked up at the full moon again, noticing that it had only risen a little bit above the eastern forest treeline. Turning around she took note that the last of the setting sun was disappearing beyond the western forest.


    ¡°Hmm, it isn''t bedtime yet and since I''m already here why not go see what there is to see?¡± Oryn Spirin Eyes


    Wylla''s sight was flooded with a stream of InfoBoxes, many of which she quickly closed after a brief glance but others she kept open as her eyes moved from left to right:


    [ The Desparu Swamp Forest is the only swamplands in Havenscent Meadows and is named after the willowy Desparu Trees that flourish within. Many florae and fauna unique to this area can be found within, some of which are beneficial for Alchemy and Cooking professions. The Desparu Swamp Forest holds a wealth spring of resources for those with adventurous hearts and knowledgable minds but it''s also a murky deathbed for the careless. ]


    Well then, I''m feeling adventurous and since it doesn''t look too scary or all that wet Wylla thought as she took a step or two towards the forest before pausing but then again this is just the outer edges so it''s probably darker and wetter and more dangerous the deeper one enters... Still, it should be fine to explore and harvest a bit around the edges.


    With a firm resolve, Wylla walked forward, her eyes focusing on the dark creepy Desparu Tree standing in her path. Okay, maybe it''s a little bit scary but adventuring isn''t for the faint of heart!


    The tree was nearly four stories tall and half as wide with branches growing out and draping down from the top section of the smooth dark trunk. Stepping up to the curtain of leaf laden branches, Wylla parted them open with her rod in one hand while using the back of her free hand.


    ¡°Eek! That feels icky!¡± Wylla''s body cringed and her heart pattered as the trees long moist segmented leaves wrapped and crawled on the skin of her small empty hand like jaundiced colored centipedes causing goosebumps to appear.


    Wylla quickly darted through the opening she had just created, releasing the branches along the way through, urgently rubbing her slightly wet hand on her furbee shorty shorts, trying to get the moist ickiness off as the wiggling leafy curtain closed behind her; Enclosing her in the greenish world hidden under the umbrella-like canopy of the tree.


    Looking around with bright curious eyes, ¡°Wow, it''s as if I stepped into a strange swamp garden snowglobe.¡± The world underneath the tree''s canopy was filled with a dark variety of flora, fragrant musky scents, and somewhat muddy pathways while glowing sun and moon motes of light lazily drifted about in the air above.


    Reaching up along the branch, Wylla plucked one of the Desparu Trees small plum-colored fruits (making sure to avoid the moist icky segmented centipede leaves). She brought the berry scented Desparu fruit down to her glowing eyes:


    [ The willowy Desparu Tree is named after the sweet-sour tasting fruit they produce. The Desparu fruit is similar in appearance to plum-colored cherries and can cause one to feel a touch of sadness when consumed. Classification: Desparu fruits are Alchemy and Cooking Ingredients. ]


    ¡°Yup, I think I''ll stay away from eating these. I don''t want to go spiraling into a cold dark hole of depression again." She whispered as an image of a girl flashed in and out of Wylla''s mind. Shaking her head, she focused on the small desparu fruit, "Still, I wonder what kind of potion its suppose to make. One that would make a foe give up in despair? If so how do you get the baddies to drink it?¡± Wylla tried to imagine a battle scenario in which she got the baddies to willingly drink such a potion.


    "Nope, not going to happen." She dropped the desparu fruit onto the ground while muttering, ¡°Oh well, guess I''ll find out some other day but for now I better save the room in my pouch for more useful things.¡±


    Anari wanted to remind Wylla about something ''useful'' she could do with that fruit but held back, deciding to wait for Wylla to think of it on her own.


    Wylla walked past some prickly looking brushes, leafy shrubs, and flowery clumps of grasses as a cluster of mushrooms growing by the roots of the tree caught her eyes:


    [ Peprika Mushrooms grow in clusters with other mushrooms near the roots of Desparu Trees. They have the shape of a witch''s hat, are a fiery green color with yellow flame-like patterns, and smell of chili peppers. They are very spicy when eaten raw. Classification: Alchemy and Cooking Ingredient. Side Note: Due to their shape they are also called Witch Hat Shrooms.]


    ¡°Ooh, this is something I definitely want. I love spicy food.¡± Wylla licked her full lips as the little foodie in her urged her to start harvesting the Witch Hat Shroom this very second. ¡°This would taste so good with honey but then again what wouldn''t taste good with honey?¡± Wylla wiped the corner of her mouth and rubbed her tummy not realizing just how much her love of honey had grown since becoming Sylven.


    She knelt by the Witch Hat Shroom her little stinger knife in hand and ready to harvest. ¡°As for alchemy... hmm... maybe it''s used in some kind of spice bomb potion that I can throw; Exploding in a spray of spicy hot mist that will burn my foes eyes and ruin their sense of smell. Something like that would be very useful.¡±


    Just the thought of such a potion brought a smile to her face and lit an even greater desire in her heart for Alchemy. Finishing her task, Wylla stood to put the small knife and harvested mushroom away into her pouch.


    She took a few steps around the tree trunk, heard a hoot from above causing her to look up while in mid-step which led to her stumbling over the tree''s roots, sending her crashing towards one of those prickly blackish-green shrubs that seemed to scream: "You''ll Be Sorry!"


    ¡°Oh, no lassy!¡± ¡°Watch out Wylla!¡± ¡°Flap your wings girlie!¡± "AH! I can''t watch..." Warnings and gasps softly rained down from above.


    Storymask


    Wylla''s heading into a world of hurt will she be able to stop in time? Find out next in Chapter 29: A Scream in the Night!


    Side Note: A little schedule change as the next chapter will be up either later today or tomorrow. Which should just about set the stage for the upcoming big battle chapters starting next week.

 Chapter 29: A Scream in the Night!

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 29


    ¡°Aieek!¡± Wylla yelped out. Her heart thumped, glowing eyes widened, and butterfly wings fiercely flapped as her arms frantically windmilled allowing her to regain her balance and come to a full stop in front of the prickly shrub just inches away from her small heaving chest and neck:


    [ Porcu Shrubs: These porcupine-like conifer shrubs grow in patches underneath the canopy of Desparu Trees. Their needle leaves are blackish green and poisonous. Their pinpricks cause a very itchy rash to appear on the skin. Classification: Alchemy Ingredient. ]


    Wylla took a quick couple of steps backward (breath in and out, in and out) feeling better she took another look around spotting a few more Porcu Shrubs in the area. ¡°Note to self, stay away from those poison ivy-like shrubs.¡±


    [ Good self advice Wylla. That was a very close call. You had us all on the edge of our seats with worry. Please be careful. ]


    ¡°Thanks, Anari. I''ll do my best to be safe.¡±


    Wylla stood there for a few moments longer getting a basic understanding of the other plants before her such as the green leafy Bliry bushes to the slender Miir mushrooms to the hanging Serpenvines to the meaty Oxdel shrooms to the various swamp grasses and such. She made a mental list of which ones she wanted to harvest and which to avoid.


    Wylla then wended her way out of the safety of the outer edge of the unexplored Desparu Forest, pushing long wiggling branches that were blocking her path aside with her rod while scanning the flora underneath the tree canopy with her Oryn Spirin Eyes.


    She made her way past the patches of flowery grasses, hanging serpenvines, and various shrubs towards mushroom clusters; Her eyes locked in on another fiery green and yellow Witch Hat mushroom. She knelt down beside it with her small stinger knife in hand ready to harvest the small spicy treasure.


    Time passed by fairly quickly as Wylla finished harvesting her sixth Witch Hat shroom. The soft musical sounds of woodwind reed flutes and chirps of crickets filled the night air around her. From time to time she could even hear the hoots of owls.


    She continually mentally cast her oryn eyes and butterfly form spells as the energy within her Oryn Trinity Cores lightly pulsed through her body every 3 seconds or so fueling the spells and keeping them active.


    Thanks to her oryn regeneration racial skill and blessings she wasn''t worried about running out of Oryn power while out of combat even while having her favorite support spells always ''switched'' on.


    The forest was darkening as the moon rose in the sky but she didn''t seem to notice. The moonlight streaming down between the weeping branches of the Desparu trees brightened her path as her Oryn Spirin Eyes painted the world in glows of softly lit auras making it feel like she was taking a colorful twilight stroll.


    She had gone quite some distance into the forest, taking note of the changes around her; The moist ground softly squelched beneath her steps, the Desparu Trees grew further apart from one another, pools of dark swampy water appeared here and there sometimes connecting with one another while clusters of hollow Flowery Flute Reeds sung growing amidst their watery embrace. And a particular fluffy purple and white tail-like reed swayed to and fro.


    ¡°I wonder,¡± Wylla said as she focused on the fluffy tail reed ¡°Yup, I better keep clear of those!¡±:


    [Skunktail Reeds are tall fluffy bi-color reeds that grow in the pattern and shape of skunk tails. When damaged the skunk tail flora sprays a yellowish cloud of sticky pollen perfuming the air with its vile stench of rotten eggs, spoiled citrus, and vinegar that most predators, especially those with a strong sense of smell, avoid like the plague. Classification: Alchemy Ingredient... but good luck harvesting them without getting sprayed. ]


    Wylla could easily imagine the type of potion such an ingredient would make and be used for, it definitely wasn''t one for drinking. Her eyes then took in the sight of small glowing wisps dancing about the reeds.


    The golden red and silvery blue wisps of light were beautiful, giving the growing swamp forest a magical touch. From time to time she could even see a pair of glowing orbs in the slightly bigger pools of swamp water moving about in unison on top of the surface of the water as a patch of reeds moved with them, heading in her direction.


    Which isn''t something that should be happening... right? Wylla thought with her head titled to one side, hand tightly holding her wand and the other putting her small stinger knife away into her belly pouch. Oryn Spirin Eyes


    [ Young Swampweed Gator are plant beasts that live in swampy areas. They are medium-sized beasts with strong thorny tails. They have tough barkskin covering their bodies; Moss and small reeds grow on their backs helping to hide their presence. They attack by ambushing their prey with strong tail strikes and powerful bites, pulling their foes into the water to drown them. The hungrier they are the more aggressive they are. Rank 0, Tier 3, Level 1, Stars 3 ]


    Wylla''s muscles twitched as she gripped her wand. She turned her body towards the incoming swamp beastie, took a deep breath, and aimed; Her eyes narrowed and the sides of her lips curled upwards. ¡°Time to get some XP and swamp loot! Ah, but I don''t want to have to get wet to loot the body, best to wait until it''s close to land.¡±


    The young swampweed gator was just 8 yards away when suddenly the water around it bubbled and gurgled as 4 more sets of glowing eyes popped up from the swampy water looking her way.


    ¡°Tch! Not what I wanted...¡±


    ¡°SKREEII!¡±


    A high pitched scream pierced the night. Wylla jumped, pulse quickened, and she tightened the hold on her wand. ¡°Huh, that sounded nearby,¡± Wylla said as her brows creased looking towards the direction of the scream.


    ¡°If whatever caused that scream heads this way while I''m fighting that would be bad. Yup, best to find out what''s out there first. If worse comes to worst...¡± Wylla smiled as she looked at the incoming Swampweed Gators, ¡°I''ll just have to lead them here and introduce them to my little friends.¡±


    Orchid Butterfly Steps


    Storymask


    Looks like Wylla''s curious side is sending her straight into a new danger but she has plans of her own if things go wrong. Coming next Chapter 30: Trouble is a-Brewing! (The start of the Briar Bloodrose Witch arc.)

 Chapter 30: Trouble is A’Brewing

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 30


    Wylla quickly left the incoming group of Swampweed Gators behind, heading deeper into the swampy forest. Guided by three more screams (¡°SKREEIIGG!¡±) her butterfly wings fluttered her past pools of swamp water, lone Skunktail Reeds, patches of Porcu shrubs, and clusters of greenery and mushrooms as her bare feet lightly squelched on the increasingly muddy ground.


    She heard them before she saw them. The sounds of coarse staccato voices speaking in a language she didn''t understand. She stopped behind the smooth wide trunk of a Desparu tree hiding behind a big green bushy Bliry shrub. She could make out huts and short bipedal beings up ahead as the glow of tall floral lamp pods shone a soft golden light in all directions.


    She looked down at herself with silvery eyes that held a hint of pink, noticing that her skin had changed from sun-kissed tan to a pale silvery moon hue. She then held up her soft spiln hair that had spilled over her shoulder up to her eyes, ¡°My hair has changed colors once again... looks silvery moon white with shades of pink highlights?¡±


    [ No need to worry Wylla. Remember that''s just your body going from its sun-kissed form to its pale silvery moon form. Either way, you''re still the same beautiful Wylla that we all know and love ;) ]


    ¡°I... I guess... umm... Thanks, Anari.¡± Wylla stammered as her cheeks turned a bit red. ¡°Still, I can''t get close to that village looking like this, I''ll get spotted so Spiln Serpris Camouflage.¡±


    Wylla felt her scalp tingle as the Oryn energy entered her soft spiln hair lengthening to cover her body from the top of her head to the top of her feet as the color shifted to blends of Bliry shrub greens. She stood there behind the Bliry shrub by the Desparu Tree trunk looking a bit like a horror movie spirit that just crawled out of the tv or others watching the Livestreams might mistake her for a green-haired version of cousin Itt from a certain old tv show.


    Either way, she was now ready to explore this unknown village from the cover of the swamp.


    ¡°SKREEII!¡±


    Wylla''s head turned towards the left side of the village. I don''t know what''s happening over there but someone or thing seems to be in a lot of pain. Maybe I can help.


    Wylla started moving in the direction of the scream as quickly and quietly as possible, keeping the village in view as she ran between the trees and shrubs. Her spiln hair slithering out of her way so as to not block her sight or cause her to trip and fall.


    She came to a stop on the far side of the village where a lone hut, larger and different than the others seemed to be isolated away from the rest of the village.


    The hut''s walls had briar bloodrose vines growing over it. On either side of the hut were several large cages made of wood and thorny vines; All of the cages seemed to be occupied with prisoners of some type or other which she couldn''t quite make out due to where she was hiding.


    There was a large round courtyard area in front of the Briar Bloodrose hut lit up with more six feet tall floral lamp pods. In the center of the courtyard sat a big ancient-looking cauldron with glowing Briar Bloodrose patterns along the sides as green witchfire heated it from the pit below on which it sat.


    Standing around the edges of the round courtyard were a half dozen or so short tribesmen villagers dressed in dark skirt-like leggings, mantles round their necks, and various wooden masks covering their faces. They were holding crude spears or thorny clubs.


    Must be some kind of village guards which must make her the leader here? Wylla thought to herself as she stared at the slightly taller albino woman.


    The woman was dressed in a wickedly beautiful if a bit revealing, briar bloodrose inspired tribal witch outfit accented with bone and stone jewelry. Her wild evergreen dreadlocks snaked to and fro as her vibrant blood-red eyes stared into the cauldron.


    A briar bloodrose tattoo ran from her right shoulder down her toned arm to the back of her black clawed hand. She held open a large blackish-green book in her left hand. Her briar bloodrose staff resting against the wooden work table that was nearby.


    I''m sensing a theme here Wylla thought to herself.


    The Briar Bloodrose Witch, for that is the only name that sprung to Wylla''s mind, stood in front of the cauldron tossing in ''things'' from her various pouches as she chanted words of power (¡°Notic Atun Meela Kiira Toc...¡±) causing the green witch flames beneath the Briar Bloodrose Cauldron to crackle, pop, and flare with energy.


    Just then a group of four Kavi guards leading a starved looking furry lemur monkey humanoid (for it''s hard to tell just what kind of species it is...) walked into the Witch''s courtyard.


    Two of the spear-carrying guards with gator face wooden masks then threw their prisoner forward as he or she fell heavily onto the witchfire dried ground with a grunt kicking up a small cloud of dirt.


    ¡°Kavi kirr nor kine Kavi!¡± One of the guards said to the Witch.


    ¡°Kavi alu toc nozun altor Kavi.¡± The Witch replied as she pointed at two of the guards. The other two guards then nodded, turned, and headed back to the village as the two guards that remained attached a rather large thorn vine chain to the back of the fallen prisoner''s body harness. The chain was looped through the donut hole top of a large wooden stake in the ground.


    Satisfied that the lemkey [ For what else would you call a lemur monkey demi-human? ;) ] wasn''t going anywhere the guards took up positions on either side of the fallen prisoner that was hunched over on its knees quivering and making broken ''cooing'' sounds.


    The Witch''s blood-red eyes then returned their focus to the cauldron as she continued chanting and tossing in ingredients from the many pouches adorning her fit body.


    ¡°Those bloodrose inspired tribal witch-like clothes really do look great on her. Gives her that whole wicked beauty vibe, but no way would I wear something that shows that much bare skin...¡± Wylla said softly.


    [ Says the cute little girl in the fluffy Furbee shorty shorts and cropped ribbed halter top with her belly button showing. You know, if you actually compare outfits I think you''d find that hers is a bit less revealing ;) ]


    ¡°I''m only wearing this because it''s all I have.¡± Wylla shot back in a quiet voice; Her face flushing as she looked down at her bare feet while wiggling her little muddy toes. She titled her head looking at her small muddy feet realizing that she really hadn''t noticed or minded that she''d been barefoot all this time. And that she actually liked the comforting way the earth felt beneath her bare feet.


    A loud pop from the witchfire caused her to look back up towards the Witch again as a ring of blood red and green mixed smoke floated above the cauldron.


    Wylla could feel her heart beating faster as a fluttering feeling danced about within her tummy as a gentle wind carried the smoky scent of spicy-sweet blood flowers to her. She knelt further down along the side of the Desparu Tree trunk, leaving just her green-haired head poking up above the Bliry bush in front of her; Careful not to make any unwanted noise or attention-grabbing movements. ¡°Hope my eyes don''t glow doing this but here goes... Oryn Spirin Eyes.¡± Wylla whispered as the energy entered her eyes. She focused first on the ones she guessed to be guards:


    [ Kavi Protectors are Kavi chosen and trained to protect the village and follow the Village Chiefs orders. They are armed with crude spears or wooden thorn club or blow dart flutes. Some are trained to ride Spidoll mounts. Rank 0, Tier 3, Level 2, Stars 3 ]


    Not good. They''re stronger than cannon fodder but at least their not elites... still some can ride Spidoll mounts which guessing by the name means some kind of spidery doll beast? Which means they may be faster than me... ugh, definitely not good.


    ¡°And just what are Kavi anyways?¡± Wylla whispered as she stared at the one near the prisoner on the ground noting how their hands up to their elbows and their feet up to their knees seemed to be covered in some type of barkskin boots and gauntlets as well as their chests.


    [ Kavi is a spriggankin flora race of mortals. They grow to a height of about 4 feet, have a variety of flora features, grow various wooden masks, and live in swamps and forests. They believe themselves to be the superior spriggankin race and feel that all other spriggankin races should serve them... so I think you know what this means right Wylla? ]


    ¡°Yosh! We''ve found the villains of our show,¡± Wylla whispered as she then looked at the lot of them in a whole new light; As tasty loot pinatas.


    Storymask


    Wylla has found herself on the edge of some sort of dark Alchemic Ritual as the villains of the show have made their appearance. Just what is the Briar Bloodrose Witch brewing find out next time in chapter 31: Cooking with Witchfire

 Chapter 31: Cooking with Witchfire!

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 31


    The Witch''s staccato chant rose in pitch, the witchfire blazed causing the ancient cauldron to shake and boil as blood green liquid bubbles expanded and...


    BOOM!


    A blood green mushroom cloud of smoke shot up into the night air. The Witch''s eyes shone, her lips curled up as she closed her grimoire and put it away in the satchel hanging just below her curvy hips. She walked over to the work table grabbing her wicked Brair Bloodrose Staff with her right hand and a tin plate with her left; A small yellowish round spongy cake sat atop the tin plate.


    She wended her way to the cauldron pouring a drop of oryn energy into her staff as the top shifted shape from a round thorny mace head to a bowl style cup. Using her staff as a ladle she scooped a cup of the blood green gelatinous liquid out of the cauldron and poured it over the sponge cake on the tin plate.


    The sponge cake sucked in the strange brew like some type of hungry slime. The witch walked round the cauldron up to the starving and quivering chained lemkey. She dropped the tin plate on the ground with a clatter in front of the small wretch as the cake shook like jelly.


    ¡°KAVI!¡± The Witch commanded slamming the butt of her staff onto the hard dirt ground as the lemkey looked up with big round watery eyes and drooping fluffy ears and tail.


    The lemkey''s eyes then looked down at the plate, reaching out with shaking hands he grabbed the tin plate bringing it to the nose on his wooden masked face and sniffed; The smell of spicy-sweet fruitcake with a hint of rot greeted him, inviting him to eat as a small trail of drool hung down from under the side of his wooden mask.


    Don''t do it! Wylla wanted to shout but it was much too dangerous to do so. Yes, she wanted to fight them, but on her own terms, to whittle them down using a good battle plan... once she thought of one.


    The lemkey''s stomach growled as he repeatedly picked up and put down the plate; the Witch''s staff tapped repeatedly on the ground getting tired of watching this wary pathetic lab rat. She lifted her staff one more time, higher than before, and brought it slamming down on the hard dirt ground again! ¡°KAVI!¡±


    Greatly flinching and ''cooing'', a small shower of dirt debris rained down on him from the impact of the staff on the ground. Shaking, the lemkey brought the tin plate up to his face, the bottom part of his wooden mask shifted into an open mouth hole and he tilted the tin plate slurping the gelatinous cake down like a thick ice cream milkshake through a big straw.


    The empty tin plate dropped to the ground with a soft clang. Scrunching his body up into a little fluffy ball the lemkey''s shaking stilled... then a few breathes later his body began to spasm as he cried out in fear and pain.


    His spiln hair fell out in clumps, his skin changed darkening into dark evergreen vine textures and hues. All four limbs stretched as he writhed about on the ground kicking up dirt. His tail retracted into his body like a snake into a hole as his head snapped up, large blood-red cat-like eyes staring up into the full moon night.


    The back of his head elongated and changed into a bloodrose bud. His wooden mask became feral as the muzzle protruded out a bit and dark thorn fangs grew yet its face still looked oddly cute.


    With shaky legs, it rose up off the ground onto its root-like feet. Its toned body hunched, long gangly arms ending in dark blood red clawed hands hung down by its thighs, as it looked side to side. Briar bloodrose thorns grew from various parts of its body and limbs.


    Gone was the small cute fluffy lemkey; Standing hunched before the Witch''s eyes was a tall lanky fierce battle beast!


    ¡°Kavi!¡± The Briar Bloodrose Witch''s lips fully curled up showing serrated yellow-white teeth as her blood-red eyes became like crescent moons. Finally, after many failed attempts she had succeeded in creating a strong swamp thing...err... warrior.


    Wylla sucked in her breath; Oh, that poor lemkey... just what did that mean Dr. Jekkyl Witch do to you? She turned you into some kind of dark thorny plant monster... as if swamp thing and pumpkinhead got together and had a baby. But weirdly Wylla tilted her head to the side it still looks cute in an odd Swampy Nightmare Before Christmas sort of way. Hmmm, maybe it''s a game feature that ''cutie-fies'' everything? Anyways since knowing is half the battle... Oryn Spirin Eyes.


    [ Briar Bloodrose Ganglyrot is a Rank 1, Tier 0, Level 0, Stars 4 unique elite demi-human spriggankin plant beast. Created by a dark Alchemic Ritual not much is known about this newly created spriggankin demi-human... so good luck discovering its secrets Wylla! We''re rooting for you. ;) ]


    All the Kavi guards went on high alert as they tightly grasped their weapons and shifted to wary battle stances. The two Kavi guards that were standing by the side of the prisoner pointed their crude spears at the newly born Ganglyrot as they shuffled their feet on the dirt ground kicking up dust, making their way around the big scary beast to the Witch''s sides in order to protect her in case the beast attacked.


    The Ganglyrot''s big blood-red predator eyes looked around the courtyard, even into the bliry bush behind which Wylla was hiding causing her heart to thump, its muscles tensing and claws lightly clacking.


    ¡°Why do I feel like I''m watching a cat staring at a courtyard filled with mice?¡± Wylla whispered.


    [ I''d go more with dire werebeast but you''re not far off the mark. Other than the Witch and yourself, everyone else that''s not in cages is like mice to it. Be careful not to get on its bad side Wylla. ]


    Wylla nodded in agreement. Right now that Ganglyrot''s anger and hate are all focused on the Witch and the Kavi as flashes of broken memories told it that they were the ones that did this to it. And there was no way Wylla was willing to shift all that agro onto herself.


    The Witch stood tall and proud. Her Briar Bloodrose Staff in hand as her blood-red eyes looked the Ganglyrot up and down and up again, stopping as her blood-red gaze met its big blood-red glare.


    The Ganglyrot''s knees then bent, its arms stretched out from his sides as his blood thorn claws clacked and glistened with a blackish green liquid which smelled of sweet bloodrot moss. Its head tilted up into the night sky and its fanged wooden mask mouth opened as it let out a loud bestial ROAR!


    All the Kavi in the courtyard took small hurried steps back, tightly clutched their weapons with shaky hands silently praying that the thick vine chain would hold.


    The Ganglyrot pounced towards the Witch, clawed hands stretch out, seeking to rend her flesh when a fast series of sharp [ dings! ] rang out in Wylla''s ears followed by a series of messages:


    [ Surviving the Night: Escape the Kavi village tonight without dying. Rewards: 200 XP and 10 lyr. ]


    [ What''s in the Book? Take the Witch''s Grimoire and make it your own. Rewards: 500 XP and 1 Sweet Grimoire. ]


    [ Defeating the Wycked Witch of the South: Defeat the Briar Bloodrose Witch in Battle. Rewards: 500 XP and 20 lyr. ]


    [ Set My Peopl...err... Spriggankin Free!: Free the Spriggankin caged beside the Briar Bloodrose Witch''s hut. Rewards: 300 XP, 10 lyr, and a surprise gift. ]


    [ All Quiet on the Southern Front: End the Kavi threat! The Kavi has been hunting the Makai Forest Spriggankin to use as lab rats and slaves. Help put an end to this injustice! Rewards: 1 Tier up, 50 lyr, and Friend of the Spriggankin reputation. ]


    *** Courtyard Battle Royale Event ***


    [ Unchained in the Night! There''s a battle brewing and the newly created swamp thing... err... Ganglyrot is chained up to a stake on the other side of the cauldron! This is so Unfair! As such we [ meaning I ] ask you [ meaning Wylla ] to Set the Ganglyrot free so it can meet its foes in a fair fight on the battlefield! [ Also, a free Ganglyrot makes for a far more exciting Livestream show ;) ] Rewards: 500 XP, 20 lyr, and unlock 2nd part of event quest. Timed Event: 30 minutes... tick-tock... ]


    "YOSH!" Wylla said pumping her fist as she quickly accepted all the quests and the big event! Quickly looking over the quests she mentally organized them in an ''order to be done'' list. "Time''s a-ticking so let''s get a-kicking... butt! Step one, free the Ganglyrot... but how?"


    The trees rustling grew as the sounds of feet pattering on the ground rang out; All the courtyard Kavi guards surrounded the angry Ganglyrot as coarse staccato shouts started to fill the air. Wylla''s ice-blue silvery moon eyes followed the large taut vine chain that was locked onto the back of the Ganglyrot''s harness (Nope, not getting anywhere near its back...). Her eyes continued to trace the vine chain down to the big wooden stake where it was attached like a thread through a sewing needle''s head. "Yes, since everyone''s busy playing ''Ring Around the Ganglyrot'', let''s try bashing it."


    Summon Rod Form With rod in hand and mission in mind, Wylla left the cover of the Bliry shrub, entering the battlefield and headed towards the wooden stake in the ground.


    Storymask


    The battle has just begun and Wylla is overjoyed with not only receiving lots of very rewarding quests but also starting her first Big Event! But she better hurry since it''s timed and the clock is ticking. Coming up next time big battles in Chapter 32: Kavi and Spidolls and Ganglyrot! Oh My!


    Side Notes: Lyr and Cen is Abrynth money: Basically Lyr = Dollars and Cen = Cents.


    Also, I''m happy to announce that my niece (with her busy college schedule) sent over a new Wylla Illustration in her Furbee outfit last night. I have posted it up on Storymask.com: Our Illustrator Box section for those of you that can''t see it below. She also said that as soon as her workload lessens she''ll make a Wylla Orchid Butterfly Illustration... which I''m really looking forward too.

 Chapter 32: Kavi and Spidolls and Ganglyrot! Oh My!

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 32


    Staying low to the ground while hidden underneath her long green hair, Wylla quickly and sneakily made her way to the wooden stake looking like a small moving shrub. The Ganglyrot''s Bloodthorn Claw Swiped at the pesky Kavi guards that were lunging at him with their weapons protecting that vile Witch.


    A Kavi guard cried out in pain as the Ganglyrot''s claws found their mark leaving three slash marks on its barkskin chest that began to darken and rot from the Ganglyrot''s blackish green bloodrot poison.


    Two more Kavi guards lunged forward, thrusting their spears towards the beasts legs. The Ganglyrot slapped one aside breaking its tip as the other coming from the opposite side bit into his calf leaving a small cut. Growling, the Ganglyrot quickly rewarded the Kavi guard with a powerful Blood Talon Kick to the chest (WHAM!) sending it flying over 5 yards away, where it landed and tumbled with a painful series of THUMPS.


    But the Ganglyrot had no time to celebrate its small victory. The Witch called out into the night air, ¡°KAVI ET OTOK SPIDOLL KAVI!¡±


    The surrounding Desparu Trees shook and rustled as medium and large dog-sized beasts scurried down from above on thick silky strands of threads scuttling into the Kavi''s now-vacated spots. The Ganglyrot glared at the new 8 legged plushie looking floral arrivals.


    The Spidolls hissed through small wooden masks at the great big plant beast in front of them and struck out with Wood Cutter Swipes using the wood bladed tips of their front legs. The Ganglyrot jumped forward to avoid being struck down low, the vine chain keeping him tied to the spot snapped taut sending vibrations through the wooden stake, stopping all forward momentum.


    WOOSH! The spidolls attacks just missed the Ganglyrot''s legs as Wylla''s pulse quickened and butterflies danced in the pit of her tummy, not liking the new creepy cute arrivals.


    Wylla looked towards the Witch, unable to see her over all the combatants surrounding the Ganglyrot as the sounds of battle hid her steps... as well as those of the two spidolls that were closing in on her from behind.


    Good, good... If I can''t see her through that angry crowd then she shouldn''t be able to see me! Wylla unhunched, straightening her body as she began to lightly run up to the big wooden stake in the ground.


    The thick round wooden top of the stake sat there like a soccer ball as she got closer and closer. Yes! Let''s smash it for a game winning goal! With beating heart, Wylla planted her left foot beside the big wooden stake and using her hips swung her right foot low as her leg took on the illusionary form of a SnapDragon:


    BAM! BAM!


    Two BAMS! Drummed out in the night air at nearly the same time as a Kavi guard was sent flying crying out at the same time Wylla hopped to her left holding her now throbbing kicking foot as she cried out OWUCH! Quickly followed by a pair of SWOOSH! As the two sneaky spidolls that were following her from behind just missed her now one-legged hopping little body with their jumping tackle attacks!


    Hearty laughter rolled down from above. [ Oh Wylla... ]


    With watery eyes and red puffed cheeks Wylla looked up and then back down at her nemesis; the big wooden stake. She heard the pitter-patter of scuttling legs as the spidoll''s big glowing lime-green eyes looked up at the cute little long-haired foe that had just dodged their attacks.


    They stopped in front of her, one on her left and one her right; Tapped their front wooden stake legs into the ground, scrunched down and leaned back, and then launched themselves at her again.


    Beautiful Orchid Butterfly Wings sprouted from Wylla''s back as she danced aside and unleashed a quick SnapDragon Sidekick (WHAM!) into the left spidoll''s floral body, sending it crashing into the right spidoll while they were still in the air causing them to slam wooden masked faces together (CLACK!) and land in a tangle of legs and soft thwumps as puffs of sweetly-scented pollen filled the air.


    Looking up towards the Witch and letting out a breath of air when she realized no one had spotted her yet, Wylla stepped up to the wooden stake, lifted her Royal Spider Lotus rod high in the air and then brought it slamming down: WHACK!


    A small sprinkle of splinters jumped into the air as the spider lotus bit into the hardwood with thorny fangs leaving two small puncture marks behind and a small dent. ¡°Ah! Not good, such little damage,¡± Wylla pouted.


    She looked around, the two spidolls she kicked had untangled and were shakily headed her way but everyone else still hadn''t noticed her yet; But with all the bashing she was going to need to do it was just a matter of time before she''d be surrounded too... especially with the village so near.


    Ah, that Ganglyrot may be strong but even it can''t take on the village, it may not even be able to beat that wicked Witch. Wylla thought as her eyes looked around the courtyard, passing over the cages reminding her of two things:


    First. she had a quest to free some of the prisoners within. And second was something Anari had said: [ ...everyone else that''s not in cages is like mice... ] Wylla''s lips curled up, her nose scrunched, and her eyes glowed as she stared at the cages:


    [ The Sun and Moon Serpris are Rank 1, Tier 0, Level 0, Stars 4 big poisonous plant serpents with heads that look like an Iris flower. Their bodies are very strong and tough with evergreen scales and protective thorns. Moon Serpris have silvery ice-blue Iris flower heads with frost poison fangs and thorns. Sun Serpris have golden-red Iris flower heads with fire poison fangs and thorns... beware of their breath attacks. ]


    ¡°KAVI!¡±


    Wylla yelped with a small jump nearly dropping her rod. The angry shout came from behind her! She quickly turned seeing 2 Kavi guards and a spidoll heading her way from the village pathway.


    Making a bad situation worse, the Witch had also heard the angry shout and with blood-red eyes spotted her. Up to this point the Witch had just been enjoying the show, waiting for her Kavi and spidolls to wear her new Ganglyrot pet down so she could then step in to cast her dark binding magics but now she spotted a much unwanted and very uninvited guest... and she wasn''t about to let this little butterfly girlie ruin her plans!


    But the Witch wasn''t the only one with plans. ¡°Time to get this party started!¡± Wylla said with a mischevious smile, then turned and sprinted with wings fluttering, zig-zagging around the mosh pit going on around the Ganglyrot as 3 spidolls and 2 Kavis chased after her.


    Blood-red eyes gleamed, tracking the little butterfly girl, the Witch lifted her Briar Bloodrose Staff with both hands and pointed it towards Wylla''s direction and began chanting.


    The sweet scent of blood roses with a hint of rot filled the night air as a blackish blood red and green ball of liquid energy formed at the head of the Briar Bloodrose Staff undulating and shifting into the shape of a liquidy Briar Bloodrose Spider.


    ¡°Briar Bloodrose Curse Atuk!¡± The Witch screamed out as the newly birthed wet spidery curse leaped off the tip of the staff towards the little pale moon butterfly girl being chased by a small group of harried-looking Kavi and spidolls.


    Wylla''s silvery hair with pink highlights trailed behind as her heart thumped and body spun (WHUMP!) as a jumping spidoll mostly missed its attack, lightly thumping into her turning hip. Wylla''s wings fluttered, regaining her balance as a small red number (1) appeared and then faded away before her silvery moon eyes.


    Glancing up into the corner of her vision she noticed that her three bars were still all well above 80% full. So far, so good! Now to free those two cages first. Wylla ran up to the work table as the Witch''s eyes widened, she pointed her staff at Wylla again and was just about to begin chanting when the body of a spidoll was sent rolling into her legs causing her to lose balance and focus.


    The Witch''s head turned towards the Ganglyrot that now had a clear view of her and was glaring with its right hand pointed palm open towards her. The Ganglyrot shouted in a language none seemed to understand as the flesh in his palm slit open and a blackthorn headed harpoon vine flew out towards the Witch like a coiled snake, seeking to spear her!


    The Witch brought her staff up and (WHAM!) blocked the sharply-pointed attack but the harpoon''s vine wrapped around the shaft of the staff and the Ganglyrot gave a hard pull.


    ¡°KAVI!¡± The Witch screamed out as her feet slid over the hard dirt ground towards the vengeful Ganglyrot. She most certainly did not want to fight her new pet in melee battle... no spell caster would. ¡°KAVI! ANU YAT OTON KAVI!¡±


    The two nearest Kavi dropped their weapons, left the battle mosh pit, ran up to their Witch and grabbed hold of her waist helping to pull her back away from the Ganglyrot as they played tug-of-war with the staff.


    Due to the Witch''s yells or the sounds of battle or both, more Kavi and spidolls started rushing towards the Witch''s courtyard from the direction of the village.


    Meanwhile, the wet spidery Briar Bloodrose Curse scuttled, scurried, and jumped across the round noisy courtyard turned battlefield, chasing after the cute silvery moon butterfly girl.


    Storymask


    The battle is well underway and seems to be growing in the Witch''s favor as her back up arrives from the village... but Wylla has plans of her own to even the odds! Coming up next Chapter 33: It''ll Turn Into a Ballr... Umm... Battle Royale!


    (Cue the music! Ballroom Blitz!)

 Chapter 33: It’ll Turn Into a Ballr…Umm…Battle Royale!

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 33


    The cute little moon girl''s back was turned, then like a graceful butterfly ballerina, she performed a beautiful whirlwind SnapDragon Kick at the jumping spidolls. Her leg shimmered appearing as a fierce fragrant floral SnapDragon...


    WHAM!


    The SnapDragon head-butted the soft plushy bodies of the spidolls, the impacts of the kick sent them all flying away; ¡°Holy sh...eese cake, that worked!¡± Wylla said staring with a wide-eyed ''pokan'' face for a moment, then turned and ran as two of the spidolls tumbled in a series of thwumps towards the cage holding a pair of lively Serpris making the silvery-white Moon Serpris and the golden-red Sun Serpris hiss and coil in anticipation.


    KLANK!


    The cage holding the pair of Serpris rattled as the spidolls slammed into it. Not missing the opportunity, both Serpris beasties struck in a flash, biting into the flesh of both spidolls legs which were sprawled inside the cage through the wooden bars.


    SKREE!


    The spidolls cried out as the poison flowed up into their bodies towards their hearts sending cold chills and fiery heat along the way.


    The two trailing Kavis gulped after seeing the little moon girl''s powerful spinning kick which sent their spidoll pets flying. Slowing their approach they gripped their shaky weapons and warily shuffled forward towards this little wolf in sheep clothing butterfly girl that was now near the Serpris cage with her back turned to them.


    Ah, now was the time to strike but it seemed easy... too easy! Was this some type of clever trap that would send them tumbling into the same fate as the two poisoned spidolls?


    As for the liquidy Briar Bloodrose Curse spider, it held no such notions as it caught up to the group and jumped onto the shoulder of one of the Kavi protectors causing him to scream in fright (Yieek!) and stumble forward. The malevolent spidery curse then launched itself, unseen, at the little moon girl''s back who was in the middle of a downward rod swing.


    Mere moments before the spidery curse made its jump, Wylla took a sudden hop back as a new Kavi foe jumped down from above into her path. Wylla''s silvery moon eyes glanced up, noticing hanging evergreen Serpenvines swaying to and fro... As well as more 8 legged shadowy figures scuttling down.


    Hmm, they''re Trazan''ing their way down and looking to block my way to the cages! Knowing she had no time to waste, Wylla lifted her rod and charged at the Kavi blocking her way to the Serpris cage as thumps rained down around her heralding the arrival of a lot more spidolls.


    The Kavi''s wooden masked face scowled as its body shifted into a defensive stance, determined to stand his ground and stop this cute little butterfly girl from doing whatever it was she planned on doing. The Kavi began to tremble as the little girl''s cold silvery moon eyes focused in on him: Ah! She''s... she''s some kind of butterfly demon girl! The Kavi thought, under the weight of Wylla''s silvery moon glare, with shaky hands he lifted his thorny club looking to meet the cold butterfly demon girl''s charge.


    The Kavi''s feet shuffled back kicking up small clouds of dirt as he shifted his dark thorny club to block Wylla''s downward rod strike. Just as Wylla''s rod was about to slam into the Kavi''s club-wielding forearm, (OOF!) Wylla felt a wet bruising impact on the back of her right shoulder, causing her swing to shift as her body stumbled forward, crashing into the Kavi as their arms and bodies slammed into each other.


    The frightened Kavi was sent tumbling to the ground to her side bowling over a pair of spidolls that were about to make their jumping attacks, becoming entangled with one another.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Wylla cried out, slapping her back right shoulder with her left hand as she continued to run towards the nearby Serpris cage. Her body quivered as the liquid spider curse sent waves of cold needle pricks into her flesh as the curse began to tattoo itself onto Wylla''s skin.


    The Bloodrose flower portion of the curse bit into her shoulder like a long needle nose mosquito making the very spot its home as thorny briar legs coldly and painfully pricked their way down and around Wylla''s right arm onto her white-knuckled index finger that was clenching onto the rod.


    Wylla, seeing that there was no longer any foes in front of where she was running too, quickly brought her arm up into view as her silvery eyes took a couple of glances at the spreading briar bloodrose tattoo curse.


    She tried grabbing and pulling it off of her arm with her left hand but only clutched cold wet skin, her skin. ¡°Not good!... but... I can''t do anything about it right now... just focus... focus on the plan and free all the locked-up prisoners!¡±


    She glanced at the three Starblood bars on the upper right corner of her vision taking note that she was now hovering around 70% on her HP and Oryn Energy pools while her Fatigue bar was around 75% full.


    The trailing Kavi and spidolls were desperate to stop the cute but deadly little moon girl but a pair of beautiful butterfly wings once again sprouted from her back allowing her to float and flutter away from their attacks as she reached the Serpris cage.


    Kavi eyes opened wide and they screamed out ¡°KAVI! KIN NOC TOR! KAVI!¡± But either the little girl didn''t heed their warning or didn''t care as she swung her powerful rod down hard on the stone and wood padlock keeping the Serpris cage doors shut.


    WHACK!


    Thwump. A soft sound filled their ears as the broken padlock hit the ground. HISS! A pair of angry Kavi hating elite Serpris slithered out of the now open cage door charging directly at the nearest group of Kavi and spidolls; Which just so happened to be the ones chasing the little butterfly moon girl.


    Wylla, now free from pursuit, hopped over to the next cage as the sound of battles sang out behind her. She looked into the cage, ¡°Now just what might you be?¡± Wylla''s eyes glowed as she looked at the large beast caged within reminding her of a big bean bag chair made of muddy clay, dark barkskin, and plants.


    [ The Garlim is a Rank 1, Tier 0, Level 0, Star 4 newly created beast which little is known about. Judging from the bear-shaped wooden mask on the top of its round oversized garden body, I''m guessing that it was originally an Ogen spriggankin which the Witch has turned into a large garden slime type beast... It looks like it would be a fun addition to this lively Battle Royale show you''re hosting. ]


    Wylla smiled, lifted her rod and swung down as if trying to hit a game-winning home run as the Briar Bloodrose Witch''s eyes burned with anger in her direction. The Witch, finally broken free of her tug-of-war with that spiteful Ganglyrot, pointed her staff at Wylla''s back like a rifle, uttered some staccato words of power; A small dark red ball of liquid energy shifted and formed into a bloodrose bud bullet with briar tendril tails and shot towards Wylla''s back!


    Wylla''s antennae pulsed causing her to flutter her wings as she shifted her body to the right side of the cage door while completing her hard downward rod swing.


    CRACK! The padlock broke and thwumped onto the ground. BOOSHKK! The Miasma Rosebud Bolt crashed into the door, the force causing the door to press in and then open out allowing the Garlim onto the field of battle as the courtyard became even more chaotic!


    ¡°Kavi! Akkran Toc Noctin Alu Toren! KAVI!¡± The Briar Bloodrose Witch screamed rushing towards the undulating Garlim that was heading straight to her hut... where all her precious alchemy ingredients were housed as that cursed little devil of a butterfly moon girl fluttered and floated across the battlefield towards the cages on the other side.


    The Witch paused seeing that this darn girl was about to break open even more cages and release even more chaos onto her now rowdy courtyard. She pointed her staff at Wylla once more but then stopped as she heard the sound of breaking wood. (CRACK!)


    The Briar Bloodrose Witch looked toward her hut and cursed, wanting to rip Wylla''s hair and wings out as the Garlim split the door of her hut open. The Garlim began to creep like a giant slug into the room that held such tasty scents as the Witch, forgetting about that cursed butterfly girl for the moment, rushed in after the hungry Garlim would-be thief.


    Storymask


    Looks like the Battle Royale Livestream is now almost under full swing as Wylla''s plan is nearing fruition... but now is not the time to celebrate for there are more cages to bust open! As more and more Kavi and Spidolls are streaming into the battlefield looking to put an end to her antics. Coming up next Chapter 34: Setting the Spriggankin Free


    Wishing Everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween!


    Edited to Add this Side Note: I just wanted to clarify the two following items that were thankfully brought to my attention in the comment section below since I hadn''t explained/described them properly in the story. Once I''m done writing the story I plan to go over it again to edit/revise/rewrite it so that it will read and flow better:


    [ Bloodthorn Claws are sharp hooked thorn claws that are a dark blood-red hue. When used to slash at a living foe there is a chance for the Bloodthorn Claws to drink the blood of its target providing a small heal to the Ganglyrot. ]


    [ The Briar Bloodrose is a unique and beautiful looking flower that carries a sweet scent with a hint of blood. The Bloodrose flower is named such because of the wetness on its petals which combined with its blood hued color gives it the appearance of a bleeding rose. These Bloodroses grow on dark evergreen branching vines. Small clusters of unruly tendrils with long needle-like thorns spill out from beneath the Bloodrose giving the flower the appearance of having spidery legs. The Briar Bloodrose does drink the blood of those cut by its thorny defense helping it to stay healthy. ]

 Chapter 34: Setting the Spriggankin Free

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 34


    Wylla stopped in front of the cage holding three flora demi-humans prisoner. These must be the prisoners I have to free for my quest! Wylla''s eyes lightly shone as her Oryn Spirin Eyes activated, looking over to the largest of the three prisoners an InfoBox popped up:


    [ Ogens are Tree Spriggankin. They are shaped like big fluffy spiln covered yetis. They have tough barkskin hidden underneath all that soft shaggy fluffiness. They wear wooden masks of forest animals: Bears, Racoons, and Owls being their favorites. They are known as the gentle giants of the Makai Forest. Rank 1, Tier 0, Level 0, Stars 4 ]


    Wylla noted that the Ogen in this cage had long fluffy fennec fox ears and wore a bear mask. The pattern and coloring of his (or maybe her?) fluffy spiln fur reminded Wylla of a red panda.


    A warmth filled Wylla''s body as her left arm reached into the cage driven by a strong desire within her heart to hug and fluff the big cuddly Ogen. Her hand was reaching out through the cage''s wooden bars when she noticed the odd long flora coat wearing spriggankin with an off white bunny mask quietly standing to the side of the Ogen.


    The bunny girl spriggankin (for that''s what the shape of her body seemed to indicate) tilted her head slightly to one side watching Wylla.


    Ah! What am I doing... nows not the time for ''mofu-mofu''! Wylla thought to herself as she looked at the spriggankin trio, including the little one poking its small owl masked face out from behind bunny girl where it was hiding.


    Wylla''s face blushed as she looked away, regaining control of herself and quickly bringing her reaching arm back under control, placing it by her side. Not my fault they''re so Kawaii... cuteness must be their superpower!


    She then returned her gaze to the bunny girl and read her InfoBox:


    [ Kiir are Flora Spriggankin that appear as willowy children wearing long dark-colored coats made of velvety spiln covering them from their necks to their feet. The collar, cuffs, and bottom are fluffy with feathery spiln leaves. They wear wooden masks of small animals or birds. Kiir''s have a curious nature but are somewhat cautious. Rank 0, Tier 3, Level 4, Stars 4 ]


    The emo bunny girl (for the long dark coat and off white mask gave off such an image to Wylla) stood protectively in front of a small fluffy Ferrewl whose feathery wings were tucked in; Its little cat-like tail with the feathery tip twitched to and fro as the little wooden owl mask face peeked out from behind bunny girl staring in wonder at the surrounding ruckus.


    [ Ferrewls are Critter Spriggankin. These small floral ferret-like spriggankin have feathery wings and tail tips. They have big fox bat ears and small owl masks cover their cute faces. They have a shy but playful nature. Rank 1, Tier 0, Level 0, Stars 3 ]


    The big shaggy lumbering treant-like Ogen stood up with a creak and placed itself to the side and slightly in front of the others. Its big bear masked face looked about the chaotic area taking note of the three growing battles in the courtyard to the flashes of lights, smoke and sounds spilling out of the windows and the broken door of the Witch''s hut.


    It understood that now was a good time to escape if this little butterfly girl did what it hoped she would do. The Ogen nodded its head up and down to the little girl hoping that she understood his desire.


    ¡°So cute!¡± Fighting the ''mofu-mofu'' urges Wylla lifted her rod, then brought it slamming down on the padlock CRACK! Followed by a soft Thwump. The cage door opened and the trio of spriggankin quickly escaped out of their prison and stood in front of Wylla.


    [ Ding! Ding! You have completed the Set My Peopl...err... Spriggankin Free! Quest and have Tiered up from the XP gained. Furthermore, your surprise reward has been added to your inventory. Congratulations Wylla! Just 3 more Tiers to go and you''ll hit Rank 1. Yay! :) ]


    Now wasn''t the time to look at her new status but she was curious about the reward and was just about to ask Anari to open her inventory when the small autumn-hued Ferrewl stepped out from behind her Kiir guardian disrupting Wylla''s train of thought.


    The little cutie sniffed the sweet-scented air coming from Wylla and nodded her (or maybe his?) head up and down. Figuring that there''s no way that someone who smelled this good could be bad, the little Ferrewl ran up to Wylla and quickly gave her waist a tight fluffy hug of thanks, catching Wylla by surprise as the corners of her mouth lifted up.


    Wylla gently patted the little Ferrewl''s soft head and pointed to the Desparu Swamp Forest. ¡°I don''t know if you understand me but you should all leave this place. It isn''t safe here okay?¡± Wylla then made little running gestures with her fingers in hopes they''d understand.


    The big lumbering Ogen''s trombone hoot sang out as it nodded its head. Wylla fought from giggling at the sight of the bear faced Ogen hooting like an owl. Guess this game has owlbears too... Wylla thought to herself as the emo bunny girl quickly stepped out of the group, disappeared into the battlefield and then shortly returned with 2 thorny clubs and 1 crude spear in her hands. She handed the spear to the Ogen and a thorny club to the Ferrewl.


    By the way they held their weapons and moved them about (especially the little struggling Ferrewl), it seemed to Wylla as if they didn''t know how to wield them. But still, it was better than nothing.


    Just as Wylla was going to turn to leave the emo bunny girl stepped forward and gave her a quick one arm hug and then stepped back into her group just as quickly, standing with her head tilted down towards the ground, her hands fidgeting with the handle of the thorny club as her foot gently drew circles on the dirt ground in front of her.


    So cute! Wylla thought to herself. All of them are so cute... I hope they get home safely.


    The sounds of battle were getting louder, Wylla shook her head and looked back towards the battlefield as more Kavi protectors and spidolls started arriving from the main village. Wylla knew it was time to get moving. She had 1 last cage to open and then the main task of releasing the Krak...err... Ganglyrot! Thereby completing the first part of the event quest and then depending on which side the odds favored: Fight... or flee before it was too late.


    ¡°Well, I still have one more prisoner to free so you all run away now back to your homes and be safe.¡± Wylla smiled making running gestures with her fingers once again. She then waved bye towards them, turned towards the Ganglyrot and winced as the cold briar bloodrose curse sent another round of cold painful pricks up and down her right arm and back shoulder.


    Just then a rather large group of Kavi and spidolls arrived from the village via the pathway where they halted to get their bearings. With the Witch nowhere in sight, there was no one to give orders!


    Up until this point, the Kavi and spidolls had just been joining whatever scuffle they deemed to be the biggest threat which fortunately for Wylla put her way down on the threat list.


    But her good luck seemed to be at an end for in this large battle group were half a dozen mounted Kavi, one of which wore a bloodrose headdress who was looking over the battlefield with discerning eyes... which were now focused on the trio of freed spriggankin and a distracted Wylla who was rubbing her right arm trying to soothe the painful pricks.


    ¡°Kavi, Nor Atun Leth Atuk! KAVI!¡± The mounted Kavi Head Hunter shouted, not only getting the attention of his battlegroup but also Wylla''s as her head turned towards their direction.


    ¡°Yikes! Not good... looks like break time is over,¡± Wylla said as she shifted into her butterfly form and quickly fluttered over to the last cage. She held the rod up as she glanced at the riled up swamp beast caged within... one that made her skin crawl... one that she would rather not release but due to the large group heading her way left her with little choice:


    [ The Eldrytch Gator is a unique Rank 1, Tier 0, Level 0, Stars 4 dark oryn fused gator. Its thick hide reminds one of dark gray storm clouds swirling with deep purple hues. Extending out of its long ridged back are dark wet shadowy tentacles; the smaller ones ending in round eyeballs while the larger one''s tips split open into three flap mouths lined with slightly hooked thorn teeth. They attack with teeth, tail strikes, and shadow void tentacle skills... it''s best not to stick around these cruel and ornery beasts when freed Wylla. ]


    ¡°Yup, yup... I''m definitely not sticking around and playing with Mr. Tentacles!¡± Wylla said with a shiver as she finished reading the last line in the InfoBox description.


    SHOO! SHOO! SHOO!


    Wylla fluttered back and forth dodging thorn darts, waiting for the right moment...


    Storymask


    Wylla has completed her first quest setting the cute and fluffy spriggankin free, gaining a Tier Up! and getting closer to Rank 1! And with the Witch busy in her hut with a hungry rampaging Garlim... It''s time to Release the Ganglyrot!


    Coming up next Chapter 35: Release the Ganglyrot!


    Side Note: Just wanted to say thanks and share a great little piece of Furbee fanart by Tareksaeed:

 Chapter 35: Release the Ganglyrot!

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 35


    Wylla fluttered back and forth dodging thorn darts, waiting for the right moment, for the crowd of Kavi and spidolls to get almost within melee range... and then WHACK!


    Thwump the broken padlock hit the dirt ground, the cage opened and the big growling Eldrytch Gator scurried out, charging at the pile of foes as it turned its large body sideways unleashing a battering barrage of Shadow Tail Slaps; Sending some of the too slow to react Kavi and spidoll''s flying.


    The Eldrytch Gator''s side faced the coming onslaught of Kavi and spidolls like a raging battleship at war as its eyeball tipped tentacles released volleys of Dark Void Orbs lighting the night air with round glowing streaks of shadowy purple.


    Those Kavi and spidolls that were lucky enough to make it past the dark painful volley were met with Dark Tentacle Lashes; Slamming, battering and sometimes taking Shadowy Bites out of their bodies.


    Kavi shrieked, spidolls skree''d, and the Eldrytch Gator growled as each side landed strikes... with the more powerful strikes being launched by the large gator.


    As for Wylla, her small body was lost amidst the dust, lights, and chaos of battle as the Kavi Head Hunter continued to shout out orders.


    Staying low, Wylla took a glance back, happy to see that the spriggankin trio was disappearing into the swampy forest, as she circled past the Eldrytch Gator''s battle ring and, sneaky as a mouse, entered the pile of swarming foes that surrounded the Ganglyrot.


    Unfortunately, being sneaky didn''t last long as she was soon spotted by the enemy... Wylla switched to battle mode, SnapDragon kicking, thorny rod swinging, and wings fluttering her way to the big wooden stake. Her antennae pulsed increasing her awareness of those around her as a discordant calliope of battle noises flowed into her ears.


    SHHOOO! SHHOOO! SHHOOO!


    Wylla''s heart beat rapidly, her wings flapped as she dodged to the left. 3 darts flew past where she had just been standing. Whump! She winced as a spidoll jumped into her turning hip causing her skin to darken in color and balance to falter for a breath or two.


    Regaining control of her body, she lifted her rod up high and ran straight at a surprised Kavi that was standing in her path as it flailed its weapon about in panic, leaving two jumping spidolls behind her.


    Just as it seemed that the mean butterfly girl was about to pound him with that scary thorn rod, the girl jumped to the side passing him by with flapping wings as he let out a ¡°Whew!¡± in relief followed quickly by a ¡°OOOFF!¡± as the pair of jumping spidolls slammed into his body, sending all three of them rolling to the ground in a tangle of limbs, curses, and skrees!


    Finally reaching the large wooden stake, Wylla brought her rod slamming down hard BAM! A small cluster of splinters flew up into the air from the impact as the royal spider lotus bit into the hardwood with its thorny fangs once again, leaving another pair of puncture marks behind.


    Wylla smiled as she noticed small crack lines forming around the first set of puncture wounds. She once again raised her rod high into the air.


    ¡°KAVI!¡± ¡°KAVI!!¡± ¡°SKREE!¡±


    The sounds around her got louder as the Kavi seemed to have figured out what the little butterfly girl was trying to do... and it was something they definitely did not want her to do.


    BAM!


    A larger cluster of splinters flew up into the air as more cracks began to take shape, spreading out like webs. The sound caught the Ganglyrot''s attention as it stared at the little butterfly girl. Its blood-red eyes watched as the dodging butterfly girl once again brought her flowery rod down hard on the stake.


    BAM!


    More splinters flew into the air and crack lines deepened causing the little girl''s face to glow as her lips curled upwards.


    ¡°KAVI! NOC TER ARYN TOC! KAVI!¡± The Kavi Head Hunter shouted out from near the Ganglyrot, pointing at Wylla.


    Just then 3 spidolls jumped and 2 Kavi dove at Wylla.


    Wylla spun to her right then grunted as 2 of the spidolls hit her in quick succession wrapping their legs around her legs restricting her movements as the other diving foes missed, landing on the ground. Wylla quickly lifted her rod and brought it swinging down as her wings beat furiously keeping her upright.


    BAM!


    CRACK!


    The big wooden stake cracked! Greatly weakening. Seizing the moment, the Ganglyrot grabbed the big vine chain with both hands, gave a great tug, and SNAP! The top of the wooden stake broke apart, freeing him!


    He let out a loud trombone ROAR and with vine chain in hand, began to swing it around, slamming Kavi and spidolls alike.


    [ Ding! ] ¡°Ouch!¡± Wylla cried out in pain as one of the spidolls bit her thigh and the other scratched her calf, turning what should have been her celebration cry into one of pain.


    ¡°Grrr! Bad Spidys!¡± Wylla complained as she brought the butt of her rod down hard, in quick succession, onto the heads of the two spidolls holding onto her legs.


    Both spidolls loosened their grips, and before they could stop seeing stars circling their heads, they were flung at a spear thrusting Kavi by a dodging Wylla.


    Happy with herself, Wylla started humming and dancing about bashing Kavi and spidolls alike with SnapDragon Kicks and Rod Strikes. With so many foes around the key was to keep moving, not letting her foes surround her and get a bead on her with their darts, strikes, and jumps.


    After clearing the area around herself, Wylla took a small moment to read her message: [ Congratulations Wylla you have completed the event quest Unchained in the Night! with over 10 minutes to spare and you have Tierd Up again! Yay! Just two more Tiers to go and you''ll hit Rank 1. ;)


    You have also unlocked the next part of the event quest: Beauty and the Beast Thanks to the Witch''s brew, the Ganglyrot''s heart has turned bestial and needs mending. Find some way to mend the Ganglyrot''s heart so that he won''t be consumed with bestial urges... hmm... maybe we should reword that part... Anyways, on to the Rewards: 500 XP, 50 lyr, and the Gift of Friendship. Time Limit: Must complete before leaving Havenscent Meadows. Do You Accept: Y/N?]


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wylla said accepting the next part of the quest, relieved by the Time Limit shown. Just one more task to add to her to-do list before leaving the starter area.


    Wylla zig-zagged her way to the side of the cauldron in the center of the courtyard to get a better view of the battles around her:


    There were lots of injured Kavi and spidoll bodies littering the ground making light pained noises and slowly rolling about holding the parts of their bodies that hurt. A small amount of them wasn''t moving at all anymore, either knocked out or dead.


    As for her ¡°Allies¡± the Moon and Sun Serpris were near each other still putting up one heck of a fight as their bodies showed broken scales and thorns and cuts but they still held their foes at bay.


    The Ganglyrot''s energy seemed to have been renewed now that it was freed from the wooden stake and was happily using the chain that bound him as a powerful weapon. Most of his wounds were on his lower body and around his torn body harness but his anger kept him fighting as his eyes searched the battlefield for his most hated target... the Witch.


    The Eldrytch Gator was now near the edge of the courtyard surrounded by Kavi, spidolls, and mounted Kavi hunters that were throwing thorny vine nets with small glowing sigils over it... not that Wylla cared about that creepy nightmarish beastie, she just wanted it to keep the enemies busy.


    As for the Garlim...


    BOOM!


    The side of the Witch''s hut exploded out in a shower of debris and smoke as a large bean bag shaped beast went shooting out, disappearing into the dark swampy forest.


    Everyone stopped at that moment and turned towards the hut as they heard a fit of coughing and then saw a smoky and battered-looking Witch with unkempt lumpy dreadlocks, ripped clothing, and raging blood-red eyes walk out slowly.


    The Witch stepped out of the ring of debris and into the courtyard, steadying herself with her staff. She took a look around her once lovely but now war-torn courtyard. She saw the bodies of her Kavi and spidolls lying on the ground, noticed the battered bodies of her enemies, and gazed at the Ganglyrot... What should have been her moment of greatest joy had been turned upside down all because of that... (her furious eyes falling onto Wylla) that little cursed butterfly girl... and now was the time to make her PAY!


    Storymask


    The Witch is Back and Looking to Rain down a World of Pain on Wylla! Taking a look around Wylla must decide Is it time Fight... or Flee? Coming up next Chapter 36: Dared to Fight!


    Side Note: This chapter is a day early but the next one will (hopefully) be released on Monday as usual... much to do this Month due to holidays and birthdays so release schedule will see some fluctuations but I''ll do my be to keep them coming.

 Chapter 36: Dared to Fight!

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 36


    Wylla''s silvery moon eyes met the Witch''s glare. She inspected her slashed and bruised body She looks a bit more injured than me... Wylla thought to herself. Then glanced up at her HP bar, noticing it hovering around 60% full mark. If it wasn''t for this icky unending curse constantly damaging me with its dark pulses my health regeneration skill would have healed a lot of my wounds by now!


    As for Wylla''s Oryn Energy and Fatigue bars, they were sitting at around 50% due to all the SnapDragon Kicks, Royal Spider Lotus Bites, and constant use of Orchid Butterfly Steps.


    Meanwhile, the Witch tilted her head to the side as the glare of anger faded from her eyes, only to be replaced by one of growing shock as she realized that this hated girl was not only very much alive but in slightly better condition than herself. Shouldn''t she be dead or at least near death... after all, she was afflicted by her powerful Briar Bloodrose Curse.


    Shaking her head the Witch reasoned that the little butterfly girl must have good resistances or high health regeneration or both to still be alive and standing. The Witch brought her staff up into a defensive position.


    ¡°KAVI Atu Nor Lune Adai Kavi!¡± The Witch loudly spoke, never taking her eyes off the butterfly moon girl. ¡°Anok Tor Luna Qui Thurc Stok Kavi.¡± The Kavi and spidolls that were circling to surround Wylla switched target, moving towards the pair of hissing Serpris and growling Ganglyrot.


    The Witch pointed a clawed finger at Wylla and with a smirk said ¡°Kavi Alune Noctor KAVI!¡±


    ¡°Humph! You talk too much.¡± Wylla responded to the dare or at least it sounded like a dare to fight to her. The Witch slammed the butt of her staff onto the ground. Wylla''s antennae pulsed sending out waves of unseen Oryn energy around herself in a sphere. She felt a distortion in the pulse down low warning her of some danger coming from the right side of the ground.


    Or maybe you don''t talk enough?... Not waiting to find out what nasty surprise the Witch had in store for her Wylla fluttered to the left, away from the cauldron as a pair of thorny Briar Bloodrose Chains burst up from the ground just missing her.


    Before she could even let out a breath in relief, a second pair of chains exploded out of the ground from the direction she was dodging too. Wylla swung her rod slamming the first Briar Bloodrose Chain, sending it flying aside while the second chain exploded out heading right at her, giving her no chance to block with her rod.


    With little to no choice, Wylla instinctually reacted by sticking her hand out, palm open seeking to block the incoming attack as the energy in her Oryn cores merged in her chest and rushed out flowing warmly through her arm to the palm of her open hand as her mind flashed to her only range spell: Seed Burst!


    A small painless slit formed on the palm of Wylla''s open hand, a bullet sized seed came bursting out (ding!) and flew true, colliding with the Briar Bloodrose Chain causing it to miss its target by a hair as one of its thistle thorns grazed her thigh leaving a light scratch behind to mark its passing.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have learned Unarmed Spellslinger and may now freely cast your range spells without the use of a weapon or focus item. Please note though that doing so does slightly increase the cost to cast spells and weakens the power of such castings... but still, it''s a very handy and important spellcaster skill to have and gets better as you level up its proficiency. ]


    Wylla glanced at the message then closed it with a smile. That Witch''s range spells are stronger than mine but my Seed Burst seems to be faster to cast! Still getting hit by them wouldn''t be good so it looks like it''s time to put all those years of sparing in the dojo to good use!


    The Witch aimed her staff at Wylla and began to chant. An oily black liquid made of oryn energy hovered around the tip of the staff swirling and shifting into the shape of what Wylla''s Oryn Spirin Eyes told her to be a Miasma Rosebud Bolt.


    An oily black Rosebud Bolt which will burst on impact if it hits, splattering her with its oily black Miasma corruption which will seep into her skin causing her to become like a rabid beast and blindly attack any living beings within melee range, whether they be friend or foe, for 3 seconds.


    ¡°Not good... gotta interrupt it!¡± Wylla lifted her hand, aimed like she did when she was knocking down Oryn Fruit from the tree, and ¡°Seed Burst!¡±


    The seed bullet flew straight at the tip of the staff where the Miasma Rosebud Bolt just finished forming and slammed into it causing a small popping explosion as oily black liquid fell to the ground with small wet splats.


    ¡°Kavi Atun...¡± The Witch started scolding her or at least that''s what Wylla thought she was doing.


    ¡°Blah-Blah-Blah Whatever!¡± Wylla yelled back. ¡°I don''t know what you''re saying anyway so hush up and fight!¡± Wylla''s body tensed up, she took a quick deep breath, gripped her rod, and then with fluttering wings rushed at the Witch.


    The Witch took a step back, brought her staff close to her, and channeled some energy into it as it gained a blood-red glow. The Witch had the reach advantage but Wylla trusted that she held the edge in moving and fighting up close.


    The Witch struck at Wylla with a Bloodrose Staff Strike aimed at her ribs. Wylla ducked low using her rod to hit the staff up from below, sending the staff strike over her head as she sent a low snapping SnapDragon Kick out at the Witch''s plant foot.


    ¡°AIEE!¡± The Witch screamed as Wylla''s kick landed, nearly breaking the top of her foot. The Witch limped back a couple of steps as Wylla shifted back to a fully upright standing position. Wylla prepared to move in for another attack but the Witch struck first, thrusting a series of low strikes with the staff aiming at Wylla''s legs forcing her to shuffle back in retreat just out of reach.


    Wylla came to a stop several breathes later when the Witch''s barrage of low strikes ended. The strikes all missed but she once again rubbed her cursed arm with a slight wince of pain as she stared at the Witch who seemed to chuckle at her.


    The Witch''s hand pointed at one of the slash marks on her stomach that the Garlim had given her, it flashed red and then started healing.


    At first, Wylla didn''t get what the Witch was trying to say but several short seconds later her curse pulsed in pain again and the Witch''s slash wound flashed red again healing the now small wound.


    It was then Wylla understood two things: The first being that every time the curse pulsed causing her pain it would heal the Witch for a portion of the damage it was doing to her. The second was that the Witch was taunting her.


    The longer this fight takes the more she''ll heal! Wylla zig-zagged toward the Witch with her hand lifted and Seed Burst. The Witch moved her staff upright across her body and Thwack! She blocked Wylla''s spell but Wylla used the attack to close the gap and SnapDragon Kicked towards the Witch''s stomach.


    The Witch slightly shifted and turned to the side as Wylla''s powerful kick landed on something hard.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Wylla cried out as her foot ached from not only the impact but also from small piercing pain. She shuffled back again as small beads of golden-green sap-like dots formed over the small wounds on her foot stopping any bleeding.


    Looking at the smug Witch Wylla noticed what she had hit; The Briar Bloodrose Grimoire swaying in a slightly torn satchel on the Witch''s hip. Ooh... My quest book... no wonder that hurt. Hmm, it looks like she hasn''t noticed that her satchel is pretty torn so if I can just rip it open a little more the book should come tumbling out!


    The Witch gathered energy as Wylla rushed in swinging her rod towards the Witch''s ribs. The Witch brought her staff across her body blocking the rod as Wylla''s body bent low, spun around, and fired off another Seed Burst hitting the Witch''s thigh.


    The Witch grimaced in pain and shuffled away as Wylla swung her thorny rod towards the retreating Witch''s hip. Whack! The rod struck the satchel as the Witch smirked at the blocked hit, taking quick steps back only to feel a tug on her shoulder as the satchel''s strap snapped tautly.


    One of the thorns on Wylla''s rod bit and snagged into a tear that was already at the bottom of the satchel. The tear ripped open fully as the Witch retreated and Thwump! The Grimoire fell onto the ground in front of Wylla!


    Taking her eyes off the Witch, Wylla quickly surged forward, scooped up the fallen Grimoire, and stoop up securing it in her left arm. Smiling she looked at the Witch expecting to see her angry or upset... but definitely not smiling that big serrated toothy smile of hers. Oh no, why do I feel like I just walked right into a trap?


    ¡°Kavi Noctis Thorc Atuk Kavi!¡± Thorny evergreen tendrils squirmed out of the cover of the Grimoire and started wrapping themselves around Wylla''s arm piercing and startling her as the Witch cackled in laughter.


    Wylla retreated standing near the Cauldron, struggling with the lively prickly Grimoire in her arm. She used her rod to bash the book as the Royal Spider Lotus began to use its tendril legs to fight and peel off the Grimoire''s thorny tendrils from Wylla''s arm as the Witch stood a short distance away enjoying the show.


    Storymask


    Looks like Wylla''s in a bind and at the Witch''s mercy. Will she be able to get out of this situation... or will she experience her first death? Coming up next Chapter 37: For Whom the Bell Tolls

 Chapter 37: For Whom the Bell Tolls

    Book 1, Volume 4


    Chapter 37


    Why do all the bad guys do that? Just stand there and gloat when they could... Wylla''s thoughts were interrupted as the Witch leveled her staff towards her and a dark Miasma Rosebud Bolt began to take shape. Not good!


    The Witch felt extremely pleased seeing the little butterfly girl''s face paling, her eyes widening, and her arms increasing their frantic struggle with her grasping Grimoire as the girl spotted the deadly spell''s formation.


    But then something seemed to have changed; The right side of the butterfly girl''s lips slightly curled upwards and her eyes narrowed in on her... or rather slightly above her.


    ¡°Atuk!¡± The Witch yelled out above the sounds of battle around and behind her as the Miasma Rosebud Bolt shot forth.


    The Witch watched the dark Rosebud streak towards Wylla wanting to savor the butterfly girl''s pain-filled face and screams; Etching forever in her memories the image of her Rosebud bolt slamming into the girl''s chest with a wet splat, corrupting her... but just as the dark flowery bolt was almost halfway to its target a hissing screech rang out behind her!


    Quickly followed by an icky moist feeling draping the back of her body as a humid billowing cloud of pollen enveloped her; Robbing her of the sight she yearned for most, of Wylla''s painful end.


    ¡°KAVI!¡± Needless to say, the Witch was none too pleased. The moist sticky pollen greatly obscured her vision, irritating her eyes as they began to water. The scent of mold and hot spices assaulted her nose causing her to sneeze. And a damp sticky film covered her, inflaming patches of exposed skin with burning itchiness.


    Moments earlier, Wylla truly thought that she had reached the end of the road and was definitely dead meat. Struggling with the prickly Grimoire in her arms, she glanced at her HP bar that was now hovering below the 30% mark. A couple of more hits and it''s over... ah, my quests... there''s got to be something I can do to make it through this... prayer... anything...


    Feeling down and out of luck, Wylla looked at the Witch''s staff and the energy gathering knowing what was to come. She bashed the Grimoire, which was grasping her arms with thorny tendrils, repeatedly with the butt of her rod as her heart drummed loudly in her ears. She looked at the Witch with wide eyes and then she spotted something...


    Just over and behind the Witch''s shoulder she spotted... salvation.


    Good, good. Looks like that Witch doesn''t realize the position she''s standing in... seems like I''m not the only one that needs to work on battlefield awareness. Wylla thought to herself as the images of her dodging a Furbee''s attack resulting in her landing amidst the thorny Royal Spider Lotus plants flashed through her mind.


    The Sun Serpris rose up from the ground like a cobra ready to strike as its badly battered body swayed to and fro before its lower body coiled balancing the weight of its upper body. Its golden Iris flower head leaned back as its chest area expanded taking in a deep breath of air.


    Its dark thorn fanged jaw opened wide releasing a loud hissing screech. Its head sprung downwards belching forth a mushroom-shaped plume of golden-red pollen mist in a conal attack.


    Weary Kavi and spidolls vanished from sight, swallowed by the billowing cloud moving forth like a raging sunset-hued sandstorm. Wylla''s brow creased and the right side of her lips slightly curled up as she saw the thick cloud of pollen come crashing down on the Witch!


    One moment the Witch was smiling as she launched her deadly spell at Wylla... The next moment the Witch disappeared from sight, swallowed by a humid blanket of Sticky Sunfire Pollen as Wylla chuckled and the tension slightly eased in her body.


    Did this just happen because of my Faith stats? Wylla stood there for but a moment pondering... only to snap back to reality as the streaking Miasma Rosebud Bolt was almost on top of her. Not wasting any more time, Wylla lifted the ''handsy'' Grimoire up in front of her like a shield just in the nick of time as the Rosebud Bolt slammed into the hardcover book with a plopping splat!


    The Grimoire shook and its tendrils loosened their prickly hold on Wylla''s left arm. Wylla threw the thick dark book onto the ground near the Cauldron and took a few steps back as she pointed at it on the ground with her rod... just in case it held some more nasty surprises.


    The Grimoire laid still on the ground as the green witchfire in the pit continued to crackle. Guess it went back to sleep? Unsure, Wylla kept her rod pointed at it while her head turned side to side; silvery eyes scanning her surroundings.


    The Eldrytch Gator thrashed and growled from within layers of rune nets. Its clawed feet dug grooves in the hard dirt ground as the Kavi Head Hunter barked out orders at the dozen or so Kavi and spidolls pulling the net''s ropes dragging it back to its cage. Dark Void Orbs launched from the eyeballs on the tip of its tentacles causing the sigils etched into the vines of the nets to flare with dark light nullifying the magical attacks.


    Ah! I''m running out of time here. Once they put it back in its cage they''ll help cage the others... and then me! Wylla thought as she turned to look at the other side of the cauldron.


    The Ganglyrot was down on one knee with its head slightly bowed. Its battered body taking in deep breathes of air as its blood-red eyes watched the cloudy area ahead of it where that Witch vanished. The body harness that was forced onto its torso was now completely torn and lying on the ground and the chain that once bound him was dangling in his hand.


    As for the Kavi and spidolls that were trying to capture him, they were all either rolling around on the ground wailing from bloodrot slashes and chain bashes or not moving at all.


    Yes... It''s still alive. I got to get you out of here before you die and I fail my quest. Wylla looked on with worry in her eyes at the hurting Ganglyrot. Hmm... looks like either all the Kavi and spidolls are still following the Witch''s orders and not attacking me out of fear of interfering with the Witch''s challenge to me or... they''re just waiting to get me last if the Witch doesn''t get me first.


    Wylla turned towards the pollen cloud as it began to fade leaving only two battle-torn combatants standing, facing each other. The Sun Serpris struggled as its upper body once again rose up, towering over the haggard and now splotchy skinned Witch.


    Wylla''s mind was telling her to stay out of this fight for two main reasons: The first was because she had a feeling that the moment the Witch died the Kavi and spidolls would attack her and she wasn''t ready for that. And second, she needed time to regenerate her very low Oryn Energy and Fatigue bars which she would urgently need to fuel her Orchid Butterfly Steps and Oryn Spirin Eyes when escaping this village.


    Her heart wanted her to ignore reason and help the badly injured Sun Serpris... if only her Healing Nectar spell didn''t need fruits to work but where would she get fruits... Ah, I could have used the Desparu Fruits before this all started... Wylla thought with a pout but it was too late for regrets.


    Wylla watched on, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.


    The Witch glared up at the badly injured Sun Serpris. Her hands tightly gripped her staff as her muscles tensed, breathing deepened, and her body shifted in readiness.


    The Sun Serpris'' upper body swayed left and then right before moving back. It then opened its fanged jaw again and sprung forward towards the Witch!


    The Witch chanted her dark words of power and slammed the butt of her staff onto the ground sending up a small cloud of dirt and dust. Two pairs of Briar Bloodrose Chains burst forth out of the ground on both sides of the fast-moving Sun Serpris.


    Two of the chains bit into its lower body while the other two flew up piercing and wrapping around its neck, snapping taut halting its attack. The Sun Serpris fanged jaw snapped shut inches away from the Witch''s red splotched face.


    Smiling, the Witch slid to the side of the flowery snakehead. Her Bloodrose Staff flared red and its thorns elongated. The Sun Serpris jaws opened and snapped shut again as it struggled to move but the chains held fast.


    The Sun Serpris felt an explosion of pain on the top of its head.


    The Moon Serpris watched as the Sun Serpris'' body hit the ground and the golden color drained from its beautiful flowery head. The Moon Serpris'' eyes watered. Tears dropped as she let out a loud wail that sounded of mournful violins.


    She spun in a circle whipping her tail back and forth, sending all the remaining Kavi and spidolls that were still standing around her flying away. She slithered up to the Sun Serpris and gently nudged its limp body with her lowered head. Sobs filled the air as Wylla wiped the salty water flowing down her cheeks away with the back of her hand.


    The Witch stepped back giving the silvery serpent room as she shifted into a defensive stance. The Moon Serpris looked up from her mate''s lifeless body, her teary eyes becoming red as she focused on the murderous Witch.


    Rising up fully, she coiled her body; Her fanged mouth opened, dripping with a silvery blue liquid as the world around her and the Witch faded into nothingness. The Moon Serpris'' head bobbed back and then sprung forth... only to feel the weight of thorny vines from heavy Rune Nets fall upon her coiled body!


    Thrashing and twisting the Moon Serpris screeched out in despair and rage as mounted Kavi Hunters surrounded her and barked orders to the underlings as they began grabbing the Rune Net''s ropes and dragging her back towards her cage.


    Having resolved the issue, the Witch hunched over keeping herself standing with the aid of her staff. She then turned to face Wylla, noticing her Grimoire on the ground. She took a couple of deep breaths, steadied herself and reached into one of her pouches...


    ¡°Oh that... that B...BWITCH! That''s cheating!¡± Wylla shouted, her fist balled up and foot-stomping. Where''s a bucket of Witch melting water when you need one!?!


    The Witch''s lips curled up wickedly, with a soft chuckle, she brought the potion she retrieved from her pouch up to her lips, titled her head, and drank. The wounds on her body began to quickly heal much to Wylla''s chagrin.


    ¡°Fine! You want to play unfair... let''s play!¡± Wylla said with a devious glint in her eyes and stomped up to the cauldron sitting atop the green witchfire pit. Smiling, she pulled out a handful of Dreamnisca flowers and witch hat shrooms; Held them up for the Witch to see and threw them into the bubbling cauldron.


    The cauldron rumbled, gurgled, and then belched up a pinkish-puce sludge as a rancid smelling bruised hued ring of smoke floated up into the air; Absolutely ruining the only brew that the Witch had worked so hard to successfully make which created the Ganglyrot.


    ¡°KAVI!¡± The Witch screamed, veins on her arms and hands popping as she gripped her staff.


    But Wylla wasn''t done yet. She stared at the scowling Witch, winked, and kicked the thick grimoire into the fiery pit!


    ¡°AIEEK! Alo Nai Prekus!¡± The Witch screamed again, arms stretched out, wildly running towards the fiery pit to save her precious, precious grimoire from the crackling green flames.


    The Witch dove onto the ground, stomach first as her staff hit the ground.


    Seeing her chance to act, Wylla ran round the cauldron, stepping on the Witch''s back who was desperately trying to save her ''precious'' from the witchfire. Either the Witch''s mind was completely focused on saving her Grimoire or Wylla was just too light because she didn''t even react to being used as a stepping stone.


    Wylla reached the Ganglyrot, took its hand and did her best to pull him up off his knee. Breathing heavily and muscles twitching the Ganglyrot GRR''d a warning. ¡°Come on big guy... get up, we got to go!¡± Wylla said still tugging at him.


    Eyes flaring, he raised his clawed hands to strike at the little butterfly moon girl pulling his hand and... SNIFF... SNIFF... The raging glow in his eyes faded as a strong calming scent of icy lavender and honey blanketed his anger, allowing reason to return to his mind.


    Noticing that the Ganglyrot was no longer resisting her pull, Wylla cried out ¡°RUN! It''s time to leave so... RUN!¡±


    The Witch on her belly, reached into the fiery pit and with burning hands saved her Grimoire from the hungry flames! Relief flooded her body and heart as she saw that, other than a few slightly burned edges, the grimoire was unharmed.


    She then stood up, dusted herself off, and happily put her grimoire away into her satchel as thread-like vines sewed the tears closed. With that done, she drank another potion healing her hands. She then turned, ready to resume her battle with a smug look on her face... only to have that look drop as she saw the Ganglyrot running away into the swamp in an easterly direction.


    And that cursed little butterfly girl, that completely ruined her night, was fluttering... fleeing into the swampy forest in a northerly direction as her long green hair bounced up and down, helping her to blend in with the swamp.


    ¡°KAVI! NO TAK ATUK IGA KAVI!¡± Which must have meant that she really, really wanted them to get that darn butterfly girl because dozens of Kavi, spidolls, and Kavi Hunters scrambled into the swamp chasing in a northerly direction.


    Storymask


    Thinking that it''s better to live and fight another day Wylla runs off into the night with a horde of foes closely trailing... Coming up next Chapter 38: Running In the Shadows of the Night


    Side Notes: This chapter was inspired by the Chinese Proverb: "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." With the Witch being the Mantis, the Sun Serpris the cicada, and Wylla waiting to play the role of the oriole... regenerating her resources while the two fought.

 Chapter 38: Running in the Shadows of the Night

    Book 1, Volume 5


    Chapter 38


    Wylla''s heart raced as she pushed dangling Serpenvines and low hanging Desparu Tree limbs out of her way; Ignoring the icky feeling of the centipede-like leaves ''crawling'' along her skin. Her eyes glowed as her bare feet squelched on the muddy ground as she ran past Porcu shrubs, patches of grasses and clusters of mushrooms. The sounds of her pursuers grew louder as they narrowed the gap between them.


    SHOO! SHOO! SHOO!


    Wylla''s antennae pulsed, her butterfly wings flapped, and she zigged as 3 speeding thorn darts flew past her. She glanced at her HP, Oryn Energy, and Fatigue bars; The top two were a little over 20% full and the bottom one was a little under. I got to make it out of this swamp... this should be the right way... the way I came... SHOO! PHEWT!


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Wylla''s body jerked to the side mid-step as a thorn dart bit into her thigh. She stumbled to the right as a silvery-green ball of webbing flew past. Her eyes widened seeing what her foot was about to land on; A crisp SNAP rang out and a moist cloud of jaundiced hued pollen perfumed the air with its vile stench.


    Wylla''s wings fluttered fast like a hummingbird as she sprung forward, the air currents generated buffeted the smelly pollen away from her body as she raced on, nearly protecting her from all of its sticky touches except for the heel of her foot.


    ¡°Eeww! That stinks!¡± Wylla cried out, fighting the urge to vomit as her eyes watered and nose scrunched. Meanwhile, a half dozen or so closely following spidolls and mounted Kavi Hunters weren''t quite so lucky.


    No, they landed right smack dab in the middle of the cloud of stench as Wylla heard choking, gagging, and skreeing behind her.


    The rest of the pack chasing after her skidded to a near halt as they altered their course, pitter-pattering around the foul pollen cloud that hovered in the air. Wylla took advantage of the unplanned obstacle, her legs pumping hard, gaining distance from her dogged pursuers as she reached behind her leg, just past her wand that was attached to her belly pouch belt, and with teeth clenched pulled the thorn dart out of the backside of her thigh.


    A cold sensation rippled from the puncture wound made by the dart; Her eyesight became blurry and the ground seemed to rock side to side like a small fishing boat on rough waters.


    Her running became erratic, she stumbled side to side, her body falling towards the ground as she thrust out her hand, slapping the muddy ground with the palm of her hand, pushing herself back up all the while moving forward as her wings pumped furiously.


    She felt Oryn Energy flow through her body, fighting the cold disorienting sensations crawling inside her, aided by her Poison Tolerance skill reducing the effectiveness of the poison. Three breathes later her blurry vision started clearing and the grounds swaying calmed as she continued running.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Wylla''s leg planted on the ground, sliding a bit (PHEWT!) as she spun her body narrowly avoiding running straight into a Porcu shrub as some of its thistles lightly grazed her shorty shorts. A half-second later a ball of webbing slammed into the prickly shrub exploding, covering the branches in its sticky embrace.


    Wylla glanced behind her spotting a Kavi Hunter with a bloodrose headdress riding a large spidoll that had wooden horns coming out of the top of its barkskin mask. That must be the one... spitting those web balls... gotta keep moving...


    Wylla ran side to side and round foliage, not giving the hunters a straight shot at her backside. She focused on getting home, which to her meant the Oryn Tree in the middle of the meadow, and on constantly triggering her Orchid Butterfly Steps and Oryn Spirin Eyes in order to escape her pursuers and help her see in the dark. (ding!)


    [ Congratulations Wylla! Your Orchid Butterfly Steps and Oryn Spirin Eyes have upgraded, gaining a new feature. You can now switch them on and off like a light switch. By turning them on a portion of your Oryn Energy bar will become grayed out, reserving the energy within that shaded area to keeping those spells active... I believe you understand the benefits of this new feature so would you like to turn on these two spells at this time? Y/N ]


    ¡°Yes! Anari... thanks...¡± Wylla said between breaths of air while slapping another dangling Serpenvine out of her way. Inside she was very happy with the ''set it and forget'' upgrade as she now had one less thing to worry about, putting all of her thoughts into escaping; For she knew that her Oryn Energy regen was more than fast enough to keep those spells fueled and running.


    Should be near the spot now... Wylla thought as her eyes searched the pools of swampy water.


    SHOO! SHOO! SHOO! PHEWT!


    Wylla jumped headfirst to the clearing on her left as her wings wrapped around her body. Her shoulder squelched into the now lightly muddy ground as she rolled back onto her feet as 3 thorn darts and a ball of webbing flew past where she had been running.


    Her wings unwrapped from her body sending out a spray of mud. ¡°KAVI! ALU TOKOR ATUK! KAVI!¡±


    By the sounds of their screams and the pitter-patter of spidoll feet, it seemed they had regained the distance they lost earlier due to the Skunkweed Reed cloud.


    ¡°OOOF!¡± Wylla''s cried as the impact of a spidoll''s sudden jump hit her backside near her hip. She grimaced as her wings flapped keeping her from falling onto the ground. The spidoll latched itself onto her leg and waist; Its wooden clawed legs biting into her flesh causing gelatinous beads of golden-green blood to seep out from the puncture wounds.


    Wylla''s brow creased down as she tightened her lips and swung the side of her body with the spidoll right into the trunk of a Desparu Tree WHACK! The spidoll''s legs went limp and with a thwump it fell onto the ground, freeing Wylla as she bounced to the side and continued running, her eyes spotting the pool of water she was looking for.


    The swampy pool with the glowing orbs floating just above the surface of the water was right ahead of her. The spidolls to the left and right of her were on her heels, nearly within range to trip her as the slower mounted Kavi Hunters were several yards behind.


    No choice... hope this works... just like in the movie... Her lungs felt like they wanted to burst, her leg muscles burned as her feet pounded the ground, and her eyes focused on the pool of water... or rather above it.


    Her foot splashed into the edge of the pool of water, her wings beat hard, and she jumped high into the air as the spidolls behind her followed her into the air. The water gurgled as more pairs of glowing orbs surfaced above the water following the flight of the little butterfly girl soaring above.


    SHOO! PHEWT! SHOO!


    Time seemed to slow as Wylla stretched out her arms. All the sounds around her faded away to nothingness as she focused on this crucial moment; her hands felt the slap of a rope-like vine hit her palms, her fingers snapped closed wrapping around the dangling Serpernvine like a vice. The momentum of her jump swinging her body forward as the sounds of plopping splashes broke the silence.


    Splashing water, loud skrees, and guttural growls played like a broken orchestra behind her as Wylla reached the top of her swing and released the Serpenvine soaring towards the other side of the pool.


    I think I can... I think I can... make it... Wylla''s wings flapped; Her body falling closer and closer to the edge of the pool.


    Ah! I don''t think I''m going to... make it! Wylla''s forward momentum came to an end, her body falling as a Swampweed Gator sprung up from beneath the water with a splash, jaws opened wide.


    ¡°AIEEK!¡± Wylla screamed, her feet running on air... the gator''s eyes lit up and its jaws seemed to smile. The thought of the tasty morsel falling into its toothy jaws made it so very, very happy.


    SNIFF... SNIFF A vile stench slammed into its nostrils at the end of its jaws. Its eyes watered and dimmed, And its jaws snapped shut! No way did it want such foul-smelling meat to enter its mouth!


    A split second later, Wylla''s foot came crashing down hard on the gator''s nose atop its jaws, grinding the stench into its nostrils she kicked off, jumping over the gator''s body and landing on dry land. (A mixture of laughter and applause streamed down from above.)


    The poor gator made strange crying-like sounds as Wylla, not wanting to stick around to see which side would win the fight taking place in the pool, took off leaving her pursuers behind as the leader of the Kavi Hunters glared on in frustration. It worked... I can''t believe it worked... I should be close now... just a little further... less than a football field... I think...


    Her cursed and bruised body ached all over. She glanced up at her bars as she pushed onwards; Her HP and Fatigue bars were sitting under 10% full, but her Oryn Energy bar had actually climbed up to around 25%. Wow... my regens really are sweet... without them, I would have lost my Butterfly form ages ago and this darn curse would have killed me by now.


    A very short while later, Wylla finally broke through the last of the Desparu Trees leafy curtains, smiling with relief at the sight of the beautiful flowery meadow! (ding)


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have completed the Surviving the Night quest. I''m so very proud of you Wylla. You have accomplished so much on your first day here in Havenscent Meadows. You deserve a nice cleansing bath, a light golden snack, and some much-needed sleep. ]


    ¡°Thanks, Anari...¡± Wylla pinched her nose closed as the wind reminded her of the stench clinging to the heel of her foot. Oh god, that smell really is very, very vile... I''m so lucky my body didn''t get covered in it! Wylla thought as she slowed her pace to a jog heading towards the Oryn Tree wanting very much to follow Anari''s advice but...


    ¡°Anari, won''t those Kavi Hunters and spidolls follow me here?¡±


    [ You''ll be safe from them by the Oryn Tree Wylla. The aura around the tree will keep you safe from beasties and baddies with such dark natures like holy ground repelling demons and the undead. ]


    ¡°Oh, that''s so very comforting to know... thanks Anari.¡±


    [You''re welcome Wylla. ]


    Storymask


    After a very long and eventful first day and night in Havenscent Meadows Wylla is looking forward to a bath, a bite to eat, and some much-needed sleep in Chapter 39: Fluffy Pillows


    Side Note: The following Wylla Illustration is a rough draft of the previous one but with the changes that will be made:

 Chapter 39: Fluffy Pillow

    Book 1, Volume 5


    Chapter 39


    Wylla''s mouth gulped air as her jogging steps dragged on the grassy ground every now and then. Her drooping eyes focused on the now silvery-blue leafed with smooth pale moon bark skinned tree ahead. Eh, seems I''m not the only one that changes colors with the day and night... ouch... Her pale face grimaced as the bloodrose curse pulsed, sending another round of cold prickly pain coursing through her right side causing her hand that was pinching her nose, blocking the stench attached to her heel, to squeeze a little tighter. Now that the dangers of the night were over and the adrenaline coursing through her body had faded away...


    ¡°Ow! I feel like I''ve been hit by truck-kun... don''t they think they made this game feel a little too real?¡± Wylla grumbled as the sounds of falling water guided her around the Oryn Tree. Falling down onto her knees Wylla looked into the magical water, cupped her hands, and drank.


    Mmm... cool and refreshing with hints of honey... so delicious. The water sent invigorating waves of energy down her throat, past her heart, and into the pit of her stomach. The inky Briar Bloodrose Curse tattooed onto her right arm and shoulder flared with icy blue moonlight for a breath and then burst into the air forming tiny dark blood hued bubbles of oryn energy which then faded away up into the night.


    A heavy sigh escaped Wylla''s lips. Finally... that curse really was the worst. Wylla quickly pinched her nose closed again as the wind gently blew. But this stench isn''t too far behind!


    Wylla rose to her feet, slightly swaying, and removed her clothes. Hope this works. She then dipped one foot into the pool of water, muscles tense and body shivering, her eyes opened wide. Brrrr... so cold but worth it if it gets rid of this smell... and all this dirt and dried mud. She put her other foot into the pool as small tingling goosebumps danced along her flesh, took a deep breath, then quickly sat down with a splash and laid back as the water covered her whole body.


    "COOOLLLLDDD!" Wylla shouted, teeth chattering.


    She quickly rubbed herself clean with bare hands, stood up, and shook her body dry as sparkling droplets flew off her small body. She stepped out of the pool, took a deep breath through her nose, and smiled as she started getting dressed when all of a sudden a strange loud sound called out.


    Looking down, her face reddened as she gently patted her tummy. ¡°I thought Anari said I didn''t have to eat while in the starter area,¡± Wylla said softly.


    [ That''s true Wylla. Nothing bad will happen to you if you ignore your body''s calling and don''t eat while in Havenscent Meadows. Still, your body has been through quite a lot and good food will aid in your recovery so the choice to eat or not is yours to make. :) But, I think that after all you''ve been through and accomplished today that you deserve to treat yourself to a little tasty comfort food. ]


    ¡°Thanks, Anari. Then I''ll eat... I''ll eat...¡± Wylla tilted her head, looking down while thinking when her eyes caught sight of something hidden in the Royal Spider Lotus bushes. ¡°That''s what I''ll eat.¡± Smiling, Wylla knelt in front of the thorny guards, stuck her hand into the flap of her traveler''s pack, pulled out a golden Oryn fruit, and pushed the pack back in place.


    Sitting, a crisp crunch broke the silence as Wylla chewed the fruit''s golden flesh. ¡°So good... ¡± (ding!)


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You completed the hidden Secrets of the Oryn Tree quest and have been rewarded with 10 mind stat points! Please use them wisely. I recommend getting some much-needed rest before assigning all those stat points you''ve earned tonight. ;) ]


    ¡°Mmm... I think you''re right Anari... thanks...¡± Wylla said stifling a yawn; Her eyelids closing as she took another bite of the Oryn fruit.


    This fruit is delicious. The juice is rich and refreshing with a honey mango taste. The outer flesh is crunchy yet the inner flesh is soft. A warmth spread throughout her bruised and battered body as her skin began to tingle, the cuts began to heal and the bruises began to fade as her body greatly relaxed, releasing the tension that was trapped within her muscles.


    She felt her body slowly falling back as her eyelids, weighed down by exhaustion, closed. A blink later she opened them to find herself standing in a strange forest hallway. The floor covered in soft silver-green grass, walls covered in flowery vines, and the ceiling was arched in leafy tree limbs.


    On the walls were monitors in carved wooden frames making them appear as moving paintings. Wylla walked a few feet forward to look at the first moving painting and noticed something very familiar; A little green-haired girl, naked as a jaybird, lying down on her back, arms at her side, golden honey eyes staring up into the foggy sky with a confused look on her cute little face.


    ¡°That''s... that''s me when I first came here.¡± Wylla muttered to herself.


    Wylla then walked up to the next moving painting a few yards down the fragrant hallway and stood there a moment to watch. This one starred the little green-haired girl picking up grass, a small purple and pink flower unknowingly in the mix, and then eating it with a big smile on her face.


    Wylla covered her reddening face with her hands as she peeked between her fingers as the small girl began singing and dancing and stumbling while chasing imaginary Mofus. The little girl ran and sang and danced until she suddenly stopped with a BOINK and an "Owie!"


    ¡°So embarrassing!¡± Wylla hurriedly ran up to the next picture. One in which the little girl was about to start her first battle against a group of cute fluffy Furbees. Not wanting to see anymore, Wylla stepped back, looked down the hallway seeing a long line of moving pictures; ¡°No, I''d rather not see any more embarrassing videos of myself.¡±


    She then turned her head looking behind her and saw that the path back in that direction ended in a darkness so deep it seemed that nothing existed within it. But before the darkness, there was one painting that attracted her attention, due to its bright glow.


    Wylla cautiously approached that painting that seemed to call to her, staying wary of the darkness and gazed upon the moving image within. Wylla tilted her head to the side as she slowly reached out with her hand to touch the moving painting.


    ¡°That place... that room... it looks so familiar.¡± The moment her hand touched the screen, the wooden frame holding the screen grew long sharp teeth, jumped off the wall, and fell upon her swallowing her whole as Wylla screamed.


    ¡°AIEEE!¡±


    BEEP BEEP BEEP


    Michael bolted upright in bed, heart-pounding, sweat upon his forehead, arms up guarding his head, and eyes jolting all about. Ah! Just a dream... thank god... it was just a dream. Michael thought as his thumping heart began to calm and he wiped the sweat from his forehead, then slapped his alarm clock off with a little more force than planned. The alarm clock skidded off the bedside table''s top and fell.


    KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK


    ¡°Don''t you dare hit that snooze button and go back to sleep Michael! We don''t want to be late for this little brother, so get up, wash up, and be ready to head out in 20 minutes,¡± Cara loudly said while standing outside his bedroom door.


    Michael breathed in and out deeply for a bit... was just a bad dream... streettchh... Time to get going, today''s the big day! and hopped off the bed.


    ¡°Alright... alright... I''m up.¡± Michael said as he grabbed the change of clothes he prepared last night and opened the door.


    He looked straight ahead, ¡°Eh... I could have sworn I heard my big sister huffing and puffing just outside my door a moment ago. Where ever did she go?¡± Michael said as his bright playful eyes looked left and right, his lips arched upwards at the corners. He then looked down, but something strange happened as his forehead creased, nose scrunched, and lips pursed.


    ¡°Hello... Cara? Where''d you go?¡± Michael said looking left and right down the empty hallway. ¡°Come on out... we don''t have time for games!¡±


    Silence, frowning Michael called out again ¡°Cara... Rori, Mom... Dad!¡± His voice echoing up and down the hallway, then fading away.


    ¡°Ugh! This isn''t funny. Now''s not the time for games.¡± Stepping out into the dimly lit hall, he turned his head, noticing his sister''s doors and the restroom door were closed. ¡°Did everyone leave without me? They wouldn''t have... would they?¡±


    Turning his head in the other direction What''s that... did they leave the back door to the garden open? Michael thought to himself while looking at the soft golden-green light coming up from the stairs leading down into the kitchen.


    ¡°Maybe they''re getting some snacks from the garden?¡± Michael headed towards the stairs, pausing his steps outside the restroom door as his ears caught the sound of running water. Good, they didn''t leave without me!


    ¡°Hey hurry up in there I need to get ready too!¡± Michael shouted.


    He stood outside the door, foot tapping on the floor. ¡°Hey, did you hear me? Or did you get too much water in your ears? I said hurry! I need to get ready too.¡± No response.


    ¡°Why aren''t you answering?¡± Michael called out, lifting his hand and knocked a little harder than he meant too. KNOCK KNOCK The door clicked open right before his third knock.


    ¡°About time...¡± Michael stopped speaking, noticing that there was no one standing behind the door. ¡°Did you not close the door right?¡± He asked looking towards the shower... and saw no one again. Nobody''s outline was standing behind the shower curtain. ¡°Did you all forget to turn off the shower? That''s wasting water...¡± He complained, moving to turn off the shower.


    Moving the curtain aside and reaching in, he turned off the shower getting his hands wet in the process. Turning, he moved to the towel lying atop the countertop. It would be nice if they''d clean up after themselves. Michael thought as he dried his hand while looking at the brushes, blow dryer, deodorant, hair spray, and makeup that were strewn about the sink top... but something is off... the labels are all...


    A flash of green on the corner of his sight derailed his train of thought as he looked up into the mirror. His eyes widened, standing there, in the other side of the mirror was not his reflection, but the image of a very cute little girl with beautiful hair in shades of green and bright golden honey eyes looking up at him.


    Dumbstruck, Michael closed and opened his eyes repeatedly. Nope, still there. He lifted his hand and waved as the little girl mimicked his movements. Staring at the little girl in disbelief, the little girl tilted her head and smiled at him while reaching out with her right hand, pointing at him.


    Wary, Michael stepped back, breathing heavily... This is the point in the movie where one should run. Turning, Michael stepped towards the open bathroom door, but the little mirror girl had other plans; Pointing at the door, she moved her hand as if closing something and the door shut.


    The little girl then mimed wiping, her hand moving up and down several times, and the doorknob disappeared. Michael''s eyes widened, he jumped as his back hit the wall with a thump.


    His heart started beating rapidly in his chest as he turned his head from the closed-door back to the little girl in the mirror. He lifted his arms and formed a cross with his shaking fingers as if warding off a vampire or evil spirit. The little girl giggled at the silly boy and said something that he couldn''t hear.


    Michael''s back pressed harder against the wall as the little girl pointed at him. She turned her hand around and then beckoned him forth with her finger. I don''t think so! Michael wanted to flee, but some force was keeping his body firmly in place. A half-second later he felt something unseen attach itself onto his chest and then pull him forward like a hooked fish fighting against the pull of the fisherman''s pole.


    With a POP sound, Michael felt himself become light as a feather as he was slowly pulled towards the beckoning finger of the little girl in the mirror. He wanted to break free from the pull but he was powerless as his arms stretched out of their own accord and... the moment he touched the little girl''s hand on the mirror''s surface he felt himself get sucked into her finger like a genie into its lamp.


    Wylla''s eyes flashed and her lips curled up as she looked into the mirror. Her head tilted as she looked at some giant, muddy haired boy standing still against the wall like a mannequin on the other side of the mirror.


    What a plain-looking mannequin... boy? She looked for a couple of more breathes, then jumped back as the mannequin boy suddenly jumped towards the mirror yelling words she couldn''t hear, pounding on the mirror.


    Wylla''s pulse quickened and her muscles tensed. She turned to her side and quickly opened the door, rushing out of the bathroom as her shoulder bumped into the doorframe, slamming the door closed behind her.


    Looking at the closed door one last time, she turned towards the stairs and walked towards the soft golden-green light. Looking down from the top of the staircase the Oryn energy flowed through her body as she switched to her Orchid Butterfly form.


    She jumped, gliding down the stairs, landing on the kitchen floor. Looking left, she spotted the door to the dining area That way looks closed off. Turning right she saw an oversized door leading into wonderful gardens; The golden-green stream of light and fragrant scents came pouring in through the open door.


    Guided by the warm light and inviting scents she stepped out of the door into a sea of flowers. The place looked like a melding of Havenscent Meadow and the Garden Lunchbox Shop''s gardens.


    Wylla felt overwhelmed by feelings of joy, warmth, longing... feelings coming not only from within her own body but from the various plants and trees around her. Lost in the euphoria of the moment, she walked aimlessly before coming out of her trance, finding herself standing in the middle of a grove with the Oryn Tree standing in front of her.


    Multi-colored Firefly Flowers of energy danced around her as the sounds of trees, water, of nature filled her Trinity; Unlocking an ancient ornate golden-green door in her mind which began to slowly open...


    KRRSSHH! BAM! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!


    A series of loud sounds broke her out of her meditative state as the sound of a closing door softly echoed in her mind. With a saddened heart, she looked up towards the Garden Lunchbox Shop from her seated position; Her eyes locked on the back door leading into the kitchen.


    It''s there she saw the giant mannequin boy staring at her... who is he? what does he want? ¡°Oh No You Don''t! Give Me Back My Body!¡± The boy shot towards her at an impossibly fast speed, jumping right at her, head first and arms outstretched...


    ¡°AAIIIIEEEE!¡±


    Michael screamed! Jolted upright, awakened from the dream. His heart pounding and breathing a bit ragged as he hugged something warm, round and fluffy close to his body... giving him comfort as the much too real dream faded away. (Brzzz) ¡°Huh, that sounds just like a...¡± Looking down Michael''s golden honey eyes opened wide, his small body tensed, and he yelped out loud as he panicked, tossing the purple and gold Furbee far up into the air.


    Princess Furbee was at one moment surrounded by a warm blanket of happiness as this odd sleeping creature with smooth skin limbs and fluffy furbee body hugged and fluffed her gently while sleeping. Yup, definitely an odd furbee creature thought Princess Furbee snuggling closer.


    The odd Furbee''s hair of purples matched her own fluffy body and that wonderful floral fragrance emitting from its body was so calming, gently perfuming the air, making her want to continue snuggling when all of a sudden, the little girl''s embrace tightened as she jolted upright into a sitting position with a scream... greatly confusing her.


    Princess Furbee tried to help calm the strange furbee whose heart could be felt and heard beating hard so she did what she always did to help calm her Furbee family and buzzed softly. Only to find herself being tossed away up into the air, cartwheeling head over feet, as the odd furbee yelped.


    Princess Furbee finally righted herself, turned to face the odd two-legged furbee only to find it nowhere in sight. She let out sad little buzzing calls as she bobbed to and fro in search of the odd fragrant furbee but not only could it not be spotted by sight, even its scent was too hard to follow as everything around her carried the odd Furbee''s smell.


    Michael, shocked into action by the Furbee Princess event, activated his camouflage ability, blending in with the grassy meadow and quickly made his way around the Oryn Tree trunk. Hidden from sight, he made a break for it, activating his Orchid Butterfly form, he ran towards the east where the Makai Forest lay waiting for him.


    Storymask


    Scared awake and in full flight mode, Michael finds himself heading straight into the Makai Forest as the sun begins to set and the moon shines down on Chapter 40: Spriggankin Night Parade

 Chapter 40: Spriggankin Night Parade

    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 40


    Michael soon found himself standing in front of the musical Makai Forest with his hands on his shapely hips and head slightly bowed taking deep calming breaths. Eyes glowing, he searched for dangers hidden amongst the whimsical trees and foliage before him.


    Memories of last night''s dream or rather nightmare were already breaking down into small shards and fading away from his mind. The songs of birds played as new memories (or were they old memories?) of his first day in Abrynth sprouted; Memories of his adventures in the Desparu Swamp Forest, of the very rewarding quests, and of his fight and flight from the Briar Bloodrose Witch came flooding back.


    Hmm, now that I''m Furbee free, it''s a good time to find a safe place and do the things that still need doing.


    Seeing no danger nearby, Michael stepped into the forest. His small feet felt the cool soft grasses against his skin as he made his way around fragrant flowers and leafy berry and nut shrubs that were growing between the various trees.


    Some of the trees had furry bark with big zebra-striped banana leaves the colors of ripe mangos. Some arched over like candy canes and were topped with leopard-spotted fan-shaped leaves of various tropical shades. And some were like Japanese Maple trees with thick velvety trunks, long snaking branches and colorful hand-sized leaves of greens, russets, and crimsons.


    ¡°It''s really strange and beautiful here like walking into the pages of a tropical island wonderland book. And this medley of scents... fruity, nutty and flowery,¡± Michael inhaled deeply. ¡°So rich and inviting. And just look at the fruits and nuts... Ah, I need to pick some to use my Healing Nectar spell on so I''ll be ready for what trouble may come this time... but first I need a spot to sit and go over my stats and... that''s right, the reward I got from the quest. Hope it''s something good.¡±


    Michael soon found a perfect spot; An old tree surrounded by some leafy berry and nut shrubs on three sides and whose furry scaled trunk bent horizontally for a bit before swirling up into the air like an eastern serpentine dragon flying into the sky provided a great spot to sit on.


    Hopping up onto the makeshift tree chair Michael made himself comfy and looked up, spotting the darkening sky between the leafy branches. ¡°Wow, it''s already twilight... I way overslept. I can''t remember the last time I''ve slept so long... what a way to waste the day away.¡±


    [ It couldn''t be helped Wylla. You had an extremely eventful first day and night here in Abrynth. You didn''t even get to sleep until after the witching hour, just mere hours before sunrise so it''s not surprising in the least that you overslept. Your body and mind really needed the rest and recovery. And now you can face what''s to come with a fresh body and mind. :) ]


    ¡°I guess you''re right Anari... if tonight is anything like last night, I''ll definitely need to be on the top of my game,¡± Michael said, rubbing his hands together as he got his thoughts in order. ¡°Now let''s see, I''d like to start with my status. First, let''s use the Mind stat points from the Oryn fruit. I''d like to increase the damage of my spells and I think my regen is in a good place right now so I''d like to put 4... no, make that 6 points into intellect, 2 points into wisdom, and the remaining 2 into focus.¡±


    [ Are you sure Wylla? Y/N ]


    ¡°Yes please.¡±


    [ Changes confirmed and implemented. ]


    ¡°Thanks, Anari. Now for the 6 points that I have leftover from Tiering up from 1 to 3... I really wanted to put some points into Faith and Will, since I think my Aura is fine, but after last night... It seems all my most powerful attacks are melee ones even though I''m built for spellcasting... if only my SnapDragon Kick and Royal Spider Lotus bite could also be range spells.¡± Michael clenched his hand into a fist and then sighed as he unclenched his fist.


    ¡°So be it, since this is how it is I''d like to put 2 points into Strength, Athletics, and Constitution Anari.¡±


    [ Are you sure Wylla? Y/N ]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [ Changes confirmed and implemented. ]


    ¡°Thanks, Anari. Well, that takes care of that task, now onto the next one. Anari, could you bring out the unopened reward I received for completing last night''s Set My Peopl...err... Spriggankin Free! Quest?¡±


    [ Will do Wylla. ]


    A blueish holographic light flashed in front of Michael''s eyes, momentarily blinding him as he felt something soft land on his laps. Grasping the item with both hands, his eyes cleared and he saw that he was holding a football-sized golden sack.


    He shifted the sack around, finding the opening, and stuck his hand inside pulling out a soft pair of evergreen mocassins with bloodrose designs as the golden sack dematerialized. He held them up to his eyes, a small groan escaping his pouty lips, ¡°Ugh... Why? Why did it have to be Charisma... why not intellect... or any other stat... would have been so much better... stupid RNG.¡±


    [ Bloodrose Mocassins are soft sturdy footwear made of plants that not only increases the wearer''s beauty but also increases their plant-based spell damage. +3 to Charisma, +2 to Plant-based Spell Damage. ]


    ¡°No choice but to take the good with the bad.¡± Michael dusted off his feet, slipped on his moccasins, and then hopped off his tree chair landing on the soft grassy ground by the berry shrub.


    [ Oh my, those look lovely on you Wylla! ;) I think your Livestream Diva aura has gone up! ]


    ¡°Umm... thanks, Anari,¡± Michael said. Then a certain memory from last night''s dream came slamming back into him, causing him to hide his reddening face behind his long soft purplish hair. ¡°Ah! Anari, about the Livestream videos... did they see me... when I was running around... without any clothes? And did they hear me... when I was talking about me changing into... into...¡± Michael said, nervously gesturing up and down at his body with shaking hands; Hoping that no one did... especially not his friends.


    [ No need to worry Wylla. Since you''re a minor, your channel is automatically edited to be family-friendly. What the viewers saw was the cute and adorable you in a beige oversized sleeveless tunic with a rope belt tied around your slim waist. As for all spoken information regarding your Earthly identity, that was muted by me so you have nothing to worry about. ]


    ¡°Thank you Anari! I feel much better now.¡± Michael said, taking a moment to pull himself together. Michael looked up into the sky again, noticing that night was nearly upon him. ¡°Guess I took longer than I thought. Well then, time to get moving... next up, picking some fruits to make some Healing Nectar.¡±


    Michael spent a short amount of time wandering, picking pink Yubi berries from the shrubs and a couple of pear-shaped, orange and lime-colored Pyngos from low hanging tree branches. Satisfied with his small harvest, Michael sat down on the soft grass and laid the fruit out on the ground in front of him.


    ¡°Okay, first up let''s try these sweet-scented Yubi berries.¡± Michael scooped up about a half dozen of the little pink berries, released the Oryn energy in his Trinity cores focusing on his cupped hands, and whispered, ¡°Healing Nectar.¡±


    A Golden-green blanket of light surrounded his hands as the pink berries he was cupping seemed to melt into a jelly-like substance that merged and moved about growing, reshaping, and then becoming firm.


    The light then faded away and sitting in the palms of his cupped hands was a golden-pink round plum-sized cup with no handles. The top of the fruit cup was covered by thin semi-translucent fruit skin like wax paper.


    Michael brought the Healing Nectar fruit up to his small button nose, sniffed, and smiled. ¡°Mmm, smells like cherry jam on buttery toast.¡±


    Using his finger, he poked a hole in the thin-skinned top as a burst of fragrance made his mouth water. Lightly tilting the Healing Nectar fruit, he looked inside at the creamy pink liquid within. No longer able to resist, he lifted the fruit cup and drank the creamy goodness within as warm tingling sensations spread throughout his body.


    Having finished all the yummy liquid within, he then bit into the fruit cup, finding it just as tasty as the creamy drink it once held, so he ate the whole thing. ¡°So good, and my body feels all warm and tingly. Next time that Witch won''t be the only one with healing potions.¡±


    Michael spent the next 10 minutes or so making 5 more Healing Nectar fruits but since he could only fit 3 of them into his belly pouch, he happily drank and ate the other two. As for the Pyngos, it took one hand-sized Pyngo to make one orange and lime-colored Healing Nectar fruit which tasted of sweet honeydew melon.


    ¡°Alright, all set, time to explore and see what else I can gather.¡± Michael then switched on his Orchid Butterfly form and Oryn Spirin Eyes and headed deeper into this beautiful forest.


    He had been traveling for about an hour, using his camouflage to hide from various small to medium-sized wildlife which were mostly of the cat, monkey, and feathery variety; All of which were cute, colorful, and fluffy especially the furry and feathery lynx-like Qwillyngs.


    Ah, there''s just so many cute and fluffy beasties in this starter area. I would love to take them home! With such cuties, I could open a fluffy petting zoo so everyone could enjoy their fluffy goodness... It would make a perfect addition to our family businesses. I''m sure they would bring even more people to our Garden Lunchbox Shop.


    Lost in fluffy thoughts, Michael continued filling his now bulging belly pouch until he couldn''t fit anything more. That''s when he heard the playful sounds of music over the sounds of singing birds and chirping bugs.


    Tilting his head, he honed in on the direction the music was coming from. Shifting into camouflage mode, he wended his way through a maze of leafy shrubs, vibrant flowers, and assorted trees guided by the music.


    So this is where they came from? Michael thought as he watched while hidden in the dark behind an oversized Yubi shrub just outside the festive sight.


    He now knew the Makai Forest was home to a large wonderous assortment of Spriggankin which were dancing and prancing around a large bonfire before him. His eyes glowed and his lips curled up as he studied them; From the short playful Lemkeys to the odd long flora coat wearing emo Kiirs to flamboyant feathery Felunes to the musical Lyrens to the spiky-haired Spilks to the caw cawing Talrics to big shaggy lumbering Ogens to small fluffy winged Ferrewls to the bandit eyed ''ottercoon'' Osils and such.


    Some spriggankin had long shaggy spiln fur, some short and velvety and the rest a mix in-between. Many grew various flora and/or branch-like horns atop their heads, as well as tails popping out here and there. And all were adorned with their own special flora or wooden mask or a mix of the two.


    Michael stayed hidden, watching as they danced and swayed around the big bonfire near the center of their lovely forest village as the festive music of wooden flutes, trunk-like drums, and some sort of stringed instrument filled the air along with dozens of tiny winged orbs of colorful glowing lights (which Michael''s Oryn Spirin Eyes identified as Faewisps).


    Michael''s hands lightly tapped on his thigh to the beat of the joyful music as his body swayed to and fro, lightly shaking the Yubi shrub. His face glowed and his full lips curled up as the music entered his heart. ¡°If only I could paint... I would capture this night on canvas... and call such a painting The Spriggankin Night Parade.¡±


    Michael''s eye wandered about the garden forest grove taking it all in, from the vibrant colorful flora to the pleasant inviting scents; It was a perfect blend of garden and forest with the spriggankin living harmoniously within.


    And their homes... their homes were as wonderful as they were whimsical; grown right out of trees.


    The treehouses, for that''s what they quite literally were, came in different heights, width, and types of trees depending on the Spriggankins living within with some doors being bigger and more oddly shaped compared to others. The exterior came in a variety of earth tone colors and was made of various types of bark skin from smooth to rough to scaled and other such patterns.


    The windows around the homes were also varied in size, shapes, and colors. They were adorned with wooden shutters and flowerboxes and seemed to be made of hardened sap giving them a translucent oil painting look. The rooftops were covered in giant leaves, some of which were zebra-striped or leopard-spotted or some other colorful pattern and shape depending on the tree.


    Michael was completely captivated by the charm and scents of the Tree Houses. ¡°I wish I could grow such beautiful homes like these... maybe someday...¡±


    ¡°Granted.¡± A very soft feminine voice whispered from the other side of the bonfire, lost in the music of the night parade.


    Michael was so captivated by the scene before him that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a small soft fluffy hand gently take hold of his hand and tug, bringing him out of his hiding place and pulling him towards the light of the bonfire. Looking down he saw a child-like rabbit masked Kiir girl leading him... she looked quite familiar.


    Michael was surprised by the little Kiir girl''s smile since she was wearing an off white colored wooden bunny mask. But as if by magic the mask did smile as the Kiir girl with big doe eyes continued guiding him forward to join the festival. How did she... I think it''s a she? Anyways how did she find me?


    Soon Michael found another cute spriggankin holding his other hand; This one an autumn-hued Ferrewl with a large lumbering fluffy bear masked Ogen with long fennec fox ears following closely from behind. The 3 spriggankin escorted her around to the other side of the bonfire and up to a large tree... that seemed to have a shrine facing them.


    It was then that Michael realized that these three spriggankin were the very same ones he set free from the Briar Bloodrose Witch''s cage. I''m glad to see they made it home Michael thought with a smile.


    Other spriggankin soon took note of the cute and wonderfully scented stranger in their midst. Some began to dance round Michael, others draped handcrafted necklaces around his neck, while some offered him food and drink. All happily welcomed this little stranger that smelled of gardens and forests into their midst as they lifted their hands to the shrine in a prayer of thanks to the Goddess of the Forests and Plants.


    Standing within the center of the floral shrine was a beautiful wooden sculpture of a robed woman surrounded by luminescent flowers and plants. The ornately robed woman seemed to glow even brighter as Michael stood swaying in time with the music nearby as the night parade marched on.


    Storymask


    Looks like Michael is enjoying his time with his newfound Spriggankin friends... but there''s someone very close by that would love to have a word or two with him. Coming Up Next Chapter 41: With Love from Above


    Side Note: The imagery of the Spriggankin Night Parade was inspired by the children''s story "Where the Wild Things Are" with a dash of Alice in Wonderland. Also, with he holidays coming this Thursday I may end up pushing the next chapter''s release back depending on how hectic things get here.

 Chapter 41: With Love from Above

    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 41


    Michael stood near the shrine, his three new spriggankin friends by his side, watching the cute parading spriggankin go by like a magical merry go round as his foot tapped on the grassy ground to the rhythm of the music.


    He enjoyed seeing their wonderful assortment of colorful clothing under the lights of the bonfire and luminescent flower bulbs hanging from evergreen vines which were strung above going from tree house to tree house circling the festivities like Christmas lights.


    A soft sigh escaped his lips as he pictured himself in a few of the outfits. His hand gently fiddling with the half dozen or so handcrafted necklaces around his neck which were made of colorful stone beads and various petrified-like flowers that still emitted subtle hints of their sweet scents.


    Off to the side, in the alcove of a rather large tree lit by silvery-blue luminescent bulbed flowers, the merry musicians played their musical instruments.


    Bringing his left hand back down from his necklaces Michael held a rather large oblong creamy beige skinned Kokinut. There was a long slim yellowish reed straw sticking out of the top. He took a quick sniff from the straw and finding the scent tasty proceeded to take a small cautious sip; His eyes became like crescent moons as the rich and creamy sweet liquid blanketed his tongue, then slid down his throat. It''s chocolate! Mmmm... So good. Smiling, Michael drank more deeply through the straw as his eyes began to glaze over, but then something caught his attention.


    Coming from behind him, off to the side, he felt a ripple of warm fragrant energy and caught a pulse of light out of the corner of his eye.


    Turning his head, he found himself looking at the shrine, straight at the masterfully crafted wooden sculpture of a divine woman in a beautiful floral dress whose aura was now getting warmer and brighter; Outshining the luminescent glow of the bulbed flowers draped around her within the wonderful 6 ft tall garden shrine.


    Michael''s head turned about, looking around him, puzzled Am I the only one seeing this?... Ah, it must be because of my Oryn Spirin Eyes. The aura of light flashed brighter still. Michael turned to face the shrine again, just as a beam of silvery-green light shot down from above capturing wooden statue in a spotlight.


    Looking up, Michael saw a human-shaped form of golden-green energy stream down within the spotlight, landing within the divine statue in a rippling pulse of light and wonderful scents. Michael turned his head to the side, snapping his eyes shut, and used his hands to rub away the sunspots dancing about behind his eyelids.


    Michael''s heartbeat a bit faster as he blindly shuffled about a bit on his feet. A warmth hit the front of his body; He stopped moving. ¡°Ah, that comforting fragrant warmth...¡± Michael whispered while hugging himself I must be near the front of the shrine. He stood still, basking in the shrine''s grace, taking a deep breath or two as the sunspots faded away and his sight returned.


    Yup, I was right... I''m right in front of the shrine. Michael felt a warm pull coming from the beautiful sculpture whose height reached his chest. He tilted his head, staring as a teardrop trickled down the statue''s cheek. The statue''s head moved, looking up at him as her lips curled up and eyes became watery crescents.


    Michael gasped taking a small step back as his hands dropped the now empty Kokinut onto the ground and grasped onto his shorty shorts. He felt something stirring within, blooming within his fast-beating heart. Not really understanding what he was doing, he found himself stepping forward, his hand outstretched as he reached out to brush away the tear...


    His hand reached out and just as his fingers brushed the statue''s cheek... FLASH! He found himself blinded by a brilliant silvery-green light. Once again snapping his eyes shut he reached up with his hand to rub his eyes clear but was blocked from doing so as a pair of silky slender arms wrap around his shoulders and pulled him into a heavenly embrace.


    ¡°GUYA!¡± Michael yelped as his heart fluttered in startled confusion. His eyes then glistened as they regained their sight. He inhaled deeply, noting that the perfumed air held a scent similar to his own, of gardens and forests. He tried looking up, wanting to see the face of the woman that was warmly, yet tightly embracing him, but couldn''t because the side of his face was pancaked onto her soft plentiful bosom. Ah, it''s a good thing my head was turned otherwise I''d be gasping for air.


    ¡°My sweet little Wylla, it''s so good to see you again.¡± The woman said in a soft silky soprano voice. Michael felt a bit empty inside as the woman stepped back, releasing him from that wonderful embrace.


    Now freed, he looked up and sucked in a quick breath of air; before him was an all-natural divinely beautiful young woman with long silky hair of shades of green carrying the scents of flowers and trees; He was completely unaware of the uncanny resemblance the two of them shared.


    He lowered and turned his head aside, covering his reddening face with his long silky silvery-blue hair. Holding the tips of his hair in his jittery hands he glanced around him What''s going on? Are we in some kind of enchanted sphere... like a snowglobe? He thought to himself noting the veil of ethereal energy surrounding the two of them as everyone outside seemed to be moving about at a faster pace than before. Did she do something to the flow of time in here?


    Smiling, the young Goddess Sylvenori lifted her moon hued hand to his chin and gently turned his head her way. ¡°My beautiful daughter I''m so glad you chose to be my first child. You''ve made me the happiest mother in the heavenly planes of Andelyn.¡± Huh!?! Chose to be her daughter... what is she talking about? I don''t remember choosing to be turned into a girl... or even to be her child. Michael thought to himself with brows furrowed and lips pursed.


    ¡°It is so good to see you up and about enjoying the festivities from these kindred spirits. You seem to be doing well, finding your way in this world. I''m so proud of how your facing and handling the challenges thrust upon you. And of the path your on my precious daughter.¡± Sylvenori said once again sweeping him up in a loving embrace.


    Michael''s pursed lips turned into a smile as a part of him became overjoyed at being called daughter once again by this seemingly divine woman. But the other part of him wanted to rebuke her words, to shout out ¡°You aren''t my Mother!¡±


    After all, this wasn''t real, it was just a game no matter how realistic it felt, and he already had a mother, a real mother out in the real world. Heck, this body isn''t even real, just an in-game avatar that I''m going to have fixed once I log out! But still, something inside him told him to keep his mouth closed, to treat kindness with kindness... as well as a voice in his heart telling him to not get on the bad side of another ¡°Goddess.¡±


    Plus, the way she looked at him, with love, joy, and tenderness filled him with warmth; He didn''t want to ruin this moment for her so what would it hurt if he just played along. Yup, they really did make this game much too realistic.


    ¡°I have a mission for you, sweetie. The fallen ones that have strayed from the path will be coming soon. The children here are ill-prepared for the danger ahead. They must learn not only how to defend themselves but that it is okay to do so. You must show them the way as your mortal father and sensei have shown you.¡±


    An image sprouted in his mind; of his father in the Garden Lunchbox kitchen telling him ¡°Treat others as you would have them treat you... okay? Kindness with kindness...¡± The image then shifted to that of his sensei in the dojo, lecturing the class ¡°Martial Arts are learned not because we want to fight but so we can protect that which we care for.¡±


    Sylvenori paused for a moment, tilting her head while looking up as if listening to someone. A sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes looked down, softening as they once again fell on Michael.


    ¡°I''d like to help them, to teach them... but I can''t speak their language,¡± Michael said.


    ¡°It is fine. I will give you the way but I must do so quickly for your Godmother needs my assistance nurturing the planet seed in your world.¡± Michael looked confused about what she had just said and was about to ask what that was all about when he found himself once again within her warm loving embrace.


    Michael looked up only to be met by a tender kiss to his forehead as the light once again flashed and a soft [ ding ] rang in his ear as her voice whispered to him ¡°Oh my special flower... fear not for things will work out for the better in the end. You just need a little faith. Ah! I really have to go, until we meet again, bye-bye my beautiful daughter.¡±


    The Goddess Sylvenori once again kissed him on the top of his head and then left, flying into the sky in a flash of light as the veil of energy surrounding him faded away.


    Michael shook his cloudy head lightly as if waking from a dream. He clasped his hands to his chest and sighed. His focus then shifted to the kiss... to the tingling sensation he felt in his head... as if something had entered his mind through that kiss.


    ¡°Show Status.¡± Michael''s eyes looked left and right, searching as his surroundings once again came to life with music and dance. He was so caught up in his search that he didn''t even notice how much lower the bonfire burned. ¡°Ah! That must be it. A new spell: Memory Rosebud Bulb.¡±


    [ Memory Rosebud Bulb allows the caster to create a crystal ball-sized Rosebud Bulb of energy and implant memories within. The Memory Rosebud Bulb will then float to a location of the caster''s choosing, allowing all who touch it to experience and understand the memory contained within. This spell makes teaching a snap but it only works in Havenscent Meadows. ]


    ¡°Yosh! This is perfect... let''s give it a try using the memories from earlier... Memory Rosebud Bulb!¡± The energy from his body flowed up into his mind weaving into the shape of a Rosebud Bulb. Michael called up the memories of his dad and his sensei''s teachings and pushed them into the outer petals of the spell flower as they entered with a soft plop.


    He felt cool tingling sensations as the Rosebud Bulb flowed down from his mind through his body, streaming out of his cupped hands reforming into a silvery-blue ethereal Memory Rosebud Bulb, gently floating in the air above his hands. He then gently tossed it into the air where it hung floating 4 feet above the grassy ground in front of the shrine.


    He smiled as he saw the images of his dad and sensei playing within. ¡°Yes. Looks like it worked.¡±


    Seeing the strange new beautiful Rosebud Bulb floating in the air, Michael''s new spriggankin friends approached it. The little bunny masked Kiir looked at Michael who smiled and nodded to her. Comforted by Michael''s encouragement, she turned her gaze back to the beautiful ethereal Rosebud Bulb, lift her small hand and gently touched it with her finger.


    A flash of light, quickly followed by a jolt of golden-green energy entered her finger causing her to hop back, startling her friend''s who also hopped back.


    The warm tingling golden-green energy traveled through her arm and into her mind where the memories within played like a movie in a theater; Allowing her to experience and more importantly, fully understand what was being said.


    A smile lit up her cute bunny masked face as she bounced up to the little Ferrewl, took its hand, and stretched it to touch the Rosebud Bulb as well.


    Seeing what was happening, the other spriggankin, driven by curiosity, soon began to line up, eagerly waiting for their turn to touch the Rosebud Bulb and learn the lesson contained within.


    Michael stepped further and further back, not wanting to get in the way of the line as a yawn escaped his mouth. He felt a small hand grasp his hand and tug him. Looking down, he was happy to see the bunny girl smiling at him as she beckoned him to follow her with her other hand.


    ¡°You want to show me something? Okay... lead the way.¡± Michael nodded to her.


    He followed the bunny girl through the crowd, along a short path, to a round comfy tree home. The bunny girl then opened the door and led him inside. The inside was wonderfully quaint and comfortable with sweet garden scents. The walls were adorned with flowers and colorful ivy and the room was lit with various soft moon hued luminescent bulbed plants.


    The furnishings were made of wood with soft flower and spiln cushions and large leafy throw blankets. Next, she showed Michael the bathroom; he was surprised to find a large wood framed mirror hanging over the sap hued sink.


    Michael''s eyes opened wide, his mouth partially opened, and he touched his face in awe, it was his first time seeing his reflection. She really did make me... pretty... quite a bit too pretty. Uh, I should have said I wanted to be better looking or handsome instead... then maybe... but no, its too late now... The bunny girl, unaware of what was going on in Michael''s mind, grabbed a little stepping stool and placed it behind Michael.


    She then grabbed her wooden comb and some hair scrunchies and set to work gathering Michael''s hair into a ponytail. ¡°My ears!?!¡± My ears are pointy... and layered like the petals of a Dahlia flower with the tips matching the color of my eyes. Michael reached up and gently touched the longer outer layer petal of his ear; the petal was silky smooth to the touch but he didn''t feel much sensation coming from them. He then touched the middle layer and did feel some sensations from the touch.


    ¡°KIYA!¡± Michael gasped, his face flushing red as much too pleasant sensations tingled down his body to below his belly. He quickly turned on the cold water in the sink and repeatedly splashed his face as the bunny girl held his hair away from the sink with her head tilted to the side.


    ¡°Ah! What were they thinking? That''s much too sensitive... Anari can you do something about that?¡± Michael asked as waterdrops fell into the sink.


    [ Not at the moment Wylla, but I''ll be sure to see what I can do to have it adjusted for you. ]


    ¡°Thanks, Anari. Please do.¡±


    In the meantime, it''s best if I keep my ears covered up and protected by my hair. Michael turned to face the bunny girl, smiling as he stopped her from further braiding his hair into a ponytail, then mimed to her that he was sleepy.


    Nodding, the bunny girl led Michael to the cute bedroom. Michael''s eyes landed on the full-sized bed; The bed frame and headboard were made of dark wood, the mattress of flowers and the blankets of large sewn leaves. There was also a wooden dresser and two small bedside tables in the room.


    The bunny girl pulled down the blanket from the bed and signaled for him to lay down. He slipped out of his shoes, undid his belly pouch buckle placing it on the bedside table, and laid down as his eyelids closed.


    ¡°Thank you bunny... zzz...¡±


    Storymask


    After a heartfelt meeting with his Divine Mother, Michael has been given a mission to fulfill and a village to train... coming up next Chapter 42: Getting Stronger


    Side Note: Wishing those celebrating today a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving... may your day be filled with tasty food (mmm... cheesecake...), great music, and loved ones.

 Chapter 42: Getting Stronger

    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 42


    The sunlight shone through the window lighting up the bedroom, the brightness slipping past Michael''s closed eyelids. ¡°Ugh¡± Michael squeezed his shut eyelids tighter, wanting to keep the light out but it was too late, ¡°M''kay... fine... time to get up.¡±


    He tried to lift his hands to rub the sleep from his eyes but only his left arm was free to move. He felt a warm comfy weight lying across his chest, the right side of his body, and his legs as something soft was pressed up against that side of his body, pinning his arm to his side.


    He opened his eyes, squinting as the light shone in, and blindly felt atop his chest with his left hand. He patted a soft slender arm that was draped across him, turning his head as his vision cleared and was welcomed by... cuteness; Laying next to him, using his shoulder and body like a pillow was the bunny girl with her bunny mask now shifted over to the side of her head allowing him to get a good look at her now maskless face.


    Her face was that of a little girl covered in velvety spiln fur the color of a full blue moon. She had a little bunny-like nose, a smattering of silky whiskers, and her cute mouth was slightly opened as she gently breathed. Her breath smelled of sweet flowers and berries. Her soft hair was dark as night, styled like Edward Scissorhands with thin flexible silvery twigs blended in.


    She was wearing a dark full-body nightgown. ¡°Aw... so cute,¡± Michael said as he lightly lifted his upper body and head to look down at his body, seeing the little bunny girl''s bent leg lying atop his own legs. ¡°I hate to wake you but there''s a lot to do in order to get ready for when trouble comes knocking so...¡±


    Michael gently shook the bunny girl while calling out ¡°Wake-y, wake-y...¡± The bunny girl''s doe eyes slowly opened as she lifted her head off Michael''s shoulder. Her vibrant rose pink eyes stared at him for a moment or two, then widened as she jumped off the bed.


    Turning her back towards Michael she began to fumble with her bunny mask as her nightgown magically transformed into her usual dark full-body coat.


    Bunny mask in place, she turned back towards Michael who smiled at her. ¡°Good morning... hmm... well I don''t quite know what to call you since I don''t know your name... or even your language,¡± Michael said as he slid his legs over the edge of the bed, lifted his body into a sitting position, stretched, and then looked down at the hardwood floor below, spotting his shoes.


    He fluffed his orange autumn-hued hair out making doubly sure to cover his ears. Satisfied, he hopped off the bed, slipped on his shoes, and grabbed his belly pouch off the bedside table. He turned to look at the bunny girl as he buckled his belly pouch. ¡°Well... the color of your clothes, hair, and face reminds me of the night so how about I call you... Lun...ori? Yeah, Lunori... what do you think?¡± Michael asked with a smile. ¡°Is it okay if I call you Lunori?¡±


    The bunny girl clapped her small hands while nodding her head up and down as ''tootle-tu'' sounds escaped her upturned lips. She quickly made her way around the bed and hugged Michael. Her bunny masked face came up to his nose, but her wooden ears and puffy hair reached over the top of his fluffy head.


    He gently patted her silky hair, lightly bending a few of the thin soft silvery branches interwoven within. ¡°Mmm... thank you Lunori,¡± Michael said as he stepped back after the hug. ¡°Well, we have much to do and I''m not sure how much time we have to do it in so what do you say we get started?¡±


    Lunori nodded with a ''toot-tootle-tu!'' and they made their way out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. It was only at this time that Michal noticed that the faucet on the sink was a flower with a curved cyan hued stem and a crystal blue petaled tulip head. It had long leaf handles on either side, one side for cold water and the other side for hot, and was powered by oryn energy which, according to Michael''s Oryn Spirin Eyes, flowed directly from the treehouse; The treehouse gathered energy from the ley lines in the ground and the atmospheric energy in the air outside.


    These treehouses are amazing. Michael washed his face with cool water and then stepped aside. Lunori handed him a soft spiln towel and then proceeded to wash her face as Michael dried himself. By the time Michael had finished drying his face, Lunori had already finished washing and drying her own face.


    She then pulled open the mirror, revealing a built-in wooden cabinet, and grabbed a bottle that seemed to be made of hardened sap and leaves. She removed the wooden cork as a scent of honey and mint lightly perfumed the air; She took a swig and passed the bottle to Michael as she swished the liquid about in her mouth for about 10 seconds before drinking it.


    Well, when in Rome... Michael took a swig and found the taste quite to his liking as he handed the bottle back. Finished, they went into the kitchen where Michael sat on a flowery padded wooden stool at the kitchen island watching as Lunori cooked them a small fragrant breakfast of two slices of meaty mushrooms with a sunnyside up blue egg atop a stove that used Sunfire flowers as burners. Ah! Those flowery burners look a lot like the King Protea flowers I''ve seen online... if only these Sunfire flowers truly existed in our world. I bet the number of kitchen fires would go way down.


    Lunori lifted the cooking pan and put the cooked food on two small flowery plates, pushing one of the plates in front of Michael along with a wooden thorn-tipped fork. She then opened the Earth Flora Fridge that was cooled on the inside with icy blue Wynbella flowers and took out two Kokinuts.


    Michael''s eyes lit up as soon as he saw the chocolatey drink headed his way. Well, I wasn''t planning on eating since I don''t really need to here but it would be rude of me to refuse... so... Michael wiped a small dribble of drool from the corner of his small upturned mouth with the back of his hand.


    ''Tootle-lee-lu,'' Lunori whistled lifting her fork towards Michael and then started digging in. This looks and smells much too tasty to pass up. Michael took a bite of a slice of mushroom Mmm, tastes lightly of smoked ham... and so tender. Now to see what the blue egg tastes like... Michael broke open the light blue egg yolk, dipped a piece of mushroom into the creamy liquid making sure to get some egg onto the fork as well, and put it in his mouth. Oh wow... the egg tastes like sweet cream cheese... mmm... so good together...


    Lunori was happy to see Michael''s smiling face as he ate all the food on his plate and then drank his Kokinut.


    ¡°Thank you Lunori!¡± Michael said as he got up off the stool.


    Lunori nodded with a ''Tootle-tu'' and took the dishes to the deep sink, turned on the flowery faucet, and proceeded to wash the dishes while Michael made his way over to the living room. He stood before the bay window looking out into the village thinking about the task ahead.


    ¡°Anari, I have a question about getting stronger... well about training and its effects on stats.¡±


    [ Yes, go ahead Wylla. ]


    ¡°Well, this world seems so... real. It has me wondering... in our world if we want to get stronger we''d work out at the gym or some other place and increase our strength... so I wanted to know if doing such training here would raise our stats?¡±


    [ That would only work for those who haven''t reached the max stats for their species/race. For example, the max strength, athletic, and constitution stats for elite human athletes in your world is 8 across the board. Once you have reached 8 stat points in each attribute you won''t be able to increase it through training.


    To break this limit, you would then need to Tier Up. You can also use magical items or eat certain foods or drink alchemic potions or cast support spells and such to raise stats; Most of these only increase your stats while wearing them while most foods, spells, potions, and such provide temporary buffs. Still, there are some rare foods or one-time use items and such that do provide permanent stat increases like those you received from the Oryn Tree. But good luck finding more of them. ]


    ¡°Hmm... if that''s the case then what''s the point of training?¡±


    [ If one doesn''t train then when a situation arises one won''t be able to act. Think of it this way, what''s your favorite sport? ]


    ¡°Martial Arts competitions.¡±


    [ Okay. Say you have two martial artists in a bout. They are the same in every way physically but one trains every day and spars while the other lounges around and plays games. Who do you think will win the bout? ]


    ¡°I think I understand now... Thanks, Anari.¡±


    [ You''re welcome Wylla :) ]


    Michael felt Lunori by his side as she took his hand looking at him. He smiled and nodded; ¡°Okay, looks like it''s time, can you lead the way Lunori?¡±


    ''Tootle-tu!'' Smiling and with a spring in her step, Lunori led Michael to the main courtyard which was now clear of the bonfire and was buzzing with activity as over 4 dozen spriggankin awaited his arrival.


    Lunori led Michael over to stand at the edge of the crowded courtyard in front of the shrine. From the crowd stepped forward two spriggankin, the cute little autumn-hued Ferrewl and the large shaggy Ogen whom Michael had rescued from the Witch''s cage.


    The big lumbering Ogen gently patted Michael on the head and then moved to stand behind him as the cute fluffy Ferrewl wrapped his waist in a hug while making soft rolling cooing sounds. Lunori raised her hand and ''Tootle-lu-lu'' as all the spriggankin quieted down and shuffled about allowing the shorter spriggankin to stand in front with the tallest Ogens standing in the back.


    Freed from the Ferrewl''s hug Michael faced towards the fluffy assortment of spriggankins and spoke ¡°Hmmm... I''m not sure if you''ll understand me or not but my name is Mich... (No... if I use my real name my family and friends might watch this on the Livestream so...) ... err... Wylla. I was given a mission by,¡± Michael turned to the side, gesturing with his hand towards the beautiful statue in the shrine ¡°the Goddess Sylvenori. She said a great danger will soon be coming and asked me to help you prepare for it. To train you so that you''ll be able to protect yourselves and your loved ones.¡±


    The crowd made a musical calliope of sounds and chirps as they nodded their heads towards one another and then back towards Michael. Well... it seems they understood what I said in one way or another so that''s good. Smiling, Michael continued.


    ¡°Each morning and each afternoon I will place lessons here to learn within the spell flower taught to me by the Goddess. Please work together in small groups to learn the lessons contained within and be sure to give one another space to practice so that you don''t accidentally hurt each other.


    Since I''m not sure how much time we have before the danger arrives I''ve decided that the morning lessons will be focused on defense, the afternoon on offense, and then later we''ll add sparing so... the first day''s morning lesson will be stances and footwork. And the afternoon will be basic kicks, punches, eyes and throat strikes.¡±


    Michael then closed his eyes as the energy within him flowed into his mind taking the shape of a Rosebud. He then recalled lessons from his sensei showing him stances and footwork; He pushed those memories into the Memory Rosebud Bulb but felt he was missing something... Ah, there''s also magic here so maybe if I also share my Orchid Butterfly Steps memories they''ll be able to learn it or use my memory to make their own type of steps spell? Well, couldn''t hurt to try...


    Nodding, he recalled the feel and movement of the energy within him when first cast the spell and transformed into his Butterfly form and pushed them into the bulging Rosebud bulb. Satisfied, the energy flowed from his mind through his body down his arms and out into the air through his cupped hands.


    Michael''s face was lit up from the crystal ball-sized Memory Rosebud Bulb that floated above his cupped hands as he looked over the crowd of eager faces. Hmm... there''s so many of them... I think I have enough energy to make a couple more...


    A few moments later, 3 ethereal spell flowers were floating 3 feet above the ground in front of the shrine. ¡°Okay everyone, please line up in one of three lines and take turns touching the Rosebud Bulbs. Once you have learned the lessons contained within form groups and find a place where you can practice for a couple of hours. Then rest and return here refreshed this afternoon.¡±


    Michael, now low on Oryn energy, stepped back to stand beside the shrine as the smiling and chatting spriggankin formed lines and proceeded to follow his directions.


    Just as Michael was about to wander about to watch the various groups practicing, a very old looking spriggankin in dark feathery forest hued robes and a gnarled Nightwood Staff in hand approached him. Her black and gray spiln hair was long, flowing down her hunched back, and had little Starlyng flowers growing within. Her face was covered with a raven mask as she looked at Michael with her bright silver eyes.


    She smiled and gestured for him to follow. Curious, Michael nodded and hurried to her side as she led him to the edge of the village where 3 young spriggankin were each standing before a tree of their own.


    The old raven chirped and all 3 spriggankin turned their way and immediately bowed their heads in reverence. The old raven tapped the staff on the soft ground with a few thwumps and chirped some more words as all 3 spriggankin nodded their heads with smiles.


    The thin dark Talric spriggankin then walked towards Michael, held out his clawed hand, and gave him a gentle nod. Well, I''m not sure what this is all about but only one way to find out. Michael then took the Talric''s hand.


    Storymask


    Looks like the training of the spriggankin is now underway and an old raven spriggankin has set her eyes on Michael. Coming up next Chapter 43: Behind the Green Door


    Side Note: Sorry for being a day late but I was awfully busy having a great time with family and friends this past week. From here on out, until the end of the year, things will be a little off schedule but I''ll still do my best to release at least 2 chapters per week... just the days of release will shift depending on real-life errands and events.


    As for the next chapter, there will be some small time jumps while the Spriggankins and Michael both undergo their training before the big rematch with the Witch next week.

 Chapter 43: Behind the Green Door part 1

    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 43


    Michael stood in front of the young majestic Syldrake Tree, reflecting; It''s been 7 days and one night since I first arrived in this wonderful village and received my mission. They''ve learned so much thanks to their hard work and the Memory Rosebud Bulb spell that I was given... without it, I just don''t know how long it would have taken them to reach this point. It looks like they''re now ready to face them.


    But they''re not the only ones that have learned, thanks to that old raven spriggankin I''ve also learned so much... like how energy flows within plants and trees, how they use that energy to do things like heating a pan or cooling the air or pouring water, and how they seek and absorb energy from the ley lines in the ground and gather it from the very air around us.


    Michael''s daily schedule for the past few days was rich and full. Every morning he would wake and get ready to start the day with Lunori. They would then visit the courtyard where he would create the mornings'' defensive lessons for his students (for that is what he thought of them as).


    After placing the Memory Rosebud Bulbs in the air he would leave with the old raven spriggankin to the edge of the village where he would learn about trees and plants; Learning how to grow, mold and manipulate them. Afterward, he would rest for an hour or so to regenerate his Oryn energy and fatigue bars.


    He would then head to the courtyard and create the afternoon''s offensive lessons. After placing the lessons in the air he would once again follow the old raven to the edge of the village where he would try his best to learn simple daily use spells along with another group of young spriggankin. And while the spells were basic fundamental beginner spells, that didn''t mean they were easy to learn, especially with the language barrier.


    Still, he did his best to understand and learn what was being shown and taught. The method of teaching him was the same as that first day, when that dark Talric had taken his hands and pressed them up against the tree, fingers spread apart. The dark Talric then pressed its hands over Michael''s, placing its clawed fingers between his so they could both touch the tree. And then the dark Talric sent its energy into the tips of Michael''s fingers, gathering a small bit of Michael''s energy, and then guided that energy within the tree.


    Together, Michael''s and the Talric''s energy spread throughout the tree and into the ground touching the ley line and then back up giving him insight into how the tree gathered and used the energy around it.


    Once the dark Talric ran out of energy for that session, another young spriggankin would then take his hand and repeat the process. He would do this 3 times per morning lessons increasing his understanding of the trees.


    On the fourth day, Michael introduced weapons in his lessons; He chose staves for the taller spriggankin, rods for the mid-height spriggankin, and for the smaller Ossils and Ferrewls he chose thorn daggers and slingshots.


    At first, he thought he had done something wrong since after touching the Rosebud Bulb the spriggankin would go off on their own into the forest. But after a short while later, they came back to the courtyard with their chosen wooden weapon in hand. It was then Michael realized the reason they had left in the beginning and he was very happy to see that they could make their own weapons.


    He also added in the idea of adding thorns to the weapons and shared his Seed Burst and SnapDragon kick spells.


    He did so because after sharing his Butterfly steps spell, quite a few of the spriggankin were now able to sprout their own types of magical wings from their backs during training, wings that matched their masks. The others that didn''t grow wings still seemed to develop their own type of ''steps'' spell reminding him of the movements made by forest animals and critters.


    Maybe their masks have some type of influence over the spells they learn? Either way, I should share the other spells too. Michael thought at the time. After all, he now had good reason to believe that a few, if not more, would be able to learn their own variation of these spells as well. Which would be a big aid in the battle ahead.


    As for Michael''s magic lessons, they had progressed to the next stage; The spriggankins guided his energy, showing him how they slowly molded and shaped the trees into rooms while strengthening the walls and how they created pathways for the energies to flow like the wirings of a house. A process that would take months to complete for a simple home.


    A home that spriggankin would then move into, signaling their entry into adulthood. They would then spend years adding to their treehouses making them bigger, roomier, and more comfortable as their homes further took on the characteristics of its maker.


    On the sixth day, Michael introduced sparring into evening training. And foreseeing the possibility of injuries, he made plenty of Healing Nectar as well as shared how he made it in a Rosebud Bulb.


    It was also on the sixth day that Michael was led to a grove of trees just outside the village. The old raven, through a series of gestures, asked Michael to choose a tree. There was a good variety of trees to choose from, and while the Kokinut tree did capture his eye, or rather tummy, for a moment, it was a young spiraling serpentine tree with velvety scales that connected with his heart. His eyes glowed as the infobox popped up:


    [ The Syldrake Tree is a tall, strong tree that spirals up from the ground to the sky like a serpentine dragon. Its sylven draic scales are covered in a soft spiln fur giving it a soft touch belying the hardness beneath. Myth has it that when a Syldrake tree taps into a large ley line overflowing with life energy, it gains the rare chance of coming to life, transforming into a true majestic Syldrake becoming a warden of the forest which birthed it. ]


    Wow, what a wonderful myth... this is the one... the tree I''d like to make my home. Ever since he was young Michael loved dragons. And growing up he grew to love the garden and trees in the backyard of their home so it should come as no surprise that the tree which combined his two loves would be the tree to capture his heart.


    Michael walked up to the Syldrake tree and placed his palms on the cool velvety scales. He felt small vibrations of energy circulating within, flowing from the roots to the trunk and up into the small green canopy above. A light welcoming honey musk scented the air.


    Smiling, he summoned forth his own oryn energy as his trinity cores responded, sending streams of energy through his body to his arms and out the palms of his hands into the serpentine trunk where the two energies collided with one another like raging waves on a stormy night out at sea.


    Michael''s brows scrunched and his muscles tensed as he pushed his palms harder onto the tree, not wanting to lose contact with the clashing energies within the tree. Sweat trickled down from his forehead as the energies began to merge with one another with each collision, slowly calming the turbulent waters, becoming one.


    Michael breathed a sigh of relief as he gained control of the energies and directed the flow towards the roots, guiding their growth towards the ley line below.


    The roots snaked down towards the ley line, connecting as more energy then came rushing up the tree! Michael''s fingers whitened as they pressed hard into the scaly trunk; His small arm muscles twitched as he struggled to maintain contact with the tree. Gritting his teeth, he battled to control the new energy streams guiding them into the cells of the trunk, beginning to shape and hollow out the rooms that he had envisioned in his mind.


    His breathing became rapid and haggard as the last of his energy left his body causing him to collapse onto the soft ground. Ah, I''m completely spent... but still... I know I made a connection... A smile emerged on Michael''s tired face as he closed his eyes to rest for a while. [ding!]


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have learned the advanced spell: Sylvanic Creation: Tree House. And earned the titles: Happy Little Homemaker and Tree Whisperer. Yay! ]


    ¡°Yes! I''m so happy... thanks, Anari.¡± Now I just need to make sure I take some Syldrake seeds or maybe a sapling with me so I can grow my home when I leave this area. Ah! I got so caught up in my mission... and my desire to make my own Tree House that I forgot about my goal. Michael moved his upper body up off the ground and got into a lotus sitting position as he leaned his back against the Syldrake tree with his hands on his laps.


    Resting, he tilted his head while looking down as his shades of green hair partially covered his face. It seemed that over the course of the week his hair had gone through all the main colors and now settled to what he could only think of as his true color: shades of green. But still, he found that with a simple thought and a flow of energy he could change it to any color he desired... which he credited to his camouflage skill.


    As for his current dilemma; Hmm... I wonder, will I still be able to keep my spells once I change my race and gender?... It''ll be so disappointing if I can''t... Michael sighed. Oh well, no point worrying about it for now... I''ll just take them with me when the time for me to leave comes and hope for the best... fingers crossed.


    That evening, the sound of a rattling door grew louder in his mind.


    Storymask


    Looks like Michael has been very busy (and quite productive) this past week and is ready to see what lies Behind the Green Door.

 Chapter 44: Behind the Green Door part 2

    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 44


    That evening, the sound of a rattling door grew louder in his mind. Michael made his way to the shrine where Lunori, the Ferrewl, the Ogen, and the Old Raven were standing in wait. Michael felt that his magic was on the verge of a breakthrough, that the oversized arched green door in his mind held secrets to his... growth. And something in his heart was whispering, urging him to return to the Oryn Tree.


    Michael looked at the group of spriggankin who were looking upon him as they would one of their own. The sight warmed his heart. ¡°I need to return to the Oryn Tree to... meditate. I feel that if I go there I will... unlock and open the green door that I keep seeing in my mind. There''s something there waiting for me on the other side. I will return once I have opened it and join you once again.¡± The spriggankin nodded their heads up and down and made various sounds of encouragement.


    Michael was about to turn and leave before it became night but stopped for a moment. ¡°Before for I go,¡± he created another series of Memory Rosebud Bulbs; These held his memories of his night at the Briar Bloodrose Witch''s courtyard, of the Lemkey being transformed into a Rosebud Ganglyrot, of the Garlime with the Ogen wooden mask, of the Sun Serpris falling under the Witch''s blow, and of his battles with the Kavi, Spidolls, and Witch. ¡°These lessons should help everyone to understand what they''ll be facing. I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡±


    And with that, Michael left the village and began to make his way through the Makai Forest to the Oryn Tree.


    ¡°Anari, there''s somethings I''ve been curious about... that I''ve been meaning to ask you about but with how busy the week was it kept slipping from my mind,¡± Michael said with his brows furrowed and head slightly tilted.


    [ Yes, go on Wylla. I''ll answer what I can. ]


    ¡°Well, I was wondering why the spriggankin are able to understand me when I talk because I don''t understand them when they ''talk''... so is it a type of skill or spell?¡±


    [ Oh that, it''s because spriggankins are spirits of plants and forests incarnate that worship Sylvenori, the Goddess of Plants and Forests; And since you''re her daughter it''s only natural that they''d understand the intentions of your words. Furthermore, given time, you will also come to understand them. ]


    ¡°Oh, I''d like that... to be able to chat with Lunori, the old raven, and the rest... that would be fun. Plus, I bet there''s still a lot more I could learn from them. Thanks, Anari.¡±


    [ You''re Welcome Wylla :) ]


    ¡°The other thing I''ve been wondering about... is their magic. Why don''t they use magic to fight back against the Kavi and such?¡± Michael asked as he neared the edge of the forest seeing the Oryn Tree meadow through the trees.


    [ That''s because they''re peaceful by nature and have been able to live in harmony within their forest so they''re magic developed along the path of growth, creation, and simple daily use that I believe your mangas would call life magic. But thanks to you they can now also use magic to defend and attack if need be. Their bullies will soon learn that the sheep have grown claws and fangs. ]


    ¡°We also need to thank Syl..umm... the Goddess Sylvenori (even if she''s just an NPC... or maybe she''s like sensei, an actual person hired to play a role?... either way...). Without that Memory Rosebud Bulb spell, I don''t know if I could have ever taught the lessons they have learned.¡±


    [ Indeed. That really is a very useful spell she gave you. I''m sure she''ll be overjoyed to know how much you appreciate her gift. ]


    Michael looked up into the east seeing the sun sinking below the treeline as he neared the Oryn Tree. He made his way to the pool, finding the sounds of the falling water calming. This is the spot. He thought as he looked up into the sky.


    Michael sat in a lotus position, back straight and hands on his thighs, facing the flowery green meadow. Their sweet scents lingered in the air as night came down upon Havenscent Meadow. The full moon shone down painting the world soft shades of pale blues. Even the vibrant green grasses of the meadow were washed in layers of soft pale blue tones.


    Michael was captivated by the shifting sight before him. He lightly shivered as he felt the magical night begin to dance upon his trinity; His eyes felt tingly as they shifted to silver with hints of green as the cool night wind kissed his now pale moon skin.


    His soft silky hair draped down over his right shoulder, partially covering his chest, changing to shades of silvery-green.


    The whole process of changing from his sun form to his moon form was bliss, leaving him in a bit of a daze as night flora began to sprout up from the sea of grasses like miniature long-neck dinosaurs.


    The Tulipkin flowers opened their bulbs of silvery blues, purples, pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows revealing and releasing small fireflies of colorful light into the night air along with sweet scents. Simply magical.


    The colorful fireflies then flitted about the meadow gathering sustenance from the magical flowers. Michael''s mind began to wander to his battles and his magic spells as his lunar eyes unconsciously followed the colorful Nightflora Fireflies.


    He thought about all the times his spells had missed their targets... If only... If only they could... Something was stirring within him... within his trinity like an artist on the verge of birthing a new work of art.


    Inspired by the magical scene of the moonlit meadow, his eyes fluttered to and fro as his hand traced the firefly trails in the cool night air. If only they could... move like fireflies, to sprout wings and chase my foes and... somehow slow them with something... to pierce on impact hurting them like... like the darts from those Kavi hunters. The image of the Kavi hunter''s dart piercing and poisoning him as he ran away flashed in his mind.  Releasing something to slow them like a poisonous shot injecting them with... ... what?


    Michael''s eyes kept flitting about, not noticing that he was now standing with the wand in hand pointed at the night air as his body hummed with Oryn energy. Something that will slow them.. that will pierce... injects... burst out of the seed and cover them... making it hard to move like... sticky. Something sticky that will slow them...


    Michael unconsciously stuck his small rose-pink tongue out licking his full lips recalling the scent of honey and mint. Something tasty... something... His eyes stared at his free hand that was now in front of him making gestures with his fingers as if they were somehow stuck together. That''s it! Oryn Tree sap! If I could put all of that together into my spell I''ll have a better chance against my foes, especially the faster ones... like the spidolls.


    The energy churning within him was now reaching its climax, seeking form and release as his mind''s eye recalled the fast-moving Spidolls; He traced the imaginary foe with his wand, his lunar eyes glowing, as the old raven''s training guided him. He spoke out the words that sprouted in his very being into the night air, ¡°Firefly Seedsap Dart!¡±


    In the flash of an eye, the Royal Spider Lotus flower on the tip of his wand created a small glowing magic circle with its tendrils; The spidery flower then spat out a seed which passed through the small magic circle causing the seed to transform; a thin pointy needle grew out of the seed''s front as its body became plumper, three pairs of thin short evergreen vines sprouted from underneath its now plump body and two pairs of ethereal wings unfurled as the new spell zipped through the night air towards its imaginary target.


    [ ding! ]


    Michael stood there gazing at his wand in silent amazement.


    [ Yay! You did it Wylla! You created a new spell! Congratulations! And gained a new title: Nightflora Spellcrafter ]


    ¡°Thanks, Anari but... how did I do that?¡± Michael asked in bewilderment.


    [ The answer to that question lies in the intelligent, insightful, well thought out guide you received in the mailbox when you were first starting. Remember what it said about how new skills and spells could be learned? ]


    ¡°Hmmm... let''s see... I could learn through...¡± Michael paused while taking his guide out of his holographic mailbox and quickly scanning it, ¡°Ah there it is, I could learn through real-world knowledge to scrolls and grimoires to entering states of enlightenment to learning from others...¡±


    [ And there''s your answer: Entering States of Enlightenment. Thanks to your wisdom (and getting struck by inspiration) you were able to enter such a state of enlightenment to birth a new spell: Firefly Seedsap Dart! Yay! ]


    ¡°That''s wonderful!¡± Michael said as his cute face glowed with a deep sense of accomplishment. ¡°Show Status!¡±


    His status screen lit up and he quickly searched out the new spell. There it is... now to read the details.


    [ Firefly Seedsap Dart: Creates a winged Firefly Seedsap Dart which flies towards the target. Upon impact, the Firefly Seedsap''s needle will pierce the target, injecting it with some of its golden-green sap before bursting causing the target to slow by 15% for 10 seconds. Current Damage Strength: 1 to 2 points of damage. All crits increase the strength of the slow by 50%. Cost to Use Skill: 3 Oryn Energy Power ]


    ¡°Yes! Now I can slow my foes down when I need to... sure would''ve been nice to have this when I was being chased by those spidolls and Kavi hunters. Oh well, better late than never... now if I can get a big-hitting spell to match that Witch''s Miasma Rosebud Bolt... one that''s not meleeing like my SnapDragon Kick... If only...¡± Michael''s voice began to trail off as he once again sat in a lotus position. Picking a nearby Dreamnisca flower and fiddling with it in his small hand as he began to think. SnapDragon Kick... such a good spell... If only...


    One had to know that entering states of enlightenment was a rare and fortuitous event so if people were to see Michael entering not only one but back to back states of enlightenment they would turn green with envy. But that''s what was happening on this very magical night for Michael.


    If only the illusionary SnapDragon wasn''t bound to my kicks... but could be set free... Michael thought as he absentmindedly placed the Dreamnisca flower in his mouth as if it was a lollipop. A sweet burst of cotton candy flavor washed over his tongue. If only the illusionary SnapDragon could fly like a real one... then wouldn''t that make it a powerful range attack?


    Michael''s lunar eyes glazed over as ghostly purple and pink striped SnapDragons began dancing and bolting about in the night. Oryn energy rose within his trinity, rushing here and there within him like a river flooding over, as he stood swaying, tracing the streaking SnapDragons with his wand.


    Pretty! Pretty SnapDragons like that... that flower... that dream flower. Side to side he swayed as his wand moved like a drunken orchestra conductor''s baton at an outdoor midsummer night concert.


    ¡°So pretty! Dancing and bolting, bolting and streaking. Come, come my pretties! Come enter my wand... my pretty little dream...¡± The magic within him was reaching a crescendo, splashing within his body, flowing into his arm seeking form and release as his eyes glowed and mind called out:


    ¡°Dreamnisca Snapdragon Bolt!¡±


    All that pent up energy quickly flooded into his wand as the Royal Spider Lotus'' tendril legs once again created a magic circle, slightly larger than before, in the night air. A softball-sized bolt of oryn energy then shot out of the spidery flower into the magic circle coming out of the other side as an ethereal Dreamnisca SnapDragon bolting at high speed towards the night sky like fireworks. [ding!]


    ¡°Simply Magical,¡± Michael whispered as he fell back onto the soft grassy ground, eyelids closing, and a smile on his cute happy face.


    [ Yes you are Wylla! After giving birth to not one but two new spells you deserve a good night''s sleep. Nighty night and sweet dreams Wylla. ]


    Dreamnisca SnapDragon Bolt: A softball-sized bolt of oryn energy is fired through a magic circle transforming into an illusionary Dreamnisca SnapDragon which streaks toward the target at high speed causing plant magic damage and Dreamnisca poisoning upon impact. Targets inflicted with the Dreamnisca poison will be trapped within their dream-like hallucinations for 5 seconds causing them to act erratically. Current Damage Strength: 4 to 6 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage. Cost to Use Skill: 5 Oryn Energy Power


    Michael closed his eyes, softy breathing in and out rhythmically. The sounds of the world around him faded away, his body became light, and he felt himself get pulled up.


    He opened his golden eyes and found himself within a lush fragrant garden grove once again before that oversized arched green door. The door had changed so much over the past week gaining new growths and details.


    So enchanting... feels like I''m looking at a living painting. Evergreen serpenvines adorned with colorful flowers and bloodthorns grew all around the edges of the door. A big Oryn Tree with a small pool of water sprung up from the ground in the bottom center of the door. The Oryn Tree was different now, for this one had Syldrake scales and its trunk spiraled up into the air where a bright Sunfire Flower hung like a sun shedding light on the right half of the door while a cool Wynbella Flower moon with tiny Starlyng flowers blanketed the left side in soft pale blue light.


    Michael walked up to the big door and sat in a lotus position as it shook and rattled, wanting to burst open now more than ever. He smiled as little firefly-like bubbles of energy merged transforming into beautiful dancing orchid butterflies around the Oryn Tree and leaf winged dragonflies zipped to and fro. On the bottom, near the pool of the Syldrake Oryn Tree, a baby Serpris slithered forth to quench its thirst as the Royal Spider Lotus bushes rustled in the gentle wind. And in the background, within the grove of trees hazy figures that looked like spriggankin wended about.


    His eye caught flickering purple and pink movements amongst the flowery serpenvines around the edges of the door as illusionary Dreamnisca SnapDragons played a game of tag joyfully interweaving in and out amidst the thorny tendrils and fragrant flowers.


    He recognized many of the flowers growing from the serpenvines and amongst the grove of trees within the door mural; there was the beautiful Dahlia with its layered petals reminding him of his ears, the golden Spirin flowers which grew on the Oryn Tree and turned into the sweet Oryn Fruit, the wintery Wynbellas which cooled the air, the fiery Sunfires which when fed energy was hot enough to cook on, the large petaled Wyndrels which spun like windmills blowing the air, the luminescent Lampryns whose flowery bulbs lit the dark in their soft colors, the soft fluffy Chrysanthemums with their densely layered petals, the mind-altering Dreamnisca flowers whose purple and pink swirling striped petals reminded one of sweets, and so many more.


    This painting... or rather... magical door mural is like... like a... so close... think, think... what is a mural?... Michael''s head was tilted down, lips pursed, and eyes lost in thought as he tousled his hair with his small hands. It''s a large painting and paintings are but pictures... and as they say ''a picture is worth a thousand words''... and this magical mural is made up of hundreds if not more small pictures which would mean thousands upon thousands of magical words like in a... magic book... ... ¡°a grimoire.¡±


    [ding!]


    The Green Door flew open and the sounds of pages of a book quickly turning filled the air. The wind blew Michael''s hair as streams of golden-green knowledge came rushing into his mind. His body vibrated (Bzzzz) and his skin glowed; The energy in his Trinity Cores flowing into every fiber of his being as his eyes snapped open, glowing.


    After several minutes the glow faded from his eyes and his body felt renewed and calm. He was now fully awake from his meditative sleep, in a sitting lotus position like in his dream, gently stroking something soft and fluffy in his lap as he read Anari''s message.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You did it! You have unlocked your class receiving 15 stat points and a plethora of shiny new spells! I''m so happy for you. :) ]


    ¡°Yes! Thanks... Anari!¡± Michael''s crescent eyes shined and his heart fluttered. With a big smile on his face, he called out ¡°Show Status.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow! I love it!¡± Michael softly shouted excitedly, his hands absentmindedly fluffing and hugging the buzz-buzzing hairball in his lap. His Status Screen had changed from a simple page layout screen to a holographic Grimoire whose cover resembled the arched green door that was in his mind.


    Reaching out, he opened the ethereal book: Wylla Wylden''s Druic Grimoire. He stayed there on the title page for a while, smiling. Taking a deep breathe he turned the page which was the table of contents: Status, Equipment, Spells, Profession (Blank), and Map. ¡°So much to see... okay, let''s start with Status first...¡± Michael said to himself as he turned the pages and stopped. His eyes then scanned down. There it is... Right there before his oryn eyes was his class: Druid.


    [Druids are students, teachers, and wardens of plants and nature. They learn of the cycle of life of plants and gain insights and understanding in order to find their Way.


    Druid spells and abilities stem from their deep connection and understanding of the Magical Realm of Plants and Nature. As such, Druids create many of their spells based on their own insights and understanding of the flora around them and the life contained within; Making each Druid''s spellbook unique.


    Druids are known to form empathic connections with plants and nature. In combat, Druids receive a 10% damage buff to all plant and nature spells and skills as well as 10% resistance to such spells and skills. Druids prefer using spell wands from a distance and wooden weapons when fighting up close... ]


    Satisfied, Michael quickly turned the pages to his Spells section. ¡°This is amazing!... So worth all the time spent studying and training. Just look at the damage buff, those spells... and those Ways!¡± Michael''s little heart thumped as he ruffled the soft fur of the buzzing fluff ball still unnoticed in his lap, ¡°This changes everything... from the way I fight to the way I use my stat points to my everyday life.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t these... they are... stances... and each one has its own set of spells! Jackpot!¡± Michael lost himself in the study of his new spells as he continued to fluff the little buzz ball which added to the warmth and joy in his heart.


    Wylla Wylden''s Grimoire: Spells and Skills


    Way of the Orchid Butterfly: You can freely shift in and out of Orchid Butterfly form increasing your plant-based spell damage by 10%, Also, your Athletic stat will increase by half of your Wisdom stat, increasing your balance, agility, and chance to dodge and evade attacks. Your awareness of your surroundings will also increase making it less likely to be taken by surprise in and out of battle. Cost to Use: 5% of your Oryn Energy bar will become grayed out and reserved to keep this skill active.


    Main Spells: Seed Burst, Firefly Seedsap Dart, Dreamnisca SnapDragon Bolt, Earth Flora: Wall, Column, Pit, and Spike.


    Seed Burst - Shoots a pointy seed at high velocity towards the target. Current Damage Strength: 1 to 2 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage. Cost to Use Skill: 3 Oryn Energy Power


    Firefly Seedsap Dart: Creates a winged Firefly Seedsap Dart which flies towards the target. Upon impact, the Firefly Seedsap''s needle will pierce the target, injecting it with some of its golden-green sap before bursting causing the target to slow by 15% for 10 seconds. Current Damage Strength: 1 to 2 points of damage. All crits increase the strength of the slow by 50%. Cost to Use Skill: 3 Oryn Energy Power


    Dreamnisca SnapDragon Bolt: A softball-sized bolt of oryn energy is fired through a magic circle transforming into an illusionary Dreamnisca SnapDragon which streaks toward the target at high speed causing plant magic damage and Dreamnisca poisoning upon impact. Targets inflicted with the Dreamnisca poison will be trapped within their dream hallucinations for 5 seconds causing them to act erratically. Current Damage Strength: 4 to 6 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage. Cost to Use Skill: 5 Oryn Energy Power


    Earth Flora: Wall, Column, Pit, and/or Spike ¨C Able to infuse the earth beneath your feet with Oryn Energy creating a construct made up of earth and flora to defend or attack against enemies. Current Strength: Depends on construct and size. Cost to Use Skill: Depends on construct and size.


    Way of the Spirin Syldrake: Transforms the caster into a powerful demi-human Syldrake as Mind Stats switch places with Body Stats (Int switches with Str, Wis switches with Ath, and Foc switches with Con). All melee damage and toughness will be increased by 10%. Physical changes include skin changing to a light green shade, height increasing up to 6ft 5 inches, toned muscles, and beauty of an amazon warrior. Cost to Use: 10 Oryn Energy, transformation lasts 5 minutes. Cooldown: 1 hour.


    Main Spells: Bloodthorn Claws, Dreamnisca SnapDragon Kick, Royal Spider Lotus Bite, Bloodthorn Serpenvine Harpoon, Dire Syldrake Battle form, Earth Flora: Wall, Pillar, Spike, Pit, and Quake.


    Bloodthorn Claws are sharp hooked thorn claws that are dark blood-red hue. When used to slash at a living foe there is a chance for the Bloodthorn Claws to drink the blood of its target providing a small heal (10% of the damage done) to the caster. Current Damage Strength: 4 to 6 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage. Cost to Use: 5 oryn energy.


    Dreamnisca SnapDragon Kick: Infuse your low kicks, sidekicks, high kicks, and roundhouse kicks with the power of a Dreamnisca SnapDragon. Once activated the image of an illusionary Dreamnisca SnapDragon will follow your kicks increasing the damage of the kick''s impact. Targets inflicted with the Dreamnisca poison will be trapped within their dream hallucinations for 5 seconds causing them to act erratically. Current Damage Strength: 4 to 6 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage. Cost to Use Skill: 5 Oryn Energy Power


    Royal Spider Lotus Bite - The Royal Spider Lotus animates, growing two thorny fangs that bite into the target upon contact. Adding piercing damage to the crushing blow. Current Damage Strength: 3 to 5 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage. Cost to Use Skill: 4 Oryn Energy Power


    Bloodthorn Serpenvine Harpoon: Fires a spearhead shaped bloodthorn serpenvine harpoon at the target which pierces upon impact giving the caster a chance to pull the target to themselves or to use the connection to jump towards the target. Range: 30 yards. Current Damage Strength: 2 to 4 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage.


    Cost to Use: 3 oryn energy. Cooldown: 30 seconds.


    Earth Flora: Wall, Column, Pit, Spike, and/or Quake ¨C Able to infuse the earth beneath your feet with Oryn Energy creating a construct made up of earth and flora to defend or attack against enemies. Current Strength: Depends on construct and size. Cost to Use Skill: Depends on construct and size.


    Dire Syldrake Battleform: Your body further transforms as the scales on your hands to your elbows, feet to your knees, around chest, neck, back, and shorts area become more prominent like armor increasing your defense by 10% and your melee damage by another 10%. Duration: Last for 30 seconds. Cost to Use: 5 Oryn Energy. Cooldown: 3 minutes.


    Storymask


    Michael has opened the door, unlocking his class, receiving loads of shiny new spells that he can hardly wait to use. Coming next Chapter 45: Spriggankin Assemble


    Side Note: Michael/Wylla has also learned many Druid Daily Life Spells allowing him/her to create many things thanks to Botanic Creation and Sylvanic Creation spells. Spells s/he gained an understanding of thanks to the teachings of the Old Raven and the Spriggankin. Furthermore, s/he also learned how to create his own Garden Hearts Grove (name may change) which will be touched upon on another day.


    As for Wylla''s new Spirin Syldrake form... think of it as a she-hulk dragonkin warrior girl battle form ;)

 Chapter 45: Spriggankin Assemble!

    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 45


    ¡°I can be tall again!¡± Michael said while pumping his fist in the air as he read his Way of the Spirin Syldrake skill. So happy... even if it''s just for 5 minutes... I''m sure it''ll last longer as I rank up... ugh... that''s if I even get to keep my class after I get them to change my gender back...


    Bzzz-bzzz-bzzz


    Thwump Thwump Thwump


    Michael''s eyes opened wide, his hands froze in place, and a small ¡°eep!¡± left his lips! It was at this time that he noticed three things: One, he seemed to have absentmindedly been petting a cute fluffy furbee in his lap... or to be more precise a cute fluffy Princess Furbee. Two, slowly turning his head to the sounds of the ''Thwumps''... Lunori seemed to be running his way which meant something must have happened while he was attaining his class. And three, that it was already twilight which meant he must have been here way longer than he thought.


    Why did the wonderful pats and pets stop? Princess Furbee made soft bzzz-bzzzing sounds of protest as she nuzzled her face into the strange wonderfully fragrant furbee girl''s belly.


    Lunori came to a stop near Michael as she put her hands on her sides, slightly bending over, breathing in and out, catching her breath. With head tilted a bit to the side, she scrunched up her brows trying to understand why Michael was frozen in place like that, with an alarmed look on his face and unmoving hands hovering over the cute gentle Princess Furbee in his laps. All around him in a semi-circle were about a dozen furbees lounging on the ground like a pride of lions as their Princess was enjoying her ''pampering'' time.


    Shrugging her shoulders, unable to understand what was going on in Michael''s head, Lunori walked up to him, knelt down, and gently took the bzzz-bzzzing Princess Furbee in her hands, lifted and turned her so they were face to face, and began to Tootle-tu as Princess Furbee Bzzz-Bzzz''d; Back and forth they ''talked''?


    Michael didn''t understand what they were saying, but now that he was a druid, he felt the beginnings of a connection with them... able to understand that the two were being friendly with one another. Looking with his Oryn eyes he could see a pastel yellow aura around both of their bodies. Hmm... maybe these pastel yellow auras mean friendship? Shrugging, Michael got to his feet and focused on the two.


    Lunori nodded her head to Princess Furbee, walked over to Michael, and held the Princess out facing him. Michael''s brows scrunched up. What does she want me to do? ¡°Do you want me to... make friends with Princess Furbee?¡± Michael asked looking at Lunori.


    Lunori nodded her head and ''tootle-tu''d''. ¡°I''m not sure how to make friends with her... umm... Anari can you help me out here?¡±


    [ Just think on it and follow your heart Wylla. ;) ]


    ¡°Aye Lil'' lassie you can do it...¡± ¡°I wish I was that Princess Furbee...¡± ¡°With a heart like Wylla''s, I''m sure they''ll became good friends...¡± A melody of encouraging words trickled down from above.


    Hmm... maybe it''s like dealing with unknown dogs... if I just slowly hold out my hand for her to sniff... then maybe she''ll know I''m not her enemy... I mean this is the second time I''ve woken up with her in my arms and she hasn''t stung me yet so... let''s go with that. Michael slowly raised his hand stopping just under Princess Furbee''s nose.


    Princess Furbee bzzz''d softly as her wings gently fluttered. Michael''s heart beat a little fast as a bit of oryn energy flowed from his chest to his hand. He took a deep breath and lightly began to pat Princess Furbee who began to nuzzle the palm of his hand with her fluffy head.


    A flash of golden-green light lit the twilight sky blinding all looking as Michael felt prickly tingling sensations on the back of his hand. ¡°Ah, what was that?¡± Michael said with his head facing down as he rubbed his eyes, waiting for the colorful ''flashspots'' to fade and his vision to clear.


    After a minute or so his sight returned as he felt waves of joy coming from in front of him. Looking up, he spotted Princess Furbee hovering like a hummingbird in front of him softly buzzing. There was something different about her now, a small golden-yellow ethereal flower seemed to have sprouted from her forehead between her antennae. And while he didn''t understand what she was saying, he definitely felt that she was very happy at this moment.


    Such feelings seemed to be contagious as Michael smiled and followed his urge to pat her but froze with his hand just inches away from Princess Furbee''s head. ¡°What''s this?¡± Michael softly asked out loud staring at the back of his hand which was now adorned with the same ethereal flower that Princess Furbee now had.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have formed an Ami''ku Flora Bond with Princess Furbee! Yay! You have received the Furbee Friends title. :) ]


    ¡°Eh? Does that mean I''m a tamer... I don''t remember seeing that spell in my Druic Grimoire...¡±


    [ Oh no, the Ami''ku Flora Bond is a rare friendship bond that can be formed with beasties you have cultivated an empathic connection with; Tamer bonds are different Wylla. ]


    ¡°How so Anari?¡± Michael asked with his hand still frozen in front of the waiting Princess Furbee. Bzzz-Bzzz! Tired of being teased for her pat, Princess Furbee softly bumped her fluffy head into Michael''s waiting hand. Reflexively, he began to gently pat her.


    ¡°Oh Sorry Princess, didn''t mean to leave you... hanging.¡± Michael looked about, noticing for the first time that there were a lot more furbees around. ¡°Ah, these must be your entourage... hello,¡± Michael said looking around as the sounds of the group''s soft buzzing and fluttering wings filled the air.


    ¡°Now... what was I asking?... Oh ya, how are Tamer bonds different Anari?¡±


    [ Tamers form one of 2 main types of bonds that can evolve into a special bond. The first being a Master-Servant bond in which the Tamer must defeat their chosen beast in battle, greatly weakening it so that the beast must either accept the Tamer as it''s master or become the Tamer''s loot pinata.


    The second is a Partnership bond in which the Tamer faces off against the chosen beast in battle and fights to the point that regardless of which one wins, they will be greatly hurt making it easy for others to play the role of the Oriole in which case they both lose. ]


    ¡°Ah, I see... so in the first one the tamed beast would have no choice but to follow the orders of the Tamer... even bad orders but in the second bond, the tamed beast could choose whether to follow the orders or not and even leave if mistreated?¡± Michael looked skyward for confirmation.


    [ Very good Wylla! That is indeed the case. ]


    ¡°So then what would the special bond be?¡±


    [ That would be the Fidelity bond. The tamer earns the trust and love of their tamed beast, deepening their connection forming a bond of trust. It is the ultimate bond between Tamer and beast; Such a bond is seen as a badge of honor filling the Tamer with pride and earning the respect of other Tamers.


    And most importantly, the Fidelity bond opens the path for possible Lykren evolution! ]


    ¡°Ooh! That sounds fun... umm... what is it?¡± Michael asked with his face slightly flushed.


    [ It means their bond has been recognized and blessed by Lykris, the God of Beasts. As such the tamed beast is given a soul and a demi-human form that they can freely shift in and out of. This transformation opens the door to the Soulmate bond if the two are of like mind and heart. If such a bond is then recognized by Lovriel, Goddess of Love and Marriage, she will then bless them with a Layth sigil on the back of their necks; And if they already have a sigil there the Layth will then be added to it. ]


    ¡°Okay... I think I kind of get it... so the Fidelity bond not only gives the beast a chance to ascend... umm... evolve into a beast demi-human that I''m guessing is the Lykren race but can also evolve the type of bond they have into a Soulmate bond which is... marriage? Which if recognized by the Goddess Lovriel will earn them her blessing in the form of a Layth sigil. If so then what if the beast is not the gender the Tamer wants to be with... and what does a Layth sigil do?¡± Michael asked while feeling a tug on his hand as his other hand continued to pat the happily purrin... err... buzzing Princess.


    [ If the two have a Soulmate connection then the beast''s gender will become that which the Tamer desires upon Lykren evolution. As for Layth, it''s a small flower-shaped sigil that connects soulmates with one another.


    When Soulmates summon forth their Layth, an ethereal vine tipped with a beautiful Layth flower sprouts from the back of their necks and binds with one another like two Serpris kissing, forming an empathic connection vine with one another.


    This connection has two main functions: The first being that their pheromones will travel through their Layth vine into one another''s bodies, changing their pheromonal scents into a new synchronized pheromonal scent which only the two will share. As a result, they will only feel a physical attraction towards a person with such scent, meaning only with one another.


    The second function is the one all covet, the empathic connection; Meaning when their Layth are connected with one another they can feel what the other is feeling... which seems to greatly increase mating activities. ] Michael''s face lightly reddened as he read the last part. [ Are you interested in getting Layth''d Wylla? ] Anari couldn''t help but tease her cute little sister Wylla.


    Michael quickly looked down and away, covering his beet-red face with his silky spiln hair. ¡°No... no...¡± He sputtered. ¡°I get it... about Tamers and bonds... so the bond I have with Princess Furbee means we''re like good friends then?¡± He once again felt a tugging on his hand as he brushed his hair aside and looked up seeing Lunori''s anxious face. ¡°Ah, sorry Lunori... I got sidetracked!¡±


    [ And that you can sense one another''s feelings; Which is also a part of your Druid class passive skill: Empathic Flora Connection. ]


    ¡°That''s wonderful!¡± Michael said with crescent moon eyes and a joyful smile. ¡°Thanks for clearing that all up Anari!¡±


    [ You''re Welcome Wylla. :) ]


    Michael''s eyes once again fell on the antsy Lunori. ¡°Is the Village under attack?¡± Michael asked holding onto Lunori''s hands with both hands as Princess Furbee flew next to them, watching. Lunori shook her head side to side.


    ¡°Hmm... then did the village get attacked before you came to get me?¡± Lunori ''tootle''d'' and nodded her head up and down. Not good... I was hoping to be there when they came... we better head back. Images of the Witch flashed through his mind as he felt phantom pains on his arm where she had cursed him last time. ¡°But first... provisions.¡±


    Michael''s eyes looked down, guided by the sound of falling water. That should do quite nicely. Michael got down on his knees in front of the Oryn Tree pool of water. He pulled out some of the grasses and flowers from the ground and made a small pile. Let''s see... the more materials I have the less Oryn energy it''ll cost to make them... but I don''t want to cut the Oryn Tree to take its sap so this will have to do. Michael placed his hand over the small pile of grasses and flowers. He closed his eyes, visualizing what he wanted to make, and called out ¡°Bontanic Creation: Vial¡±


    The small pile of grasses and flowers filled with golden-green streams of energy from his hands and began to meld into each other forming the shape of an empty 8-ounce flora vial with a flowery cork stopper on top. ¡°Yes! It worked.¡± Michael grabbed the small flora vial, opened it, and then dunk it in the pool filling it with the curse purifying water.


    Smiling, he turned to Lunori holding up the filled flora vial for her to see. ¡°These will help cure anyone who gets cursed by the Witch. We''ll head back once I finish making a lot more.¡±


    A short time later, Michael stood up, feeling quite drained of Oryn energy but happy with the results as he looked down at the 14 filled flora vials. Now how to take them all with us... they definitely won''t all fit in my belly pouch. He thought as he put a couple of the vials in there next to his 3 Healing Nectar fruits. He looked about for a bit and noticed the solution hiding the thorny guard bushes.


    He knelt down and pulled his bulging Traveler''s Pack out from its hiding spot. Ah, it''s too packed... no choice. I have to empty it. Gently sighing, he opened the bag and dumped all his belongings onto the ground, then stuffed it all into the thorny bushes. ¡°You all be sure to protect my stuff!¡± Michael said to the thorn guards as he put all the vials into the now almost empty bag; He decided to take a couple of Oryn fruits with him after thinking about one of his quests. Who knows... maybe this fruit can soothe the savage beast... if we run into each other again. And if that doesn''t work there''s always the water... and if that doesn''t work... oh well, we''ll cross that bridge if we get to it.


    Satisfied with all his preparations, Michael stood, slung the Traveler pack''s strap over his shoulder and called out, ¡°Alright, all set and ready to go. Let''s head out.¡±


    Lunori tootle-tu''d and took his hand, walking at a quick pace beside him as Princess Furbee flew next to him on his other side; Behind, a lively flock of fluffy buzzing furbees followed.


    On the way back to the village, Michael thought back to all that Anari told him about Tamers and was a bit saddened. It would be great to be able to tame one of these cute fluffy beasties here in Havenscent Meadow starting area, to be able to fight side by side and grow strong together... but I guess it wasn''t meant to be. Michael sighed. Still, if I had to choose between being a druid or a tamer... I''d choose Druid.


    It took the small parade... umm... group less than an hour to reach the south side of the village. The full moon shone down in streams through the green canopy of the trees as luminescent Lampryn flower bulbs lit the area.


    There were signs of battle everywhere as over a dozen spidoll bodies, and a few Kavi ones as well, littered the ground. The flowery landscape was trampled, darts were embedded in tree trunks, and sticky webbings were splattered here and there.


    The spriggankin learned of his arrival and began gathering around the area.


    The sight made Michael''s heart ache. These were his friends. They took him in, shared their food with him, gave him a place to sleep, and taught him about the plants and trees, helping him to unlock his wonderful class. Just the thought of them getting hurt or worse because of that Witch and her Kavi made his blood boil.


    Ah, I forgot to ask! Michael thought, spotting his Old Raven teacher. Walking up to her with hurried steps, he asked with a tinge of dread in his heart, ¡°Did anyone... di... die?¡±


    The Old Raven shook her head side to side and held out a Healing Nectar fruit for him to see. It looked different than the ones he made which could only mean one thing... Yes! It seems some of them were able to learn my Healing Nectar spell. Still, if everyone is okay then Lunori wouldn''t have come running to get me which means... ¡°Did some of the spriggankin get taken?¡±


    The Old Raven, Lunori, and the spriggankin near him which heard his question all nodded their heads. Michael thought back to that night at the Witch''s village, the caged and enslaved spriggankin, the vile experiments; He clenched his hand into a fist. Enough! It''s time to end this threat once and for all... And free the spriggankin!


    ¡°Spriggankin Assemble!¡±


    Storymask


    The Witch and her ilk have stirred up trouble for the last time! Since they want a fight, we''ll give them a fight they can''t win. Coming up next Chapter 46: Wylla, the Witch, and the Cauldron


    Side Note: Sorry for being so late this week with Thursday''s chapter... but it''s getting busier the closer we get to the holidays. On the bright side, I''m happy I was still able to get the second chapter done this week... Plus, we''re getting close to the end of book 1.

 Chapter 46: Wylla, the Witch, and the Cauldron (Part 1)

    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 46


    The spriggankin lined up in front of Michael like students at a dojo as the Furbees bzzz''d in the air behind him. ¡°It''s time to save all the captured and enslaved spriggankin. And put an end to the Kavi threat!¡± Michael paused for a moment, thinking of something that would be useful for the battle ahead.


    He channeled the energy within him, thinking of some videos he had seen online, videos of the basics of shields and how to wield them, inserting those memories within several Rosebud Bulbs; And placing the newly created spell flowers within easy reach as he continued to address the gathering. ¡°Within these Rosebuds are lessons that I would like the Ogen and Talric vanguards to learn. Everyone else that is able to fight, grab your weapons, your Healing Nectars, and whatever else you''ll need and meet back here ready to go.¡±


    Most of the spriggankin dispersed from the area to prepare as the Ogens and Talric lined up and used the Memory Rosebud Bulbs before heading out too. Hmm... Maybe I should have some of them stay behind to protect the village... Ya... let''s do that. I''ll ask the Old Raven to choose a home guarding team... Michael made his way over to the Old Raven to share his thoughts with her.


    It took about 15 minutes for all the spriggankin to return, armed and ready to go. The Old Raven selected a half dozen or so spriggankin to guard the young and the elderly staying behind in the village. Now what... I''ve never done this before... Guess I''ll just break them up into smaller teams and then play it by ear once we get there.


    ¡°Alright everyone I want you to break up into teams. Try to have 3 shield bearers, 3 rod wielders, and 3 ranged attackers in each group. It''s okay if you have one or two more in your group. Once we reach our destination, I''ll scout the area and come up with a battle plan. Remember to move quietly so that we can catch them off guard.¡± Michael waited patiently as 4 groups were formed then called out, ¡°Looks good... let''s move out!¡±


    The spriggankin Warband and small group of softly buzzing Furbees followed behind their little green-haired leader. Michael led them out of the Makai Forest and into the Desparu Swamp heading towards the Witch''s courtyard on the outskirt of the Kavi Village. And while many of them were nervous and tense, they followed Michael''s order and moved as quietly as they could.


    Every now and then Michael would turn his head to the side, staring into the darkness of the swampy forest with glowing eyes. There it is again, moving like a predator around the trees and brush... following us to the Witch. I wonder who''s side its on... if it remembers me? Michael reached inside his belly pouch touching an Oryn Fruit and a vial of Oryn pool water while thinking about a certain quest. I''ll give it a shot when we get close to the courtyard...


    The large group continued on their way, making sure to avoid the Skunktail Reeds and Porcu Shrubs as the Young Swampreed Gators stayed hidden in their waters, afraid of the large Warband trespassing in their territories.


    Seeing the light of tall Lampryns glowing through the foliage ahead Michael held up his arm, gesturing for the group to stop, to stay low, and not make any noise. He looked to the side and noticed it also stopping by a Desparu Tree about 35 yards away. He signaled them to wait, activated his camouflage, and silently made his way towards the Witch''s courtyard stopping just outside the reach of the light, hiding by a large Desparu Tree trunk.


    There''s the Witch cooking something up in that cauldron again. Looks like around a dozen or so guards standing around the edges... Michael glanced up into the canopy above. And who knows how many spidolls up above. As for the cages... looks like the Eldrytch Gator is no longer here... the Moon Serpris is still caged but... not alone in there... whatever they are they''re small... Michael thought to himself as he watched their small colored auras slithering about.


    And bingo... there''s the missing spriggankin... or at least some missing spriggankin since I don''t know if those are the ones taken from tonight or from some other day. Either way, we''ll save them.


    Michael spied for a moment longer, coming up with a plan, and then made his way back to the group. He arrived, taking a brief moment to look the group over, and then created 3 Memory Rosebud Bulbs which housed his plan. He placed them low and behind the shrubs so that their glow couldn''t be seen from afar.


    He walked up to the Old Raven and Lunori who was in charge of Princess Furbee and her entourage. ¡°There''s someone near us that I''m going to have a little ''chat'' with. While I''m doing that have everyone go over the plan I put in the Rosebud Bulbs; Then silently and stealthily make their way to their spots. Wait for my signal to begin the plan of attack.¡±


    Michael took a deep breath, and then made his way to his ''friend'' who was glaring at him with blood-red eyes. His feet softly squelched on the muddy ground as he once again read his Beauty and the Beast quest. ¡°Hope one of these works,¡± Michael softly muttered to himself with his hand in his belly pouch. After all, they say that food can soothe the savage beast... or something like that...


    The Bloodrose Ganglyrot crouched down, muscles tensed, a low growl spilling forth warnings to the little green-haired girl; Telling her to not come any closer. Michael halted his steps as the Ganglyrot''s brows furrowed and its bloodthorn claws protracted.


    ¡°Easy there big... guy? I''m not here to hurt you. I brought you ''num-nums''... See?¡± Michael said pulling an Oryn Fruit out of his belly pouch and holding it up for the Ganglyrot to see as he grabbed the small Earth Flora Vial with his other hand all the while taking wary baby steps forward.


    ¡°Grrr''rrr,¡± The Ganglyrot tilted its head to the side, lightly clacking its claws as the little green-haired girl got within clawing reach. Its heart was beating fast and its feet dug into the muddy ground, baring its fangs ready to pounce... but then the wind shifted and a calming scent of lavender and honey perfumed the air.


    The rage in the Ganglyrot''s eyes faded, its muscles relaxed, and its mouth closed as it inhaled deeply causing Michael to sigh. ¡°That''s a good... err... boy? I have something tasty here for you.¡± He held the Oryn Fruit out for it to take... but it just stood there hunched, staring at the golden fruit in Michael''s hand instead.


    ¡°This is for you to eat. See... mmm....¡± Michael took a small bite of the fruit hoping that doing so would tempt the beast. ¡°Here, for you... eat it... it''s good.¡± The bite released the fruit''s scent causing the Ganglyrot''s mouth to water. It quickly reached out with its clawed hand, accidentally scratching Michael''s hand, grabbing the now lightly bloodied Oryn fruit.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Michael softly cried out, not wanting to scare the Ganglyrot or alert the Witch and her ilk. He brought his small hand to his mouth and sucked on the wound as he watched the beast. The Ganglyrot took a sniff and then a big bite out of the golden fruit. Evidently the fruit was very much to its liking since it finished it in three bites as a warmth spread throughout its body.


    The Ganglyrot''s eyelids grew heavy as it slumped to the ground; Warm comforting energy began pulsing rhythmically from within. It curled up into a ball, wrapping its long gangly arms around its legs, closing its blood-red eyes as changes began to take place.


    Michael was so caught up with the sight taking place in front of him that he nearly yelped out loud when Lunori suddenly popped up beside him, taking his hand and pulling him towards the Witch. Something must be happening back at the courtyard... as much as I want to stay and continue watching here... I can''t. Time to go.


    Michael arrived near the backside of the Witch''s Briar Bloodrose Hut spotting the Furbees hiding above by the roof. He then looked towards the Witch where Lunori was pointing. Standing before the Witch was a pair of new guards with an Ossil whimpering on the ground.


    Looks like that rotten Witch is up to no good again trying to make another Ganglyrot... but I won''t let it happen... not this time! Michael''s heart began to beat faster, turning he faced Lunori who was carrying his Traveler''s pack filled with healing items and fiercely whispered, ¡°Get ready... and remember the plan.¡±


    Michael turned back around grabbing his wand and for his first time ever, shifted into his Way of the Orchid Butterfly form; A smile lit up his face as he felt the power within his body rise. Orchid Butterfly wings sprouted forth from his back gently fluttering and ethereal antennae grew out of his forehead, from just below his hairline. His body thrummed with surging energy as it merged within his chest and then rushed towards his outstretched arm as he took aim; ¡°The Witch is mine! Dreamnisca SnapDragon Bolt!¡±


    Long spidery tendril legs created a magic circle in front of the wand as a large fist-sized ball of energy came bursting out of the Royal Spider Lotus shooting through the magic circle transforming into an illusionary serpentine SnapDragon whose back was covered in small purple and pink striped Dreamnisca flowers.


    The SnapDragon opened its mouth in a silent roar as it streaked towards the Witch''s back as she held her staff in her hand chanting in front of the gurgling cauldron. ¡°Kavi!?!¡± One of the guards cried out in confusion as the spell flew past him. The other guards were simply too surprised and slow to react.


    The SnapDragon slammed into the Witch''s shoulder blade causing her upper body to bend and her feet to stumble forward. ¡°Aieek!¡± The Witch screamed out as the pain and sudden surge of confusion interrupted her chant. Feeling the heat of the cauldron near her face she flung her body to the side, rolling on the ground just barely avoiding getting burned as a second SnapDragon slammed into the hot cauldron with a gong sound much to Michael''s disappointment.


    ¡°Attack!¡± Michael shouted running out from his hiding place by the hut, rushing towards the fallen Witch. Princess Furbee and her entourage took to the air, buzzing around, looking for foes to attack that had plans on coming down on webs or serpenvines from above. Lunori rushed out, joining her battle group whose job it was to defeat the courtyard guards and free the caged spriggankin. And the Old Raven led the other 3 battle groups to the other side of the courtyard, forming a defensive line separating the courtyard and the village; They laid Earth Flora Pit traps on the ground, covering them with vines and foliage, waiting for the Kavi and spidoll reinforcements they were sure would soon arrive.


    As for the Witch, she was Michael''s opponent. After all, he wasn''t sure he''d get credit for her defeat for the quest if the others helped him. Heck, one of them might even get in the finishing blow stealing his victory... better to not take such a chance.


    Seeing his target so vulnerable and a bit confused on the ground he called out again, ¡°Dreamnisca SnapDragon Bolt!¡± The flowery SnapDragon streaked towards the Witch''s body as she was picking herself up off the ground. Sensing danger, she fell on her side facing Michael with her staff held out in front of her body.


    Michael could see the surprise in her blood-red eyes as she spotted him, which quickly turned into burning hatred; Her hands tightly gripped her staff and she gnashed her teeth as another SnapDragon slammed into her leaving a large deep bruise behind on her thigh as the poison once again entered her body with minor effects due to her higher than normal poison resistance.


    ¡°KAVI! ATUK NOC SEMTRE ANOS! KAVI!¡± Shouts of alarm went off as the courtyard Kavi guards soon found themselves getting overwhelmed by Lunori and her team of spriggankin. Even the Furbees, bored of looking for targets to attack up above, came diving down, piercing them with stinging attacks.


    The shock on these Kavi''s faces was evident. The pathetically weak spriggankin that they easily trampled and captured in the past were now the fierce and strong adversaries they were facing; Adversaries that they were actually losing too, forcing them to call out for help... how could this be!?!


    Michael took his eyes off the Witch on the ground for just a moment, looking around him. Everything seems to be going as planned... Good! Let''s finish this.


    Storymask


    The battle is underway with Michael''s and the Spriggankin''s surprise attack a success. With the Witch on the ground and Michael looking to finish it early all seems to be going as planned... but will it stay that way? Coming up next Chapter 47: Wylla, the Witch, and the Cauldron (part 2: The Witch''s Cauldron)

 Chapter 47: Wylla, the Witch, and the Cauldron (Part 2)

    (Part 2 The Witch''s Cauldron)


    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 47


    ¡°Anu Rosel Serpren Bind Kavi!¡± The Witch called out as dark energy swirled through her body, streaming into her arm, rushing out into her staff. She quickly brought the end of her darkly glowing Bloodrose staff down onto the ground; The energy quickly slithered out of the staff on impact and burrowed its way toward Michael.


    Sensing a danger he once felt before, Michael quickly sidestepped and then retreated back as he snapped his head around, focusing on the ground.


    A series of mini ground explosions followed his retreating butterfly steps with showers of dust, dirt, and serpenvines with Bloodrose heads which were seeking to latch onto him with piercing bloodthorn fangs.


    ¡°Tch!¡± Disappointed that her binding spell missed, the Witch reached into one of her pouches, pulled out a vial, and tossed it at the ground between her and that evil little butterfly girl!


    The vial hit the hard ground and shattered. A swirling mix of blood-red and green smoke filled the air blocking the view of one another.


    The Witch rolled on the ground onto her front, and with the aid of her arms, quickly pushed herself back up onto her feet, scrambling to the other side of the hot bubbling cauldron as she once again reached into her pouches.


    Ugh! Not good... gotta stop her before she... Michael thought to himself as he turned away from the vile smoke bomb and rushed around the large burning hot cauldron. His feet slid to a stop as his eyes glowed. Darn, I''m too late.


    There standing before him all healed up, an empty vial on the ground, and a smirk on her face stood the Witch holding her staff in one hand and something dark, that looked like squirming roots, in the other hand.


    ¡°Kaldren Kraken Atoc Kavi!¡± A shadowy blood-red and evergreen energy flowed into the squirming things in her hand; Infused with power, she tossed them into the cauldron as the flowery SnapDragon slammed into her ribs causing her to grunt.


    Ah... I''m too late... again! ¡°Earth Flora: Wall¡± Michael stomped on the ground as a 2 foot wide, 3-inch thick slab of hard dirt covered with small green serpenvines sprung 4 feet up from the ground. BAM! Just as the wall had finished forming, a Bloodrose cloaked in dark energy slammed into it, nearly breaking through to the other side, leaving behind a small crater and web-like cracks.


    As Michael and the Witch exchanged spells the cauldron began to spit, sputter, and undulate as something dark and slick continued to grow within.


    Michael, hunching low behind his crumbling Earth Flora Wall, leaned out once again to aim at the Witch which had just sent another Miasma Bloodrose Bolt his way. He watched her pull another vial out from her pouch, pop the cork, and bring it up to her mouth to drink.


    Oh no you don''t! Michael jumped out from behind the wall as it came crumbling down. A seed bullet burst out from the tip of his wand and sped towards the Witch. KRSHH! The vial shattered in the Witch''s hand as the liquid splattered onto her beautiful bloodrose dress.


    ¡°KAVI! NOC FLRK KAVI!¡± The bruised and battered Witch glared at Michael before stepping back and moving around the cauldron, using it as a shield as a purple and pink flowered SnapDragon streaked by, just missing.


    Michael glanced up at the 3 bars on the top right corner of his vision as he chased after the Witch, not wanting to give her a chance to drink another healing potion. Looks good... plenty of Oryn energy left... He rounded the cauldron, pointed his wand at the Witch who aimed her staff at him.


    ¡°Dreamnisca SnapDragon Bolt!¡±


    ¡°Briar Bloodrose Curse Atuk!¡±


    The SnapDragon exited the wand and streaked towards the Witch as a wet spidery Bloodrose jumped off the tip of the Witch''s staff towards the little butterfly girl that was a mere 10 yards away.


    The SnapDragon was halfway to the Witch when PSSHHH! The cauldron erupted as large shadowy blood-red tentacles sprung up from within sending sprays of steaming drops of sludge all around, except for where the Witch was standing.


    A great big wicked smile lit up the Witch''s face as a large tentacle swept down in front of her, slamming into the SnapDragon bolt, taking damage while shielding its master.


    What the... so not fair! I was winning! Michael''s wings quickly flapped as he retreated, the droplets falling like rain onto the ground with soft sizzling sounds; several of the larger drops landing on the spidery bloodrose curse causing it to melt into the hard dirt ground. ¡°Great... another tentacled beast. Just what kind of game is this anyway?¡±


    He stood there for a moment, looking towards the ''octopus'' cauldron. Some of the dark blood hued tentacles were tipped with mouths and others with eyeballs just like the missing Eldrytch Gator. The mouth tipped tentacles hung in the air near the Witch guarding her as the eyeball tipped tentacles began to cast Bloody Void Orbs at him.


    [ Cauldron Kraken is an elite rank 1 beast born of dark alchemy. Being the first of its kind, just ''birthed'' into the world, not much is known about its strengths and weaknesses but I''m sure you''ll figure it out... or die trying. Good luck Wylla. We''re rooting for you! ;) ]


    ¡°Tch!¡± This just got a lot harder! Michael''s wings began to flutter as he dodged the barrage of dark bloody orbs returning fire with Seed Bursts and Dreamnisca SnapDragon Bolts, aiming for the Eyeball stalks in order to stop the beasts ranged attacks. Unfortunately, it seemed the Dreamnisca poison had no effect on the tentacled beast, and even worse, the damaged tentacles seemed to be healing over time.


    Not sure if its the cauldron beast''s natural regen or the Witch that''s healing it... or maybe the sludge that''s in the cauldron but I can''t keep fighting like this... I need shelter... and a plan. Michael stomped on the ground and shouted out, ¡°Earth Flora: Pillar!¡± The earth rumbled as a pillar of hard dirt and serpenvines burst up from the ground, rising up 4 and a half feet high and 3 feet round, easily shielding Michael from the onslaught of ranged attacks, giving him time to rest, and more importantly, to think.


    Meanwhile, the battle between the Kavi and the Spriggankin was well underway...


    Lunori''s body glowed brightly as she hopped up into the air over the thrusting Kavi''s spear. The air shimmered as a plate-like disc of silvery-ice blue light solidified. Lunori''s small foot stepped down on its cool surface and quickly pushed off as she somersaulted over the head of the attacking Kavi. She struck out with her rod while in mid-flight over the Kavi''s head, WHACK!


    The Kavi''s eyes rolled back, darkness claiming it. The Kavi crumpled to the ground as Lunori landed with a soft ''thwump'' on the ground, making her way towards the second cage with the imprisoned spriggankin.


    On the outer edge of the courtyard, near the path to the village, the Old Raven stood glaring at the dozen or so oncoming foes running and scuttling her way. There was no fear in her onyx eyes.


    She lifted her Wynbella Ravenwood Staff high into the air, filling it with her power as it thrummed with cold dark misty energy. Her brows furrowed and a single thought shot through her mind, NOW! She brought her icy darkwood staff down hard, slamming into the ground!


    A cold dark cloud exploded out of the top of her staff, shifting into black feathery forms with icy blue Wynbella wings. The Kavi and Spidolls all seemed to gasp as the Old Raven''s murder of Noctis Wynbella Ravens flew straight into them, barraging them with icy wet slaps, sharp taloned slashes, and cold piercing beaks. Dark Shadowfrost poison entered their bodies, freezing the areas around their wounds and chilling their bones.


    ¡°SKREE!¡± ¡°KAVI!¡± Their screams filled the night, unnerving their allies.


    All along the defending line, Ogens and a Talrics held their wooden tower shields up, blocking darts and web shots. Here and there, rushing bands of Kavi and Spidolls would run across the lightly muddy battlefield separating the two forces as Ossils and a Ferrewls fired stone bullets with their slingshots from behind in safety; While some of the mid-guards cast shuriken thorns and seed bullets.


    Many Kavi and Spidolls hit the ground hard, tumbling into others bringing them down before ever reaching the frontline. Those lucky enough to make it past the danger zone either became victims of the Earth Flora Pit traps or were met by the shield-bearing Spriggankin that bashed their jumping bodies into the waiting pits below.


    A Kavi Hunter with a dark feathery headdress called out as Spidolls began to descend from above. A series of short but loud ''tootle-tu''s'' rang out shortly after as the air filled with buzzing noises, followed by a rain of ''thwumps'' as green spidery bodies began to drop onto the ground. The Spriggankin wasted no time finishing off any Spidoll unfortunate enough to fall near them.


    The Witch''s eyes widened in disbelief as she took in the sight of the battlefield. Her heart began to beat faster and faster. All along the ground were many bodies but all of them were either Kavi or Spidolls. Why? She spotted an injured Felune with a dart in its neck, looking like it might fall.


    But then a little Ossil ran up to the injured Felune, reaching into a pouch that hung around its waist, and pulling out a round item. The Felune swayed to and fro, reaching out with unsteady hands as the Ossil helped it to grab the round item which the Felune then ate. The Felune''s wounds visibly began to heal as it removed the dart in its neck. It regained its balance, its strength, its vitality, and re-armed itself heading back into formation.


    The Witch clenched her teeth, she had to do something or else this would be the end of not only the village but of her. If only she had taken the time to create loads of healing potions for her village but she never thought a day such as today would come; A day in which the Spriggankin would strike back. And it''s all because of that vile little butterfly girl!


    Looking along the Spriggankin battle line, she spotted the Old Raven, who was single-handedly stopping groups of Kavi and Spidolls. She aimed her Bloodrose staff, chanted, and glared at the Old Raven''s back; A wet spidery bloodrose lept off the tip of her staff, jumping and scuttling towards the Old Raven.


    The Old Raven was in the midst of channeling Wynbella Ravens as they flew towards a small group of enemies when she felt a hard cold wet impact on her back, interrupting her casting and causing her to grimace in pain as she stumbled forward.


    Seeing that the Old Raven was about to fall into her own Earth Flora Pit trap, a fast-acting Kiir jumped out from beside her, grabbing hold of her waist and pulling her back. Two shield bearers and a mid-guard rushed into her now vacant position in line, guarding her against the half dozen Kavi and Spidolls that were heading her way.


    ¡°Humph!¡± The Witch voiced her disgruntlement. But what happened next, left her even more angry for the Old Raven then pulled out a vial, drank it, and then sighed in relief as the Bloodrose curse that had just tattooed itself onto her back burst into small particles of energy and faded away.


    ¡°KAVI!?!¡± The Witch screeched, stomping her foot on the ground. This was wrong, everything was wrong! And it was all because of that horrible little pest again! She just knew it had to be. Before that girl ever showed up, they never had problems dealing with the Spriggankin... but now... now they were just as strong as their village and came prepared with potions, giving them a huge advantage.


    If only that wretched girl hadn''t come, she could have been with her Kavi and Spidolls, ending the Spriggankin threat. But instead, she found herself hidin... err... strategically crouching behind her cauldron, stuck in a stalemate against that cursed little brat who was cowering behind her pillar... something had to change or else!


    The Cauldron Kraken continued to bombard Michael''s Earth Flora Pillar with Bloody Void Orbs causing it to slowly crumble and break apart. Every now and then, Michael would infuse it with Oryn energy, repairing and rebuilding the damage. Yes! They''re starting to push them back... marching towards the village. Now it''s my turn. I need something... to separate that Witch from that Cauldron Kraken... Michael''s eyes searched around the courtyard, looking for a solution, looking for... Anything!


    ¡°AHAHAHAHA! YES! I DID IT! I GOT A UNIQUE RACE!...¡±


    ¡°What... Who is that?...¡± Michael asked no one in particular, not expecting an answer, as the voice continued.


    ¡°... I, SYL''LEAN ROSEBLUD, AM A SYLVERN! HAHAHA!¡± The boisterous soprano voice echoed out, dwarfing the sounds of battle as Michael, the Witch, and just about everyone still fighting nearby, stopped what they were doing and turned towards the Witch''s hut, eyes searching the dark swamp just beyond.


    [ ding! ]


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have completed your Beauty and the Beast quest earning 50 lyrs, 500 XP and Tiering Up. Also, since things have taken an unexpected turn (what with your Divine Mother Sylvenori taking a liking to the new form that the Ganglyrot changed into and spontaneously deciding to make it the second of the five plant races she''s been rewarded with making because of her helping my Divine Mother Lokaini with your Earth''s Planet Seed which I guess is going off on a whole other tangent... so I''ll stop there. Now, where was I?... Oh yes... there I was...), you''re reward has now been changed from Gift of Friendship to a Bloodrose Bracelet. Would you like to receive your reward at this time? Y/N ]


    ¡°Oh, I so have questions for you right now, but first... Yes! I''d like my reward now.¡± Michael said with a smile as he held out his hand, palm up, as the Bloodrose Bracelet materialized, not on his hand but round his wrist. His eyes glowed as he read the infobox:


    [ Bloodrose Bracelet is a beautiful piece of jewelry that increases your Int, Wis, and Spellpower by 2... ]


    ¡°OMG! An Event Quest! Yes! Kill the Cauldron Kraken... Ah! Look at that beautiful little fairy girl. She''s the CUTEST NPC I''ve ever seen! I just got here and I already love this game! I wonder if she''ll let me pet and hug her?¡±


    ¡°Cutest NPC what?... Pet and hug who?¡± Michael''s body shivered as his head snapped towards the side of the Witch''s hut, closing the infobox, and spotting the source of those worrisome words... that was rushing straight at him...


    "KAWAII!" "OOMPH!"


    Storymask


    The Spriggankin have the Kavi on the ropes and looking to land the knockout punch. But Michael is stuck in a stalemate with the odds stacked against him... looking for something, anything to help him break the tie against his two fearsome opponents; And it looks like that ''anything'' has shone up in the form of a new player! Coming up next Chapter 48: Wylla, the Witch, and the Cauldron (Part 3: Evening the Odds)

 Chapter 48: Wylla, the Witch, and the Cauldron (Part 3)

    (Part 3 Evening the Odds)


    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 48


    ¡°I ¡­ can''t... breath!¡± Michael''s muffled voice cried out as his face was pressed into the newcomer''s abundant mounds with his arms flailing out at the sides due to the newcomer''s overexcited embrace. What is this girl thinking!?! She doesn''t even know me... and we''re in the middle of a battle! And it hurts! The scales of her cleavage showing chest armor rubbing against my cheeks hurts!


    Using his hands and flapping his wings Michael broke free... well more like was released from the newcomer''s strong embrace after she seemed to have understood what Michael had said.


    Michael quickly retreated a step or two, his back pressing against his Pillar as he glared at the newcomer while rubbing his red puffed cheeks. ¡°I''m not an NPC... I''m a player. My name is Mich... Ah! I can''t tell her my real name... what if she''s somebody from school or she may know my sisters or friends... even if it''s highly unlikely... better to use a fake name... ... elle... Michelle but you can call me...¡±


    ¡°Aiya! It''s you! You''re not an NPC! You''re Wylla...¡± The powerful newcomer said excitedly, going in for another embrace, only to miss as Michael quickly sidestepped and rushed around her as they now switched places. The newcomer girl found herself half hugging the Pillar as her target''s voice chimed in from behind her.


    ¡°Huh? How do you know me?¡± Michael asked with a confused look on his cute little face.


    Turning around to once again face him she happily said, ¡°I''ve seen all of your Livestream videos while visiting my Abuela in Florida! I''ve never laughed so hard... you''re even prettier and cuter in person! Well, I guess in virtual person that is but still, you did an amazing job creating your character. I mean, just imagine if you looked like this in real life... All the boys would be all over you.¡±


    Michael felt a cold chill go up and down his spine. Ah, is she trying to curse me? What a nightmarish thing to say... ¡°Th... tha... nks,¡± Michael muttered as he looked away towards the cauldron kraken hiding his blush; He then looked at his pillar which was still holding up, and then back at the newcomer, taking a good look at her this time. ¡°You''re really beautiful too you know...¡±


    Standing in front of him, staring intently with blood-red eyes was a very tall girl, at least 6 feet in height and looking around 15-16 years of age. She had smooth pale light gray skin and long beautiful straight snow-white spiln hair which glistened with silver near the ends.


    She had a couple of small braids running along either side of the top of her head, as well as the sides, which were then gathered into a ponytail as a Bloodrose with evergreen vines acted as a scrunchy holding her hairstyle in place. 2 strands of hair, that were for some unknown reason slightly curled and tipped silvery blood-red, framed the left side of her face while a larger strand framed the right side.


    From the top side of her head, sprouted horns which curved back and then a bit up at the tips. They were onyx black at the front blending into a blood-red hue at the tips. Her smile was beautiful with a hint of wickedness as a small pair of white fangs peeked out from behind her full blood-red lips. Her ears we''re a bit like her own, but longer and with two petaled layers instead of three.


    Her body was... amazing. Very strong and athletic, yet soft and curved in all the right places. She had beautiful onyx black scales with hints of blood-red covering that ''hard'' body like skin-tight armor; Armor adorned with swirling sigil-like lines of silvery-white. And behind her, swinging to and fro was her wyvern tail tipped with a bloodrose bulb hiding its poisonous sting within its petals...


    ¡°Ah! You''re suffocating me with your melons! And your scaly chest armor hurts.¡± Michael grumbled, breaking free of her grasp once again and rubbing his inflamed cheeks. She had caught him with his guard down as he was appraising her body... err... fighting potential.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Syl said with a confused look on her face as she looked down; Her eyes brightening as she cupped her chest. ¡°Ahahaha I can''t wait to see the look on Cara''s and Irene''s faces when they see me now... I Win! Although, I wouldn''t exactly call them melons... hmm... more like grapefruits...¡±


    Michael, who had turned his blushing face away as soon as Syl started cupping herself failed to hear the first part of her words, but did catch the last part and muttered with a side glance.¡°Ya, large grapefruits... Ahhh! We don''t have time for this! There''s a battle going on!¡±


    ¡°Am I really though? You''re not just saying that are you because I didn''t even get to create my character...¡±


    Didn''t she hear me say we don''t have time for this? We''re in the middle of a battle and all she can think about is how her character looks? Exasperated, Michael tapped his foot on the ground as Syl continued talking unaware of his thoughts and feelings.


    ¡°... I was just in the middle of designing the look of my fox beastkin character when all of a sudden my Starblood Advisor notified me that a new Unique race had just become available and asked if I wanted to choose it! Afraid that someone would beat me to the punch, I said YES! Next thing I know, here I am.¡± Syl''Lean said with her arms opened out wide.


    Sighing, with a bit of worry in her eyes Syl continued, ¡°I didn''t even get the chance to design my look and there''s no mirror to see what I look like so I can''t help but worry a little... after all, we''re going to be stuck with the way we look...¡±


    Michael rubbed his face, looked her in the eyes and said, ¡°Like I was saying before I got smothered in your embrace, you have nothing to worry about at all. You have this whole wicked beauty warrioress look going for you... with emphasis on the beauty.¡±


    ¡°Oh good. That makes me feel so much better. I can''t wait to surprise my besties, Cara and Irene. (No way... it can''t be....) They don''t know that I''m back... I was in Florida visiting my Abuela in the hospital (It is... it''s the other of Cara''s best friends... Jennifer. What...How? Cara said she couldn''t make it... OMG I''m so glad I didn''t tell her my real name...) but she''s on the mend now and we brought her back with us so my parents let me come play, but imagine my surprise when I found out the spot that Cara had given me was now taken, not that I blame her since I did send her a sad face text which was a signal letting her know that I wasn''t going to be able to make it back to play¡­ but still, I was so disappointed!


    But then her mother came to the rescue. She called the company and talked them into adding a couple of more bio-pods into the room... and I only had to pay $1000 for 9 weeks of gameplay. I even got to sign up and be a part of the streaming team... amazing! I bet they don''t even realize how much money they''ve made in just the 3 and half weeks they''ve been in here...¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wait! 3 and a half weeks!?! What do you mean 3 and a half weeks?... I''ve only been in this starting area for about 10 days now... which should be a little over 3 days in the real world.... right Anari?¡± Michael said as he looked up into the night sky.


    ¡°Anari? Who''s Anari?¡± Syl asked following Michael''s line of sight and seeing no one.


    ¡°She''s been guiding me since I got in the bio-pod. At first, I thought she was an AI program... but now I think she might be an actual person hired to pretend to be an AI guide. Either way, she''s been a great help... and a very good friend.¡±


    [ Awe! That''s sweet Wylla. But remember, we''re not just friends but sisters! You, Myself, and Eva... I can''t wait until we''re all together ''playing'' in Abrynth... we''re going to have so much fun! One for all... and all for one... ]


    ¡°Huh, Eva?... who''s Ev...¡±


    ¡°You''re so lucky. She sounds much ''funner'' than the AI guiding me. Still, I should be thankful since Starblood Advisor did get me this Unique Sylvern race. It even offered to set up all my stats for me based on my traits, blessings, and abilities to get me off to a quick start so I could join the battle nearby... this battle. Of course, I said yes! Then I just followed the noise and here we are.¡± Syl finished with a smile, looking like she wanted to scoop Michael up again into a hug but the top half of the pillar behind her came crumbling down.


    ¡°JEN-JEN, GET DOWN!¡± Michael jumped forward, reaching up with his hands, grabbing her shoulders, and pulling... well... more like guiding her down into a crouch (since she was much too strong for him to pull without her approval). Several Bloody Void Orbs flew over their heads as Michael quickly scuttled around Syl who was staring at him with a partially opened mouth; Her face seemed to be going through a bit of emotion.


    ¡°Mich...no it can''t be... but only he calls me that... but you can''t be a different gender... can you?...¡± Michael poured Oryn energy into the Earth Flora: Pillar rebuilding it as a confused Jennifer mumbled from behind. Finishing his task, Michael turned around as Jen voiced her question, ¡°Is that you Mich...¡±


    ¡°Michelle... my name is Michelle,¡± Michael blurted out. ¡°I go to school with... with Rori... ya... Rori and Sadie are friends. Anyways, just call me Wylla.¡±


    ¡°Mich..elle? But you called me...¡±


    ¡°Look Jen... err... didn''t you say your new name is Syl''Lean Roseblud? That''s a great name! I really like it so... so I''ll just call you Syl. Anyways, we can''t stay here forever.¡± Michael rushed to say, looking to derail Syl''s train of thought. ¡°There''s a big battle going on all around us and I have to help the Spriggankin end the Kavi threat, and more importantly, I have to defeat the Witch but she''s hiding behind that Cauldron Kraken she created with her dark alchemy...¡±


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me! I have an event quest to defeat that Cauldron Kraken,¡± Syl jumped in, making a fist with one hand and bringing it down on the palm of her other hand.


    ¡°That''s perfect! We can team up just like them,¡± Michael said, grateful to have successfully changed the topic of conversation from his real name to the quests. ¡°Here''s the deal, I''m not sure what keeps healing that cauldron beastie but I do know we have to separate it from not only its cauldron but also from that Witch! Can you tell me what skills you have?¡±


    ¡°Sure... let''s see... there they are,¡± Syl said as her eyes moved left to right. ¡°I have Bloodthorn Claws Slash which deals damage and heals me for a bit of the damage... Noctis Bloodrose Tailsting which deals damage and poisons the target. It has a 5-yard range of attack... And Bloodrose Bloodthorn Harpoon which shoots out a serpenvine with a bloodthorn spearhead piercing the target and letting me pull them to me or allowing me to jump towards them... seems to have a 20 yards range...¡±


    ¡°Ooh, that''s perfect! I know how we can separate them,¡± Michael said, as he leaned in towards Syl, taking her hands into his small hands, his eyes bright and a slight smile on his lips. ¡°And here is how we''re going to do it...¡± Which caused Syl to blush as Michael, totally oblivious, began to tell Syl his plan.


    As Michael shared his plan with Syl, the Witch''s heart was beating hard within her chest. Every now and then she would stick her head out of the side of the cauldron, wondering what that cursed little butterfly brat and that new dark scaled armored warrioress were up too.


    Her heart was screaming at her to rush into her hut and activate its defenses but her mind was telling her that it was a trap; That the moment she left the protection of her cauldron beast that the two would pounce, ending her. And so, she stayed right where she was at, her eyes jolting about seeking allies but only seeing a battlefield of fallen Kavi and Spidolls. And the Spriggankin marching into the village to the screams of ¡°SKREE!¡± and ¡°KAVI!¡±


    Michael looked at Syl, nodded and said, ¡°Okay, I''ve never done this before so I think it''s best if you step back some and give me a little room... Oh, and before I forget...¡± Michael reached around his waist and removed his Furbee belly pouch, giving it to Syl. ¡°In this pouch are 3 Healing Nectar fruits and 2 vials of Oryn water. If you get low on health, jump behind this pillar, drink and eat the Healing Nectar fruit to heal back up and then charge back in. As for the vials, the first time you drink one, some of your stats will permanently go up... well at least for me they did. Anyways, it also cures poisons and curses.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Syl said happily, taking the belly pouch and wrapping it around her waist. She then took out one of the vials, popped open the cork, and drank it. Her body glowing golden-green for a breath or two before fading away. ¡°Yes! My aura and health both went up. Perfect timing.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Michael said, smiling. ¡°Now let''s do this; Way of the Spirin Syldrake!¡± Michael''s body pulsed and tingled with Oryn energy. His Orchid Butterfly wings shrunk until they were no more while his ethereal antennae faded, vanishing from sight.


    His muscles twitched and lightly undulated beneath his pale moon skin as they grew. The baby fat on his body and face melted away. His head bent down facing the ground as his hair fell forward, draping his face as a small pair of Syldrake fangs grew hidden by his full lips.


    He quickly grew in height as his skin changed to a light leafy pastel green hue. His pointy multi-layered ears lengthened, growing out of their hiding spots behind his long beautiful spiln hair; Streaks of deep purple slithered down from his scalp, weaving their way here and there within the shades of greens that was his soft silky hair.


    Above and to the sides of his golden eyes, grew a pair of pitch-black Syldrake thorn horns adorned with royal purple and gold sigils. The Syldrake horns grew slightly up before curving back, following the contours of his head, and then curving upwards again at the tips as his hair covered the area on his head from which they sprouted.


    Behind him, swinging from side to side, was his powerful Syldrake tail; The deep royal purple Syldrake scales with golden highlights grew along the tail''s topside, ending in a sharp thorn bladed tip; The underside was softer and the same color as his skin.


    Syl stood there transfixed, enjoying the transformation with a smile on her face and eyes opened wide, looking up and down, admiring Micheal''s new form. Her thoughts spilling out of her mouth, ¡°That''s amazing! So beautiful... and it would look even cooler if she spun around with her arms out wide and a golden lasso on her curvy hips as she changed into her ''superhero'' form.¡±


    The transformation took less than three breathes of time from beginning to end. And now completed, Michael stood a little over 6 foot tall, looking like a golden-eyed horned she hulk wearing alluring Syldrake scale armor and long powerful thorn bladed tipped tail. Her Syldrake scales were deep purple and shone with golden sigil highlights, fitting his now womanly curves like a glove; His now larger than average-sized chest threatening to make themselves known from the sides of his chest armor.


    Just how is this practical? Michael complained in his heart and his head with his taloned clawed hands on his womanly hips while tapping his long knee-high high heeled Syldrake scaled boot on the ground as he looked down at his chest.


    I guess it could be worse, it could''ve been bikini armor... Ah, where did my furbee outfit go?... I hope they didn''t rip apart and disappear. I don''t want to be running around naked again when I change back! Sighing to himself while shaking his head side to side, he decided now was not the time for such thoughts. No, now was the time to put their plan into action.


    He gave himself a fist bump, looked down into Syl''s eyes, and nodded. Syl balled up her hands into fists, took a quick deep breath, and nodded back with furrowed brows and a hint of a smile, ¡°Ready!¡±


    "Let''s do this!" Michael stepped out from behind the Pillar, lifted his right arm up, aimed palm up at the Cauldron Kraken, and shouted, "Bloodthorn Serpenvine Harpoon!"


    Storymask


    Syl and Wylla are powered up and ready to rumble! Coming up Chapter 49: Ding Dong the Witch is... Dead?


    Side Note: Sorry for the week-long delay. I seemed to have made a little too much merry last week... I hope everyone had as well. Okay, this battle arc has become a little longer than I expected but next chapter is the conclusion of the arc... meaning main fight, a little rank 1 ding, and a couple of... we''ll you''ll see. Anyways, I''ll be writing the rest of today (after I get back from the gym (cause I really need it after all those cookies and cakes)) and tomorrow in hopes to have it done before the Happy New Year! (Because I foresee a very unpleasant hangover on the first of 2020...) Anyways, wishing everyone a great New Year! (just in case...).

 Chapter 49: Wylla, the Witch, and the Cauldron (Part 4)

    (Part 4 Ding Dong the Witch is... Dead?)


    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 49


    Following Wylla''s lead, Syl stepped out from the left side of the Pillar, aiming as well and shouted, ¡°Bloodrose Bloodthorn Harpoon!¡± A bloodrose headed serpenvine burst out of Syl''s palm, heading straight towards a large mouth-tipped tentacle of the Cauldron Kraken as a bloodthorn spearhead sprouted forth from the petals of the bloodrose.


    ¡°SKREECH!¡± The cauldron beast cried out as two of its tentacles were pierced. Wylla and Syl grabbed onto their serpenvines with both of their hands and together, gave a great pull.


    The Kraken was yanked hard towards the two armored girls as the serpenvines snapped taut causing the big burning hot cauldron containing it to greatly tip. Feeling that its ''house'' was about to tip over, the Kraken''s tentacles slapped the hard dirt ground causing little puffs of dust and dirt to rise into the air. Pushing hard off the ground, the cauldron rocked back as its eyeball tentacles sent a volley of Bloody Void Orbs at Wylla and Syl.


    The girls sidestepped the semi-fast orbs, moving forward, causing the serpenvines taut hold to slacken, sending the cauldron rolling back... back... bumping into the crouching Witch and sending her out of hiding. The tentacles once again hit the ground stopping the cauldron''s tipping momentum and pushed hard, sending it rocking back towards Wylla and Syl.


    Happy that things were going as planned, the girls took advantage of the shift of movement, rushing back quickly and making the serpenvine lines go taut once again... and then gave a great tug; Their muscles flexing and teeth clenching as they pulled with all they had.


    The cauldron''s top came rushing towards the ground; The Kraken ¡°SKREECH!¡± sending its large mouth-tipped tentacles slamming towards the ground, trying to stop the cauldron from tipping over onto its side as dark sludge splashed onto the ground. The green witchfire in the pit flared as the Witch sent a Miasma Rosebud Bolt hurling towards Wylla, but it was too late.


    Just as the dark misty rosebud slammed into Wylla''s shoulder causing her to grunt and grit her teeth, the cauldron tipped over onto its side with a ''gongongong'' sound. Taking advantage of the situation, Wylla''s and Syl''s feet dug deep into the ground as they pulled hard, trying to drag the Kraken out of its cauldron shell.


    The Kraken didn''t want this... it most definitely didn''t want to be pulled out of its protective home that had been filled with that wonderful alchemic slurry but it was losing the struggle as its quivering squid-like body was being pulled out; Desperate, it sent all 5 of its large mouth-tipped tentacles to wrap around the cauldron, to pull itself back in, only to realize too late just how hot the lower half of the outside of the cauldron was ¡°SKREECH!¡±


    With tentacles sizzling, the Kraken quickly let go of the cauldron as the tainted scent of cooked calamari filled the air; Slightly smoking tentacles flailed wildly about in the air looking for something to grab hold of only to be hit by the Witch''s Miasma Rosebud Bolt which had just been sent flying towards Wylla.


    A breath or two later, the Kraken''s body finally popped out of the cauldron and was dragged, kicking and screeching, over 15 yards away, coming to a stop near the Witch''s hut. A gleeful Syl jumped high into the air, using the serpenvine to pull herself through the air, landing right in front of the panicking Kraken, sending a spray of dirt and dust into its eyeballs.


    Taking advantage of the Kraken''s vulnerable state, Syl''s bloodrose tipped tail whipped forward streaking towards one of the dark blood-red glowing eyeballs leaving a trail of afterimages in the air; Her bloodthorn stinger sprouted out of the center of the bloodrose bulb near the tip of her tail and pierced the eyeball tentacle''s pupil bursting it open like a water balloon as its foul fluids splattered onto the ground "SKREECH!"


    Michael spotted the Witch standing behind the now empty cauldron with a confused and hate-filled look on her face.


    The Witch looked around, seeing these two new powerful-looking draic warriors dragging her beast away. Her eyes jolted left and right, searching; A confused look growing on her face... Did that cursed little butterfly brat call for help and run away to join the Spriggankin in their march into the village? Just where is she? Ack, no time for that! The Witch thought to herself.


    The Witch furrowed her brows, a look of resignation painted her face as the much too beautiful draic warrioress headed her way. She quickly retrieved ''the vial'' from her pouch; The vial holding her latest alchemic creation. Popping open the cork, she pinched her nose closed blocking the foul scent emanating out of the vial and drank deeply.


    The empty vial hit the ground as the Witch''s bones popped and limbs lengthened; Her flesh began to undulate, and her body grew. Muscles rippled and blood-red thorn claws protracted. The back of her head elongated, parting her evergreen dreadlocks like a curtain, as a large Bloodrose bulb made its appearance. Thorns grew out from here and there giving her body a deadly appearance.


    Even her Roseblood Staff changed into a dark wicked-looking bloodthorn tipped assegai spear!


    Standing before Michael was no longer the small physically weak Bloodrose Witch... no, she was now gone. Now standing before him was a bestial albino Bloodrose ''Ganglyrot-like'' Witch wielding a long Bloodrose Assegai Spear.


    "Tch! It looks like she''s grown past her Dr. Moreau phase and entered her Dr. Jekyll phase. Either way Ms. Hyde... you won''t win!¡± Michael charged at the new Gangly Witch, his right hand grabbing hold of the rod that was using its long tendrils to wrap around his waist to hold it in place.


    ¡°ROAR!¡± The Gangly Witch lifted up her spear and brought it slashing down in an arc towards Michael''s head. Michael quickly stepped in close near the Gangly Witch''s body, holding his left arm up; WHACK! The dark wood shaft near the long bloodthorn spearhead slammed into the back of Michael''s forearm causing his arm to jolt down a bit from the impact as his Syldrake scales vibrated, blocking much of the damage.


    A split second later, Michael''s rod slammed into the unprotected and wide open ribs of the Gangly Witch as the spidery lotus flower bit into her flesh! ¡°AIEEGH!¡± The Gangly Witch''s feet skidded to the left sending a small spray of dirt and dust into the air. Hissing, the Gangly Witch slammed the heel of her spear into the ground as dark energy slithered towards Michael.


    Michael sidestepped to the right of the Gangly Witch as bloodrose headed serpenvines burst out of the ground seeking to pierce his legs. The first two missed, but without his Butterfly Wings he wasn''t fast enough to dodge the last two as one bit into his exposed thigh and the other tried biting into his scale-covered calf, both wrapping around his legs to hold him in place.


    Taking advantage of the bindings, the Gangly Witch moved back out of Michael''s reach but stayed within her thrusting spear''s range. Michael gritted his teeth and shouted out, ¡°Dire Syldrake Guardian!¡± The energy in his body quickly built up and fed into his scales as they grew, covering all of his body, increasing their toughness; Spikes emerged here and there giving him a wicked dragon knight appearance as the Gangly Witch''s spear came thrusting towards his chest.


    He moved his upper body to his right, twisting at the waist as his rod hit the shaft of the spear, changing its trajectory, causing it to go past his left side as it scraped against his scaled ribs.


    Meanwhile, as Michael was using his new armored body to block and guard against the Gangly Witch''s spear attacks, Syl was busy piercing and destroying another of the Kraken''s eyeball tentacles with her Noctis Bloodrose Tailsting. The Kraken screeched in anger as its third eyestalk was destroyed. Just two to go! Syl thought with a glint in her eyes and a wicked little smile on her blood-red lips.


    Angry, and in pain, the Kraken braced itself with a large mouth-tipped tentacle pressed down against the ground on each side of its body while attacking with the other three and its two remaining eyeball stalks.


    Syl used her armored covered arms and legs to block what she couldn''t dodge in the small space between the Kraken''s thrashing tentacles. Her Sylvern scales were still in great shape; Even after all the pounding as she continued to block the Kraken''s hammering blows while waiting for another opening to strike back with her eyeball bursting tailsting.


    She glanced up and noticed that her 3 bars were over half-filled; She still had plenty of health, energy, and stamina to keep fighting. Only the flesh beneath her scales was damaged, being a bit bruised here and there; But if it wasn''t for the fact that she got lucky and received the very enviable bonus attribute of toughness the damage to her body would have been far worse.


    Growing frustrated, the Kraken sent large mouth-tipped tentacles slamming down towards her from above on both sides of her body. Syl shifted into a horse stance and lifted her arms up, catching one downward slamming tentacle in each hand with a soft grunt as her feet dug into the ground and her body bounced downwards a couple of inches.


    Seeing its chance, the Kraken swept its third mouth-tipped tentacle towards her, low to the ground, looking to take out her legs as its remaining eyeball tentacles sent a pair of Bloody Void Orbs towards her body.


    Sensing danger, Syl followed her instincts as her tail slapped the ground and pushed off hard as she jumped; Her Bloodthorn Claws protracted, biting in deep into the tentacles flesh, securing her hold, as she used them like parallel high bars.


    The low sweeping tentacle swept by just missing her legs and the pair of Bloody Void Orbs hit nothing but air as Syl hung upside down in a handstand; Her back arced, arm muscles twitching, and her eyes focused on one of the remaining eyestalks as her tail whipped downwards fast as lightning, bursting open another eyeball.


    ¡°SKREECH!¡± The Kraken flailed its tentacles in pain causing Syl to lose her balance and sending her falling towards the ground.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Syl complained as she hit the ground. Sensing danger, she quickly rolled out of the Kraken''s reach as tentacles pounded the ground behind her, barely missing by mere inches.


    ¡°Ahahaha... This is fun!¡± Syl said as she got back on her feet and dusted herself off. ¡°It''s kind of like popping balloons with darts at a carnival, only ''funner''... Just 1 eyeball to go... hope I get a good prize!¡±


    Rubbing her arms and legs, Syl turned towards the Kraken as it slapped the ground with its tentacles, slowly pulling itself towards her. ¡°Ah, it looks like your maneuverability on land is shi... umm... bad.¡± Syl sidestepped as a lone Bloody Void Orb flew past. She then ran around to the backside of the Kraken, pulling a Healing Nectar fruit out of her borrowed belly pouch.


    Keeping an eye on the Kraken as it slowly turned its body towards her, she bit into the top of the fruit, then tilted it up and drank the delicious honey-sweet nectar within; The silky liquid went down her throat and into the pit of her stomach as warm tingling pulses of energy flooded her body, melting away the aches and pains as her wounds and bruises healed.


    Feeling revived and refreshed, she dodged another Bloody Void Orb. ¡°Just about all your range attacks are gone and you''re so very slow on land! Since that''s the case, let''s do this the easy way!¡±


    Syl ran to the right of the beast, bending down to pick up a discarded wooden spear off the ground, and began to dance around the Kraken in circles, thrusting and piercing with both Tailsting and spear as screeches filled the night.


    Huffing, the Gangly Witch once again thrust her spear, feinting low but going high as Michael, with knees bent, pretended to fall for her feint; The spear came streaking towards his throat, he leaned right, stood straight up moving his left arm up in an arc and then back down, bending at the elbow.


    The spearhead scrapped along the side of his scaled chest passing underneath his armpit as his arm clamped down, trapping the spear shaft between his arm and side. Using his left hand, he grabbed hold of the spear''s thorny shaft while bringing his rod slamming down with his right hand, pounding the Gangly Witch''s hand nearest him holding the spear: ¡°WHACK!¡±


    ¡°AIEEK!¡± The Gangly Witch screamed, letting go of the spear and shaking her battered hand in the air she quickly backpedaled out of reach.


    Michael, with the spear in hand and trapped with his upper body, twisted and turned his body left while leaning away, ripping the spear out of the Gangly Witch''s one-handed grip.


    As much a Michael wanted to use the now liberated Bloodrose Assegai spear he knew better than to do so. After all, the last time he got a hold of the Witch''s grimoire it ended up attacking him. And he didn''t want that to happen to him again with the spear so he tossed the spear behind him as the bloodrose serpenvine chains binding him in place released and returned to the ground.


    ¡°Alright, let''s do this... mano al mano,¡± Michael said, feeling good and smiling. He put his rod away as it wrapped itself around his waist and stepped towards the Gangly Witch.


    The Gangly Witch stepped forward to meet him, sending a slash with her poisoned claws from up high to low. Michael didn''t retreat, instead, he did as he learned from sensei and stepped forward lifting his left arm, using the armored Syldrake scales on the back of his forearm to block the Witch''s downward slash.


    KRSH! Sparks flew and a sound like nails on chalkboard resounded. The Witch''s claws scraped against his scales but could not break through as her body''s momentum continued forward... which was what Michael wanted.


    Michael stepped into her guard, lowering his center of gravity as his right hand parried her left claw slash. He quickly slapped his hand down onto her shoulder, his claws biting into flesh and muscle securing their hold.


    With his left hand on her right biceps and his right hand on her left shoulder controlling her body, Michael used the Gangly Witch''s forward movement against her, twisting his body and flipping her over causing her to scream ¡°AIYEE!¡± as her Heaven and Earth reversed in less than a second.


    ¡°WHAM!¡± The Gangly Witch landed painfully on her back; The jarring impact knocking the wind out of her lungs. Gasping and coughing the Gangly Witch''s left hand made its way towards one of her pouches but Michael wasn''t about to wait for her to recover.


    ¡°No you don''t!¡± Michael slammed his knee down on her stomach.


    ¡°OOMPH!¡± The Witch''s upper body lifted up into the air only to be brought back down as Michael''s left hand slammed into her wounded shoulder, shoving her down hard onto the ground and holding her there.


    He then lifted his right arm up high, his bloodthorn claws glistening in the night, and brought down a powerful palm strike onto the center of the Gangly Witch''s chest ¡°WHAP!¡± ¡°GAH!¡± The Gangly Witch cried out. With his Bloodthorn Claws glowing red, he raked downwards, biting into the Gangly Witch''s flesh and leaving behind gashing trails as little streams of healing warmth entered Michael''s body.


    The Witch''s hand fell limply onto the ground, no longer moving towards her pouches. Her eyes dimmed as she stared at Michael and then widened, turning hate-filled as Michael changed forms right before her into that vile little butterfly girl! ¡°ARIEEGH!!!¡±


    Smirking, Michael brought his hand down above the Witch''s chest and just couldn''t resist saying it... ¡°Hasta La Vista!¡± His hand lit up with energy, the SnapDragon roared, slamming into the Gangly Witch''s chest! The Gangly Witch''s blood-red eyes turned milky and dark as her body stilled, becoming pallid gray in color as her mortal life ended.


    [ ding! ]


    ¡°Yay! She Won!¡± ¡°I just knew you could do it little lassy!¡± ¡°She''s grown so much...¡± ¡°That''s my Wylla! Yay!¡± Streams of celebration came down from above.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You defeated the Witch, completing your Defeating the Wycked Witch of the South quest, earning 20 lyr and 500 XP. You are now Rank 1! Yay! ]


    Powerful waves of Oryn energy moved about in all three of Michael''s Trinity cores. He could feel changes taking place inside him but now was not the time for that as there was still a battle going on! So he focused on calming the rising tides of energy. Breathing in and out for several short minutes as the fluctuations, ripples, and pulses within calmed.


    Sighing in relief he looked towards Syl. The corners of his lips lifting; Looks like she has her battle well in hand. Happy, he touched the Witch''s body to push his tired body up off the ground as an infobox popped up:


    [ Would you like to loot the Witch''s remains? Y/N ]


    ¡°Yes Please!''¡±


    [ Here you go Wylla. You have received the Witch''s beautiful Briar Bloodrose Dress and 3 pouches filled with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. You''ll look beautiful in that dress Wylla. We can hardly wait to see you in it. ]


    ¡°Ooh, she''s going to look like a beautiful fairy princess...¡± ¡°I can''t wait to see... hurry lassy put it on...¡± ¡°Aye! That dress will go wonderfully with her hair...¡± Various streams of encouragement and anticipation softly streamed down from above.


    Michael''s head looked down into his hands that were holding the beautiful dress, his face lightly blushing.


    [ Briar Bloodrose Dress is a beautiful fairy witch styled dress reminding one of a midsummer night''s dream. This dress is made of the finest Oryn infused spiln threads and increases the wearers Int +3, Wis +3, Aura +5 when worn. This is a divine growth type garment and will become soulbound when worn. Rank 1, Tier 0, Level 0


    Bonus Stat: This dress also increases any wearer''s Charisma by +5 as long as the wearer already has said stat unlocked.]


    ¡°Ugh! Why did it have to be Charisma...¡± Shaking his head, Michael got up off the ground and then chose the equip option as his furbee outfit was replaced by the Briar Bloodrose Dress.


    ¡°Quick, get my camera!¡± ¡°Ah, mine too!¡± Various lights strobed down from above as Michael did his best to ignore it.


    He then placed the 3 pouches over his shoulder, deciding it is best to check what''s in them at a later time. He paused for a moment in thought, then looked about before asking, ¡°Umm... so Anari, do you know where my furbee outfit is? I can''t seem to find it.¡±


    [ Your furbee shorty shorts and furbee sports bra are still on you underneath your new beautiful dress. As for your furbee halter top, I put it nice and folded into the largest of your new pouches. ]


    ¡°Ah, that''s great. Thanks, Anari!¡±


    [ You''re Welcome Wylla! :) ]


    "Okay... now, where did I throw it?" Michael searched the ground once more. There it is... Michael walked towards the Briar Bloodrose Assegai on the ground, bent down, and picked it up.


    [ Would you like to Soulbind the Witch''s Briar Bloodrose Weapon? Y/N ]


    ¡°Yes Please!¡±


    The Briar Bloodrose Assegai spear shifted back into its staff form as a blood-red thorn grew, biting into Michael''s palm; ¡°Ouch!¡± Michael yelped as the staff glowed golden-green for a breath or two, becoming his.


    [ Briar Bloodrose Staff/Assegai Spear


    Divine Growth Type Weapon Soulbound to Wylla Wylden


    The Briar Bloodrose is a beautiful and fragrant plant that grew around the Briar Bloodrose Witch''s hut in the Desparu Swamp Forest. As such, they can only be found on extremely rare occasions. Those who are fortunate enough to obtain this weapon should thank the young Goddess of Plants and Forests, Sylvenori for their incredibly good luck.


    Current Weapon Strength: Rank 1, Tier 0, Lvl 0


    Weapon Skills:


    Briar Bloodrose Serpenvine Chains (Range Spell) Summons Briar Bloodrose Serpenvine Chains from the ground near target. The chains bind the target''s limbs hindering movement and causing thorn damage. Current Damage Strength: 1 to 2 points of damage per 2 seconds for 10 seconds. All crits add 50% more damage.


    Cost to Use Skill: 5 Oryn Energy Power.


    Briar Bloodrose Thrust (Melee) Infuses the Briar Bloodrose Weapon with the power of Bloodlet Poison causing the target to bleed for 50% of the piercing thrust''s damage over the course of 10 seconds. Current Damage Strength: 4 to 6 points of damage. All crits add 50% more time to poisoning.


    Cost to Use Skill: 5 Oryn Energy Power ]


    ¡°This is awesome! Thanks, Anari!¡± Michael said with a huge smile on his face.


    [ You''re Welcome Wylla :) ]


    Yes, now I have a great mix of weapons but... ¡°How am I going to carry it while fighting when I''m using my rod or wand?¡± Michael''s lips pursed in thought as he looked about. ¡°I wonder... can it shrink to fit on my waist next to my wand or...¡± Michael looked at his long spiln hair hanging over his shoulder ¡°... maybe I can control my hair to wrap around it to hold it across my back? But just the thought of it hanging there behind me while I''m fighting doesn''t sound very safe nor practical... Hmmm, If only I could equip and unequip it with magic like Erza from that anime...¡±


    Michael exhaled deeply, shook his head, and gripped his new staff, ¡°Oh well, for now, I guess I can just toss it on the ground during fights when I don''t need to use it. It''s not like anyone else can use it anyways since its soulbound to me.¡±


    [ Don''t worry Wylla I''m sure something helpful that will solve your problem will soon come up. ;) ]


    ¡°Oh... okay! Thanks, Anari,¡± Michael knew better than to ask what that ''something'' would be but was still comforted by the fact that ''something'' helpful to solve this problem would pop up.


    Looks like Jen... no, no, no... get used to her game name! Syl, it''s Syl! And Syl is about to finish up her quest... hmm... I still need the Grimoire where ever that may be... and I wonder if I can take that cauldron with me... looks heavy though... Michael thought to himself as he walked up to the cauldron and stretched out his hand to touch it.


    Storymask


    Michael did it! He''s now Rank 1! Yay!... But before the party can start, there are still things that need doing. Coming Up next Chapter 50: Of Death and Rebirth


    Side Note: I changed the name of Wylla''s Dire Syldrake ability to Dire Syldrake Guardian.


    Edited/Revised on Jan 6, 2020 (A special thanks to reader Truth for his guidance on the melee fight scenes!)

 Chapter 50: Of Death and Rebirth

    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 50


    Eh, looks like it''s trying to head this way. Michael thought to himself, eyeing the badly damaged and nearly dead Kraken as he stepped around the extinguished witchfire pit, making his way towards the front of the cauldron since he could still feel some heat radiating off the bottom half. It doesn''t really think it''ll make it does it? No matter, I''ll just block its path.


    Michael grabbed hold of the warm lip of the cauldron with his right hand, a message popping up as he sent oryn energy down through his body and out of his foot into the ground: ¡°Earth Flora: Wall.¡±


    A short 3 and a half foot tall wall of earth and vines rose up from the ground blocking the last hope the Kraken had of returning home. Satisfied, Michael read the pop-up message as Syl drove her spear into the Kraken''s body, pinning it to the ground; And then finished it off with a barrage of 3 quick Noctis Bloodrose Tailstings.


    [ Would you like to loot and soulbind the Briar Bloodrose Cauldron? Y/N ]


    ¡°Yes!¡± Michael said with a teeth clenched smile as he felt his hand once again get pricked. The cauldron glowed for a breath or two, then began to vibrate and hum as it shrunk in size... getting smaller and smaller until it reached the height of his thigh. ¡°Ah, I don''t know why you got smaller... and if that''s a good or bad thing but at least now I can carry you.¡±


    Michael bent down, laid his staff on the ground, and grabbed hold of the top of the cauldron with both hands. He lifted up with all he had, muscles straining, as the bottom of the cauldron rose several inches off the ground. Oye, this thing is heavier than it looks!... Why? ¡°Guh!¡± Grunting and breathing a bit hard, Michael dropped the cauldron onto the ground ''Gongongong.''


    ¡°Heck with it.¡± Michael placed his hands on his hips, arced his spine back, and stretched for a breath or two all the while staring at the deceptively heavy cauldron. ¡°Since your quite round I''ll just roll you or cut down some serpenvines, wrap them round you, and pull you to where ever I go.¡±


    ¡°Okay, since that''s done... I just need to find that Grimoire.¡± He looked about for a moment before slightly tilting his head in the direction of a long wooden table off to the side near the Serpris cage and hut. ¡°Wow, it survived the battle without getting knocked over... its luck is high.¡± Laying amidst all the vials, jars, and clutter on top of the table was a large dark ornate book.


    Smiling, Michael made his way past a very ecstatic Syl, who was reading something only she could see. He came to a stop in front of the table; Laying there before him was the Briar Bloodrose Grimoire right next to and slightly on top of its patched up carrying bag.


    Michael reached out, hand lightly shaking as memories of the last time he held it flashed through his mind, and touched the Bloodrose in the center of the Grimoire.


    [ Would you like to loot and Soulbrand the Briar Bloodrose Grimoire? Y/N ]


    ¡°Soulbrand? What does that mean Anari?¡± Michael asked with a confused look on his face.


    [ There are certain items that you can''t soulbind without first getting the item''s approval like Grimoires. In such cases, you may soulbrand the item allowing you to carry it with you until you feel ready to attempt soulbinding.


    While the item carries your soulbrand, no one else will be able to carry it without being constantly attacked. If you fail soulbinding with the item, your soulbrand will vanish and you''ll never be able to soulbrand that item again. Furthermore, all future attempts to soulbind with said item again will be rejected. There are also other uses for Soulbrands but that''s a discussion for another time. ]


    ¡°Ah, that''s good to know. Thanks, Anari! And since that''s the case... Yes, I''d like to loot and soulbrand the Grimoire please.¡±


    [ You''re Welcome Wylla. Now, just place your hand on the Bloodrose in the center of the Grimoire and merge some of your Oryn energy within the book. ]


    Michael closed his eyes and clenched his teeth in anticipation of some type of pain since all the other times he soulbound with something it hurt; He then poured some of his Oryn energy into the Grimoire''s cover.


    The Bloodrose glowed, the book shook, and thorns sprouted out of the bloodrose vines surrounding the edges of the book cover. The Oryn energy streaming from Michael''s hand turned into a liquidy serpent that hovered above the Bloodrose within the cover of the Grimoire. The serpent began moving in circles, seemingly chasing its own tail as butterfly wings grew out of its back and little legs sprouted from the front and back of its long liquid body.


    Its head then changed shape and its body became solid and fluffy. My soulbrand is cute! Michael stared at the little fluffy butterfly SnapDragon happily flying around above the Bloodrose on the cover of the Grimoire. Looks like my soulbranding was a success... and best of all, it didn''t hurt!


    Meanwhile, as Michael and Syl were both busy doing their own things a certain change was taking place on the dead Witch''s body.


    The Bloodrose from the Witch''s tattoo on her right arm rose up off her skin, fading from mortal sight as it took on a ghostly form. A womanly face emerged on the side of the ghostly bloodrose bulb, its body of tendrils propelling it forward through the air like a jellyfish at sea heading towards the Briar Bloodrose hut. Reaching the walls, it did not stop but ghosted through them, entering the magically enlarged space within.


    The Bloodrose ghost made its way towards the corner of the hut which was draped in long thorny rose vines from ceiling to floor. The vines opened as soon as the Bloodrose ghost''s tendrils touched them, revealing a flora cradle within as the walls were lined in various luminous roses. The roses were each of different shades of colors containing different realms of magic within.


    Entering her rebirth shrine, the vine curtain closed, welcoming the witch soul with pulses of energy obtained from the large ley line directly beneath her dwelling.


    As that was taking place on the inside, changes began to occur on the outside of the hut; Vines grew in numbers like oversized thorny anacondas wrapping the dark flora home up in a giant Briar Bloodrose cocoon, leaving no way to enter.


    Within, all was dark, except for the occasional bursts of light leaking out of the vine curtain enshrouding the rebirth shrine which was pulsing, pulsing, pulsing with faster and faster beats of energy reaching a crescendo!


    A huge surge of power burst up through those vines and entered the cradle with a heartbeat-like THUMP!


    The rebirth shrine''s vine curtain quivered, then slowly opened revealing the flora cradle within as cooing sounds softly rang out. The little albino baby. wrapped in leafy blankets, opened her big icy blue eyes, looking around the room.


    To her left, growing out of the vines was an ethereal blue book with a ghostly blue rose in the center and bone-shaped vines around the edges. And on the right of the baby, growing out of the vines was her new Briar Ghostrose Staff.


    Her newborn eyes traced ghostly blue energies as they went up the Bloodrose vines and every time those energies reached a Bloodrose a change would take place transforming them from blood-red Bloodroses into icy-blue ethereal Ghostroses.


    Meanwhile, with the witchling distracted by the lively glow of racing energies, a baby Ghostrose tattoo sprouted on her right tender shoulder, latching onto her soul. If Michael could see the reincarnated baby at this time with his Oryn Spirin Eyes they would show him that the witchling''s mortal vessel wasn''t the only thing that changed, her class did as well: Brair Ghostrose Netherwitch.


    Yosh! I got the cauldron and the Grimoire... and I bet there''s more to loot in the Witch''s hut! Michael turned from the table to look at the hut, his eyes widening in surprise. ¡°What happened there? The place looks like some kind of slithering plant tomb with no entrance... and all the bloodroses are gone. Replaced by those ghostly blue roses... hmm... guess it''s a no-access zone in the game? Such a shame...¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, Yes! Muy Bien,¡± Syl said with a laugh, holding a large dark round item in her hands. ¡°I got some soulbound weapons!¡±


    Syl lifted her new Noctis Eldrytch BludShield which was round like the lid of a cauldron; Slipping her left arm into the straps on the backside, the shield held firmly in place. She then grabbed hold of a rather comically large tentacled Noctis Eldrytch BludSword in her right and turned towards Michael, smiling.


    The large round shield was pitch black around the edge with its body looking like dark purple-ish waters. There was dark mist tainted blood-red hovering just above the surface of the shield and hidden within that mist, one could see something ''snake-ish'' swimming about; From time to time, one of three dark blood-red glowing orbs the size of a fist would emerge from the depths of the shield''s ''watery'' surface.


    Michael involuntarily took a step back; Having seen them before, Michael knew what those orbs and slithering ''snakes'' were. ¡°Ah, looks like your hentai... err... wicked-looking shield is sure to scare your enemies... And with that matching sword... you might find them running away before the fight even starts.¡± Especially any female ones!


    ¡°Still... if your scales were fish scales instead of wyvern, and the horns on your head and the tail swinging behind your back were tentacles... You''d look like a Lovecraftian mix of Captain America meets Aquaman.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Make way for the new superhero... Abyss-girl! Or maybe Cthulla!¡± Syl said with her shield proudly in front of her and her large sword high in the air. ¡°Either way, don''t I look cute!?!¡±


    ¡°Umm... you look rea...¡± Michael started to say before being interrupted.


    ¡°You want to see something really cool Wylla? Watch this!¡± Syl swung her shield onto her back as small tentacles emerged out of the backside of the shield wrapping around her body like a harness and securing the shield in place on her back as it shrunk to a perfect fit.


    Syl then sent a stream of energy into the shield; 3 dark blood-red eyeball tentacles rose up from the misty surface and hung over her shoulders looking about, ready to fire Bloody Void Orbs on command. ¡°Isn''t this cool, I can even see what they''re seeing like we''re linked together! With this, it''ll be hard for beasts to sneak up on me. Such cute and useful little eyestalks... Dontcha think?¡±


    Huh? How could she possibly think that something so icky and slick is cute? But Jen... err... Syl looks really happy right now... Since that''s the case, let''s just say something encouraging. ¡°Umm... sure... Ya... I guess... maybe if they were soft and fluffy, all covered in long spiln fur. Then they''d be... I think.¡± Michael said with his head tilted to the side gazing at the wiggling eyestalks. ¡°They''d look like cute fluffy caterpillars with eyeball heads or mouth heads depending on the tentacle hanging out.¡±


    Syl''s eye lit up at the thought. ¡°Hmm... let me check if there''s an option to do so...¡± She took the shield off her back and once again held it in her hands.


    The 3 eyestalks swayed to and fro as Syl directed her energy into the shield, guiding it into the eyestalks which began to glow; Soon after, long silky strands of spiln hair in shades of a purple night began to grow out of their tentacle bodies!


    Once the spiln hair had finished growing patterns began to emerge; One received blood-red tiger stripes, another grew blood-red leopard spots, and the last one was painted in camouflage patterns of dark blood-reds, pitch black, and deep purples.


    The eyestalks danced in joy as Syl caressed them with one hand as the other hand held the shield. ¡°So soft and cool to the touch! Awe! Just look how cute they are now; Come pet them Wyll!¡±


    Michael froze for a moment looking at Syl''s face. OMG! Did she figure it out? He then relaxed as he noticed that Jen-Jen was too absorbed in ''mofu-mofuing'' her new ''pets'' to have noticed her slip of the tongue... at least Michael hoped it was a slip.


    Michael walked up to Syl and reached out with his small hand, stroking one of the furry Eyestalks. ¡°Ooh... they really are soft and fluffy! They definitely look cute now but you may want to use them the other way when fighting to intimidate your enemies.¡±


    ¡°Advice taken and appreciated,¡± Syl said as she shifted the shield onto her back. ¡°I wonder if I could to the same with this large curvy sword? How funny would that look? Being attacked by a fluffy tentacle sword! Hahaha...¡±


    Michael shivered, ¡°Ya, I''d definitely want to avoid fighting someone like that...¡±


    PWUMP! PWUMP! PWUMP!


    The deep sound of drums resounded in the night air, coming from the Kavi village. Michael''s head snapped towards the sound, suddenly remembering that there was still a battle going on! ¡°Ah, I forgot! Lunori, the Old Raven, the Furbees, and the rest of the Spriggankin may need help!¡±


    ¡°Well then, what are we doing around here? All 3 of my bars are refilled and raring to go!¡± Syl said, grasping the handle of her sword as she waited for Wylla who was looking down at her cauldron.


    I need to find a place to store this since taking it into battle with me would be a very bad idea for so many reasons.


    ¡°There, I''ll put it over there...¡± Michael tipped the cauldron onto its side, leaned over, and started rolling it towards the Serpris cage, almost tripping in the process as the carrying bag holding the Grimoire repeatedly bumped into his thigh. Reaching the cage, he stood the cauldron up against the bars as the Moon Serpris moved her young to the far side of the cage, guarding them.


    Looking down at his side, Michael decided the Grimoire was better off being left behind as well so he took the Grimoire bag off his shoulder, and stuff it into the cauldron for safekeeping. ¡°Okay, they should be safe here... Watch these for me okay. I''ll be back to pick it up once the battle is won and then I''ll free you and your babies!¡± He said, facing the Moon Serpris.


    Satisfied, he turned back, retrieved his hard-earned staff off the ground, and rushed next to Syl. ¡°Okay, all set. Now, how about we go smash open some loot pinatas!¡±


    Smiling, the two set off...


    Storymask


    With both (Wylla and Syl) armed and dangerous, they set off to finish what they started and help free all the captured Spriggankin! Coming up next Chapter 51: Of Departures and Reflections


    Side Note: Wow! I can''t believe I actually wrote 50 chapters... definitely a big first for me. And we''re so near the end of Book 1 now... I can hardly wait. It''s been a fun ride so far. And a great experience. So Thank You all for reading and for all the encouraging and constructive comments; Much Appreciated.


    P.S. My niece is hard at work creating another illustration for us. This one will be of Wylla wearing her Bloodrose Dress, holding her Bloodrose Staff, and in her Orchid Butterfly form. I''ll be sure to post it as soon as it''s done!


    P.S.S. Just wanted to let you know that Wylla/Michael won''t be fighting baby Yoda... err... baby Witch again. After all, it''ll take her several days, if not longer, to grow up again and by then Wylla/Michael will be long gone out of the starting area. ;)


    small p.s.s.s. From chapter 12: To Know Thyself ---> Real Name: Michael William Mitchell  ;)

 Chapter 51: Of Departures and Reflections

    Book1, Volume 5


    Chapter 51


    Smiling, the two set off; They rushed towards the village, Michael''s butterfly wings fluttering behind him. Crossing the field between the Witch''s courtyard and the village, their steps wending round and over Kavi and Spidoll bodies.


    Michael''s new Bloodrose Dress flowing harmoniously with the movements of his body and his new powerful staff moving in rhythm with his steps. ¡°I really thought this new dress would impede my running... causing me to stumble and fall... which wouldn''t be all that surprising since I''ve never worn a dress before. And this very solid staff... it''s longer and sturdier than the ones in sensei''s class... it should be far heavier than it is. Must be magic.¡±


    Syl gave Wylla an odd look, before shaking her head. ¡°Or maybe it''s some type of game mechanics? Either way, you look absolutely stunning in your new dress like a beautiful little fairy princess.¡± Syl commented with a lopsided grin, running beside a blushing Wylla. ¡°As for my shield and outrageously oversized sword, they''re also shockingly light.¡±


    [ Or it just might be because they''re Soulbound items. ;) ]


    ¡°Ah, so that''s the reason... Thanks, Anari!¡±


    [ You''re Welcome Wylla. ]


    ¡°Reason... what''s the reason?¡± Syl asked, feeling a bit like a third wheel.


    ¡°Soulbound... the reason for the way they feel and move is because they''re bound to us.¡± Michael hopped over the side of a small cluster of bodies. Hmm... I wonder... He leaned down, quickly touching the body of another lifeless Kavi that he was passing by.


    [ Unable to Loot. Sorry Wylla, you may only loot the bodies of which you have battled against or assisted others in defeating (i.e. being in a party or providing support through buffs, heals, and the like). You may also loot bodies that have been abandoned; That is bodies that have not been looted within 3 hours of death. ]


    ¡°Oh, that''s good to know. Thanks again Anari!¡± Michael said, then repeated what Anari had told him to Syl.


    ¡°That is good to know. I don''t know if she can hear me but thanks Anari!¡±


    [ You''re Welcome Wylla! And Syl! ;) ]


    ¡°Yup... she can hear you... and she said you''re welcome.¡± Michael then focused on the path ahead, his breathing steady. They soon found themselves behind a truck-sized Kavi hut, readying themselves to enter the village.


    PWUMP! PWUMP! PWUMP!


    The low bass drums were still playing, coming from the left side of the village. Syl was the first to step out from the dark side of the hut and onto the wide dirt path. She had her shield strapped to her left arm, and her large tentacle sword in her right, standing in a guard stance.


    Michael popped up a second or so after, staying behind Syl''s guard, ready to unleash his Dreamnisca SnapDragons through his staff should any foe dare attack. He first looked right, Lampryns lighting up the row of huts on both sides of the dirt path, all of which had their doors wide open with no signs of movement within. He then looked left, towards the sounds of the drums and noticed the same thing.


    ¡°Strange, no matter which side I look there are no signs of life and very little bodies on the ground... the good news is none of the bodies are Spriggankin or Furbees,¡± Michael said, once again looking right and left making doubly sure.


    ¡°Eh, sounds like we missed all the fun. And I really wanted to test out my new toys!¡± Syl said with a slight pout, banging her sword on her shield as her tail swished behind her brushing past Michael.


    ¡°Hmm... I wouldn''t mind testing out my new staff either. Still, we may get what we wish for if we head left, towards the sound of those drums.¡± Michael said as they both turned left and with Syl in front, proceeded to move briskly but warily. They kept their heads on a swivel, eyes moving about, in case any surprise attacks came from the dark open doors of the huts or from the dark evergreen canopy above.


    The path twisted and turned here and there, leading them into a large round culdesac with a very large ornate hut standing right smack dab in the middle. Large Lampryn flora lit both sides of the hut, their light shining on the long wooden tribal masks hanging on the walls of the hut, bordering both sides of the large open door.


    ¡°Looks like we found the village chief''s hut? And those smaller huts on the side probably belong to their elders or top warriors... I think.¡± Michael said, standing next to Syl in the center of the culdesac, eyes searching.


    ¡°Sounds about right to me,¡± Syl replied, her eyes mostly focused on the chief''s hut. ¡°This whole place is a ghost town. Maybe the drums told them to run and hide? If so... where too?¡±


    The sound of the drums once again rang out, followed by a cacophony of shouts and noises.


    PWUMP! PWUMP! PWUMP!


    KAVI! SKREE! PWOOM! PWOOM! PWOOM! ATU''NO! KAVI!


    ¡°It''s coming from behind the chief''s hut... Sounds about a block or so away. Let''s go!¡± Syl said, taking the lead as Michael nodded and fell into step behind her.


    ¡°How can you tell the distance Jen-Je... err... Syl?¡± Ah! I almost said it again! Think... remember... it''s Syl...Syl, Syl, Syl... that''s her name! Syl! Michael''s strained face leaking the turmoil within him. Maybe she didn''t notice... I need to quickly distract her with something... ¡°How can you tell how far away they are Syl? Do you have some type of bat-like hearing Syl? Are you able to locate them with some type of echolocation... that''s so cool Syl!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh... not sure if that''s the case but I do know that one of my divine blessings is from Lykren, God of Beasts... It increases all my instincts and my senses, like my hearing. It''s really cool, makes it easier to track my foes and increases my awareness so I know when there are people and beasts around me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that is cool! My blessings mostly help with my magic; Increasing the strength of my spells, increasing my Oryn energy regeneration, and my health regeneration which is all useful in and out of battle.¡±


    ¡°Sweet, looks like we have something in common, I also have a blessing that increases my health regen...¡± Syl said as they rounded the chief''s hut, stepping into the large backyard. ¡°Oh wow, what a sweet courtyard.¡±


    The area was surrounded by trees and foliage which acted as mostly closed off walls. There was a large stone pit in the center with earth flora benches set around it. Large well maintained plant beds, some sunken into the ground and some raised behind foot high earth flora walls, bordered the area releasing a wondering mix of scents. There was even a large cooking area on the right side perfect for barbeque nights.


    ¡°Come check this out Wyll,¡± Syl said, standing near the edge of the backside of the courtyard, looking down, pointing at a well-worn path leading into the dark Desparu Swamp Forest. ¡°By the sounds and looks of it, they went this way!¡±


    Michael hurried over, heart thumping fast and stomach fluttering. Standing next to Syl, he followed her line of sight, spotting the path while doing his best to look calm. ¡°That''s great Syl! You found it... Good job! Well then... what are we waiting for... let''s go before it''s too late!¡±


    Nodding, Syl took the lead, stepping onto the path and entering the dark forested swamp. And while it was night, neither Michael nor Syl had any problem seeing their way in the dark, as they got nearer and nearer to the source of the ruckus.


    Slowing their steps, they spotted a large multitude of shadowy figures ahead, including some round fuzzy ones bobbing up and down in the air. ¡°Ah, that''s them! The Spriggankin, and those shadows in the air should be Furbees.¡± Michael said smiling, feeling relief in his heart.


    ¡°Looks like they formed a large semi-circle... I think something big is about to go down.¡± Michael''s glowing eyes looked into the air allowing him to see a large dark cloud of energy gathering above, just beyond his friends. ¡°Let''s hurry!¡± Michael''s wings beat fast, his steps floating lightly above the muddy ground, propelling him forward as Syl closely followed.


    He was greeted by buzzing from above as Princess Furbee flew towards him and a tootle-tu as Lunori popped up in front, bringing him and Syl to a stop just outside the semi-circle of friends. He was happy to see his friends alive and well. And anxious to see what was happening on the other side of the semi-circle but was much too short to see past all the Spriggankin.


    Raising his hand he fluffed Princess Furbee ¡°Thank you for helping my friends, Princess. You did a very good deed!¡± He then looked at Lunori, who was in very good shape and in high spirits as she held onto his hand. As for Syl, she was off to his side, a bit of a lopsided smile on her face, enjoying the show. With face slightly reddening, Michael spoke to Lunori, ¡°This is my friend Syl, she''s here to help. Can you lead us to the front so we can see what''s going on?¡±


    Lunori tootle-tu''d, turned to Syl, and waved her over. Syl, with shield armed and sword now in the scabbard (which had its tip dragging amusingly on the ground behind her) stepped forward. Lunori then took her hand as well and led them both with tootle-toot-tu''s through the crowd as they opened the way for them to pass.


    They broke through the semi-ring of Spriggankin, coming to a stop in the front of the gathering near the Old Raven. Looking forward, Michael and Syl were greeted by the sight of a tall Kavi whose face was covered by a dark oni treant faced mask wearing a large feathery leaf headdress. He was holding a great spear in one hand and a round glowing dreamcatcher-like talisman in the other.


    His skin hue reminded Michael of redwood trees and he wore lots of bone and stone necklaces around his long neck which rattled when he hopped about. His forearms were covered in black leather bracers and there were off white tribal tattoos painted all over his shirtless torso. A dark leathery grass skirt completed the ensemble.


    He seemed to be dancing about behind lines of Kavi and Spidoll guards positioned in the middle of a dark and twisted grove of trees. His masked face tilted up, saying words that Michael didn''t understand as the dark energies above funneled down into the dreamcatcher talisman in his hand.


    This is bad. All that dark energy... He needs to be stopped! Michael shifted his staff, holding it in both hands, and aimed at the chief. He gathered his energies and sent them streaming into his staff, wanting to attack that very second but right before he could Syl stopped him. ¡°You can''t,¡± She said, shaking her head. ¡°Look past the chief to his sides, in shadows there. See them? ''People'' strapped to trees.¡±


    ¡°Ah, they have hostages... no wonder the Spriggankin haven''t attacked them. I didn''t even see them back there... behind all those Kavi and Spidolls. Ugh, I miss being tall... I''d have seen them if I hadn''t got changed into...¡±


    Syl gave Michael a curious side look just as the Chief finished his chant; The Chief glared with angry gold eyes, sweeping over the crowd surrounding him, coming to a pause as they focused in on Michael, and then Syl. He pointed his spear at them, bared his yellowish fanged teeth, then spun around slapping his talisman onto the trunk of a large twisted tree which Michael''s eyes told him was an ancient corrupted Starlyng Tree.


    A large human-sized section of the trunk in front of the chief seemed to have turned into a thick gel-like liquid and began to swirl around in circles; Faster and faster it swirled making swishing sounds.


    ¡°Is that some type of summoning ritual? Do you think he''s opening a gate... that we''ll soon be flooded with beasts?¡± Syl asked, side-eyeing Michael while grasping the hilt of her sword with her right hand. ¡°That would be... great! This game is just so... amazing! I can hardly wait to see what pops out.¡±


    Michael grasped his staff tightly in both hands, feet digging into the ground, body ready to react. ¡°No matter what comes out... We need to save the hostages!¡±


    The magical swirling gate made a loud SWUSH sound and stabilized. Seeing Michael and Syl on high alert, the line of Spriggankin all readied themselves for a fight. But what happened next was not what they expected; The chief took a step forward, hit the heel of his spear on the hard ground, and shouted ¡°KAVI! ATREN NOC FELD KAVI!¡±


    The row of tattooed Kavi guards near the Chief, some mounted, quickly fell out of formation and ran straight into the swirling portal, disappearing from sight. The Chief then stood there for a moment, glaring one last time at Michael and Syl before turning...


    ¡°Yes! A quest... Into the Rabbit Hole.¡± Nodding, Syl turned towards Michael. ¡°Eh? It won''t let me share it with you. Says you have already completed your event chain quests. So that means, no can share... Well then, since that''s the case, it looks like this is my exit.¡± Catching Michael by surprise, Syl gave him a hug with her right arm, since her left was still holding her shield.


    With the side of his face pressed against Syl''s ample chest, he heard her say, ¡°Hahaha! I don''t know how you did it... how you broke the game and changed... so much! But don''t worry Lil'' Wyll. You''re secret... haha... you''re secret is safe with... Oh, who am I kidding? You''ve never looked so cute! And I can''t wait to see the looks on everyone''s faces when they hear the news and get a load of the new you; Their jaws are going to hit the ground. And your best buds... heheheh... they''re going to be fighting each other just to be next to you!... Well then, it looks like my rabbit has jumped into its hole so off I go.¡±


    A half-frozen Michael then felt Syl''s lips on his forehead right before being set free.


    ¡°Time to test out my bonus spell!¡± Syl laughed as she charged at the defensive line of Kavi blocking her way; Her shield secure in front of her, a wicked smile on her lips ¡°Draic Wrecking Ball!¡± Her speed more than doubled as she became shrouded in a sphere of dark metallic energy; BAM!


    She smashed right into the crowd of foes! Kavi and Spidolls were sent flying into the air like pins at a bowling ally as Syl came to a sliding stop in front of the portal which was already swirling to a close. With no time to lose, she jumped in as the portal swirled to a close behind her, disappearing with a POOF!


    Michael stood there with a ''pokan'' face, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry.


    ¡°Aargh! She knows! She knows... She''s always teased me like that growing up, turning my middle name into that annoying pet name... Lil'' Will. She''s going to tell everybody... so embarrassing. What should I do?... What should I do!?! Think... breathe... think...¡± Michael walked in circles for a bit, ignoring the battle taking place around him as the Spriggankin sent the remaining Kavi and Spidolls running for their lives into the Desparu swamp and freed the hostages.


    ¡°That''s it! That all I have to do... I just got to make sure I log out and get my gender fixed before she gets out of the starter area and tells everyone that I''m Wylla. That should be doable... after all she just started the game today meaning I have time on my side. Good.¡± Michael came back to his senses, the craziness in his eyes and the fluttering in his stomach fading away. He looked to his side, noticing Lunori looking at him, holding his hand trying to comfort him with soft tootle-tu''s. And the Spriggankin were dancing all around, celebrating their victory and more importantly, the freedom of their friends.


    ¡°Ah, I''m okay Lunori... just had a lot of things on my mind but everything is going to be just fine. So let''s share in the happiness all around us, we won! Yay!¡± Michael cheered, lifting his and Lunori''s hands up in the air in celebration. Seeing this, the Spriggankin all marched in a circle around Michael and then started wending their way through the swamp, heading back to their Makai village.


    Reaching the edge of the Witch''s courtyard, Michael stopped and looked towards the group that was following him (which consisted of Lunori and her team and Princess Furbee and her entourage). ¡°I have some stuff I need to pick up over there and ''someone'' I promised I''d free. It shouldn''t take long but feel free to go on ahead if you''d like.¡±


    Lunori nodded and led the group to wait for him on the other side of the courtyard as Michael made his way to the Serpris cage where his cauldron sat in wait. Good... the Grimoire is also still here. Michael looked in the cage where the Moon Serpris still ''stood'' guard over her young. ¡°Thank you for looking after my things. Now as promised I''ll set you free.¡±


    Michael lifted his staff, then brought it down hard on the cages lock WHAM! The lock broke and fell to the ground as Michael opened the door and then stepped back giving the Moon Serpris and her two young plenty of room to go by. Michael''s eyes glowed as he watched them slither past to freedom, hissing their thanks. So cute! A silvery-blue baby Winter Serpris and a golden-red baby Sunfire Serpris... if only their father... No best not to think about it. Huh... what''s that on the far corner of the cage?


    Michael entered the cage and made his way to the corner. Oh, poor baby... you''re Mother must have thought you were dead. Kneeling down, Michael scooped up a tiny silvery-white and midnight blue baby Starlyng Serpris that looked to be the runt of the litter. ¡°Poor Baby... if it wasn''t for my Oryn Spirin Eyes I wouldn''t have been able to see the dim aura surrounding your body and have thought you were dead too. So don''t blame your mother and siblings for leaving you behind; They didn''t leave because they didn''t love you okay. Now let''s make you better so we can get you back to your family.¡±


    Michael carried the baby Serpris back to his cauldron, and having no better option, removed the Grimoire from its carrying bag and placed the baby inside. He then strapped the now baby Serpris bag across his shoulder, stuffed the Grimoire back into the cauldron, and looked at the cauldron. ¡°Why are you so heavy? Since your soulbound to me shouldn''t you be light like my staff?¡±


    [ Comparatively speaking Wylla, your cauldron is much lighter for you than before. And as much as I''d love to watch you struggle to push and pull it everywhere you go there is another way... to get it to move. ;) ]


    ¡°Really? How so Anari?¡± Michael asked, head slightly tilted with his free hand gently patting the baby Serpris carrying bag and his other hand holding his staff.


    [ Just use your Oryn energy to examine the cauldron and you''ll find your answer within. ]


    ¡°Oh, is that so... thanks Anari!¡± Michael bent down, touched the lip of the cauldron, closed his eyes, and gently sent his Oryn energy within to explore. After a few moments, he opened his eyes with a smile on his face and said, ¡°Cauldron Flora Animus!¡±


    Thick evergreen roots shaped like tortoise legs and covered in fluffy spiln fur sprouted from around the cauldron''s bottom, lifting it up off the ground. Its front sprouted a bloodrose bulb shaped like a turtle head with a pair of long leafy fox-like ears. And a short fluffy evergreen tail grew from behind.


    Michael immediately felt a connection and knew that it would follow him. A small section of his Oryn bar was grayed out, dedicated to constantly feeding the Bloodrose Cauldron Turtle (for what else would he call it?) the Oryn energy needed to stay in this form. ¡°Yosh! Once you get bigger again I''ll be able to take you for a ride, but we''ll need to work on your speed.¡±


    Michael and his new companions made their way back to Lunori''s group, who were waiting for him. He asked her for a Healing Nectar fruit and carefully fed it to the baby Starlyng Serpris. Satisfied, the group started their journey back through the Desparu Swamp Forest.


    Along the way, Michael couldn''t help but be lost in thoughts, thinking about all the things that had happened as Lunori guided him; Like his battle with the Witch...


    ¡°I won... but there''s so much I could have done better in that fight. One, I could have summoned up Earth Flora Walls to block the Witch''s chains from binding me. Two, I could have sent Earth Flora Spikes to pierce the Witch''s... nethers when I was bound. That would have pushed her out of spear range saving me from all that dodging and blocking. Three, I could have pierced her multiple times with my tail when I had her in my grasp and flipped her on her back. It would have been even easier to do so, all I had to do is just use my tail to sweep her legs out from under her and help lift her over. It''s just I''ve never had a tail before so I''m not used to using it in a fight... or magic for that matter.¡±


    ¡°And Syl! Now that she knows... no... don''t worry about that now. I''m sure I''ll be able to log out of the game and get everything fixed so she''ll have no proof that I was Wylla. Still, just thinking about her... I should have taught her my spells using the Memory Rosebud Bulbs before she left.¡±


    [ Don''t worry Wylla. I''m sure she''ll find her own path; One of blood, beasts, and Eldrytch. Of Flames, Plants, and Scorched Bludlands. ]


    Michael''s brows furrowed and his mouth twitched a little; You tell me not to worry and then you say this? "Just what kind of place did she jump into to walk on such paths?"


    [She transported to one of the five starting areas that your Divine Mother Sylvenori created; One for each of the Unique races she''s going to make. As such, it was time for Syl to enter her starting area and leave you to complete yours. Once you do so, the area will become unlocked and the Sylven race will open up as a super rare option for others to choose. But don''t worry Wylla, none that follow will be like you since as the first of your kind (and the daughter of the Goddess herself) you received quite a bit upgrades. ;) ]


    ¡°Oh, that does make me feel a bit better... about Syl that is. Still, there was so much I wanted to talk with her about...¡±


    [ Like what Wylla? ]


    ¡°Well, since she''s watched the Livestreams I wanted her to tell me about my sisters and their friends; To see what races they chose, classes they''re playing, and what starting areas they ended up in. To know if they''ve already reached Rank 1 and made their ways out of their starting zones and into the game world. If so, just where did they go to next, have they started our guild yet... No, they couldn''t have without me... which means I''m making them wait. And they''ll keep on waiting until I get this gender problem fixed.¡±


    [ What gender problem Wylla? Your body is working perfectly, as intended. :) As for your other questions, wouldn''t that be spoilers? Worry not, you''re so close to finishing your training here; All that''s left is to --- sorry, no spoilers --- then off to face the guardian! And with victory in hand, the path to Abrynth will open. ]


    What gender problem? She''s joking, right? Michael thought. ¡°This gender problem right here!¡± He silently mouthed while using his hand to gesture at his whole body up and down finishing with a puffy cheek pout.


    ¡°I guess your right... about the spoilers and ''other'' stuff. I''m really looking forward to seeing the others and the world of Abrynth outside of the starter area. Now, onto the first thing...¡±


    Storymask


    Ah! Looks like Michael''s secret is out and soon to be spread... what to do? On the bright side, he has time on his side, after all, it should take Syl quite a while to reach Rank 1 and exit her starter area... by then he should have this whole gender issue resolved... right? And since that''s the case, it''s best to focus on the changes taking place within. Coming up next Chapter 52: Of Growth and Changes.


    Side Note: Sorry there was only 1 chapter released last week... we had a bit of a celebration in the family so I got sidetracked. On the bright side, today''s chapter is much longer than normal and I just received the new Butterfly Wylla illustration from my niece yesterday... I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

 Chapter 52: Of Growth and Changes

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 52


    ¡°I guess your right... about the spoilers and ''other'' stuff. I''m really looking forward to seeing the others and the world of Abrynth outside of the starter area. Now, onto the first thing... I need to get the turmoil that''s fluctuating within and around my cores under control.¡± Michael said, feeling his body hum with soft vibrations. Ever since I hit Rank 1 the energies within seem to have... grown, become a bit... wild, and I can feel this pressure in my head, chest, and lower belly pulsing. ¡°It''s best I take care of it before doing anything else.¡±


    Lunori gave Michael a concerned look; She was leading Michael by the hand, guiding him out of the Desparu forest since his mind seemed to be preoccupied, and she could feel the involuntary vibrations stemming from within him through his hand. She hoped it was nothing bad... maybe the Old Raven back in the village would know?


    The group continued making their way through the swampy forest, the Furbees buzzing along through the air, as Lunori turned her head to watch Michael speaking to himself from time to time. She''d then gently pat his hand and softy tootle-tu to which Michael would smile at her. ¡°Everything is okay Lunori, I just have a lot on my mind... a lot to think about, so no need to worry!¡±


    Feeling relief, Lunori nodded with a smile, a slight spring in her step, and continued marching forward.


    ¡°Still, even though it''s spoilers, I can''t help but wonder how things are going for everyone else. It feels like I haven''t seen them in a very long time... it really does feel like I''m living their slogan ''A New World, A New Life!'' Ah, time! I almost forgot Anari!¡±


    [ Almost forgot what Wylla? ]


    ¡°About what Jen-Je... I mean Syl... about what Syl said when we first teamed up. She said that over 3 and a half weeks have passed in the real world but how can that be? I''ve only been in here for 10 days or so... and since 3 days here means 1 day in my world then there''s no way so much time has passed in my world... right?¡±


    [ Absolutely correct Wylla!...]


    Michael instantly felt better, so Jen... err... Syl had been wro...


    [ Is what I would say IF you''re only counting the number of days you have been in the starter area and are excluding the weeks you were in the dark character creation room. After all, age regression followed by gender bendification does take time... if you want to get it right that is. And since this was our first time, we definitely didn''t want to rush and make any mistakes!... ]


    Michael froze in mid-step as Lunori, who was holding his hand, felt her arm pull her back to a stop causing the whole group to come to a stop. Lunori and the group all stood quietly, looking at Michael.


    ¡°Eh? What are you talking about Anari? I''ve played plenty of games before and creating my avatars only takes minutes... well sometimes hours depending on the look I''m trying to create but it never takes weeks. Then again, maybe it''s different since this is a first of its kind virtual reality game?...¡±


    Anari seemed to have not heard Michael as she continued on with what she was saying [ But no need to worry! For how can there be any mistakes? What with two glorious Goddesses such as my divine mother Lokaini and your divine mother Sylvenori teaming up to make your beautiful new body.


    As such, what Syl said is correct but don''t worry we took the time frame into consideration when creating the difficulty of your quests and the amount of XP rewarded so that you wouldn''t fall too far behind the others... so You''re Welcome Wylla! ;) ]


    ¡°But I just don''t get it?...¡± Michael mumbled to himself as Lunori got him moving once again and the group followed. ¡°It''s just a game, shouldn''t this body be easy to make? I mean, it''s just a virtual body created out of already made 3d models that are just tweaked a bit here and altered a bit there to look the way the player desires... right?...


    But then again, I don''t ever remember doing any of that. I never even chose my body or touched any character options to choose the way Wylla looks so then who did? And that pain... did I blackout? Is that where the time went?... But how?¡±


    [ Sorry Wylla but our ''character'' creation methods are all ''top secret'' classified proprietary information! As such... no can share. ;) ]


    ¡°Why am I getting such a bad feeling about this in the pit of stomach... ¡± Just try not to think about it and breathe in... and out. In... and out...


    [ But as I said, we adjusted (we meaning me) the difficulty of your quests in order to justify the amount of XP you earned per quest in order to help you keep pace with your family and friends. Otherwise, you''d be stuck doing loads of quests hunting horned rabbits, slimes, kobolds, goblins, and such (as well as doing all those pesky ''gopher'' quests) just to reach this point. And wouldn''t that be boring? ]


    ¡°So... then normal starting areas take 3 to 4 weeks to complete?¡±


    [ Yes, if you double it. Well, depending on the person that is. After all, there is much to learn, discover, and experience in order to build a solid foundation. As such, one just needs to remember that life here is not a race but a marathon. There will even be those who take far longer, enjoying the journey, living their ideal slow life. ]


    ¡°Double? This game really is hard mode. Still, I''m grateful for giving me such rewarding and challenging quests instead of the typical boring beginner quests. Completing them has given me... a sense of accomplishment inside, something to be proud of. Also, I learned a lot about myself, about my magic, and made some great friends. I must say...¡± GRRMBLE! Michael stopped speaking mid-sentence and his face reddened as his stomach released a loud ''grumbling'' sound causing Lunori to startle just as they exited out of the Desparu Swamp Forest. Ah, so embarrassing! Just what''s going on in there?


    Realizing that the loud noise came from Michael''s stomach, Lunori thought they should step up their pace to reach the village sooner in order to get him something to eat! But just as she pulled him by the hand, she found that Michael wouldn''t budge. ¡°Sorry Lunori, I can''t go with you,¡± Michael said, shaking his head as he freed his hand from Lunori''s warm grasp. Michael could see the confusion in Lunori''s eyes and hear the worry in her tootle-tu as she pointed at his stomach.


    ¡°I''m okay Lunori, not sick. I just have too much... energy inside. I grew much stronger tonight so I need to go back to my place, to the Oryn Tree to sit and... cultivate to get it all under control. Understand?¡±


    Seeing Lunori standing there, not moving and unsure of herself Michael got an idea on how to explain and created a Memory Rosebud Bulb for her. Lunori reached out holding the softly glowing ethereal flower in her cupped hands for a moment and then let go with a delighted smile on her bunny masked face.


    She then gave Michael a big hug and with a soft tootle-toot-tu released him and marched off towards the Makai Forest with the rest of her team as Princess Furbee and her softly buzzing entourage stayed behind.


    Seeing that the others had left and she now had Michael all to herself... and that Michael now had a free hand she happily buzzed into his free arm snuggling up against his stomach area. Michael held the fluffy little buzzing Princess in his left arm like a football while his right hand held onto his staff.


    Tch... I can''t fluff her with this staff in my hand. And he really wanted too; So he looked behind him and spotting his Bloodrose Cauldron Turtle came up with an idea. It should work.


    He stepped up to the side of the cauldron, put his staff inside so that it stuck out like a tall ladle, and shifted the grimoire to lean up against it so that it held in place. ¡°Yes! That should do it. Now I can fluff as I walk so off we go.¡±


    And so with Princess Furbee in arms, a recovering baby Serpris sleeping in his carrying bag, a trailing line of bumbling buzzing Furbees, and one cauldron turtle porter they made their way across Havenscent Meadow under the moonlit night arriving at the welcoming Oryn Tree.


    They came to a stop next to the Oryn Tree pool as Michael looked up at the Moon. ¡°Not sure how much night is left but it was certainly quite an exciting and memorable one.¡± Smiling, Michael released his spell as the cauldron returned to normal and clunked down on the ground. He then sat down and leaned his back up against its cool oryn infused cast iron side.


    Now nice and comfy, Michael lifted Princess Furbee up with both hands, looked her warmly in the eyes, and gave her a light kiss on her forehead as she buzzed. ¡°Thank you for all your help tonight Princess! You and your entourage were splendid!¡± He said smiling. ¡°Now it''s time for you and your entourage to return home and rest okay. I have much to meditate on so I can''t fluff you tonight... but I''ll be sure to see you again before I leave!¡±


    He then gently tossed her up into the air as Princess Furbee''s wings fluttered to life, keeping her round fluffy body air bound. All the other Furbees then flew once around Michael before joining their Princess and escorting her home.


    A series of spasms crawled up Michael''s spine and into his head; His heart beat wildly and he clenched his teeth in expectation of pain... but none came. Whew! Breathing out a sigh of relief Michael pulled himself into his seated lotus position, placed his hands (palms up) on his knees, closed his eyes and breathed in... and out. In... and out...


    The Moon shone down on his pale moon skin as Michael slipped further and further into a state of spiritual trance. The world around him faded into a golden green fog as he felt himself gently spiraling down... down... down... his whole body thrumming with energy.


    The fog around her cloaked her descent as colorful orbs of light danced around her until she burst through; Wylla bent her knees, landing safely on the soft grassy ground as the strong Oryn charged air swirled around causing her hair to whip about and the lush grasses, plants, and trees to greatly rustle.


    She slowly spun in a circle, taking in her surroundings. To her right side was a land filled with vibrant gardens and a mixed forest of trees. To her left was a very large pit, well over the size of a football field and 4 to 5 meters deep.


    At around where the 30-yard line would be in the pit was a round hill with a wide flat top. Etched into the side of the pit leading to a 3 story tall cliff just 30 or so yards away was a ravine 2 meters deep and about 4 meters wide. There was a collection of large boulders within the ravine where it met the cliff side perfect for sitting on.


    The cliff tapered down below the tree line of the garden forest on the right side of this special place. On the outskirts of this land was a wall of billowing golden-green fog abuzz with dancing orbs of energy. It was as if the whole area was on a giant round plate and the edges were covered in that mysterious fog.


    I think this place is somewhere inside me... one of my cores? The earth beneath her rumbled and quaked nearly dropping her on her bum but she was saved from falling thanks to her butterfly wings which sprung out from her back instinctually. Ah, I need to get this place under control before this turns into one of those ''end of the world'' disaster movies!


    Wylla looked left towards the huge hole in the ground and the tall cliff, ¡°Nope, I don''t think that''s the... heart of this core.¡± She then turned right greatly enjoying the sights and scents of the floras and trees. The whole place was made up of plants, trees, mushrooms, and such that she had seen in both this world and at home. Nodding to herself, she walked along a natural path through and around gardens and trees, enjoying the warm welcoming ''vibes'' guiding her towards the center of a grove of trees.


    In the center of the grove stood a very big Hearth Tree surrounded by a ring of Royal Spider Lotus bushes; A golden Syldrake tree stood guard on each side. Wylla walked up to the Hearth Tree, circling as she gently slid her hand across its warm redwood hue trunk feeling the energy thrumming within. ¡°Here is the place... the heart of this core.¡±


    Satisfied, Wylla moved a couple of meters away, sat down in a lotus position facing the Hearth Tree, and placed her hands, palms down, on the grassy ground.


    She sent her energy digging down into the earth like roots searching and feeling the chaotic energies within as the winds above continued to whip her hair about. Little by little, she set about gathering the energies, taming and melding them into harmonious streams of ley lines; And then weaving them into an underground lattice network of nurturing energies.


    The large lattice network of ley lines began expanding and contracting like a beating heart ensuring that all sections of the earth covered core was flowing with Oryn energy for the roots of the trees and flora to tap into.


    Feeling the green joy of the flora, Wylla opened her eyes and watched the land growing, increasing the size of the core. The lush flora became fuller, more vibrant releasing intoxicating sweet scents mixed with the musky honey fragrance of the various types of trees. Ripened fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nuts grew in abundance. The whole right side truly became a magical paradise filled with flora from both worlds.


    Happy with the results, she sent her energies into the flora, trees, and top soils opening their cells and circulating the energy from below into the green life above wending their ways through the cells and getting expelled into the very air where it would circulate back down into the topsoil to be taken into the earth and funneled into the lattice network of ley lines which would then feed the green flora above thus completing the circle.


    GONG!


    A divine gong rang out as the core in which Wylla was in reached a new state of being; The land thrived with an abundance of nurturing energies and the strong winds had turned into a gentle breeze. Ah, it''s so beautiful Wylla thought until she turned around and saw the big open pit in the distance. Now, what am I suppose to do with you?


    Wylla walked out of the wonderful garden forest and into the barren area. ¡°This hole and plantless earth must be here for a reason.¡± Wylla''s eyes looked the area over once again from the large empty hole with the wide flat top hill to the ravine which led to the tall cliff. She bent down and scooped up some of the sand surrounding the pit and let it fall through her fingers. ¡°This area feels incomplete like it''s missing somethi...¡±


    BOOM!


    The loud thunderous sound rained down from above causing Wylla to flinch and then lookup. Her eyes glowed as she looked up into the great blue sky above... only that the sky wasn''t like any sky she had seen before. This sky had waves and ripples running across it.


    Hmm... if I''m in one of my cores like I believe I am then this is probably my body core in my lower belly... at least it feels like it is. So that means above me is my soul core... and it seems to be made up of a large sphere of water... so my soul is like water which actually makes sense to me. Wylla looked down from the sky for a moment pondering, her eyes tracing the tall cliff into the ravine leading into the great pit with the island near the edge of the sandy banks. ¡°That''s it! That''s what''s missing... water!¡±


    It feels like they belong together! Somehow I just need to...get them together! Wylla stood with her arms stretch up high towards the sky, eyes blazing gold, and energy flowing from her body into the ground below urging it to move up! Her body felt a small downward jolt of movement as the watery sky above seemed to be getting closer.


    Root like strands of golden-green energy flew up from the body core, wrapping around the big blue watery soul core above, but instead of pulling the watery soul core down, it used it to pull itself up; Higher and higher the body core went.


    Sensing the presence of either the body core or just the great amount of energy (for Wylla wasn''t quite sure the reason) the watery soul core sent down liquid streams, wrapping around the body core and pulling it up closer, closer, closer as Wylla watched the now huge watery sphere with concern.


    I can''t let them collide together! Wylla sent a pair of powerful serpenvine energy harpoons out through her hands, piercing into her watery soul core, forming a connection as she felt a cool wave of energy hit her causing her knees to buckle for a breath or two. She grit her teeth, straightened her body, and furrowed her brows as she sent her commands to both above and below.


    ¡°Slow down... nice and slow... that''s right. Guide it just above the cliff... Now Stop!... perfect.¡± A great big smile appeared on Wylla''s face as her tense body relaxed; She stood for a while watching the great big beautiful blue soul core hovering above the cliff. She took a couple of deep breaths, shook herself, and then sent her desires into the soul core through her serpenvine connections.


    A large watery tendril sprouted out from the bottom of the soul core and touched down on the land atop the cliff. Blue water sparkling with gold began to flow down from above landing down on top of the large boulders below in the ravine sending a spray of watery mist into the air forming a dazzling rainbow.


    The sounds of falling and rushing water rang out as the ravine turned into a short fast-flowing river pouring into the large pit. Wylla stood in a happy trance as the pit became a wonderful lake, the hill with the wide flat top became a small island, and green flora sprouted out of the once barren earth both underwater and on land, connecting the left side of her body core with the garden forest of her right side.


    But that wasn''t all the changes that took place. Seeing that the large watery sphere was gone, signifying the completion of the merging of two of her cores, she turned around and looked into the magical garden forest behind her. Joy filled her as she quickly spotted wonderful new additions to her new and improved garden forest core; waterways, small ponds, and whimsical earth flora fountains gave the area a park-like feel.


    ¡°Ah, I feel so refreshed just being here. So beautiful,¡± Wylla sighed as she spun around several times, coming to a stop facing the cool blue lake which reflected golden light here and there.


    ¡°If only I could live here... right there, that''s the spot.¡± Her eyes looking at the empty island. ¡°Just grow a wooden flora bridge from this side to the island with Lampryn flowers on the railings. And a big wonderful tree house like the one the Spriggankin taught me to make in the center surrounded by soft green grass and flower beds.¡±


    ROAR!


    Startled, Wylla looked up with eyes opened wide, ¡°No, it can''t be! Can it? But if so, then how would it get in here?... Unless...¡± Her eyes focused in as a huge golden scaled serpentine Syldrake dove down from above towards her.


    Its emerald green eyes flashed with mischief as it pulled up from its dive near her, the wind from its movements causing her hair to flutter, as the majestic beast''s tail slapped the lake''s surface sending a heavy spray of water splashing, soaking her.


    Wylla wiped the water from her face, shook her wet hair, and stared at the Syldrake for a moment or two with puffed up cheeks as the Syldrake ''grr-grr-grr''d'' at her, chuckling. Ah! What am I thinking... no need to get upset. It''s just playing with me... Besides, it''s a Syldrake! Best not to get on its bad side. I should be glad it just wants to play instead of eat.


    So Wylla just let it be and stood there happily watching as the Syldrake flew several times around the whole garden forest and then returned, circling around the lake, slowing as it spun and flew around the island.


    This gave Wylla a good view of this majestic beast as its golden scales shone in the light; Royal purple sigils seemed to dance along its upper body while its underbelly (from the bottom of its whiskered jaw to the bottom tip of its tail) was shades of green like her hair.


    It hovered in the air looking at Wylla, tilting its head to and fro, waiting... for something. ¡°Why is it just floating there... looking at me like that?¡± Wylla furrowed her brows, her head tilted way up, and stared back; Their eyes connected sending a jolt of energy into her brain.


    Images then began to flash through her mind, of flowers, plants, gardens, buildings, bridges, and such forming a picture...


    ROAR!


    The Syldrake roared up into the sky, slapped its tail into the center of the island, and flew up as something silvery grew up out of the ground. Higher and higher it stretched as its body became wider and wider. All around the island''s grass grew lush and shrubs sprouted here and there. On the edge of the island, a pair of redwood branches burst out of the ground and stretched out over the lake, 30 or so yards, to dig into the ground in front of Wylla.


    Soon board like branches began to connect the pair of redwood branches while other branches grew up forming railings. Meanwhile, the huge silvery tree trunk, now standing over 3 stories tall and 10 to 15 yards wide, began to change as an oversized evergreen arched doorway and stain glass-like windows began to take shape.


    Up above, the royal Syldrake flew in circles and then dove into the lake, disappearing from sight with a large splash. Rumbling sounds and ground vibrations which sent waves in the water soon followed. The Syldrake then burst out from the ground, wrapping it''s golden serpentine body around the silver tree building, merging together as balconies formed on the 2nd and 3rd floors.


    The Syldrake''s head reached above the top of the tree building, then turned to look down at Wylla one last time; It gave her a wink, then looked straight up into the sky and opened its mouth as if to roar... and froze like a statue becoming one with the new building which was now very clearly a most wonderful pagoda.


    Wylla felt a very strong connection to this new majestic Syldrake Pagoda as a large orb of Oryn energy formed just slightly above the Syldrake''s open mouth, spinning with shifting shades of swirling energy. Ah, this must have been my last core, my...


    Meanwhile, outside in Havenscent Meadows, where a little green-haired girl sat in the lotus position by a large Oryn Tree still in a meditative state a soft [ ding! ] rang out.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have reached the Trinity Unity Core Realm and have built a solid foundation from which to grow upon. A foundation that even a genius demi-god ranker would envy! You are now a true Rank 1 demi... err... ''player'' and as such 15 stat points have been awarded to you. Plus an additional 15 stat points for building such a top tier foundation. Yay! :) ]


    Storymask


    Yes! Looks like Michael... err... Wylla''s(?) Cultivation has reached a new realm and provided him with a new majestic place to call home. But she''s not done yet... there''s still more to explore in her new Trinity core! Coming up next Chapter 53: Enter the Dragon... err... Trinity Syldrake Pagoda!


    Side Note: Let''s see... looks like I''ve gone from 2 chapters a week to 1 very long chapter per week this past couple of weeks. I''ll see if I can break out of this trend and go back to two chapters a week. (fingers crossed)

 Chapter 53: Enter the Trinity Syldrake Pagoda

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 53


    Ah, it''s so majestic! Wylla''s eyes shined as she stood on the sandy shore for a moment, admiring her Trinity Syldrake Pagoda from top to bottom. And those big arched evergreen doors look so warm and welcoming with their golden and silvery flowery sigils softly glowing... Simply beautiful. I must see what''s inside!


    With a bounce in her steps, Wylla stepped onto the wonderful arched redwood bridge. She lightly touched the left railing, enjoying the cool silky feel of the evergreen serpenvines which perfumed the air with their colorful flowers.


    Every 5 to 6 steps a Lampryn flower sitting atop the railings would warm her with a gentle lantern-like light. From time to time, the beautiful crystal blue water below would glisten, catching her eye. The water looks so inviting. I wonder if I can go swimming here?


    I''ll probably need a swimming skill though... then again, maybe I can quickly acquire the skill in here since I already know how to swim back on Earth? Wylla paused in thought for a short moment, before shaking her head. I''ll definitely try doing so another day... as for today, let''s see what''s in my new pagoda.


    She reached the end of the bridge and stepped onto a grayish-blue stone pathway which led her to the pagoda''s oversized doors. Reaching out, she grasped both vertical golden serpenvine door handles with her hands and pulled. Her eyes widened as the doors swung open giving her an awe-inspiring look inside for the first time.


    ¡°How can this be? It so much BIGGER on the inside than it is on the outside!¡± Wylla just shook her head in disbelief for a moment or two as she stood in the open doorway. ¡°I guess I shouldn''t be surprised... this is just a game after all. No matter how real this feels... it''s not like this could possibly happen in real life...¡±


    Wylla stepped into the pagoda as the doors closed behind her. She paused, her mouth upturned and eyes sparkling, taking in the sights; ¡°Yes! I have my own personal dojo! Ahaha. I bet sensei would be so jealous if she could see this.¡±


    The room was huge and round, taking up the whole first floor; It was at least three times wider on the inside than the outside. The very high ceiling above was well over 20 feet in height with redwood beams running across. Ceiling fans made up of large Lampryn flowers with large petals hung from above. Thick lush evergreen foliage with soft white starlyng flowers covered the ceiling between the beams.


    To her right, sprouting out of the light sepia-toned wall were a series of redwood planks forming stairs leading up to the second floor. She took three steps across the hard redwood floor before her fourth step landed on the edge of the round, nearly room-sized, cushioned flooring that matched the color of the wall.


    In the center of the room, inked into the matt, was a mural of a large evergreen serpenvine circle; Within the serpenvine circle was the outline of a large Syldrake Tree.


    There were four smaller serpenvine circles within. The circle to her right at the 3 o''clock position held an outline image of an orchid winged butterfly. The circle to her left at the 9 o''clock position held an outline image of a serpentine dragon. The circle to the top was blurry and unidentifiable. And the circle at the bottom, near her feet, that was larger than the others held an outline image of a lotus flower.


    Wylla stood there for a while with her hand on her chin, brows furrowed, looking down at the mural before her eyes brightened. ¡°Ah, I see... so that represents my Way of the Orchid Butterfly and that one is my Way of the Spirin Syldrake. The top is too blurry to make out... so maybe that means I still have one more form to discover and unlock? And this bottom one that''s larger than the others... this must be where I''m supposed to sit in my lotus position to meditate. So this means this is the heart of my Syldrake pagoda... aka my mind core.¡±


    She then clapped her hands and nodded, ¡°Yup... I think that''s right which means I still have one more form to look forward too!¡± She said with a smile before a certain thought struck her mind, erasing her smile. Well, I guess that all depends on how things turn out in the end.


    She looked one more time around the huge matt noticing faint golden and silvery sigils, ¡°Well, not sure what those are for but looks like they''re also on the walls.¡± If she could see it all from the top down she would have been able to make out a pattern but even so, she still wouldn''t have known at the time what they did since she didn''t know much about arrays.


    The last sights to see were all along the light sepia-toned walls with the redwood posts. All around the huge dojo were inky drawings on ancient-looking scrolls hanging like paintings. Each scroll painting held the image of a beastie or mortal she''d seen before. The images of the ones she fought or appraised with her Oryn Spirin Eyes held lively auras; While the images of the beasties and mortals she saw but didn''t fight nor appraise were dim and faded.


    Here and there along the walls were redwood benches and waist tall cabinets. And directly ahead of her was a beautiful ornate Syldrake weapon stand which stood out like some sort of shrine. To the right of the weapons stand on the wall were scroll paintings of the Bloodrose Witch in both her forms and of Kavi and spidolls.


    To the left were scroll paintings of herself in regular form, orchid butterfly form, and Syldrake form. And right next to her Syldrake form painting was Syl''s Sylvern painting.


    Her eyes went from the paintings (stopping on the Bloodrose Witch in her ganglyrot form for a bit longer than the rest) to the empty wooden weapons stand. She walked right up to it, reaching out with her right hand to touch it while thoughts of her staff and rod sprung to mind.


    ¡°Ah, wouldn''t it be great if I could summon bloodrose staff and put...¡± Wylla stopped speaking as the oryn energy flowed within her, streaming out her right hand as her Bloodrose Staff materialized. ¡°Huh... how? Isn''t this place inside my Trinity Core? Hmm... maybe this isn''t my real staff. Just something that looks like my staff created by my core? Strange though because I swear I can feel a connection to it... like it''s the real deal.¡±


    Wylla sent her Oryn energy into the staff, getting a feel for its energy signature and structure, feeling it resonant with her... soul. No doubt about it... this is my real Bloodrose Staff so does that mean I can summon whatever I want into this space... into my core?... ¡°Ah! Is this the so-called secret space that just about every reincarnator and transmigrator receive in all those Wuxia novels? Sweet!¡± She said while bouncing up and down on the heels of her feet while grasping her staff with both hands.


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa... I need to calm down... that might not be the case at all. I might just be jumping the gun,¡± Wylla settled down, breathing in and out, pondering for a while before deciding; ¡°Let''s try experimenting first... see if I can summon other things I have into here.¡±


    She then looked at the staff in her hands, ¡°Hmm, I wonder if I can put it in there... I mean that is what a weapon stand is for... right.¡± She reached out and set her staff within the tall dark redwood Syldrake weapons stand; The golden-green serpenvines adorning the stand came alive, wrapping around the shaft of the staff, holding it in place as the silvery flower sigils glowed. ¡°Yosh! It worked," Wylla said happily. "Now that my hands are free, let''s see what else I can summon.¡±


    Wylla tried summoning her pouches next but that didn''t work. She followed that up by trying to summon her Traveler''s Bag and Carrying Bag but both of those attempts were failures as well. She then tried summoning her wand... and felt the Oryn energy flow within her body and out her right hand materializing into her beloved wand.


    ¡°Yes! It worked again! But why? Is it because they''re both weapons? That can''t be it... could it? Think... what else do they have in common?¡± ... Think... they''re both made of wood with flowers but what else? They can both change shape into another weapon so both are magical... and both are...


    ¡°That must be it! After all, this place is my Trinity Core which is like my spirit... or rather soul realm. And both of those weapons are Soulbound to me!¡± Wylla reasoned, walking back and forth, her lips upturned, hands lightly twiddling her wand, and eyes shining. ¡°So if I can summon them in and out of here... then this must have been what Anari was talking about when she said something would pop up when I was complaining about carrying my staff. This is... awesome! Hahahaha...¡±


    Happy with the results, Wylla stepped up to the weapons stand and placed her wand on the chest-high shelf that was built into the right side. ¡°Sweet, now let''s explore a little more down here before going up those stairs.¡±


    She then walked up to the scroll painting of the Ganglyrot Witch and stood there recalling her battle with her earlier this night; Reminding her of the missed opportunities she had of attacking with her Earth Flora Spike magic and Syldrake Tail strikes. The aura coming from the painting seemed to call out to her.


    Wylla found herself touching the Ganglyrot Witch painting as an infobox popped up:


    [ Do you wish to start a sparring session? Y/N ]


    ¡°Eh! Is this for real?... Yes!¡± Wylla said pumping her fist in front of her.


    [ Answer received and approved. You have currently selected the Ganglyrot Witch as your sparring partner. Please select Rank, Tier, Level, and Stars of your sparring partner. ]


    ¡°Hmm... Rank 1, Tier 0, Level 0, and let''s make her elite so Stars 4!¡±


    [ Answer received and approved. Please select the number of Ganglyrot Witch sparring opponents. ]


    ¡°Whoa... Hold on, I''m not some kind of masochist so let''s just stick with 1.¡±


    [ Answer received and approved. Please select sparring partner''s weapon/s: Unarmed, Bloodrose Staff, Bloodrose Spear, Bloodrose Grimoire, Bloodrose Cauldron ]


    ¡°Bloodrose Spear.¡±


    [ Answer received and approved. Would you like to add any more sparring opponents to the Ganglyrot Witch''s side? Y/N ]


    ¡°NO!¡± Wylla quickly replied. I sure as heck don''t want her teaming up with a Kraken again. I don''t have Syl here to help me this time.


    [ Answer received and approved. Would you like to select another sparring partner/s to join your side? Y/N ]


    ¡°Or maybe I do,¡± Wylla said, remembering Syl''s painting. ¡°But for now let''s just stick with 1 vs 1. Either way, I''m happy to know that I can form teams later. This will help me in getting used to teaming up with others... so Awesome!¡±


    [ Answer received and approved. Please choose Battlefield type: Grassy Meadow, Garden Forest, Swamp Forest, Syldrake Dojo ]


    ¡°Hmm... let''s just keep it as is for this session; I choose Syldrake Dojo.¡±


    [ Answer received and approved. Activating battlefield array. ] The golden and silvery sigils on the ground and walls lit up as two circles appeared 20 yards apart from one another in the middle of the room on the matt. [ Please step into one of the rings. ]


    Wylla made her way to the ring on the right and stepped inside as the ring lit up forming a transparent wall around her, keeping her caged within. A bit surprised by the shining walls, she turned to face the other circle and watched as the Ganglyrot Witch painting turned into a dark liquid stream of energy, flowing out of the scroll like a serpent; The inky serpent slithered through the air into the other ring, landing in a puddle. The puddle then bubbled and grew, transforming into a shadowy Ganglyrot Witch holding a Bloodrose Spear facing her with angry blood-red eyes.


    [ Would you like to remove the cooldown on Way of the Spirin Syldrake for this match? Y/N ]


    Wylla''s eyes widened and a smile sprouted on her lips, ¡°Yes please!¡± This is great! Now I can use my Syldrake form for as long as I like allowing me to get use its combat abilities.


    [Answer received and approved. The match will begin in 10, 9, 8... ]


    Wylla stood there for a moment staring at her opponent before calling out ¡°Way of the Spirin Syldrake!¡± Her body grew much taller, her skin turned green, and a powerful bladed tipped tail sprouted from her backside as she shifted into her armored Syldrake form.


    [ Begin! ]


    Storymask


    Looks like Wylla has received a happy surprise in the form of her very own Syldrake Dojo with magical Scroll Sparring Paintings and Array. And that''s just the first floor... there''s still two more floors to explore after her first sparring bout. And then a little grimoire too deal with... Coming Up Next Chapter 54: Evolution


    Side Note: Well... it''s been a busy past week and a half which threw me quite a bit off schedule. But things seem to have calmed down and we''re now into the home stretch... just a couple of more things for Wylla too do and then onto the showdown with the Guardian... followed by the epilogue of Book 1. :)

 Chapter 54: Enter the Trinity Syldrake Pagoda Part 2

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 54


    The walls of energy caging her in disappeared with a light Poof! Wylla''s foot dug deep into the matt propelling her forward towards the inky Ganglyrot Witch like a bat out of hell as her tail swished side to side in the air behind her.


    Her mind churning, anticipating the Ganglyrot Witch''s plan of attack; Hmm... if she''s anything like the real one she''ll first try to chain me down to keep me from moving! As such, Wylla sent oryn energy flowing into her eyes as they lit up following the aura inside Ganglyrot Witch as it flowed into the spear.


    The Witch then slammed the heel of the spear into the ground as 4 orb headed streams of dark red energy slithered towards her underground.


    Wylla sent oryn energy into her right foot as she quickly sidestepped left as two bloodrose chains burst out of the ground just missing her. Her right foot then hit the ground as the other two bloodrose chains burst up and BAM! Slammed right into the short Earth Flora Wall that Wylla called forth.


    The Witch''s eye''s widened for a moment and her jaw clenched at the sight of her chains missing their target. Her hands tightened her grip on her spear as her body shifted stance, prepared to thrust out at the charging Slydrake girl.


    ¡°KAVI!¡± The Witch screamed out as she unleashed a small barrage of high and low thrusts at Wylla,


    Wylla sidestepped the first round of spear thrusts causing them to pass by her left side while she tried to close into striking range but the Witch kept shuffling back and to the side, maintaining thrust range.


    ¡°Humph!¡± So you think you can stop me from getting closer... let''s just see about that! The oryn energy within Wylla''s new Trinity Unity Core flooded out and down into her feet ready for use as Wylla''s tail then whipped forward from low to high, slapping the thrusting spear up and away from her body.


    She then rushed in towards the retreating Witch, her first two steps shooting forth unseen energy orbs underground, taking the Witch by surprise as earth flora spikes burst up from the ground inches from where her foot was about to step down on.


    Panicking, the Witch tried to step forward despite her backward momentum; Her foot landed on the ground but before she could step forward the earthen spike pierced into her calf breaking her retreating defensives spear thrusting stance.


    With her hands on her spear and body stumbling forward into the much too close for comfort Syldrake girl, the Witch held the spear vertical and dropped its heel into the ground in hopes of stopping her stumble and regaining her balance.


    But Wylla wasn''t about to let her call time out or have a do-over... nope! Wylla quickly stopped her forward charge, reached out with both strong clawed hands and grasped the Witch''s hands which were grasping the spear.


    Trails of thick inky black blood flowed down the back of the Witch''s hands from where Wylla''s claws were latched into, forcing the Witch to maintain her hold of the spear.


    The unbalanced Witch screeched in pain as Wylla controlled the flow of her body by pulling the Witch''s spear up into the air, horizontal to the ground, causing the Witch to look like a criminal being told to lift their hands in the air. Such a position left her body wide open she felt herself being pulled falling forward towards a smiling Wylla.


    A sudden cold chill entered the Witch''s heart as she spotted something flickering side to side behind Wylla... SWOOSH!


    Fast as a whip, Wylla''s bladed tipped tail thrust deep into the Witch''s abdomen (¡°AIEEK!¡±), right below her chest bone... or what Wylla thought of as her chest bone.


    Wylla then continued pushing up with her tail as she rolled onto her back bringing the Witch down with her while placing her right foot on the Witch''s pelvis... and kicking.


    ¡°AIEE!¡± The Witch screamed again as she was sent flipping, high and away into the air as the bladed tip of Wylla''s tail made a fatal mess of the Witch''s stomach. A gong rang out before the Witch''s body even hit the ground announcing Wylla''s victory.


    The Ganglyrot Witch''s body then turned into an inky puddle that slithered back into its starting ring awaiting instructions.


    [ Winner: Wylla Match Rating: 7.9/10 ¨C Kicking your opponent which is badly injured and near defeat far away from oneself is a good way of allowing an opponent to use an item or spell to heal themselves or escape.


    Unless keeping the opponent near oneself causes damage like in the case of opponents that explode when defeated it is best to use moves that allow you to keep control of your foe while also keeping them close while in Syldrake form. In addition, you missed one of your Earth Flora Spikes.]


    ¡°I see... that does make sense. Next time...¡±


    [ Would you like to spar again? Y/N ]


    ¡°Ah... no! That''s all for right now... thank you...¡± Wylla said as she looked down at the ground, making sure that she wasn''t standing in or near the starting ring.


    [ Answer received and approved. Returning opponent to Sparring Scroll Painting. ]


    The puddle of ink then flowed up into the air, slithering back into its scroll and reforming into the painting of the Ganglyrot Witch.


    ¡°That is so cool! I wonder if I also get XP from winning... and do I die if I lose?¡±


    [ Queries received. Answers: One may increase the rank, tier, and level of their skills while in here but at a slower rate than one would when fighting out in the real world.


    In addition, if your health reaches zero during a match you will not die. The match will be over and the results will then be displayed as your health quickly regenerates back to what it was at the start of the match. ]


    ¡°Yes! That''s great. So I can work on my proficiencies while sparring...¡±


    [ Yes. And you may also work on just your proficiencies when you switch the Syldrake Dojo from Sparring Mode to Skill Training Mode. ]


    Puzzled, Wylla asked, ¡°How so? Can you give me some examples of what you mean?¡±


    [ Query accepted and approved. When switching to Skill Training Mode you can select the parameters to your liking in order to target the skills in which you wish to train. Examples: If you wish to practice and increase the proficiency of your range spells you can select a variety of opponents from the scrolls list and have them stay within certain distances from yourself while you attack with your spells.


    Or if you wish to increase the detection proficiency of the antennas of your Butterfly form you can sit in the center of the room with your eyes closed as the chosen scroll opponents move about around you at a selected speed trying to touch you before being hit with your Seed Burst like a game. ]


    ¡°Game?¡± Wylla asked with a tinge of excitement in her voice.


    [ Yes. By switching to Games Mode you can play a variety of games geared towards improving your body, mind, and soul such as Hunter Prey, Mazes, Bounties, Escape or Die, Outnumbered, Infection, and Zombies. Plus many more, all geared to be fun and educational. ]


    ¡°Ah, that''s so unexpected! I''ll definitely try them out another day. Thanks for letting me know.¡± Happy with the results Wylla made her way to the redwood steps growing out of the wall and then proceeded onto the second floor.


    Wylla emerged from the entrance in the ground onto the second floor; Her eyes quickly looking about the large room, ¡°Ooh... this must be my study... den?¡± Wylla paused for a moment, unsure if study den was really a thing. Ah, whatever, either way, let''s see what there is to see... Shrugging her shoulders she stepped fully into the study den room.


    She looked about, noting that this room was much smaller... well when compared to the huge dojo below. The ceiling was still high, over 12 feet in height, with warm redwood beams and Lampryn fans. The hardwood floor matched the ceiling beams and the wooden furniture in the room.


    In front was the sitting area with an oversized earth-toned flora couch and a pair of comfortable matching sitting chairs arranged around a large redwood coffee table.


    Past that on the opposite side of the room was a large ornate redwood desk and chair in front of a pair of opened french doors which led to the second-floor balcony overlooking the crystal blue lake. There were two large round objects sitting atop the desk; One silvery and the other glowing a golden green.


    The walls were lined with bookcases and glass cabinets filled with books, paintings, wooden statuettes, flora crafts, and flowers in vases providing splashes of color in the mostly earth-toned room. To the left of her desk was a spiral Syldrake staircase leading up to the third floor.


    Her eyes scanned the books on the walls as she walked towards her desk and the large glowing oval object on top it. She glanced at the books on the side on the way, noticing that most of them held titles in a language she couldn''t read as she made her way past the sitting area of the room.


    ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Wylla muttered to herself as she neared the golden-green glowing object sitting in a wooden tripod stand atop her desk (for who else would the desk belong too within this space?).


    ¡°It is isn''t it? An egg!¡± Wylla excitedly reached out with her hand as warm fluffy thoughts of mystical pets born of years of reading wuxia and isekai web novels paraded around in her head.


    ¡°Don''t be a slime... don''t be a slime...¡± She chanted to herself as her hand touched the large basketball sized egg''s glowing shell. ¡°Yikes!¡± Wylla let out a small yelp of surprise as a static-like orb of energy zapped into her fingers, bolted up her arm, and entered her mind releasing a long golden-green scroll.


    Images of words could be seen flowing within her eyes as the knowledge of the Soulryn Scroll was ''downloaded'' into her mind and a holographic 24-hour countdown timer sprang up in the right corner of her vision.


    ¡°Ah, so that''s what you are!... You''re the egg for my Soulryn Summoning Ritual. I hope you''re cute and fluffy!¡± Fingers crossed! Laughter and happiness filled Wylla''s face, reaching her eyes until she noticed the countdown timer and knew what it meant, turning her face into the spitting image of a child sitting in front of the presents laden Christmas tree the day before Christmas.


    ¡°Hmm... well then since that''s the case I''ll just have to keep myself occupied until the timer hits zero. And since there''s a lot to do and prepare for the ritual, that shouldn''t be hard to do.¡± Satisfied with her plan, Wylla shifted her focus to the other round object that was atop the desk.


    Wylla moved from the front center of the desk to the corner to stand in front of the round silvery crystal-like object which was now very clearly a globe. This probably serves as a map function for this game. And if it''s like all those games I''ve played before then the reason everything looks ''grayed-out'' is because I haven''t explored anywhere yet.


    ¡°Let''s see if I''m right,¡± Wylla said, reaching out and touching the smooth cool surface of the globe causing an infobox to pop up:


    [ Unable to access at this time. In order to use Globe functions, you must first leave your starting zone and enter the world of Abrynth. ]


    ¡°Yes, I''m right! Looks like I can add map skill to my list of cheats... or did I already have that? Ugh, I really do need to take the time to go over everything in my status and Druic Grimoire again. But not today."


    Now, let''s see about these books before checking out the next floor. Who knows, maybe there''s a new skill I can learn or spell... Wylla walked up to a tall bookcase, her eyes jolting left and right, glossing over the titles (most of which were written in an unknown language).


    She spent some time rummaging and looking through them. ¡°Hmmm... It looks like the books on the shelves are mostly made up of those I''ve read before and books written in a language I''ve never seen before... maybe those are just filler books to decorate the bookshelves so that the bookcases don''t look so empty?¡± Wylla said, closing one of the books and placing it back on the shelf.


    She then picked out another book that had a title she could read but wasn''t one she remembered ever reading before titled: A Spriggankin Introduction to Magical Realms. Ah, this must be made of the knowledge I gained from the Old Raven and the Spriggankins!


    With upturned lips, Wylla opened the book and turned to the first chapter:


    What are Magic Realms?


    Magic Realms are spheres of Oryn energy in which magic of a similar nature exists. While sometimes clashing with each other they can also exist harmoniously with one another as well as synergistically.


    All mortals who use Oryn energy in life tap into and hold an affinity with certain Magic Realms like Fire or Beast or Sun or Plant realms and so on. There are many major, minor, and undiscovered realms leading to newly self-created niche realms.


    Most if not all Magic Realms have many sides to them as such each user of a realm is unique and different from other users of the same realm. While many may start off learning the same beginner spells they will then develop a feel for the different pathways found within their Magic Realms to create a niche or niches of their own.


    Wylla glanced at the Venn diagram showing a mix of different Magic Realms for a moment before reading on.


    There are many truths contained within each Magic Realm, some overlapping with other Magic Realms. For instance, if two Fire Realm affinity holders are in the same group, it doesn''t mean that they will use the same firey spells and skills.


    For within the Fire Realm lies many pathways to the truths of the different nature of the essences of fire. Some may follow the pathway to the purifying nature of fire and use it to cast purifying fire to cleanse curses or spirits and be especially destructive to the undead and demons.


    Others may follow the pathway to the fiery heat contained within the land and cast spells of liquid molten magma. Some may tap into the otherworldly fires of the spirit realms casting Ghostfire flames that burns ones soulwell or the cursed flames of Witchfire which burns with a green cursed flame that will burn until the curse is cleansed or nullified.


    In the Fire Realm alone there are many paths one may follow and there are no doubt paths that remain unknown to this very day. Those with Fire Affinities will have to discover which path best suits them as they grow in power and knowledge of their affinities.


    Wylla''s eyes shined as ideas and thoughts flowed in her mind. ¡°So how does one create their own niche realm and can there be more that one affinity within that niche realm?¡± The sound of pages turning filled the air as her eyes scanned the opened book in her hands coming to a stop at the section she was looking for.


    Creating your own Niche Realms takes intellect to study the nature of the Oryn and your affinity realms. It takes wisdom to gain enlightenment from the usage of your affinity realms through the daily usage of your spells and skills. And it takes Faith in believing that you are on the right path and that the constant pursuit of your own magic will lead to the creation of your Magic Realm.


    As for whether your niche realm/s can be made up of more than one magic realm the answer lies within the Plant Realm. For if you look into the flora of our world, of Plants and Trees, you will see the great big green nature of that realm and notice that many Plants and Trees in our world also have other affinities contained within them, working harmoniously and synergistically together.


    For instance, you have the green nature of Banshi Flowers combined with the musical nature of the Sound Realm allowing the flowers to scream out loud when damaged. There''s the plant essence of the Wynbella Flora which holds an even greater amount of the cold essence of the Ice Realm. You have the poisonous nature of the Araken Flora blended together with the curse essence of the Dark Realm.


    Of all the realms of magic that make up the Oryn, it is the Plant Realm that holds the greatest amount of synergy with other realms. Which is both a good thing since one has a greater amount of options open before them when creating their own magic niche realm. And a bad thing since it''s easy to get lost amongst all the pathways opened up before them.


    Hmm... that makes sense. I need to keep this in mind when I get to this point. Wylla thought, nodding to herself. She then fought off a yawn right as she was about to start reading again, shook her head, and closed the book placing it on top of her desk.


    I''ll finish you next time I come back to read. She gave the book a tap and then turned her head to look toward the spiral Syldrake staircase leading up to the third floor. ¡°Now to see what''s up and around the bend.¡±


    Wylla climbed up the staircase and stepped onto the third, and by the looks of it, last floor since she didn''t spot any other stairways leading up.


    This room was about the same size as the study den below; It had high ceilings with redwood beams and hardwood floors. The walls were lined with mostly wooden cabinets with glass-paned doors.


    On the far side of the room, standing on either side of another opened door which led out to another balcony (this one with a view of the beautiful waterfall), were a couple of tall redwood bookcases. None of the books in the bookcases had titles that Wylla could read. Guess I haven''t unlocked these ''subjects'' yet.


    Long wooden work tables and stools furnished the room with a round stone fire pit prominently sitting in the center.


    Wylla walked up to the fire pit and knelt down next to it. ¡°This looks like the perfect place to put you.¡± Smiling, Wylla summoned her Bloodrose Cauldron. The energy flowed through her body and released out of her hands over the fire pit as the cauldron materialized right in front of Wylla''s crescent-shaped eyes.


    Wylla stood up, nodded to herself as her cauldron sat perfectly atop the stone fire pit. Her small mouth then opened as she recalled something. She looked into the cauldron and shook her head, ¡°Guess this means my Bloodrose Grimoire couldn''t come... think I''ll try soulbinding it while my Soulryn timer counts down.¡±


    She then lightly stretched and fought off another yawn as she looked towards the staircase leading down. ¡°Such a strange and wonderful pagoda, not only does each floor serve its own purpose, but each floor comes in its own size.¡±


    Looking one last time around her workshop room, she gave her wonderful cauldron a gentle pat, nodded to herself, and then made her way back down the stairs.


    Despite her tired eyes, Wylla returned to the first floor of the dojo with a small smile on her lips. Her feet dragged across the matt and a yawn escaped her mouth as she stretched her arms up in the air, slightly arching her back while walking towards the center of the room.


    ¡°Mmmm... as much as I''d like to spend more time here I think it''s time for some sleeps... Tomorrow is going to be a big day since I have a Grimoire to soulbind, a baby serpris to nurse back to health and return to its family, and a Soulryn summoning ritual to prepare and perform...¡±


    And then... a guardian to find and defeat so I can leave this beautiful starting area and finally logout... to be me again... The thought brought a trace of melancholy to her eyes and lips.


    Sighing, she shifted her thinking to happier thoughts as images of what her soon to hatch Soulryn would be danced in her head. She walked to the center of the dojo and sat down in the lotus position within the lotus ring in the mural, and closed her eyes breathing in and out... in and out... returning to her body.


    Storymask


    Looks like Wylla is about to get a new companion!... Coming up next: Chapter 55: Something Fluffy this Way Comes


    Side Note: Well... I took a week off and got things done that needed to be done so now I can focus on finishing up Book 1. We''re near the end now, just a Grimoire challenge to complete, a Soulryn to summon, and a Guardian to defeat leading to the epilogue in which Wylla/Michael logs out of the game and has a very fun ''chat'' with a certain playful Goddess.

 Chapter 55: Something Fluffy This Way Comes

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 55


    ¡°Mofu¡± roll ¡°Mofu-mofu¡± roll roll ¡°Mofu-mo..¡± roll


    SPLASH!


    Splash splish ¡°GUH!... cough-cough-cough...¡± splish splash splish


    ¡°C..co..coldd!¡±


    [Ahahaha Good Morning Wylla! That was very funny! :) ] Musical laughter rained down from above.


    ¡°Fufu... not funnnyy... itt''s colddss... and I wa... achoo... wass hab''n suucch a guud dreem...¡± Wylla pouted as she sat on the ground shivering while hugging herself, water dripping down from her hair and dress. The Oryn Tree pool''s water still rippling from her ''spontaneous'' morning bath.


    [ This might be a good time to use your life magic Wylla. ]


    ¡°Go..oood id..ea. Ta..nks A..nari...¡± Wylla said, rising to her feet as her oryn energy flowed out of her Trinity core, down to her feet, and into the ground. Two large flowers sprouted up from the ground, the one in front a bright golden Solfire flower and the one just behind it a Spinlyng Jade flower.


    The Solfire flower heated up as the petals of the Spinlyng Jade flower began to spin like a fan blowing the warm air towards Wylla, drying the water dripping from her body and hair.


    ¡°Ah, much better! I''m so glad they taught me life magic.¡± The color returned to Wylla''s cheeks as her brain kicked in reminding her of today''s exciting ''Things to do¡± list. I hope my egg hatches into a cute fluffy mofu... and not some slime type beastie.


    [ You look awfully happy right now for someone that just took a surprise bath. What''s going on today Wylla? ]


    ¡°Today the egg I found in my... hmm... in my Trinity core will hatch! Today I get my Soulryn,¡± Wylla said with a great big Cheshire grin on her face as her eyes spied the top right corner of her vision. ¡°In just 15 hours and 47 minutes!¡±


    [ Ah, so that''s why you were hugging yourself, rolling around on the ground, all the while saying ¡°mofu-mofu¡± in your sleep. So cute! I''m sure it''ll be another Livestream hit. Especially with you standing there in front of the flowery fan, the wind in your hair and your wet dress clinging tightly onto your body.


    Just like your latest rising Livestream video simply titled: Sleeping Wylla. It''s quite amazing how many vouy... er... viewers enjoy watching you sleep.]


    ¡°Aye! I know I do... so cute! Just like a little angel...¡± ¡°Yup, yup. I added it to the top of my favorites list.¡± ¡°Humph, I have you beat. I had the video framed and put up on my wall like a treasured painting...¡± ¡°Ooh, that''s a good idea... be right back...¡±


    ¡°So embarrassing!¡± Wylla yelped out, quickly sitting back down on the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees making herself small while looking down and hiding her reddening cheeks beneath a curtain of soft green hair. The Spinlyng Jade flower blowing warm wind at her as she did her best to ignore the voices from above. Ah, it''s a good thing I''ll be changing back soon so no one will ever know that it was me in all those embarrassing Livestream videos!


    ¡°Huh, what''s that?¡± Wylla asked, just now noticing that there was something pressing against her bum. Shifting her thoughts from her morning mishaps, she turned and reached behind her with both hands; ¡°Ah, so that''s where you went,¡± She said, grabbing hold of the large offending item and dragging it in front of her.


    She then shifted her legs into the lotus position and placed the big Bloodrose Grimoire onto her laps, her hand gently stroking the cover. She looked to her sides and smiled as she spotted the carrying bag nearby.


    Leaning over, she grabbed the carrying bag''s shoulder strap and pulled the bag to her side. She then peeked inside and was both relieved that the little serpris was still breathing but concerned because its breathing was still faint. Ugh, this isn''t a good sign. It should be healthy and lively by now, shouldn''t it? I mean, I''ve given it both Healing Nectar and Oryn Tree water... what else can I do?


    Hmmm, maybe it was just born this way? Wylla thought with a sad sigh. After all, it looked to be the runt of the litter. I''ll take''em to the Spriggankin village, they might know what to do.


    Having made the decision Wylla closed the carrying bag and kept it close beside her. Then once again turned her attention to the grimoire sitting on her lap.


    ¡°Now then, let''s see what I have to do to make you mine.¡± Pressing her palm firmly against the cover, she sent her oryn energy coursing into the large book.


    The sounds of pages rustling filled the air as words and elaborate images streamed into her mind causing her eyes too close.


    She quietly sat under the Oryn Tree near the pool of water, the morning sun caressing her body, as her pupils shifted about underneath her eyelids. A full hour went by before she finally opened her eyes, her lips gently upturned.


    So that''s what I have to do to make you mine. How wonderful! Wylla thought to herself, softly clapping her hands, as she went over the information she had just spent the past hour committing to memory.


    ¡°Isn''t this just too perfect!¡± Wylla said, rising up to her feet once more, the book held firmly in hands.


    [ What''s too perfect Wylla? ]


    ¡°This!¡± Wylla said, holding the grimoire up in the air.


    [ Umm... I think all of us here, and watching at home, are going to need a little bit more of a hint than that Wylla. ]


    ¡°Ah, the Grimoire''s challenge Anari. It wants me to successfully perform the Familiar Binding Ritual using the instructions and familiar binding array that it just taught me!¡± Wylla replied while bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, hugging the book to her chest.


    [ Oooh! So that means if you succeed (and I''m sure you will ;) you''ll have a cute new partner to join you on your mis... er... adventures! Sounds fun and exciting, I''m sure it''ll turn into a Livestream hit... but how is it too perfect? ]


    ¡°Because the Familiar Binding Ritual and my Soulryn Summoning Ritual share a lot of the same concepts and need me to gather materials so I can get what I need for both at the same time thereby killing two birds with one stone,¡± Wylla said with a nod.


    She then tilted her head and furrowed her brows; ¡°The main differences seem to be that the Familiar Binding Ritual requires some of my blood and a beastie to become my familiar.¡± Wylla said, her thoughts shifting to the beasties she had seen, focusing in on the cute fluffy ones.


    [ Looks like you have a tough choice to make Wylla. But knowing you like I know I do you''re probably thinking of binding cute fluffy ones like a certain little pillowy Princess... or will it be one of the other ones running around within the Makai Forest? ]


    ¡°Ah, she really is perfect... so cute and fluffy. Plus, she has an entourage so wouldn''t that mean I''d have a little Furbee army under my command... and the Furbee honey that they make would be the icing on the cake...¡± Wylla''s voice trailed off as thoughts of an army of fluffiness crushing her enemies as she sat on her flowery throne eating Furbee Honeycakes fluttered in her mind.


    A wickedly cute smile sprouting on her face and soft maniacal giggles reaching her ears... waking her up from her sweet little delusional daydream. Shaking her head free of such warm fuzzy thoughts she continued speaking, ¡°Still, I''m not sure that would be the right choice Anari.¡±


    Wylla looked down on the ground around where she was standing and set about gathering her belongings.


    [ How is Princess Furbee the wrong choice Wylla? ]


    ¡°It''s precisely because she''s a Princess that I can''t... or rather, shouldn''t choose her.¡± Wylla said, walking to the Royal Spider Lotus bushes and placing the grimoire next to her Traveler''s bag (because she wasn''t about to lug that big book around with her as she gathered the materials needed for her rituals.) ¡°As a Princess, she has others that rely on her and a palace or hive, whatever the case may be, to build and run when she becomes a queen.¡±


    Wylla next emptied the 3 pouches she had taken from the Witch next to the grimoire, taking note of the herbs and ''things'' which had spilled out on the ground. Nope, nothing there that I''d like to use for my rituals. She thought as she hung the now empty pouches upon her body.


    Alright, you''re all that''s left. She reached down, picked up the carrying bag by its shoulder strap, and hung it across her body as a thought crossed her mind.


    ¡°Hey Anari, if I were to use a baby beastie that may or may not have been born disabled or sickly for my familiar what would happen to that baby if... no not if but when the ritual succeeds?¡± Wylla asked, pushing all thoughts of failure from her mind.


    [ As I thought, Wylla truly is a beautiful girl both inside and out. Any beastie that successfully becomes a familiar will become ''reborn'' healthy and new, better than they were before! ]


    ¡°Ah, that makes me happy,¡± Wylla said, gently patting the carrying bag hanging by her right hip. Still, there was a slight frown on her face, ¡°But I guess that means I''ll have to break my promise of returning you to your family...¡±


    [ That''s not necessarily true Wylla. You can always let her visit her family before leaving this starting area right? ]


    ¡°That''s right!... ah, so she''s a girl...¡±


    [ Yup, just let her go and spend time with her family while you prepare and perform your Soulryn ritual. ]


    "Umm... wouldn''t that be dangerous Anari? Just sending her off on her own... What if she gets attacked by beasties and gets hurt... or worse, dies?¡±


    [ Seeing as how she''ll be your familiar I''m sure she''ll be more than strong enough to survive in this starting area. Also, when familiars die they simply shift into their spirit form and return into their summoner''s core where they''ll reform their body over the course of a day or less (depending on strength of the summoner). So as you can see, there''s no need to worry. ]


    ¡°Yes! Then I choose you baby serpris to be my familiar so time to get gathering.¡± Wylla fed the baby serpris a little bit of Healing Nectar and Oryn Pool water before setting off on her gathering tour.


    She spent the next 5 hours gathering herbs, mushrooms, branches, flowers, and foliage from Havenscent Meadow, Makai Forest, and the Desparu Swamp. Every time her pouches were full she''d rush back to the Oryn Tree and unload her findings in the Royal Spider Lotus bushes.


    ¡°There, that should do it. I think I found the perfect materials for your ritual little Starlyng Serpris," Wylla said, patting the carrying bag as she sat on the ground to rest. "Hmm... since you''re going to be my familiar I think I should give you a name. One that''s both cute and fitting."


    "Let''s see... you''re a little Starlyng Serpris... so if we take Serpris and get rid of a few of the letters... we''ll have little Serpi? Nope... it''s kind of cute but definitely not fitting. So how about... Seri? Ooh, that I do like. And what if we change the S to a C... we''ll get little Ceri?¡±


    "Little Ceri, it''s cute and sounds like the name of a constellation of stars which is very fitting for a Starlyng Serpris,¡± Wylla said, nodding her head as she gave the carrying bag another gentle pat. ¡°Yup, I like that very much, from now on your name is Ceri."


    [ I agree Wylla. That''s a wonderful name. Good job. :) ]


    "Thanks, Anari." Smiling, Wylla closed her eyes, going over the details of the ritual one last time, before taking action. She set aside all the materials needed on the ground within easy reach. Next, she used her Earth Flora magic to clear a circular area on the ground; Removing all of the flora and leaving a large empty ring of reddish-brown earth behind.


    There, now I have a clean slate to draw my familiar binding array upon. Now to begin... Wylla placed her hands on the ground, palms down, and sent her energies into the prepared area as a pair of perfect circles began to take shape in the reddish-brown earth, one circle within the center of the other.


    The shadow of the Oryn Tree inched across the grassy meadow marking the passage of time as Wylla stood a few meters away looking down at her creation.


    There were two circles, one within the other; The inner-circle was over a yard in diameter while the outer circle was 2 yards in diameter. Within the inner circle were two triangles lying atop one another with one of them being drawn upside down, creating a six-sided star whose points were touching the curved line forming the inner circle.


    At each point of the star between the area inside the two circles were 6 round discs made of earth, sitting there like offering plates. Throughout the array were various ornate sigils designed to direct, infuse, and give shape to the powerful energies required for the ritual.


    ¡°Yes! That looks right... all done. Now for the offerings.¡± Satisfied that her ''drawing'' matched the familiar ritual array in the Grimoire Wylla began to place the materials she had gathered on each offering plate.


    First, she picked the white Lunar SnapDragaon up off the ground and placed it in the round offering circle at the top of the array. Next, she placed the silvery Syldrake Tree scales in the second offering plate. This was followed by strands of her own spiln hair... which wasn''t very fun to gather.


    On the bottom offering plate, she placed an icy-blue ethereal Ghost Rose. Next was an icy cold Wynbella flower. And last was a bouquet of Dreamnisca Wildflowers.


    ¡°And now for the star of the show!¡± Smiling, Wylla reached into her carrying bag and gently pulled out the lethargic baby Starlyng Serpris. ¡°Don''t worry little Ceri... this will make you all better. I promise!¡± She gave Ceri a light kiss on her head and then placed her in the middle of the 6 sided star.


    I hope this works the way I think it will. Wylla shifted, transforming into her beautiful Syldrake form. ¡°Now to begin...¡±


    A strange melody of oryn infused words flowed out of Wylla''s soft lips. Her hands pressed palms down against the ritual circle as her tail swished behind her.


    Louder and louder her voice rose as the oryn energies flowed out of her Trinity core, streaming through her body down her arms and out of her hands, filling all the lines and sigils of the array with her power as the offering plates glowed brightly; Their holdings crumbling into ash-like particles of colorful energy as the sweet scents of flowers and honey musk filled the air.


    Directed by Wylla''s will, the new streams of energy flowed out of the offering plates into all six points of the star containing baby Ceri.


    Yes! Everything seems to be going smoothly. Just a little more to go. Wylla took a deep breath, held it for a count of 3, and then willed the energies to move all at once; The energies quickly rushed along the lines of the star like liquid serpents following the path circling the baby serpris.


    Wylla''s tail flicked towards her hands, her bladed tip piercing into her flesh, releasing her golden-green blood. Her blood flowed along the lines of the array, wending its way to the center, merging with energies there, awaiting her final command.


    ¡°Now!¡± Her tail flicked back as all 6 energies jumped towards the baby serpris like a python striking its prey.


    WHOOSH!


    The energies wrapped around, fully covering the body of little Ceri as a great flash of light blinded Wylla and pulses shook the ground.


    Rubbing at her teary eyes and blinking, Wylla felt a strange but warm stream of emotions and thoughts flow into her consciousness as little Ceri reached out to her through their newly formed bond.


    ¡°Ah, does this mean the ritual succeeded!?!¡± Wylla asked as the joyous sounds of cooing and tootles rang out from all around her. Which confused Wylla since the musical sounds were also coming from above her from time to time; And last she checked, the baby serpris was much too small to be making such happy sounds from above her.


    [ ding ]


    After what felt like ages, but was in actuality just a few minutes, Wylla regained her vision. A smile brightened her face as she caught sight of her new amazing familiar. Ah, not only was she reborn, she evolved! Yes!


    Flying in the air in front of her, doing loop da loops while cooing and tootling was little Ceri, her Starlyng SnapDragon Familiar!


    Ceri spun about in the air, her silvery blue eyes shining like stars as the long whiskers hanging from the ends of the top of her cute draic snout left ribbony afterimages trailing in the sky.


    She had a lionesque mane of chrysanthemums like petals of woven icy blues and silver. The top half of her long serpentine body was covered in long fluffy spiln fur hiding her draic scales beneath a field of midnight hues adorned with beautiful silvery Starlyng patterns.


    Soft short velvety spiln fur shone like silvery moon along the bottom of her jaw past her chest, belly, and inner legs to almost the tip of her tail; A tail tipped with a pale moon hued Iris flower.


    Yes! She''s 100% mofumofu-able! Wylla''s happy laughter bubbling in the air was music to Ceri''s cute fennec fox-like ears as her two small antennae which looked like ethereal horns twitched about.


    Now let''s get a better look and see what you can do. Wylla''s eyes glowed as she infused them with oryn energy, inspecting the joyful little Ceri.


    ¡°Ooh, it looks like you also know Spiln Serpris Camouflage... that''s great! It''ll be very helpful when scouting and hiding. And what''s this? Dreamnisca Spore Breath! That''s like the breath attack your father used that night before...¡± No, let''s not think about that.


    ¡°This means I now have an AOE spell I can use... well, that you can use but since we''re now together forever I''m kind of right,¡± Wylla said, nodding her head as a happy little Ceri flew right up to her face, rubbed her forehead against Wyllas, and then took off back into the air.


    ¡°So cute!¡± Wylla squealed, clapping her hands and rubbing them together in front of her chest as her eyes continued to inspect her little air dancing snapdragon familiar.


    ¡°Oh wow! You learned a Way of spell... Way of the Shadlyng Wytch. So sweet! It says you can shift into a shadowy ghost snapdragon form decreasing your presence while increasing your physical defenses and the power of your jinxes, hexes, and curses! Hmm, I wonder if this means you can also go through walls and other solid objects, that would be so awesome!¡±


    ¡°Looks like Anari was right, you are strong enough to run about in this starter area. Just look at those spells you have:¡±


    [ Starlyng Dance Jinx ¨C Distracts the target with the caster''s beautiful movements causing the observer to trip and fall when moving or miss when attacking. ]


    [ Lunar SnapDragon Hex ¨C Causes a tattoo-like sigil of the Lunar SnapDragon to appear on the target''s body lowering their gravity thereby greatly decreasing their weight for 30 seconds. ]


    [ Wynbella Starthorns Curse ¨C Inflicts the target with tattoo-like sigils of icy blue vines filled with star-shaped thorns causing cold piercing damage and slowing the target''s movements by 15%. ]


    Ah, this is so wonderful! Wylla couldn''t take it any longer; She got to her feet, opened her arms out wide, and with a joyous smile on her lips called out, ¡°Come to mama Ceri! Let mama mofumofu!¡±


    Hearing the joy in her words and feeling the love through their bond, little Ceri happily flew straight into Wylla''s welcoming arms causing her to fall back in delight as she hugged Ceri close to her body. ¡°Ah, you''re so soft and fluffy! And you smell like icy roses... such a good girl!¡±


    Ceri wiggled happily in Wylla''s arms, cooing and tootling as they continued playing until Anari sent Wylla a friendly reminder.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have successfully completed the Briar Bloodrose Grimoire''s challenge! Would you like to Soulbind with the Grimoire at this time? Y/N ]


    ¡°Ah, Yes Anari... I would,¡± Wylla said, releasing Ceri back into the air as she retrieved the grimoire from the ground.


    [ Answer received and approved. Soulbinding will now begin... error detected... The recipient is already soulbound to another Grimoire. Sorry Wylla, soulbinding not available. Would you like to attempt merging your Druic Grimoire with the Briar Bloodrose Grimoire instead? Y/N ]


    ¡°Ah... Anari, what will happen to my Druic Grimoire if merging fails?¡± Wylla asked, biting her lower lip.


    [ Nothing much Wylla... after the explosion, I''m fairly sure that your Druic Grimoire will only sustain some minor...ish damage. But on the other hand, just think of the rewards of success. Your Druic Grimoire may evolve into something new and unique! You will be the envy of others! ]


    ¡°Do it lassy! I believe in you...¡± ¡°What''s life without a little risk?...¡± ¡°Don''t let fear hold you back...¡± ¡°The Wylla I know and love would do it...¡± A stream of unwanted advice flowed down from above.


    Hmm... Well, even if it doesn''t work out I''ll be logging out soon and changing my character anyway so I don''t really have much too lose... Plus, this''ll be a good experience for when I start again. And I am curious about the whole ''may evolve'' angle... ¡°Okay Anari, let''s do it!¡± Wylla said, firmly placing her hand on the grimoire and bracing herself.


    Storymask


    Yosh! Looks like Wylla''s Familiar Binding Ritual was a huge success adding a new lovable ''mofumofu'' to the mix and opening the way for grimoire merging... coming up next Chapter 56: Enter Soulryn


    Side Note: I made a couple of changes to the names of some of the flowers (i.e. Sunfire to Solfire) in this chapter. Also, I spent a lot of my off time last week writing the beginnings of another story that was in my mind... was able to get 17 pages done. That story will be a little bit darker but I haven''t decided how dark I''ll make it... either way, it''ll still be tamed compared to the real dark stories out there.


    Anyways, my plan is to continue to write it on the side whenever inspiration strikes while writing this one as my main story. I will be posting the other one as soon as I have the first story arc/volume done.

 Chapter 56: I’m a What?

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 56


    ¡°Alright then, let''s do this!¡± Before I change my mind Wylla thought as she looked down at the Briar Bloodrose Grimoire on the ground beneath her hands. A musical "tootle-toot-tu" streamed down reminding Wylla that little Ceri was cheering for her from above. ¡°Ooh, that reminds me Ceri, be sure not to get too close okay... just in case things go bang!¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tee-toot!¡± Little Ceri replied, taking one last corkscrew spin around Wylla before flying high and wide to watch from a safe distance.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± Wylla said with a nod before focusing once more on the Grimoire before her.


    Wylla was on her knees, hunched over the Briar Bloodrose Grimoire, her hands pressing down hard on the large book''s cover as if giving it CPR.


    Her silky hair draped down hiding her face as her brow furrowed and jaw clenched. She sent her oryn energy into the grimoire, triggering the start of the merger as the sounds of pages turning began to echo in her mind and the scent of tainted blood roses filled the air.


    The Bloodrose Grimoire began to buck, trying to throw Wylla''s hands-off its cover as its shadowy blood-red aura spilled out of its pages.


    ¡°Oh no, you don''t!¡± Ethereal golden-green serpenvines shot forth from the center of Wylla''s chest, striking the Bloodrose Grimoire and wrapping around it as the severity of its bucking lessened.


    ¡°That''s a good boy... it''ll be over soon. There''s nothing to fear... so be calm.¡± Wylla said, the muscles of her arms a bit strained and a drop of sweat flowing down the side of her scrunched up face.


    A green arched door shaped book the size of Wylla''s hand flowed out of the center of her chest, revealing itself as the origin of the serpenvines wrapped around the Bloodrose Grimoire.


    Wylla''s Druic Grimoire fluttered over the bound Bloodrose Grimoire, growing in size, as sounds of flapping pages continued to be heard.


    Seeing that her Druic Grimoire seemed to have the Bloodrose Grimoire under control Wylla removed her hands from the Bloodrose Grimoire and leaned back; A sigh escaping her lips as the strain in her muscles melted away.


    The Druic Grimoire dipped down, fluttered back up unleashing its golden-green aura, and ... BAM! Slammed down hard on top of the Briar Bloodrose Grimoire sending a kaleidoscope of aura powered flashes into the area and vibrations through the ground.


    Wylla''s heart thumped hard and her body jumped as she tightly closed her eyes; Anari''s mention of a possible explosion springing to mind.


    Ah, that was scary. I thought it exploded for a minute there. So happy it didn''t! Wylla thought, opening her eyes to see that her Druic Grimoire was fine... in fact, it was better than fine; It was pressing down hard on top of the Bloodrose Grimoire like a car compactor in a junkyard, its golden-green aura blanketing the shadowy blood-red aura as the top half of the Briar Bloodrose Grimoire was already melded into the bottom half of the Druic Grimoire.


    Little by little, the Druic Grimoire continued to press down as the Bloodrose Grimoire became smaller and smaller until there was nothing left; An image of a Briar Bloodrose appeared in the cover of the Druic Grimoire as the title of the book began to change.


    Wylla''s eyes shined as she stared at her new grimoire, a smile on her lips and an [ ding ] in the air.


    ¡°Yatta! We did it Ceri!¡± Wylla joyfully shouted with her fists in the air.


    ¡°Tootle-too!¡± Little Ceri sang out, quickly circling down to land on Wylla''s shoulders like a shawl, rubbing her cheek against Wylla''s as she looked down at the new Grimoire.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! I''m so happy to share that, not only did you complete the grimoire merging, but because you also succeeded in attaining a familiar you have unlocked class evolution! Yay! I just knew you could do it Wylla! ;) ]


    ¡°Ah, that sounds awfully exciting Anari but what does it mean?¡±


    [ It means... you''re a Druwytch, Wylla! ]


    ¡°I''m a what?¡± Wylla asked, unsure what to make of it.


    [ A Druwytch, Wylla. A new unique class that combines the knowledge of jinxes, hexes, and powerful curses with the magic of plants and nature. Incorporating such spell crafting into their Ways.


    Which basically means, You now have all the yummy spells of a Druid. And the tasty jinxes, hexes, and curses of a Witch! Just take a look inside your new Druwytch Grimoire and see for yourself. :) ]


    Wylla reached out to her new Druwytch Grimoire and opened it up, turning the pages to the spells section. Ah, this opens up new ways to fight... like binding and dotting, then running and spell-gunning. Wylla thought as her eyes scanned her new spells.


    Windy''s Pollen Kiss: The caster sends an unerring pollinated wind kiss towards the target causing red itchy eyes, runny nose, and sneezing for 10 seconds. Cost to Cast Jinx: 3 Oryn Energy Power.


    Spirit Leeching Vines: The caster calls forth ghostly Leech Vines from the Netherworld which wraps around the target and drains them of their Oryn energy and stamina causing them to tire. Hex lasts for 5 minutes. Current Drain Strength: Drains 2 Oryn Energy and Stamina from Fatigue Bar every 5 seconds. Cost to Cast Hex: 6 Oryn Energy


    ¡°Tootle-too-tee?¡± Little Ceri asked.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Wylla responded, reaching up and gently scratching under Ceri''s cute little chin. ¡°I''m very happy with the results. Not only did I just learn how to jinx and hex but I also learned the Bloodrose Witch''s powerful Briar Bloodrose Curse! That means next time we meet I can give her a taste of her own medicine Ahahaha...¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s even if we face off again before I leave this zone. After all, I don''t know how long it takes for beasties to respawn in this game...¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too-toot-tee-toot?¡± Little Ceri sang away by her ear; Her sweet breath ruffling Wylla''s hair, getting a little too close to Wylla''s sensitive inner ear as she quickly, but gently, shifted Ceri''s cute little face back towards her new grimoire.


    ¡°Ah, let''s see... the difference is that Jinxes are light little spells that cause small mishaps and misfortunes... for the most part. As such, they are mostly used for pranks, jokes, and/or to distract the target. Also, they don''t last very long but cost little to cast.


    Hexes, on the other hand, are medium powered castings which can cause harm as well as misfortune. Hexes can last for minutes and because they are more powerful they cost more Oryn energy to cast. So be careful who you use your Hexes on.


    And last is Curses; These are powerful castings that cause both great harm and/or misfortune. As such they not only cost much more to cast but take a lot longer to cast. On the plus side, they last a very long time; Some are even permanent and can only be removed with powerful purification spells or death.


    As such I recommend starting the fight with a curse if your opponent doesn''t know you''re there. But if they do know you''re there then use a binding or crowd control type spell first and then curse them! Although, you do have the advantage of flying so keep that in mind when fighting.¡± Wylla gave Ceri another scratch, finishing her little scholastic lecture as she turned the pages of her grimoire back to the table of contents.


    Alright then, let''s see if anything else was added to my grimoire. Wylla was just about to read the page but stopped when Anari''s new message popped up, happily derailing her train of thought.


    [ Ah, before I forget to mention, you should also know that since both your class and your familiar evolved (something which is very rare to do) you''ve earned 10 more bonus mind attribute points! Yay!


    Add that to the 30 points you earned for completing such a splendid Trinity Unity Core and you''ll find you have grown wonderfully in this past day. ]


    Wylla was quite stunned for a moment... ¡°Huh? I received how many attribute points? Isn''t that quite a lot of bonus points Anari? Is it really okay? I mean, I don''t want someone from the game company to think I''m cheating or hacking the game and get banned from playing... Hmm, or maybe this is just something everyone else playing the game gets? If so... ¡±


    [ Ahahaha Silly Wylla, do you honestly believe all that you have done is so easily accomplished?


    Honestly, you did an amazing job of uniting your trinity cores, learned magic through insight by using your Oryn energy to feel the way the Spriggankin''s performed theirs, achieved double evolution, and you even completed the hidden Secrets of the Oryn Tree quest.


    I mean, I knew you''d eat the Oryn fruit and drink water from the pool but who would have thought you''d actually eat the tree''s sap? Although, your viewers seemed very happy that you did...]


    ¡°Ah, please don''t remind me about that Anari! So embarrassing... if I had known they were watching...¡± Wylla said mumbling to herself while shaking her head as her voice faded.


    [ So as you can see you totally earned every single bonus point you got! Nothing was freely given okay? So hold your head up high and be proud of your rewards.


    As for cheating or hacking... as if anybody could really do that in this ''game''. Anyone caught trying to do so would be in for a HUGE surprise! Ahahaha ]


    ¡°Ah, if you say so Anari... Thanks.¡± Well, then I guess I better assign all those new points!... Right after I finish looking over the grimoire''s table of contents.


    ¡°Huh, No Way!?!¡± Wylla read and re-read the same line twice and then quickly turned the pages of the book, landing on the section titled: Alchemy.


    Yes, I can learn Alchemy! Her eyes jolting left to right, taking in the information, widening in disbelief as they scanned the list of recipes. "Huh, they actually have that in there... but how?" Wylla muttered, sitting up straight while staring at a certain pair of recipes, feeling greatly puzzled.


    "How can this be? Those pills are... are from my imagination... something I 100% made up and even joked about with Aiden and Thomas when we were talking about alchemy in all those stories we''ve read... so how can they be in this game?" Wylla said, tapping the page in the book with her finger.


    ¡°I can understand Medylixr being in here and the Orynlixr since all games have health potions and mana, well in this case Oryn Energy potions. Even the Refuelixr which regens Fatigue and the Porcu Skunkreed Bomb makes sense... which saves me a lot of trouble because I was thinking to make a bomb out of those Skunkreeds myself so this saves me time and effort.¡± Wylla said, tapping each recipe in her grimoire as she went over them.


    And then stopping on the last two which read:


    Tutt-Tutt Pill: A once a day pill to help with digestion ensuring the regularity of bowel movements in the form of round pellets like rabbits and hares. Also, eliminates diarrhea.


    Tuttle Pill: A once a day pill with all the benefits of the Tutt-Tutt pill plus increases the metabolism for weight loss and increases the absorption of vital nutrients received through the consumption of foods and drinks.


    ¡°But these two... how Anari?¡± Wylla asked, looking up with brows furrowed and lips pressed.


    [ How what Wylla? ]


    ¡°How are Tutt-Tutt and Tuttle Pills in my grimoire... in the game? They were pills I made up when reading stories about an alchemist. I always thought such beginner pills would be a great way for an alchemist MC to make money at the start of a book.


    Such recipes that those around him would laugh and ridicule him about only to have to swallow their words when they discover all the money he makes from selling them.


    Heck, even my best friends, Aiden and Thomas, laughed at me when I first mentioned it. And then the more they thought about it, the more they thought that such pills would be a goldmine. But other than them, I never told anyone else about it so how are they even in the game?¡± Wylla asked once again, double-tapping the recipes. ¡°I mean, they''re even made from the same tree I made up... from Tuttle Trees... Wait, does that mean there''s Tuttle Trees in the game too?¡±


    [Yes there is Wylla. As for why they''re in the ''game'' it''s because they came from you during the ''character creation'' process.


    Hmmm... If I''m not mistaken, and I know I''m not, you thought up these pills while you were at home sick after getting a touch of food poisoning at school. You were reading a book, trying to forget about the embarrassing ''incident'' that happened in class, and wishing that alchemy was real; That you could make pills that would eliminate diarrhea so that ''incident'' would have never happened and that you could poop like a rabbit saving loads of toilet paper.


    I guess that ''incident'' greatly affected you because it''s pretty prominent in your memories. Once your divine mother, the Goddess Sylvenori, found out about how important such pills would be to you, she created the Tuttle Trees making the pill recipes a reality.


    And now you have the recipes and can make your dreams come true! So Happy Tuttle Day Wylla! Yay! :) ]


    Wylla''s reddened face was hidden behind her hands which were hidden behind her draping hair as she was looking down, shaking her head side to side, trying to forget all about the ''incident'' that led to the imaginary creation of the Tuttle Tree and its pills.


    And if the Tuttle Tree was anything like the one she thought of then that means its big roundish leaves could be used as soft but sturdy wet napkins eliminating the need for toilet paper.


    [ Ah, there''s nothing to be embarrassed about Wylla. Bowel movements are a natural part of life. Everyo... ]


    ¡°Okay, okay Anari. I get it... no need to continue talking about this... instead I got a better idea like never talking about this again... as such let''s close the book on Alchemy for now.¡± Wylla said, closing her grimoire and sending it back into her Trinity Core.


    ¡°Instead, let''s see... oh ya, you mentioned I earned loads of new attribute points so this seems like a good time to go ahead and assign them since it looks like there''s still over 7 hours before I can summon my Soulryn.¡±


    [ In that case, I have even more good news for you Wylla. All your attribute points have been reset (except for one special attribute) and the restriction of only being able to put 1 stat point in an attribute per tier up has been removed.


    This is a special one time deal that all ''players'' receive once they advance to Rank 1. A kind of graduation gift you receive as you go from being a newbie to being a Senkin. ]


    ¡°Senkin... what''s that Anari?¡±


    [ It means you are now officially a beginner Wylla. As such, you should have a good grasp of your ''play'' style and which attributes you should place emphasis on without becoming a glass cannon. After all, you don''t want to be so fragile that you''d die just because a boss sneezed your way... right Wylla? ]


    ¡°Yup, yup. I 100% agree with you Anari. I''ve never been good with glass cannon builds anyway so I''m not about to start now. Especially in a game that looks and feels so lifelike...¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too-too!¡± Ceri sang out, prompting Wylla to pet and scratch behind her long fluffy ear.


    ¡°Ah, that reminds me Ceri, since I''m going to be busy here setting up my stats, brewing some potions, and if time allows, practicing my new spells this would be a good time for you to explore the Desparu Swamp and see if you can find your family to spend some time with them,¡± Wylla said, creating a pair of Memory Rosebud Orbs.


    One of the orbs was filled with memories of her time in the swamp, focusing on the dangers. And the other was filled with images of Ceri''s family, including her father who passed away, so she could know them by sight.


    ¡°There you go Ceri. Be sure to touch both memory orbs and remember, when traveling in the Desparu Swamp keep your camouflage on and stay aware of your surroundings, both below and above you okay. Also, if you get into trouble just run... well, in your case fly! Okay?¡± Wylla asked, hugging Ceri in her arms.


    ¡°Tootle-tee¡±


    ¡°That''s a good girl.¡± Wylla smiled, releasing little Ceri into the air. She touched both orbs, flew back to Wylla to rub cheeks with her one more time, and then sped off into the air towards the Desparu Swamp in search of her family as Wylla shouted out behind her ¡°Try to be back in 7 hours if you''d like to see the hatching of the new member of our family!¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too-too!...¡± Ceri''s musical voice echoed back as Wylla waved goodbye.


    ¡°Alright, let''s start with getting my attributes all straightened out; Show Status!¡± Wylla''s grimoire drifted out of her chest, floating in front of her as it opened up to her Status section. Her eyes moved left to right, taking note of her new Druwytch class which brought a smile to her face and then at her attributes which all read zero with the exception of one:


    Body


    Strength: 0     Athletic: 0     Constitution: 0


    Bonus Attribute - Charisma: 20


    Mind


    Intellect: 0     Wisdom: 0     Focus: 0


    Soul


    Faith: 0     Will: 0     Aura: 0


    Unassigned Attribute Points: 245


    ¡°Oh wow, that''s a lot of unassigned stat points! I better make sure I allocate them properly since I won''t be able to reset them again. Now let''s see, my main playstyle will be Way of the Orchid Butterfly which means spell-slinging so mind stats are my main priority... and those attributes in bold will always automatically receive 1 stat point each time I tier up so...¡± Wylla sat there, carefully going over her abilities and her divine blessings, paying attention to the synergies they had with her attributes like her Way of the Spirin Syldrake which swapped her body stats with her mind stats, turning her into a powerful melee fighter.


    And after what felt like a long time, Wylla nodded to herself, took a deep breath and started assigning stat points...


    Body


    Strength: 20     Athletic: 20     Constitution: 20


    Bonus Attribute - Charisma: 20


    Mind


    Intellect: 40     Wisdom: 35     Focus: 35


    Soul


    Faith: 20     Will: 25     Aura: 30


    Unassigned Attribute Points: 245-195= 50-25=25-10=15-15=0


    [ Would you like to submit and implement your new stat point allocations Wylla? Y/N ]


    "Hmm... yup... looks good to me so Yes Anari! ]


    [ Answer received and confirmed. Changes now implemented. ]


    "Thanks, Anari."


    [ You''re Welcome Wylla :) ]


    ¡°Yosh! Now that I have my status all set and looking good, it''s time to unlock Alchemy." Wylla clapped her hands and summoned her Bloodrose Cauldron...


    Storymask


    Little Ceri is off to find her family and Wylla is busy putting the finishing touches on her stats before moving onto unlocking Alchemy while the timer ticks down to zero... coming up next Chapter 57: Enter Soulryn!


    Side Note: Okay... I know this chapter was supposed to be her Soulryn summoning chapter but I switched it around and had her class evolution, stats reset, and part alchemy discovery happen first since it just flowed better that way. Anyways, the next chapter is absolutely now her Soulryn summoning (for sure... I think) and then a little bit Slice of Life before heading out to face the guardian blocking her way out of the starter zone.

 Chapter 57: Enter Soulryn

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 57


    Wylla clapped her hands and summoned forth her Bloodrose Cauldron. ¡°Yes! Now that I have my status all set and looking good, it''s time to unlock the Alchemy profession by brewing some Orynlixrs and Refuelixrs.


    As for Medylixrs, I don''t really need them since I already know Healing Nectar but if I have the materials I might as well brew them to see which is better and increase my proficiencies... So first step first, preparations!¡±


    Wylla walked up to the clearing she made earlier for the familiar ritual, and using her Life Magic grew a nest-like circle of large burner-sized Solfire flowers. She then guided the Bloodrose Cauldron Turtle over to sit atop the newly sprouted nest.


    ¡°That''s a good girl,¡± Wylla said, smiling as she gently patted the rounded lip of the large cauldron. ¡°I think? Well, that''s if you''re even alive since your a cauldron. But then again, this is a magical world so whose to say you can''t be alive... Hmm... just in case, please take care of me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, next a work table with earth flora trays...¡± Wylla''s Oryn Energy flowed into the ground as a good-sized rectangular worktable of earth and green flora rose up from the ground; Atop sat 3 large earth flora trays. Yup, perfect. Now to separate the materials and place them within each tray.


    Wylla spent the next 15 minutes or so going through all her gathered materials, separating the ones needed from the piles she gathered earlier for the summoning rituals and placing them in the tray atop the work table.


    ¡°Okay, let''s see. The first tray has the Orylix Grass and Lampryn Bulbs needed for the Orynlixr. The second tray has my tasty spicy Peprika Mushrooms which will give the potion some kick and 3-inch slices of Serpenvine to add some spring into the Refuelixrs.¡± Note to self, be sure to gather more Peprika Mushrooms before leaving this starter area.


    ¡°And the last tray has the Medy Grass and Juni Lillies for the Medylixr,¡± Wylla said, taking a small step back from the work table. ¡°Looking good so far, now to separate each tray of materials into the right portions and I''ll be all set and ready to start... Well, once I add the right amount of water into the cauldron.¡±


    She spent the next 20 minutes preparing the materials for use and bunching them together into batch sized portions. Each batch would be able to produce anywhere from 1 to 4 potions depending on the skill of the Alchemist.


    Seeing that everything was to her liking, Wylla knelt, placed her hand on the ground, and created an earthenware flora pot with oversized handles.


    Using the pot, she added enough Oryn Tree pool water into the cauldron for 2 batches of Orynlixr. Okay, nothing to worry about. This is just like cooking... just follow the recipe, double the ingredients, and everything should work out fine. Nodding to herself, Wylla walked over to the work table where she was greeted by a pair of holographic hands ready to teach her the steps.


    First, she picked up 2 batches of materials from the first tray and infused them with a small dose of her Oryn energy to get a feel for their essences. Then her eyes glowed as she analyzed the materials auras. Hmm... I see so that''s where the energy I''ll need to extract for the potion resides. Good to know... And since this is a beginner''s recipe, I don''t need to crush anything with a pestle. I can just toss them in whole into the cauldron... ¡°Once I get the water boiling that is.¡±


    With herbs in hand, Wylla walked up to the cauldron, sent her energy into the Solfire flowers, and waited a few minutes for the water to start boiling before tossing in the 2 batches of herbs. ¡°Now to extract the essences needed and discard the rest... but how?¡±


    The extraction process required her to control the process taking place within the Cauldron with her Oryn energy but the cauldron was much too hot to touch so Wylla stood there for a moment, brows furrowed, and nose wrinkled thinking of how to proceed.


    ¡°Ah, this isn''t good. If I don''t figure this out soon it''ll be too late!¡± Wylla reached out toward the cauldron with an unsteady hand, jaw clenched and body braced for burning pain as her hand inched closer and closer towards the lip of the cauldron.


    Just as she was about to make contact with the burning hot cauldron, the holographic hands shot forth tendril-like appendages that latched onto the lip of the cauldron and sent a small but steady stream of energy flowing within. I see, so I just need to attach something to the cauldron that I can use as a conduit for my Oryn energy... something I have synergy with to give me greater control.


    Closing her eyes, Wylla recalled the ethereal serpenvines which shot forth out of her chest, out of her grimoire which wrapped around the Bloodrose Grimoire. Something like that... but not out of my hands like my serpenvine harpoon spell so I can still use them if needed...


    ¡°Then out of my forearms, near my wrists. Serpenvines that can withstand heat like a dragon...¡±


    The energy within gathered, split in two, and then slithered forth into Wylla''s arms, stopping near her wrists, and then shot forth out of the opening that painlessly formed on the top of her forearms. The golden-green draic scaled serpenvines wended through the air, opening their mouths, and attached themselves onto opposite sides of the cauldron''s lip as Wylla felt a connection form.


    [ ding ]


    [Congratulations Wylla you have learned Oryn Conduit Serpenvines. :) ]


    ¡°Yes! Thanks, Anari! This is amazing. I can feel everything that''s taking place within the cauldron through the connection... the rising temperature from the Solfire flowers, the boiling water seeping into the herbs, the essences churning and whirling seeking release... even the movements of the water... the water which is the key to extracting the essences I need.¡±


    Latching onto her connection with the water, Wylla sent a thin but steady stream of Oryn energy through the draic scaled serpenvines into the boiling water within the cauldron. She grasped control of the water [ ding ] unlocking the Alchemist-Kinesis skill allowing her to turn the water into needle-like liquid serpents which drained the essences she needed from the boiling materials and stored them within their thin liquid bodies.


    ¡°Now to discard the drained materials from the cauldron without losing the needed essences...¡± Whether it was due to Wylla''s spoken desire or her focused thoughts of what she wanted to do, a series of happy events took place:


    The cauldron partially shifted into its Bloodrose Cauldron Turtle form as its head sprouted forth and a round fist-sized opening formed within the bottom of the cauldron connecting to the turtle head. The water then swirled around all the discarded material and funneled it into and out the opening as the turtle head opened its mouth and gently spat out the used up refuse.


    The opening then closed and the turtle head returned into the cauldron as Wylla just stood there for a moment or two, her mouth slightly agape while processing what had just happened. ¡°This cauldron is amazing! I''m so glad I found you.¡±


    [ Found Wylla? Or stolen from a certain witch within a certain village? ]


    ¡°I didn''t ste... steal it Anari. It was... reparations for all the... the pain and suffering she and her minions caused me... yup... not stealing, but payment!¡± Wylla said, clenching her fist and bringing it down on the palm of her other hand. ¡°Besides, to the victors go the spoi...¡±


    [ You may want to return your focus to ''your'' cauldron Wylla before things go poof! And your first attempt at alchemy ends in failure. ]


    ¡°Ah! Don''t go poof on me now!¡± Wylla quickly strengthened her connection with the water in the cauldron, merging all the essences together with the water as it turned into a luminescent silvery-blue color...


    [ ding ]


    ¡°Yes! Now to lower the heat to simmer, make some earth flora vials with blueish corks, and pour the potion...¡± Once again the cauldron showed just how special it truly was as the Turtlehead sprouted out and the round opening once again appeared at the bottom of the cauldron connecting with one another.


    A pair of serpenvines then sprouted out of the cauldron, one on each side of the turtlehead, and touched the ground creating an earth flora vial using Wylla as its Oryn energy battery. The serpenvine then brought the newly made vial under the turtle''s head as a small spout formed where the mouth would be and poured the newly made Orynlixr into the vial.


    Once the vial was full, the other serpenvine created the bluish flower-topped cork, capped the potion, and then placed the ready to use vial within an earth flora box which was designed with dividers in order to hold potions.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have now learned Alchemy and are one big step closer to making your Tuttle Dreams come true! Yay! :) ]


    ¡°Fine... let them laugh and mock me... but once I start selling them we''ll see who''s laughing then...¡± Wylla said softly, a distant look in her eyes as she envisioned long lines of people at her parent''s shop looking to buy her Tutt-Tutt and Tuttle pills.


    ¡°Yup... just like that movie... if I make it, they will come...¡± Nodding to herself, Wylla got busy and made another batch of Orynlixrs.


    Feeling a bit drained, Wylla sat on the ground, eyes on the earth flora box containing her potions as she glanced at her Oryn Energy Bar which was well over half empty. Hmm... Looks like I''ll have to get used to resting to regen between making batches of potions. I sure don''t want to run out in the middle of a batch and have all those mats go to waste.


    ¡°Still, that isn''t much of an issue with my high regen rate... in the meantime, I wonder how little Ceri is doing.¡± Concerned, Wylla sat on the ground in the lotus position, meditating in front of her cauldron, eyes closed, and thoughts of Ceri dancing in her mind.


    She felt a warm stirring within her core, a lightness drifting in her consciousness, and heard a soft playful tootle-tu in the air. Smiling, Wylla opened her eyes expecting to see Ceri''s cute adorable face but instead was greeted by what looked like a murky swampy forest twisting, turning, and corkscrewing around causing her tummy spin and sink.


    [ ding ]


    She felt the wind on her face as she whooshed about in the air doing corkscrews, loop da loops, and twisty turns. Ceri''s sweet tootle-tu''s sang out as she came upon a curtain of branches with wiggling centipede-like leaves.


    Eh? Did I... become Ceri?


    No, that''s not it. Then did I form some kind of... connection with Ceri? Or did I fall asleep while meditating and am now dreaming? Hmm... maybe if I pinch myself... Wylla tried to lift her hand to pinch her ''snout'' (for that is what she saw in front of her eyes) but found she had no body to control.


    Ah, so this... this connection must be some type of scouting mode, allowing me to tap into Ceri''s senses? So I can see, hear, and feel what she feels... but I wonder if I can talk to her like this... let''s try. ¡°Ceri can you hear me? Umm... if you can... blink twice? Or how about, if you can hear me nod your head up and down... three times... Ah no, don''t go there Ceri!¡±


    Ceri broke through the Desparu tree''s curtain of branches and was greeted by the sight of a rather large hut with beautiful icy-blue Ghostroses which perfumed the air with an icy sweet scent.


    A scent that Ceri''s body also gave off which wasn''t a bit surprising since those were the very same Ghostroses that Wylla gathered and used in her familiar ritual.


    Ceri happily made her way to the ghostly flowers, nuzzling them as she flew about. The figures in the courtyard all turned towards her direction, drawn by her musical tootle-tu''s but were unable to spot her as Ceri''s body magically blended in with her surroundings.


    ¡°Kavi? Atu Kno Aru Kavi?¡±


    The Kavi which returned to the village but with slightly less numbers searched about for the source of the tootles; Their crude spears grasped firmly in their hands, eyes jolting about the hut, and feet shuffling to form a large ring around a certain cute young girl whom only looked to be about 5 to 6 years of age.


    The little girl''s skin was like the pale moon with a hint of icy blue like her vibrant eyes and soft semi-curled waist-length hair; Hair that had silvery braids on the left side of her head. She wore a dress similar to that of Wylla''s new bloodrose dress but hers was icy blue with silvery highlights and Ghostrose patterns.


    She was standing in front of a long but short work table as what looked like molten metals bubbled in a large dark vat over the witchfire pit. On that table were various stones, beads, leaves, flowers, wires, feathers, and materials in bowls, plates, and trays.


    The little witch girl''s eyes were focused on the round black and silver pendant like object on the table as she used a bladed tool to engrave sigils into its surface.


    Ceri looked down from the top of the hut at the little witch girl working at the table and softly tootle-tu''d.


    The little witch put down the small talisman she was making and turned to look straight at Ceri, seeming to see through her camouflage.


    The little girl''s aura looked... so... so sad and lonely to Ceri.


    Ceri flew down from the hut''s roof, releasing her magical disguise as she flew right up to the little girl; The girl that also smelled quite a bit like her... of icy sweetness.


    The little girl felt slightly taken back as she felt an odd sort of connection with this cute and fluffy creature that carried the scent of what could only be Ghostroses. She knew this creature was not here to harm her.


    ¡°Kavi! Atuk Noc Kavi!¡±


    The Kavi guards, on the other hand, didn''t and started to rush in; Crude spears aimed high towards Ceri as she floated in front of the little witch girl''s reach, a playful smile that reached her eyes on her face.


    The little girl''s brows furrowed as she glared at the charging Kavi; ¡°Kavi No Tuk Abuc Kavi!¡±


    The Kavi guards all stopped their charge and grumbled as they shuffled back to their original guarding positions around the courtyard. Their spears held firmly as they kept a watchful eye on the strange little creature near their village witch.


    Wanting to see the little girl smile, Ceri jolted forward causing the little girl to hop back...


    (¡°Kavi! Atuk Noc...¡± The Kavi guards once again began to rush towards Ceri, their spears aimed high...)


    The little girl felt something soft and fluffy brushing up against her forehead and then cheek as Ceri nuzzled her; Something warm and pleasant bubbled up from within the little girl''s chest as a burst of giggles filled the air causing all the Kavi guards to stop in their tracks in surprise.


    Was their little witch actually laughing... and smiling? They stood their stunned, watching as the little fluffy creature continued to fly around their little witch, rubbing and nuzzling her with its soft fluffy body as the little witch continued to laugh, smile, and play for the first time ever.


    The scene became blurry for a breath or two and then turned dark as Wylla''s consciousness returned to her body breaking her connection. Ah, seems Ceri has made a new friend... and the village has spawned a new witch.


    I wonder what she was making on that table... jewelry... or maybe talismans? Either way, she didn''t seem like she''d hurt Ceri... quite the opposite, she may want to keep her... but Ceri already belongs to me so she''ll just have to find her own familiar!


    ¡°Well, it should be fine...¡± Wylla stopped mid-sentence as she spotted and read Anari''s message.


    [ Congratulations Wylla! You have learned Familiar Sensory Link allowing you to connect to your familiar''s senses. Yay! I''m sure you''ll find this helpful in your adventures ahead. :) ]


    ¡°Ah, that''s great... Thanks, Anari. That''s definitely a great new skill to have!¡± Wylla said with a smile. ¡°Now let''s see... just over 4 hours to go before my Soulryn summoning ritual so let''s get to brewing while time gets to ticking...¡±


    The minutes turned to hours as the number of earth flora potion boxes increased to three. Each box holding two dozen potions. ¡°Yosh! All done!¡± Wylla said, clapping her hands and stretching towards the now night sky. ¡°All the materials have been used and my Alchemy profession is now Rank 1!¡±


    Greatly satisfied, Wylla began to clean up. She sent the cauldron back into her Syldrake Pagoda, stacked the 3 boxes of potions by the Royal Spider Lotus bushes, and returned the earth flora table and trays to the ground.


    ¡°Let''s see... there''s just over an hour to go before the summoning which gives me just enough time to prepare. But first, let''s see what Ceri is up too... is she still playing with the new little witch friend or maybe with her family... I hope...¡±


    Wylla sat down in the lotus position, closed her eyes, and felt her consciousness immediately connect with Ceri as feelings of great joy and warmth flooded her. Wylla opened her eyes and was greeted by the sight of two little Serpis chasing her about as their large mother watched on from the side, a smile on her lips.


    ¡°Ah, looks like Ceri has found her family and are playing... tag? Either way, she''s filled with warmth and joy so everything must be good. I''m so happy for her. Now that my promise has been completed I feel so much better inside.¡± Wylla said, as she severed her connection, ''returning'' to her body, and opened her eyes to look at the stars above.


    ¡°Okay, now onto the main attraction...¡± Wylla rose up from the ground and began her preparations as the timer wound down...


    ¡°Mmm... good. All set and ready to go,¡± Wylla said to herself, as she stood in front of the Soulryn Summoning circle that was simpler but much larger than the familiar ritual circle. Like the earlier circle, this one also had a pair of round rings (one within the center of the other) but instead of a pair of triangles in the inner ring, this one only had 1 triangle with a round offering earth flora plate at each point.


    Round offering plates that were much bigger. ¡°Now to place the materials which will represent the Trinity...¡±


    Wylla walked over to the top offering plate, making sure not to step on her summoning circle and ruin the lines and sigils, and knelt down. ¡°Okay, for my Mind offering I''ll place the Syldrake scales. Good. Now to grow and mold them into a pagoda just like in my Trinity Unity core.¡±


    She touched the Syldrake scales and sent her oryn energy flowing within them; The scales grew, joining one another, melding together, and rose up in the shape of her pagoda. ¡°Ooh, that looks perfect. Now let''s just put this Oryn Fruit within the pagoda and all set here. Onto the next one...¡±


    10 minutes later she was done.


    Sitting on the Soul offering plate was a large earth flora bowl filled with Oryn Pool water and three beautiful Royal Spider Lotus flowers floating on top.


    And on the Body offering plate sat her wonderful Bloodrose Cauldron filled with a large bouquet of flowers, mushrooms, branches, and flora she had gathered from all the areas of the starter area which she had visited during her time here.


    ¡°Ah, I think this should work,¡± Wylla said, eyes focused on her cauldron. ¡°I mean, it''s soulbound to me so I shouldn''t lose it... and I feel like it''ll make my Soulryn''s body... tougher so it''ll be harder to damage like a tank.


    Besides, I''ll be changing my character soon so I''ll probably lose it when that happens anyway... so let''s just take the risk and see what happens...¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too!¡± Ceri''s musical voice echoed out over the meadow signaling her return. Wylla looked up, a smile on her lips as little Ceri rushed into her open arms, something silvery hanging from around her neck.


    Wylla hugged Ceri, nuzzling their foreheads and then cheeks together before pulling apart. ¡°Ah, you made it right on time Ceri! I''m just about to summon my Soulryn egg and place it in summoning circle... or maybe it should be called incubator circle? Hmm... either way welcome back! I missed you. Did you have fun?¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-tooo-toot!¡± Ceri joyously cried out, nodding her head as the new silvery necklace around her neck jingled.


    ¡°What''s this? Did my cute little Ceri get a gift from a new friend?¡± Wylla asked, touching the crescent moon pendant adorned with three hanging stars. Her fingertips tracing the lovely swirling engraved sigils that seemed to glow with icy blue power.


    Wylla''s eyes shine as she appraised Ceri''s beautiful gift:


    [ Lunar Star Pendant ¨C A rank 1 talisman created by the little Netheryn Ghostrose Witch and given as a gift of friendship. Stats: +2 Speed & Spell Power ]


    ¡°Tootle-tu-lu!¡± Ceri sang, her cute face glowing.


    ¡°Ahahaha Look at my cute adorable Ceri turning into a proud little peacock? That''s a wonderful gift you got. I''m so happy for you!...¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too-toot-tu¡± Ceri moved her head forward, nuzzling Wylla''s cheeks once more before being set free back into the sky, the moonlight dancing on her necklace for a moment.


    ¡°Yosh! Now that you''re back safe and in good spirits from your wonderful outing with friends and family let''s go ahead and welcome the soon to be new addition to our family!¡± Wylla knelt down by the summoning circle, held her hands out over the triangle, and summoned forth her basketball-sized Soulryn egg.


    The golden-green egg shone with energy, it''s shell vibrating with life, ready to hatch into the world. Antenna sprouted from Wylla''s forehead and orchid butterfly wings unfurled from her back as she gently set the egg in the center of the triangle.


    Wylla then moved outside of the large summoning circle, looked up at little Ceri circling in the sky above, and placed her hands, palms down, on the outer ring. ¡°Well, here goes... not a slime... not a slime...¡± (fingers crossed)


    Energy flowed out of Wylla''s hands and streamed into the summoning circle as the lines and sigils lit up the night. The circle dimmed for a breath before flaring back to life around the Body offering plate as the Bloodrose Cauldron became shrouded in light.


    The cauldron began to vibrate and then shake as the materials within flashed with light, (POOF!) turning into particles of colorful energy, perfuming the air with an array of fragrant garden forest scents. The energy spun and spun, forming a mini-tornado within the cauldron as dark blood-red rose petal-shaped essences peeled off the inside of the cauldron and flew into the mini energy tornado.


    WHOOSH!


    The mini tornado''s funnel elongated like a serpent and flew out of the cauldron; It circled around the Soulryn egg moving faster and faster as the egg began to shake, and then rise up into the air.


    The mini-tornado serpent then struck from below, opening its funneled mouth wide and swallowed the egg whole! Wylla''s eyes shined as she saw the aura of the egg vibrating within, getting stronger and stronger as its shell steadily absorbed the energy winds.


    A burst of light flared and the wind holding the egg up in the air died out. The egg dropped towards the hard dirt ground below... CRACK!


    A pair of warm honey-brown toned branches burst out of the bottom of the egg, stopping it from hitting the ground. The branches grew in length and thickness as more cracking sounds rang out from the top of the egg as another pair of growing branches sprouted free.


    The egg... seed (for Wylla wasn''t quite sure what it was anymore) then completely shattered, but the broken shells did not hit the floor, instead, they were absorbed into the body of the faceless ''plant-thing'' that continued to grow and grow and grow in size.


    ¡°Ah, my Soulryn''s a giant tree bodied... garden backed... vine tailed... faceless Yeti?¡± A wide-eyed Wylla mumbled as she continued to channel energy into the summoning circle as her Soulryn continued to... evolve.


    The energy converged on the next offering plate, the Soul plate.


    The large earth flora bowl rose up off the ground as the crystal clear water within remained unmoving. The three floating Royal Spider Lotus flowers sunk into the calm water, changing shapes into beautiful royal fish lotuses.


    The bowl then floated over to the Soulryn''s belly, turned vertical to the ground without spilling a drop of water, and melding into the Soulryn.


    The belly of the Soulryn shifted shape, creating a deep round opening that became filled with a large gravity-defying globe of water as three lively royal fish lotuses swam within.


    ¡°Amazing!... but how?... Shouldn''t the water be pouring down onto the ground...¡± Wylla just shook her head at the sight. ¡°Well... that''s magic for you... making the impossible, possible.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, two offering plates down... one to go!¡± Wylla poured the rest of her energy into the summoning circle as the syldrake pagoda on the mind offering plate came alive. It launched itself up into the air, circling around the body of the Soulryn, making its way up high to the top of the Soulryn''s round leafy head.


    The syldrake pagoda shone with a mix of gold, green, and silvery light as it became ethereal like a spirit and disappeared into the Soulryn''s head.


    The head began to pulse with energy as a silvery wooden mask began to grow where the Soulryn''s face was supposed to be (just like the Spriggankins); Vibrant green leaves began to sprout from under the growing mask covering the evolving Soulryn''s syldrake scaled chest, touching the top of its round water globe belly.


    A pair of round holes formed in the wooden mask revealing bright sparkling eyes that matched the crystal blue of its watery belly.


    ¡°Ah, finally... it''s done,¡± Wylla breathed out, sitting back on her bum, empty of energy and feeling fatigued as the finishing touches took place on her new family member; her new and very large family member that is.


    [ ding ]


    [ Congratulations Wylla! It''s a healthy baby boy... or maybe a girl? Well, either way, it''s fine since it''s a rare mutated elemental type Soulryn. As such, it has no real gender... although if we''re going by the overall shape of its body I''d say it''s a boy. ]


    ¡°Tootle-tu!¡± A happy Ceri came flying down, circling around her new... ''brother'' before flying over to land on Wylla''s shoulders and nuzzle up against her.


    Towering before Wylla, at over 6 foot 5 inches, was her cute (in an odd sort of way) Soulryn. Its large treant body was shaped like one of those large cute cartoon yetis whose legs were short and stocky and arms were long and bulky.


    Its very large hands up to its elbows and feet (which were resembled those of elephants) up to its knees were covered in Syldrake scales looking like armored gauntlets and boots. And its tough syldrake scaled chest and back were hidden underneath soft layers of long vibrant green leaves.


    Silky soft leaves that covered the tops of its shoulders, head, and all the way down its broad back which looked hunched due to the colorful garden growing there. Its serpenvine tail tipped with a large beautiful Lunar Iris swished to and fro.


    Wylla just stood there, head turned up, looking at its silvery moon toned mask; A silvery mask that was very hard to describe, but quite pleasing to her eyes; It had an overall wide v-shape look that was pointed at the chin and rounded at the edges. It went up at the sides forming two elongated ping pong paddle-like ears.


    There was a straight line formed at the corner of one eye that gently went down and then back up connecting to the other eye, giving it the illusion of a mouth. And long swirling lines flowed within its round ''paddle'' ears. It''s so strangely appealing... beauty in simplicity. Wylla thought to herself, as her eyes traveled down her Soulryn''s body, landing on what she felt was the strangest part of her new family member... its belly.


    A belly not made of wood or plants like one would expect from a forest elemental, but ''made'' of a large globe of crystal blue water with three beautiful lotus fishes swimming within.


    ¡°Just how is that water staying in there? I feel like I''m staring at a glassless ball-shaped aquarium... and a very big one at that. I hope I don''t have to clean it... I could probably put my arm all the way up to my shoulder in there and still not touch the other side,¡± Wylla said to herself, just imagining doing so. Although, I am so very small in this body so I guess that shouldn''t be much of a surprise.


    ¡°Tootle-too-tu?¡± Ceri sang out, her head tilted to the side looking back and forth between Wylla and her new ''brother''.


    ¡°A name? Okay Ceri, let''s see... something cute and simple that screams ''forest garden mutated elemental''...¡± Wylla said, pondering as her eyes continued to look up and down at her Soulryn.


    ¡°Ah, this is harder than before,¡± Wylla muttered, ruffling her hair with her hands. ¡°Think... trees... flowers... water... Meadows?... Forest?... Gard...ner?...¡±


    ¡°Ugh! I don''t like any of those; Maybe I should approach this from a different angle. Let''s see... he''s big, has feet like an elephant, and probably weighs a ton... tun... dra... Tundra? Hmm... not bad, but need to make it cute so... Tun...dri... Yes. I like that.¡± Wylla said as she clapped her hands. ¡°Your name is Tundri.¡±


    ¡°Wah Waah Wah Wah¡± A happy sounding Tundri sang out like a trombone as he bent down, reached out with his great big hands, and gently lifted a very surprised Wylla up onto his broad shoulder which was cushioned by layers of silky soft leaves.


    ¡°Ooh, so soft! And you smell like a spring garden,¡± Wylla said with a smile as she inhaled deeply. ¡°There''s even a hint of honey... mmm...¡±


    Wylla''s mmm turned into a yawn causing her to stretch towards the sky as Tundri kept a gentle hold of her legs so that she wouldn''t tumble over and roll down his fluffy garden back. ¡°Guess the day has finally caught up with me,¡± Wylla muttered, her hand gently patting Tundri''s leafy soft head as her drooping eyes looked up at the stars. ¡°It really was a wonderful day filled with cute, fluffy, and strange surprises...¡±


    Seeing that Wylla was sleepy, Tundri gently set Wylla back onto the ground and walked about 10 yards away. He then turned to Wylla and ¡°Waah Wah Wah Waah.¡±


    Tundri got down on his hands and knees as his watery globe belly glowed; His wooden honey-brown body grew and shifted from his back creating an opening as the watery globe emerged on his back and flowed to form a small pond between where his shoulder blades would be.


    Which was just the start of his transformation as the Oryn Energy within him began to flow into every inch of his large body.


    Wylla and Ceri could only watch in open-mouthed wonder as Tundri''s arms and legs morphed into large wagon wheels. His body greatly lengthened growing wider and taller as his serpenvine tail split in two and formed into an arched doorway frame as the sounds of wood creaking and plants rustling filled the air... along with the scents of flowers.


    In less than 5 minutes Tundri had gone from being a ''tree garden water balled yeti elemental'' to a beautiful full van-sized ''syldrake scaled garden topped gypsy wagon'' with colorful stained glass windows on the sides made of various colors of sap.


    Wylla slowly walked around Tundri, an excited Ceri on her shoulders, as her eyes glowed, showing her the transformation spell that Tundri used to change called Way of the Sylgarden Wagon.


    ¡°Simply amazing!¡± Wylla said, coming to a stop at the back of the wagon where wooden steps leading up to the arched bloodrose hued door with colorful stained glass windows waited for her to open and enter... ¡°If it''s this beautiful on the outside, I can''t wait to see what it''s like on the inside.¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-oo-too-tu!¡± Ceri sang out in agreement as Wylla took her first step up towards the inviting red door with the golden-green handle...


    Storymask


    It''s been a long and highly fruitful day for our Wylla as she not only became an Alchemist but got two new wonderful additions to her family (including a new home away from home)! Coming Up Next Chapter 58: Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood


    Side Notes: Well, this chapter not only took me a lot longer than normal to write but it also came out longer than all the rest. For some reason, I struggled more in writing this chapter than I did any other. I mean, I knew the scenes I wanted to create with my words but for some reason, they just wouldn''t come out as easily as in the other chapters...


    Even so, I do apologize for the wait... it was the first time I didn''t put anything out for a week. This shouldn''t happen again, especially with just two chapters left and then the epilogue... which means next chapter is a little slice of life before the guardian fight chapter so if all goes well... Book 1 will be done by the end of next week! Yay!

 Chapter 58: Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood Part 1

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 58


    ¡°Tootle-tu-oo-too-tu!¡± Ceri sang out in agreement as Wylla took her first step up towards the small wooden door porch which grew out from the bottom of the wagon; The soft blueish white lights from the Lampryn flowers on each side near the top of the red door creating an inviting atmosphere.


    Just as Wylla''s hand was about to wrap around the door''s golden-green handle she heard the soft sounds of rustling coming from above causing her to pause and look up.


    A cute but odd silvery wooden mask with crystal blue watery eyes emerged from out of the flowery shrubs hanging over the edge up top. The mask tilted down to look at Wylla; She could feel the warmth and happiness flowing into her as Tundri called out to her in his trombone voice ¡°Wah Waah Wah wah Wah?¡±


    Looking up and smiling at Tundri''s tilting face, Wylla placed her hand on the warm silky wall to the right side of the door, and gently stroked the smooth light honey brown surface that carried a hint of rose-red... a bloodrose red that reminded her of the petal-like essences that flowed out of the cauldron during Tundri''s summoning ritual.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Wylla said, nodding her head. ¡°I think your Sylgarden Wagon form is not only beautiful (Wylla paused to breathe in deeply through her small button nose) but also wonderfully fragrant.¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-too!¡± Ceri sang out in agreement from atop Wylla''s shoulders.


    And surprisingly soft, but firm... strong... Wylla thought to herself as she felt a connection through her hand into the wooden wall she was touching, giving her insight into the wall''s essences and lattice-like cell structures. Ah, I see... so the cauldron did help in strengthening your body. Yes! The gamble paid off. Wylla gave a small fist pump into the air.


    She looked down for a moment to rest her neck, the dark honey brown Syldrake scales that made up the bottom 3 feet of the wagon''s outer walls attracting her eyes as they contrasted nicely with the upper 5 feet of the wagon. Ooh, I wonder if the bottom is also warm and silky...


    Wylla bent down and touched the scales; They felt hard as steel, were a bit rounded, and very smooth to the touch.


    She really liked the green moss and foliage that grew in between the scales here and there; Highlighting the scales, making them stand out... adding to the charm of Tundri''s Sylgarden Wagon form. The green also went well with the green door frame made from the serpenvines of Tundri''s tail.


    ¡°Wah Waah Wah Wah,¡± Tundri sang out.


    Wylla stood, her head tilting up in response to Tundri, but stopping for a moment to gaze at the stained glass window adorning the red door; The stained glass window made of colorful non-stick sap depicting a picture of a beautiful Lunar Iris.


    ¡°They really are all artfully done... truly captivating,¡± Wylla said softly to herself, recalling the pair of rectangular stained glass windows adorning each side of the wagon.


    The pair of windows on the left side of the wagon were of a beautiful flowery garden with jewel-toned butterflies fluttering about on a bright sunny day while the other one was of a silvery ice blue forest covered in snow on a magical starry night.


    The right side had one of a reddish desert with cacti and small colorful reptiles basking under the hot sun and the other window of a forest with big sunset-hued leaves falling onto the leaf laden floor as small woodland animals searched for food.


    Each stained glassed window, representing one of the four seasons, framed in dark honey brown wood with golden green etchings matching the hue of the Syldrake scales below.


    ¡°Wahh Wah Waah Wah?¡± Tundri asked, snapping Wylla out of her thoughts.


    ¡°Ah, yes! I''d love to see the garden up top before going inside.¡± Wylla said, looking up into Tundri''s bright eyes with a smile on her face and a little nodding and tootling Ceri on her shoulders.


    ¡°Wah Waah Wah Wah,¡± Tundri sang as a series of branch rungs leading to the garden up top grew out of the outer wall to the right side of the door. A garden that spilled over the edges of the roof hiding the rounded edges of the sides of the wagon''s roof as flowery ivy-like foliage grew down each outer corner making the wagon look like it had a garden canopy.


    Wylla reached up, grabbed hold of the wooden rung, and began to climb up the branch ladder as Ceri lept off her shoulder and raced up top.


    ¡°Tootle-tu!¡± Ceri cried out, sending warm happy vibes to Wylla.


    Wylla hurried up the last couple of rungs, her head rising over the green flowery flora, eyes glittering; ¡°Amazing Tundri! Such a wonderful place to... to stargaze, and sunbathe... and have picnics on...¡±


    Right in front of Wylla were grayish blue stepping stones with jewel-tone stardust patterns forming a short pathway through a field of soft greens to a crystal blue pond. There was a large flat stone by the edge of the right side of the pond perfect for sitting on.


    And a small big leafed bonsai tree on the other side of the pond; The tree stood a bit taller than herself. It had a dark hole in the trunk from which water poured out flowing down into the pond; The left side of the tree reminded Wylla of a moonlit night while the right side was like a bright sunny day.


    Wylla took her time exploring the garden, smelling the flowers, and dipping her hand in the cool water as Tundri''s masked face followed along, wending through the foliage on the sides of the garden.


    ¡°Eeeek!¡± Wylla yelped out, rising to her feet, heart beating fast, water drops falling through the air as she quickly pulled back her hand.


    Little Ceri rushed over the pond, stopping in the air in front of her, a look of concern on her cute face.


    ¡°What was that? Somethings started to... to nibble on my fingers!¡± Wylla gulped, looking down into the pond; Little Ceri following her line of sight as Tundri''s masked face tilted to the side.


    ¡°Wah waah Wah...¡± Tundri began to sing out as three shadowy figures with long flowing lotus petaled fins innocently swam about within the cool blue water.


    ¡°Ah! I forgot about them. So this is where they went...¡± Wylla said, her eyes following the trio of swimming royal lotus fishes.


    ¡°Tu-too-tu-too-tee-tu...¡± Little Ceri sang out.


    ¡°Not funny Ceri...¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too-tu?¡±


    ¡°They didn''t scare me...¡± Wylla replied, face slightly red and cheeks puffed out. ¡°They just... just startled me a little is all... there''s a difference.¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-too!¡± Ceri flew up to Wylla, nuzzled her cheek to cheek, and then returned to having fun playing around in the garden, rustling the tree''s leaves and swimming in the pond with the fishes as the moon shone down on their happy family outing.


    ¡°Ah, this is all so very, very wonderful Tundri! Thank you for letting me up here,¡± Wylla said smiling, putting the little nibbling fish scare behind her, as she walked up to Tundri''s masked face, knelt down, and gently gave him a pat.


    ¡°Tootle-too-tu!¡± Ceri sang out in agreement as she flew up to Tundri''s masked face and nuzzled him... forehead to forehead.


    Rising up, Wylla yawned and stretched, gave the garden one last look before heading back to the ladder, ready to go down.


    Carefully stepping down back onto the ladder she called out to her nuzzling cuties, ¡°It''s late now... time to go inside and have a quick ''looksy'' before (YAAWWNNN) getting some sleeps...¡±


    Not waiting for their response, Wylla made her way down the ladder and stepped back onto the small porch in front of the red door as little Ceri once again landed across her shoulders and Tundri''s masked face appeared from above looking down.


    Wylla grabbed the vertical door handle and slowly pushed the door open with a click. ¡°Oh my,¡± Wylla said, standing on the outside staring in with eyes wide open. Even Ceri was looking in with a cute little ''pokan'' face. ¡°I never expected... this! I mean... I hoped it would be something livable and comfortable like in those gypsy wagons I saw images of... but this is... is just so, so much more... Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too-Tu!¡± Little Ceri happily tootled as she jumped off Wylla''s shoulders and flew inside to explore.


    ¡°Wah Wah Waah Wah!¡± Tundri sang out.


    ¡°Okay Tundri, I''ll go in and have a look around.¡± Wylla looked up, smiled at Tundri, and then took her first step inside her new wagon home.


    Or rather her new studio apartment-sized wagon home.


    The room was as wide as two and a half wagons and nearly as long as four; The ceiling looked to be almost a dozen feet high with beautiful wood beams of dark honey brown (slightly arching across the width of the room) matching the hues of the wooden floor and bottom third of the walls.


    Between each wooden beam was lush leafy green foliage sprouting softly glowing starlyng flowers.


    She wiped her feet on the soft floral welcoming matt beneath her, took a step to the side and closed the door. There were rows of long full-sized wooden cubbies built into the walls on both sides of the door for guests to place their muddy shoes and hang their coats.


    The long rectangular room was broken up into three basic sections.


    She walked up to and around the two-person couch that was in the front section of the room; the living room.


    There was a large area rug of golds, maroons, navy blues, and deep purples on the ground. Atop the rug was a warm comfortable looking set of earth-toned wood and flora made furniture consisting of a long three-person sofa, a two-person sofa, and a pair of rocker sofa chairs placed around a large dark wood coffee table.


    Above the coffee table, sending a gentle breeze throughout the room and gently lighting the area in soft white light, was a large ceiling fan; A ceiling fan which Tundri seemed to have created by combining a large Lampryn Flower with an even larger Spinlyng Jade flower.


    There was a long dark farmer style wooden cabinet on the right wall centered underneath the autumn stain glass window above while up against the left wall stood a very tall and long farmer style wooden cabinet that nearly touched the spring stain glass window above.


    ¡°Ooh, so soft and comfy,¡± Wylla said, patting the green floral cushions of the large sofa. ¡°Looks like I won''t have to sleep out on the grassy ground tonight!¡±


    Wylla was very tempted to just lay down now and call it a night but there was still so much more to see so she walked past the living room section and stepped into the middle section of the room; the dining room.


    There in the middle of the room, atop the beautiful dark hardwood floors was a simple but charming long wooden farmer style table. There were three big solid wooden chairs with leafy cushioned seating on each side of the table and a deluxe chair with armrests on each end.


    The center of the table was adorned with a long wooden planter''s box filled with sweet-scented flowers. The flowery scents were spread throughout the room by the gently spinning ceiling fan above which matched the one in the living room... and the one in the center of the last section of the wagon.


    There were chest tall wooden cabinets standing up against each wall underneath the summer and winter stain glass windows.


    ¡°Ah, this is just perfect...¡± Wylla said, running her hand over the dark stained tabletop, a smile on her face as she imagined sharing food and drinks here with her friends and family.


    ¡°Tootle-tu!¡± Little Ceri called out in agreement, flying in circles underneath the large lighted ceiling fan.


    ¡°Mmm... and if this isn''t enough sitting room for them,¡± Wylla said, pausing as she made her way to the last section of the wagon: the kitchen. ¡°Then they can sit on one of these five comfortable swivel bar chairs and eat off the butcher block countertop of this splendid kitchen island.¡±


    The farmer style wooden kitchen island was not only large but had two different levels. The dining side was raised while the other side had the cooking station complete with 8 Solfire Flower burners, stove, and a copper-hued range hood.


    Behind the kitchen island, along the back wall, were the cabinets with butcher block countertops, a Wynbella flower-powered refrigerator, and a deep farmer style sink. Above the sink was a waterfall window that magically gave a clear view of the outside.


    Little Ceri nodded her head and then flew to one of two doors that were on the left side of the room; one between the dining room and kitchen. And the other in the kitchen section. ¡°Tootle-tu-too?¡± Ceri asked.


    ¡°Hmm... I''m not sure what''s behind these doors... but there''s two and each side. Let''s see... then call it a night...¡±


    Wylla spent the next 10 minutes looking behind each of the four doors and was very happy to discover that the right side had a storage room and a very nice pantry with shelves, storage baskets, and cubby boxes perfect for holding herbs, spices, and seeds; While the left side held a walk-in closet and a full bath with shower.


    ¡°Oh Tundri, your Sylgarden Wagon form is much more than I could have ever hoped for,¡± Wylla said, smiling as she wended her way back to the living room where her sofa bed awaited.


    Stretching and yawning once more by the front of the large sofa, she prepared to lie down when she heard loud rustling sounds from above. Looking up, she saw Tundri''s masked face coming down on a leafy giraffe-like neck ¡°Wah Waah Wah?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Wylla said, nodding her head while looking up into Turndri''s eyes. ¡°Sleepy... time for bed.¡±


    ¡°Wah Wah Waah,¡± Tundri called out.


    ¡°Really? Then please do.¡± Wylla replied, smiling as she stepped out of the living room and waited by the red door.


    ¡°Wah Wah Wah...¡± Serpenvines ending in three to four-fingered hands sprouted down from the ceiling and grabbed hold of the living room furniture, moving them aside, and clearing a space on the left side of the room.


    With the area cleared, a ''helping serpenvine hand'' then grabbed hold of the large farmer cabinet standing against the wall and pulled down; Revealing an impossible to resist king-sized murphy bed with flora silk blankets and fluffy pillows.


    Wylla''s face brightened with happiness as she quickly made her way to her new bed and jumped on, wrapping herself in the soft cool blankets as her head sank into her pillow.


    ¡°Tootle-tu-too!¡± Little Ceri cried out, not wanting to be left out as she flew to lie down next to Wylla, nuzzling up against her like a body pillow.


    ¡°Ahahaha... that tickles Ceri...¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-oo...¡±


    ¡°Mmm... nights Ceri... nights Tundri... love you both... can''t wait to see what tomorrow brings...¡±


    Wylla and Ceri drifted off to sleep as Tunri turned down the lighting in each section and then disappeared into the foliage in the ceiling above... only to reappear on the outside of the wagon above to keep watch.


    Storymask


    Feeling greatly refreshed after spending a wonderful night and a good part of the morning in her comfy new Tundri wagon home Wylla is ready to face the new day with some training in her Syldrake Dojo before heading over to visit one last time with her Spriggankin friends. But while Wylla is learning how to use her new Druwytch powers Tundri and Ceri receive a very special visitor that sends them off on an adventure of their own... coming up in Chapter 58: Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood Part 2


    Side Note: Ah, I may have gotten a little carried away in describing just how awesome Wylla''s new Soulryn Tundri is... but this also adds in understanding the... dilemmas Wylla faces when thinking about changing her character''s gender back to male. Anyways, this is it... the first half of the last Slice of Life Chapter of Book 1.


    After this next half chapter is the event that leads to the confrontation with the Guardian... which will then lead to the epilogue... in other words... just two and a half chapters to go... (: insert "I think I can" emoti :)


    P.S. Note: I added some rough draft sketches of Tundri (that I drew as a reference for when my niece has time to draw for me again) for those of ya interested in taking a look over at Storymask.com Our Illustrator Box


    3-21-2020 Edit Notes: I made some revisions right after Wylla spots the Bonsai Tree up in the garden and added a scene with the lotus flower fishes for those interested in going back and reading that part.

 Chapter 59: Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood Part 2

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 59


    Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!


    Tootle-tu-oo!


    Tweet Tweet Tweet


    ¡°Ah, give me just 5 more minutes...¡± A sleepy voice grumped, little body twisting, long messy hair of shades of green cascading over a cute little face. Shadows streaked by as Wylla sent her arm stretching out from under her silky green flora blankets; Her hand-hammering up and down in the air, searching for the snooze button on an alarm clock that wasn''t there.


    ¡°Grrr, where is it!?!¡± Wylla''s eyes opened, the mid-morning sun shining colorful light into the wagon through the stain glass windows; A pair of small songbirds with fluffy mane-like feathery necks and long flowing tails raced about through the air staying just ahead of a tootling Ceri.


    ¡°Ah, so that''s where that... singing that woke me came from,¡± Wylla said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, sitting up in bed, and stretching... but how did they get inside? She thought to herself, a smile forming on her lips as she watched Ceri chasing after the kite-like tails of the pair of happily chirping songbirds.


    As Ceri continued playing tag with her new feathery ''friends'' above, long green serpenvines hung down from the ceiling forming a line from the kitchen pantry to the wide-open front door as Tundri''s masked face at the end of his leafy giraffe-like neck seemed to be directing them; The serpenvines were busy bringing in the Oryn Fruits, Traveler Bag, and other items that Wylla had left outside in the Royal Spider Lotus bushes.


    ¡°Well, I guess that answers that question,¡± Wylla muttered to herself, eyeing the open door as the songbirds and tootling Ceri flew around and in-between the ''helping serpenvine hands'' as they continued with their tasks placing the Travelers Bag and pouches in one of the tall cubbies that acted like a mudroom area to the sides of the front door.


    Tundri turned away from the open door, spotted a rumpled haired Wylla sitting up in bed, and happily began to sing out ¡°Wah waah Wah Wah!¡±


    A surge of warmth and joy flowed into Wylla causing her smile to widen as she responded ¡°Mmm, morning Tundri! Looks like you''ve been quite the little busy beaver helping me with my belongings... thanks.¡±


    ¡°Wah Wah Waah,¡± Tundri sang back.


    Hearing their voices, little Ceri quickly stopped mid-chase, turned, and flew straight into Wylla''s arms ¡°Tootle-tu-too!¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, and a very good morning to you too Ceri!¡± Wylla replied, stroking and nuzzling Ceri''s fluffy body. ¡°Looks like you made some new friends... (chirp, chirp, chirp) and what beautiful voices they have.¡±


    Little Ceri nodded her head up and down, looked back at the pair of chirping songbirds that were hovering in the air on the other side of the room, waiting for her to continue playing their game.


    Seeing this, Wylla smiled, gave Ceri a quick kiss on her forehead... then tossed her up high and said with a laugh ¡°Be a good girl and play with your friends while I wash up and get ready for the new day!¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too-oo!¡± Ceri sang, circling once above her before streaking towards the chirping songbirds as they resumed their game of tag.


    Wylla scooched over to the edge of the large bed, and hopped down onto her feet. She then wended her way to the bathroom to wash up while thinking about her plans for the day.


    Meanwhile in the living room, the helping hands snaked down from the ceiling, straightened up the bed and lifted it back up against the wall returning it into its charming farmer style cabinet form. With that done they proceeded to move the furniture back in place.


    Humming a little tune, Wylla stepped out of the bathroom, face washed and hair brushed with a wooden flora brush, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the bed had been put away and the furniture returned to the living room. ¡°I could get used to this,¡± Wylla said with a smile on her lips.


    She made her way over to the couch, stared out the open door, and began planning her day. Let''s see... I''m now ready to leave this starter zone which means facing its guardian so I should spend some time practicing my new Druwytch spells in my Syldrake Pagoda''s dojo.


    Second, I should visit Lunori, the Old Raven, and the others in the Spriggankin village to see how everyone is doing since I haven''t seen them since we won against the Kavi a day and a half ago... and to say my goodbyes.


    Ah, I also need to say goodbye to Princess Furbee. Her eyes getting a little misty...


    ¡°Chirp, chirp, Tootle-tu, Tootle, chirp...¡±


    Wylla looked up as the playful trio flew overhead, then out the open door and out of sight for a while before returning through the door, and darting towards the kitchen area. I hope they''ll get along with each other. Wylla thought to herself as images of Princess Frubee meeting little Ceri sprouted in her mind.


    I''m sure they will. Wylla nodded, as her thoughts returned to her ''to-do'' list.


    Now where was I... oh ya, lastly, let''s fill up the pantry, and maybe the storage room, with edible plants, herbs, and collectibles while searching for the way out of this starter zone. After all, I don''t think I''ll be able to come back here again once I leave so I really don''t want to miss out on leaving something good behind...


    Or am I just wasting my time doing so? I mean once I logout and they change my gender back to... me, I won''t be able to be a Sylven anymore since this unique race is gender locked which means... I''ll have to start all over?


    NO! This is all their fault! Their mistake so the least they can do is let me keep everything I worked so hard to get.


    I mean, fine I can''t be this... me anymore and will have to get a new race. But everything else, my cute little Ceri and Tundri, my wonderful Trinity Unity Core, my rank and class, my powerful divine grade weapons and cauldron and even this... this dress! Wylla thought to herself, staring out the door at the waterfall in the distance flowing down the northern cliffs as she absentmindedly wiped the tears from her cheek.


    Everything that I have belongs to ME!


    I''ll make sure I''ll get to keep it all or else... or else I''ll... I''ll riot! No, that wouldn''t work. I''d just get taken down by security and thrown out... plus it would probably ruin things for my family and their friends. Since that''s the case I''ll... I''ll break stuff! Which would then lead to the same as before plus jail time so not that either.


    Hmm... guess I''ll just cross that bridge if or when it''s in front of me. No need in letting it consume me right now since it won''t even come down to it... probably.


    ¡°Anyway, let''s just focus on the here and now,¡± Wylla said softly, getting up off the couch and making her way to stand in the open doorway.


    ¡°Hmm, there''s still one forest to visit and that cliff over there in the north. That waterfall is quite eye-catching, even from way over here.¡± I really hope the way out isn''t in some type of underwater cave Wylla thought as her eyes looked over at the pond by the cliff which the waterfall fed into.


    ¡°Yup, that should do it! If all goes as plan this should be my last day... or two here.¡± Wylla stepped out of the doorway onto the small porch and then made her way down the steps walking towards the Oryn Tree pool.


    She then sat down on the soft grassy ground, shifting into the sitting lotus position, and turned her head to look towards Tundri. She opened her mouth, and was about to tell Tundri that she was going to meditate and enter her Syldrake pagoda to train in her dojo when the door into Tundri''s wagon shut close and he began to shift back into his big adorable flora yeti form... with little Ceri trapped inside!


    ¡°Ah, Tundri don''t! Little Ceri...¡± Wylla called out, quickly rising to her feet but it was too late for the transformation had already begun and Tundri was just a novice in using this shapeshifting magic so he couldn''t have stopped even if he wanted too.


    ¡°Oh no... Little Ceri... please be okay.¡± Wylla cried out, her heart beating hard and an empty feeling fluttering about in the pit of her stomach as she stood by the side of the pond.


    In less than a minute Tundri had shifted back into his large two-legged garden backed form; He tilted his masked face to the side, looking confused as he felt waves of worry and sorrow emanating from Wylla body. ¡°Wah Wah Waah Wah?''


    ¡°Little Ceri... and her new friends were still inside when... when you...¡± Wylla stopped, not wanting her words to hurt Tundri who was still so very new to the world and may not have understood the full scope of his actions.


    ¡°Wah Waah Wah Waa...¡± Just as Tundri began to comfort and inform Wylla about his Wagon form a pair of feathery birds and a closely following SnapDragon burst out of Tundri''s round watery belly flying up into the air around Tundri with a cacophony of chirps and tootles!


    ¡°Ah! They''re okay!¡± Wylla cheered, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, clapping her hands.


    ¡°Wah Wah Waah Wah Wah...¡± Tundri sang out, explaining that the Sylgarden Wagon space inside him remains unchanged regardless of his outer form.


    ¡°Wow! That''s awesome Tundri!¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-too-tutu¡± Ceri sang out from above, letting Wylla know that you can exit the inside of the wagon through the waterfall window in the kitchen when the red door is gone.


    Tundri nodded his head and added ¡°Wah Wah Waah Wah!¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, Is that right? You can also use your watery belly as an entrance when you''re in your big ''gardeny'' yeti form?¡±


    Tundri nodded once again, sang out ¡°Wah Wah Waah¡± causing the oryn energy within him to flow inside as a pair of ''helping serpenvine hands'' popped out of his watery belly, grabbed the last of Wylla''s belongings from the spidery lotus bushes, and carried them back inside the wagon''s space through Tundri''s round belly pond.


    ¡°Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful,¡± Wylla cheered, dancing about up and down, clapping her hands.


    She then stopped, looked straight at Tundri with glowing eyes and softly said ¡°What else can you do?¡±


    A series of infoboxes popped up showing Tundri''s abilities. Her eyes skipped past his great Way of the Sylgarden Wagon skill and read each of the other abilities one by one.


    ¡°Ooh you have both Green Thumb and Gardenheart skills that seem to have a great amount of synergy allowing you to appraise, grow, and harvest any flora you come upon; Not only can you increase their size, rate of growth, and nourishment values but you can devolve them into seeds or evolve them into something entirely new.


    Maybe you can even combine plants together and make new species... with some imagination, I''m sure you''ll figure out all sorts of ways to use these two skills.¡± Wylla said, her brows slightly furrowed, right arm wrapped around her body as her left hand held her chin as she stood in her ''I''m thinking'' stance.


    An image popped into her head, bringing a smile to her face. ¡°Ahahaha, dad is going to be so envious of me when I tell him about this, just thinking of all the new dishes he could come up with for the restaurant with these two talents alone... with your help my cooking skills will rise and I''ll be able to beat him, and Kara, in our very own food wars!


    Then the student will have become the master.


    Not to mention the big help you''ll be for my alchemy.¡± Wylla said, as the picture in her head shifted from her as the head chef in their family restaurant as her dad prepped the veggies for her to imaginings of gardens of herbs and flora as her cauldron bubbled in the center like a miraculous potion fountain.


    ¡°I''ll be able to make sooo many potions! Which I can then sell for lots and lots of Lyr! Well, maybe not lots and lots of Lyr since I can only make low-rank potions at the moment and well, I''m not sure how big the garden of materials you''ll be able to grow will be since we''re only rank 1 right now... so I shouldn''t get too carried away.


    But still, every little bit helps and I have no doubt you''ll be a big help as we grow in rank!¡± Wylla finished her thoughts out loud with a nod, and then returned to reading about his other skills.


    ¡°Let''s see, you also have Helping Serpenvine Hands which we''ve seen in action and really are as advertised. There''s also Essential Flora Fragrance which can buff or debuff various statuses depending on the scent and Earth Flora Creations which is similar to my own skill.¡±


    Her eyes then shifted to the last two info boxes:


    [ SylCauldron Punch ¨C Your fists become greatly hardened allowing you to punch like a sledgehammer causing great physical damage. ]


    [ Royal Fish Lotus Scouts ¨C Your lotus fishes are able to exit your watery pond and swim through the air scouting the area around you while maintaining a connection with you from up to a quarter of a mile away. Range will increase with increased skill proficiency. The scouts may perform other minor tasks such as gathering as well. ]


    ¡°Yes! I''m happy for you Tundri! You have a great variety of useful skills for both combat and non-combat situations.¡±


    ¡°Wah Waah Wah¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-too!¡± Ceri sang, flying next to Tundri as her songbird friends disappeared into Tundri''s watery belly heading back inside to rest.


    ¡°See Tundri, even Ceri thinks so too,¡± Wylla said with a nod. ¡°I really am lucky... both of you have such a great variety of skills that''ll be really helpful in our ranking up and journeys ahead in Abrynth!


    But before that happens!¡± Wylla said with a clap. ¡°We need to prepare so that means I need to spend the next four to five hours practicing my new Druwytch abilities in my... or rather our Syldrake dojo so that means the two of you are free to explore around here until I''m done.


    Feel free to gather any plants or items that catch your eyes because once we leave this area we won''t be able to come back!¡± I think.


    ¡°Wah waah Wah Wah!¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too-tu!¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, great... so both of you stick together, stay safe! And meet back here in about 5 hours.¡± Wylla walked up to them giving Ceri a nuzzle and Tundri a pat on his chest (which she did by stretching up high on her tippy toes).


    She then returned to her spot by the Oryn Tree pond, sat down in the lotus position, and closed her eyes breathing in and out... in and out... in and out as her ethereal astral form entered her Unity Trinity Core, appearing in front of her Syldrake Pagoda.


    Just as Wylla stepped into her dojo inside her core, outside in the starter zone next to her body the Oryn Tree pond began to glow with a bright golden-green light as the water gurgled, rising up into the air vertically, forming an arched doorway shimmering in the light of day.


    The sounds and sight of the water caught Tundri''s and Ceri''s attention as they quickly made their way over to the pond, stopping in front of Wylla to protect her.


    A burst of sweet scents filled the air as a stunningly beautiful woman with long flowing hair of shades of green stepped out of the newly formed watery portal. There was a softly glowing wreath of flowers upon her head and her silky midsummer-like dress of autumn hues fluttered in the gentle breeze.


    She radiated warmth and love putting Tundri and Ceri at ease as they felt a strange connection with the woman; Similar to the one they had with Wylla, but not quite as strong.


    They didn''t understand it, but they knew she wasn''t here to harm Wylla or them as they moved apart, opening the way to Wylla.


    The woman turned towards them, her golden honey eyes taking them in, a gentle smile that touched her eyes on her face.


    She stepped in between the trio turning to look at little Ceri first. She lifted her hand and gently nuzzled Ceri''s cheek. ¡°Hello Ceri.¡±


    Turning, she lifted her other hand and ruffled Tundri''s leaf laden shoulder. ¡°Hello, Tundri.¡±


    ¡°It''s so wonderful getting to meet the two precious members of my daughter Wylla''s family. I''m so very happy to have you in her life.¡±


    ¡°Wah Waah Wah Wah!¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-tu!¡±


    Tundri and Ceri sang out, both basking in the warmth of the Goddess Sylvenori''s love and affection. ¡°Please continue to look after her. She''ll need your love and support for the trials ahead.¡±


    ¡°Wah Wah Waah¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, I''m gladdened by your promises to do so. You really are deserving of my daughter''s love. Now then, I really don''t have much time to spare so I''ll get to the matter at hand. I''m here because I have a request for the two of you. Or rather... a quest, one that is very important so this is what I''d like the two of you to do...¡± The Goddess explained to the two what the quest entailed as they listened to what she had to say.


    ¡°... So will you accept my quest?¡±


    ¡°Wah Wah Waah!¡±


    ¡°Tootle-too-tu!¡±


    ¡°Wonderful. I knew I could count on the two of you.¡± She said, removing the beautiful wreath of flowers from her head and placing it upon Tundri as it glowed and melded into him, providing him with the blessing needed for this quest. ¡°Now then, there''s much to do and time is ticking so I bid you both a very fond farewell.¡±


    The Goddess Sylvenori then stepped up to Wylla, leaned over, brushed her silky hair with her hand, gave her kiss on the top of her head, sighed as she looked at her one last time, and then left through the watery portal. The water splashing down into the pond signaling the end of her brief visit.


    Tundri turned to Ceri and sang out ¡°Wah Waah Wah Wah.¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-oo-tu,¡± Ceri sang back, nodding her head.


    The pair then turned and headed out to start their quest, comforted in the knowledge that Wylla would be safe here by the Oryn Tree without them, for the Goddess Sylvenori told them so.


    Storymask


    Yes! While Wylla''s getting her Training montage going in full swing, preparing for her showdown with the unknown guardian, Tundri and Ceri are off on a quest from the divine of there own. Coming Up Next Chapter 59: The End of the Beginning!


    P.S. Yup, almost done... last two chapters to go. BTW I definitely got off track in my writings last week for a simple reason, I signed up for Kindle Unlimited over at Amazon due to their 2-month free trial promotion and ended up binge reading a couple of LitRPG books. I haven''t done that in quite a while... I usually just read a chapter of this web novel here and a chapter of another one there so that I still have time for my writing.


    Anyways, I''ll work on keeping my binge-reading under control so I can keep up with my writings and stay focused on the writing plan I just made for myself. ;)

 Chapter 60: End of the Beginning Part 1/5

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 60


    Little Ceri flew to and fro across Havenscent Meadow, happily tootling as she gathered sweet-scented flowers and colorful rocks that were round and smooth, carrying them to Tundri in her small front arms; Tundri''s helping serpenvine hands gladly accepted Ceri''s efforts. placing them inside his wagon space.


    The sound of flowing water soon caught Tundri''s attention as he looked up to see that their little gathering adventure led them near the river which flowed from the north side''s waterfall pond.


    Tundri began to trombone a series of musical ''wahs'', evoking one of his skills as the energy within him flowed causing small ripples to appear on his round watery belly.


    His ''Wahs'' reaching a soft crescendo as a small trio of purple and golden honey-hued figures jumped out of his watery belly, growing to the size of footballs, as their long flowing lotus petaled fins swished to and fro like majestic wings as they swam through the air like water.


    The trio of ''flying'' lotus fish scouted about the area around Tundri, finding herbs, fruits, nuts, and flora; Wrapping them up in one of their many pairs of beautiful fins and bringing them back to Tundri as he gathered them with his serpenvine hands which splashed out of his watery belly.


    As the serpenvines retreated back into Tundri''s belly pond with their small treasures placing them in the pantry or storage room (depending on the item gathered) the flowery fish scouts splished into the river to continue their scavenger hunt.


    Seeing the little scouts diving into the gently flowing river, little Ceri excitedly chased after coming to a floating stop above as she looked into the clear blue water below. Her eyes opened wide as she spotted some...things, strange things moving slowly about on the bottom of the river.


    These things were almost as big as her; The upper half of their bodies were covered in long soft colorful strands of flora making them look an awful lot like fuzzy caterpillars. Their bottom halves were partially transparent and gelatinous like slugs. Atop their heads sprouted three stalks tipped with dark-hued eyeballs.


    They were very cute... in a creepy sort of way.


    A mischievous glint flashed across Ceri''s eyes as she dove into the river with a splish, tootling underwater as she gathered up the first of many of those cutely creepy fuzzy underwater... worm slimes; Images of Wylla''s first ''meeting'' with these new found friends bubbled in her playful mind.


    But these... slirmes weren''t the only watery beasties gathered, a variety of fishes, flowery urchins, and types of crayfishes (all part flora like every beastie found in the Goddess Sylvenori''s created starting area) were also added to Tundri''s watery belly, shrinking down to sizes smaller than a pinkie finger as they were added into his watery belly turned aquarium.


    While Ceri and the lotus fish scouts were exploring the river below, Tundri was busy sending his serpenvine hands way over to the other side of the river to gather flora from the outer edges of the unexplored western forest, which included certain sapling trees that would definitely bring a smile to Wylla''s face; Tuttle Tree saplings.


    (This was thanks to the Goddess Sylvenori''s quest blessing which, amongst other things, allowed his serpenvine hands to reach further than normal.)


    Gathering as they went, the happy duo followed the river south into the Desparu Swamp Forest where they came upon a group of Swampweed Gators in one of the many ponds.


    Tundri approached the wary group without fear, releasing a sweet honey scent in the air and a series of ''Wahs'' which the beasties seemed to understand (triggering another benefit of the special blessing they had received for their quest).


    The gators made low rumbling growl like sounds in response, calmly swimming into the waiting arms of Tundri''s serpenvine hands.


    As this was happening below, Ceri was busy tootling up above as she led a group of fluffy spotted flying Womlynx bats into their new temporary home.


    Hissing sounds soon resounded from beyond the dark wiggling curtain of leaf laden desparu tree branches; Ceri exited Tundri''s belly pond and froze in the air the moment she heard the sounds. Tilting her head to get a better listen, a smile lit up her face in recognition and she sped off, breaking through the squirming desparu tree drapes, tootling loudly for Tundri to follow.


    By the time Tundri caught up and made his appearance known, Ceri was happily having her second family reunion, tootling excitedly to her family while nuzzling them.


    Not wanting to disturb them, Tundri began gathering porcu shrubs, mushrooms, and another Skunktail Reed (which didn''t spray him with its vile stench thanks to a combination of his Green Thumb and Gardenheart skills).


    After 10 minutes had passed, Ceri led her family into Tundri''s wagon space, settling them down in the newly added expanded space that was created especially for the quest; This new spatial section was absolutely huge and added onto the other side of the kitchen allowing it to be seen through both the watery window above the sink and the new doorway found on each side of the kitchen''s wall.


    The new area was wonderfully modeled to look like the inside of a large wooden boat with a magical forest created upon the hardwood floor.


    Happy with the knowledge that her family was now comfortably settled in, an image of a certain young friend popped up into Ceri''s mind... So she rushed through the air, splashing out of Tundri''s watery belly, issuing a string of tootles as she began to lead Tundri to a certain ghostrose covered hut located on the outskirts of a certain village in order to invite her little friend along.


    As Tundri and Ceri wended their way through the swampy forest towards their newly added goal, Wylla was carefully listening to her surroundings.


    Soft sounds of constant rustling rained down from above causing Wylla to look up into the dark canopy, eyes glowing.


    It was hard to see the beast scuttling about up there; Its body hidden in the Desparu Tree''s leafy branches but its stealthy movements were seen through as Wylla''s honey gold eyes focused on the beast''s blackish-red aura marred with writhing stripes of lime.


    Wylla lifted her arm, spidery lotus tipped wand in hand and aimed. A small burst of golden-green light flashed from the wand''s spidery lotus flower; A sap filled seed dart streaked through the air towards its target as leafy firefly-like wings sprouted from the seed''s body.


    SKREE!


    A screech of pained surprise rang out as an eight-legged freak..y looking beast fell from above; Wylla''s eyes tracking its fast sprawling descent, her foot tapping the ground as a sharp earth flora spike burst up from the ground.... directly under the falling spidoll... SPLISH!


    Wylla turned her head away from the impaled spidoll whose many legs twitched in its final throes of death.


    ¡°Just 2 Kavi left,¡± Wylla muttered to herself, lightly tapping her wand against the palm of her free hand as her antenna pulsed scanning the area in a sphere around her. Her eyes glowed searching the swampy area in front for the final two foes of this training simulation.


    She continued to think out loud about the current training game she was in, not a bit worried about alerting the last of her remaining foes.


    ¡°Either all of these beasties have gotten a lot weaker or I''ve become much stronger since ranking up... because every beast is quickly dying with just a spell or two. Making it pointless to DOT them with my hexes and curses so...


    I guess I should raise the difficulty in the next round to all rank 1 elites otherwise I won''t get the chance to use my new spells... which was the whole point of this training session.¡±


    With mind made up, Wylla''s orchid butterfly wings fluttered as she ran about the simulated Desparu Swamp Forest, quickly locating and ''snapdragon-ing'' the last two Kavi targets, ending the round.


    The Syldrake Pagoda''s dojo training interface screen popped up as Wylla began to change the settings, preparing for another round as she walked towards the starting ring.


    Should I make one? She silently asked herself considering the odds of beating one... of beating a rank 1 three-man boss-type beastie.


    She looked down at the wand in her hand, a smile on her face as she recalled walking up to the weapons rack when she first entered the dojo, happy to find that both her wand and staff had upgraded as well.


    Her newly upgraded wand not only increased her constitution, wisdom, and intelligence by 3 points now but more importantly, it also increased her casting speed by 20% as well as the speed at which her spells moved.


    As for her staff, the attribute increase was even greater due to it being a two-handed weapon; At least that''s the reason she thought of that made sense to her since the increase was plus 7 points to constitution, wisdom, and intelligence. And a whopping 10% buff to spell power which increased the power of all her spells, not just the combat ones.


    So now she had a weapon specialized for speed and one for power!


    ¡°Yosh, let''s do it then!¡± Wylla said to herself, tightly gripping her wand and finalizing the settings.


    [Round Two... (BUZZ)... Begin! ]


    ¡°Okay, we got this!¡± Let''s save the mini-boss for last...


    Meanwhile, Ceri stealthily led Tundri around the Kavi village, reaching the outskirts of the east side unseen. Along the way, they had added many more beasties (and flora) to Tundri''s wagon space like spidolls, serpris, paru owls, and three-eyed cat foxes known as Vulynx.


    A tootle echoed over Ceri''s little friend''s courtyard causing all the Kavi guards to stiffen, grasping their spears with white knuckles as their eyes searched above, spotting the once again uninvited guest by the beautiful ghostroses atop their witch''s hut.


    Ethereal ghostroses which captured Tundri''s vibrant blue water eyes as he came to a full stop, unintentionally standing behind the hut, out of everyone''s sight, as he began to gather those wonderful flowers.


    Ceri spotted the cute little netheryn ghostrose witch by her long worktable in the midst of creating another talisman. She called out softly with a tootle as she flew over to her young friend''s side.


    The Kavi guards shook as they struggled internally, wanting to jump forward and attack this bad influence of an intruder whose last visit seemed to have caused some changes within their newly sprouted witch but remembering how strictly the little witch had scolded them for doing so the last time they tried to attack Ceri... so they remained standing at the ready to attack should they be given permission to do so.


    Nyra, the newly created name Ceri gave her little witch friend (because she felt that it was sad that her cute little friend didn''t have a name so she made one for her) was filled with elation the moment she heard those tootles but fought hard to keep her emotions in check, focusing on finishing her new lunar serpris pendant talisman.


    Ceri seemed to understand that Nyra was busy and needed to focus on her work so she remained floating near and slightly behind her (just out of sight) so as to not distract her friend''s concentration.


    Nyra whispered a few words of power, etched the final lines, and then put her tools down as she stepped back from the table. The talisman glowed brightly for a moment with magic signaling its successful creation.


    ¡°Tootle-tu-too!¡± Ceri sang out, congratulating Nyra.


    Nyra turned happy as can be, arms opened wide, and laughing as Ceri flew into her embrace. They stayed like that for a while until a ''Wah-Wah'' echoed across the courtyard and a giant flora yeti with a watery belly and silvery masked face stepped out from behind the witch''s hut and into the courtyard.


    Nyra''s eyes widened at the sight of this giant newcomer, her body trembling a bit as her eyes searched for her staff that was leaning against the edge of the far side of the worktable... the side nearest this giant... beast?


    Nyra hugged Ceri tightly to her body, turned her back, shielding Ceri as the trembling Kavi guards began to step towards Tundri with shaky spears pointed high.


    Tundri just stood their, head tilted in confusion, not understanding what was happening as Ceri took action to calm her little friend''s fast-beating heart with a series of tootles and nuzzles.


    Nyra''s trembling began to lessen as she listened to Ceri, her eyes staring into Ceri''s, seeking assurance that she was hearing right.


    Ceri nodded her head, rubbed her cheek to cheek, and then squirmed out of her embrace to fly next to Tundri. With quite a bit of coaxing, Ceri successfully introduced Nyra and Tundri to one another as Nyra, tentatively at first, approached the big gentle-hearted flora yeti and put her small hand onto the very large palm of Tundri''s open hand.


    She then released a small startled ¡°EEEK!¡± as Tundri happily lifted little Nyra and placed her onto his soft leafy shoulder; Turning Nyra''s startled cry into laughs of joy as her eyes opened wide seeing the world around her from on high.


    As for the Kavi guard, what could they do? Their little witch willingly walked up to this giant intruder and let herself be captured so they just stood there restless with their spears in their hands nervously doing... nothing as Nyra, Ceri, and Tundri began to chat with one another as they asked the little witch to join them for a grand adventure.


    Nyra clapped her hands excitedly, nodding her head, and began pointing at things in the courtyard, and then within her hut, for Tundri to gather up for her including the precious ethereal ghostrose shrine that birthed her! A task which Tundri was only able to do thanks to his Green Thumb and Gardenheart skills and the Goddess Sylvenori''s powerful blessing.


    Happy to see everything packed up and put away, Ceri joyfully led Nyra into Tundri''s wagon space, taking the little witch to meet her family as the Kavi guards outside ran about in confusion, unsure of what they should do.


    By the time they came to the decision to send one of their numbers to call upon the new village chief, Tundri was gone from sight and headed towards the spriggankin village in the Makai Forest...


    The sun moved across the sky, nearing the western horizon as Wylla''s eyes opened, signaling the return of her astral form to her body.


    Storymask


    Tundri and Ceri have a new little friend to aid in their adventure as Wylla has finished her much needed training. Now it''s time to come together and say her farewells to her spriggankin friends before heading out to find the way out of Havenscent Meadows. That''s if she can find them first... Coming up next part 2 of Chapter 59: The End of the Beginning.


    P.S. Just wanted to give you a little heads up that part 2 is finished and will be posted within the hour or so. It just needs some slight finishing touches and a once or twice over with Grammarly!

 Chapter 61: End of the Beginning Part 2/5

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 61


    Wylla stretched, looking up to the sky, noticing that more time than planned had gone by but it had been worth it. She felt that she now had a very good grasp on her new Druwytch spells and her main combat spellcaster style of DOT''ing, CC''ing, and then pew-pewing her foes to death as she fluttered about the battlefield.


    A smile lit her face as she recalled the last match in which she finally defeated all of her rank 1 elite foes and the large spidoll mini-boss; The key to which was using the trees and earth flora pillars she created as cover while dotting and blasting away the mini-boss'' health since it was too big to easily move around in such terrain.


    It had been a long-drawn-out battle of attrition with many close calls, but in the end, she emerged the victor!


    ¡°Yup, winning isn''t just about strength but strategy as well,¡± Wylla muttered to herself as she rose to her feet and searched her surroundings for her lovelies. ¡°Hmm... did they forget to return or maybe get lost or find trouble? Or maybe because I took so long they left to continue exploring? If so... how do I find them?¡±


    [ That''s easy Wylla... they''re ''bonded'' to you so just close your eyes and feel which direction they''re in. ;) ]


    ¡°Ah, Anari! It feels like we haven''t spoken in such a long time. I''ve really missed you!¡± Wylla said in sudden realization as she looked up into the sky imagining that that was where Anari lived, somewhere up above. ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    [ I''ve been busy preparing something... something so very special that I can''t talk about. But Eva and I are very excited about it.


    Anyways, looks like you''ll be leaving the starter area soon, once you find the way out that is. I''m so very happy for you Wylla! You''ve grown so much, and have accomplished so many feats you should be proud of.


    You even made another new top 20 rated video while I was gone titled Scaredy Fish; It''s of you atop Tundri''s Sylgarden wagon form.


    I''m actually a little teary-eyed, knowing that this will be one of the last times we''ll be able to talk with each other like this.


    After all, once you leave this place you''ll no longer be a newbie needing my guidance. And as such, it''ll be time for you to venture forth on your own like the newly born ranker you now are! Yay! ]


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean we won''t be able to talk?¡± Wylla asked, her eyes becoming watery and a hollow emptiness opening within her chest. ¡°But... but didn''t you say we were... sisters? So you can''t just leave me like that... can you?¡±


    [ Don''t be sad Wylla. It will all work out the way it''s meant to in the end. You just have to have faith. You''ll see... until then just close your eyes and search with your heart and you''ll find your family.


    Well, that''s about it, gotta run since I have many more things that need doing so... Ta-Ta for now! ;) ]


    ¡°Anari?... Anari?...¡± I guess she really left... me. Wylla''s head hung low, her hands wiping her eyes as she softly breathed in and out, focusing on clearing her mind and heart of such thoughts.


    No, she''ll be back... I just need to have faith like she said! Until then, let''s focus on finding my cuties. Wylla squeezed her eyes shut and focused within, feeling the connections she had with Tundri and Ceri; The connections which pulled her to face towards the Makai Forest.


    ¡°Ah, it looks like they remembered that I wanted to visit the spriggankin village one last time before searching for the way out. Yes, since that''s the case time to fly!¡± Wylla took off, rushing towards the Makai Forest, orchid wings fluttering and feet pattering.


    Wylla wended her way through the forest, feeling her connection to her cuties getting stronger and stronger as she continued to head straight towards the village. Yes! Looks like I was right... they are in the village waiting for me.


    The sound of woodwind, string, and percussion instruments filled the air with lively music as Wylla neared the village. This music was soon accompanied by the delicious scents of tasty foods and the sounds of jubilation, guiding her towards the heart of the village.


    Wylla slowed to a walk, parting the shrubs before her, and stepping into the happy scene. In great spirit, her eyes darted about, searching for her cuties amongst the spriggankin dancing around the cheery bonfire and those eating amongst the various food stalls.


    To her left was the wonderful shrine dedicated to her divine mother Sylvenori. And to the right of the shrine, located in the middle of the road was her Tundri in his Sylgarden Wagon form.


    But what really grabbed her attention was not the Spriggankin happily lounging in the garden up top the wagon, nor the Old Raven sitting on a rocking chair on Tundri''s front porch to the left side of the open door in which Lunori stood as Tundri''s masked face looked down from above...


    No, what really caught Wylla''s attention was the very young little blue-haired ghostrose witch that sat in what looked like an oversized rocking chair (due to her small size) cutely smiling and laughing on the other side of the porch with a happily tootling Ceri by her side and two young serpris (which looked an awful lot like Ceri''s siblings) on her little lap.


    ¡°Ah, did my cuties kidnap a little loli witch?¡± Wylla stood there for a while in confused wonder, unsure of what to make of this situation, not noticing when or how a certain bunny masked spriggankin popped up by her side, taking her hand and leading the way through the wonderful celebration towards her Tundri.


    Tundri was the first to spot her (well, first after Lunroi that is) as he ''Wah-Wah''d'' causing Ceri''s eyes to dart about, spotting her with a welcoming tootle-tu.


    Ceri then flew to Wylla and began to excitedly tootle to her about her and Tundri''s amazing adventure. Nuzzling her, and then flying off back to Nyra''s side as the little witch gently put the little serpris aside, slid off the rocking chair, and stood before her looking unsure of what to do next as she rubbed her hands together.


    Wylla walked up to the little witch, a smile on her face as she knelt down, looked the little witch in the eyes and gently patted her head while saying ¡°Hello Nyra! It''s so very nice to meet you. Ceri has told me so much about you. Thank you for being her friend and watching out for her. I hope you''ll be my friend as well!¡±


    Little Nyra lit up, nodding her head as Wylla gave her a great big comforting hug. ¡°Ahahaha, That makes me very happy Nyra! I hope you enjoy your time with us.¡±


    Lots of zoo-like sounds came fluttering out of Tundri''s open-door causing Wylla to pull her eyes away from Nyra and to stare into Tundri. Her mouth slowly opened into an ''O'' as the scene within made her eyes widened.


    Tundri''s masked face then came down from above on the end of his long leafy neck as he encouraged Wylla to enter and have a look around to see all the hard work he and Ceri have been up too.


    Wylla reached out with her hand, giving Tundri a gentle pat before she turned to her teacher, the old raven to give her a heartfelt greeting, and then with Lunori on one side and little Nyra on the other she entered her new... petting zoo?


    ¡°Ah, where did they all come from? And how? How did the two of you manage to get them to all not only come with you but to get along with each other?¡± Such questions leaked out of Wylla''s mouth as she stared in amazement at the scene before her.


    Flying up above was a colorful range of flying beasties chirping, hooting, and tootling with one another. Some of which were even sitting atop the slowly spinning blades of the large Lampryn Spinlyng ceiling fans.


    While below, pattering across the hardwood floors was a plethora of fluffy two-legged, four-legged, and even three and six-legged beasties that Wylla had yet to see. She felt like she was in ''mofu-mofu heaven''.


    And mingling amongst them all was well over a dozen spriggankin; Some were seated in the living room playing games with sticks, some seated at the dining room table eating tasty snacks, and others in the kitchen cooking up a feast as other spriggankin would gather the newly made dishes upon earth flora trays and carry them through doorways on the sides of the kitchen.


    Doorways which Wylla was quite sure hadn''t been there before. As well as the beautiful shrine of ethereal ghostroses which climbed up the right corner of the kitchen into the ceiling above setting the area aglow with soft blueish white light.


    ¡°When did all this happen? I mean, I was only in my dojo for half a day or so... right? And just where do those doorways lead too?¡± Wylla asked, looking from a bright-eyed Ceri to a happily ''trombone-ing'' Tundri.


    ¡°Okay, if you say so, I''ll go have a look.¡± Wylla wended her way through her new petting zoo, ''mofuing'' cute fluffy beasties and happily greeting spriggankin along the way as Ceri, Nyra, and Lunori followed closely behind.


    Reaching the doorway near the sweet-scented ghostroses, she stared in wide-eyed wonder at the scene before her. Sprawling before her was a huge magic forest teeming with life, scents, and sounds contained within towering curved wooden walls and ceilings resembling the hull of an ancient wooden ship.


    Her eyes went from the scene before her to Ceri and Tundri and then back again... before once again looking at her cuties and asking, ¡°How did all of this happen?¡± Gesturing all around her with her hands.


    Tundri ''Wha''d'' and Ceri ''tootled'' in a rush of sounds as they began to recount what had happened the moment she ''went'' into her dojo.


    ¡°The Goddess Sylvenori gave you what?¡± Wylla asked.


    Tundri''s trombone voice responded as a quest infobox popped up in front of Wylla''s eyes:


    [ Ceri and Tundri''s Great Sylgarden Wagon Ark Adventure Quest: The Goddess Sylvenori has seen and recognized your many wonderful talents, offering you the quest of ferrying her Havenscent creations to the magical world of Abrynth.


    By accepting this quest, you promise to collect willing passengers and gather a wide variety of flora to carry them into the new green lands of the eternally oryn infused Aetheria Forest.


    There your passengers and flora will find places that they can call home! Adding to the life and splendor of Abrynth.


    And in order to aid you in this quest, you will be given a powerful blessing that will last until the completion of the quest.


    P.S. A great reward awaits your success... ]


    Wylla gulped as she read the P.S. in the quest''s description. She then looked to and from Ceri and Tundri and said, ¡°That''s wonderful! I''m so happy for both of you. You have my full support, just let me know if there''s anything I can do to help.¡±


    Tundri ''Wah''d'' guiding Wylla to the pantry where he pointed out all the new seeds, herbs, and flora that he and Ceri had gathered.


    Wylla walked in to look around, happy to find that the cubby boxes along the back wall of the pantry all had etchings of the flora and seeds contained within each cubby sized drawer on their front panels making it easy to find what one was looking for.


    And one of those items that happened to catch her eyes was the etching of a Skunktail Reed bringing to mind a certain alchemy recipe that she was sure would be helpful. ¡°Tundri, later tonight, before going to bed I''ll need your help for a while in the kitchen to make a certain alchemy potion... hmm... or rather weapon.¡±


    Tundri immediately agreed to help as Ceri jumped in with a tootle, asking Wylla to follow her to the... restroom on the other side of the kitchen. Which confused Wylla because she couldn''t figure out why Ceri would want to go there together.


    Following her, Wylla crossed the kitchen, pausing for a moment as she spotted a certain sapling tree by the corner; A smile lit her face as her eyes identified the young Tuttle Tree.


    Ceri waited by the bathroom door, eagerly waiting for Wylla to finish inspecting her sapling tree.


    Done with the inspection, Wylla walked over, looked at Ceri as she gestured towards the door with her head.


    Ceri nodded. So Wylla opened the door and froze mid-step before entering, a soft yelp slipping from her mouth as she saw the floor, toilet, sink counter, and shower covered with colorful slow-moving creepy fuzzy caterpillar-like... slugs?


    Ceri ''tootled'' beside her in laughter as she flew into the bathroom, giving her a playful wink which caused Wylla to join in on the laughter.


    ¡°I see... so my little Ceri likes... to give fun little surprises,¡± Wylla said smiling. Since that''s the case, I''ll be sure to give you a certain little box that you can wind as it plays music for you!


    ¡°Still, just what are these creepy cute things you''ve filled the restroom with?¡± Wylla''s eyes glowed as an infobox popped up:


    [ Slirmes are peaceful beasties that are known as the cleaners of the world. They feed on the bodily wastes of mortals and beasts (as well as on flora containing such wastes) turning it into equal parts life-sustaining energy and high-grade fertilizer pellets so I think you can see just how useful such creepy cute beasties can be.


    Please note that while Slirmes reproduce quickly, they are also on the menu of many beasties (especially those of the feathery persuasion) that keep their numbers in check. ]


    ¡°Oh wow, these little colorful beasties will be very useful... especially if there are no sewers where we''re going,¡± Wylla muttered to herself as a thought sprouted in her mind. Yup, I bet these little guys, along with my Tuttle Pills, would sell well earning me lots of Lyrs. Well, at least at the start. After that, they''ll probably over-reproduce killing the market but still, there''s plenty of money to be made until that happens. Wylla finished her thoughts with a nod.


    She then gave Ceri a quick hug, took a look around and decided to go hunting for the way out of this starting zone tomorrow ¡°For tonight we celebrate!¡± Wylla cheered as she joined her friends and left to enjoy the still going victory festival celebration.


    The sun went down and the moon came up. Colorful Lampryns lit the night as the party continued until the witching hour.


    Wylla yawned and stretched, finishing her alchemy as Tundri put away their porcu skunktail bombs. Wylla cleaned up, sent her bloodrose cauldron back into her Unity Trinity Core, and wended her way to the living room where several spriggankin and beasties were sleeping on her couches.


    Looking around, Wylla noticed that the red door leading out of the wagon had vanished. Guess Tundri shifted back to his flora yeti form? I wonder why? And doesn''t he need sleep like the rest of us? As Wylla was pondering whether or not Tundri actually needed sleep or not, his masked face came down from above as he ''Wah''d'' to the ready for bed Wylla.


    ¡°Ah, so you''re going to continue working on the quest and gather night flora and beasties... but what about sleep?¡± Wylla asked with concern in her eyes as she moved out of the way of the helping serpenvine hands that were gently moving the furniture aside and preparing her large soft king-sized bed.


    Tundri tilted his masked face and let her know that since he was like an Elemental of Nature (and a rare one at that) sleep was not needed. He was constantly rejuvenated by the energy all around him.


    ¡°Ah, I''m a bit envious of you but also happy knowing that you''re in good health. And that you''ll be our guardian angel, watching over us whenever we sleep.¡± Wylla nuzzled the side of Tundri''s masked face.


    She then turned and made her way onto her waiting bed, Tundri''s face retreating up into the ceiling and disappearing from sight as the lights dimmed way down.


    Ceri tootled as she raced through the air from the large ark expansion room, where she had been playing with little Nyra and her family, landing in Wylla''s open arms.


    Wylla''s head then hit her soft fluffy pillow and just as she closed her eyes to drift off into dreamland, she heard the patter of many footsteps, quickly followed by the soft vibrations of movements all around her.


    She then felt an arm drape over her side from behind her as a body pressed up against her backside and felt another arm touching hers that was snuggling Ceri.


    Opening her eyes, she was surprised to find herself surrounded and in the middle of a... slumber party sandwich?


    For right in front of her also snuggling with Ceri on the other side was Nyra; A happy smile on her closed-eyed face. Turning to look behind her, was a happy Lunori, using her as a body pillow.


    And surrounding them all, were lots of cute fluffy beasties and birds. Ah, I hope they''re all potty trained! Wylla thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep.


    Storymask


    While Wylla and company comfortably sleep, Tundri is busy adding to his ever-growing collection of fluffy passengers and flora. Coming up next Chapter 59: End of the Beginning Part 3/3 in which Wylla wakes to an event which leads to the final showdown (and ending of Book 1... not counting the epilogue chapter that is...).


    Side Note: Well, the next part should be it... about 70 to 80% battle, 20 to 30% slice of life, and 100% done with book one... Ummm... not counting the epilogue chapter (as mention right above lol)


    As for the battle part, I had it more than half-written about 5 months ago so it''s definitely going to need some major rewrites; After all, Wylla is now a Druwytch with all new powerful spells and has two new capable additions to her family to keep her company.


    The current plan is to begin re-writing the last part of this chapter tomorrow and publish it on Friday.


    Then take the weekend to rewrite the front half of the epilogue and publish that on Monday ending Book 1. (Which means 3 postings this week to make up for the missed posting last week. ;)

 Chapter 62: End of the Beginning Part 3/5

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 62


    Wylla woke to the sounds of giggling and tootling. Opening her eyes to the view of Nyra and Ceri playing near her.


    She stretched, wiped the sleep from her eyes (and drool from the corner of her lips), and looked around to find that apparently she was the last to wake as the bed was empty except for the three of them, plus Ceri''s two older siblings which were lounging by Nyra''s side.


    Little Nyra looked so happy surrounded by such caring beasties... which sparked an idea in Wylla''s head.


    Sitting up and brushing the hair away from her face with her dextrous fingers, Wylla asked Nyra a question; ¡°Nyra, do you know how to make a familiar?¡±


    Nyra paused, tilted her head to the side, and scrunched her little face for a moment or two before shaking her head side to side.


    ¡°Ah, since that''s the case would you like me to show you?¡± Wylla asked, taking Nyra''s small hands in hers.


    Nyra smiled as she excitedly nodded.


    ¡°Okay then, let''s see, I can show you and then you can ask me if you don''t understand something... but you probably don''t know how to speak my language,¡± Wylla said guessingly. Even though you can understand me like the others. I really wish that worked both ways. She thought, lodging the small complaint in her heart.


    Shaking her head to clear her mind, Wylla looked at Nyra who confirmed her guess. ¡°Well then, since that''s the case I''ll try teaching you the basics of my language too.¡±


    Wylla''s hands glowed as memories of kindergarten and early grade school came to mind; Memories especially of learning to read as she created a pair of Memory Rosebud Bulbs, filling them with the phonetic reading lessons she learned when she was young... and male.


    Sighing, she pushed on.


    Once the pair of reading orbs were done, she moved on, creating a third flowery orb filled with the memories of the Familiar Ritual used to create Ceri.


    ¡°There, that should do it. Go ahead and touch each of them while I go clean up.¡± Wylla instructed, then made her way off the edge of the bed and onto the warm hardwood floors. She was about to make her way to the bathroom to wash up when her movements stopped for a moment, recalling that the bathroom was currently overrun with Slirmes.


    Something she would have to soon remedy if she wanted her bathroom back. I mean, it''s fine to have a few in whatever Tundri uses as the septic tank for the toilet but the rest has got to go or rather sell. Until then, guess I''ll have to use the kitchen sink.


    Slightly altering her course, Wylla walked past the dining room towards the kitchen sink, admiring all the new flora decorations that Tundri had put up on walls and shelves. Keeping each beautiful piece of d¨¦cor well spaced apart so as to not look cluttered and unappealing to the eye. ¡°Ah, it looks like my Tundri has quite the eye for home design. This is great,¡± Wylla voiced softly, as she arrived at her destination.


    Turning on the water, she washed her face and rinsed her mouth using a combination of water and peppermint-flavored juice from a Medy plant leaf.


    Feeling awake and refreshed, she looked out the kitchen window into the huge forest ark expansion; Hmm, it seems Tundri worked hard on his quest last night while all of us slept. So many new fluffy and feathery passengers... and strange but wonderful new flora to see. She thought to herself as her eyes zeroed in on a particular flora that greatly resembled a plant she''d only seen on the internet; the Titan Arum, otherwise known as the Corpse Flower plant.


    Desiring to learn more about the oddly compelling plant, she activated her eyes as an infobox popped up:


    [ Noctis Arum Plant is a humanoid sized plant with wide petals that form a cup-like structure surrounding its towering spadix known for its haunting screaming faced tip.


    The wide petals of this dark plant come in blended shades of deep purples and pitch black and are known to release a scent that certain insects and small mammals find pleasing, tricking them to come into contact with its long silvery ice blue spadix.


    Upon contact, the spadix secretes an oily substance that knocks the touching party unconscious resulting in their falling descent into the corrosive purplish-black bath waiting below within its cupped petals. The flower then consumes the melted remains... ]


    Ah, what a horrible way to die. Wylla thought to herself, looking away from the oddly beautiful but deadly cruel plant. Her eyes landing on the other passengers moving about.


    Looks like quite a lot of the spriggankin have decided to come along for the ride... even teacher. Well then, since that''s the case I''m going to have to make doubly sure that we pick out the perfect spot for their new village when we arrive in Abrynth!


    Nodding her head, Wylla reached for a wooden brush that she spotted on the windowsill and brushed her hair.


    Finished with her morning grooming, she returned the brush to its spot, turned, and began making her way towards the living room when all of a sudden Tundri''s face swung down from above and began to ''Wah'' urgently, asking her to rush outside to have a look at something that was heading their way.


    Wasting no time, Wylla sprinted towards the wide-open front door and stepped out onto the porch.


    Seeing her rush by, Ceri left Nyra''s side (who was busy with the orbs) and flew to join Wylla. By the time Ceri reached the porch, Wylla was already in motion, running towards a group of fluffy ball-like beasties that were being led by a bigger purple and gold-colored beastie.


    The beastie group slowly headed towards Wylla and company; Bobbing and swaying like small boats on stormy ocean waters, bumping into one another, flying erratically as golden-green drops of liquid dripped down their bodies and legs, falling to the ground below.


    ¡°Tundri HELP! Bring the Healing Nectars and Medylixrs! Hurry!¡± Wylla shouted out, her feet pounding on the grassy ground, reaching Princess Furbee just in time to catch her tired and battered falling body.


    Half a dozen evergreen serpenvines streaked past Wylla, catching the other wounded furbees in big mitten like hands, cushioning their falls.


    With furbees collected, Tundri moved the ones he had collected into the ark expansion area within where the spriggankin immediately began to administer the Healing Nectars and Medylixrs to them.


    As for Princess Furbee, she was in better condition than her entourage, which wasn''t surprising since not only was she a rank 1 elite, but a unique Princess one at that; A Princess that would one day evolve into a Queen.


    As such, she was much tougher than the others.


    Wylla carefully carried the Princess close to her body as she made her way to the porch, inspecting the royal Furbee''s wounds and taking an open Medylixr from Tundri''s serpenvine hand.


    She walked up the small flight of steps, stepping onto the porch, and poured one of the opened Medylixrs over the Princess'' claw-like injuries.


    Done with the first round of aid, Wylla sat down on one of the rocking chairs as Princess began to ''Bzz-bzz'' in relief from the comforting healing effect of the potion.


    Seeing that the wounds were slowly beginning to close up, the tension and worry from Wylla''s body and face began to ease. ¡°Everythings alright now. You''re going to be just fine,¡± Wylla said, using gentle tones. She then took another opened Medylixr from Tundri''s hand and placed it in front of the Princess. ¡°Here, drink this and you''ll soon be good as new.¡±


    Looking down into the opening of the small earth flora bottle, Princess inhaled deeply, and finding the scent to be to her liking, stuck the tip of her fuzzy beak into the bottle''s top and began to drink like an anteater eats.


    Wylla sat, gently rocking back and forth, stroking Princess'' soft fluffy fur for a while, letting the Princess drink and heal, giving her the time needed to gather herself. Ceri hovered by her side softly tootling and Tundri''s masked face looked down from over her shoulder, while a couple of curious guests (in the form of Lunori and Nyra) watched from the open doorway.


    Everyone, there was wondering what calamity had befallen Princess Furbee... and what they could do to help.


    ¡°There, there,¡± Wylla spoke softly, comforting her with small pats on her back. ¡°When you''re ready to tell us, we''ll listen and help you in any way we can.¡±


    Princess understood. She took a few deep breathes, physically feeling good as new, and fluttered her wings returning to the air as Wylla released her.


    Slightly bobbing up and down before Wylla, Princess began to ''Brzz-bzz-bzz'' telling Wylla of what had transpired. But unfortunately, Wylla didn''t understand what she was saying, she could only tell that it was something bad. And looking at those gathered around her, it seemed they all felt the same way.


    So with her hand on her chin, Wylla thought for a bit, before looking up at Princess and asking, ¡°Can you lead us to where everything happened?¡±


    Princess Bzz''d loudly, nodding up and down and then turned to fly towards the unexplored (well unexplored by Wylla that is) western forest in a slightly northerly direction.


    ¡°Alright Tundri, it looks like we''re heading out!¡± Wylla said, rising up off the rocking chair and jumping down off the porch as her wings sprouted behind her, fluttering as they slowed her descent. Ceri raced over behind her as Lunori and Nyra returned inside Tundri''s Sylgarden Wagon; Closing the door behind them as Tundri quickly shifted back to his big teddy yeti form, taking big steps to catch up to Wylla and Ceri.


    The cute trio walked across the flowery meadow, following the buzzing Princess as the sounds of the northern cliff''s waterfall got louder and the sun reflected off the cool blue surface of the large pond from which the river just ahead of them flowed out of.


    The group came to a stop on the sandy riverbank; the roar of the waterfall coming from their right as the water crashed into the rocks below, feeding into the pond near them.


    ¡°Just what in the world are those... things?¡± Wylla asked, her eyes big as saucers as she watched groups of colorful luminous Chinese lantern shaped beasties floating above the pond like balloons; Their long translucent jelly-like tendrils skimming the top of the water, capturing water bugs and floating flora.


    Tundri and Ceri headed their way, singing out as the floating beasties came to a stop and listened.


    While that was taking place, Wylla was trying to think of a way to cross the river to get to the other side where Princess was anxiously waiting for her.


    The river wasn''t moving fast, but it was at least 20 feet wide and quite deep; Well, deep for my current size... but if I was in my Michael form then this wouldn''t pose a problem. Sighing, she shook her head, clearing her thoughts and refocused on the problem at hand.


    Let''s see, if I run, jump, and flutter my wings... I''d probably splash down somewhere in the middle,¡± Wylla muttered to herself. If only I was lighter, then with the help of my wings I bet I could make it.


    She stood there pondering, staring at the other side of the river...


    ¡°Toot-tootle-too!¡±


    Wylla''s head snapped towards Ceri, who was happily flying back to her, a lumbering Tundri following behind with a dozen or so floating jelly lanterns attached to the garden on his back reminding Wylla of a person selling balloons at a carnival.


    She couldn''t help but chuckle at the sight. ¡°Ah, I wish I had a camera. My babies are so cute!¡±


    Feeling the warm joyous vibes coming from Wylla, Ceri flew into her arms, and launched a nuzzle attack! ¡°Ahahaha... stop Ceri... stop... Ahaha... now''s not the time. We have to get over this river, and despite having wings I can''t fly across like you. Buuuuut! I do have an idea and I''m going to need your help okay?¡±


    Ceri quickly gave her one more nuzzle, before nodding her head, and flying out of her arms to hover in the air before her. ¡°Good girl, here''s what I need you to do...¡±


    Wylla took a few moments to explain her plan making sure that Ceri understood her role. Satisfied, she walked over a dozen yards away from the river as Tundri joined Ceri''s side to see what they had cooked up.


    ¡°Here goes!¡± Wylla took off, her feet digging into the ground, pushing her forward with each step, propelling her faster and faster as her wings fluttered in the wind.


    ¡°Now Ceri!¡± Wylla''s voice echoed as Ceri cast her spell. An ethereal crescent moon appeared in the air above Wylla whose foot had just landed onto the wet sandy ground near the flowing river, launching her into the air.


    Wylla''s orchid butterfly wings flapped hard and fast, creating afterimages as a crescent-shaped beam of silvery ice blue light flashed down onto her shoulder, chilling her arm as a tattoo appeared on her flesh and a wave of cold lunar energy swept through her body causing the weight of her body to lighten... far more than expected.


    ¡°AAIIIEEE!¡± Wylla screamed out as she flew erratically through the air, going higher and higher, further and further leaving the river, Princess Furbee, her cuties, and the ground far behind.


    Her eyes opened wide as she found herself fluttering about above the trees of the western forest. She uttered a prayer in her heart that Ceri''s gravity altering Lunar SnapDragon Hex wouldn''t suddenly end with the ground so far below her; She began to flap her wings rhythmically, seeking to control her ''flight''.


    Ah, this isn''t looking so good... maybe I should have tested Ceri''s hex in the dojo first. What a way to visit this forest for my first time... The worry in Wylla''s heart began to be tinged with fear...


    ¡°Tootle-tu!¡±


    Ceri''s playful voice reached her ear, calming her heart as she felt four little paws land on her back, between her fluttering wings, and begin to push her down. ¡°Yes! Good job Ceri... that''s my girl.¡±


    Ceri and Wylla landed gently back onto the sweet, sweet ground just as the hex ended and the crescent moon tattoo on her shoulder faded away, along with the chilling cold in her body.


    The sounds of foliage rustling and wings fluttering followed soon after as Tundri and Princess caught up to the high flying duo. Wylla looked towards carnival Tundri and his assortment of ''balloons'' wondering how he had crossed the river so quickly since he couldn''t fly like her, but figured with his size, he probably just walked across with large steps.


    With everyone all together again, safe and sound, they returned to their self-appointed quest and followed Princess Furbee for another 10 minutes, breaking through the thickets and arriving at a clearing in which stood a small ring of trees... and the scene of the attack.


    There, before Wylla''s eyes stood five trees resembling sakuras; each one held its own blend of colors: One of cerulean blues and silver, one of pinks and violets, one of purples and gold, one of orange and caramel, and one of cherries and cream.


    And within the center of the ring stood a small house-sized palace made of hardened wax whose walls on the left side were completely shredded and ripped apart.


    On the ground of the opening were the bodies of half a dozen or so furbees. Princess buzzed sadly seeing them again causing Wylla''s heart to ache for her.


    Just then, Wylla noticed that a couple of the fallen furbees twitched as they reacted to their Princess'' soft cry. Rushing towards them, Wylla called out to Tundri to grab a few more Medylixrs.


    They worked fast, pouring the potions over the badly wounded furbees, saving them from the brink of death in the nick of time, lightening the pain in all their hearts.


    Wylla stood up and began to look around, easily finding signs of the beast that did this (since it didn''t bother to hide the evidence left behind... And why would it?). ¡°You can''t stay here any longer Princess,¡± Wylla said, looking at Princess with concern in her eyes. ¡°Why don''t you go with us? We''re heading off to a new magical forest, all of us. You can make your home with the others. Help keep each other safe.¡±


    Ceri and Tundri joined in on the conversation, encouraging Princess to join them which seemed to have worked because Tundri''s helping serpenvine hands soon burst out of his belly pond and began to not only gather up what was left of Princess Furbee''s small palace but also began to collect the colorful ring of trees as they shrunk down in size and disappeared into Tundri''s watery belly.


    While all of that was happening, Wylla was kneeling down on the ground by a huge paw print that was quite deep, leading away from the palace hive. She could see drops of sweet-scented honey on the ground, making her mouth water.


    It seemed she and this big heavy beast (judging by the impressions of its paw prints) both had something in common; a love of honey.


    Standing up, she turned to face the others, happy that all the packing was done and the Princess was being taken inside Tundri to be by her entourage in the ark area.


    ¡°Good. Now that that''s done... It''s time to hunt the beast!¡±


    Storymask


    Wylla and friends'' bright fluffy day has turned gray as tragedy has befallen one of her friends! Coming to their rescue, Wylla has resolved to hunt down the guilty beast and get vengeance for the Princess. Coming Up Next Chapter 63: End of the Beginning Part 4/5


    Author''s Note: I''m happy to write that I have completed this whole arc and will be posting each part up today... just as soon as each chapter is re-read and sent through Grammarly... so give me about an hour or two between each posting. Also, I''ll be posting a new sketch my niece drew of Syldrake Wylla in the following chapter! ;)

 Chapter 63: End of the Beginning Part 4/5

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 63


    Wylla and her rascally cuties wended their way through the forest, guided by the basketball-sized paw prints in an easterly north direction, heading straight towards the Waterfall (judging by the growing sounds of crashing water).


    The giant paw prints led them right to where the cliff met the large blue pond, disappearing at the water''s edge.


    They spent the next 5 minutes searching for where the beast could have gone, looking into the deep blue waters of the pond, seeing if it was lying in wait deep down below.


    Growing a bit frustrated, Wylla activated her Oryn Spirren Eyes and retraced the beasts prints. Her eyes glowed, revealing a pathway born of rock under a foot of water, the after traces of the beasts energy still glowing with each step it took.


    It would have been easy to miss this pathway which blended into the cliff''s wall had the paw prints not led her here.


    ¡°Alright, time to see where you''re hiding.¡± Wylla gathered up the bottom of her dress in one hand and stepped onto the underwater stone pathway using her free hand to press against the cliff''s wall for support like a handrail. The cold wet pathway led them to a large entrance of a tunnel that was hidden behind the curtain of falling water.


    ¡°Figures, I should have known this tunnel would be here the moment the prints disappeared into the pond.¡± Heck, I should have known the moment I saw the waterfall. /sigh A wet Wylla muttered aloud as she peered into the long stone tunnel whose walls were shades of deep gray with hints of blues. She could see small streams of water trickling down the walls as moss and small foliage grew out of the many cracks.


    Bolstered by the company of Tundri and Ceri, Wylla ventured forth, entering the dragon... so to speak.


    They followed the tunnel for about a quarter of a mile, Tundri''s jelly lanterns lighting the way with soft colorful glows. ¡°Ah, it''s a good thing you brought them along Tundri, otherwise we''d be walking in the dark,¡± Wylla said, Ceri tootling in agreement as their praise made Tundri happy.


    They soon found themselves near a bend in the path as colorful light shone down from above. Curious, I wonder what''s creating light. It shouldn''t be more jelly lanterns... right? Because there''s no way they could have left those paw prints. Well, only one way to find out. Wylla walked slightly ahead of the others, stepping round the bend first, and stopped to stare at the ceiling above. ¡°So pretty...¡± She muttered as Ceri and Tundri reached her side.


    The ceiling was covered in colorful bioluminescent foliage gently lighting the path in soft glows of pinks, violets, purples, blues, silvers, and golds; Making it easy to see the end of the passageway about 40 yards away from where it looked to open up into... somewhere.


    Wylla began to move forward stealthily, not wanting to alert the beast. Her eyes focused on the large entrance, trying to pierce the darkness that lay beyond, searching for movement in case the beast decided to head their way.


    Closer and closer she stepped, her heart thumping and stomach fluttering; Everything within her telling her that the beast''s lair lay just beyond that opening.


    Pausing, Wylla turned and whispered to Tundri, asking him to half fill her large pouch with a mix of potions and the small pouch with the special trump card and hand them to her. Tundri nodded, doing as asked.


    Equipping the pouches over her shoulder and across her body, Wylla opened her status page and began to read, pausing for a moment when her eyes landed on [ Familiars (1/3) ¨C Starlyng SnapDragon named Ceri ]. ¡°Ooh, I can have two more familiars... Good to know...¡± She muttered to herself with a smile, before moving on to review her skills and abilities.


    She then did the same with Ceri and Tundri and then, with all their abilities in mind, began formulating a battle plan which she then shared with the quietly waiting duo. Breathing in deeply, and bolstered by their preparations and plan of attack, Wylla continued forward towards the large looming entrance.


    Ceri quietly followed by her side as Tundri trailed behind, his helping serpenvine hands gathering the glowing foliage from the ceiling above.


    Arriving at the entrance, Wylla took a final deep breath, steadying her nerves, and stepped through the opening into a large cavernous room with Ceri by her side. Just as her eyes were about to scan the area, a panicked ¡°Wah!¡± called out, closely followed by a wave of jittery emotions, hitting her from behind, forcing her to spin around.


    Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the entrance into the room sealed off by a golden green barrier resembling thick hardened sap. And a trapped agitated Tundri on the other side.


    He pounded on the barrier with cauldron-like fists. The rumbling sounds echoing in the large cavern, destroying any and all elements of surprise Wylla may have held. Breathing in deeply, Wylla walked up to the barrier, sending out comforting words and waves of emotions.


    ¡°It''s okay Tundri. There''s no need to worry okay? Ceri and I got this! Just sit right there, safe and sound, okay? Remember, you have a lot of passengers with you... depending on you. So be good and cheer us on. There''s nothing to worry about because like I said... we got this!¡± Wylla finished with a clenched fist, putting up a front of utter and complete confidence. I hope.


    She then turned around and scanned the area knowing in her heart of hearts that she and Ceri had just entered the Guardian''s Lair... for why else would the room seal her in?


    The cavern was huge, about the size of a football field, and square-ish with round corners. The ground was rock hard and flat providing no cover. The ceiling was lumpy and high allowing Ceri plenty of room to maneuver. And the lighting was as bright as a full moon night.


    Wylla eyes roamed over the cold stone walls, coming to a stop on an arched opening on the other side of the cavern which was covered by a similar sap barrier. Hmm, that must be it, the way out... The way to Abrynth. And that large hill on the right side of the entrance must be where the guardian resides... I think.


    As if on cue, the top of the hill began to shake, and then rise. A low growl reverberated throughout the cavern, echoing upon the walls.


    Overcome by the beast''s aura, Wylla took a step back; Her body tensed, switching into butterfly form as her wand materialized into her waiting hand.


    The huge beast turned to glare at the intruders. Angered that they dare enter his lair and interrupt his sweet, sweet feast. Why? Why did they come? Could it be they''re here to steal... to steal his delicious golden treasure?


    The thought of them doing so, of these bugs stealing his hard-earned golden furbee honey orbs caused him to become angrier and angrier as his eyes flared reddish-green; Opening his massive maw, he dropped a half-eaten honey orb onto the ground and lumbered Wylla''s way with ground trembling steps.


    ¡°I think we''re gonna need a bigger boat,¡± Wylla muttered, before shaking her head and looking up towards Ceri. ¡°You need to stay high and use your curse when I use mine. Make sure to re-apply it whenever its duration ends.


    Other than that, stay on the defensive, beware of your surroundings, and listen to my orders okay? Luckily, there''s no way that huge monstrosity can fly so you should be safe up there.¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-too-too!¡± Ceri cried out, as the beast step off the hill, leaving a small mound behind.


    ¡°Don''t worry Ceri, with its huge size, there''s no way it can move faster than me. I''ll hit it and run until it drops dead!¡± Wylla said, doing her best to calm Ceri and reassure herself that everything was going to be fine.


    Now, let''s see what powers and skills you have. Wylla''s eyes glowed as the beast drew nearer, an infobox popping up before her:


    [ Rank 1 Guardian Sylbear named Flowers. If you''d like any further information than what''s been given, then you''ll have to discover it on your own through... battle! Good luck, we''re rooting for you. ;) ]


    ¡°Ah, just look at its size... are you sure it''s not a Syl-hippo?¡± Wylla muttered under her breath. Eyeing the strands of honey dripping from the bottom of its maw. ¡°Although, I''ll say this for him, he''s kind of cute for a furbee honey thief... and murderer!¡±


    The beast, or rather, Flowers came to a stop just 20 short yards away from her. He huffed as Wylla looked over his body, searching for weaknesses, but seeing none.


    Flowers was huge, the size of a hippo huge. His underbody, legs, and the back half of his body were covered in tough redwood hued barkskin.


    Atop his snout over his head and down the front half of his giant back was a garden like Tundri''s. His maw was filled with long sharp fangs and his greenish-black claws clacked on the rock hard ground when he walked.


    Just looking at him Wylla could guess that he most likely had strong health regeneration, as well as poison and plant-based magic resistances like most of the elite flora beasts in this starting area. And needless to say, she knew she had to stay away from his crushing instakill melee attacks... especially while in her butterfly form.


    Heart beating hard, body trembling from a combination of fear and adrenaline, Wylla lifted her wand and did her best to steady herself and aimed straight; Streams of energy surged within her, flowing to her hand, waiting to be released, ¡°Briar Bloodrose Curse!¡±


    The battle began.


    A bloodred liquidy spider jumped off the tip of Wylla''s wand, rushing towards a lumbering Flowers, who paid the little insignificant spell spider no mind. A second later, a blueish black Wynbella raven shot out of Ceri''s magic circle and headed straight down towards Flowers''s unguarded backside.


    His large muscles rippled as he dug deeper into the ground, and powered himself forward at a speed that took Wylla by surprise.


    Seeing his prey frightened and panicking, Flowers increased his speed, paying no heed to the bloodred liquid spider that jumped before him; The little spidery curse missed the right foreleg of its target but luckily managed to land on the hind leg where it wrapped around with thorny tendrils and tattooed itself into the guardian''s barkskin.


    Flowers snorted, if this was the extent of this winged bug''s strength then he had nothing to fear for there was no chance she''d be able to threaten his life.


    Clenching her teeth, Wylla turned her body to the right, exposing her left backside to the bull-rushing Flowers and dodged.


    Relief filled her heart as Flowers''s large body went past, missing her as the wind he carried in his wake tossed her hair. Then a flash of evergreen whipped through the air and...


    WHAP!


    ¡°AAIIEE!¡± Wylla cried out in pain, rubbing her lower bum, feeling a burning line of pain. What hit my... my... that hurt! She turned around, a look of grievance in her eyes and cheeks puffed as she spotted Flowers near the cavern''s wall, staring at her with ''grr-grr'' laughter streaming out of his maw.


    Now that he found this little bug to be no threat, he didn''t mind playing with her for a while... before adding her to the menu!


    Wylla''s eyes focused in on Flowers back, where a pair of Serpris like serpenvines now swayed to and fro. So it was them... just wait. I''ll pay you back and then some!


    ¡°Fine, you want to play, let''s play!¡± Wylla lifted her wand, unleashing her next spell as Flowers once again bull rushed towards her... but at a slightly slower pace as the cold from Ceri''s curse (which landed on his back during his whipping attack on Wylla) chilled him.


    Blueish white pits opened up in the ground before him, actually startling him as he clawed into the ground to slow down and change direction. But how could doing so with such a huge body be easy?


    Wailing sounds echoed out of the pits as ghostly leech vines burst forth, wrapping around Flowers left foreleg and slowly, so very slowly began draining his stamina and oryn energy.


    Wylla felt her health return to full, her blessed regen further aided by the small leeching effect of the bloodrose curse she placed on Flowers. Okay, he''s all dotted up now... time to run and gun!


    She began to run in a large circle away from him, unleashing a stream of Dreamnisca SnapDragon Bolts as they streaked through the air towards a much too close for comfort Flowers who acted as if he was simply taking a stroll on a bright sunny day.


    Just like I thought... he has both poison and plant-based resistance. Either that or my spells just aren''t penetrating his barkskin armor.


    But it was not that her spells weren''t doing any damage, it''s just that the damage that was getting past his defenses was low and her Oryn Spirren Eyes weren''t strong enough to view his health bar... because if they were, then she would see that her plan was slowly working.


    Flowers''s health was going down bit by bit and her and Ceri''s curses were negating a good portion of his regen ability.


    But at the pace in which his health was falling Flowers felt no fear, knowing that with one swipe of his massive clawed paw it would all be over so he proceeded to toy with her, moving left and right, swatting the incoming snapdragons with his meaty paws, trying to corral her into a corner as his pair of serpris vines took action and began to spit out small barrages of needle-like thistles catching Wylla by surprise...


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Wylla yelped, as a trio of needles bit into her right flank, near her still stinging whip wound causing her to change course. Wylla glanced back, confirming the source of the attack.


    Great, just great! He has a ranged attack. How is this fair? How brokenly OP did they make him. Tank-like armor and machine gun needles... Is this one of those game scenarios where you''re supposed to die in order to experience the death and respawn process?


    If so, no thanks! I sure as heck don''t want to experience it. After all, just getting hit by that whip and those needles hurt... so I definitely don''t want to experience the pain of a death blow...


    ¡°Grr-Grr-Grr...¡±


    Huh, sounds like he''s laughing at me again... I''m getting a bad feeling... Wylla looked around her. Gulping, as she realized her mistake, her mistake of letting her mind wander during a life and death battle against an overpowered foe.


    Flowers stood there chuckling, joy in eyes as he stared at the lost in thought little bug; Her face changing in the realization that she had fallen into his trap and was now cornered with very little wiggle room.


    A tootle sounded from above and the little bug responded but Flowers ignored their noise, summoning up the oryn energy within his chest and sending it out to his limbs; Streams of red flowing power that Wylla witnessed with her Oryn Spirren Eyes forcing her to call upon a power of her own...


    Roaring, Flowers charged forth at a tremendous speed, his eyes glinting with glee at the thought of smashing this annoying little bug.


    But then something strange happened... causing worry to enter his heart.


    The little bug was changing, growing in size as a bladed tipped tail sprouted from above her bum, the wand in her hand disappearing... and a little dancing Starlyng SnapDragon swooped down from above; Her beautiful rhythmic movements catching his eyes for but a moment, but that was all that was needed as her Jinx took hold in his mind causing the world to greatly sway as his right paw came down hard on top of his left paw!


    ¡°AARGH-GRR!¡±


    BAM!


    Flowers jaw slammed onto the rock hard ground, turning his powerful oryn fueled charge into a rumbling tumbling world spinning train wreck as his huge body rolled (serpris vines flailing, slapping hard against the ground with each roll)...


    A rolling train wreck that was heading right at Syldrake Wylla!


    ¡°Oh shi...¡± Having no time to waste on words, Wylla bent her knees, lowering her center of gravity and then exploded upwards as her powerful legs and tail pushed off hard against the ground; Her body turning in the air like an Olympic high jumper as Flowers rumbled by... WHAP!


    ¡°AAIIEE!¡± Wylla once again cried out as those darn serpris vines somehow got past her tail and once again whipped her bum... this time diagonally.


    The stinging slaps spun Wylla''s body, causing her to spin in the air and land on her side with a jarring THUMP!


    ¡°Oww!¡± Wylla winced in pain as her left shoulder and side ached.


    BOOM!


    A crash echoed and the ground trembled as Wylla, holding her left arm, turned and looked towards the source of the sound; Wincing as the movement caused the stings on her bum to flare. ¡°Good! That''s what you get... you big hentai bear!¡±


    Her eyes stayed on Flowers''s battered body that was sprawled up against the cavern''s stone wall; A wall now lined with spidery webs of cracks. His eyes were opened but unfocused as he shook his head from time to time. If this was a cartoon, there''d be stars circling around his head. Ah, what am I doing wasting time on such thoughts! This is the opportunity I need. Rising to her feet, Wylla breathed in and out, steadying herself... and ignored the pain.


    The energy within her rolled as she summoned her staff into her hands transforming it into her Bloodrose Assegai Spear; The half dozen thorn-tipped briar tendrils sprouting out from right below the long-bladed spearhead wiggled in anticipation.


    ¡°Time to finish this!¡± She started with a walk, and then shockingly watched him start to rise, forcing her into a sprint with her spear raised. I need to hit him hard before he''s fully up and running again!


    Hearing footsteps, a swaying Flowers turned her way and growled.


    ¡°Hi-ya!¡± Wylla yelled, sending a powerful spear thrust towards Flowers''s neck!


    ¡°GRRR!¡± Flowers''s body moved before he could think to cause Wylla''s thrust to miss its mark as the spearhead bit into the huge beast''s left foreleg''s shoulder.


    Flowers'' body jerked in pain, catching Wylla off guard as the movement nearly ripped the spear from her hands.


    Seething red, Flowers wildly swiped high in front of him; Seeing the big paw coming, Wylla dodged low and stepped to the guardian''s left as a barrage of needles pelted her, bouncing off her Syldrake scales with a rain of ''tinks''.


    ¡°Fine, you want my attention... you got it!¡± Wylla muttered through gritted teeth, eyeing the pair of serpris vines.


    Her spear began to dance, a whirl of feints and thrusts, keeping Flowers fangs and claws at bay. Her tail swaying behind her like a viper, waiting for an opening to strike; To end those annoying Serpris stalks that were busy peppering her body with needles, the sounds of their ''tinks'' ringing out as most bounced off her majestic Syldrake armor.


    Flowers''s anger was growing and growing as his forelegs and chest bled from a dozen or so... pricks. He turned his head, lunging forward with an open maw as Wylla leaned back and to the right, away from the deadly bite as her coiling tail shot forward.


    Seeing a streaking shadow heading towards his eye, Flowers closed his eyes, lowered his head, and lifted his right foreleg like a shield.


    Seizing the opportunity, Wylla stepped to his side, and swung her spear up high like a slashing scythe SLSH!


    A serpris appendage flew up into the air, severed at the base, landing on the ground with a thump.


    Yes! One down... (Her eyes moving from the fallen serpris tendril to the lively one on Flowers left side) one to go!


    Pain and rage burned in Flowers''s veins as he shifted his body, facing Wylla, guarding his left side to protect the remaining serpris tendril as the bleeding stump on the right began to thicken and slow, the healing process kicking in but at a much slower pace thanks to the combination of Wylla''s and Ceri''s still ticking curses.


    His chest expanded and his claws dug deep into the ground as he lunged forward with an open maw and bellowed out a fierce oryn fueled roar.


    "ROOAARR!!!"


    A deep penetrating sense of dread pierced Wylla''s heart causing her body, bones, and muscles to stiffen and her skin to tremble as the sounds waves and spittle buffeted her. Her heart beat erratically, her ears ached, and her hold on her spear loosened.


    And a switch in the back of her mind triggered, activating one of her trump cards as her Syldrake scales sprouted out covering the parts of her body that were exposed before, wrapping her up like full plate armor increasing her defense... and her strength.


    But only for the next 30 seconds...


    Enraged, Flowers swung his huge clawed paw in a powerful swipe towards Wylla. Above Ceri ''tootled'' with everything she had at Wylla willing her to dodge!


    Storymask


    Wylla and Ceri have found themselves in the middle of a deathmatch against a beast far greater than they had thought they were after. And all Tundri can do is sit and watch as a massive swipe heads Wylla''s way seeking to end here as Ceri cries out for her to dodge! Coming up Next Chapter 64: End of the Beginning Part 5/5.


    Good News: This seems like a good place to share the new sketch my nice sent me called Syldrake Wylla! There are two sketches, the same in every way except one has scales on Wylla''s cheeks and shoulders and the other doesn''t. For those that can''t see the sketches down below to click on the following links: Syldrake Wylla and Syldrake Wylla 2

 Chapter 64: End of the Beginning Part 5/5

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 64


    Enraged, Flowers swung his huge clawed paw in a powerful swipe towards Wylla. Above Ceri ''tootled'' with everything she had at Wylla willing her to dodge!


    Wylla heard Ceri''s cry, and more importantly, felt her desire through their connection, bolstering her will power, snapping her out of her fear-induced stupor.


    Seeing the swipe coming, Wylla lifted her spear and put her whole body into a powerful forward thrust, catching Flowers by surprise as his paw slammed into her, sending her flying, but at a huge cost as the heavy swipe drove the long piercing blade of Wylla''s spear deep, easily piercing his barkskin armor, plunging through muscle and flesh, cutting through ligaments where his right foreleg attached to his body.


    ¡°ARRGH!!!¡± Both screamed in pain in near unison.


    Wylla''s body flew over a dozen yards, hitting the ground hard! Kicking up dust and debris as she tumbled to a hard stop.


    ¡°OWW!¡± Wylla cried out; Her back coming to a crashing halt against the hard rock wall of the cavern; The impact causing small cracks to form on her scales.


    Wincing in pain, her eyes flickered to the top right corner of her vision, confirming what her body was feeling as her health bar flickered down to less than a quarter full. If I hadn''t been in my Dire Syldrake Battleform... I''d be dead right now... Shaking her head to clear her mind of such thoughts, she focused past the pain and burgeoning despair, and called out to Ceri, her voice weak and raspy, ¡°Cover me...¡±


    Ceri flew up to the badly limping Flowers, the blood flowing down his wounds thickening... slowing. Ceri warily stayed out of reach, of his claws and his fangs, dodging the needles that were flying her way from the mouth of the remaining serpris. But since there was just one, she had a much easier time.


    Ceri breathed in deeply as Flowers ignored her, marking her as no threat, and tunneled in on the lizard that skewered him, making him bleed! The lowly lizard who was pushing herself up off the ground with trembling arms.


    Wylla got back onto her feet, swaying as she wiped the blood from her mouth, feeling the energy supporting her Syldrake form nearing its end. She inhaled deeply, and nearly retched as a vile stench hit her. Looking down, she saw what it was; The small pouch holding her last trump card was dampening.


    Ugh, not good, got to get rid of this... fast! Wylla quickly, and painfully removed the strap from her shoulder, and absentmindedly tossed the foul pouch away from her body, where it flew through the air, landing with a wet squelching sound, right in front of a bloody but angry Flowers who was shambling her way with her spear still plunged into his right foreleg shoulder.


    So near to his goal, of ending this STINKY lizard bug! Coughing and doing his best to not inhale, an irate Flowers shambled around the stinking bag, and headed Wylla''s way, preparing himself for a final lunge; Wylla looked past Flowers, waiting for something to happen, to make her move...


    Flowers body coiled back in protest, claws biting into the earth beneath his left paw, his red tainted eyes focused solely on Wylla.


    He opened his jaws, fangs glistening, ready to lunge and rip flesh... when the sounds of air being blown out rained down, quickly followed by a mouthful of billowing purple and pink spores that blanketed his head first, and then the front half of his body.


    The poisonous cloud flowed into his open maw, flowing down his throat causing him to gag and cough. His eyes lost all sight of his target as they burned and watered. The world seemed to spin and shift for a moment, causing him to sway, and lose his footing; The poisonous effect of Ceri''s Dreamnisca Spore Breath lasted for only a fraction of the time it normally would on foes without such strong poison resistances. But thankfully it lasted long enough for Flowers to lose his equilibrium and tumble down onto the hard ground jaw first as he cried out in pain.


    Wylla''s Syldrake form ended at that moment as she quickly shifted back into her butterfly form. She then cast her hex, re-applying her ghostly leeching vines onto Flowers prone body and ran knowing that there was no way she could let that beast near her again.


    Her body, battered and bruised, protested in pain, especially her right side but she had no time to listen; Her dress ripped and tattered, and side bleeding from the slashes across her waist, hip, and upper thigh.


    Need to heal... time to heal... hide to heal... but where? Her eyes jolted about, scanning the huge cavern room but it was all flat open space with nowhere to hide!


    If only... if only it was like my training sessions yesterday... filled with trees and... and... Ah, that''s right! Trees and...Her foot hit the ground, sending energy into the earth causing it to rumble and tremble as a large earth flora pillar rose up towards the ceiling, reaching over 6 feet in height!


    Eyes still burning, and throat still gagging Flowers rose up from the ground. He let out a loud broken roar, angry that the annoying bug was gone!


    Turning around, he clawed the ground in frustration; The area around him was no longer flat terrain, no... there was now a forest of earth flora pillars standing before his eyes making it hard to spot that stinky bug!


    Since he couldn''t use his eyes to spot her, he decided to use his nose and ''sniff-sniffed'' the air but that was no good; Between that smelly bag that the lizard bug threw at him and the poisonous spore cloud, his sense of smell was out for the count... so he could only rely on sight and sound.


    But the bug was being quiet as a mouse and hiding behind all these blasted pillars... aargh! The urge to smash, to rampage bubbled up within him as he shambled forward with heavy steps and hard ragged breaths.


    Wylla, crouching behind one of the pillars, giving her body time to heal and mind time to think turned her head to the side, listening.


    Guided by Flowers''s steps and breathing, she scuttled around the pillar, keeping it between her and Flowers. She lifted her trembling hands to her scalp, pressing down hard with whitened knuckles, trying to force a plan out of her mind as her heart thumped loudly in her chest.


    Doubt gave rise to despair as she started to mutter, ¡°This... this is impossible. He''s too big... too strong. My spells hit him like... like softballs, my stink bomb trump card is gone... (She looked down at her other damp pouch, becoming further disheartened) as are my potions. And my Syldrake form is on cooldown... one hit and it''s over... heck, even if I had full health, it would be over... I.. just... can''t... win...¡±


    Just as Wylla was about to give in to despair, her infobox popped up:


    [ You got this Wylla. You can do it... just like in the dojo when you finally beat that mini-boss spidoll after a dozen tries. You didn''t quit then... so don''t quit now because the power to win is inside you!


    Just think and search for it within... and grab onto it. Make it your own... a part of you. Mold it, shape it, and use it to... slay this beast! ]


    ¡°Aye, lassie! You can do it!¡± ¡°That''s right girlie, the knowledge and power to win are in you.¡± ¡°¡±¡±We Believe in You Wylla! So Fight... and Kill the Beast!¡±¡±¡± Words of encouragement rained down on her as Ceri flew down nuzzling in support.


    Tears streamed down Wylla''s cheeks, as she clenched her fists, steeled her heart wiping her face dry, and looked up mouthing a silent but clear ¡°Thank You.¡±


    Okay... I got this. The power is in me... so what do we know? His resistances are strong... or maybe it''s not just his resistances... alone. Maybe the reason my spells are doing so little damage is also because of his... armor. His barkskin armor.


    And if that''s the case then I need to get rid of them... but I can''t get rid of his resistances since their from within him... I think. But his barkskin, that I can get rid of... so what can I do. Hmm... in games acids and corrosive liquids destroy armor... and fire burns wood.


    So If I had something that was both acidic or corrosive and fiery... then I could... take him out.


    Thoughts of fire and something dark and liquidy... something corrosive kept circling round Wylla''s mind. Fire, I have plenty of experience with heat thanks to my alchemy. And fire thanks to cooking back home.


    As for corrosive... why do I keep picturing dark... purplish liquids when I think of corrosi... Oh, that right!


    That huge plant Tundri gathered... the one I saw from the kitchen window this morning... what was it called... it was like the Titan Arum... Arum... Yes, that''s it. Noctis Arum!


    So if I combine fire with a Noctis Arum and turn it into a type of bolt... Wylla''s eyes glowed as the energy within her chest rushed to her mind where a seed... a seed of magic sprouted and a new spell entered her Druwytch Grimoire.


    Ah, that''s a little different than what I expected, well in shape that is... although it probably took that shape because of all the Wuxia stories I''ve read... either way, it''s perfect! Wylla thought as she read the spell''s description:


    [ Noctis Phoenix Bolt: Streams of dark corrosive energy merge with phoenix energy forming a bolt which streaks towards the target transforming into a dark purplish flamed Phoenix whose body is made of corrosive liquid flames resembling dark lava under a black light.


    The Noctis Phoenix explodes upon impact causing minor plant damage and major corrosive flame damage. Targets will continue to burn for 6 seconds taking 15% of the spell''s initial damage every 3 seconds and corroding their armor. Current Damage Strength: 5 to 8 points of damage. All crits add 50% more damage. Cost to Use Skill: 6 Oryn Energy Power ]


    Peeking around the pillar, Wylla watched as Flowers hobbled about, her spear still stuck in his shoulder, and his breathing sounding ragged... and tired. His eyes looked towards her direction but just missed seeing her as she ducked back and began to plan...


    Hmm, there''s no way he should be able to keep up with me now. And it seems my Hex is finally taking a toll on him, chipping away at his stamina and energy so I just need to keep my distance and blast him with my new spell while keeping an eye out for his charge.


    So... no need to carry this extra baggage. Wylla thought to herself as she removed the large damp pouch from her body... the pouch that had held her Medylixrs and Orynlixrs and Refuelixrs that was supposed to be her ''in case of emergency drink this'' plan.


    She was about to toss it aside but followed her urge to look inside first. Yup, as expected. All the earth flora bottles broke... but couldn''t I just reform them then into one large bottle? Sure the potions would be mixed, and a lot of it has already soaked into the pouch... but there should be enough to top off my health, oryn energy, and fatigue bars. Couldn''t hurt to try...


    As Wylla began her little experiment, Flowers stopped moving for a bit. Feeling tired, run-down, and quite sore. He needed to do something to get that blasted spear out of his shoulder so his wounds could start healing and his body could start moving the way it was supposed to move.


    So he opened his maw wide, turning his head to the side and tried to bite down on the spear''s shaft... only to be met by the spear''s little thorn-tipped tendrils which grew out of the shaft, just below the spearhead.


    The snaky tendrils speared at his face, getting close to stabbing his eye causing him to growl and shift his head back, abandoning plan A.


    Since that didn''t work he moved onto plan B; To grasp the spear with the large paw of his good leg and pull it out of his body.


    But he soon learned the hard way that this was a bad plan for when he lifted his good leg off the ground, his bad leg wavered in pain, unable to hold up his massive body!


    A wave of pulsing pain nearly engulfed him, clouding his mind for a moment as he quickly abandoned plan B, slapping the paw of his good leg back onto the ground, stabilizing his body before falling face-first... again.


    Before Flowers could even think of a plan C, he heard a voice cry out, ¡°Take this you big bully: Noctis Phoenix Bolt!¡±


    A dark majestic bird with long ribbony tails covered in liquid Noctis flames burst forth from the magic circle in front of Wylla''s wand, streaking towards Flowers backside and... BOOM!


    Flowers body jolted forward as he roared in pain, eyes opened wide as he turned his head, unable to see the black purplish flames burning through the barkskin on his hiney.


    ¡°See, it''s not fun getting hit on your bum right!?!¡± Wylla shouted, standing in the midst of the pillar forest, her hands on hips, shoulders straight, and chest puffed out. ¡°Now let that be a lesson... the last one you''ll ever get!¡±


    But Flowers didn''t hear her; He was too busy sitting down, rubbing his bum across the ground, moving in circles trying to get rid of the burning pain that was eating through his flesh.


    With Flowers health already half gone, right foreleg badly damaged and impaled, and his body ''dotted'' up when Wylla had just launched her first semi-surprise Noctis Phoenix Bolt attack... The results were greater than expected! ¡°Yosh! That''ll leave a mark!¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu!¡±


    ¡°Alright, just like we planned Ceri... let''s finish this!¡± Smiling a bit wickedly, Wylla unleashed a small barrage of dark phoenixes streaking through the air towards ''a just getting back to his feet'' Flowers.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The trio of dark burning lava-like birds exploded into Flowers''s side, broadsiding him as he roared in pain... and rage!


    Eyes seeking blood and mind switched to kill everything mode, Flowers unleashed all the remaining energy within with a mighty echoing ROAR!


    Wylla''s eyes glowed gold as she watched Flowers''s body rapidly change, growing one size bigger as long green-tinted blood thorns burst out of his thickening barkskin armor, and his aura became as blood!


    With his sanity gone, Flowers ignored all pain, turning his head to rip the spear from his body, and tossing it aside like a toothpick with an angry shake of his now horned head!


    Turning, he spotted her! That stinky winged bug that came courting death, seeking to steal his precious golden treasure, interrupting his hard-earned meal, pelting him with dark burning pain... she was just so... so... ¡°AAARRGGHH!!!¡±


    ¡°Get ready Ceri! Once he gets close... do it!¡± Wylla said, her voice sure and strong. With wand aimed, she summoned up her energy...


    Flowers claws ripped the ground, sending chunks of rocky debris into the air and leaving deep gouges in his wake as he powered his huge dire formed body forward, building up steam, charging right at Wylla.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    His wide body smashing through the forested pillars, debris flying through the air as they crumbled, falling to the ground while a flock of dark fiery birds streaked towards him like x-wing starfighters on a mission, their long ribbony tails leaving afterimages behind them...


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!


    The blasts echoed, rumbling across the shaking ground. Bursts of dark purplish fire lit the air like a strobe light... as a furious Flowers burst through the noise and smoke, covered in dark purplish flames and lost in rage, charging on like an out of control horned locomotive roaring all pain away.


    Wylla stood strong, her wings gently fluttering, wand held steady and ready, breathing deeply, eyes filled with focus, gathering all of her regenerating oryn energy as the ground began to shake from Flowers loud heavy steps.


    Closer and closer he got, Wylla''s eyes furrowing and the corner of her mouth lifting upwards as Flowers face, painted in rage and void of all reason, grew larger and larger...


    Seeing his target before him, frozen in fear (or so his rage addled mind believed), he clawed the ground and...


    ¡°Now Ceri!¡± A sharp musical ''Tootle-tu!'' pierced through the sounds of pillars shattering and heavy steps falling as a silvery ice blue crescent moon appeared in the air above; A beam of frosty lunar light shot down, landing in the center of Flowers enraged forehead, sending bone-chilling waves into his red shrouded brain and body as his weight greatly lessened just as he propelled himself up off the ground in a powerful jumping pounce towards that stinky bug!


    ¡°UUG-HUH!?!¡± A sound of shocked surprise and confusion spewed out of his mouth as he watched the ground, and that little bug, move further and further away from him as he rose through the air like the Hindenburg Zeppelin.


    A flock of flaming dark phoenixes streaking straight at him slamming into his body in a series of fiery BOOMS! The deadly explosions echoing far and wide as the air lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July.


    Flowers fiery lifeless body came crashing down to the ground like a comet as Wylla watched with Ceri snuggled across her shoulders, the two of them quietly taking in the hard-earned scene; Their moment of victory.


    Storymask


    Ah! The did it! Wylla and Ceri killed the beast opening the way out of the starting area and into Abrynth... and unlocking the Logout button. But before heading out... there''s loot to be had! Coming up next: Chapter 65: Fluffy Treasure!


    Side Note: Next chapter has already been written and will be posted just as soon as I re-read it and run it through Grammarly... so in about an hour or so ;)

 Chapter 65: Fluffy Treasures

    Book1, Volume 6


    Chapter 65


    [ Yay! Congratulations Wylla! You did it! Just like I knew you could. I''m so proud of you Wylla and of your cuties Ceri and Tundri. I can hardly wait to meet them... Ah, that reminds me, don''t forget to check for loot before you leave.


    Also, once you enter the new passageway, it''ll lead you out of the starter zone and into the magical World of Abrynth! A beautiful world created by my mother (aka your godmother!). ;)


    Once there, features that were grayed out in your Druwytch Grimoire UI will become unlocked and ready to use like the friend list, AutoMap, and Logout button.


    In addition, this means the end of our meeting like this so I wish you well Wylla. And I think I speak for everyone watching here and at home when I say ''We all look forward to seeing all your new upcoming Livestream Video adventures'' which I''m sure there''ll be plenty of.


    After all, I can''t tell you how many viewers that were watching your Livestream Guardian Battle with Flowers stopped, paused and rewound you getting your bum whipped. It''s already been cut, edited, and uploaded as ''Whip it Good!'' and is rocketing up the Top Livestream Vids of the Day chart! Yay! ]


    ¡°Aye, I have it set to loop!¡± ¡°The look in her eyes and puff of her cheeks are super adorable...¡± ¡°I''m framing it!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°That''s my Wylla...¡± ¡°No, she''s mine...¡± ¡°I''ll fight you for her...¡± The voices raining down started to brawl as they faded away...


    Wylla stood for a moment, a slight shiver running down her spine and the corner of her mouth twitching as she did her best to ignore the voices.


    Sigh, Wylla shook her head, took a deep cleansing breath, brushed her hair away from her face, and looked about the ruins of the battlefield, sending her energy through the ground as all the broken and still standing pillars began to sink back into the ground... And a ''Wah-ing'' Tundri came rushing towards her.


    Smiling, Wylla walked up to Tundri as Ceri jumped off her shoulders returning to the air, and gave him a big hug as the water of his belly felt cool against her body, but surprisingly didn''t make her wet.


    Stepping back, looking at her big teddy yeti, she teased, ¡°See, didn''t I say no worries, we got this? Ahahaha... was there ever even a doubt?...¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-too!¡± Ceri chirped in, reminding her of a certain moment during the battle in which she was crouched by a pillar.


    ¡°That wasn''t doubt Ceri... that was me just... just acting... yeah, acting for dramatic effect for the Livestream Viewers... all the great actors do it...¡±


    Rolling their eyes, Ceri and Tundri silently signaled each other and launched a coordinated nuzzle attack stopping Wylla''s muttering as their musical laughter rang out, echoing across the cavern as the trio rolled on the ground.


    ¡°Ahahaha... okay... okay. I give up... I surrender,¡± Wylla cried out, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks as she gasped for breath, rose up off the ground and dusted herself off. Her hand catching in the ripped hole on the side of her dress. Ah, I hope it repairs on its own over time... otherwise, it''ll probably cost an arm and a leg to fix since its a divine ranked dress. Which reminds, my spear!


    Wylla''s eyes scanned the ground, spotting her spear lying near the cavern''s wall; She rushed over and picked it up. Finding that it was undamaged, she sent it back into her core with a smile.


    While she was doing that Tundri was busy gathering her pouches, cleaning them with the magical water from his body (something which took Wylla by happy surprise), and placed them in the mudroom section within. He then looked up towards the mound, head tilted as he saw something... growing? Curious, he began walking over.


    ¡°Okay, now that all my weapons are collected... time for some loot!¡± Wylla walked with a bounce in her steps as she made her way over to Flowers smoldering sprawled body; The scent of burnt honey and wood perfumed the air making her nose twitch and scrunch. Hmm... let''s make this quick.


    Happy that the game''s filters censored out the true scene before her, Wylla reached down and touched Flowers body as a loot box popped up:


    [ Would you like to dismantle Flowers? Y/N ]


    Wylla thought for a moment before deciding yes since it would benefit her in materials and experience. She took out her dismantling knife and followed the holographic hands'' movements...


    About half an hour passed before she was finally done; A pile of claws, fangs, leathery barkskin, other odds and ends, and a fist-sized beast core lay on the ground next to her.


    [ Would you like to loot Flowers? Y/N ]


    ¡°YES! Please.¡±


    The loot box popped up with only one item in the list which Wylla found quite disappointing. After all, it was a long hard-fought battle in which she was badly hurt, nearly killed, and had her dress ruined... so the feeling was understandable.


    That is until she read what the item was, and a great big smile bloomed on her face.


    ¡°Wow, this is... AWESOME!¡±


    Wylla bounced up and down as she read, and re-read the item box description:


    [ Havenscent Sylbiote of Metamorphosis A very rare and unique symbiotic flora lifeform which binds with the armor of the hosts choosing, enhancing its properties and more importantly, allowing the armor to change appearance to match any similarly slotted item which it has been given to consume.


    The altered shapeshifted form will last for an amount of time depending on the energy used in the shapeshifting. Sylbiotes are Self Cleaning, Self Repairing in sunlight and/or with host''s oryn energy.


    Sylbiotes feed on the host''s Oryn Energy and/or magical garments to survive and thrive. Becomes soulbound to the host upon usage. ]


    [ Would you like to equip Havenscent Sylbiote of Metamorphosis at this time? Y/N ]


    ¡°Ah, YES please.¡±


    [ Answer given and received. Please select the gear that you would like the Sylbiote to become: Briar Bloodrose Dress, Furbee Shorty Shorts... ]


    ¡°I choose Briar Bloodrose Dress!¡± Wylla shouted out, interrupting the listings.


    [ Answer given and received. Are you sure you would like to... ]


    ¡°Yes! I''m absolutely sure. I choose my Briar Bloodrose Dress.¡±


    [ Answer given and received. Initiating Process... ]


    A golden-green cocoon of ribbony light wrapped around Wylla''s dress as she felt the energy within her draining, flowing out of her body. The light began to pulse brighter and brighter forcing Wylla to close her eyes tightly.


    [ Ding! Melding complete!... Soulbinding Complete. Ending Process. Congratulations you are now the proud new owner of Havenscent Sylbiote of Metamorphosis. May your journey together in both your worlds be long and fulfilling. ]


    ¡°Umm... thanks,¡± Wylla said, unsure what to make of that last part. Best just to think of it as a glitch. Yup... a glitch. And since that''s the case, she turned her attention to her dress, a smile on her lips as she thought Yes, my dress is now repaired and looking better than ever!


    More than happy with her new acquisition, Wylla shifted her attention to her holographic Druwytch Grimoire which floated out of her chest and opened to her gear section displaying the changes to her new and improved dress. Her eyes zeroing in on the stats which all increased by one: Int +4, Wis +4, Aura +6.


    And newly added special feature:


    Ying Yang Serpris Surprise: Summon forth a pair of Ying Yang Serpris which sprout out from the back of your armor launching a surprise ranged needle attack on your enemies. Each needle can be infused with your magic increasing the power and damage of each needle. Base Non-Infused Needle Damage: 1-2 points per needle. Cost Per Cast: 5 Oryn energy to summon. Plus cost of energy needed if and when you decide to infuse a needle attack. Duration: Can be summoned twice per day and lasts 30 minutes per summon.


    So Sweet! But maybe they should be called Hentai Serpris instead of Ying Yang Wylla thought with a chuckle as she absentmindedly rubbed her bum that was thankfully no longer sore.


    Taking a deep breath and shaking the memory from her mind Wylla turned around and watched as Ceri and Tundri made their way over to her from the direction of the mound.


    Something good must have happened, I can feel the warm vibes they''re radiating and hear Ceri''s happy Tootles and Tundri''s bassy Wahs and cheery Pah-roo trumpeting... ¡°Wait, what? Pah-roo trumpeting... my cuties don''t trumpet. Just where is that coming from?¡± Wylla squinted her eyes, spotting Ceri''s energetic serpentine body flying from Tundri''s shoulders down to... a very shaggy, long-nosed, six-legged pygmy sized newcomer... ¡°Pah-roo!¡±


    Wylla laughed as they neared her, eyes glowing, focused on the adorable new ''mofu-mofu'' cutie shuffling between Ceri and Tundri as an infobox popped up:


    [Newsprout Pygmy Flora SylMammoth - a shaggy (shades of green) spiln furred mammoth with six redwood trunk-like legs, small stubby thorn tusks, long leathery barkskin trunk, flower tipped tail, big round violet-pink eyes, big flappy leafy ears, and a short but stout body all topped with a springy violet-pink flower Ahoge in the center of her head newly sprouted in Havenscent Meadow''s Guardian Lair... ]


    ¡°Ah! She''s so cute! I must make her part of our family!¡± Wylla squealed as she rushed up to the adorably fluffy newcomer who watched her with big round eyes, trumpeting out a happy ''Pah-roo'' greeting.


    ¡°Ahahaha, Hello baby! You''re so cute! I''m so happy to meet you,¡± Wylla joyfully said as she knelt down by the little shaggy newcomer''s side and wrapped her arms around the little beastie''s neck area, burying her face in her soft fluffy fur as the little SylMammoth happily wrapped her trunk around Wylla, returning her hug.


    ¡°Ah, I''ll take you home with us...¡± Wylla said, releasing the hug. "Would you like that? Would you like to be a part of our little family?¡± She asked with a big smile on her face.


    ¡°Pah-roo!¡± The little SylMammoth trumpeted out, nodding her head up and down excitedly.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wylla rejoiced, jumping up to her feet and looking down at her new family member and soon to be second familiar. ¡°Since you''re going to be... no... not going to be... Since you''re now a part of our family you''re going to need a name... something fitting like Yabo... on second thought better not since I remember searching what that word means and your definitely not what that search result says.


    Plus, it sounds more boyish... but what if we change the ''o'' to an ''i''? Yabi... kind of like Bambi... Ooh, I like the sound of that... what do you think Yabi?¡±


    ¡°Pah-roooo!¡± A joyful Yabi lifted her trunk in the air and trumpeted as her six-legs stamped up and down in dance.


    ¡°Ahahaha! Ceri... Tundri come welcome your new sister Yabi to our family!¡±


    The happy little family tootled, wah''d, laughed, and Pah-roo''d in ''mofu-mofu'' celebration, enjoying each other''s company as Wylla put off thinking about the uncertainties of her soon to come logout... showdown.


    Storymask


    Yay! Wylla''s ''mofu-mofu'' party grows again as the shaggy and adorable Yabi joins her fluffy family! But will she be able to keep what she''s worked so hard to get once she hits the Logout button and demands a gender fix? Find out in the final chapter of Book 1 Coming Up Next Chapter 66: The Epilogue (Cue the "Where do we go from here" Song!)


    Side Note: The Epilogue is already half-written, just the front half needs re-writing... plus there''s some bonus stuff I''m hoping will be ready so I''ll shoot for publishing the last chapter by next Friday. Until then, Thank You for all your support... its been quite the fun ride. See you then... :)


    P.S.S. Side Note: I was really torn between calling the new shaggy pygmy sylmammoth addition to the group: Elly (for el-e-phant) or Yabi but went with Yabi in the end because I found it to be more unique, cute sounding, and kind of reminded me of YOLO lol Also, you may have noticed that all three of Wylla''s cuties end in ''i'' ... Ceri, Tundri, and Yabi.

 Chapter 66: The Epilogue (of Book 1 Part 1/3)

    Book 1, The End


    Chapter 66


    ¡°Ahahaha... okay, okay. Play time''s over,¡± Wylla said, still smiling as her upper body rose up off the ground coming to a sitting position, surrounded by her fluffy cuties. ¡°Ah, it''s time to get going. To follow the yellow brick road to Abrynth...¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu?¡±


    ¡°I know... I know... it''s not yellow... that was just an expression... I think? Either way,¡± Wylla rose up to her feet. ¡°It''s time to hit the road jacks... and see what there is to see at the end of the tunnel''s rainbow.¡±


    Of course, her cuties all tilted their heads wondering what rainbows? But chose not to question the point and followed along. After all, maybe she hit her head a little harder than they thought during the fight... so hit the road they did.


    And since this was a road trip to a new world... Tundri offered Wylla a snack.


    A wonderfully fragrant wax orb filled with all-natural delicious goodness type snack, that he found on the guardian''s mound; That used to be Flowers throne and became Yabi''s sprout-place.


    ¡°Ah! Is this what I think it is!?!¡± Wylla asked, holding the golden orb in front of her wide-open eyes. Closing her eyes, she took a small bite, and lost herself in a moment of pure silky sweet bliss!


    ¡°Mmm, It''s so... gooood! Such a delicious Furbee Honey Orb... but where ever did you get it?¡±


    Tundri ''Wah''d'' letting Wylla know that he gathered over a dozen of them when he went to find Yabi... while she was busy skinning Flowers. He saw them all, just sitting there, so he decided to collect them.


    And to her great joy, put them away within the pantry.


    ¡°Ah, make sure you lock the pantry up Tundri!¡± Wylla said with a little too much enthusiasm as a bit of honey dribbled down from the corner of her lip. Tundri ''Wah''d'' mirthfully in compliance.


    ¡°Pah-roo!¡± Yabi trumpeted, reaching out to Wylla''s hand with her long curious trunk.


    Smiling, and comforted in the knowledge that there was more in the pantry, Wylla gave Yabi a piece of her precious furbee honey orb... which Yabi graciously accepted. She let out a very happy ¡°Pah-roo!¡± as she ate her tasty morsel.


    ¡°Ah, it looks like I just created a furbee honey foodie!¡± Chuckling, she looked up at Ceri, and not wanting to leave her out, Wylla also gave a piece to her. Who also happily accepted the treat and ate it with a more than satisfied tootle.


    As for Tundri, he declined. Apparently he ''Wah''d'' that he doesn''t eat... Doesn''t eat, doesn''t sleep. Ah, he''s like the ultimate transformer survivor! Wylla chuckled to herself again.


    After that intense battle, it felt good to laugh and be a bit silly.


    So with a very happy Wylla, and her growing team of fluffy angels... they continued on down the long winding tunnel with Tundri''s soft glowing ''balloons'' lighting the way, leaving the Guardian Lair behind.


    When suddenly, in the lair they just left moments ago, something sprouted atop the guardian''s mound. Growing bigger and bigger... and bigger, until finally, a small roar rang out.


    Rwoar!


    Havenscent''s new guardian had arrived! A cutely fierce Saberthorn Syltiger! (Since apparently the last shaggy long trunked ''Pah-roo'' trumpeting pygmy newsprout one... had very recently been taken.)


    The little long-toothed flowery prince made himself comfortable atop his mound, ready to guard the way out of the soon to be busy Havenscent Meadows starting zone.


    After all, with Wylla''s victory and exit out of the Guardian''s Lair, the rare Sylven race had officially become unlocked for the lucky chosen few players. But just because there would soon be new Sylvens in Abrynth, didn''t change the fact that Wylla was not only the first one but also the only unique one!


    Meanwhile, on and on Wylla and her fluffy angels walked in this ever-winding tunnel, that seemed to have no end. When a ¡°Are we there yet?¡± and ¡°Will we ever reach the end?¡± muttering Wylla heard the sound of water crashing and saw a soft bluish light up ahead, lighting the way out.


    ¡°Ah, yes! Finally, the way out... and of course there''d be water falling over the entrance...¡±


    Closer and closer they walked towards the light, the air around them swirling, lightly humming and vibrating, becoming thicker as it brushes up against their bodies with tingling touches. There was no pain, just playful little jolts, urging them on... so on they marched; Until they reached near the exit, stepping forward through the energized air like walking through a cool silky veil and coming out the other side into a new world.


    The world of Abrynth.


    Wylla looked back, ¡°Ah, just as I thought... it was a one-way trip. No going back to Havenscent Meadows. It''s a good thing we collected so much before leaving.¡±


    Yup, the tunnel behind them had sealed in stone. Turning the tunnel they were once in into a short misty cave. Still, this isn''t a bad hideout. I should mark it down on my map in case of an emergency. One never knows when one will need it... so it''s best to be prepared.


    Happy that they were at the end of their journey, well at least the one to reach Abrynth, they made they''re way carefully out of the tunnel and followed another underwater stone pathway to the soft sandy riverbank under the full moon''s light.


    ¡°Looks like we made it to Abrynth,¡± Wylla said, her eyes getting misty. Taking a quick glance around, at the flowing river and the shadowy forest, she clenched her fists, breathing in and out to calm her heart. ¡°This is it. The end... for now. I hope.¡±


    Her cuties looked at her with worried confusion and sang out. They couldn''t understand why the emotions she was emitting were so sad and uncertain.


    After all, isn''t this where she wanted to come too? As such, shouldn''t she be happy right now?


    Ah, I''m making them worried! Calm down Wylla... everything is going to work out just fine. You''re just going to pop on over to Earth, have a nice little chat with a certain ''somebody'', get your... no... my Pen... Pen... back, and hop right back here to finish Ceri''s and Tundri''s quest, make Yabi my familiar, help Nyra get her familiar, and help the Spriggankin find a new place to grow their village before heading out to the starting city of Elmrise to meet up with all my family and friends.


    Easy... peasy! What could go wrong?


    While Wylla was distracted in thought, an odd occurrence was happening atop the cliff from which the waterfall fell. A ghostly palace-like structure, shining under the light of the full moon, began fading away.


    While in the forested tree line near them... odd shadows were lurking, looking their way... whispering...


    ¡°Everything is alright. No worries,¡± Wylla said, steadying her voice and speaking gently while looking at her fluffy angels. ¡°I just need to go somewhere for a bit using... magic. Once I''m done doing what needs to be done, I''ll come right back so we can continue on our journey! So until then, you can wait for me in the cave, safe and sound, hidden by the waterfall... okay?¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu!¡± Ceri piped with a nuzzle.


    ¡°Wah-wah...¡± Tundri tromboned with a gentle back pat.


    ¡°Pah-roo!¡± Yabi trumpeted with a soft head butt to her thigh. Which Wylla responded to by patting her soft shaggy head.


    Finished with her goodbyes, Wylla summoned her Druwytch Grimoire and opened it up to the menu page. With fluttering stomach and fast-beating heart, she reached over with a shaky hand, getting closer and closer and finally, after all this time, ¡°Love you all¡± and pushed the now active... Logout Button.


    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­


    ¡­ ¡­


    ¡­


    Storymask


    Looks like Wylla has done it. Despite the sadness in her heart and the fluttering in her belly... she went ahead and hit the Logout button! But did she raise a flag before doing so? Find out soon in Chapter 67: The Epilogue (of Book 1 Part 2/3)... which is half a page from being finished and will be released tomorrow!


    Major Side Note: Well, this was supposed to be the last chapter in which Wylla simply said her byes to her cuties, hit the Logout button, went through a little something-something before having a nice fun chat with a certain playful Goddess...


    But then I had a thought, a most wonderful thought that not only had hinted at the troubles to come in Book 2 but also ended with a very big Reveal! And I''m not talking about the Michael/Wylla reveal... No, I''m talking about a certain playful Goddess''s reveal. So... indulge me if you will (please) because by the end of this 3 part epilogue there will be plenty of surprises to be had...  and bonus Sneak Peeks as well.


    And the first one is here right now (just look below)... thanks to my niece (young budding illustrator Kaylin Marroquin) who sent me a colored in Syldrake Wylla sketch! Also, she''s working on sketches of Ceri, Tundri, and Yabi! I''ll post them when I get them.


    In addition, I''m right on track to have the whole epilogue (all 3 parts) done and published by Friday with part 1 right now, part 2 tomorrow, and the big part 3 with all the bonus Sneak Peeks on Friday. So sit right back... and enjoy the show!

 Chapter 67: The Epilogue (of Book 1 Part 2/3)

    Book 1, The End


    Chapter 67


    [ Sorry, you are unable to log out while in combat. ]


    ¡°Huh? Combat? Who''s in com...¡±


    ¡°WAH!¡± ¡°TOOTLE-TU!¡± ¡°PAH-ROOOO!¡±


    Wylla whipped around, instinctually switching to butterfly form as her wings sprouted from her back and a pair of ethereal antennae grew from her forehead. Her wand materialized in her hand as her glowing eyes scanned towards the sounds of growling and strange cloaked... humans(?) shouting out commands to... ¡°capture that little beauty! Don''t let her escape! She''ll be perfect in a maid outfit!¡±


    That''s when she spotted them... packs of rank 2 wolves pouring out of the tree line.


    One of which caught her eyes due to the graceful feline movements of its body; Wylla''s focus causing an infobox to appear:


    [ Very Young Female Lykoi - an extremely rare magical wolfcat beast found within wolfpacks. These beautiful beasts have thick fluffy wolf-patterned coats of fur covering their graceful pantherish bodies. Their wolf ears have excellent hearing, their eyes can see through shadows, and their nose at the end of their wolfcat maws have a great sense of smell.


    Beware, Lykoi''s attack using claws, powerful bone-breaking bites, and magic! Rank 2, Tier 3, Level 4 ]


    Not good. Rank 2 packs of wolves headed our way. And Rank 3 cloaked... freaks lurking in the tree line, that seems to be after me with very bad intentions, controlling these beasts by the sounds of it... We need to go on the defensive and figure a way out!


    ¡°Tundri you''re on defense and crowd control; Walls to block and vines to bind! Cover the ground in entangling foliage... And let them have the smell of our trump card!


    Ceri, give use some Spore Cover and rain down DOTS. Be sure to stay aware of the unexpected and keep an eye on your surroundings.


    Yabi, stay close to Tundri...¡±


    ¡°Pah-ROOO!¡±


    ¡°No worries, we got this!¡± Wylla shouted out commands as the ground before her burst up forming walls; She then leaned over the side of the rising wall and released a trio of dark fiery phoenixes into the packs of growling wolves running their way.


    That was soon followed by a Goddess blessed Tundri, now running in cheat mode, raising a fortress of pillars and walls while landscaping the battlefield in prickly entangling foliage greatly slowing the charging wolves as they yelped out in surprise and pain.


    ¡°What''s happening? Weren''t they just rank 1 weaklings? How did they put up a... a fort so fast? Are you sure your eyes saw right Vandle? Because this ain''t the action of rank 1 weaklings!¡±


    ¡°I''m sure I saw what I saw! My eyes ain''t gone bad yet Aker. Maybe it''s just that little beauty has some kind of powerful talisman on her. One that lets her call up a fort of earth and plants...¡±


    ¡°That does make sense, after all with her looks, I''m sure there''s someone making sure she has ways to keep safe... but if so, then why''d they let her come out here in the middle of the forest at night... all alone?¡±


    ¡°Frell if I know, could be for some kind of training or other. Either way, it don''t matter none since we can jus'' ask her once we ''ave her all tied up and captured for Boss like he done commanded...¡±


    ¡°Kiln''s right! Now stop your bickering and bring that girl to me before I get angry and use one of my sigils on your things, making them wither and die!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, what''s that stench!?! Smells worse than rotting zombies...¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, but it came from over those blasted walls they''re all shivering behind. Vandle, send up the garrows, we need eyes in the sky. Everyone, tear down those walls and get me my... slave maid!¡± The cloaked rank 4 ritualist commanded.


    Not wanting to have their ''thing'' withered, the 3 beast-callers left the safety of the tree line, stepping towards the raging green battlefield misted over with spores and began targeting the earth flora pillars and walls with their shadow blood arrows and beasts as the sounds of leathery bat-like wings flapping announced the arrival of the garrows.


    ¡°Tootle-tu!¡± Ceri cried out in warning, just after having finished unleashing a cloud of spores onto a small group of timber wolves that were seeking to get around the foliage and follow the river to attack them from behind.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The earth flora wall in front of Wylla shook under a barrage of oryn fueled arrows; Crumbling to the ground as a trio as garrows saw their opening and swooped down, sharp dagger claws spread wide.


    ¡°Pah-roo!¡± Yabi cried out, as she left the safety of Tundri''s side and charged to Wylla''s aid. ¡°Pah-roomph!¡± Yabi''s little shaggy body was sent rolling on the sandy ground as a sepia hued timber wolf barreled into her side, headfirst.


    ¡°Yabi!¡± Wylla shouted, coming up from her dodging shoulder roll as the garrows swooped past her... a dark fiery phoenix went flying, slamming into the side of the pouncing timber wolf mid-air, sending him crashing into the ground with a burning yelp!


    The wolf hit the ground as Yabi got to her feet, and then with a stomp of 6 stumpy legs, charged... ¡°Ar-woomph!¡± The still-burning wolf cried out as it was sent flying into the river, sinking under the water to be carried away by the fast-moving currents. Yabi may be newly sprouted but she was born to be a guardian after all!


    Wolfen eyes took in the scene... Now was their chance!


    With a howl, their clawed paws dug into the ground, sending up small sprays of dirt and foliage as they finally broke through the thorny green defense and rushed towards the green-haired sweet-scented winged girl who was busy sending dark flaming phoenixes towards the crafty and cruel gangly Garrows swooping down from above.


    With her packmates beside her, they jumped! Landing on the little girl who shrieked on impact, blanketing her in a pile of fur, fangs, and claws!


    Angry Wahs, Tootles, and Pah-ROOs cried out!


    Humph! What does it matter that they cried out in anger? It was too late, for this little girl would soon fill the pack''s rarely fed bellies! The young Lykoi thought as she sent a claw swipe towards the little girl''s body beneath her... KRSH! Huh? Something was off. That wasn''t the sound of soft flesh tearing. And the little girl... she wasn''t so little anymore.


    A powerful bladed tipped tail rose up into the air through the pile of fur and fangs and claws, soon joined by a pair of Serpris vines as the angry trio swayed for a moment before unleashing... PAIN!


    The sounds of bone aching BAMs! And needle piercing SLSH filled the air as Dire Syldrake Wylla rose up off the ground, her powerful spear a whirl of motion, sending the vicious wolf pack flying!


    The Lykoi sailed through the air, landing hard on the ground with a yelp near Nyra! Who came rushing out of Tundri, along with all the others as soon as they saw the situation Wylla and her fluffy angels were in.


    Nyra turned her head towards the sound of the yelp, eyes wide as the battered and bruised Lykoi rose to her feet; Shaking her head to clear her pain addled mind, the Lykoi looked up, spotting the cute ghostly-blue haired loli witch. Easy Prey!


    Gathering the dark shadowy energy within her graceful feline body, her soft thick coat of Wolfen fur alive with the majestic patterns of her pack, the young Lykoi jumped into the... ground?


    Disappearing from sight, slipping through dark shadows toward the cute flowery loli witch who was nervously looking left and right, ethereal blue eyes searching below as the sounds of battle rained down from above; Where Ceri and her team of fluffy buzzing Furbees and flocks of flying plant beasts began their assault on the now badly outnumbered garrows.


    The loud sounds of battle continued to rage all around as a shadow rippled in front of Nyra, opening; The young Lykoi''s sleek graceful body came pouncing out towards her, greatly startling Nyra to cause her to jump back in fright, becoming ethereal like a ghost, and with a flicker, she disappeared to move through the ghostly Netherworld realm, leaving a cold thorny ghostrose bush behind in her place as she reappeared safely by Tundri''s side!


    As for the young, injured and confused, Lykoi, she yelped out in further pain as she landed in the middle of that ghostrose bush! Their cold thorny vines snaked around their easy prey, wrapping around her thrashing body, piercing her flesh, sending chilling poison into her blood.


    Loud haunting wailing assaulted her mind and heart with a sense of great dread as the world darkened into the mournings black. Body cold and shivering, the young Lykoi fell onto the ground, unconscious...


    The cloaked leader''s green eyes jolted about the battlefield from under his hood. ¡°How? How in the frell did this happen!?!¡±


    One moment, they were finishing crossing the river and had just entered the tree line of the beautiful magic forest, bordering the river, heading back to their lair after their long arduous expedition into the long-forgotten ruins, to retrieve the all too important ''package'' that was safely tucked into the dark messenger bag, shoulder strapped across his body, that cost the lives of over half his team; When suddenly, they heard a most enchanting voice and musical calls behind them.


    Turning, he gulped as he saw a beauty unparalleled... a beauty who looked, moved, and sounded like the embodiment of nature! A little Goddess of the Forest.


    And she was standing right there in front of him, on the sandy riverbank, for the taking!


    After all, what threat could that large tree-like garden yeti with all those soft glowing ''lanterns'' pose? And the small shaggy six-legged mammoth, while small and fluffy, was about as scary as the little serpentine beastie circling above.


    She was surrounded by nothing but little rank 1 weaklings!


    And with such a weak-looking group... how could he resist taking this beauty for himself, dressing her up in a cute little slave maid outfit, and having her serve him?... He''d be the envy of others!


    He just couldn''t wait to see that green look on their faces as she entered the room, dusted his shelves, and served him his food and drinks. Ah, such healing... And after everything he had gone through to achieve the mission''s success, wasn''t this his... just reward? For why else would such a prize appear out here in the middle of nowhere.


    ¡°The little beauty is mine, make sure you don''t hurt her... permanently. As for the others, toss them in the river for all I care!¡± The raspy voice commanded. Ahahaha... This is going to be... too easy! He thought to himself. After all, he was a rank 4 ritualist and his three companions were all rank 3 Beastcallers.


    Two of which controlled packs of rank 2 wolves and the other a flock of rank 2 garrows.


    Nasty things garrows were, crafty and cruel.


    Their dark gangly bat-winged harpy-like bodies were covered in bone tight leathery skin. A lone crooked horn grew out of the center of their elongated, cylindrical heads, covered in long pointy porcu-quill hair. Oily pairs of eyes and wide beakish maws full of needle teeth completed their goosebump-inducing looks.


    These cunning beasts enjoyed swooping down from above, to bleed their foes with claws and bladed tail whips while they were busy looking the other way.


    He almost felt sorry for the cute beasties accompanying his soon to be loli slave maid... almost.


    But then things went horribly, horribly wrong as walls and pillars of earth covered in flora rose up from the ground forming a fortress-like structure in a near blink of the eye.


    Every time one of the walls and pillars were destroyed, two would rise up to take its place! And much too much entangling foliage sprouted up from the ground. No matter how many AOE spells he chanted to clear them, they just kept... growing. (For how could he know that Tundri''s magic was currently enhanced by the power of the Goddess''s Blessing?)


    But then it got stranger because out of nowhere, tides of beasts made of plants started to emerge and attack the beast-callers and their beasts, on the ground and in the air.


    Heck, there was even a trio of flowery flying piranha-like fish swimming about the air, targeting any and all foes with their needle teeth mouths. And even when you killed one, another would rise up from the fortress to take its place.


    Just what kind of magical fortress was that!


    Yet, that wasn''t the end of the strangeness, for there was soon a small army made up entirely of a menagerie of two-legged wooden masked plant people attacking in formations with spears, shields, and slings.


    Quite a few of which sent bursts of magic streaking their way.


    And to make matters worse, whenever one of them was too hurt to fight, be it beast or ''maskface'', they''d fall back and run behind one of the fort''s walls, only to return a short while later... fully healed!


    So here he now was, nearly all alone, unable to figure out how something that should have been a simple cakewalk in the forest turned into such a nightmarish clusterfrell with most of the wolves and garrows now dead on the ground; The surviving ones readying to flee because their beast calling masters had all been grabbed, one after the other, by their legs by sneaky vine snakes, and pulled behind the walls to be seen no more.


    Shaking his head in utter confusion and anger, he turned, and ran with everything he had; Dodging through the hail of flying stone bullets, crying out in pain as something wet and fiery exploded into the back of his shoulder, which began to eat away at his cloak and armor... as well as the strap of his dark messenger bag...


    ¡°Tch! It looks like that creep got away, but the victory belongs to us all! Way to go team Havenscent!¡± Wylla cheered as the others joined her.


    A happy little Nyra made her way to the unconscious Lykoi, knelt down, and began to pet her, feeling the beast''s bones beneath her beautiful pelt.


    Poor thing, seems no one ever fed you... Eee, she''s still breathing! Nyra rose to her feet, looking down, face scrunched in thought, and then smiling as she decided something and called upon Tundri to help carry the young fallen Lykoi inside.


    She soon followed after with a bottle of Medylixr in her hand. Once she wakes I''ll feed her lots of meaty Elkshrooms... I''m sure she''ll love it. And then this extremely rare, beautiful fluffy, magical wolfcat will be all mine!


    (Seems she''s learned a thing or two from Wylla and her fluffy sidekicks already! ;)


    Meanwhile, everyone cleaned up the battlefield as Tundri, seeing something smoldering on the forest''s ground went to see what it was because he didn''t want the forest to set on fire.


    Looking down, he saw a dark messenger bag near a shrub; Its burnt through strap still smoldering from Wylla''s Noctis flames. Putting out the flame with his water, he lifted the pouch and then put it away in one of the tall cubbies in his wagon''s mudroom.


    Done, he returned to the riverbank. It seemed everyone was ready to return to the ark and continue on their journey to find a new place to call home.


    ¡°All aboard who''s coming aboard the S.S. Tundri Express!¡± Wylla called out playfully as beasts and spriggankin happily climbed up the short flight of steps onto the porch, and began entering the wide-open red door returning to the wonderful Sylgarden Wagon Ark world within.


    Once ''everyone'' was inside and ready to go, Wylla breathed in deeply, and thought for a bit; Hmm, it should be safe now since the baddies are all gone... well except for one. But he won''t be back anytime soon, so now is as good a time as any to Logout... Yosh, let''s do it then... before I think about it too much... ¡°Okay, Ceri, Yabi, and Tundri. I''ll be going for a little bit...¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu-too?¡± Ceri asked.


    ¡°Yes, this time for sure. But I''ll be back very, very soon okay. I promise. All the baddies are gone, so just wait for me in the hidden cave, safe and sound and I''ll be back... in a blink of an eye! Okay.¡±


    Smiling and in control of her emotions, Wylla nuzzled each one of her cuties, and then summoned her Druwytch Grimoire and quickly located the Logout button. Then with a quick breath, pushed the button.


    A magic circle then flared up beneath her feet, pulsing with energy. The light got brighter and brighter and then... vanished from sight! ¡°Oh for Frell''s sake!¡± Wylla grumbled aloud. ¡°I''m trapped in the long neverending ending version of The Return of the King movie!?!¡± Sigh, as she once again found herself still in Abrynth, after pressing the Logout button... with yet another infobox all up in her face!


    [ Sorry, you may not logout out at this time due to the following divine quest: Ceri and Tundri''s Great Sylgarden Wagon Ark Adventure. The quest must be completed before leaving the World of Abrynth and returning to your world. ]


    Returning to my world? When have I ever left? ¡°Anyways, fine... just fine. It looks like we have a... a place to call home to find so let''s go my cuties.¡± Wylla said, leading the way as her cuties did their best to hide their laughing... and failing miserably.


    ¡°Well, it''s probably for the best anyways,¡± Wylla said as she thought about tonight''s events, of how Yabi''s life may have ended, and since she wasn''t Wylla''s familiar yet... that death would have been final.


    ¡°Ah, I think... no, I know it''s best to make her my familiar before I Logout for real next time. Just in case she''s still moving around ''here'' while I''m gone. After all, with how realistic this game is, I wouldn''t doubt that being the case.


    As such, if Yabi...¡± (gulp) dies when I''m gone I won''t be able to see her again. But if she dies while being my familiar, then she''ll simply respawn in my core.


    ¡°Yup, I''m definitely going to perform that Familiar Ritual once we find the new place for the Spriggankin Village.¡±


    ¡°Plus, I can show Nyra how it''s done... so that''s two stones with one bird!... I think...¡± Nodding to herself, they marched on for 3 nights and 2 days. Following the river as the AutoMap showed that they were still headed in the right direction, towards the small starter city of Elmrise.


    Hmm, that''s quite a long way down. Wylla thought to herself, looking down the cliff''s edge that they came upon, as the river roared over the edge, falling down with a thunderous crash upon the rocks below.


    ¡°Well, looks like the only way forward is down.¡±


    Ceri tootled in agreement, flying over the edge with a haughty yet playful look in her eyes as Wylla recounted how they got here...


    Once they left the area of their battle, they found that for the most part, they were safe despite the fact that most of the beasts in this area were rank 3, with the occasional rank 4 mixed in, and traveling alone or in pairs.


    The oryn energy in this part of the forest was also quite thick and rich so it was no surprise that it would attract higher-ranked beasts.


    But, any time one of those beasts sought to attack them during the day, Wylla and team fluffy would easily defeat the beasts or drive them away. After all, whenever a fight was too hard, the army of Havenscent would come rushing out and send those bad beasties running away with their tails between their legs!


    And at night, when the beasts were more aggressive and active in their search for food, Wylla and Ceri and Yabi were safe and sound within Tundri; Eating dinner and cooking up Tutt-Tutt and Tuttle Pills because she found that now that she was no longer in the starter zone, her body began behaving the way that bodies ought to do.


    And as such, the Tuttle Pills and Tuttle Leafs and moving most of the Slirmes out of the bathroom became a top priority. As for her experience of using the restroom for the first time as a girl, well... somethings are better left to the imagination.


    But what I will say is... this experience reinforced in her the idea that her Tutt-Tutt and Tuttle Pills were worth their weight in gold and that each Tuttle Tree they were carrying was like the goose that lays golden eggs.


    Meanwhile, while Wylla was dealing with the stress of new experiences and comfortably sleeping in a big soft bed with fluffy friends, Tundri was continuing their journey alone with his lotus fish scouts.


    And whenever a beast or more were foolish enough to think of making a meal out of him, they would be in for a very rude... and smelly awakening!


    For Tundri would use his Green Thumb and Gardenheart skills, empowered by the Goddess''s quest blessing, to grow earth flora walls in a V-shape with the foes at the open mouth end; Then he''d sprout tall Skunktail Reeds to block their path to him. Followed by a well placed Jade Spinlyng Flower that would then spin its fan-like petals, blowing a cloud of stench into the faces of the attacking beasties.


    Sending them crying (and retching) back into the forest! Regardless of their rank.


    He really did get quite the chuckle over doing so.


    So now here they were, atop the cliff looking down at the sandy riverbank about 3 stories below.


    ¡°Yup, let''s do it like that then,¡± Wylla muttered to herself as she finished formulating a plan in her head. And turned to Ceri, ¡°Okay Ceri, your time to shine...¡±


    Ceri nodded her head and tootled; A silvery-blue crescent moon then appeared above Wylla as a beam of lunar light fell onto her shoulder, sending chilling energy through her body, and greatly lightening her weight.


    Smiling, Wylla stepped off the cliff and gently began to fall as her orchid butterfly wings sprouted from her back and flapped rhythmically, guiding her descent.


    A cheery ''Wah'' came down from above her as she looked up and behind to see a certainly adorable teddy yeti gently floating down, trailing her with a dozen or so lantern ''balloons'' attached to his garden. Ah, I think I''ll watch that movie again when I get back...


    ¡°Pah-roo!¡± Yabi sang out, stepping off the ledge as Ceri flew in circles around her before gently landing on her soft fluffy back and guiding her safely down.


    And with everyone safe and sound on the ground, they started off once again.


    Storymask


    Wylla and company are nearing the perfect spot to set up the new Spriggankin village, perform her Yabi''s Familiar Ritual (in fast forward ;), and Logout for the last part of the epilogue (and Book 1). So coming Friday Chapter 68: The Epilogue (of Book 1 Part 3/3)


    Small Side Note: I was thinking of leaving a bonus Sneak Peek here but it would just be too spoiler-y... so saving them all for Friday''s final chapter. But I will say this... the Lykoi is an actual wolf cat you can see on youtube :)

 Chapter 68: The Epilogue (The End of Book 1 Part 3/3)

    Book 1, The End


    Chapter 68


    The journey carried on much the same as the level above; They continued following the river, day and night. And whenever danger arose, they''d quickly send it running back into the forest.


    The only difference now was that it was easier to do because the beasts on this level of the forest were mostly rank 2 with the occasional rank 3.


    Wylla figured it was probably because the oryn energy in this area of the forest wasn''t quite as thick, nor as rich as the area above.


    Confirming her guess that the thicker and richer the oryn energy was in an area, the higher the rank of the beasts and others ''things'' that lived there... including plants.


    And so, another 4 days passed as they followed the river which split into twin snaking rivers on the 3rd day; The twin rivers continued to run parallel to one another with a 50-yard or so earth-filled gap between them until once again, the rivers went roaring over the edge of a cliff landing on the rocks below.


    From there, they flowed a short distance away before feeding into a sparkling blue lake. And there was no mistaking that this was definitely a lake and not a pond. Near the lake''s bank, in the blue water, was a small island.


    Ah, it looks nearly identical to my Trinity core, except with twins rivers. And from up here, I can see that a river continues on towards the direction of Elmrise... which looks to be around 5 miles away... if I''m reading my AutoMap right.


    ¡°Let''s see, with all the traveling we''ve done, it looks like we''ve opened up enough of the map to show us that this is the Aetheria Forest we''ve been looking for. And the river we''ve been following is... the Bluryn River that feeds into the beautiful Sylki Lake down below, and continues on out the other side of the lake to Elmrise, where everyone is waiting for me.


    Hmm, that reminds me, my Friend''s List should be active too... and I was right. Looks like everyone is already at Elmrise, not that I''ll contact them right now anyways... Oh, except for Jen Jen. She''s still grayed out but it shouldn''t be long now for her to make it out of her starting zone, I think.¡±


    I wonder if it''ll send her out from the same tunnel it sent us out from. If so, she''s in for a long and dangerous journey back all alone. Heck, I don''t think even we would have made it if it wasn''t for everyone''s help and the Goddess''s Blessing.


    ¡°Her best chance would be to swim or boat back and let the swift currents of the river carry her to safety... So long as she stops in time for the waterfalls. If not, ouch.¡± Closing her grimoire and putting it away, Wylla turned to face her cuties, ¡°I think we found it... the perfect place to make our homes down below! Ceri, you''re up... again!¡±


    And just like before, Ceri hexed and they all floated down, nice and slow, one after the other. Landing on the Bluryn''s soft riverbank, they proceeded to follow the flow of the river for around another quarter of a mile; Arriving on the wonderful Sylki Lakeshore in good spirits.


    ¡°Ah, I think this is really it! The end of our travels of searching for a place for them to call home and completing the quest; But first, let''s make sure the beasts and living things in this area are ranks 1 and 2... which judging by the feel of the oryn energy here, I think it will be.¡±


    ¡°Tootle-tu¡± Ceri sang out, shifting colors, nearly disappearing from sight as she headed across the twin rivers to explore the forest on the other side.


    As for Tundri, he released his softly glowing Anjelly lanterns onto the lake, summoned his lotus fish scouts who promptly disappeared with a splash, and waited for their reports to see if it was safe to release all the water life he held in his belly pond.


    As for Wylla, she took a stroll through the forest in camouflage mode. Making good and sure that her hunch was correct.


    As for Yabi, Wylla had smiled and asked her to stay safe by Tundri''s side since she wasn''t her familiar yet (and Wylla was very afraid of her... dying) and she couldn''t sneak about like Wylla. So with a soft ''Pah-roo'' Yabi did as asked.


    Now, they didn''t just do a superficial search; No, they took the rest of the day and didn''t return until dark to discuss their findings within Tundri.


    And the results were better than good as Wylla and her fluffy angels exited Tundri, to give Lunori and the Old Raven a tour of the area that night; The moon shone down on the lake''s surface sparkling like stars... simply amazing.


    They reached the river''s edge and looked across, past the twin rivers and land in-between, to the forest on the other side. ¡°Hmm, the first thing we need to do is build... uhm... I mean grow a flowery arched Sylbridge across each river bing careful not to grow it too close to the river''s edge in case the waters rise during the changing of the seasons. Also, I think from the land in the middle of the two rivers we can grow another arched Sylbridge to the island right there in the lake.¡± She said, pointing at the island about two buses away.


    ¡°Ooh... now that I think about it, that land between the twin rivers looks perfect for not only my Kokinut, Elmnut, Maikiwi, and Tuttle Trees, but also for Princess Furbee''s palace hive and her grove of trees. Don''t you think so Tundri?¡± Wylla asked, still eyeing that long strip of land that went all the way back up to the cliff. The twin rivers would make for good defenses.


    Tundri nodded in agreement... but first they needed to grow the Sylbridge.


    Lunori tootled in agreement with all the plans Wylla just shared; Along with Ceri and the Old Raven who nodded.


    Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Tundri walked up near the river, put his hand on the ground, and was just about to begin when all of a sudden, the sound of soft burbling bubbles began to arise from the lake''s surface nearby, along with growing ripples.


    Everyone stood still and watched as the water continued to burble and bubble, greater and greater until she arose from beneath the water.


    Wylla gasped at first sight; The new arrival was simply... breathtaking.


    She had long, mostly straight, hair that was the shades of blue waters matching the color of her vibrant eyes. Her dark abyssal blue lips contrasted wonderfully against her light milky blue skin. The moon''s light reflected in soft blues off the watery scales bordering her face, neck, and elsewhere on her athletic and perfectly proportional body.


    She was tall, well compared to Wylla, smelled of sweet-scented waters, and moved with fluid grace as she walked barefooted towards them atop the cool surface of the lake; Her willowy dress (of silvers, soft milky whites, and blues) billowing lightly in the breeze.


    ¡°So you''ve arrived I see. And slightly ahead of schedule. Well, the schedule your mother thought you''d arrive in that is. Either way, it''s so good to see that you and your very adorable friends made it here safely.


    I was really worried, given how strong the beasties in that area are... what with you and your cuties being new arrivals and all.


    Still, I''d like to officially welcome you to our wonderful magical forest and all the beautiful waters within,¡± Her voice was liquid-smooth and sincere as she stepped ashore.


    ¡°Ah, but where are my manners. You''re probably wondering who I am,¡± She guessed, looking upon Wylla''s very cute but also very confused tilted face.


    ¡°Since this your first time here young daughter of Goddess Sylvenori, then you probably do not know who I am; So allow me to introduce myself... My name is Sylki Bluryn, the young Demi-Goddess Guardian of all Waterways in this magical forest called Aetheria. It''s so nice to meet you young... ¡­ ¡­ Pst, It is at this point where you''re supposed to introduce yourself, it''s only proper, right?¡± Sylki said with a light chuckle and a wink.


    ¡°Ah, thas... that''s right!¡± Wylla said in a bit of a panic, shaking her head to wake from her stupor of admiring such a stunning girl... no, that''s not quite right... such a stunning young woman. ¡°I''m Wylla... Wylla Wylden. Nice meet to... Uhm... I mean, so nice to meet you... too!¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, no need to panic so cutely young Wylla. I''m sure we''ll get along wonderfully... like sisters!¡±


    ¡°Uhm.. yes... sort of... sisters...¡±


    Turning from the still addled Wylla, Sylki addressed her adorable sidekicks, Ceri and Tundri. ¡°Now, if I''m not mistaken you have arrived here by the request of Wylla''s mother.¡± She said, not asking. ¡°And if I''m not mistaken, you and your guests have taken a liking to this area?¡±


    Ceri cheerfully tootled and Tundri ''Wah''d'' with a nod.


    ¡°Wonderful, just wonderful. Now then, if you all promise to take care of this area, and my beautiful waters, then I''d be happy to give you my blessing to make this place your new homes.¡± She finished with a welcoming smile.


    ¡°I''m really surprised there aren''t people living around here already with how perfect it is. I''m mean with the city jus...¡±


    ¡°None may live here without my blessing. And none may receive my blessing unless I believe them to be worthy.¡± Sylki interjected.


    ¡°Ah, so tha... that means... you find us worthy? Even though we''ve only just met?¡± Wylla asked in surprise.


    ¡°Ahahaha... Of course, I do. As if the daughter of the Goddess of Forests and Plants would bring great harm to this or any other forest. Psh, don''t make me laugh.


    And as for all those you brought along, by their very nature they belong here. So yes, I give you all my blessings.¡± She said, stepping up to Wylla, leaning forward and giving her a kiss on her cheeks. Sending her blessing flowing within Wylla, rushing to the back of her neck, where a watery sigil appeared within her Starblood Sigil Ring.


    The very ring created to hold all such blessings and bonds... amongst the other things it was able to do.


    She then turned from a still ''pokan'' faced Wylla, stepped back onto the lake, and then snapped her fingers as waves of liquidy magic swirled through the air, brushing each of them standing there on the lake''s shore and disappearing into Tundri''s water belly, where it entered his wagon ark to brush up against all the passengers within, all receiving her blessing.


    ¡°And with that, I look forward to spending time together with you in the near future. I wish you all good tidings and happy homemaking. Farewell!¡± She sank beneath the surface of the lake, disappearing in a burble of bubbles.


    They all stood there for a moment, enjoying the lingering scene and scent before Wylla turned and said with a clap of her hands, ¡°Alright! You heard the young guardian! We have building to do; So Tundri, let''s start with releasing all the water beasties into the lake first; So they can start searching for their new homes before the Anjelly lanterns find all the good spots first!


    And then onto growing Sylbridges so the Spriggankin can decide which side of the river they''d like to buil... Uhm... grow their village on.¡±


    ¡°Then set up the Furbee Palace and grove... and also plant my trees and begin landscaping and planning the layout of the village. As well as raising up earth flora walls for defense and let''s not forget the landscaping of...¡±


    ¡°Wah-wah!¡± Tundri sang, happy to oblige as he walked into the lake before Wylla could continue piling onto the list of things to do.


    With his belly underwater, all the water beasties rushed out into the lake. He then turned, walking to shore, and headed towards the river to use his Goddess Blessed powers to begin growing Sylbridges as Ceri played overhead with all the other flying beasties that were exiting Tundri''s watery belly... which was quite the sight to see.


    As for Wylla, she decided there was something she had to do first before all others... a Familiar Ritual!


    So with Yabi by her side, she called on Nyra to join her. Wylla was quite happy to see that the young Lykoi that Nyra had nursed back to health had taken quite the liking to her; I guess all those Elkshrooms she stuffed her full with didn''t hurt. She had even given her a name... Lykrish. (Which sounded just like the candy.)


    So together, along with a curious Lunori and Old Raven, they went about preparing for the ritual...


    An hour had passed and Wylla was ready. She had shown those around her, each and every step of the familiar ritual, even going so far as to explain her reasoning for each material she placed on each of the 6 offering plates, which were as follows:


    Syldrake Tree Scales for strength and toughness. Bloodrose Cauldron for more toughness and an effect similar to her bloodrose curse, she hoped. The Noctis Arum for its corrosive liquids. A Nethryn Ghostrose because it was a gift from Nyra and she thought she might be able to guide it to become what she had in mind.


    And for the last two, a Jade Spinlyng Flower in hopes of giving Yabi a wind-based skill and a Banshi Flower to give Yabi''s trumpet call some Ooomph!


    So with everything in place, she had Yabi sit down in the center of the Ritual Binding Array Circle, sent her a smile and a kiss; Then with an audience watching, performed the ritual once again as she had before with Ceri.


    The energy built into a towering crescendo and...


    WHOOSH!


    Colorful ribbons of blues, greens, pinks, purples, and gold wrapped around a shaggy six-legged body, fully covering Yabi in a cocoon as a great flash of light blinded Wylla and her audience, and pulses of energy shook the ground.


    Rubbing her teary eyes and blinking, Wylla felt that strange but now familiar connection of a new but warm stream of emotions and flowing thoughts running through her; A ''Pah-roo'' sang out excitedly in her mind sealing the new bond.


    ¡°Yes! You did it Yabi! Welcome to the family!¡± Wylla cheered, as Nyra, Lunori, the Old Raven and quite a few of the spriggankin joined in on the celebration; Even going so far as to start a bonfire on the sandy riverbank and having an impromptu Yabi Fest of food, drinks, and music.


    ¡°Pah-ROO!¡± Yabi happily trumpeted, parading around on six stumpy legs as Wylla admired her new cosmetic changes.


    ¡°Ah, just look at my new cute Yabi familiar! So cute and beautiful!¡± Wylla stood there smiling, admiring the wonderful colorful changes of her new little sylmammoth familiar.


    Yabi, enjoying the warm happy emotions Wylla was sending her way, continued to prance around. Her face was now beautiful shades of light Cornflower blues and her trunk slightly darker; Both were adorned with a smattering of vibrant flowery sigil-like designs of ethereal ghostrose blues matching all 6 of her stumpy legs. And her, oh so soft and fluffy shaggy spiln fur matched the greens of Wylla''s very own hair.


    The big bulbed flower swishing to and fro at the tip of her tail was the same hues as the small ''Ahoge'' flower atop her head and her big round vibrant violet-pink eyes... ¡°And just look at your big leafy ears and short dark purplish stubby tusks, they all have hints of all your beautiful colors in them! I love it!¡±


    Wylla clapped her hands in joy and joined in on the fun, parading around with Yabi, Lunori, Ceri, Nyra, and Lykrish as Tundri parked himself on the riverbank in wagon form, door wide open as the last of the beasties stepped out to enter the forest.


    They celebrated late into the night and then slept for a few hours before waking with the rising of the sun. Then they got to work growing the village with Nyra''s tree home (along with her Nethryn Ghostrose Shrine) being grown by the river with her new teacher, the Old Raven as her neighbor on one side; And Lunori, her new best friend living on the other side. And right across the river from her home was Furbee Palace, exactly where they had planned to place it before.


    It was later that evening that Nyra successfully formed her familiar bond with Lykrish... resulting in another celebration. Which led Wylla to believe that Spriggankin loved to party!


    The whole village was beautifully spread out, landscaped, and had a wonderful earth flora wall for defense which was armed with noisy Banshi flowers, Skunktail Reeds, and Spinlyng flowers... so trespassers beware!


    And on the other side of the rivers is where Wylla had grown her wonderful Syldrake tree home, as well as a few other tree buildings that she thought would be perfect for her family, friends, and soon to be guild.


    Thanks to Tundri''s Goddess Blessing, everything was done within 3 short days. It didn''t hurt that Tundri doesn''t sleep nor eat. Wylla even had a long list of ignored messages from family and friends as proof of the time gone by.


    And so with her familiar ritual successfully completed (and Nyra''s as well), the new village up and running, her orchards planted, all beasties released, and Princess Furbee re-located to a wonderful spot.


    And most importantly, Ceri and Tundri''s Great Sylgarden Wagon Ark Adventure quest was now completed... Wylla was ready to Logout (for real this time).


    So she gathered her fluffy angels in front of their beginner Syldrake home, painted a smile on her face and spoke, ¡°I just want to let each of you know that I''m so very proud of you! You did a wonderful job of helping others, of protecting each other, and of helping me... through these very difficult times. I love each and every one of you!¡± She paused to gather herself, turning away for a moment to wipe her eyes and looked back.


    ¡°Okay... all set. Just like I mentioned the last tim... two times, I have to leave for a while but you''ll be safe and sound here. So have fun while I''m gone but try not to get into trouble. And remember to look out for one another because we''re family! See you soon,¡± She said, giving each a big hug.


    But not too soon... She thought to herself with a wry smile on her face as she stepped back and summoned her Druwytch Grimoire. And with practiced ease, she opened the book to the right place, located the mocking button, and reached down... ¡°If this doesn''t work this time... I''m going to scream!¡± Wylla muttered, then pushed the Logout Button.


    The Starblood Sigil Ring on the back of her neck sprang to life, activating a circular star array beneath her feet as the constellations within started to move; Within her body she felt a magical seal wrap around her core, blocking access.


    Yet, she was happy, feeling warm in her heart, knowing that this time... it was going to work! Time to be me again! She thought with a smile.


    [ Activating Transmigration Star Array in... 5... 4... ]


    The light beneath her rose up from her feet, encapsulating her in a sphere of light, growing brighter and brighter as it spun faster and faster; And with each second counted down she felt lighter and lighter and... that''s when what was written triggered a response...


    ¡°Huh? Trans-my-what!?!¡±


    [ 3... 2... 1... Transmigration Star Array Initiated... Farewell Wylla... ]


    All of her surroundings blurred in spinning light which flashed into shooting stars on a field of midnight as the world vanished beneath her feet... poof!


    She dropped, sliding down a swirling spatial tube of colorful spiraling star tails, gaining speed with each passing second causing her stomach rise to her throat and the blood to rush to her head and... all became dark.


    Wylla had fainted.


    A few days earlier, before Wylla ''logged out'' from Sylki lake''s shore, somewhere in the Aetheria Forest a certain cloaked figure was huddled within a large dim underground room in front of a dark council, seated on high behind a large crescent moon table, being asked... questions by the powerful Shrouds.


    ¡°Where is the package? And where are the rest of your teammates?¡± An old hollow voice asked in deep disappointment


    ¡°Sso-Sorry Lord Elum, I regrets to... to report that... that on our way to delivers the package... my team was attacked by an unknown... beautiful girl with hair of greens appearing from nowhere like a little goddess of the forest who... who hid her true power from our eyes... and unleashed strange powers... She conjured a fortress, a magic fortress of earth aandd flora in a near blink... a small army of beasts and beings of plants fell upon us like a crashing tide. The others gone, only I escaped. But bag... bag lost... taken.¡±


    ¡°We must get that bag back at all costs if our plans for that city is to succeed!¡±


    ¡°I agree, Lady Loris. The bag is what''s important here,¡± Lord Elum stated with his hands steepled in front of him. ¡°But also, equally important, is finding out how this unknown little girl of the... city? Knew they would be bringing the package tonight and the route... A traitor perhaps? Or maybe a spy within?


    And this power of hers, to hide and unleash an army of beasts and beings made up of plants within a magical fortress of earth and flora, conjured up in a blink of an eye... could it be lost magic or a powerful relic perhaps? Sounds very useful for our purposes.¡±


    ¡°Unknowns... too many unknowns. I don''t like it. Call in the Shades, have them get down to the heart of the matters, and retrieve our package. After all, how hard can it be to track down a ''pretty'' girl walking through the forest with such strange traveling companions?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Lord Wren is right. Have posters drawn up and sent to our operatives in Elmrise. Her capture and retrieval of the package is only a matter of time. And as for this failure, send him to the beast pits below.¡±


    ¡°No my Lords! Puh... please give me... another chance...¡±


    Meanwhile in the present, in suite red bishop, 311 within a gaming hotel of a certain playful Goddess, a dazed and muddle-headed player was finally awakening in their pod.


    The world was covered in darkness and the sound of the bio-pod unsealing greeted his ears.


    PSSSHHHTTT


    Michael sat up and winced, Oww... my head... His muddled mind sloshed about, altering his perceptions as if he had eaten a bouquet of Dreamnisca flowers.


    His vision began playing games with his head; The dimly lit room was shrouded in colorful auras, swaying and moving. Fluffy furbees of colorful lights danced in the air and images on the wall moved about with swooshing afterimages of reality unhinged and dream painted... Oh, not those... those mofus again... ignore... not reals...


    He then released a big yawn and stretched and made his way out of the pod as his long silky hair got in his way.


    Ugh... move away, you stupid hair thingie... so wuzzy... Anari said comfy... nap.. sofa...


    ¡°Ah, mofu-mofus are flying about in the air again... ahahaha..¡± His voice, raspy and soft.


    He stumbled down from the pod as he felt something soft, and a bit silky, slide down his small body to lay on the ground nearly causing him to trip as his long silky hair bounced, tickling as it brushed against his now bareback, down to the top of his little bum, draping down over the confusion and wonder on his face, to cover his small chest.


    His stomach growling... ¡°Want food... and something too... drink... but sleepy...¡±


    Michael staggered lightly to the sofa, his now oversized bio suit lying on the carpeted floor. He then plopped his small body onto the soft giant-sized sofa...


    [ Nighty night Wylla :) ]


    ¡°Niightly nights ''nari...¡± He responded to the very pleasing voice that had come out of the room''s speakers.


    Michael had strange dreams that night; He was as small as a long green-haired mouse, running around great big watery trees, dodging thorn bushes as big fluffy colorful bumblebees chased him round and round. But the strangest part of all was... that he was a she...


    ¡°Aahhh!¡±


    Michael woke with a high pitched scream, heart beating madly like a small ship tossed in stormy waters... ¡°Just a dream... breathe in and out... just a dream [ ding ]... breathe in and out... still seeing things... still muddled... hearing dings... am I in another dream again?¡±


    Michael sat there, legs dangling off the edge of the comfy sofa, as he gathered himself together. He looked about the semi fogged room, pushed himself off the sofa, and landed a bit unsteadily on his two small feet. Wondering where to start next, his stomach made a big growling noise.


    ¡°Oh yeah, ''nari said to eats... or was I imagining her saying so?...¡±


    He went to the wall with the panel, slid it open, and grabbed the Oryn Fruit Nurture bar... ¡°Mmmm... delicious... so good...¡± Finishing the nurture bar, he reached for the big glass of Iceblue Oryn juice with two small soft hands; (gulp... gulp... gulp...) ¡°Ahhh... tasty and refreshing... my belly feels happy.¡±


    Now to clean up and then call for help. He felt a bit chilly, and lifted his slender arm, noticing the goosebumps on the back of his bare forearms. ¡°hmm... a warm bath sounds good...¡± He muttered as he made his way to the men''s room and opened the door.


    It wasn''t until he stood in the open doorway to the men''s dressing room that it hit him... he was bare naked again. Huh? How? Where did my bio-suit go?


    He then looked down, time seemed to slow down painfully when he noticed two ''unbelievably unreal'' things again: Two slight bulges protruding from his partially silky green hair covered chest. And no bulge where there should be one, nope, nothing, just clear empty space providing a clear view of his two cutely small feet.


    ¡°Eh! Where did my Pen... Pen... Go!?!"


    [ Deja Vu Wylla? ]


    Not hearing the playfully teasing voice, he began checking again for his... his Pen... Pen. Where... where... where... Wide-open golden honey eyes jolted in search and slender hands moved about soft supple skin, heart beating erratically, and breath fluttering [ Careful Wylla...] in and out, in and out, in and...


    THUMP


    [Or you''ll hyperventilate again. ]


    The sound of a small naked body hitting the soft carpeted floor filled the air.


    [ Oh dear, it seems like my warning was a little too late. That''s our Wylla.]


    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­


    ¡­ ¡­


    ...


    Michael woke up; Finding himself washed, comfortably clothed, and sitting on the lap of some wonderfully scented woman that was hugging his waist from behind while gently stroking his hair.


    How did he know that it was a woman and not some man? It was because of the two good-sized soft mounds that were pressed against his back.


    ¡°Did the pretty little sleeping princess finally wake up?¡±


    Before he could answer, he felt himself lifted and set back down on the big comfy sofa.


    The woman then stood, grabbed a parasol that was leaning against the sofa with her right hand, then scooped up a pair of golden many-sided dice, with her left hand, off the coffee table and turned to face him.


    A small gasp escaped his small awestricken mouth as he viewed the divinely beautiful woman for the first time. She stood there smiling, with a twinkle in her golden eyes silently watching him... waiting for him to speak.


    ¡°Silly girl hasn''t anyone told you, if you keep your mouth open like that, bugs will fly in.¡± She said in an amused musical tone (which sounded a lot like Anari''s) as she used her finger to softly lift his chin, closing his full-lipped mouth.


    ¡°Hello Wylla, I''m the Goddess Lokaini of Games and Entertainment. I heard you were looking for some... help. If so, how may I be of assistance?¡±


    ¡°Umm... Yes please... the game... it changed me. Made me small... and my pen.... pen... gone. Somethings horribly, horribly wrong! This can''t be real...¡±


    ¡°What specifically seems to be the problem?¡±


    Highly agitated and trying to get his words out properly, Michael jumped off the tall sofa and landed on two feet, and animatedly gestured at himself from head to toe, ¡°Everything.. everything is the problem. The game changed me... made me...¡±


    Her eyes dancing like a child at an amusement park, the Goddess Lokaini said, ¡°Pretty?¡±


    ¡°No... well, yes... it made me pretty, but...¡±


    ¡°Well, then I don''t understand the problem? Didn''t you want to be... pretty?¡± Lokaini asked with a fake confused look on her face.


    ¡°No... well... yes... but not like this... it made me a girl... a small young girl!¡±


    ¡°A small young pretty girl.¡± The Goddess Lokaini corrected.


    ¡°I can''t be a girl, it''s the games fault. You have to turn me back!¡± Michael said, his voice rising in pitch.


    ¡°I disagree. It''s your fault, not my game''s fault. We did everything you asked for. Speaking quite honestly, we even went beyond the call of duty and provided you with the new life we promised and you asked for.¡± The Goddess Lokaini said with a flourish.


    ¡°My fault, my fault, how can it be my fault? I never asked for this, to have... have my pen... pen... taken away. Wrong, this is all wrong... you need to change me back... you must or else...¡±


    ¡°Or else what. little girl!?!¡± The Goddess Lokaini glared down at him. Michael felt a tinge of fear going up his spine causing him to miss the mirth in the Goddess'' eyes, who was clearly enjoying herself.


    ¡°Or else... or else I''ll... I''ll sue...yeah, I''ll sue you... we have lawyers from Hayes Law Firm so you have to change me back or...¡±


    ¡°Sue?¡± Lokaini broke out into a titter of laughter. ¡°You want to sue me? Based on what?¡± She then turned around towards the coffee table and rolled the dice in her left hand. The die hit the table and rolled with ''clicky clack'' sounds, catching Michael''s attention, and then transformed with a magical ¡°Poof!¡± into a stack of papers.


    Grabbing the top page and handing it directly to Michael, the Goddess Lokaini asked, ¡°Now I''ll ask you again, you want to sue me, based... on... what?¡±


    Michael looked at the paper, recognition dawned in his golden honey eyes, this was the Terms of Service contract, and there on the bottom was his signature and that of his parents.


    ¡°I believe they call that, Check and Mate!¡± Lokaini gave Michael a gorgeous victory smile and then sat down on the sofa as if it was her throne.


    ¡°Surely, it doesn''t cover this...¡± Michael''s voice quivered as he shook his head in denial, ¡°This can''t be right... we''ll sue if you don''t...¡±


    ¡°As I said, checkmate. You have no legal grounds on which to stand, you''ve signed away such rights and thus are out of recourse... and don''t forget, we asked you twice if you wanted to be the chosen Unique race and you said: Yes, not once, but twice. We have it on tape, would you like to see the playbacks?¡±


    With a snap of her fingers, all the flat-screen monitors in the suite sprang to life playing back to that moment. ¡°See, you were so happy you didn''t even let my daughter Anari tell you about the details, you simply cut her off with your, wait for it... YES!¡±


    ¡°But... but I didn''t think...¡±


    ¡°Now there''s something we can both agree on,¡± the Goddess Lokaini interjected with a smile.


    ¡°Then... then I''ll tell people... tell the world... I''ll tell news reporters and tv stations, it''ll ruin your reputation...¡±


    Michael''s threat was once again greeted by the musical sound of laughter, ¡°Ahahaha... You won''t do that Wylla, you''d only be putting yourself and your family in great danger. So go ahead and tell the world my pretty, pretty obtuse little goddaughter.¡±


    Shaking his head side to side as his long greenish hair shook to and fro, ¡°That''s not true, you''re only trying to scare me, threaten me, trick me to not go telling peo...¡±


    ¡°Aah hahaha... It''s a good thing you''re so young again. This will give you a second chance to work on your intelligence. Think my dear beautiful little Wylla. What do you think will happen to YOU when the world finds out that you changed from a big boring mundane boy into a young girl with hair and beauty to kill for?¡±


    Michael sat there stunned... his eyes wide and face paling...


    ¡°That''s right, my sweet little girl. You''ll have people clambering to possess you. Under constant threat of being taken, of becoming someone''s toy or lab rat or much, much worse.¡± Lokaini looked at him with a little wicked smile.


    ¡°This isn''t right... how can I live like this... I''m a boy trapped in a little girl''s body... like a.. like a bird in a cage...¡±


    A heavy sigh filled the room as the Goddess Lokaini looked at the lost little lamb, ¡°I just don''t understand your dissatisfaction Wylla. We gave you everything we promised, and so much more... We promised a new world: Granted. We promised a new life: Granted. Heck, we even went beyond and over-delivered, despite the fact that you made fun of me by calling me narcissistic, you wanted to be pretty: Granted.


    So just what specifically seems to be the problem?¡±


    Michael sat there quietly, tears falling, quiet sobs threatening to escape... ¡°This is the problem,¡± he quietly said gesturing at his face and body. ¡°I''m a boy trapped in a little girl''s body. I can''t live like this...¡±


    ¡°Why? Be specific, why can''t you function in your body Wylla?¡±


    ¡°Because... because I think like a boy... I grew up as a boy so I see things as a boy... in all my memories I''m a boy... I.. I feel like a boy...¡±


    ¡°Fine. Then we''ll fix it,¡± the Goddess Lokaini said resolutely. She stood up, and walked towards the door, before turning to face him. ¡°We''ll fix all those problems but it won''t be easy, you''ll have to work for it Wylla! Are you willing to work hard? This won''t be...¡±


    Hope entered Michael''s heart, he stood up in front of the Goddess Lokaini, and with strong conviction, he said, ¡°Yes. I''ll give it my all! Just tell me what to do.¡±


    Interrupting the Goddess''s words that were going to follow. Seems Wylla hadn''t learned her lesson of hearing things through until the end.


    After all, it was not listening things through until the end that got her into this gender-bent situation, for had she fully listened to the words describing the Sylven race, she wouldn''t be in this very situation at this moment.


    Things would have been so much different but... Sometimes the heart speaks before the mind thinks.


    ¡°Good girl! Then your solution will be found within the game... world. You shall be given a personal quest: The Chalice in the Palace.


    Within Abrynth there is a large magical palace which is now the home to many dangers. Within the throne room of that palace rests a powerful guardian. And since there''s a powerful guardian, then there must be a treasure of great value which it is guarding: The Trinity Chalice.


    Within the Chalice lies the most deliciously divine liquid known to mortals: Golden Honey Ambrosia. But be warned young Wylla, the Palace holds many rank 3 dangers, and you can be assured that the guardian is of a higher rank.


    So that is your task: Find the Palace to get the Chalice to drink its Golden Honey Ambrosia to be set free.¡±


    The beautiful Goddess Lokaini gave him one last pat on his head, whispered some soothing words in his ear, then disappeared out the door in a flourish where she was met by her lovely pair of beastkin Miko shrine maidens; Who began to escort her down the halls of her wonderful game hotel back to her luxurious office up on the top floor.


    ¡°Our Goddess looks really happy right now... right Lia...¡± Rya the sun kitsune said, more than asked, as her golden fox ears twitched and her fluffy tail swished.


    Lia, the silvery-blue moon hare Miko, nodded with a mirthful smile as she happily responded, ¡°Yes, yes... I can''t remember the last time I''ve seen our Goddess so happy. The meeting with our Goddess''s goddaughter must have gone better than good.¡±


    Rya nodded in agreement.


    Listening to her two cute Mikos banter, the Goddess couldn''t help but laugh as she played the meeting with her sweet adorable goddaughter Wylla over and over again in her mind.


    ¡°Ahahaha... This really has been such great fun. Thanks to my new goddaughter, I''m starting to like this world.


    So much so, that I think I may even change some of those foolish white-coated ''humans'' that were playing at being gods; Experimenting with energies beyond their comprehension in their underground desert lab, tearing holes in the fabric of space and time between worlds, MY World! Setting both worlds on the verge of destruction... of killing billions.


    And so rudely ''forcing'' me to come here, to this world, to use up a great amount of my divine power and heavenly resources to figure a way to fix their mess! To change them back to human... ¡­ ¡­


    Nevermind. Let them continue to eat flies..."


    *******


    And so with a mic-drop reveal, Book 1 comes to a close... As such, I''d like to thank each and every one of you for joining in Wylla''s Cute and Fluffy Upside Down Magical Adventure. It''s been much appreciated. And since this isn''t a neverending ending like that certain fantasy movie about a ring mentioned before, I''d just like to say ¡°Until Book 2... Farewell. And don''t forget to save some Furbee Honey Orbs for me.¡± (Hmm... sounds like a good name for a tasty breakfast cereal...)


    Storymask


    Ah, the goal I set of writing my first book has finally been completed! Yosh! I''m so happy I made it to the end. Writing novels is so different than short stories but both are fun to do. And I do feel like my writing improved along the way. Words and phrases seemed to come easier and flow much better towards the end.


    Of course, there were also moments where I just plowed through my writing in order to either break through a block and/or reach my goal of meeting a self-imposed deadline or finishing up some pages that I''d later go back to and rewrite.


    But overall, I feel that I could see my growth as a writer from the first chapter on through to the epilogue. And I hope to continue to improve as I continue to write.


    I''d also like to Thank All of You for reading, commenting, hitting the little favorites buttons, rating, and reviewing this story. It''s been much appreciated and helped to create such a fun environment in which to write in; A community that''s not only entertaining but helpful and constructive. :blob high five emote:


    Ah, what am I doing writing so much, it''s not like I''m up here to accept an award or something!... So with that said, what am I going to do now? You may be asking. Well, quite a bit, actually... here are my plans going forward:


    We all know that Yabi is Wylla''s Familiar now but we didn''t go into the skills that she received through the ritual so you''ll find them first thing down below... Yabi''s Skills inspired by the ritual materials.


    Share a Sneak Peek (see below) of Book 2''s summary, book title, and possible series title (along with a list of possible titles that would be great to have some feedback on in the comments section below).


    Begin Writing Book 1.5 Amaranthe Hearts Guild Girls ¨C Side Tales of Wylla Wylden''s Friends and Family. Yup, I''ll be writing 2 to 4 chapter short stories and publishing them on an irregular schedule. Basically, when they''re done, I''ll publish them.


    I''m doing this book for many reasons; To show the world through the eyes of other characters, to display each character''s race and class and abilities, and to aid me in my writing of Book 2.


    And since these are short stories of their time in their starter zones... please expect short time skips. While I''m writing Book 1.5 I''ll also be binge-reading some books on my Kindle that I''ve been wanting to read.


    Continue Writing the web novel of Elinora Sabrielle Valoren (aka Riel). A LitRPG gender-bent adventure in a dark world of swords and magic in which much blood will be spilled. So not the world in which Wylla resides.  (I removed the Sneak Peek chapters on 9-18-2020 I''m pushing back the writing date of this story but will continue to add to the growing notes for it)


    Then time for some Rest and Relaxation... for a week or two, before getting to work in earnest on Book 2. Adding to the notes I already have, the ideas that are written, and the sample chapters that I wrote months ago. Basically using the time away in other worlds to come back to Wylla''s fresh and ready to write!


    Side Project: Work on rewriting Book 1 to get it polished up for when I turn it into an Amazon Kindle book. Why don''t I do this first? That''s because I may or may not add in some foreshadowing and little events that I think of while writing Book 2. As such, I can wait a short while before putting it up for sale.


    So there you have it. My basic to-do plan... a bucket list of writing. And now that that''s out of the way... on to the extras starting with Yabi''s Skills!


    Yabi''s Skills:


    1. Syldrake Bloodline - Yabi grows in strength and toughness as the barkskin of her body (hidden under all that shaggy fluff) become as Syldrake scales. Passive ability, always active.


    Bloodrose Cauldron Tusks ¨C Yabi''s body further increases in toughness as her tusks grow becoming stronger than steel and as sharp as bloodthorns which she then uses for piercing and swiping attacks; And even range attacks as greenish blood-red energy swirls into the shape of a pair of vertical liquid chakrams of bloodrose energy, flying forward from each tusk towards the foe upon command; Each attack returning small heals from part of the damage inflicted on her foes.


    Noctis Trunk Spray ¨C Uses her trunk to spray dark purplish Noctis liquids in a cone causing burning corrosive damage on any foe unlucky enough to be struck. The liquid also eats away at the target''s skin and armor weakening their defenses.


    Summon Nethryn Viproses ¨C Summons a pair of ethereal nethryn viproses which sprout from the shoulders of her back like ghostly thorned tendrils; Their ghostrose viper heads attack with spectral fangs and ranged thistle attacks which poison the target with bone-chilling venom, slowing their movements by 10%. In addition, they can also use their thorned tendril bodies to launch whip-like attacks.


    Jade Spinlyng Aura ¨C Yabi''s speed is permanently increased by 10%. In addition, she may activate a cyclone of wind and razor-edged leaves around her body. Slowing and cutting all foes standing near her caught within the mini-tornado and greatly increasing her ranged defense.


    Wailing Banshi Trumpet ¨C Yabi unleashes a loud, painfully high pitched, trumpeting wail ''Pah-ROOOO! Foes weak of will and good of hearing are overcome by the haunting scream experiencing vertigo and despair... losing their will to fight on, weaking their attacks.


    I think you can see the role Yabi will play in Team Wylla. Ceri is their ariel range attack, debuffs, and a little CC... plus, she can scout. Tundri major battlefield CC, buffs and debuffs, and capable off-tank... plus he can scout. Wylla''s main combat is spellcaster range... pew-pew, debuffs, potion heals, and Melee Syldrake mode... but for only 5 minutes. Plus she can scout in camouflage mode. And Yabi... the tank of the team... or off-tank if a better one comes along ;) But no can scout :( Poor Yabi.


    As for what inspired me to make such a familiar as Yabi... that would be Tundri. I was thinking that Tundri needs ''someone'' to pull him when traveling in Sylgarden Wagon form.


    Now, I know Tundri can just walk while everyone is comfy inside but sometimes you want to go... faster. Or just blend in with the traveling crowd (as if that would happen with how sweet and unique Tundri''s sylgarden wagon form looks.).


    Plus, how much fun would it be to see a little colorful shaggy six-legged pygmy sylmammoth pulling a large full-sized garden topped gypsy carriage along the winding roads? Yup, I thought so as well and that is how Yabi came to be.


    ¨C Sneak Peek --


    Book 2: Summary


    There are less than 8 weeks left in summer vacation and much for Wylla to do in Abrynth if she wants to rank up high enough to complete the Goddess''s quest in order to return to her old Pen... Pen... having self before the starting new year''s school bell rings.


    Meanwhile, her family and friends are in for quite a surprise! All the while working on plans of their own, forming a guild, building a guildhall, and thinking of a way to help them earn lots and lots of Lyr!


    (To add to their growing Livestream earnings.)


    ¡°Hey, I know! Let''s start a festival filled with music, clankwerks, magicrafts, art, and loads of tasty food! Especially Furbee Honey Orbs! A Magical MusArt Fest in Abrynth!¡°


    (Furbee Honey Orbs are brought to you by the good Fluffy Furbee Folks over at Silky Sweet Snacks Incorporated... get yours before somebody else does first.)


    But this won''t be easy since there''s something dark afoot and its targeting our young cute green-haired heroine and her menagerie of cute and fluffy sidekicks... And her new sisters? ¡°Huh, when did I get new sisters? From where? And isn''t one of them half snake and the other... wasn''t she suppose to be an A.I.? What''s going on here?¡±


    Only one way to find out, read The Divine Quest to Retrieve My Pen... Pen... Starts Now! (aka Book 2 of the My Livestream Diary of a Cute and Fluffy IsekaiBumpedUpside Down Magical Life! Series. (Boy is that a mouthful of a series title... but I kind of like it.)


    Warning: The following story is a fun, light-hearted, sugary cute & fluffy RPG-like Livestreamed adventure through a Magical World with a young heroine that has a profound love of honey and some extremely cute and fluffy sidekicks. ¡°Yup, that''s our Wylla!¡±


    So if you''re looking for something that''s heavy on the action and light on the slice of life with complicated plots filled with red herrings and even blue ones, SEX, and bloody gory murder then... umm... this is probably not the story you''re looking for.


    (Ya, the author so didn''t all cap that word to act as clickbait :cough-cough:)


    But if it''s the former, rather than the latter you''re looking for... then ¡°Hurry and step on in, take your seats, and make yourselves comfortable, (and get your Furbee Honey Orbs ready) for the cute and fluffy show is about to begin... Enjoy!¡± :)


    Side Note: I''m still not sure what the title of Book 2 will be and the Book Series Title (as well) but I''m pretty sure I want it to sound Light Novel-ish and have cute, fluffy, and (lightly leaning towards) IsekaiBumps in it... Anyways, have a peek at the brainstorming list and if you see one you like or have one ''up your sleeve'' you''d like to suggest... then please feel free to use the comment section below.


    Possible Book 2 Titles:


    Cute and Fluffy IsekaiBumps at the MusArt Fest


    Pen... less in Abrynth (inspired by a certain Sleepless movie)


    My So-called Pen... less Life (inspired by a certain show)


    MusArt Fest Discord! (short and to the point)


    Welcome to the Magical World of Abrynth (inspired by Welcome to Jurassic Park + Magical World of Disney)


    The Divine Quest to Get Back My Pen... Pen... Starts Now! (inspired by all Quest movies, a slightly different variation of the title in the summary)


    Pen... less in an Another World (has that Isekai vibe going for it)


    Pen... less in a Magical World (Aye, same as right above but with magic)


    Something Wicked Comes to Discord the MusArt Festival (partially inspired by a certain movie as well... and music)


    Possible Book Series Title:


    IsekaiBumps


    Cute and Fluffy IsekaiBumps of a Druwytch in Abrynth Series


    The Cute and Fluffy Druwytch of Abrynth Series


    Chronicles of a Cute and Fluffy Magical Life


    My Cute & Fluffy Upside Down Isekai Life!


    My Cute & Fluffy Isekai Life Livestreamed


    ¨C Sneak Peek of New Web Novel  - Removed on 9-18-2020 for reasons indicated above ;)


    And this is where we end the ride. Once again, I''d like to thank everyone for being here and joining in on Wylla''s Cute and Fluffy IsekaiBumped Adventures! If you''ve enjoyed the story please give it a like, hit the star rating, and if you''re feeling up too it and believe it''s worth doing so... a little review. Until Book 1.5... Farewell.

 Update from Storymask and a Sneak Peek of Book 2 of Wylla

    Hello Fellow Avid Readers,


    I hope everyone is doing well and are in good health. Well, as for me, it¡¯s been quite some time since I¡¯ve last posted anything (about 3 weeks or so now) and as such, I wanted to send out a quick message for those of you interested in where I¡¯m at in my reading and writing. As well as share a sneak peek of what will be a very early chapter of Book 2 of Wylla (For those that hate spoilers please skip it since it will be posted at the bottom of this message and clearly titled :) So with that out of the way, here goes...


    I¡¯ve been binge-reading a ton of web novels and Kindle books. Greatly enjoying them as I look and jot down notes on the parts that I enjoy and words that catch my attention.


    A few of my current web novels are Fields of Gold (a foodie tale), Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (a light-hearted isekai game story that¡¯s been picked up for publishing), Nine Star Burden (an action slice of life post-apocalyptic story), and The Otherworldly Adventures of a Super Naive Girl (a really fun Wuxia story with a strong female lead but the chapter releases have slowed down greatly at the moment¡­)


    As for Kindle novels I¡¯m on Book 2 of Rebirth Apocalypse (a post-apocalyptic lit RPG wuxia novel), Adapt (the second book in the series), Born of Water (mermaids¡­ a little slow but I¡¯m halfway done so I¡¯ll finish it.), Tales of a Northblood (a lit RPG story which I like more than dislike), and Hush Money (a tale of superhero powers).


    As for my writings¡­ I¡¯ll start with Book 1.5 Amaranthe Hearts Guild Side Stories. Rori¡¯s Side Tale is halfway done and I have the ending thought out so that should be the first tale to arrive by this weekend¡­ I think. Koko¡¯s Side Tale is about 35% done and almost fully thought out. So her story may be second¡­ but not sure yet since inspiration may strike and lead me to finish one of the other girl¡¯s loosely outlined stories first.


    Book 2 of Wylla: As I¡¯ve been thinking about and writing Book 1.5 lots of thoughts and ideas have come up for Wylla Book 2. So much so that I have already written over 83 pages of notes, scenes, and dialogs. As well as having the plot set and the sequence of major events figured out. I¡¯m really liking the direction of book 2¡­ it¡¯s going to be such fluffy light-hearted fun with more action and character interactions than the first.


    Book 1 of I Thought It Was a Game is now at the 39-page mark and more importantly, the plot of what happens in book 1 has been fully written out. I still have some more world-building elements to solve before writing the story in earnest¡­ but I¡¯m really enjoying writing this darker, more¡­ mature tale.


    So there it is¡­ what I¡¯ve been up too while in lockdown? As for my fantastic Illustrator, my niece Kaylin Marroquin, she just sent me an email letting me know that she¡¯s down the home stretch of college with finals and such so she¡¯ll soon be able to work on her illustrations of Tundri, Ceri, Yabi, and Wylla¡¯s third and final familiar¡­ to be revealed in Book 2! Yay!


    Well, that about does it for now, until next update¡­ happy tales and I hope you enjoy the sneak peek below.


    ¨C Storymask.com


    Storymask


    Sneak Peek ¨C Book 2


    Chapter ??


    Wylla''s Nightmare in Elmrise


    Wylla soon arrived at the tall iron gates of Elmrise, happy that the nearly 7-mile long journey along the Bluryn River from her home at Lake Sylki had been without incident, thereby only taking a little over two hours.


    For a moment there, she thought the various active beasties moving about on the open fields, made up of small hill-like mounds covered in meadowy flora and wild grasses, between the Aetheria Forest''s treeline and Elmrise''s tall walls, would have attacked her; But thankfully, she was able to escape notice thanks to her camouflage ability.


    She walked up to the line waiting to enter Elmrise; A line made up of merchants, hunters, adventurers, and a mix of other fellow travelers.


    Many of the boys and men, and a few of the girls, near her periodically glanced her way... repeatedly. They whispered amongst each other as Wylla''s eyes looked toward the tall walls which seemed to be made of a mix of reddish wood, tan earthen blocks, and dark roundish stones.


    A top the story and half high walls walked a half dozen guards holding ranged weapons of bows, crossbows, and a kind of rifle gun that Wylla had only seen in the Steampunk mangas her little sister Rori loved and read.


    Hmm, is she still the little sister? Or am I? Shaking her head, Wylla muttered, ¡°It''s okay... it''s only for a little while. Soon I''ll be me again and everything will go back to normal... whatever that means now that there''s a real Goddess in our world and all of this...¡±


    ¡°Next,¡± The guard, in red and gold chain mail, said to Wylla as her thoughts returned to the task at hand, of entering Elmrise and making her way to the Drunken Swan tavern where big sister Cara and Irene were waiting for her.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Wylla said to the guard, not knowing what she needed to do to enter Elmrise while the guard stood before her, foot tapping the ground, waiting for her to present something to him. ¡°Uhm, I''d like to enter. My big sister and friend are waiting for me at a tavern called the Drunken Swan so... if you could point me in the right direction and let me through...¡±


    The guard looked down at Wylla, a bit disgruntled that this girl had not paid attention to the others that had entered before her to learn the process of entering; For if she had, she would have realized that she had to show him a certain small something before she could enter... something that by the looks of her confused tilted face, she didn''t have.


    Sighing heavily at the extra work he was going to have to do, he contented himself with the knowledge that he was going to be able to spend a little more time with this cute spellcaster newbie; After all, with that beautiful staff in her hand and lovely faery-like dress on her body, what else would she be.


    With wolf-like eyes staring a little more intently than she''d like, he spoke in a warm soothing voice, ¡°That''s all fine and dandy little miss but you''ve yet to show me what I need to see... your identification card. None may enter without one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m sorry but I don''t have one. I just arrived today so if you could point me as to where I can pick one up...¡±


    ¡°Can do. Just step on out of line and follow me to the new visitor kiosk just inside.¡± The guard turned his head and called out to another guard, ¡°Kili, come take over my spot at the gate for a moment while I help this cute new visitor.¡±


    ¡°Humph! Did you ever hear of the word jailbait Logan? You just stay right there at your post and let me take care of her needs before you end up on the wrong side of the bars... or worse.¡± The half-giant female guard walked up to Wylla, and then guided her away, leaving a frowning Logan behind.


    ¡°Pay''em no nevermind little sprout, I''ll help you and get you on your way. So you be needing a new ID card right?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, please,¡± Wylla said, slightly intimidated by the strong, tall, sunset hair woman guard leading the way. Ah, she''s not only good looking in an S kind of way, but very athletic... I bet she could play linebacker on any football team out there and dominate.


    ¡°Here we are, wait right here a sec while I go around back and enter.¡± Kili disappeared around the back of the kiosk and opened the back door to enter. ¡°There we go. So what I''m going to make for you here is a temporary ID card that you can use to enter. It''ll cost 50 Lyr...¡±


    Gulp, ¡°How much? Isn''t that a lot for an ID?¡± Wylla asked a bit shocked. ¡°Especially one that''s just temporary...¡±


    She only had 100 Lyr on her and had hoped to be able to buy some clothes that she could feed to her Sylbiote so that it could transform into a new outfit and she could stop walking around in this beautiful girly dress of hers; A dress that drew much too much attention to her... judging by how that Logan guard just acted.


    And she was really looking forward to picking up some dark pants and a light long-sleeved tunic to dress like her old self again. As well as buying some clothes to sleep in.


    ¡°Yes. That''s correct. 50 Lyr,¡± Kili eyed Wylla, stopping a moment to note her traveler bag and large belly pouch. ¡°If you don''t have the Lyr then maybe you have some items in those bags of yours that you could sell at the Elmrise General Store right across the road from here.¡± Kili pointed at the tall three-story building with the tree-shaped sign hanging by the front green door.


    ¡°No, it''s okay. I have enough... it just took me by surprise is all. What with the card just being temporary and all,¡± Wylla muttered, reaching for the Lyr within her belly pouch to pay. ¡°I mean, will I even be able to afford a permanent one if this one costs this muc...¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I think you''re getting the wrong idea. See, the card I''m going to make you is temporary but you can use it in one of 7 locations to trade for your permanent ID card... at no extra cost.¡± She said with a smile.


    ¡°Phew, that''s great. I might still be able to buy a new outfit then.¡±


    A confused Kili looked her up and down. ¡°Why would you want to do that? Your dress is beautiful. I doubt you could find better. Not unless your willing to spend an exorbitant amount of Lyr. And even then, at most, it''ll look as good as what you have on now.¡±


    ¡°No... it''s not that at all. It''s quite the opposite. This dress is simply too eye-catching and I''d rather not have so many people watching me...¡± Wylla said, her voice getting smaller towards the end.


    ¡°Ahaha-haha... I''m sorry little one. But I don''t think just changing clothes is going to stop that from happening. Even if you were wearing rags, people would stop to look at your beauty.¡± Wylla frowned as Kili wiped the tears from her eyes. ¡°Now then, like I was saying, once I hand you your temporary card, all you need to do is take it to one of the 7 pillars of Elmrise.


    Those pillars being Elmrise Pantheon Hall where all the shrines of the deities of Abrynth reside. Elmrise Cityworks Hall where you can find the various town officials, including the mayor. Elmrise Guardian Headquarters where those of us who guard and patrol the streets report too.


    Then there are the Merchant and Adventurer guilds. And last but not least, the Bounty Hunter and Craftswork Artisan Associations. For information on the guilds and associations, I recommend visiting them and getting that knowledge first hand. I''d hate to misinform you as to their workings since that may lead to future problems... and potentially costly ones at that.


    Anyways, if you''re wondering where each place is located within Elmrise, just study the map on the bulletin board right over yonder by the general store.¡± Kili said, pointing at a tall, wide, and sturdy wooden structure near the general store.


    And with that, Wylla answered the questions that needed to be answered to receive her temp ID card, said her thanks and goodbye as a certain frowning guard watched her walk up to the bulletin board, to study the map for a short while before she disappeared into the crowd heading towards her meeting with big sis.


    The sights and sounds of the hustle and bustle of the large town... or was it a small city, either way, the shops and the various faces of different races of people captured her full attention as she looked about wide-eyed... unaware of the chatter taking place around her. Hmm, there are so many people around... I think it''s best I unsummon my staff before I cause an accident with it. With the staff now safely stored away inside her Trinity Core, she continued walking...


    ¡°Hey, hey... look over there, at that green-haired girl in the rose-red dress by that women''s shop... isn''t that little beauty Wylla?...¡±


    ¡°Oh, you''re right... it is her! But where''s her little fluffy troupe of cuties?...¡±


    More and more people stopped to stare as Wylla walked by, their whispers swimming past her when suddenly... a short scruffy-looking red-haired beastkin boy stepped out in front of her, blocking her path, hiding his hands behind his back.


    Distracted by both her thoughts of the very soon to come meeting with big sis Cara and the search for the tavern, Wylla nearly walked right into him, but luckily his red-colored hair and ears and wagging tail caught her attention just in time as she came to a stop before barreling into him.


    Startled, she quickly took a short hop back, putting distance between them. What the? This... foxkin or is it wolfkin... whatever, doesn''t matter. What does, is that he popped up at of nowhere... why? And why is he hiding his hands behind his back... unless... ¡°What are you doing blocking the sidewalk in front of me with your hands hiding behind your back... Are you trying to rob me in broad daylight!?!¡± Wylla asked fiercely, glaring at the boy, her words startling him as her wand appeared in her hand.


    ¡°Ahha.a..a...¡± the boy stuttered, as he stumbled back a few steps.


    A crowd of onlookers started forming a circle around the pair. ¡°Hey look... it''s her, Wylla...¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it''s her... hey, don''t roll your eyes at me, I''m just asking if you''re sure! After all, I don''t see her adorable fluffy angels anywhere...¡±


    ¡°Oh please, who else looks as cute and pretty as her? And look at the wand... see the purple lotus spider at the tip...¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I see now... it really is her. Sigh, she really is much too cute... she''s going to be absolutely stunning when she grows up...¡±


    Meanwhile, other people were ''whispering'' similar things throughout the crowd, most if not all recognizing Wylla, telling her how much they love her and her fluffy cuties, as Wylla''s eyes jolted about, scanning all the unknown faces of the growing crowd surrounding her and her would-be red-headed mugger.


    Just how popular are my live stream videos? I really should have checked online before coming back. I think it may be a good idea to hide myself by buying a hooded cloak... hooded cloak... Hmm, didn''t I get one of those from those creeps that attacked us when we first entered Abrynth?


    I''m fairly certain Tundri looted some; I''ll have to find a place to summon him so he can pass it to me... Ah, I forgot I left them all behind to help protect the village along with the ranger twins. Darn it.


    Hmm... Maybe I can find one for cheap in one of these stores, that is if I can get to one...


    ¡°Ah, I''m... I''m sorry for jumping in front of you and almost making you walk into me... but... it''s just that I... that is to say, I''m not robbing you, not hiding a... a weapon behind my back. I just wanted to ask you... before I lost the nerve... wanted to ask if you''d go da.. date with me? Please...¡± The boy''s face turned as red as his hair as his trembling hands moved from his back, revealing a small bundle of wildflowers.


    Wylla froze like a deer caught in headlights!


    ¡°EEEHHHH!?! Da... date? You... me?¡± Wylla sputtered, taking small steps back, eyes jolting about, looking for an opening in the crowd to escape from this... this nightmare! The growing ring of onlookers all hushed and leaned in with bated breaths, awaiting her answer. ¡°Nooo...no no no... noo... I''m not dating... you, or anyboy...¡±


    ¡°I think she meant anybody...¡± A male-sounding voice whispered loudly from the crowd.


    ¡°How do you know what she meant, maybe she doesn''t like boys but prefers us girls....¡± Another voice responded, this one obviously female.


    ¡°Isn''t she too young to be dating anyone? And for that matter, isn''t that boy too young as well?...¡±


    ¡°Ah, they sure do grow up faster and faster nowadays... I blame the internet...¡±


    Wylla ignored most of the whispers from the crowd, but for that second to the last one, which she latched onto like a drowning person out in the middle of a stormy sea would do when thrown a lifesaver.


    She looked back at the foxkin?... Uhm wolfkin?... either way, the dogkin boy who''s hands were shaking as they continued to hold out the bundle of wildflowers for her to take, his eyes watery, and heart clearing breaking.


    ¡°I can''t... can''t date you... or anyone else,¡± Wylla said, her hands held up in front of her as if signaling someone to slow down while shaking her head side to side. ¡°Mother said so, I''m too young to... to date. So, sorry but the answer is no.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it''s... it''s okay then, I can wait. We can be friends until your mom says its oka...¡±


    But before he could finish, Wylla had already shifted into her powerful Syldrake form and... jumped over the heads of the crowd, landing onto the back of an empty wagon that was rolling by on the street.


    She landed with a thump, startling the wagon driver, but she was already gone by the time the old man turned to look for the cause of the commotion as his wagon shook.


    Syldrake Wylla quickly wended her way through the alley between the shops and buildings of Main Street, coming to a stop in a dark area where she caught her breath, calmed her heart and nerves... then shifted back to her sylven form.


    Thinking of what to do, her hair lengthened and blended in with the surroundings. Now in stealth mode, she carefully made her way to a shop she happened upon, just off Main Street.


    A shop tailored for those of the stealthy profession.


    After browsing for a few moments, she found what she needed and purchased the simple green hooded cloak.


    She wasn''t happy about having to spend 30 Lyr to get it... but if it would protect her from something as embarrassing as that happening again then it was definitely worth it!


    Now hidden within her cloak, she wended her way back to Main Street and continued her trek to meet up with her big sister Cara and Irene.


    Meanwhile, on a certain Online Livestream Network, a brand new video titled ''Noboy! Or Nobody?'' starring a certain pretty green-haired loli was rocketing its way up the Top Video of the Day chart; And setting the forums ablaze with a heated debate of: Is She or Isn''t She... Yuri?


    The first reply of the red hot thread read:


    ¡°If she''s Yuri... then I want to be too!¡± Posted by: Harry Down Unde

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (part 1)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 1)


    {Warning: Koko''s side story is not the usual cute and fluffy story you''re used too from my Abrynth Side Tales. Her journey is one which first goes through the pain of her abusive past before moving shackle free to a much, much better, and far happier future of ''A New World, A New Life.'' And with that... her side tale begins...}


    It''s okay Koko... just stay calm and dress quickly. A young soprano voice said in her head.


    Yes, yes! Just ignore the fact that we''re in this dressing room with all these strangers... alone. Remember, mother is right outside the door waiting to send us off... Another young female voice added.


    To send us off into a magical wonderland of a new world, a new life... Yay! A chorus of child-like voices chattered excitedly.


    Voices from friends only she could hear and see.


    Friends that had emerged one day, long ago from within her second-hand dolls, puppets, and plushies during her bedroom tea party; Saving her from loneliness since her loving mother worked hard to support the family while her alcoholic father blamed her birth for shattering his dreams of being a professional football player leading to neglect (which was far better than the times he did notice her existence).


    I-it''s fine... I think. These girls all seem to be... nice. And I sort of know those two from school. Koko ''mindspoke'' to her friends, glancing at Rori and Sadie who were near her getting ready but at a slower pace since they were busy, excitedly chatting with one another.


    So let''s give them a chance to prove who they are. Nodding to herself in agreement, the voices became quiet, and Koko finished changing into her bio-suit. She then put her meager belongings away inside her assigned dressing locker.


    She closed the red locker''s door with a soft ''psht'' and turned to head for the dressing room''s door when Rori and Sadie, having heard the soft ''psht'', turned to see Koko about to leave.


    The two half-dressed girls called out to her, ¡°Wow, Koko you got dressed fast!¡± They smiled as they approached her.


    Koko struggled internally for a moment before stopping with a soft sigh to wait for them; All the while glancing between Rori, Sadie, and the door leading to her wonderland.


    ¡°Do you mind giving us a minute?¡± Rori asked with a hopeful look on her face as she and Sadie stepped within arm''s reach of Koko causing her to shuffle back a step, reflexively.


    Noticing that being too close was making Koko uncomfortable, the duo stopped moving forward before Rori spoke, ¡°I just wanted to let you know that I''m really glad you''re joining us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, very much so. The more, the merrier! Right, Rori...¡± Sadie added, her mouth upturned and eyes warm.


    ¡°Yes, that''s right Sadie,¡± Rori nodded. ¡°Especially if this new virtual world is going to be as big and as filled with dangerous adventure as I believe it will be. We''re definitely going to want good people by our sides to share and aid us through those adventures; To have each other''s backs when the time for action calls.¡±


    ¡°Definitely! Going solo may be fun from time to time but it''s also a recipe for making everything ''hard mode'' when it should be ''fun mode''. After all, I have no doubt there''s going to be plenty of situations and places where a solo player can''t survive or pass.¡±


    ¡°I think so too Sadie. Solo play will definitely place limits on where a person can go in this new world, on the quests they can accept, on being able to safely trade goods and materials with others, and so much more... don''t you think so too Koko?¡± Rori asked, focusing in on her response.


    Thinking about it now... what their saying does make sense. There are no doubt going to be many things that solo players won''t be able to do... Koko said inwardly.


    And there will be many places that''ll be too dangerous to cross alone. The soprano voice pointed out. And trading with people you know is definitely better than doing so with strangers...


    Especially for you Koko. All the voices chorused.


    Hmm... I think you''re all right. I''d really be limiting myself if I try to do this all alone. Koko reasoned. And these two, I''ve seen them often enough at the school library. They''re not like most of the others at school who look down on me and bully me.


    True! These two always gave us warm greetings. Another voice added.


    And they do seem to be good people that don''t look to start... troubles... so ¡°Yes.¡± Koko said softly with a nod. ¡°Going solo would be... limiting.¡±


    Judging by the big smiles on their faces, Rori and Sadie were obviously happy with her answer. ¡°Yes, it would be! A solo player would definitely miss out on seeing all there is to see. And since that''s the case why don''t the three of us form a group?¡±


    ¡°Yes, an all-girls musketeer trio... All for one and one for all!¡± Sadie cheerily added.


    ¡°I mean, I know we''re all going to be in the same guild together but it''s good to form bonds, build teamwork skills, and most importantly share in the fun togeth...¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Koko said, answering with a hint of a smile on her face before Rori could finish her recruitment speech. Having accepted their offer, Koko''s eyes once again darted towards the door leading to the new world that was awaiting.


    Rori full-stopped her recruitment speech, smiled, and switched to her getting started speech, ¡°That''s great! We can form our trio once we''re all in the starter town together. We''ll put our heads together and come up with a plan of what to do since there''s going to be a lot of options to choose from.


    And we still need to get into our bio-suits as you have.


    As for them,¡± Rori glanced towards her big sister Cara and Irene who were also doing more chatting than changing. ¡°I''m sure my sister, Irene, and my brother will be doing the same by forming their own teams.¡±


    ¡°I believe they will too,¡± Sadie agreed.


    ¡°Well then Sadie, we better stop standing around here. Let''s finish getting dressed and put our stuff away inside our lockers, before...¡± Grinning, Rori turned to face Koko and continued with a wink, ¡°before our fellow musketeer here gets an even bigger head start over us.¡±


    Rori thought for a short moment, then stepped in to give Koko a quick friendly good-bye hug like she always shared with Sadie...


    But Koko stepped back, looking down while turning for the door. ¡°I-I''ll be going now. See you both i-in Abrynth.¡± And with that, Koko hurried and opened the door to exit the dressing room, closing it shut behind her as Rori muttered, ¡°Too soon?¡±


    To which Sadie nodded, ¡°Yup, too soon... But still, now we''ll have plenty of time to become good friends so it''s definitely a good start.¡±


    ¡°Right you are! This is going to be such fun... let''s hurry and get dressed.¡± The duo headed back to their full-sized lockers and began to dress at a faster pace.


    Meanwhile, Koko stood near the game bio-pods whispering excitedly with her mother whose smile was as big as the sun because it was the first time she''d ever seen her daughter so happy.


    The beautiful blond woman, who was ''cosplaying'' as an elf, that had escorted their group up from the lobby to show them to their suite, approached the mother-daughter pair with graceful movements.


    She held a silver tray in her hands and a warm welcoming smile on her lips. ¡°Are you ready to begin your journey of A New World, A New Life?¡± Claryndel asked, holding the silver tray before Koko.


    ¡°Yes... I''m ready." Very, very much so. Koko and her voices answered, nodding her head as her eyes traveled to what lay atop the silver tray before her; A granola fruit bar (well, at least it looked like one to her), a small glass filled with a cold silvery-blue liquid, and a small closed rectangular box.


    ¡°Well then, since that''s the case, let''s get you fueled up with these special and quite tasty snacks first. After all, one can''t travel to Abrynth from here without the right energy in their body.¡± Claryndel lowered the tray and gestured with her eyes and head for Koko to go ahead and help herself... which she did.


    Mmm, she''s not lying, these are delicious...


    Aw, no fair! We can''t taste them. The voices whined.


    With snacks having been consumed, her stomach happy, and body thrumming with an energy unlike anything she ever felt before, Koko eyed the last item on the silver tray.


    ¡°Within that small box, you''ll find our magical liquid contact lenses needed for first-timers. In order to place the lenses into your eyes simply touch one of them with the tip of your finger and it will cling to you like a drop of water.


    Then tilt your head back and touch the corner of your eye with that drop. The liquid lens will do the rest.¡± Claryndel smiled, watching as Koko slowly reached out to take and open the small box.


    Koko''s eyes furrowed and her lips pursed as she studied the pair of golden liquid lenses lying within the small open box.


    Shifting about from foot to foot, Koko sighed, then reached for one of the lenses; Her finger touched the cool wet surface of the right lens. Oh, the lens really does feel like its clinging onto my fingertip like a water drop. Sweet.


    Lifting her finger slowly to her right eye, Koko tilted her head back as the voices within uttered words of encouragement; She held her breath and touched the corner of her eye with the golden drop.


    The drop slithered off her fingertip and entered her eye, forming a thin cool tingling layer around her eyeball as her vision through that eye became clearer and more focused.


    ¡°Amazing... how in the world did they make these?¡± Koko muttered to herself as she reached out to the second lense.


    ¡°Simple, we made them with magic,¡± Claryndel sang out with a bit of laughter in her voice and a wink of her eye.


    With lenses like these... I think I believe her. Koko thought, smiling as she easily put the second contact into her left eye, then closed the small box to place it back on the silver tray.


    ¡°Good Job Koko. You did that quite well,¡± Claryndel said, holding the tray to her side and giving Koko a gentle pat on her head. ¡°Well then, you''re set and ready to go. Just step into your transmigration pod and close the door when you''re ready to leave this world for a brand new magical one.¡±


    Transmigration pod? One of the voices asked.


    Koko rolled her eyes, holding in her snort. I wish... but this is just a VR game bio-pod. And she''s not a real magic elf, but a very dedicated and beautiful cosplaying employee whose face is getting closer and closer... gulp.


    Claryndel leaned down, her face very near Koko''s ear, she whispered, ¡°And remember, in order to begin your journey to a better new life one must break free of the strings keeping them bound to the old one.¡±


    She then gave Koko a soft kiss on the side of her head and stepped away to prepare the silver tray for the next girl to step out of the dressing room.


    Her mother swept in to give her girl a deep hug, ¡°Looks like it''s time baby girl. Remember, I love you where ever you go and will miss you lots... But I want you to have a great time there!


    So don''t worry about me okay. I won''t be alone.


    After all, I have Miss Addelton and all your wonderful dolls, puppets, and plushy friends to look after me and keep me company... Plus Mrs. Mitchell here!


    So be sure to enjoy your time in this new magical world and make loads of great memories! I can''t wait to hear all about them.


    Promise me you''ll have fun and make friends.¡±


    ¡°I-I promise mom. I''ll bring back lots of great stories to share with you and Grandma Addelton during our tea parties.


    And I-I''m already making new friends with the girls in the dressing room so you don''t have to worry... I won''t be there alone. We''ll all be in a guild together.


    I love you very much and... and I''ll call you whenever I''m logged out of the game to keep in touch...¡±


    The two spoke a few more words before Koko''s mother finally helped her into her game bio-pod, gave her cheek kisses, and waved goodbye as the pod''s door gently closed with a soft psht, embracing her in darkness.


    Her heart fluttered and thoughts swirled in anticipation of what''s to come as she closed her eyes. I wonder what new life I''ll get to have... A new life to set me free of my fears... of the nightmares.


    The soft sounds of tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock began to echo in the dark; The time slowly crawling leaving Koko to wonder: Is my game pod... defective? What do you all... thiiinnnk? She asked her friends inwardly, her eyelids growing heavy, and a yawn escaping her lips.


    For the first time in ages, her friends did not respond.


    Instead, a half dozen or so bluish-white orbs with ghostly faces appeared from the darkness to circle round her body causing goosebumps to appear on her flesh; They were silent as they hovered over her head, waiting...


    Koko, blurry-eyed and muddle-headed, looked at the orbs with half-closed eyes. ¡°Huh? Is that you... guy-ses? What are you doing... outside. Come iiiinnn...¡± Koko half-ordered, half-yawned.


    Ghostly strands flew out of Koko''s yawning mouth, quickly wrapping around the ghostly orbs and pulled them into her closing mouth. Her mouth chilled, then her mind tingled as the sound of an iron gate opening and closing echoed softly in her head before fading away.


    All then became silent, except for the rhythmic echoing sound of the unseen clock lulling her to slee...


    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­


    In a now gated section in a sleeping Koko''s mind, a celebration was taking place as a group of voices happily merged together with ghostly orbs becoming something new... ¡­ ¡­


    ¡­ ¡­


    ¡­


    DING!


    ¡°AAIIEE!¡± Koko jolted straight up in bed, heart thumping hard in her chest as her wide-open eyes searched her surroundings.


    ¡°Where am... I?¡± She looked and looked again; Head tilting, mind fuzzy, and brows furrowed, ¡°Huh, isn''t this my... bedroom? It can''t be... can it? Just how did I end up here? No way... don''t tell me it was all just a dream.


    That I never got into the game.


    Please no... don''t be a... a dream.¡± Her voice faded to a whisper as her eyes became watery and heart became heavy...


    Wait a minute... somethings off...


    Why do I feel like I... I lost some things important to me?


    And what''s up with those posters on my wall? They aren''t supposed to be there anymore. And these books beside me on my bed... my favorite books, Pinnochio and Alice in Wonderland.


    But mom threw Pinnochio away over a year ago because it got covered in... in blood that night. That ma-monster''s blood so what is it doing lying beside me on my bed?


    ¡°What''s happening? Am I going crazy?¡± Koko muttered, her eyes looking down at her books, one of which was opened up onto the page illustrating little Alice chasing after the white rabbit towards the rabbit hole... one of her favorite scenes of the story.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    Her locked door shuttered as a drunken man yelled, ¡°Where''s my dinner you worthless ***! Why isn''t it on the table ready for me and why is this *** door locked!?!¡±


    ¡°No no no no no... this can''t be happening, can''t be real... he''s in jail... that monster is broken and in jail...¡± Koko trembled, her heart beating fast and hard, and her wide eyes ''glued'' to the door.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    ¡°Hurry up and open this *** door before I break it open and make you regret it! I don''t work hard all day just so you can sleep and play in your *** bedroom like a little unwanted ****.¡±


    I-I got to run... hide... but where? Her eyes jolted across her room, searching as she did her best to tune that manster''s raging voice out, ¡°There... the closet!¡±


    Koko kicked the bedsheets off her legs and scrambled off the bed, sending her books to the ground with a pair of thumps.


    Seeing the door rattling more and more with each fist pound it took from that beast, she pitter-pattered across the room, reaching the closet just as the sound of the bedroom door cracking open resounded in the air.


    BAM!


    Her bedroom door burst open just as the closet door shut, trapping Koko in darkness.


    Turning, Koko locked the door, and quickly scurried to the back of the closet, sitting down on the hardwood floor in the dark. Her shoulder''s hunched and arms wrapped tightly around her bent knees, trying to make herself as small as possible.


    Breathing a bit rough and heavy, she tried to calm down for fear of being heard as the beast''s footsteps thumped into her bedroom, sounding closer and closer.


    ¡°You think I''m stupid like you!?! That I can''t find you? If you''re not under the bed then where else could you be?¡± The beast spoke sarcastically.


    The closet''s doorknob rattled and the door shook as a yelp escaped Koko''s small quivering lips. ¡°Ha, ha Found You! Now open up so I can make you wish you were never born like I do...¡±


    No nono no... I got to get away, get out of here! Her mind screamed as she frantically scurried backward while still in her sitting position, tears streaming down her cheeks; Her hands and feet pushing and slipping against the ground sending her back, back, back as the bottom of the clothes hanging from above brushed against her small trembling body like soft fingers trying to grasp and hold her for the... the fearsome beast on the other side of the door.


    A cool breeze of wind caused her back to shiver.


    Huh? A cool breeze of... wind? H-how? Koko''s panicked mind asked as the ground beneath her hands and feet softened and... inclined.


    Scurrying faster than before, back first, towards the breeze she soon found that the air had become perfumed with a musty wood scent and the soft clothes that were brushing against her body had become a bit stiff but smooth.


    And there was some kind of dim light streaming down from above. Her eyes shifted about her shadowy surroundings as her frantic hands and feet continued to propel her back faster and faster; Until her hands stretched down seeking the ground but found air as her feet pushed her body back launching her up into the air...


    ¡°Ooof!¡± Koko cried out as she fell back first onto the ground; Gasping for air, she laid on the ground surrounded by... leafy shrubs?


    Breathing slowly, Koko calmed herself and rose up off the ground to stand unsteadily. She looked around, eyes wide and mouth agape; She was in the middle of a ring of tall shrubs and towering trees.


    This... this is a forest, isn''t it?


    But how? How in the world did I get here from inside my closet?


    She looked down at the dirt ground for answers, quickly spotting a large child-sized hole. That must be it, where I exited from.


    The scent of the damp forest was even stronger out here than inside the tunnel. ¡°Isn''t this like Alice in Wonderland? No, nevermind. Can''t be since she went down a rabbit hole and I went up.


    Still, this is amazing.¡±


    Oh, so if I''m here, then this must mean that either I fell asleep in my game pod and this is all just a dream or nightmare...


    Or I''m already in the game making all of this... the tutorial?


    If so, then not only am I not happy about them putting me through that horrible nightmare again but... very confused. Just how in the frell did they even know about that... that man and that night.


    I-it''s scary... like they got into my head, my memories. Can they do that? What do you all think abou...


    Hold on... you all? Who the frell is ''you all'' that I''m talkin...


    ¡°Don''t think just because you went outside that I can''t find you ***! Stay right there and wait for me to come get you. I''m going to lock your *** up in a place I never wish to be in again... the ''Silent Screams'' room!¡±


    The beast''s voice raged, echoing up into the night air out of the ''rabbit hole'' as shadowy winged beasts startled; A cacophony of caws and high pitched shrieks cried out as the treetops rustled and a flock of wings flapped.


    ¡°Wait here? Never! No way am I being locked in such a scary sounding room...¡± Koko fled from the hole, her long messy hair fluttering behind her... a bit heavier than usual as if something was laying atop of her head, bouncing up and down, hitting her back with each quick light barefooted step she took on the cool dampening ground.


    The air getting colder and colder as dusk became night.


    The trees and brush are thinning. It looks like there''s a clearing up ahead... I think. Koko pushed harder, faster; The running keeping the growing cold at bay.


    Huffing and puffing, heart beating fast within her chest, she arrived at the forest''s edge.


    Got to hide... and catch my breath. Her dark eyes searched, quickly finding what she was looking for.


    Koko scurried into a large leafy bush, becoming hidden from sight.


    She stood slightly bent over with one hand on her side and the other pressed up against the smooth wide trunk of the tall tree beside her, slowly breathing in and out. She looked out between the gaps of the branches of the bush, spying a large clearing before her.


    ¡°Is that some sort of old gothic... hospital?¡±


    It was hard to tell due to the darkness of night and the distance between them.


    SNAP!


    The sound of a branch breaking caused her to startle and spin around to look, the bush rustling with her movements, giving away her location.


    Heart jackhammering in her chest, she stared into the dark forest, taking note of the fog that was starting to roll in; And the shadows wending behind the trees in the much too close distance causing her to wonder if they belonged to that fathe... no, not that... but monster like some sort of bad horror movie.


    The type of bad horror movie in which no matter how fast the victim runs, the monster is always close behind... walking.


    Not wanting to find out who those shadows belonged too...


    Koko burst out of the bush, jumping free of the forest to run as fast as she could across the unkempt field; Her footfalls cushioned by the wild grasses that felt cool against the soles of her feet as she rushed towards the tall red doors of the large white building, the paint discolored and faded with time and neglect.


    A glint of light caused her to glance to her side where she noticed a black iron fence reaching as high as a person''s waist... enclosing an area that had sculpted stones, dark and round, jutting up out of the long uncared for ground.


    Who puts a cemetery by a hospital? Doesn''t that send the wrong message! She found herself slowing down, rethinking her plan of going inside the large gothic building that was now obviously much, much older than it looked to be from the edge of the forest.


    An angry shout echoed out from the forest behind her, startling more winged creatures to fly up into the night sky from their treetop perches.


    No choice! I got to get away and hide.


    Koko made it to the tall heavy looking doors, reached up with both hands, and grabbed the long black iron door handles to click and push.


    The doors opened with a decrepit high pitched screech sending chills up and down her small body. Ignoring the ominous warning, Koko hopped inside, turned around, and...


    BAM!


    Slammed the doors shut tight. Her hands then fumbled with the door handles, ¡°Really? There are no locks on these doors...¡± WHY!?!


    She paused to look at the long handles, thought for a few breathes, then searched the sides of the doors for something to stick through the door handles to keep the doors from opening.


    The right side of the doors was empty but the left side held promise as she found a round container holding a trio of long dusty umbrellas.


    She quickly stepped up to the container, picked up all three umbrellas, and gave them each a quick look over before sliding two of them between the door''s black iron handles.


    She then gave the doors a tug and released a deep breath when she found that they wouldn''t open.


    As for the third umbrella, a gothic victorian black with a pointed tip, she held onto it since she had no weapon and was now trapped in a huge unknown building with a beast out in the woods waiting for her.


    Koko took a deep breath, exhaled, and muttered to herself, ¡°Out of the frying pan and into the...¡±


    Turning, her eyes scanned the large dimly lit lobby. A layer of dust hanging in the air making the place look old and forgotten. Up above the large wooden welcoming desk hung a sign... Welcome to the Puppet Asylum.


    Storymask


    Excited about entering the game and wary around people, Koko is the first dressed and out of the dressing room... well, the first of the girls that is, since a certain boy already beat her into the game. And like Micheal, where she started out wasn''t anything like she expected, nor would have chosen. Now she finds herself having escaped one danger... only to be trapped into entering a new one wherein the upcoming part 2 she takes her first real steps in the Puppet Asylum.


    Note: And with this, we start Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild Girls Side Tales. I had thought I was going to have Rori''s story be the first of the new book of short stories but Koko''s tale kept finding its way into my thoughts so I decided to just write what I saw in my head to open the way for the other girl''s stories that follow.


    Koko''s journey will be the darkest of all the girls... I think. But that journey will lead to her becoming who she becomes by the end of her starter area.


    ***********


    Revised on 9-11-2020

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (part 2)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 2)


    ¡°Dr. Gladfellow! Dr. Goodley! Emergency Doctors! Emergency!¡± A female voice echoed into the large lobby from the tall right corridor.


    ¡°What seems to be the matter, Nurse Penny!?!¡± An older sounding male voice echoed down the wide staircase leading up to the dimly lit second floor behind the center of the long lobby desk.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Just what seems to be the problem, Nurse Penny?¡± A second, more baritone voice quickly followed the first from out of the left corridor; Koko crouched behind the large and long lobby desk, listening.


    I knew this huge creepy place couldn''t be empty. Koko thought to herself; Her grip tightening on her umbrella as her eyes jolted from the left corridor to the stairway to the right corridor coming to rest on the long lobby desk.


    A silver bell gleamed with a bluish-white glow, drawing her attention.


    ¡°The Patient Doctors! The Patient has escaped! And is on the loose inside the asylum!¡± The panicked Nurse Penny shouted, her voice sounding a bit mechanical as her running footsteps began to echo towards the lobby.


    ¡°WHAT? Are you certain Nurse Penny!?!¡± The doctor''s voice rushed down the stairs.


    ¡°Yes! Quite certain Dr. Gladfellow. The Orderlies Six have confirmed it!¡± Nurse Penny responded, her footsteps sounding nearer than before causing Koko''s heart to beat faster as her eyes searched about for a hiding spot.


    ¡°Well, that''s not good is it Dr. Gladfellow. If I remember correctly, that special Patient hadn''t completed his treatments yet.¡± The voice said matter of factly from the left corridor; The disappointment evident in his voice.


    ¡°Not good indeed Dr. Goodley. I was really looking forward to his puppetfication. Alas, I hope he''s still within the premises.¡± Dr. Gladfellow said, their voices sounding near though their bodies were somewhere else. ¡°Any idea as to when the Patient escaped Nurse Penny?¡±


    ¡°We''re not exactly sure Dr. Gladfellow. The last time anyone had seen him was three days ago during the group therapy session.


    He had become a bit... unhinged. It seems he became triggered when one of the other patients began to talk about her precious daughter.


    Dr. Sadere had to call for assistance.


    The Patient was then subdued, ''packaged'', and carried out of the room by Orderly Kresh and Orderly Bashin before his true nature could fully awaken.


    It seems they tossed him in the ''Silent Screams'' room so that he wouldn''t bother the other patients in that wing of the asylum.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... three days ago. Why was he left in that room for so long?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that would be due to Orderly Kresh. It seems he was supposed to retrieve the patient the next day but had forgotten.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha... That sounds like something Orderly Kresh would do.¡±


    ¡°Indeed Dr. Goodley. Anyways, by the time the Patient''s absence was noticed 3 days had passed by so when Orderly Bashin went to retrieve him the room was empty. Hence the situation we''re in now.¡±


    ¡°Well then, since that''s the case then there''s a real good chance the Patient has already left the premises then...¡±


    Why does the name of that room sound so familiar?...


    Ah, nevermind! One of them is coming... the nurse from the right corridor so then either I go up or to the left. And now because I can see a shadow moving my way from the right corridor which means Nurse Penny will soon arrive!


    I can''t let them catch me and do whatever it is they do to people here because that whole puppetfication thing doesn''t sound good! And that... that bell Koko paused, her eyes drawn to the silver bell atop the lobby desk. I can ''feel'' that bell...


    ¡°Nurse Penny! Ring for the Orderly Six and have them leash the Kreepers to search for our little lost Patient.¡±


    ¡°Good call Dr. Goodley. Those Kreepers should be able to pick up the trail if he''s still nearby. Well then, since the problem is resolved I''ll get back to my patient, his mutterings have become quite interesting.¡±


    ¡°Indeed Dr. Gladfellow. I have an interesting newly puppetfied patient of my own as well. It seems one of the extra buttons we''ve sewn onto his face has opened his ''sight''! And ever since he''s been muttering about the ''unseen'' and ''the coming of the Nethryn''...¡±


    ¡°That sounds fascinating Dr. Goodley! I look forward to reading the patient''s updated file.¡±


    ¡°Will do Dr. Gladfellow...¡±


    The Doctors'' voices faded away as Nurse Penny''s footsteps announced her entrance into the lobby.


    Her low heeled shoes clanked against the black and white checkered flooring as she headed straight towards the desk looking to ring the bell and call forth the Orderly Six... but the bell was gone.


    ¡°Where ever is that bell? It should be right here atop the desk. Did Nurse Annidose or Nurse Prickly take it with them? Or maybe they misplaced it?¡± She spent a few minutes searching for the bell but came up empty.


    Sighing heavily while shaking her head, Nurse Penny made her way to the other side of the desk and began to search for the inferior spare copper bell whose tone was a bit discordant and unpleasant to her copper-tin ears.


    The sounds of drawers opening and closing echoed into the corridor on the left where Koko carefully made her way along the cluttered wall heading to the end of the long hallway; She made sure to check the many doors along the way but unfortunately, they were all locked.


    It''s a good thing I''m barefooted. Koko thought as her footfalls lightly fell onto the cool tiled floor. After a dozen minutes or so she reached the T-shaped intersection at the end of the long corridor.


    Warily, she peeked her head out, and quickly looked left and then right.


    I must be careful... I don''t know how many others are in this place. What I do know is that this is the corridor that Dr. Goodley''s voice came from and he was with a newly puppetfied patient...


    And I definitely don''t want to be caught and puppetfied as well!


    Koko shivered at the thought, strengthening her grip on the umbrella with her right hand while partially supporting its top half with her left hand that was holding onto a silver bell; Two of her fingers were within the bell''s cup pressing the swinging clapper up against the bell''s side to keep it from ringing.


    ¡°Don''t ring, don''t ring, don''t ring...¡± Koko whispered as she continued to search both directions of the corridor''s intersection. I shouldn''t have brought it with me but there''s just something about it... some kind of pull... of connection. Even now I can feel it thrumming in my hand.


    I need to find a place to hide and think.


    A place with better clothes than this long dirty t-shirt I have on. And hopefully filled with things that will not only help me get out of here... but help me against that beast that''s waiting for me in the forest outside as well.


    Time to choose... left, right, left, right, lef... shadows moving in the distance... let''s go right!


    Koko''s little body scurried down the right corridor as shadows danced far down the left corridor; A squeaking sound could be heard coming from that direction.


    Ugh! One of these doors just has to be unlocked!...


    The sound of the squeaking grew louder and louder as Koko rushed along the clutter filled wall, staying low as she went from tall door to tall door... Tall door? Why is everything so tall in this place? Or is it that they are not tall but that I''m now... small.


    Did I shrink down to... to doll size? But I don''t remember drinking anything to make me shrink as Alice did...


    squeak squeak SqueaK


    Closer... something is getting closer, coming this way! And I won''t be able to hide behind all this... side corridor clutter for much longer. Heart beating fast, Koko hurried to the next door, turned the doorknob, and... click!


    She quickly pushed the door open, scurried inside the dimly lit room, and then softly closed the door shut behind her (making sure to turn the lock).


    She let out a deep breath of air as her tensed muscles loosened, ¡°Finally. I finally found one unlocked... looks like things are finally turning my wa... EEK!¡± Koko let out a startled shriek, quickly dropping the umbrella and bell in her hands to cover her mouth.


    The umbrella hit the ground first, followed by the silver bell which should have rung but didn''t.


    Only Koko didn''t notice because her eyes were taking in the scene around her; A scene that seemed to be ripped out of a horror movie or manga. The scene that caused her to shriek the moment she turned away from the door to inspect her new surroundings.


    Her breathing (muffled by her hands) slowed down as her wide eyes began to return to normal as she realized something... something important.


    ¡°Ah, they''re not real... all those heads, limbs, and torsos are not real... Thank the powers that be...¡± Koko muttered, looking around the large doll and puppet storage room.


    Two of the walls were covered in floor to ceiling shelves filled with heads, limbs, torsos, and other doll and puppet parts; Some of which were spilled onto the floor.


    The wall to her right caught her interest. It was made up of the biggest wooden wardrobe she''d ever seen in her life.


    The bottom of the wardrobe held rows of various-sized drawers, some of which were opened with clothing sticking out. The upper section held mostly closed doors with only a couple partially opened giving Koko a peek inside at the different clothes hanging within.


    And in the middle of the wardrobe was a pitch-black ornate door that wasn''t nearly as wide as the others. It was decorated in web designs of silvery-pink and lavenders; There was even a fluffy spidery spirit emblem in its center which she found to be quite cute and captivating.


    Slowly, she began to step towards the spidery emblem when suddenly a loud SQUEAK sounded on the other side of the room''s door, breaking her out of her trance.


    The doorknob rattled... and rattled some more followed by muffled trombone grumblings.


    ¡°Not good... I need to hide.¡± Her eyes looked towards the big wardrobe doors.


    ¡°That''ll do!¡± The sounds of keys clinking making her ears... twitch?


    With no time to wonder, she rushed towards wardrobe doors, only to come to a sliding stop as she realized she forgot something... something important; My umbrella and silver bell!... If they see those inside here, that might lead them to think someone is in here... which means they''ll search the room.


    After all, they''re already searching for some escaped patient.


    Koko rushed back to where her umbrella and silver bell lay on the ground near the door as the sound of a key unlocking the door seemed to ring out loud.


    The doorknob began to turn as Koko quickly realized she didn''t have time to make it across the room to the wardrobe so she had no choice but to go with plan B!


    She moved swiftly as the door was pushed open and a squeaking metal cart loaded with doll and puppet parts, threads, buttons, and clothes was pushed inside.


    And the one doing the pushing was a tall lumbering... plushie?


    A wide oval-shaped head with a milky gray face sat atop its husky body. The new arrival''s face was adorned with swirling black inked eyebrows and a large pair of shiny red bead eyes.


    His wide flat head was covered in black velvet cloth; Including the long tentacle looking appendages on each side that came down to the top of his shoulders in round circular curls.


    The black velvet cloth that made up everything on his head (with exception of his face) was sewn into the collar of his loose-fitting jester patterned full body onesie which was red and black in color.


    He looked awfully cute to Koko, for a big human-sized plushie puppet working in such a nightmarish place.


    The Orderly puppet pushed the cart up to the right of the door where a sorting table stood pushed up against the wall. Humming a playful tune, he began to unload the cart unaware that he was not alone in the room.


    Koko did her best to remain unmoving, quiet, and hidden amongst all the broken and partially completed dolls and puppets of the left wall''s lowest shelf. The only thing peeking out from her hiding spot was her small head, matching all the other doll heads around her.


    ¡°Jobs done.¡± The big plushie orderly rumbled. Then turned to push the squeaky cart to the back wall to begin loading it up with new parts and items.


    He''d stare, push, pick, load, stare, push... the cart squeaking as he went down the rows heading towards the left wall.


    Not good, not good... he''s coming this way! Koko froze, making sure to keep her eyes looking towards the giant wardrobe way over on the other side of the room, doing her best to think of calm things like tea parties with her dollies and puppets and the kind old lady, Grandma Addelton that took her and her mother into her big two-story house; Even though mother had only worked for her for a short couple of months.


    Grandma Addelton, for that''s what she insisted on Koko calling her, even gave her a beautiful old dollhouse that she had kept stored away in the attic. It was the perfect place for her precious friends to share... precious friends. Why do I feel like I''m forgetti...


    ¡°What''s this? I no see that pretty pinkish-white rabbit-eared doll head before. Something so pretty, why is it in spare junk room? Must be mistake. I take back to Puppetfication room now.¡± The big plush Orderly bent down and reached his large hand towards Koko''s head...


    Huh? Rabbit-eared doll head? I don''t have a rabbit-eared doll head!... Do I? Frell! That''s not important right now. Koko felt flooded with energy as soft giggling laughter thrummed through her body. Her grip tightened on her hidden umbrella...


    The big plushie hand moved slowly but with purpose towards her as it grasped something attached to the top of her head, yanking up and away.


    Sounds of things spilling onto the ground filled the room as Koko''s body was pulled out of hiding causing the big Orderly to hold her flailing body up in front of his confused face.


    ¡°What''s this?¡± The big Orderly asked as he shook Koko by her long fluffy ears, her body waving to and fro as she desperately held onto her umbrella and bell. ¡°This no pretty bunny girl doll head. This be whole pretty bunny girl dollie. Why you sleeping in spare junk room little bunny dollie girl? You should be in your room sleeping. I take you back now and come back for stuff later.¡±


    ¡°Put me down!¡± Koko shouted, causing the big plushie Orderly to stop moving towards the door. ¡°I''m not some... doll! I''m a real girl and I don''t belong here. I belong... belong...¡±


    ¡°Belong where pretty bunny girl dollie? Where you belong if not here?¡± The big Orderly asked as he tilted his wide head.


    ¡°I-I don''t know bu...¡± Koko began to answer, glaring at the big ''puff n stuff'' Orderly.


    ¡°If you no know then you belong here where doctors fix you good,¡± The big Orderly reasoned, then looked back to the door. ¡°Now hush. It''s late and others sleep now. Don''t wake them while I take you to room you like. Nice room with soft cushy walls...¡±


    ¡°N-no thanks! I''ll find a place of my own.¡± Koko lifted her umbrella and brought it down hard atop the big Orderly''s head.


    The umbrella sunk into the plush flat head and bounced back up as a susurrus of dollish giggles echoed in her head.


    :gigglings: ¡°Foolish incomplete Nethryn Hare forgot to magic her umbrella...¡± :giggles: ¡°... newb pygmy girl, cute as a dollie and just as bright...¡± :gigglings:


    ¡°Huh? W-who said that!?! Who''s talking!?!¡± Koko cried out, her eyes looking about the room as the big plush Orderly held her up to stare at her strangely while mumbling ¡°...Did I break pretty bunny dollie girl? Doctors will be mad, should I... get rid of her? Doctors no see her, then no know I broke her... I no be in trouble. Yes, can bury her outside in field of dirt beds with others...¡±


    :giggles: ¡°Newb Nethryn Hare better put her Nethryn magic in her bell and ring before big plush dummy takes her out of room to bury...¡± :gigglings: ¡°... Yes. Listen and hear us well little Nethryn Hare... search within for your magic and put it into your bell to ring to save yourself from dirt bed...¡± :giggles:


    Either I''ve gone mad in this place or... those voices are some kind of twisted game guides.


    Now... let''s see if I can feel the magic inside... something thrumming about... like tingling strands... There! I feel it fluttering about inside my chest. Now I just need to gather, gather, gather it and...


    Roll it into a ball of energy and push it to my left hand... Yes! Like that... now out into...


    :giggles: ¡°Do you think our pretty newbie will remember to say the chant first?¡± :giggles:


    ¡°Chant... what chant?¡± Koko asked, her body swinging in the air as the Orderly moved her about to look at her once more.


    ¡°Cant? What''sa cant little bunny doll?¡± The Orderly asked, even more certain than before that he must have somehow broken her.


    :giggles: ¡°Well, we wouldn''t call it a real chant. Just a name for the spell you''re making... just a NAME... Name... name...¡± :gigglings:


    ¡°Not a chant, but a name. What name? Any name?¡± Koko asked but received no response. I guess that''s it for the help... huh? So I''m making a spell... a bell spell with Nethryn magic? Energy? Either way... I just need to name it... to call out its name... A dollhouse door quietly opened in her mind as she heard a voice call out...


    ¡°Good. Bunny dollie quiet now. I take bunny dollie out now to dirt beds for her to forever sleep...¡±


    ¡°Spirin Discordance Belltoll!¡±


    RING... ...RING... ...RING!


    ¡°AAARRGGHH!¡±


    The big plush Orderly fell down to his knees, releasing Koko as he used his big plush hands to cover his long curling tentacle ears. ¡°Make it stop! Make it stop!...¡±


    That was fine by Koko because she was now free but that darn big Orderly fell down in front of the door blocking her escape!


    I need to go somewhere he can''t reach... but I can. Koko thought as her eyes searched the room, stopping to focus on the top shelf of the back wall where lots of doll and puppet parts sat unmoved in ages.


    ¡°Hmm, they did say I''m a... what was it again? Oh yeah, a Nethryn Hare. Well, I''m not sure what Nethryn is but I do know that hares can jump!¡±


    So let''s see... what if I put the energy into my legs and call out a name for a double jump? I''ve always liked doing those in games so let''s give it a try.


    A shadow fell over Koko''s body as a big angry plush Orderly growled, ¡°Bad Bunny Girl Dollie! You hurt KRESH! Make threads come out my ears. Kresh now punish bunny girl dollie for being bad!...¡±


    ¡°Kresh... so this is that Kresh huh.¡± His name sounds a lot like crush which is what''ll happen to me if I don''t move now!


    Koko ran forward to the back wall with everything she had, pouring all the energy spinning about in the pit of her stomach into her legs and shouted out as an image entered her mind... an image of Pinocchio ¡°Nethryn String Double Hop!¡±


    Koko jumped up off the ground reaching over 6 feet high as Kresh''s overhead Double Hand Hammer Krush slammed into the ground where she had been just a moment ago.


    Her body started it''s downward fall when all of a sudden, it felt like ghostly strings were attached to her legs controlling her to jump again which she did; The bottom of her feet pushed off the air as the unseen Nethryn Strings yanked her up to the top shelf of the back wall unprepared. The jarring motion causing the silver bell and umbrella to fall out of her startled hands.


    Her weapons (for that''s what she thought of them as) fell atop the confused Kresh''s plush head and bounced off to fall onto the ground.


    Koko watched from on high as energy scuttled about within her; She trembled as she felt small aches, pains, and tingling sensations taking place all over her body.


    An angry Kresh glared up at the bad bunny girl that got away unpunished. She was up top where he couldn''t reach, looking down at him causing him to stomp about, kicking the clutter on the ground and flailing his big plushie arms in the air.


    That was too close. Koko thought with a shiver as the strange body sensations she had just felt finally died down. I do believe his ''punish'' would have killed me.


    And I don''t want to die, even if this is just a game so...


    ¡°Looks like it''s either him or me. Now, what do I have that can punish him the way he tried to punish me since all my weapons are now on the ground.¡± That whole getting yanked up really took me by surprise. I better remember that for the next time I double jump.


    :giggles: ¡°Little Nethryn Hare wants to play punishment game with Kresh. Little Nethryn Hare must be an itsy bitsy S girl...¡± :gigglings:


    :giggles: ¡°Yes. Our little newb girl is changing fast. Now she also itsy bitsy S girl, ready to play big boy games...¡± :gigglings:


    ¡°Oh great, the dollie voices are back. Instead of saying dumb things like itsy bitsy S girl, why don''t they say smart things that will help me punish the stuffings out of Kresh?¡± Koko grumped, her hands folded over her chest as she looked to her sides in thought. ¡°All I have up here are a bunch of doll and puppet heads and parts. Kind of creepy really... and sad.¡±


    :giggles: ¡°Little Nethryn Hare doesn''t know... doesn''t know... doesn''t know...¡± :gigglings:


    :giggles: ¡°She doesn''t, does she. Look at little miss itsy bitsy standing there in the middle of all those weapons without a clue... without a clue... without a clue...¡± :gigglings:


    ¡°Weapons? They''re just a bunch of doll and puppet heads... aren''t they. What do you want me to do? Toss them down at the big plushie headed Kresh? Even my umbrella smash didn''t hurt him... what could tossing these things possibly do to him?¡±


    :giggles: ¡°What could they do she asks but already knows so why ask us for the answers that live inside her dollhouse? Such a silly hare... silly hare... silly hare...¡± :gigglings:


    :giggles: ¡°Maybe the itsy bitsy girl has locked herself out and lost her keys. If so, then why not climb in through an open window? For when one door closes... one door closes... one door closes...¡± :gigglings:


    ¡°Okay, okay. I get it... When one door closes, another door opens but just where are these doors? Better yet, where is this whole dollhouse of answers your muttering about?¡±


    :giggles: ¡°It''s in your head. In your heeaaad!...¡± :gigglings:


    ¡°Great, I ask for an answer and they sing me a song... Unless the dollhouse really is in my hea... Ouch!¡± Koko cried out, rubbing her head that was now growing a small bump.


    She looked down to see a satisfied look on Kresh''s face and a doll head in his wound up throwing hand, ready to strike again. ¡°Good! Little bunny dollie girl now listen to Kresh. Come down so Kresh can punish you for being bad or Kresh throw more stuff at you.¡±


    ¡°I think not,¡± Koko said, rubbing her head as she moved away from the edge of the shelf to crouch down against the back wall staying out of sight. Now, where was I... dollhouse... in my head so I need to get in my head. And according to some of the stories I read the way to look within oneself is through meditation.


    ¡°So then, let''s give it a try, close my eyes, and picture myself in my head as I slowly breathe...¡± In and out, in and out, in and out...


    ¡°Come down now bunny girl! Kresh getting madder. Kresh going to climb up and get you if you don''t come down by time I count 10!


    One... Two... Tree...¡±


    Storymask


    Looks like Koko is in trouble now; Locked in a room now weaponless with an oversized plushie Kresh down below wanting to play the punishment game with her and there''s only one way for her to leave without having to deal with resurrection sickness, that''s entering the dollhouse in her head and learning the secrets needed to punish the stuffings out of Kresh! Coming up next in The Puppet Asylum Part 3... entering the dollhouse.


    ***************


    Revised on 9-11-2020

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (part 3)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 3)


    By the time Kresh had reached ''Tree'', Koko was gone.


    Well, at least her spirit body was as she found herself being pulled up towards a bluish-white sea of dense puffy clouds by ethereal strings attached to her small body.


    ¡°Just where am I being taken... and by whom?¡± Koko wondered aloud as she looked up to see billowing clouds opening like a great maw and swallowing her whole, causing her to lightly shiver.


    She had no idea which direction she was going other than up.


    And judging by the growing sounds of childish laughter and gigglings, she wasn''t going to be alone. Most would find the situation to be quite frightening, but not her.


    In fact, the sounds gave her a comforting sense of nostalgia.


    The night clouds soon thinned like layers of silky veils allowing her to see a tall misty building looming in the distance below. The laughter and giggling were much louder now, clearer.


    And laced with playful sing-song voices:


    ¡°Ring around Anancy, Pockets full of websies


    Spinning, spinning, We''re all webbed down!¡±


    Another round of laughter and giggles followed as a group of shadows fell down... onto the ground?


    Well, at least I think its a ground of some sort since they didn''t fall through. Koko thought with brows furrowed, watching.


    Her thoughts shifted, along with her view of the surroundings, as she found herself being lowered rather quickly; Her bare feet touched soft but solid ground causing the remaining ''cloud veils'' to blow away from where she now stood, clearing her view of the area before her.


    ¡°I guess I was right, the ground is solid... and soft as snow. But thankfully, it''s cool instead of cold.¡± Looking down, she tapped the ground before her with one foot before stepping, ensuring that each step was met by solid ground.


    After a few short steps, she found herself in front of a black iron gate that was more than twice her height. She shifted her head to look between the bars; Her dark eyes following the cobblestone pathway of pinks, purples, and blacks leading a long way across the lush bluish-gray lawn to a two-story gothic dollhouse.


    ¡°Well, that answers the first question of... where am I being taken?¡± Now to answer the second of who did the taking...


    Looking up to see what or who brought her here, Koko spied a small translucent girl floating above; The girl''s long wild hair fluttered about behind her as if caught in a gentle breeze painting the air in cascading blends of rich eggplant and pastel lavender hues.


    ¡°So pretty,¡± Koko whispered, staring up at the spectral girl. ¡°I wish I had hair like hers...¡± And the pink highlights match perfectly with her wonderful bunny ears.


    The spectral girl''s big pair of baby blue eyes darted from left to right, looking ahead past the gate into the distance. Right above each eye were two beads forming a triangle of eyes; The inside set of bead eyes were of pink hues, while the outer set was deep eggplant.


    Her cute gothic dress matched the colors of her hair perfectly while being accented with black hems, belt, and short jacket. Her dress billowed, revealing layers of pitch-black petticoats that tapered inward forming a shape that resembled the lower body of a spider.


    And most striking of all were the six ethereal black and pink striped spider legs with sharp eggplant colored tips sprouting out from her back; Each leg spun and controlled metallic lavender-pink threads that were attached to Koko''s body.


    I guess I now know who brought me here.


    She''s so... cute and pretty. And judging by the look in her baby blues, frightened? Just what is she looking at that scares her so?


    Koko turned her eyes away from the cute... spider-bunny ghost girl? hovering above to look in the same direction as her. Through the gaps between the iron bars of the gate, she locked onto the dollhouse.


    A gothic dollhouse that was not only the same shape as the one Grandma Addelton had handed down to her but whose outer walls were painted the same blends of pastel lavender and deep eggplant with all black trimming.


    Just how in the world is the game doing this? Plucking stuff from inside my head to put into the game. Koko stood there for a short while, pondering...


    But no matter how much she thought about it, she just couldn''t figure it out.


    /sigh Best not to dwell on it since there''s no way I''m going to figure it out on my own; And that game company surely won''t tell me no matter how nicely I ask.


    But one thing is certain... This technology is beyond amazing. Something I thought I''d only see in films or read in stories. Not something I''d actually be able to experience.


    Anyways, I better get back to focusing on my own story that I''ve only just begun... Meaning I need to get into that very dollhouse that''s making spider-bunny girl above... scared.


    And you just know it can''t be something good if it can even frighten spirits.


    Koko gave the gate a pull causing it to rattle but stay closed. She tried the handle several more times before giving up. Hmm, since it won''t open then maybe I should find another way in or just jump over?


    Her eyes looked along the fence in hopes of spotting another way in but there was none; Only tall shrubs with colorful flowers planted along the fence. And there on the bluish-gray grass was a small group of children? They were still lying down on the lawn giggling.


    I wonder what they''re giggling about? Koko thought, watching them intently. There''s something odd about them... about the way they look as if they''re...


    One of them, a girl with unicorn baby pink hair, sat up to turn to look in her direction causing her twin tails which were tipped in loose ringlets to bounce against the side of her arms.


    Silky black ribbons tied into bows kept her hair in place; The ribbons were attached to the back of a much too cute pair of plushie doll heads which were being used as mini pin cushions.


    She brushed some grass off her dress that happened to be trapped within the cute vertical striped ruffles; The color of her dress matched the pinks of her hair while the black hems tied in her leather belt, combat boots, and short biker jacket whose sleeve cuffs were pierced with long sharp sewing needles.


    The girl called out playfully, ¡°Hooray! A new friend has come out to play with us!¡±


    ¡°Really? Where?¡± A plague doctor masked girl asked excitedly, rising up into a sitting position as well. She turned to look towards her standing behind the gate; Koko looked back.


    ¡°Let''s let her in and play!¡± Twin tails said, rising to her feet causing her satin dress to shine and sway.


    The others followed her lead, rising up from the ground as well, smiles on their faces, and giggling as they rushed towards the gate calling out, ¡°Let''s play with her, play with her, play with her! Yay!¡±


    Koko backpedaled from the gate with small steps as she watched the small group of children nearing. No, not children... but dollie puppets reminding her of Kresh, even though they looked far different than him and were more her own size.


    Still, they were running her way increasing her desire to flee but the strings from above held her in place.


    Closer and closer they got, giggling and laughing as Koko kept trying to run to hide... but couldn''t.


    Finally, the group of puppets reached the door and stared; Watching as a very frantic and frustrated Koko reached up with both hands, grabbed onto the strings holding her still, and yanked down... HARD!


    ¡°EEEKKSS!¡± A startled ghostly cry echoed as Koko felt something cool and silky fall onto and into her from above, dropping her to the ground. The puppets all stared mouth agape before breaking out in a fit of laughs and giggles.


    ¡°Again! Do it again!¡± Some of the puppets cried out as Koko lay on her back looking up into the starry sky. She felt her flesh undulating beneath her t-shirt as something cool crawled about within her head, scuttling to the back of her skull; It moved down her spine to her chest, then nestled in near her heart.


    A ¡°squeak¡± sounded out as Koko lifted her hand to rub the center of her tingling chest but was instead intercepted as a soft small hand grasped her hand. ¡°Hello there funny girl! Let me help you up.¡± Twin Tails said and did so with a lopsided grin on her face.


    She then began to walk around a now standing and quite tense Koko, brushing off the grass clinging to her long dirty T-shirt. ¡°That was quite the riot. I''ve never seen a not yet puppet with a puppeteer before. Let alone seen one yank their puppeteer into their bodies...Truly amazing!¡±


    ¡°It really was...¡± ¡°Did you see the look of surprise on that cute puppeteer''s face?¡± ¡°It was so funny! Do it again...¡± The other puppets excitedly yapped before quieting down as Twin Tails gave them a look of ''Hush Now, Don''t Say A Word''.


    ¡°Now then, where were we?¡± Twin tails asked, turning back to Koko and tilting her head. ¡°Oh yeah, before I forget, let me introduce myself, I''m Pinkili and these moppets here are my friends and family.¡± Pinkili performed a grand sweeping gesture with her arm towards the other puppets.


    ¡°Go ahead everyone, introduce yourself to... Uhm... Oh I know, Funny Girl.¡± She winked at Koko. ¡°Yup, everyone introduce yourself to Funny Girl. After all, we can''t play games with strangers...¡±


    ¡°Yes indeed. Greetings must come first since strangers are dangers,¡± the white rabbit boy covered in fluffy fur said.


    He was dressed in a victorian inspired overcoat which came down to his thighs; It was royal blue and covered in different sized black polka dots, some of which containing white spiraling circles. A matching blue vest with a white ruffled dress shirt and bright red bow tie completed the outfit.


    ¡°Hello Funny Girl, my name is Harvey. I see we have long ears in common. Although, your''s certainly are more colorful than mine, what with them being tinted in pinks... But I guess that''s not the only difference since I only have one pair of eyes unlike you with your three...¡±


    What? How many eyes? ¡°What do you mean I ha...¡± Koko started to ask with a ''pokan'' look on her face but stopped when a little girl dressed in dark cybergoth attire popped up between them and suddenly took her hands, shaking them quite enthusiastically.


    ¡°Hi Funny Girl! I''m Kilijoy,¡± the little plague doctor girl cheerily announced herself while bouncing on the balls of her feet.


    She''s quite... energetic Koko thought as the girl''s big hair danced about; The lightly glowing neon lavender dread falls on the sides of her head really stood out against the eggplant and plum hues.


    As for her beaked mask, it was painted in pearlescent hues of lavenders with swirly plum and eggplant highlights.


    Releasing her hold on Koko''s hand, the girl reached up with her hands and lifted her mask to set it atop her forehead exposing her cute face which looked familiar. ¡°I''m Pinkili''s little sister. I''m so happy you''re here...¡± She began chirping... err... speaking while once again capturing her hands in her own.


    ¡°No wonder she''s so cute...¡± Koko muttered softly, her eyes glancing at the cute Pinkili with the swirly black mascara designs around her dark plum-colored eyes before returning her attention to the still chatting Kilijoy. They have near-identical faces.


    ¡°... I mean, how in the neth did you do that? All the puppets I''ve seen had to first defeat their puppeteers if they wanted to be string free but you... You''re the first I''ve ever seen yank their puppeteer right into becoming a part of them! How does it feel? The changes I mean...¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay... that''s enough Kilijoy. Give Funny Girl back her hands and let the other''s have their turn.¡± Pinkili ordered, cutting off what was sure to be a long stream of questions.


    ¡°Oh, okay, I was just curious was all,¡± Kilijoy sadly said, releasing Koko''s hand and stepping back to join the others. ¡°Her hair and eyes really do look better this way though...¡±


    The next puppet to step or rather scuttle forward had a cropped top hoody on that was shades of deep blues. Underneath she had on a black ribbed tank top with silvery baby blue web designs along the left side and black belt.


    Below, she wore a short tulle skirt the same color as her cropped hoody that draped down over the front of her black spider body which had baby blue highlights.


    ¡°Hello,¡± she said, lowering her hood to reveal hair of deep blues, baby blues, and silvery grays tied up in a long semi-curled ponytail; She brushed aside a few of the loose strands that framed the sides of her cute grayish face.


    ¡°My name is Anancy. Anancy Muffet. And don''t worry about the extra eyes, you''ll get used to them once they fully awaken. Just takes a little time is all. You can even close them and no one will even know they''re there.¡± She advised Koko with a knowing wink, then scuttled back into the group.


    The next doll glided forward over the ground as if on rollerblades as the bottom of her combat boots glowed with a black light.


    She was dressed in cyberpunk blacks with black violet accents and lavender highlights. The left side of her head was shaven making the cyber mod around that eye stand out as it softly glowed. Her black violet hair was accented with dreadlocks whose tips glowed lavender.


    ¡°It''s so good to meet a fellow child of magic. My name in Cylem. And this,¡± Cylem turned around, displaying a roundish cyber bot with neon glowing lights attached to her back. ¡°This is Cybee. Say hello Cybee.¡±


    A dance of lights and musical sounds merrily greeted Koko.


    Smiling, Cylem turned back around and continued, ¡°Be sure to call on us if you ever have need of our help on or off the grid. We look forward to all the time we''ll be spending together. Now and in the future.¡± She gave Koko a nod, then glided aside to let the last member of the group through.


    The girl slithered forward, obviously happy that her turn had come; Her long cascading hair of pastel teals, ocean blues, lavenders, and white matched the colors of her lower sea serpent body.


    She wore a deep ocean blue long-sleeved ribbed top that went down past her hips covering most of her milky white ''skin'' that was tinted in teals.


    She took Koko''s hand, opened her mouth, and released a joyful series of musical notes.


    Such a beautiful voice but... ¡°I don''t know what she''s saying,¡± Koko muttered as the serpent girl continued to sing her greeting.


    ¡°Allow me to translate for our young beautiful sea girl,¡± Pinkili said. ¡°Nessi is happy to meet Funny Girl. I thank you for bringing me here. It''s much better than the other place. Even if there is a scary one in the...¡± Pinkili paused, switched gears, and then continued. ¡°Uhm... nevermind about that.


    Basically, she just wants you to know that if you ever need aid or just want to karaoke to please summon her...¡±


    ¡°Actually, I like to Karaoke...¡± Kilijoy piped in.


    ¡°As do I...¡± ¡°Me too...¡± ¡°I don''t really like it but I don''t want to be here all alone with that ''thing'' in the...¡±


    ¡°No need to mention that Harvey...¡± Pinkili said with a glare.


    ¡°I was just saying, I don''t want to be here alone...¡±


    ¡°It can''t come out of there so there''s nothing to worry about...¡±


    ¡°Tell that too...¡±


    ¡°Uhm... It was nice meeting everyone but I...¡± Koko cut in since her real body was out there, trapped in a room, with an angry doll throwing Kresh threatening her life.


    ¡°Oh, it''s not everyone...¡± Anancy said, interrupting Koko while looking back toward the dollhouse.


    ¡°Indeed, but it is everyone that''s left,¡± Cylem said as she began to glide around the lively group.


    ¡°Right Cylem. Since Jack is no longer with us...¡± Pinkili trailed off, also looking at the gothic dollhouse.


    Koko felt the start of a bad feeling growing in her gut, ¡°Uhm... who''s Jack and why isn''t he here anymore?¡±


    Harvey sighed heavily. ¡°Poor happy go lucky Jack didn''t listen to us even though we warned him... But he always tried to see the good in people which led to his no longer being here.¡±


    ¡°Right Harvey. I told him that the bad ''man'' in the dollhouse didn''t like to play games. Well, not with children. He only likes to play poker with the ''boys.'' But Jack said ¡°I''m a boy¡± and went ahead and rang the doorbell...¡±


    ¡°That''s right Anancy. That was his first mistake. The second was he actually went inside even though we shouted ¡°Don''t go in there Jack!¡± but did he listen to us who were his playmates?¡± Pinkili asked, her hand fiddling with one of the long needles in the cuff of her jacket, her foot tapping the ground.


    ¡°No, he didn''t big sis. He even ignored Nessi''s warning song. In fact, he did the exact opposite of what we all warned him not to do... even though it wasn''t opposite day. Right big sis?¡±


    ¡°That''s right Lil'' sis. The big bumbling fool went in and crossed the forbidden taboo... and paid for it with his limbs and stuffing!¡±


    ¡°W-what forbidden taboo?¡± Koko asked, her stomach starting to churn.


    ¡°The taboo of being a kid and asking him to play games and read books. You know this well Funny Girl,¡± Pinkili said matter of factly. ¡°After all, you''ve seen it happen before.¡±


    ¡°Seen what happen?¡± Koko asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Huh? Did you bump your head and forget Funny Girl? That bad man tore Jack apart, limb by limb, just for asking him to play. Just like he did to your precious friend when you asked.


    Really now, I don''t understand why you put him in the dollhouse here when you already know the kind of monster he is.¡± Pinkili said, turning to look at Koko.


    ¡°Yes... Yes. Why did you put him in there?¡± Harvey asked, wanting to know.


    ¡°And more importantly, when are you going to kick him out of there? And don''t just stop there. Kick the stuffings out of him for good!¡± Kilijoy said, kicking the grass in the direction of the dollhouse.


    ¡°I don''t think she''s going to do it anytime soon. Just look at her standing there, shaking in her... boots. Well, if she had some that is.¡± Cylem said sympathetically.


    ¡°Well, she''s not going to be able to live her new life until she does... He''ll be in there forever, living rent-free, and we''ll be stuck out here where she put us.¡± Anancy muttered.


    ¡°What? I didn''t put you here...¡± Koko began to say but no one was listening since they were all busy laughing.


    ¡°Didn''t put us in here? Here. In. Your. Head.¡± Pinkili said, gesturing all around her with her hands.


    ¡°Is Funny Girl trying to be... Funny? Ahahaha¡± Kilijoy asked, shoulders shaking as she held her belly.


    ¡°Of course you were the one to put us in here. We sure as neth didn''t do it ourselves. None of us could come in here without your assistance.


    Still, even if all we can do is play outside it''s a million times better than that other place with all that cold wet mist and long wailing cries... It makes me shiver just remembering.¡± Pinkili hugged herself, trembling from the memory.


    ¡°What other place?¡± Koko asked, tilting her head to look at Pinkili.


    ¡°The Netherworld silly,¡± Kilijoy answered for her sister.


    ¡°And thanks to your strong connection with the Nethryn, not only were you able to pull us out of there to bring us here, but you were even able to merge us with the ''others'' that were already in here; (Others? What others? Koko wondered, confused as Cylem continued talking.) As such, we have each ''metamorphized'' into who you now see before you.¡± Cylem finished with a smile and a spin before adding, ¡°And I for one am very happy with the new me!¡±


    ¡°But how would I do that? And why when I don''t even know who or what I am... or any of you for that matter...¡±


    ¡°Well, obviously because you wanted more than just friends only you can see and hear in your new life,¡± Pinkili answered part of her question.


    Is she saying t-that I had... imaginary friends? Can''t be... I''d remember if I did... Wouldn''t I?


    Cylem skidded to a stop before the distracted Koko to add her two cents; ¡°So I think your subconscious accessed that great well of magic within you to bring us forth and merge us together into new but familiar friends.


    Real friends that you can count on to have your back when trouble comes knocking. Of course, you''ll first have to learn how to summon us and put us into...¡±


    ¡°That does make sense when you think about it.¡± Harvey interrupted. ¡°After all, you got yourself one monstrous fear to overcome and defeat...¡±


    Nessi quickly put her hand over Harvey''s furry mouth to hush him.


    ¡°That''s enough Harvey! You''re telling her too much. If she''s to get stronger she has to figure some things out on her own. Not be spoon-fed all the answers.¡± Pinkili said sternly, gesturing with her finger.


    ¡°Ah, I wasn''t going to tell her nothin more...¡± Harvey said, kicking the ground.


    ¡°That''s because you don''t know anything more otherwise you''d have told her by now.¡±


    ¡°Not you too Anancy. I really hate it when you all do that!¡±


    ¡°Do what Harvey?¡±


    ¡°You know what Cylem...¡±


    ¡°No, she doesn''t Harvey. What don''t you like us all doing?¡±


    ¡°That!¡± Harvey said, pointing at Kilijoy. ¡°That right there. When all you girls pick on me together just because I''m the only boy here ever since Jack... poor Jack. Hey Funny Girl, why don''t you bring some more boys in here?¡±


    ¡°Really Harvey? After everything Funny Girl has gone through you ask her to do that?¡±


    ¡°Pinkili''s right Harvey! Don''t go asking for more when it''s already a miracle that both you and Jack were able to come here in the first place.¡± Anancy chided.


    ¡°Alright, Alright! Enough before you go and scare Funny Girl away. Instead of talking about that, why don''t we talk about something fun... like Hide and Seek!¡± Pinkili said to the group.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Let''s Play! C''mon Funny Girl! Let''s go play...¡± Kilijoy started, reaching for Koko''s hand.


    ¡°S-sorry but I can''t right now,¡± Koko responded, moving her hand away and taking a step back. ¡°I have something urgent I need to do right now before I go back...¡±


    ¡°What do you need to do that''s better than Hide and Seek?¡± Anancy asked.


    ¡°There''s something I need from in there,¡± Koko said, stepping through the crowd to point at the dollhouse.


    ¡°Hey, Pinkili.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Anancy.¡±


    ¡°I thought she said she didn''t want to play Hide and Seek.¡±


    ¡°That she did Anancy.¡±


    ¡°Then why is she going in there if she''s doesn''t want to hide and seek?¡±


    ¡°I really don''t know. Maybe she wants to play another game in there?...¡±


    ¡°No, that''s not it at all. I''m not going in there to play but to find something that the giggling voices... Uhm... I mean that my ''guides'' told me to find.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡± Cylem asked, her curiosity peaked.


    ¡°I think I was sent here to find a spell of some sort. A spell that will let me turn doll heads into... into some type of magical weapon... I think.


    At least that''s what it sounded like to me. And I need to find it fast before Kresh crushes me out there in the real world... or rather game world?¡± Koko stood there, eyes distant in thought before shaking her head to refocus her mind. ¡°Where my body is...¡±


    ¡°Is this not your body?¡±


    ¡°No, this is her Astral body Kilijoy. And if I''m understanding her right, then she''s telling us that her real body is somewhere else where it''s in danger of being crushed by someone or thing called Kresh so she was sent here by spirit guides to find a spell that will help her to defeat it.¡±


    ¡°I''m confused Cylem; How does she have time to come in here and search for this spell if she''s in such great danger of being crushed out there?¡±


    ¡°That''s simple Harvey. It''s because she came here in her astral body and not somewhere out there in the real world.¡±


    ¡°Huh? That doesn''t make sense.¡±


    Cylem rolled her bright lavender eyes at Harvey. ¡°You''re a rabbit aren''t you? Shouldn''t you know more about magic considering how many of your kind keep getting pulled out of hats?


    Anyways, it''s like this, she traveled into her mind, and time moves differently within one''s own mind compared to traveling out there in the real world. So what may seem like a long time in here is actually just a short amount of time out there as such she still has time to find what she needs. Now then Funny Girl... do you know what you''re looking for and do you have a plan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Funny Girl. You won''t have much time to look around before that... that monster goes after you so you definitely need a plan. Also, you can''t go in the front door or the back door since they''re always locked.¡± Pinkili said, eyeing the dollhouse.


    ¡°When one door closes, another door opens...¡± Koko muttered, recalling the words as her eyes focused on the windows. ¡°Hmm, I can''t tell if any of the windows are open from here. Time to get closer...¡±


    Koko passed through the gate and made her way to the front of the dollhouse; The group following closely behind.


    ¡°That''s a good idea, Funny Girl. But the problem is that it''s usually a window or two on the second story that are opened so any ideas on how to get up there... Anancy?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that won''t be a problem for her anymore; Now that she''s taken her puppeteer into herself. After all, what spider can''t crawl up walls?¡±


    They all turned to look at Koko who just looked back blankly. ¡°Huh? I''m not a spider nor do I know wall-crawling magic...¡±


    ¡°Well, you''re partly right. You''re not a full spider... just part spider. And as such, crawling up walls will come as natural as walking on two legs for you.¡±


    ¡°In other words, Anancy is saying you don''t need magic to do so,¡± Cylem said with a smile.


    ¡°Good! Now we know how you can get in,¡± Pinkili said, looking up at the second-story windows. ¡°Now we just need to circle around the dollhouse to find the right window. Once we spot it, you''ll go up and enter. But do you know where to find the spell you''re here for?¡±


    Koko shook her head side to side.


    ¡°Sure you do!¡± Cylem said with a knowing look in her eyes. ¡°Just think about it... where does one usually find spells in all those stories you''ve read?¡±


    Koko tilted her head in thought for a few moments before replying. ¡°Hmm, spells are most often found in scrolls and books. Sometimes they''re fou...¡±


    ¡°And what kind of books have spells written in them?¡± Cylem asked.


    ¡°That would be spellbooks which are also known as... grimoires.¡±


    ¡°Very good! Now let''s take it one step further... you''re looking for a spell that''s in a grimoire which happens to be in the dollhouse that''s in your head, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes...¡±


    ¡°So then, who does this magic grimoire belong too and what would the owner do if their magic grimoire was lost but knowingly nearby?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, if this was a story then the owner would have a magical connection with their grimoire and be able to find it using that connection... Ah, I see...¡± Koko muttered at the end, closing her eyes.


    She drowned out all the noise and distractions around her, focusing on the memories of the magical sensations she felt inside when she connected to the silvery bell. She then pushed her senses out towards the dollhouse searching for a similar magical sensation...


    Her eyes snapped open as she rushed towards the back of the dollhouse. ¡°Come on everyone, the game is afoot!¡± Pinkili joyfully called out as the puppet gang all happily followed.


    They rounded the house to find Koko standing still, looking up at an open window on the second floor. ¡°It''s in there,¡± Koko said, pointing at the open window. ¡°I can feel it. My grimoire is in that room!¡±


    ¡°Looks like the fates are with you! Now, all we need to do is...¡± The group put their heads together, coming up with a simple plan that they felt would give Koko enough time to locate and grab her grimoire.


    ¡°Now then Funny Girl, shall we begin?¡± Pinkili asked.


    Koko nodded her head and approached the dollhouse, making sure not to be seen through the windows. She stopped beside Anancy as she heard a series of ¡°¡±¡±Not IT!¡±¡±¡± behind her followed by an ¡°Ahahaha, you''re it, Harvey!¡±


    ¡°Remember, don''t ding, dong, ditch until Nessi sings the signal...¡± A disappointed and slightly trembling Harvey nodded, not trusting his voice to hide his fear. He turned to head towards the front yard...


    ¡°Thank you, Harvey!¡± Koko called out causing him to blush, nod his head, and wave as he walked away with a little pep in his steps.


    Storymask


    With help from her puppet friends, Koko is ready to retrieve her grimoire so that she can learn the spells needed to crush Kresh and increase her chances of surviving within the Puppet Asylum... but will things go as planned? Find out next chapter in The Puppet Asylum Part 4.


    Side Notes (Late Night Edition):


    Well, it''s late here (almost 4 A.M.) so my side notes may be a little discordant... Anyways, here''s a few things I wanted to say/add.


    Anyways, for those of you wondering how long each short story will be, I can only say that I will do my best to keep them to 4 to 6 chapters in length so be expecting time skips for each story... with Koko''s time skip coming up after her fight with Kresh in the next chapter.


    Well, that''s it for now... thank you for taking the time to read Koko''s story and I hope you enjoy what''s to come as the next chapter will have action since this one was ''slice of life'' focused...


    ************


    Chapter Revised on 9-11-2020

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (part 4)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 4)


    ¡°Yes, let''s do this!¡± Pinkili said with a fist pump. She then gave Cylem a nod. ¡°Send up Cybee. Let us know which room that monster is in.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Cybee. You''re up.¡± Cybee ''beeped'' and ''blipped'' in response to Cylem''s words as she retracted her mechanical limbs, releasing her hold on Cylem''s torso, transforming her semi-orb shaped body as it opened and extended; A metallic pair of wings embedded with colorful rotor blades quietly came to life as Cybee took flight.


    She quickly hovered up to the second story and began to circle the house scanning each window. Cylem''s eyes glowed as she watched Cybee disappear around the side of the house.


    A few moments passed before she smiled and looked towards Anancy and Koko who were standing at the ready by the side of the dollhouse.


    ¡°Yes. It looks like you''re clear to go. That manster''s shadow has been spotted moving across the window on the other side of the house.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now''s your chance,¡± Anancy whispered next to Koko''s fluffy ear. She gave Koko a gentle pat, feeling the tension in her body and saw the uncertainty in her eyes. ¡°Don''t worry, YOU can do this! It''s just like an itsy bitsy learning to crawl up a water spout. The key is to picture your skin sticking and unsticking to the wooden siding of the house as you crawl your way to the open window above.¡±


    Nodding her head, Koko closed her eyes and inhaled deeply; She held onto the breath as she pictured herself crawling up the side of the house like a spider, and then exhaled; Slowly releasing the tension in her body as her eyes shined, focusing on the goal above.


    She stood up on her tiptoes, reaching up high with her right hand as her spine stretched, shifted, and lightly popped. So weird, feels like somethings... moving from inside my chest into my spine... changing?


    Anancy squinted her eyes, focusing on Koko''s back, watching it bulge and ripple through Koko''s long thin t-shirt. Shaking her head, she half-patted, half-massaged Koko''s back causing the tingling feelings in her torso to calm.


    ¡°Just focus on the parts of your body that will be touching the house... okay? Right now is not the time to call out the other aspects of your arachnid side because such changes may overwhelm you, causing you to pass out which is something you don''t want to have happened... right? So for now, just focus on the bare skin of your hands, knees, and feet.¡±


    Huh? Call what out from whose arachnid side? Just what kind of girl is this game turning me into because I don''t ever remember reading anything about a spider bunny girl race in any of the books or online websites I''ve read? Koko turned her head to look back, her brows and nose scrunched and her mouth about to form words but she decided against doing so after seeing the seriousness in Anancy''s face.


    Guess now is not the best time for a question and answer session. Koko looked away, turning her head back towards the open window above with her arm still raised. Besides, maybe I''ll find the answers in there.


    She pressed the palm of her right hand firmly against the wooden siding of the dollhouse while thinking of sticky hands; Her hand slid downwards 5 inches and her feet came down flat against the ground before she felt an odd ''pins and needles'' sensation on the skin of her hand.


    Is it just the friction of my skin rubbing against the wooden surface that''s causing that feeling... Or something else? Koko thought to herself as the tingling intensified; Hundreds of thousands of microscopic hairs sprouted out from the skin of her hand that was pressed up against the wall causing her sliding hand to come to a sudden stop, jerking her body upwards and lifting her back up onto her tiptoes. ¡°Ah, m-my hand is stuck to the wall!¡±


    ¡°Yes! I knew you could do it, Funny Girl!¡± Anancy cheered, giving Koko some more pats of encouragement on her back as Koko tried to pull her hand free from the wall.


    Koko''s heart began to beat faster and faster as she continued to struggle with freeing her hand from the wall but couldn''t...


    ¡°It''s okay... It''s okay. No need to panic. I''m right here with you. The first time is always like this. Just know if you can stick to the wall, you can unstick as well... okay? Now calm down and focus... picture your hand releasing its hold on the wall...¡±


    W-well... if anyone would know, she would, so let''s just do as she says.


    Koko closed her eyes, picturing herself unsticking from the wall as she used her other hand to ''grab'' higher up on the wall followed by her knees and the toes on her feet... sticking and unsticking over and over as she crawled higher and higher up the side of the house.


    She heard soft clapping coming from behind, or more to the point, below her as she opened her eyes to look down.


    Her eyes widened and her lips curled upwards as she muttered quietly, ¡°It''s working... it''s really working. I''m doing it...¡± And just like that Koko found herself crawling up the wall towards the window.


    Wow! This is amazing. I-I didn''t think I''d be strong enough to pull the weight of my body up but either I''m way lighter than I thought I am... or way stronger. Maybe both?


    Koko grasped the wide wooden sill of the open window, pulled herself up, and moved the satin curtain aside to peer into the dimly lit room; The room looked similar to her current room in colors and layout but the room''s size was a lot bigger and the black wooden victorian furnishings were more ornate.


    Good. I''m in position and looks like there''s nobody inside... and the door is closed so I guess this is it. Koko felt a strong urge to enter and begin searching for her grimoire but shook her head side to side, deciding to stick to the plan in case ''it'' could sense whenever somebody entered the house.


    Looking down she gave a nod to Anancy who turned to Pinkili and said with a fanged smile, ¡°Game on!¡±


    Giggling, Pinkili, Kilijoy, and Nessi made their way to the front of the house where they found a nervous Harvey waiting for them.


    Nessi waited by the side of the house where she could easily see the front door and still have a clear open path to the backyard so that nothing would obstruct her voice in case she had to sing out a warning.


    Kilijoy walked up to the side of the door, put her back against the wall, and stood still as colorful smoke matching the colors of her hair billowed about below her knees.


    Seeing everyone was set, Pinkili pat Harvey on the back and then moved to the other side of the door to stand at the ready with a pair of long needles in her hands that she took from the cuffs of her jacket''s sleeves.


    ¡°Okay Harvey, your up... ring that bell!¡±


    Harvey gulped, took a deep breath to still himself, and then stepped up to stand in front of the door. With a shaky hand, he pressed the doorbell.


    A discordant echoing ring could be heard by those waiting outside as a loud muffled voice growled and cursed from upstairs.


    BAM!


    An upstairs door slammed causing Harvey to flinch.


    Koko heard loud stomps and spied a shadow rush past the thin gap at the bottom of the bedroom''s closed door.


    ¡°It''s coming... Harvey, your Rabbit Hole!¡± Pinkili hissed from her spot as the doorbell''s ring continued to echo; It wouldn''t stop ringing until the front door was opened which only served to add to the man-beast''s annoyance. The only good thing was that once that blasted doorbell was pressed it wouldn''t work again for at least an hour which was the reason Harvey had to stay in front of the door and keep that monster occupied.


    As for why the doorbell worked that way, none of them knew since they didn''t build this place; But maybe the one that did build it did so unconsciously to torment the one imprisoned within.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot!¡± Harvey''s hands moved to a pair of round dots on the sleeves of his coat. He grasped a pair of dots, frantically pulled them off his coat as he heard the angry muffled voice getting closer and closer, stomping its way down the stairs.


    Using both hands, Harvey quickly increased the size of the round dots like pizza dough, infusing them with his energy. Satisfied, he quickly turned around and tossed one of the shadow dots onto the porch flooring behind him and the other one onto the yard about a dozen yards away.


    He turned back around right as the front door was yanked open and a pale feral faced man with bulging veins near his temple and along his neck looked down at him with blood-red eyes partially covered by his dark wild hair. He opened his maw-like mouth, and harshly spoke, ¡°Get off my porch you little piece of...¡±


    As Harvey shivered before the large feral storm of spittle and curses Koko''s feet lightly touched down onto the hardwood flooring inside the bedroom above.


    She turned her head towards the king-sized canopy bed on her right. A pair of large wooden bookcases, black as night, stood tall on both sides; They held a mix of treasured books and familiar-looking ''friends''.


    ¡°How beautiful,¡± Koko whispered as she eyed the scene before her. ¡°It''s like I stepped into an upscale version of my own room. The books and doll friends I grew up with... everything...¡± She stood near the window lost in thoughts when a sudden ''bleeping blip'' caused her to jump and turn to face the window mid-air.


    She landed with a soft thud and felt a great sense of relief wash over her as she discovered the source of the sound was just Cybee.


    ¡°Hey, Funny Girl. Stop standing there lost in la-la land and find your grimoire. We don''t know how long Harvey can keep distracting that manster for... okay?¡± Cylem''s voice said, coming out from a hovering Cybee.


    ¡°Ah, okay,¡± Koko replied with a nod, then turned back to face the bookcases. ¡°Hmm... judging by the empty spaces it looks like there are 3 friends missing from the shelves of each bookcase... and one doll that seems to have been torn limb from limb... poor fellow.¡± Koko found herself stepping towards the broken doll on the shelf but then stopped due to a loud growl, followed by a string of muffled curses, reaching her ears from downstairs.


    What am I doing? I don''t have time to mend''em right now... I need to find my grimoire before time runs out.


    Koko closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, letting go of the anger that the broken doll had unknowingly stirred up within her.


    Finding her focus, she opened her glowing eyes as three sets of images merged together into one, allowing her to see threads of energy streaming out from her body towards a dark plushie pillow... no, not pillow but a book; It was placed up high on the second shelf from the top of the bookcase on the other side of the huge bed.


    ¡°Hmm... let''s see... I could jump up and snatch it off the shelf, which would be quicker, but with how big that grimoire is (and how small I am) the landing would be... noisy. Well then, since that''s the case, it''s a good thing I learned how to climb...¡±


    As Koko made her way past the large wooden chest at the foot of the bed, wending her way towards the bookcase, a damp Harvey found himself in growing danger as the ''monster'' was tiring of Harvey''s gibberish.


    ¡°P-Please sir! If you''d only take a l-look in the kitchen... I-I''m sure you''ll find our... our ''w-whatchamanot'' lying on the floor. It f-flew in there through the w-window just a moment ago while we were playing...¡±


    ¡°Quit your **** babbling you ****! I''m sick and tired of you rats scurrying around and playing...¡±


    On and on the beast scolded a poor flinching Harvey as Pinkili and Kilijoy gave him a big ''thumbs up'' from the side since he was doing a great job of keeping the ''monster'' distracted by the door, buying precious time for Funny Girl.


    Unfortunately, they didn''t notice that there was something missing from the man-beast...


    Upstairs, in the dimly lit hallway, a large shadowy mass rose up from the dark hardwood floor taking the form of some type of tall humanoid beast.


    The beast turned the side of its leathery, ashen gray head towards the closed door. Its long wolf-like ear, covered in scraggly black hairs, twitched as it strained to listen to what lay on the other side...


    Koko found herself standing up high on the bookcase, using the shelves like a step ladder, as she stared at the large grimoire.


    She reached out with her right hand to pull the grimoire out a bit, to get a good look at its cover, and felt a jolt of cold energy surge through her body the moment her hand made contact.


    Her right foot kicked out a little, hitting a marionette that was sitting on the shelf her foot was planted on. The wooden marionette fell over, shifting to the edge of the shelving but luckily did not fall onto the hardwood floor.


    Koko failed to take notice of its precarious position as her mind began to fill with images of a blue-tinted night in front of a tall gate made of silky webbings and playful totems made of dolls.


    On the left side of the gate stood a doll-sized ghost of a masked girl with long bunny ears. She was dressed in a long Victorian dress holding onto an open umbrella. Dangling from the open umbrella like tassels were various doll heads whose eyes seemed to be watching her. And attached to her waist was a silver bell.


    On the right side stood another masked female dressed in a dark flowing cloak. She had a trio of eyes on each side of her otherwise featureless face and six spidery legs sprouting out from her back. She was armed with a long scythe which had a trio of dolls attached to the top of the weapon''s shaft. Floating around her in the air were beautiful jewel-toned soul lanterns.


    The sounds of ''gigglings'' and ''singing'' led her to look past the silk bars of the gate to what lay beyond; A cobblestone path wended its way through a forest of ghostly trees that resembled blossoming Sakuras.


    Misty tendrils rose up from the dark watery surfaces of burbling streams and bluish-gray stone water fountains. In the distance, she could make out the dark outline of a large mansion-like building.


    Playing within the forest was a plethora of spirits, puppets, dolls, and denizens from the Netherworld; Some of which began calling out to her in sing-song voices...


    ¡°Demora...¡± ¡°Eona...¡± ¡°Come little one, to play with us...¡±


    Koko found herself drawn to the voices as the gravel beneath her feet crunched with each step. Enchanted, she reached out with small hands to pull the gate open but was stopped as both guardians flitted beside her in a blink and placed their ethereal hands onto her shoulders, gently restraining her.


    She looked up at them with glazed eyes causing them to gently shake her as they spoke in unison, ¡°Sorry, but now is not the time for us to enter and play Miss Demora Eona Wyckersin; Now is the time to learn...¡±


    She felt something cold prick the center of her forehead causing the scene before her to clear as wisps of ghostly lights danced in her mind forming words as the name she was given softly echoed in her head. ¡°D-did they just give me... spells? And a-a name... Demora Eona Wyckersin. I really like it... whoa!...¡±


    Demora nearly shouted in panic as the large grimoire slipped out of her hand and began to fall towards the floor due to being pulled too far off the shelf. With no time to waste, she sprung into motion reaching out with both hands; She caught the falling grimoire and brought it in tight to her chest.


    No longer holding onto the shelving, she felt her body losing her balance so she bent her knees and hopped off the bookcase. Her small body flew through the air in an arch towards the large king-sized bed as her foot brushed against something during take-off.


    She landed on the soft fluffy blankets with her grimoire secured, overjoyed that she didn''t bring down the bookcase and cause a huge ruckus. ¡°Okay, I got what I came here for! Time to go before my luck runs ou...¡±


    CLACK!


    The wooden marionette clattered onto the hardwood floor causing Demora to feel as if her heart was in her throat.


    Click


    The door to the room slowly opened.


    A long gangly figure covered in dark scraggly hairs lowered its antlered head to enter the room as a series of ''bleeping blips'' sounded out in alarm from right outside the open window causing the shadowy beast to stare at Cybee with hungry onyx black eyes.


    Time seemed to slow as Demora jumped up to her feet atop the bed; Her eyes locked on to the shadowy beast in recognition... No way, that looks like a-a... Wendigo!


    She had seen various illustrations of such beasts in an old Native American lore book she kept at home which had been passed down for generations on her mother''s side of the family.


    According to her book, such beasts were the workings of dark spirits that possessed the body of chosen humans; From within, the spirit nurtures the base nature of its human host. As the human falls deeper and deeper under the influence of the dark spirit it begins to partake in vile deeds such as child abuse, drugs, violence, murder, insatiable greed, cannibalism, and various cultural taboos; The viler the deeds it commits, the greater the loss of its humanity until it all that remains is a hate-filled beast.


    But the book never mentioned anything about that dark bloody ethereal tether attached to its back leading out of the open bedroom door; I wonder if that monster below has anything to do with it?...


    Ah, forget it! I-I need to get out of here before it spots me and decides to turn me into a bite-sized snack!


    Realizing that A: the dark plush grimoire in her arms would only serve to slow her down and B: she needed her hands free, Demora quickly spun into action.


    She took the book in both hands, turned her small body at the waist, and used the force of her upper body to help her throw the grimoire across the room; The book flew through the air like a frisbee! Flying past the shadowy Wendigo, out the open window, and landing in the mechanical limbs of Cybee.


    Yes, it worked! Now to get the Neth out of here.


    The shadowy Wendigo roared causing the man-beast below to turn his head and glare upstairs. He quickly turned back around, most of his humanity gone, and a wide fanged grin on his face causing Harvey to raise his leg to step back.


    Moving at blurring speeds, the man-beast turned Wendigo reached out past the doorframe with its long sinewy arms and grasped onto the front of Harvey''s coat, taking him by surprise before he could disappear down the rabbit hole.


    ¡°Ahahaha... It seems like my ''shadow'' has found one of you filthy rats scurrying about upstairs in that worthless brat''s bedroom. Did you stupid **** actually think that I didn''t know you were up to no good?


    Ahahaha... you''re not nearly as clever as you all think you are. Now then, let''s go on up and take a look at what happens to such uninvited and unwanted guests...¡±


    Alarmed by the sudden turn of events, Kilijoy sprung into action, moving from her spot to stomp in front of the door. The Wendigo, startled by her movements, jerked back as a spout of colorful smoke snaked onto its face. Harvey cried out in panic as his body slid forward due to the Wendigo''s hold.


    Taking advantage of the Wendigo''s now impaired vision (thanks to Kilijoy''s noxious smoke attack) Pinkili launched her attack, stabbing her long needles into the Wendigo''s hands that were holding onto Harvey.


    Cold piercing pain caused the Wendigo to release its hold on Harvey and open its maw to howl in pain only to find itself choking as the smoke slithered down its throat!


    Coughing up phlegm and eyes burning the Wendigo retreated towards the stairs as muffled sounds of growling, howling, and things falling streamed down from above.


    As for the little **** attackers, they hopped into the Rabbit Hole which Harvey had tossed earlier onto the porch floor; One by one they disappeared into the hole, only to reappear a second or so later out of the other Rabbit Hole which rested on the lawn a dozen yards away.


    During this time Nessi had sung her warning song reaching the ears of Anancy and Cylem.


    Anancy burst into action, crawling up the wall towards the window to get a view of what was happening within the room while Cylem (now holding onto the grimoire that Cybee passed down to her) continued to view the happenings through Cybee''s optic lens.


    Through the window, Anancy spotted the shadowy Wendigo chasing after Funny Girl who was crawling and hopping about the walls, bookcases, ceiling, and bed.


    Dolls, books, and other items tumbled to the ground as the Wendigo flailed its long arms at the little spider bunny girl leaving behind deep claw marks and shredded blankets, pillows, and canopy drapes.


    The shadowy Wendigo howled in pain once again as it stomped onto another fallen object; Breaking it under the force of its step and weight of its body as the broken item formed jagged edges that pierced the bottom of its clawed foot.


    ¡°Funny Girl... over here! I''m here to help against that... that... umm, what is that thing?¡±


    Demora, who was currently atop of a wooden post of the canopy, glanced towards the window, spotting Anancy and shouted out while she continued moving about, ¡°Ah, Anancy... I-It''s some kind of Wendigo! It k-keeps blocking my escape! I need something to... to b-blind it!"


    Anancy thought about what Funny Girl was asking her to do but wasn''t sure if shooting her webbings at the beast''s eyes was such a good idea; Afterall, she might hit Funny Girl instead.


    That being the case, she scuttled halfway down the house and asked Cylem if she could help. They spoke for a brief while, then Anancy turned, and crawled back up to the window.


    ¡°Hey Funny Girl, great news!¡± She shouted out as she grasped the window curtains and pulled them down so that they wouldn''t get in the way. ¡°Cylem said that Cybee can do it! Just let us know when you''re ready to make your move. And be sure not to jump high into Cybee''s line of sight... okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Demora shouted, sounding happy but winded. ¡°I''ll make my move on the count of three... ready?¡±


    Anancy looked down, surprised to find not only Cylem looking up but the whole group as they surrounded the little cyber witch. Cylem gave her a thumbs up.


    ¡°You''re good to go, Funny Girl.¡±


    ¡°1...¡± Demora hopped off the wall towards the top of the bookcase by the bed, the shadow Wendigo trailing closely after her.


    ¡°2...¡± She hopped back onto the wall near the bedroom door as the flailing shadow Wendigo''s feet skidded on the hardwood floor as it shifted direction back in the opposite direction it was moving in.


    ¡°3...¡± She hopped over the shadow Wendigo''s head, landing on the foot of the bed as the shadow Wendigo spun around with raging eyes wide open.


    A blinding beam of light struck its eyes, causing burning pain. It covered its eyes with its large hands and howled in pain as Demora hopped towards the open window, flying through the air with arms stretched out to finally make her escape.


    Her arms were halfway out the window when she noticed Anancy''s face not filled with joy but panic. A split second after, she felt a clawed hand bite into the flesh of her left ankle, grasping her in a vice-like grip, fully stopping her forward momentum!


    The hand''s owner laughed darkly as it began to pull her back into the room but Demora''s hands slapped down onto the strong wooden window sill as she used her strength to try and pull herself outside.


    Anancy, having recovered from her panic, grabbed onto Demora''s upper arms, and pulled.


    Demora''s muscles and limbs strained as she desperately held on with everything she had. Cybee sent out its mechanical limbs, wrapping them around Demora''s arms as well. As for using its laser light again on this new beastly arrival, it couldn''t since it was on cooldown.


    ¡°Ahahaha... It''s so funny that you little worthless **** think you can actually win this tug of war against me. That annoying brat from last time thought the same thing right before his limbs got pulled apart! What was it you all called''em?... Zack?...Mack?... Oh ya, I remember now... Jack.


    I left that little idiot''s broken body right over there on that shelf...¡±


    Memories of that broken doll flashed through Demora''s mind, the energy in her body stormed, and all of her eyes flared as she looked back to see the new Wendigo that grasped her ankles, spoiling her escape.


    ¡°I-It''s YOU!¡± Demora shouted out as she glared at the vile Wendigo, recognizing the man it used to be. ¡°You really are a monster!¡±


    ¡°And you really are a worthless unwante...¡±


    The energy in her body crawled up into her spine causing her back to bulge and ripple more violently than before.


    ¡°Let GO!¡± Demora shouted, summoning strength from within as her voice covered the sound of her t-shirt tearing; A dark pair of razor-sharp appendages sprung out from her back and sliced down past her feet leaving afterimages in the air.


    A painful howl echoed in the room as Demora''s body shot out the window, freed from the beast''s grasp. Anancy bent backward while releasing her hold on Demora''s upper arms, narrowly avoiding a painful collision! Her cluster of eyes tracked Demora''s escape flight, watching as her new pair of spider legs returned into her body.


    Cybee joyfully bleeped and blipped as it used its mechanical limbs to guide Demora to a safe landing below. The moment her feet touched the soft ground she found herself surrounded by all her new friends who were smiling and cheering.


    ¡°That was amazing Funny Girl!...¡±


    ¡°...I was so scared when it grasped onto my coat. I thought I was dead for sure...¡±


    ¡°Just what kind of beast was that thing...¡±


    ¡°Funny Girl said it was a Wendigo...¡±


    The small group continued to chatter and giggle around Demora, giving her time to recover from the emotions and adrenaline coursing through her body.


    She stared up at the window, wanting to get one last look, but found that it was now closed; The curtains were reset and drawn blocking her sight of that vile monster; A monster that she would have to one day soon defeat and throw out of her head forever.


    ¡°Eww Funny Girl, are you sure you want to wear such a creepy gross anklet!?!¡± Kilijoy asked as she pointed downwards.


    The whole group stopped talking to look down at her ankle. A chorus of ¡°Eww''s¡± and ¡°Gross!¡± rang out as Demora kicked her leg, trying to dislodge the Wendigo''s clawed hand (that was severed at the wrist) off her ankle.


    ¡°It''s okay Funny Girl. Just calm down and stop kicking. Let Cybee remove and dispose of it for you...¡±


    Nodding her head, Demora stood still as Cybee hovered low to the ground and used its mechanical limbs to free her ankle.


    ¡°Thank you, Cybee! You''re a real lifesaver.¡± Demora praised as she gave Cybee a gentle pat.


    Cybee responded with a series of happy blips and flashing lights as it returned to the sky above them.


    ¡°So Funny Girl, did you get what you came here for?¡± Pinkili asked.


    Smiling, Demora replied, ¡°Yes, I did! Thanks to all of you. If it wasn''t for your help I don''t know if I could have done it on my own... Anyways, I tossed it to Cybee so it should be...¡±


    ¡°Here you go,¡± Cylem said, stepping forward and passing the large grimoire over to Demora.


    The grimoire was soft to the touch, wrapped in night hued satins and silks. Demora''s lips curved up as she noticed that the image on the front cover of the book was the same as the image she had entered. And the title of the grimoire (written in webbings) read Nethrika Grimoire of Vodaruun.


    ¡°I actually already learned quite a bit the moment I touched it,¡± Demora said, as she began explaining what had occurred between her and the grimoire.


    ¡°Ooh, so Funny Girl has a real name...¡± Kilijoy said.


    ¡°A pretty name...¡±


    ¡°Calm down loverboy! Don''t go getting any weird ideas in that furry little head of yours.¡± Pinkili chastised Harvey as his cheeks reddened. She then turned to Demora, ¡°So what should we call you? Demora or Eona or maybe a fun nickname like... Mora... or maybe De-ah...¡±


    ¡°Dea... that''s a good nickname. Don''t you think so too... Dea?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is Anancy. After all, it was given by my big sis!¡±


    ¡°So Dea, what spells did you learn?¡± Cylem asked with great interest since she had a great love of magic.


    ¡°Let''s see... It seems I learned a trio of spells, the first of which uses the ectoplasmic energies from the Netherworld to blast my foes with ghostly orbs.


    The second spell requires needles so I won''t be able to use it until I find the right ones to soulbind with.


    And the last spell requires two things: Doll heads, which there are plenty of where I''ll be heading back too. And spirits which I''ll need to summon to possess and control the doll heads for the duration of the spell... it''s a haunted doll head type of spell.¡±


    ¡°Pick me!..¡± ¡°No, Pick me! I''ll do it...¡± ¡°I''ll go! Summon me!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! Settle down everyone,¡± Pinkili ordered. ¡°Let''s just take turns okay! Right Dea?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, we''ll do that. You all can pick the order in which you''ll take turns coming out to help when summoned. I''ll be casting that spell the moment I return so please decide quickly... okay.¡±


    The group all nodded their heads in agreement and began a fierce battle of rocks, paper, scissors. Kilijoy jumped up and down in cheer while the others all grumped about losing before starting another round to see who would go second.


    ¡°Are you going right now?¡± Kilijoy asked excitedly.


    ¡°Ah... that''s right,¡± Demora said, looking at the grimoire in her arms. She really wanted to sit down and read it but knew she couldn''t since she had to hurry and return to her body to face an angry Kresh. ¡°Hmm, since I''ll be heading off to battle again, is it alright if I leave my grimoire in your care?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can!¡± Cylem said, having won second place as the rest started another round for third place. With a big smile on her face, Cylem received the grimoire and hugged it close to her body. ¡°We wish you luck in your battle ahead... and look forward to your summons!¡±


    Demora stood there for a moment, her thoughts filled with wanting to return to her body but unsure of how to do so when suddenly the ground opened up beneath her feet and she felt herself... drop!


    ¡°Aaiieee!¡±


    She felt as if she was on a roller coaster going down a long steep slope as her stomach rose and the rushing wind caused her eyes to close.


    She came to a sudden stop as the sound of a counting Kresh reaching ¡°Tree¡± informed her that she was back in her real body.


    Storymask


    With her grimoire mission completed and spells in mind Koko... or rather, Demora is ready for her showdown against Kresh! A room filled with loot awaits her, should she win. Coming up next in The Puppet Asylum Part 5.


    Side Notes: Sorry for taking so long to write again. Had some issues that were quite unexpected. Anyways, I''ll be spending the next two weeks writing at least 4 hours per day to do my best to catch up to where I wanted to be at this point and time in the summer.


    I also wanted to share a couple of rough draft sketches of Ceri that my niece sent me this weekend. There are some changes that will be made for the final illustrations (i.e. making her mouth more dragonesque, having her spiln fur on the upper half of her body a bit longer/fluffier, and such.) But overall, she came out very cute :) And now for the links to the Ceri Illustrations: Ceri 1   and   Ceri 2 (this rough draft was made with starry stripes on her body.)


    **********


    Chapter Revised on 9-11-2020

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 5A)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 5A)


    ¡°Ugh, I count wrong... again. I meant Ate... not Tree... You only got Tree more before I count Tent and come up to punish you!...¡±


    :giggles: She''s back... she''s back... And it looks like she found what she was looking for... :giggles:


    Yes! Judging by their utterings, it sounds like I made it back in time.


    Demora straightened her slumping body to sit up in the lotus position, her back once again touching the cool surface of the large room''s concrete wall. Now to find some doll heads for the spell.


    ¡°But first, let''s get all this hair out of my eyes so I can see,¡± She muttered as she brushed her long wild hair away from her face with both hands, taking note of the new ombre colors which were blends of purplish-lavenders and soft strawberry pinks; Her silky soft hair going from darker shades near the roots to lighter shades at the tips.


    With her view now cleared, she looked to her sides; Her lips curved upwards as she spotted several doll heads attached to broken bodies to her left.


    :gigglings: Such a wicked teasing smile upon her cute strawberry lips... Makes us think she found more than what she was looking for. :gigglings:


    ¡°Nine... Come down now little bunny dollie girl or I''ll count to end...¡±


    :giggles: Ooh, I think you''re right. Looks like we''re in for a really good show... what fun. :giggles:


    Ignoring the giggling voices, Demora leaned over, grabbed the pair of broken dolls by their hair, and pulled them to her side as they scraped against the wide wooden shelf she sat upon.


    ¡°Tent... I now comin... Huh. What dat noise? What you doing little bunny dollie girl? Tell me now befor...¡±


    Demora tuned Kresh out, lifted the broken purple-haired doll onto her lap, and then proceeded to pull off its head.


    The head came off with a light POP!


    Yes! I now have the vessel needed for the Vodaru Espirin Dollhead spell. Time to summon the spirit needed for possession. And that spirit should be Kilijoy.


    ¡°Okay, here goes... first time the c-ch-arm...¡± Demora stuttered as the large wooden shelf she sat upon shook. She heard grunting coming from below followed by a string of unintelligible grumblings.


    Placing the doll head in her lap, Demora grabbed hold of the shelf with both hands and scooted forward to peek her head over the edge causing her fluffy bunny ears to flop downwards, along with strands of her hair.


    Oh Great! He''s climbing up. That big oaf is actually climbing up. He''s going to bring these large shelves crashing down on top of himself... which I wouldn''t mind if not for the huge ruckus it''ll make.


    Hmm... I need to get him to stop and buy myself some time so I should...


    Demora quickly scooted back, gathered some of the nearby broken dolls from her right, and then drop them over the edge atop Kresh''s head.


    Psh... Psh... Psh... Several of the doll parts pelted Kresh''s soft plushie head and bounced off falling to the floor with a clatter. Kresh turned his head to glare above and growled, ¡°Hey! What you doing little bunny dollie girl? Why you throw stuff on my head? Bad bunn...¡±


    ¡°Huh? I''m innocent! I''m not throwing anything! Why is Kresh blaming me when it''s your fault? You''re the bad perso... Uhm... puppet here; Trying to climb up even though you''re so big and heavy. Everything is falling because your climbing is making the shelves shake!¡±


    ¡°B-but Kresh only climbing up becuz you no come down for punishment so it''s no my fault. It your fault. So come down now or I come up an git you.¡±


    Kresh waited for a moment, lifted his hand onto the next shelf, then began to pull himself up again; The shelving shook causing more doll parts to rain down (with a little help from Demora).


    ¡°AAAHHH! Okay, okay. Don''t come up anymore or everything is going to crash down on top of us! I''ll come down... I''ll come down...¡±


    ¡°Reelly? You no lyin to Kresh? Come down now to proov you tellin true...¡±


    ¡°I-I can''t. The shelves will shake too much if I try to climb down and you''re still on it. You climb down first and I''ll follow.¡±


    Kresh tilted his head, furrowed his brows for a moment, and then decided, ¡°Okay. You make cents so Kresh go down first. Den you follow.¡±


    The shelves shook as Kresh climbed down; Reaching the near bottom shelf, he hopped off landing on the floor with a thump, happy that the little bunny dollie girl was finally going to come down to receive her punishment.


    He waited and waited but saw no sign of her coming down. But he could hear strange soft words being sung from above.


    ¡°Why little bunny girl singin wen you should be coming down?¡±


    Demora neither heard nor cared what Kresh had to say. Her focus was directed inward where she felt a stirring near her heart followed by tingling as the energy that had gathered in her chest began to climb up to her shoulder.


    Recalling that the spell required her guidance, Demora sent her thoughts to the ball of energy that was now in her shoulder. Following her orders, the energy ball began scuttling down her right arm coming to a crawl into her open hand which she held above the doll head sitting in her left hand.


    The energy then began to pulse and spin as Demora''s fingertips began to prickle; A half breath after, Demora softly gasped as she watched thick threads of silvery lavender and pink energy shoot out from all five fingertips landing on the doll head.


    :giggles: Yay! She''s doing it... doing it. Now that she''s connected to the vessel she simply needs to call forth a willing spirit. :giggles:


    Nodding unconsciously, Demora closed her eyes and called out in her mind, [¡°Kilijoy... Kilijoy! I summon thee to come play with me... come play with me... come play with me.¡±]


    Loud joyful laughter immediately echoed in her head.


    Demora shivered as something cold rushed out from her mind; It flowed down into her right arm where it then slid down into her hand and paused for a brief moment, [¡°Ready or not, here I come!¡±]


    Demora''s fingertips all came together, uniting the 5 threads into a strong Nethryn Web Tether; A ghostly light flashed as a bird beaked orb burst free from the confines of her body, entering the world through her hand.


    Within her head she heard children cheering as the Kilijoy orb flew down the silky tether, landing within the doll head.


    The doll head''s eyes fluttered open; Kilijoy Dollhead rose up into the air as the ethereal tether attached to the top of her head slid to the back.


    Grinning, her fair doll face began to stretch, morphing into a bird-like beak as Demora removed the Nethryn Web Tether from the fingertips of her hand and attached it to her back, near her upper shoulder blade.


    The tether began to thrum as it quickly formed a connection with her trinity core causing a portion of her oryn energy pool to become sectioned off; The energy within this partitioned section became dedicated for the sole use of the Kilijoy Dollhead.


    Demora didn''t panic as this occurred. The spell had informed her that this was necessary in order for her summoned Voden Dollheads to get ''fuel'' to function.


    The greater the number of Voden Dollheads summoned, the greater the section of the oryn pool cordoned off.


    Oh, what a nice surprise! I thought this spell was going to take around half of my oryn pool to work but it feels far less... like just around a quarter.


    I guess I must have a real good affinity with this type of magic.


    Transformation complete, Kilijoy released a fog-like aura; Purplish-pink smoke emanated out from where the neck should have been attached making it appear as if the Kilijoy Dollhead was floating atop a pretty cloud; Overjoyed, Kilijoy grinned widely as she circled Demora.


    ¡°Yay! You did it, Dea!¡±


    ¡°Shh! He might hear you and ruin the surprise.¡± Demora chided in a whisper.


    ¡°Little bunny dollie girl why you no answer me?¡± Kresh asked, taking a step towards the large wall of shelves.


    ¡°What? Answer you... were you asking me something?¡± Demora asked in earnest since she had tuned him out during the summoning.


    ¡°Yes. I ask why you singin when you should be comin down!?!¡± Kresh grumbled, stomping the ground.


    ¡°Oh that... Uhm... Oh I know, I was just singing to myself because I like to sing to myself when I''m scared.¡±


    Laughter slipped out of Kilijoy''s beak at her answer as she mouthed, (¡°No way is he going to fall for that excuse... right?¡±). Demora responded by raising her finger over her smirking lips, signaling for her to hush.


    ¡°Scared? Why you scared?¡±


    Kilijoy wore a ''pokan'' face as Demora''s smirk bloomed into a ''see I told you so'' smile. ¡°Because you made everything shake with your climbing down. I thought these big shelves were going to fall and hurt us.¡±


    ¡°Oh. No need be scared no more. I no climbin now so you can come down.¡±


    ¡°O-okay. Just give me some time to... to gather all my things so I can bring them down with me.¡±


    ¡°Time... how much time?¡±


    ¡°Not much time. Just count to ten-t and I''ll be ready to climb down... okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but hurry. Almost time to feed Kreepers. They get mad when no git food on time.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I wouldn''t want that... whatever they are. I''ll work fast, you count.¡±


    ¡°Will start now. One...¡± Standing near the metal cart, Kresh began to count once more.


    ¡°Ahahaha You weren''t kidding. He isn''t very bright now is he?¡±


    ¡°Shhh Kilijoy, he might hear you and I''m not ready to start fighting yet.¡±


    ¡°Why not? We can take him. He may be strong but he looks slow... in more ways than one. Plus, he''s ground bound... he can''t fly like me or spiderwalk like you.¡±


    ¡°Those are all very good points but it looks like I have more than enough energy to summon another Voden Dollhead. This means Cylem can join our little party so it''ll be three against one!¡± Demora happily explained.


    ¡°Ooh, she''ll love that. Okay, let''s go with your plan then. The more, the merrier!¡±


    Demora grabbed hold of the second doll head, popped off its head, and tossed the broken body aside.


    A still counting Kresh heard singing coming from above again and called out, ¡°Four... Don''t be scared little bunny dollie girl. Kresh no shake shelves. Kresh wait for countin ends...¡±


    By the time Kresh reached ¡°Tent!¡± an odd little trio atop the big storage shelves had just finished whispering amongst each other, finalizing their plan of attack.


    ¡°Kresh finish countin. Little bunny dollie girl must come down now for punishment. Proov you no lyin to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay Kresh, here I come. AAIIIEE! CATCH ME!¡± Demora shouted.


    Kresh looked up to see a shadowy body wrapped in a thin layer of smoke falling down towards the ground. Worried about what the great fall would do to the little bunny dollie girl, he rushed forward with his hands up and caught her.


    Bringing his hands down, he got a good look at what he had just caught.


    A bird beaked dollie head was attached to the body of one of the discarded dolls. There were tendrils of pretty smoke leaking out of the seams of the loosely connected neck and mismatched limbs.


    ¡°Huh, what this? You no little bunny dollie girl. Who you little birdie dollie girl?¡±


    Turning her head to look at Kresh, the birdie dollie grinned. ¡°Hello, Kresh! I''m Dea''s good friend...¡±


    ¡°Dia? Whose Dia little birdie dollie girl? And why you smokin? You should stop becuz doctors say smokin bad for you.¡± Kresh rumbled, bringing Kilijoy closer to his face as if that would help him to better understand what she had to say.


    ¡°Oh, that''s right, you don''t know her name. It''s De-ah, not Dia, okay. Dea is the nickname that little bunny dollie girl''s friends use to call her. And since I''m her friend, Kilijoy, I get to call her by her nickname.


    Anyways, Dea sent me down here to give you a big surpri...¡±


    ¡°What? Why little bunny dollie girl no tell Kresh her niks name before? Kresh friend too... isn''t me?...¡±


    Ah, he looks so sad now. Maybe we shouldn''t give him that big surprise. Maybe we should just talk our way out of here, what with him being so dumb and... Kilijoy began having second thoughts about their plan but then she heard his next words...


    ¡°If Kresh not friend of her... then Kresh punish her harder to make her friend!¡± Kresh grumbled as his brows furrowed and his grip on Kilijoy''s dollie body tightened, crushing one of the legs and arms.


    Ignoring the body breaking apart in his hands, he looked up and shouted, ¡°Little bunny dollie girl! You come down now so Kresh can punish you into being friends! No more countin!¡±


    Ya, nevermind... let''s punish the stuffings out of this big oaf! A glint of red light flashed across Kilijoy''s eyes as the pretty smoke spilling out from underneath her doll head changed colors to a noxious jaundiced bruised color.


    Kresh stomped forward, releasing the now broken doll in his big hands to grab onto the shelves before him, and gave it a hard shake causing many dolls and parts to come tumbling down onto the ground.


    :gigglings: Finally, the dramedy part of the show is over. Time for the fight club part to begin... :gigglings:


    Storymask


    Coming up next: Team Demora vs Orderly Kresh! in The Puppet Asylum (Part 5B). (Special Note: Next 2 parts have been written so both parts will be released tomorrow after I give them a reread and Grammarly check.)


    Side Notes: Well, last week was very a busy week. I spent last Sunday to Tuesday communicating with Amazon to get them to pull down a kindle book named Micah''s Quest because I received a message from the Admin of Royal Road informing me that they had copy and pasted my story into that Kindle Book.


    The Admin discovered this thanks to the LitRPG Podcaster, Ramon Mejia ( https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-podcast-241 ). He listed my story as one of nine web novels that had been plagiarized (copy and paste thefts) and turned into Kindle Books.


    Apparently, this person (or group of persons) copy and pasted my web novel into a Kindle Book; I clicked on the link provided by the message and immediately recognized the book summary as my own so I then downloaded the free sample chapters and confirmed it was my story.


    The only difference was s/he changed Michael/Wylla Wylden to Micah/Wylia Wylden. And the book title to Micah''s Quest. S/he even used an image (probably stolen) of a guy in armor holding a bluish-white glowing magic sword for the cover. ( See https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55038005-micah-s-quest if you''d like to see the cover image the book thief used.)


    So I reported the book for copyright infringement, wrote a review letting potential buyers know that the book was plagiarized and could be read for free online, and posted a review as such on Goodreads as well.


    The person had published the book on Aug 19, 2020. Amazon pulled it down on Wednesday. The good news is that it was discovered fast enough so that the book thief received no income from book sales and lost the money spent to publish it.


    Side Note Two: After taking care of the Amazon issue I got back to writing Koko''s story by first revising chapters 1 to 4 (biggest changes to chapters 1 and 2). There were things about Koko that were in my head and notes that I failed to put into her short story so I went back and added the following:


    1. I started Koko''s short story with her having a conversation with voices of friends only she could hear and see in her head. 2. I gave huge hints as to who the Patient is that escaped the Asylum in chapter two. 3. I added a Kresh reference in chapter two. 4. I reworded paragraphs/sentences that felt a bit clunky to give the story better flow. 5. Small changes here and there.


    This process took longer than I thought it would because I failed to realize just how long some of those chapters had become. As such, I''m going back to the 2-3 thousand word chapters from here on out. Any chapters that grow longer will be chopped in half but I''ll try to do it in a way to minimize cliffhangers.


    Side Notes Three: My niece has sent me some wonderful Illustrations: The first is of Big Sister Cara (Abrynth Name: Celestina Iona Star''uun) in her ''hero'' outfit. And the second is of the first form of her awesome weapon named: Star''uun. I''ll be posting the colored versions once Big Sister Cara''s short story begins (It''s the next one I want to write).


    *Also, I received a request for Koko''s illustration so I''ll be passing that request on down to my niece but with college starting for her it''ll take some time before she''ll be able to

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 5B)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 5B)


    Kilijoy Dollhead easily burst free from the falling broken body that she was loosely attached to as the unseen Nethryn Web Tether extended and moved with her; Feeding her the Oryn energy needed to power all of her actions.


    Rising up, she hovered by the side of Kresh''s head, grinned mischievously (while doing her best to keep her laughter from giving her away), then hollered out, ¡°Hey KRESH! I have a big surprise for you!¡±


    Kresh''s body hopped up a little at the unexpected shout next to his head.


    Turning towards the voice, he gulped; There in front of his big face was a little birdie dollie head with fluttering purple hair atop a creepy cloud, floating.


    ¡°Uh-oh, Doctor going to be m-mad I broke another dollie,¡± Kresh mumbled to himself. Then tilted his head towards her as if something had just dawned on him, ¡°Big surprise for me? What big surprise do you hab...¡±


    Just the words I wanted to hear! With eyes like crescent moons, Kilijoy joyfully answered, ¡°This big surprise!¡± Her beak opened wide and a silently screaming ghost-faced stream of noxious smoke spewed forth straight into Kresh''s face!


    Kresh''s eyes widened and his hands reflexively pushed against the shelving they were holding onto sending him stumbling back as he shouted out a string of incomprehensible words and sounds.


    Giggling, Kilijoy circled around Kresh, watching as he flailed about with his big hands, the motion fanning the air, dispersing the cloud of smoke surrounding his head.


    Neth! It''s like we feared. Other than obscuring his sight, my noxious cloud has no effect. After all, he''s just a big animated plushie so he''s not going to breathe it in. And since his eyes aren''t real they won''t itch and burn...


    Well then, it''s a good thing I still have another skill I can use, and that one should work just fine!


    ¡°Bad birdie dollie head! You scared Kresh. Now Kresh puni... Huh? Who are you guyses?...¡± Kresh asked, mouth agape as he stared upwards, spotting a strange new duo in the room through the thinning layer of smoke.


    One of them was a floating dark-haired dollie head with some kind of metal around the side of one of her eyes and metal limbs coming out from where the neck should go in.


    The other one looked kind of sorta like the little bunny dollie girl he needed to punish but was different. This new little bunny dollie girl that was crawling on the ceiling had much prettier hair, her fluffy ears were more pinkish, and her eyes... she had three pairs of eyes!


    It was obvious that this one was an itsy bitsy bunny dollie girl.


    So where did the other one go that had da same shirt as dis new itsy bitsy one? Kresh wondered.


    Given an easy opportunity to try out her other skill, Kilijoy swooped down towards the back of Kresh''s head; Her purple hair streaming behind her like a kite tail.


    Distracted by the new duo''s arrival, Kresh felt something slam into the back of his head causing his head to nod a little as a certain little bird beaked doll head bounced off, spinning up into the air.


    Kresh responded to Kilijoy''s attack by waving his hand behind his head as if shooing away a fly.


    ¡°Wow, my Razor Beak Bite only left a scratch! What''s his cloth skin made of... ironsilk?¡± Kilijoy asked aloud as the dizzyness from the spinning rebound left her eyes.


    Cylem was doing her best to keep from laughing as she bobbled in the air... pfft.


    ¡°I don''t know, but looks like beating him is going to be harder than we thought. He''s probably an elite; They''re much tougher and stronger than regular mobs.¡± Demora replied while hanging from the ceiling. Ah, I''m not used to this upside-down view... and I can feel the blood flowing down into my head.


    Seeing Demora speak, Kresh pointed at her as she made her way across the ceiling towards the wall with the door. ¡°Why you sound like little bunny dollie girl? You have her voice and shirt...¡±


    Reaching the wall, Demora turned around to face Kresh; Ignoring his questions, she called out, ¡°Okay Cylem! Time to see what our spells can do. Let''em fly!¡±


    Thrilled by the fact that she was about to use magic in the real world, Cylem happily gathered and shaped bluish-gray Nethryn energy, then unleashed it upon Kresh with a shout, ¡°Nethryn Noctis Wingblade!¡±


    A cold ethereal bluish-gray blade with small crow-like wings burst out of Cylem''s open mouth and streaked towards Kresh''s upper left side.


    At the same time, Demora unleashed a ghostly faced orb of ectoplasmic energy from her hands. The ghostly orb arced down towards Kresh''s right upper side, sandwiching him between both spells.


    Kresh cried out as he stepped back from the impacts, the pair of spells crashing into his shoulders, one after the other. Kresh''s plushie body trembled as a chill touched his spirit within his big plushie body. ¡°T-that''s c-cold! Bad d-dollies tryin to hurt Kresh. Now Kresh mad... P-Punish all of YOU!¡±


    Angered, Kresh stomped towards Cylem but to his frustration that dark-haired dollie head with the waving mechanical limbs wouldn''t come down to be punished.


    As for Kilijoy, she simply giggled as she swooped down for another razor beak attack; This time she targeted the same spot Cylem''s spell struck which she noticed had actually left a small puncture wound behind.


    Her attack was rewarded as her beak turned the small puncture hole into a small tear!


    Feeling a small biting pain, an angry Kresh spun around, flailing his arms at the retreating Kilijoy; Of course, Cylem took advantage of this, launching another ethereal wingblade, this one striking the back of his head.


    Kresh spun about again, once more giving chase to Cylem.


    Back and forth they went as Demora sat comfortably above studying the results of their attacks. Cylem''s wingblade spells were actually strong enough to pierce Kresh''s plushie body leaving behind small puncture holes; Holes that Kilijoy''s razor beak attacks turned into tears.


    As for her own ghostly orbs, they made slimy cold impacts upon Kresh''s body causing him to shiver and slow for a short time. The impacted areas also appeared to be slippery wet.


    As for Kresh''s attacks, they were indeed powerful but he was just a bit too slow, making him easy to dodge. Plus, he couldn''t reach them, even the few times he tried jumping and swinging.


    Anyone watching could tell that it was just a matter of time before the giggling and swooping dollheads would defeat Kresh with a thousand cuts and tears.


    After 5 minutes of him chasing them around, kicking up doll parts strewn about the floor along the way, Kresh came to a realization; He very much needed something to swat everyone down or else... Well, he didn''t want to think about what ''or else'' meant.


    So a battered and torn Kresh stomped his way over to the cart, all the while flailing his arms and hands, warding off the circling and swooping doll heads who were giggling and having a great time; Something they were sure to share with the others once they were sent back to the dollhouse.


    With a resounding CLANG! Kresh slapped his hand down on top of the cart causing many of the items atop it to bounce. ¡°Bad dollie heads! Kresh reelly, reeeelllyy MAD NOW! Me make dollie head smasher to punish you. You jus wait an see!¡±


    Kresh grabbed a lanky mannequin arm off the cart with one hand and a fistful of dark leathery dreadlocks belonging to an oversized beast dollie head with the other; The elongated oblong-shaped beast dollie head was dark blood red in color and sported several pairs of oily black predator eyes above a wide grinning maw filled with discolored needle teeth that seemed to glisten with saliva.


    Lifting both items up into the air, he smashed the mannequin arm (hand first) into the open neck hole of the beast dollie head while uttering words that sounded like a bunch of discordant guttural sounds to Demora''s ears.


    Nethryn shadowblood energy flowed out from Kresh''s hands into the joined parts, fusing them together as many of the leathery dreadlocks on the sides of the beast dollie''s head slithered down to wrap around the mannequin arm shaft becoming a large scary Beast Hammer Whip.


    Grinning widely, a now cheerful Kresh turned to face them.


    ¡°Now you bully Kresh no more! Kresh bully you!¡±


    The trio paused for a moment, staring as Kresh''s large Beast Hammer Whip seemed to come to life; Eyes glaring and snarling maw snapping at the air towards them.


    ¡°Not good... Be careful you two, we don''t know what he can do with that thing!¡± Demora warned.


    ¡°True, but there''s only one way to find out. And since these are just our temporary vessels, let us do the finding.¡± Kilijoy finished with a hint of laughter in her voice. Truth be told, she was getting quite bored of this fight since there was no challenge in it at all; But now, it looks like the difficulty of the game has just ramped up... she hoped.


    Kresh, most angry at the biting birdie dollie head that kept painfully ripping and tearing at his cloth skin, gave chase as Cylem and Demora sent spells towards his large lumbering back.


    Kresh''s body trembled from the impacts of the spells but he clenched his jaw and paid it no nevermind. One by one by one he''d get them all... starting with that bad little birdie dollie head.


    Kilijoy rose up to hover near the ceiling, out of the weapon''s reach. Well, that is unless he throws it. The thought of him doing so made her spirit pulse quicken.


    ¡°Bad birdie dollie head hurt Kresh; Now Kresh hurt bad birdie dollie head!¡± Demora and Cylem shouted out a warning as Kilijoy focused in on the snarling beast hammerhead swinging her way.


    Feeling a sense of danger, despite the fact that she knew the weapon shouldn''t be able to reach, Kilijoy flew to her left towards the large storage shelves.


    ¡°Oh No You Don''t!¡± Kresh yelled, straining his arms as he altered the course of his swing (unknowingly causing his shoulder seams to worsen). ¡°Redlocks Sick''em!¡±


    Hearing its master''s command, the Beast Hammer Whip''s dreadlocks tightened their hold around the weapon''s shaft and pushed up. A small pop signaled the release of the beast hammerhead from the shaft! Eyes glaring, the dreadlocks stretched as the beast hammerhead whipped towards a retreating Kilijoy...


    BAM!


    Kresh WHOOPED as Kilijoy hurtled into the ceiling, hard; She bounced upon impact towards the back wall where she hit with a thud and fell onto the top shelf out of everyone''s sight.


    ¡°KILIJOY!¡± Cylem and Demora shouted in unison.


    They rushed to see if Kilijoy was still with them or if her vessel had broken in which case Demora would have to send her spirit body back to the dollhouse within her mind core, unable to be summoned again for at least a day.


    Kresh, who had been standing in front of the wall staring up at the top shelf, waiting for the little birdie head to come down, nodded, ¡°Gud. Bad birdie dollie head punished. Now to punish other dollie head that stab Kresh wit magicks.¡±


    Kresh turned to see Cylem nearing from above as she was rushing over to check on Kilijoy. ¡°Bad magicks dollie head... Kresh smash you next!¡± Kresh growled, stomping into Cylem''s path from below while lifting his weapon up onto his shoulder.


    With a grunt, he swung powerfully at Cylem.


    Seeing the beast hammerhead heading her way, Cylem dodged right as Kresh once again altered his swing while shouting out, ¡°Redlocks Sick''em!¡±


    The beast hammerhead freed itself from the mannequin arm shaft and swung out towards Cylem; But Cylem had seen this move before so she quickly dodged again the moment Kresh''s attack command left his mouth.


    The beast hammerhead swooshed right below her causing Demora to breathe a sigh of relief but then something unexpected happened; The beast hammerhead, realizing it was going to miss low, snapped its face down towards the ground... hard; This caused all the dark leathery dreadlocks atop the center of its head to whip right at Cylem...


    SNAP! SNAP! WHAP! WHAP! SNAP!


    ¡°Cylem!¡± Demora shouted as the dollie head went barreling towards the wall. Demora kicked off the ceiling, flying towards a spinning Cylem, catching her in her arms.


    Seeing the floor coming up fast, she flipped her body round to land safely on both feet, knees bent, then double jumped high onto the shelves; Using one arm to cradle Cylem, she quickly scurried up to the top shelf to hide while a swooping and smoke screening Kilijoy flew past Kresh''s face.


    ¡°Cylem! Can you hear me?¡± Demora asked, eyes watery as she held her gingerly on her lap. There was a pair of lash marks across the left side of her head; Her ear was caved in and there was hair missing.


    Storymask


    Ah! Just when it looked like Team Demora had everything well in hand, comfortably on the path to an easy victory, their battered and torn foe, Kresh, received a light bulb moment! A moment that led him to the use of his weapon-making skills, helping him to turn the tables on the bad little dollies with his Beast Hammer Whip! Now with Cylem downed and an injured Kilijoy smoke screening her way to Demora''s side, what will happen next? Find out in The Puppet Asylum (Part 5C) coming up next!


    (Next part (which is the last part of this chapter) to be released in about 4 hours or so... I just need to rework the last 500 words or so...)

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 5C)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 5C)


    Cylem''s eyes fluttered open, seeing the worry on Demora''s face she comforted her, ¡°It''s okay... it''s okay... it''s just my vessel that''s damaged. As for me inside, I''m a bit shaken by the spin and tumble but other than that, I''m ready and able to fight!¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha Me too!¡± Kilijoy called out, much to their more than happy surprise. Smiling, she flew over to hover before Demora, Cylem rising up to join her. Demora saw that the back of Kilijoy''s head was also caved in.


    ¡°This is bad. Both of you are banged up pretty good. And that was just with glancing blows. If Kilijoy hadn''t been retreating in the same direction as the blow, she''d be a pancake right now. And if more of those dreadlock whips had lashed Cylem... more than just your ear would have been caved in.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that really took me by surprise! I didn''t think that beast hammerhead could detach itself and chase after me.¡± Kilijoy said, eyes gleaming and raring to go.


    ¡°And I didn''t think that it could use its dreadlocks like whips...¡± Cylem said, staring past Demora''s shoulder at a Kresh who was holding on to his big Beast Hammer Whip with one hand while flailing his other hand at all the smoke around him, grumbling.


    Turning to Kilijoy, Cylem asked, ¡°How much time do we have before the smoke clears?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, around a minute or so... I think. I used half my energy to lay it down.¡±


    ¡°Smoke... what smoke...¡± Demora began to ask as she turned to look where they were looking. Her eyes opened wide as she took in the sight and then saw something glint near his feet.


    Ah, my silver bell! And my umbrella right next to it. I had forgotten about them. ¡°I should get my silver bell... I hurt him real good with it before... I should jump down there and grab...¡±


    ¡°Nonono, Don''t do that Dea!¡± Cylem cried out.


    ¡°It''s okay Cylem, I can jump down and get it before he even sees me...¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not that... What I meant is you can''t use that silver bell until you learn how to control and shape the sounds it makes so that it only hurts Kresh. Otherwise, you''ll be hurting us as well.¡±


    ¡°That''s right Dea! But I do think it''s a good idea if you pick it up and use it in case of an emergency... like if our vessels get destroyed, sending us back to the dollhouse, leaving you all alone with Kresh. Then by all means avenge us with it!¡±


    ¡°Ah, since that''s the case I''ll do that. Well then, since we have a little time on our hands...¡± Demora started to say, staring at Kresh intently as he flailed about. What is that? Hard to tell through the smoke but it looks like... stuffing!


    ¡°Ooh, you look like you thought of something good... What is it?¡± Cylem queried.


    ¡°I have. As you both know, we can''t keep fighting like this... It''s time for a plan and I think I have one. Only, I''m worried he might overhear me... however unlikely that may be.¡±


    ¡°Oh, if it''s just that then just tell us through Mindspeak,¡± Kilijoy said.


    ¡°Mindspeak?¡± Demora asked.


    ¡°It''s a form of telepathy that you can use to communicate with your summons... and since we''re your summons...¡± Cylem said.


    ¡°How?¡± Demora immediately asked, excited to learn.


    ¡°I believe to unlock this ability, all you have to do is focus on the summoned friends you wish to speak to in your mind and then think of the words you wish to tell them. Once you do the skill should become yours... just like spider-walking.¡± Cylem explained.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll give it a shot!¡± Demora gathered her thoughts of what she wanted to say, then pictured the summons she wanted to telepathically speak with which was easy since she was right in front of her. Feeling the stirring of energy scurrying about in her mind she called out [¡°Testing... testing. Can you hear me Cylem? If so...¡±]


    [¡°I hear you loud and clear Dea! I knew you were a fast learner.¡±] Cylem responded, smiling.


    [¡°Sweet! Okay, let me add Kilijoy to our mindspeak chat. Can you hear me Kilijoy?...¡±]


    [¡°Ooh Dea! You learned something new. Yay!¡±]


    [¡°Yes. Thanks to Cylem''s teaching. So that aside, I have a plan for defeating Kresh. It seems to me that ever since he made and armed himself with that Beast Hammer Whip things have taken a turn in his favor.


    But I don''t think he''s noticed what swinging that big weapon has done to his shoulders. They''re leaking stuffing! So I was thinking...¡± ]


    The trio chatted back and forth vigorously, making alterations to the plan to ensure victory, no matter the cost... which was something Cylem and Kilijoy had to talk Demora into since she was very reluctant. But they simply told her that they had to return to the dollhouse after this fight anyways so that Pinkili and Anancy could have a turn to be summoned next.


    Apparently, they won 3rd and 4th place in their rock, paper, scissors battle.


    And since that was the case, the dollie head duo wanted to go out with a BANG!


    Demora moved over to the edge of the shelf, looked back at the floating duo, and with a smile said, ¡°Thanks you two! I never could have done this without you... Now, let''s Punish the stuffings out of this... this annoying jerkface!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Let''s, he''s so annoying...¡± They said in agreement, cheering Demora on as she quickly scurried down to the middle shelf as the smoke around Kresh''s head cleared enough for him to spot her.


    ¡°Good, good! Little itsy bitsy bunny dollie girl come down to git punish! Kresh come there, you wait there.¡± Kresh rumbled, stomping her way with his big Beast Hammer Whip resting on his shoulder.


    Ugh, just hush already... If only the slime from my ghostly ekto orbs didn''t evaporate so quickly then maybe he''d slip and fall on his face... Oh wait a minute, that gives me an idea. ¡°Hey Kresh, let''s play a game!¡± Demora called out.


    ¡°Huh? Game... what game little itsy bitsy bunny dollie girl?¡± Kresh asked


    ¡°Slip ''n Fall!¡± Demora quickly whispered her spell as a ghostly ektoplasmic orb shot forth from the palm of her aimed hand; The orb arced through the air splattering on the floor just as Kresh''s foot came stomping down.


    SPLSH!


    ¡°WHOAAA!¡± Kresh cried out as his foot slipped on the floor causing him to do the splits, landing on his rump with a thump. Giggles streamed down from above where the dollie duo waited, covering the sound of seams tearing.


    Ah, it''s a good thing he can''t feel physical pain otherwise he''d be singing soprano right about now. Although, if he could feel pain then he''d know just how hurt his body is and might have done something about it...


    Kresh glared murder at Demora as he began to rise back up onto his feet.


    Taking advantage of the situation, Demora jumped to the ground near Kresh, startling him; Before he could recover and reach out to grab her she raced past, bending low and scooping up the silver bell and victorian umbrella.


    By the time Kresh turned around, Beast Hammer Whip at the ready, she was already high up on one of the shelves again, looking down at him... smiling.


    ¡°Whatcha waiting for jerkface? Come and get me if you can!¡±


    Angered, Kresh half-stomped, half-ran at her, and then jumped, swinging hard; Demora quickly jumped to the side, dodging the swing. Kresh changed the direction his beast hammer was going to follow her through the air, then shouted ¡°Redlocks Sick''em!¡±


    Hearing the attack command, Demora activated her Nethryn String Double Hop causing the swinging beast hammerhead and whipping dreadlocks to completely miss.


    This was the reason she played the decoy role in their plan; Because she was more agile and the far better dodger. Their role was to rain pain.


    So around and around they went one chasing and swinging a big Beast Hammer Whip, frustration mounting. The other running, dodging, teasing, and double hopping as Kilijoy and Cylem watched the show from above.


    ¡°I''m worried. She might run out of Oryn energy soon since she''s using half for us.¡± Kilijoy said, bobbing up and down, ready to swoop.


    ¡°She''ll be fine. She knows how much she has in the tank. Besides, look... the plan is working. Just a swing or two more and the seam tears on his shoulders will be big enough for us to dive-bomb.¡± Cylem said, smiling. ¡°Get ready!¡±


    [¡°Okay, you two are up next. Just one more double hop and the way in should be open for you. Are you sure you want to do this? We can try to find anoth...¡±]


    [¡°¡±I''m sure!¡±¡±] Kilijoy and Cylem replied in unison as the pair flew out from hiding, staying near the ceiling out of Kresh''s line of sight.


    Smiling, Demora nodded her head, then changed directions. The beast hammerhead came whooshing behind her, clearly off the mark; Kresh''s swings were becoming wilder and harder to control.


    [¡°Race You!¡±] Kilijoy shouted!


    [¡°You''re On!¡±] Cylem responded.


    Kresh barked out, ¡°Redlocks Sick''em!¡±


    [¡°Go!¡±] Demora called out as she double hopped low and across towards the room''s large door.


    BAM!


    The beast hammerhead hit the floor causing cracks to appear on the concrete.


    Two small shadows swooped down from above in a blur, a beaked one piercing first, plunging into a fist-sized tear in the seams of Kresh''s right shoulder, sending a puff of stuffing up into the air.


    Before Kresh could even react, a second shadow plunged into a tear on his left shoulder but wasn''t able to fully penetrate so a third of its body was sticking out. Worried that Kresh would pull her out, Cylem used her mechanical limbs to wrap around Kresh''s arm.


    ¡°What you bad dollie heads doing in Kresh? Get OUT so I can punish you!¡± Kresh fumed, standing with his hand wrapped around the shaft of Beast Hammer Whip; The weapon''s head lying on the floor as Kresh tried to lift it up but couldn''t.


    [¡°Kilijoy! Cylem! I''ll see you on the other side... Thank You!¡±]


    ¡°And as for you Kresh...¡± Demora said, standing by the door, staring at him with an open victorian umbrella in her hands.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kresh replied, hearing his name. ¡°What you want?¡±


    ¡°Only to tell you... Goodbye.¡± Lowering her umbrella in front of her like a shield so that only her eyes and top of her bunny-eared head could be seen by Kresh she called out:


    ¡°Voden Dollhead Explosion!¡±


    BBOOOOMM!!


    A double explosion sent Kresh''s arms, pieces of his chest, and lots of stuffing flying; Some of which pelted her umbrella shield. Demora''s ears twitched due to the noise which would have been much louder if it hadn''t been muffled by Kresh''s body and stuffings. I hope that big bang didn''t wake up the neighbors... I-I better make sure...


    She gave her umbrella a good shake before closing it, sending the fluff and debris sticking to its black and eggplant hued fabric gently to the floor.


    With umbrella firmly in hand, she turned to the door and warily opened it just a crack to peek out. Seeing that there was no one on the other side, she released the breath she had been holding and put her bunny ears to good use.


    She stood quietly, listening with strained ears, searching the long dim corridor for any sounds of unwanted guests coming her way.


    Tense minutes ticked with no sounds of disturbance, finally convincing her that nobody had heard the ruckus they had made. Phew! It''s a good thing this happened late at night... She thought to herself as she closed and locked the door.


    Relieved that the danger was truly over (well, for now at least), she relaxed as the energy within her small body continued to scurry and spin, increasing in amount and richness as cheers softly echoed in her head. Ah, sounds like they''re having such wonderful fun in there.


    ¡°I think I''ll give them just a few more minutes of celebration before I summon Anancy and Pinkili out here to help keep a lookout while I explore this room and see what there is to loot! Starting with some new clothes...¡±


    :giggles: The Itsy Bitsy Bunny has done it!... She''s done it! She''s one step closer to becoming strong enough to overcome her fear... :giggles:


    :giggling: Yes... yes! Strong enough to becoming a true Daemirra... true Daemirra... But for now, it''s time for her to celebrate with loots... :gigglings:


    Storymask


    Yay! The battle is done and she won so it''s time for victory loots! And it looks like clothes are on the top of her wish list... but will she be able to explore and find what she''s hoping for... undisturbed? Coming up next time in The Puppet Asylum (Part 6)

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 6A)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 6A)


    With umbrella and silver bell safely in hands, Demora''s eyes scanned the room; Kresh''s shredded and ragged body lay strewn across the floor in the near center of the large storage room. His now chubby doll-sized spirit stood amidst all the stuffings and threads within what used to be the center of his chest; His eyes carried water and his trembling lips were turned downwards.


    Looking up at her from the mess that was his vessel, he sobbed, ¡°Kresh no want to go back to underplace. It''s cold and sad der...¡±


    Demora looked with glowing Nethryn Spider Sight eyes at the crestfallen chibi Kresh spirit, the corner of her mouth lightly twitched and brows furrowed; Ugh, don''t give me that look! You have no one to blame for what happened but your own annoying self so I kinda don''t want to help you but... Tch, he looks like such a small and pitiful child now... so I guess if there''s a way to help him then...


    She opened and closed her mouth several times before finally responding, ¡°S-sorry, but I don''t know how to... help you. If I could... I would but...¡±


    :giggles: Silly itsy bitsy hare, of course, you can if you really want too. Just call your book. Your book knows the way... :giggles:


    :gigglings: Yes, yes... your book is bound to hear your call. Do not let a useful spirit go to waste... They''re not as easy to find and bind as you might expect... :gigglings:


    :giggles: True... so true. Hard to find they are for the Netherworld is far and wide... Much more so than all mortal oceans combined... :giggles:


    :gigglings: As such... fishing for spirits who have stepped off the afterlife path to capture and bind for your spells and summons is the same as finding a needle in a much too large haystack... :gigglings:


    Hmm, if that''s how it is, and I''m fairly sure it is since I don''t think my guides would lie to me, then I better take advantage of this opportunity and capture chibi Kresh... even if he is a bit annoying.


    ¡°Okay then, let''s do this. First, I''ll summon my grimoire...¡±


    ¡°Help Kresh! Kresh scared. Dey coming for Kresh!¡±


    Huh? Coming for him... Who''s coming for him? Demora, who had been looking down, lost in thought about how to summon her grimoire, lifted her head and eyes towards chibi Kresh.


    What she saw made her gasp and stare in wonder, ¡°S-such a strangely odd little... girl? At least I think its a girl...¡± Right before her eyes, standing about a half dozen yards away from chibi Kresh, who lay trembling on the floor hiding beneath the remains of his torn and shredded plushie vessel, was the whimsically eccentric ''guest.''


    The cute Lil'' oddball was stepping around a small ethereal mouth... umm... hole in the floor which was spewing forth cold nethryn mist and soft mournful sounds that reminded one of howling winds.


    The ornate darkwood staff of her... butterfly catcher? At least, that''s what came to Demora''s mind since it was topped with a ghostly chain net. Regardless of its nature, this staff, which she carried in her right hand, rapped on the concrete floor with each step she took.


    She was looking around her person, in search of what Demora figured was the little trembling mound on the ground.


    The little girl swept the beautiful silvery rose-pink glass lantern, levitating above the palm of her raised left hand, to and fro, lighting the shelvings of dolls and puppets with soft nethryn light like an eyeball shaped flashlight... but this wasn''t the reason Demora found the girl to be strangely odd.


    Oh, it also wasn''t her open pitch-black oversized victorian coat which flickered with ghostly visages when she moved that was oddly strange (okay, maybe just a little); Nor the milky-gray buttoned-down ruffled blouse tied closed with a plum hued bow at the neck.


    No, those garments perfectly matched her fluffy black jumper skirt adorned with lacy plum flowers and black striped milky-gray knee socks which she wore with hiking boots.


    What was odd, was the whimsical oversized plushie mask-head of some sort of unknown creepy cute beastie concealing her head.


    The oblong-shaped mask-head was covered in pitch-black fluffy fur tipped various shades of milky-gray matching its wide latex face. The sides of the mask-head sported downward turned doe-like ears tipped the same inky black that was used to accent around the big round unlit plum eyes that were set wide apart and what appeared to be a large closed eye in the center of its forehead.


    And above each ear, sprouting outwards was a wrist-thick horn; The front half was shades of milky-grays with several black stripes before becoming fully black.


    The little girl''s head turned to and fro as the string of silvery blue bells, tied near the ends of her horns, swayed like wind chimes in a breeze.


    ¡°Are those bells broken? Why aren''t they ringing?¡± Demora asked aloud to no one in particular.


    The mask-head girl turned towards the sound of Demora''s voice causing her to raise her umbrella in case things went sideways...


    ¡°Is that her eyes... her real eyes and face?¡± Demora asked, staring into the wide open-mouthed grin of the beastie mask-head. Judging by what she could see of the little girl''s real face, her eyes were a soft glowing icy blue and skin was ghostly white just like her hands.


    Demora felt the cold tingling touch of the lantern''s light wash over her as the little girl tilted her head inside of her mask-head; Her icy blue eyes blinked a few times, reading the soul light''s reaction. After a breath or two, she shook her head and then continued searching.


    Oh good, it looks like she has no interest in me. She didn''t even attack so I should be safe around her... ¡°But, I don''t have time to waste if I want to catch chibi Kresh before this... this... well, I''m not sure what she is or if she''s even a she?¡±


    :giggles: Look to see and see to know... Her chest reveals her identity... identity... identity... :giggles:


    Huh? Her chest reveals her identity... Oh, maybe they mean she''s wearing a name tag of some sort and I missed it since I just gave her a quick looksie. Plus, those ghostly visages swimming about under the surface of her coat were a bit distracting... Anyways, since that''s the case, then let''s really see what there is to know.


    Having been told where to ''see,'' Demora quickly moved closer to get a better look... and to stand in front of a still trembling chibi Kresh in order to block her view of him.


    She wasn''t afraid of the little girl as she once again turned her way, this time sweeping the light across the floor. This gave Demora a clear view, allowing her to easily spot what she had missed before, ¡°Ah, if it were a snake...¡± /sigh


    Demora''s eyes focused in on a gray metallic object that was pinned to the right side of the little girl''s coat. ¡°How did I miss that... badge.¡± That tombstone shaped badge with the eye-catching plum ribbon accents... and yet I missed it. And is that an image of scales in the middle? There seem to be words both above and below it...


    ¡°Hmm, what does the badge say?...¡± Demora muttered, squinting to get a better look. ¡°Oh, I see... the words at the top read: Soul Fetcher. And the emblem in the middle is indeed scales of some sort... but I don''t know what they mean...¡±


    :gigglings: Those are the Judgement Scales of Life''s Deeds of the Netherworld; The scales which all souls deeds are weighed by... :gigglings:


    ¡°Oh, that''s interesting... thanks,¡± Demora said, and then continued to read the last two lines at the bottom of the badge silently:


    Agent of the Gray


    Netherworld


    ¡°So then, Soul Fetcher is either their race or... their job? Or maybe title since Agent of the Gray sounds like a job as well... Unless it''s the other way around with the bottom being the title and the top is the job. That kind of makes more sense... Either way, I wonder what they mean? What is the Gray?¡±


    Demora tapped her foot on the ground, quietly waiting for a moment or two, hoping that her giggling guides would speak up and feed her the answers... but the only sound coming was the rap, rap, rap of wood on concrete flooring.


    Sighing, she looked towards the ethereal hole in the floor and grumped. ¡°And just what might you be? Some sort of mouthy hole... to the Netherworld?¡±


    At least, that''s what it looks and sounds like to me... ¡°Well then, about the only thing I''m quite certain of is that this little girl works for the Netherworld... or maybe an organization in the Netherworld?¡± Demora muttered, lost in thought, failing to notice what was occurring around her...


    The little girl with staff butterfly catcher in hand walked around the ''far away eyes'' Demora (rap, rap, rap,) coming to a stand near her side. With soul lantern in hand, she began shining the soul light to and fro across the floor, slowly heading in chibi Kresh''s direction.


    Meanwhile, the bluish-white light from the ''mouth'' hole in the floor began to pulse as a pair of milky-gray hands with long thin fingers touched down on the concrete floor; Their black fingernail ''claws'' scritch-scratched on the floor as the back of the new arrival''s pitch-black furry head began to rise up higher and higher from the cold mist, entering the storage room!


    :giggles: Wakesy, Wakesy little itsy bitsy! Looks like your in for quite the treat. Your little chibi Kresh is quite the popular soul. For even the Dark has sent their Soul Fetcher to snatch ''em whole... snatch ''em whole... snatch ''em whole... :giggles:


    :gigglings: Oh what fun... what bliss... the Gray and the Dark will soon turn this into a Doll Room Blitz!... Doll Room blitz... doll room blitz... :gigglings:


    ¡°Huh? Who... what? The Dark... you mean there''s another one of these little strange oddball Soul Fetchers coming... where? OH, I see...¡± Demora stared, mouth pressed into a firm line, hands clenching her umbrella, watching the new dark arrival''s backside climbing up out of the ''mouth'' hole.


    What is this... this ''thing''? It''s not looking anything like the cute little mask-headed girl. This thing is so... so FREAKY WEIRD! I-is it some sort of mutated human-limbed camel-necked hyena... beast? Demora wondered, unable to pull her eyes away from the scene.


    With a snarling grunt, the freaky spine-chilling beast climbed free of the pit giving Demora a good side profile view its body.


    ¡°Eww!¡± Demora uttered as she watched the beast stretch, bones popping.


    Having had a good stretch, the beast thing sat down, facing the shelves. Its coat of pitch-black fur seemed to absorb the light around it and the blood-red quills down its back and tail tip looked sharp and painful. But that''s not what made her go ¡°Eww!¡± (Although it did look weird because of the long neck and porcupine-like quills.)


    No, the reason for the utterance was due to the sight of the thing''s lanky humanoid limbs which had milky-gray hairless skin and bug-like joints that greatly increased their range of motions.


    Its furry beast ears wiggled, catching her eyes and bringing her attention back to its head which was moving side to side as a light shone on the various dolls, puppets, limbs, and parts stored there. Just what kind of face does it have? Human or dog or maybe porcupine?And that shining light... does it also have a glass lantern?


    Gruffing sounds reached her ears as the beast shook its head and stood up on all four limbs; Having not found what it was looking for it turned around...


    Time seemed to slow as Demora noticed two things: 1. This freaky Soul Fetcher beast of the Dark did indeed have a beautiful glass lantern; A blood-red one which was embedded in its chest.


    And two, its face was truly the stuff of creepy nightmares!


    Instead of a face, it had in its place a large roundish parasitical needle-teeth mouth surrounded by a ring of short wiggly worm-like tendrils; Some of these ''face worms'' had little eyeballs to see with, some had slits used to smell, and some were used to sense the cold.


    They truly were servants of the Dark Netherworld Realms.


    ¡°A-ack! What is t-that!?!¡± Demora half screamed/half asked as shivers ran down her spine causing her back to twitch; Her mouth was half-covered with her left hand, nearly dropping her silver bell, while she pointed at the super creepy Soul Fetcher of the Dark with the umbrella in her right hand.


    Taking a few quick stumbling steps back, Demora bumped into a certain little mask-head girl who had seemed to have finally found what she had been looking for. The little girl stumbled and turned a bit causing her body to now partially face the new uninvited and most definitely unwanted arrival.


    ¡°Tch! A filthy Nethbadon!¡± The little girl fumed, voice sounding like an angry piano. Just my luck! A selfish rotten Soul Fetcher Agent of the Dark... again! Shaking her horned mask-head side to side she kicked the ground, cursing her bad luck.


    The little Nethdren girl fetcher of the Gray was young and still a bit new to the job. Having only 7 fetches under her belt. But of those 7 she had been assigned, 3 of them had tough run-ins with these filthy Nethbadon soul fetching Agents of the Dark which meant only one thing...


    A battle to the death and destruction of one''s vessel!


    Where winner fetches the assigned soul and dropped spoils of the fallen; And losers limp home in their spirit wisp form where they''ll have to work long and hard to earn the spirit money needed to pay for a new vessel and gear. A difficult task in the Netherworld for young nethlyngs.


    As such, she really didn''t want to fight again but she knew through personal experience and teachings from headquarters that there was just no reasoning with any Agent of the Dark.


    No two ways about it. Whenever a newly assigned soul whose scales placed them on the border between Gray and Dark both sides would send their Soul Fetchers out to fetch!


    And unlike the gold and white feathery Nethlims of the Light who had an understanding of first come, first fetch with the Nethdrens of the Gray; The Nethbadons of the Dark were a selfish vile ''I come, I fetch!'' no good lot! Those who got in the way were nothing more than chew toys. This resulted in the Grays following suit when it came to dealing with the Dark, after all, turnabout is fair play...


    As such, the only way to avoid a fight to the death of one''s vessel was to be in and out before their arrival if both sides were after the same soul. Unfortunately, due to all of the Nethryn energy that was strangely scattered about in this place, she was unable to quickly locate her soul, fetch, and leave in time to avoid this confrontation... /sigh


    ¡°Well, looks like its time to suit up!¡± The little Nethdren girl, while reluctant to fight, wasn''t about to back down. Of the 3 times she had faced off against these filthy fleabags before, she had come away victorious. Sending the fleabags home in their spirit wisp forms, fetching the assigned souls, and gathering their dropped belongings which earned her a little extra income... even after her repair costs.


    The Nethbadon, seeing for the first time that a tasty Nethdren chew toy was already here, growled in excitement. This was its chance to earn its third pack kill! Thereby increasing its reputation and honor within the pack, helping it to climb up the rankings from mere whelpling.


    Completely ignoring the strange long-eared many-eyes girl standing next to the Nethdren, the Nethbadon jumped in front of the Nethmouth Gate to block off its escape into the Netherworld.


    It then lifted its head to the air and released a long mournful wail causing the Nethmouth Gate to flare and puff out billows of cold mist as a new pair of Nethbadons arrived on the scene and stalked over to stand by his sides.


    Now faced with a trio of Agents of the Dark, the little Nethdren girl did not panic for she had gifts of her own; Gifts of the Gray, of those who walk between the light and dark, whose very nature held the angelic and the monstrous within... And now she chose to call on her monstrous side.


    The closed third eye on her beastie mask''s forehead opened, revealing a dark hole. Raising her beautiful Soul Lantern, she pushed it into the empty eye slot with a light pop; Thrumming with an increase of power, she cried out, ¡°Nethryn Morphun Battle Beastie!¡±


    A silvery rose-pink burst of energy flashed brightly, temporarily blinding those looking, as the mask''s wide-open mouth closed, and the round trio of eyes flared to life, signaling the beginning of her metamorphosis.


    Infused with a surge of energy, the fur on the lower half of the mask-head began to writhe and multiply; Quickly growing downwards to meld with her body, undergoing cute and furry changes...


    By the time all in the room had regained their sight, the little Nethdren girl was gone. Standing guard in her place was a cute Snorlax-like bodied monster with an overabundance of soft fluffy fur that swayed and fluttered in waves as if alive!


    The semi-curled fur at the bottom was about a yard long; Much longer than the shoulder length fur at the top. One couldn''t even see her stumpy legs lest the thick silky fur chose to part like curtains allowing them to be seen.


    The exception to this furry rule was her big round front, from right below her head down to her legs, in a large oval shape, the fur stayed short but velvety soft and was a washed-out milky-gray color; While the fur everywhere else on her round bouncy body went from pitch-black at the roots to a silvery gray near the middle before melting into beautiful rose-pink hues towards the ends.


    With her cute fluffy monster transformation completed, she open mouth smirked, eyeing her creepy foes; Her real ghostly white face and icy blue eyes could no longer be seen within the beast''s head as her dark grayish tongue appeared, licking her upper fang. She raised her big paw hand towards the dark fleabag trio and taunted them to come at her if they dared!


    The Nethbadons growled and began their attack; Splitting up to surround her but she wasn''t just some big furry chew toy waiting to be bitten... No, she was a battle-tested fighter that had plans of her own as she reached up with her left hand and pulled the ghostly chain net off her butterfly catcher.


    Now armed with a battle staff in one hand and a ghostly chain net in the other, she made her move...


    As for Demora, she was already up on top of the shelves looking down, a pair of doll heads now in her lap, their discarded bodies tossed aside, as she watched the battle beginning below near the trembling mound that was chibi Kresh. She had tried to ''snatch and dash'' with little chibi Kresh in tow during her ''getaway'' but being a spirit she couldn''t grab hold of him, which must be part of the reason the guiding voices advised her to call her book. Well then, since it''s gotten to this point... I think its time for me to summon some friends and my grimoire... Then decide on what role we''ll play in this fight. Be strong chibi Kresh... we''re coming to save you...


    Storymask


    Ah, it looks like Demora''s celebration loot party has been interrupted by some uninvited party crashers! Party crashers that are here to fetch poor chibi Kresh who''s bound to the spot of explosion and can only hide under what used to be his vessel. Now with Soul Fetchers about to battle for the soul of Kresh she worked so hard to defeat, will Demora just sit by and watch the show to see who takes him? Or join in on the fun and find a way to come out the winner increasing the amount of loot to loot! Coming up next in The Puppet Asylum (Part 6B)


    Side Note: I received some illustrations from my niece of Big Sister Cara 1 and Big Sister Cara 2 in color! (Same cyberpunk inspired outfits but different colors and poses.) I decided to link to them instead of posting them below since there are some minor spoilers for her upcoming short story (i.e. her game name, nickname, class, race, species). I have also have put up a colored version of the first form of her weapon:  Crescent Moon Spade. She did a wonderful job on these illustrations... :)


    Edit Note: Made some small changes/revisions near the bottom of this chapter on 9-26-2020.

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 6B)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 6B)


    The Nethbadons on the sides of their leader rose up onto their hind legs, stalking forth like human-footed raptors, looking to trap the cute furry prey in a triangle formation.


    But the little Nethdren fluff monster girl wasn''t about to let that happen!


    With her ghostly chain net in one hand and staff held ready to thrust in the other, the monster girl stomped on the ground and propelled herself straight at the bug crawling Nethbadon in the center that was leading the dark nightmarish trio.


    Seeing the staff thrusting towards its face, the lead Nethbadon lunged to side to avoid being struck; At the same time, Nethbadon 2 and 3 released hissing roars, lowering their upper bodies as they charged at the furry monster girl''s vulnerable sides! Their long fingers curled, ready to hook their claws into her plushie flesh! To grab and pull her into their creepy needle-teeth mouths.


    Grinning with a look of mischief in her eyes, she stomped her foot onto the ground, stopping her momentum while twisting and turning her round shaggy body... hard! Her long fur fluttered as if alive as she sent her powerful darkwood staff swinging towards the side of Nethbadon 2 who was coming in like a fastball pitch while throwing her ghostly chain net with her left paw at the charging Nethbadon 3 now behind her!


    Their hissing screeches echoed in the doll storage room as monster girl''s staff slammed into Nethbadon 2''s ribs! The sounds of ''bones'' cracking echoed on impact as Nethbadon 2 was sent sprawling onto the ground. As for Nethbadon 3, it charged face-first into the surprise net attack causing it to become entangled as it tumbled onto the ground; Rolling straight into the lead Nethbadon''s lanky limbs who was getting ready to launch an attack on the wide-open side of the rotund monster girl.


    Seeing the collision happen from the corner of her eye, the cute fluffy monster girl giggled in happiness for her good luck. Her piano-like mirth was music to all who heard... well, except to her hated foes.


    With a Nethbadon now trapped in her ghostly chain net on the floor and another injured but getting back up off the ground... The fight looked to be shifting in her favor...


    Meanwhile, up in the ''bleachers'', a certain cute itsy bitsy hare guarded by a pair of circling Voden Dollheads, was busy summoning her grimoire to ¡°Come play with me... come play with me... come play with me!¡±


    Demora''s chest glowed as a small ghostly plushie book emerged from out of her body, growing in size to land on her laps. A smile lit her face as she reached out and opened the book, landing on her status page. Ah, this wasn''t what I was looking for... but I guess a quick peek wouldn''t hurt...


    Her eyes scanned the page to and fro as she mumbled, ¡±Hmm, I already know my name so skip... age 13... yup... Ooh, Species: Oni and Race: Daemirra...¡±


    ¡°Daemirra... What''s that?¡± Pinkili asked, her pink twin tails trailing behind her as she continued to fly around Demora while keeping half an eye on the action below.


    ¡°Not sure... but I don''t think now is the time to look into it. That''s interesting...¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± Anancy asked, her 3 pairs of spidery eyes blinking.


    ¡°My class... it says here that I''m a Voden... according to the summary we use the powers of the Netherworld to capture and bind spirits to aid us in our summonings and magic... Sounds like I''ll be using spirit focused necromancy and learning voodoo doll making skills to create vessels for my summons to possesses and...¡±


    BAM!


    The shelves upon which Demora sat greatly shook and a piano-like grunt rose up from below. Scooting forward to look down she saw the furry monster girl''s back pressed hard against the shelves as the ground was littered with fallen dolls, puppets, limbs, and parts.


    She seems to be okay... I guess all that fluffy goodness and round bouncy body dampened much of the impact and damage...


    Demora didn''t know how it had happened but somehow the pair of Nethbadons had sent the monster girl slamming back first into the shelves with their teamwork! They were now prowling towards her while the third Nethbadon still writhed on the ground, entangled. ¡°Ah, I don''t have time for browsing my grimoire right now! I need to hurry and find out how to deal with spirits...¡±


    :giggles: Just ask the book and take a look... ask the book... and take a look... :giggles:


    With no better idea in mind... ¡°Okay, that sounds simple enough... so let''s give it a try,¡± Demora muttered as she closed the book as the sounds of fighting resumed from below. Staring down, her brows furrowed and lips tightened.


    ¡°What''s wrong Dea?¡± Pinkili asked.


    ¡°Well, I''m just not sure how to ask what I want to know...¡± Demora answered, tilting her head towards the book on her lap.


    ¡°Hmm, maybe you''re overthinking things. I think you should just say what it is you want to know.¡± Anancy reasoned.


    ¡°Simple is best,¡± Pinkili agreed. [¡°Oh, and maybe ask using Mindspeak?¡±]


    ¡°Ah, I forgot about that... [¡°Thanks Pinkili!¡±]


    [¡°You''re welcome Dea!¡±]


    Alright, let''s do this... just say what I want to know using Mindspeak... ¡°Here goes,¡± Demora put her full focus onto her book and asked, [¡°How do I capture and bind spirits?¡±]


    The energy in her mind scuttled about causing the grimoire in her lap to thrum and flip open as the turning pages fluttered for a moment or two before coming to a stop.


    Looking down, Demora spotted the words ''How to Capture and Bind Spirits'' at the top of the page. She quickly read over the summary which explained that there were two ways to capture a soul.


    The first was to use her Nethryn Arachneth Webs and the second was to use a Soul Lantern. There was a beautiful illustration of a trio of floating glass Soul Lanterns to the right of the description. What she gathered from the reading was that in order to capture a spirit in a Soul Lantern the spirit would either have to be willing or weakened.


    The second thing she learned was in order to bind the spirit to her Trinity she would need to use a soulbound Soul Lantern.


    If she did not have one on hand, she could temporarily toss a captured soul into the forest beyond the gates within the front cover of her grimoire. She would then have a week to acquire a Soul Lantern before the grimoire would release the spirit back into the world. A spirit could only enter once per month.


    ¡°This is great! Not only do I now know how to capture and bind spirits but I also learned how to channel my Nethryn Arachneth Webs and summon my Angorai Arachneth Legs from my back...¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful Demora! Just remember though, summoning all 6 Angorai Arachneth Legs right away may be too much for your body to handle at this point and time in your growth. I recommend sticking with two for now since you were able to use them before against that dollhouse Wendigo.¡± Anancy advised.


    ¡°Mmm, good point. Will do,¡± Demora said with a nod as she sent her grimoire back into her body. ¡°Okay, now I just need a Soul Lantern... but where can I find one in this room?¡±


    ¡°How about down there?¡± Pinkili giggled, eyeing the battle below.


    ¡°Oh ya, silly me, slipped my mind...¡± Demora mumbled.


    ¡°Well then, since that''s the case, let''s see how things are going on down there...¡± She leaned over the edge of the shelf to look down at the battle. ¡°Seems the entangled Nethbadon will soon break free from its bonds since that ghostly chain net looks to be quite damaged... I wonder why the other Nethbadons didn''t just free it?...¡±


    ¡°Maybe the leader it crashed into is still angry at it and doesn''t want to free it? Or it could simply be overconfident believing that the two of them are enough to win...¡± Pinkili responded from her observations.


    ¡°Well, whatever their reasons, let''s use it to our advantage and take them down to loot some Soul Lanterns... and to help that cute fluffy monster girl!¡± Demora said.


    [¡°Okay, here''s the plan: I''ll go down and web up that entangled one before it can break free. I''ll then finish it off while you two attack that Nethbadon that''s favoring its side. That should be a big help for monster girl. She seems to have taken some quill shots to her left upper body that have... paralyzed that arm?


    Hmm... maybe their blood-red quills are poisonous or they hit her with some type of acupuncture targeted attack? Hard to say... but it looks like they''ve also nipped at the heel of her foot a few times too since she''s limping a little...


    Anyways, help her out and watch out for flying quills! If there''s anything I''ve learned from all the books and mangas I''ve read is that if something has quills then there''s a good chance it can shoot them!¡±]


    ¡°Yes, will do Dea!...¡± Anancy responded with a cute fanged smile.


    ¡°It''s our time to shine... Pinkushy Shield!¡± A soft glowing aura of pink energy completely shrouded the pink twin-tailed doll head.


    ¡°Ooh, what''s that?¡± Demora asked.


    Smiling, Pinkili answered, ¡°This is one of my awesome abilities! Pretty isn''t it? Not only that but my pink shield blocks, absorbs, and converts damaging attacks into energy! Energy that I can then use to empower my Prickly Pinkergeist Pins!¡±


    With her second spell chanted, the small prickly pins that were being kept pinned in the little plushie doll heads attached to the black scrunchies keeping her twin tails in place began to glow with the same pink aura as her magic shield; The half dozen prickly weapons shrouded in pink rose up out of their mini pincushion dollie heads to float around Pinkili Dollhead, awaiting her orders.


    ¡°Impressive right? Not only do they pierce but they also make the pricked see things that aren''t there! It''s so fun... you just never know what the pricked might do since they''re the only ones seeing what they''re seeing... ahahaha....¡±


    ¡°I''ll web ''em down and you shoot ''em up!¡± Anancy giggled, getting into the spirit of things. ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    The two doll heads streaked towards the injured Nethbadon, flying over the monster girl''s head as she double thrust her staff between the two Nethbadons to keep them apart.


    As for Demora, she made her move as well, jumping up to grab hold of the ceiling and crawling her way to come to a stop above the entangled Nethbadon below, guided by the soft clinking sounds of blood-red quills against ghostly chains...


    The dark mutt''s lanky arm-limb and creepy mouth head were now squirming their way out of the hole made up of broken chain links which it had finally managed to create while trapped within.


    The Nethbadon came to a complete stop when its wiggling eye stalks noticed a strange little many-eyed bunny-eared girl directly above on the ceiling with her hands pointed down at ''em. This was quickly followed by streams of silvery lavender-pink threads striking and actually sticking to its just freed limb and head!


    The beast hissed and growled, not understanding how this strangely odd living-breathing little girl could not only see Soul Fetchers of the Netherworld such as itself but could actually attack and bind them! It had never in its young nethlyng life heard of such a thing happening before from its pack.


    And yet, it was happening... The little oddball girl''s strong colorful webbings, thrumming with Nethryn energy, were actually hitting, sticking, and binding its body to the ghostly chain net!


    No matter how much it struggled to escape from this new sticky predicament, it could only find that the attempt was becoming more and more futile as the strong sticky webbings restricted more and more of its movements; Binding its upper body to the broken chain net.


    With eye stalks glaring, it determined that it had to get rid of this wretched girl quick to break free!


    Chains rattled as it tried to turn from its side onto its belly, to point and fire the blood-red quills on its back up at her but the sticky Nethryn Arachneth Webbings were already attached to the concrete floor, keeping it from doing so.


    Not willing to give up, the Nethbadon moved its quill tipped tail; The ghostly chain net bulged and clinked drawing Demora''s attention to its sneaky intentions. Reacting quickly, she sent streams of her Nethryn infused webs, binding the tail down to the ground and ending the threat before it could even launch a single sharp pointy quill her way.


    Yes! That should do it. Its all webbed down and ready for Soul Lantern extraction. Now then, since my Ghostly Ektofrost Orbs didn''t seem to have done much damage to Kresh, other than giving him chills and slowing him for a bit, I guess now is a great time to use my newly learned ability! According to my grimoire, one of their many features is that they can be used to pierce and slash so here goes... just focus on a pair of them...


    ¡°Angorai Arachneth Legs!¡±


    The energy within her chest quickly scuttled to her back causing it to bulge and undulate; This was quickly followed by the sound of tearing cloth coming from the back of her t-shirt...


    The Nethbadon''s eyes all widened as the strange little bunny girl suddenly grew another pair of... fluffy bunny ears?


    Not only did these new colorful ''bunny ears'' grow out of the little girl''s back but they were segmented and much, much longer than the ones on her head... so creepy! the Nethbadon thought with a chill running down its spine; And worst of all, they were tipped with sharp-looking plum hued blades that were aimed right at its immobile body like a pair of pretty fluffy spears!


    The chains rattled as the Nethbadon fiercely struggled once again to escape its bonds as the little (creepy) cute spider bunny girl dropped straight down from above with the pair of fluffy ''spears'' leading the way!


    The desperate dark beast stretched and turned its long neck towards the falling girl and released a screeching howl; Feeling a great sense of danger, Demora activated her double-hop skill and quickly altered her direction, sending her flipping away as a series of sonic vibrations blew past her.


    Landing on the floor with knees bent, Demora spun round to face the gift-wrapped beastie and with fluffy arachneth leg ''spears'' at the ready... she rushed in, unleashing a pair of Ghostly Ektofrost Orbs to lead the way!...


    Storymask


    With the Kresh saving knowledge obtained and the much needed Soul Lantern within sight, team Demora has entered the fray! Coming up next Demora puts her new fluffy ''spears'' to use in The Puppet Asylum (Part 6C)


    Side Notes: 1. The next chapter will be out by this Saturday... evening.


    2. Here''s a new colored illustration that my niece drew of Big Sister Cara in her at-home loungewear. (Minor spoiler alert - Big Sister Cara''s illustration contains the same minor spoilers for her upcoming short story as the other illustrations I linked to before.) I have also received the rest of the Big Sister Cara Illustrations... and her hero form came out amazing! Looks like the cover of a comic; I''ll be sharing those once her short story is underway.


    3. Good News! Now that all of the Big Sister Cara illustrations have been completed my niece is now working on some of Demora! Yay! I''ll post it as soon as I receive it... hoping within a couple of weeks or so since she does have a busy school schedule.

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 6C)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 6C)


    The cold ghostly orbs slammed into the turning ''mouthface'' and neck of the Nethbadon, muffling its cries as Demora''s pair of fluffy ''spears'' struck like a pair of vipers piercing above and below the dark beast''s Soul Lantern, stabbing both throat and lower chest.


    The Nethbadon''s body jerked up and down with each piercing strike landed from her furious arachneth leg barrage; Until finally... the lights in its beady eyestalks faded away and its body lay limp on the floor, unmoving.


    Demora tilted her head and took a step back, watching as a dark ghostly orb in the shape of the Nethbadon''s head rose up out of the tattered vessel''s mouth.


    The ghostly Nethbadon Wisp hung in the air for a moment, releasing soft whimpers of mourning for its loss mixed with low growls of frustration for having been netted from the start of the fight and ''killed'' while so... helpless.


    Not to mention the newly seeded anger in its heart towards its packmates for not even coming to its aid...


    If only it had dodged instead of charged when that vile monster girl''s back suddenly turned its way, looking so open for an attack... But now it was too late for regrets as it slowly made its way to the Nethmouth Gate; Needing to return to the Dark Realms of the Netherworld where it would have to work long and hard just to earn the spirit money needed to replace its losses here today.


    As the Nethbadon Wisp disappeared into the Nethmouth Gate, a smiling Demora walked up to its ragged vessel lying chained and webbed on the floor. Taking a quick look around she muttered, ¡°Good, Anancy and Pinkili have their mutt under control.¡±


    Indeed, they did! For their Nethbadon''s hands, feet, and quilled tail were all webbed down onto the floor. And Anancy was flying about in good cheer, easily dodging quills while spitting out web balls at the beast''s wide-open mouth which was snapping at things only it could see. This was all thanks to the Prickly Pinkergeist Pins piercing its head and front hairless limbs.


    ¡°And the cute Nethdren monster girl seems to be backing her beastie into a corner...¡± Now faced with only the lead Nethbadon, monster girl''s long fluffy fur snaked around the last of the blood-red quills that were stuck near her left shoulder and removed it; Tossing the quill aside, monster girl immediately regained use of her left arm.


    Well then, since that''s the case let''s go ahead and save Kresh while nobody''s looking hehehe... Demora knelt down beside the defeated Nethbadon''s remains; Reaching out, she grabbed hold of the blood-red Soul Lantern, seeking to pull it free of the creepy mutt''s chest when suddenly swirling black ethereal energy with tendrils of blood-red and void-purple lashed out at her uninvited touch.


    Demora''s jaw clenched as her hands stiffened and a wave of nausea rolled up from her stomach. According to her grimoire, she must fill the Soul Lantern with her power, pushing out any other residing energies within, to bind it to her. If her power wasn''t strong enough, then the attempt would fail and the Soul Lantern would damage her soul, weakening her Nethryn magic for up to a month depending on the severity of the backlash.


    Okay, let''s do this. I''m stronger than that mutt''s vile residual energy... I just know it! With her Trinity completely focused on the Soul Lantern gripped in her tense hands, she spun a strong thick tether of Nethryn Arachneth Webs from the tips of her fluffy Angorai Arachneth Legs.


    With tether complete, she attached it to the Soul Lantern, connecting it to her Trinity Cores which immediately began to flood the glass lantern with her swarm of nethryn energy! Her energy collided in waves of clashes against the Nethbadon''s residual dark energy causing the Soul Lantern to vibrate as her energy pushed the darkness out into the air where it undulated like a liquid squid.


    With the energy battle won, her fingers relaxed and her nausea thankfully faded away as she focused on her newly formed connection to the Soul Lantern; Gently tugging, she pulled it free of the vessel''s chest cavity and set it to float in the air. With her attention fully on the now lavender-pink Soul Lantern, the dark squid-like energy began to slink through the air towards the nearest Nethbadon... which was being hounded by a pair of giggling doll heads.


    Looking down at the Nethbadon''s vessel once more, she spotted a blood-red choker collar with a Soul Fetcher badge attached lying on the floor. Hmm, it looks like my eyes have... upgraded? I can clearly see the energy of the Netherworld coming from it but now is not the time to loot... especially since I have nowhere to put it. I guess I could just try wearing it but I don''t know if it''s cursed... And wearing dog collars is really not my thing... so moving on; Time to play the white knight.


    Demora quickly made her way to the trembling mound on the ground and softly called out, ¡°Kresh... Kresh! I''m here to save you but you have to want to come with me... Otherwise, I''ll have to let one of those Soul Fetchers take you.¡±


    From underneath the cloths and stuffings that used to be his vessel, chibi Kresh called out, ¡°Kresh want go wit you! Kresh no want go wit dem! Please take Kresh from here...¡±


    ¡°Good, good... Since that''s the case, then all you need to do is touch my pretty Soul Lantern and ask to come in to play.¡± The Soul Lantern lowered to the floor before ''groundhog'' Kresh, softly glowing.


    Chibi Kresh peeked out from underneath his ''blanket'', saw the glowing Soul Lantern, and immediately crawled over to hug it tightly while muttering, ¡°Let Kresh in to play... let Kresh in to play... let Kresh in...¡±


    The Soul Lantern flared as Kresh ghosted through its glass exterior to enter within. ¡°Ooh, pretty Dollhouse in da sky...¡± Kresh''s voice faded away as the Soul Lantern returned to the air.


    At the same time Kresh entered the Soul Lantern, the Nethmouth Gate pulsed, and released a bell toll signaling that its purpose of connecting to the world of the living had come to an end and it would soon be closing.


    Confused, the cute monster girl and pair of Nethbadons stopped fighting to look about the room wondering who had snatched their assigned soul. All eyes landed on the pretty lavender-pink Soul Lantern floating in the air; Then traveled down to gaze at the oddly strange girl with the fluffy bunny ears and spidery legs that the lantern seemed to belong too.


    Huh? Why have all of the Soul Fetchers suddenly stopped fighting and turned to stare at me with their heads tilted? I didn''t ring that bell... Well, whatever, let''s just take advantage of their confusion and send those mutts ghosting back to their Netherworld!


    [¡°We did it Pinkili! Anancy! I got my Soul Lantern and operation Save Chibi Kresh is now a success. Now let''s finish off these last two beastie mutts...¡±]


    Anancy and Pinkili cheered and giggled. [¡°Yay! See Anancy, I told you Dea could do it easy peasy. These mutts may look big and scary but they''re actually just sheep in wolves clothing.¡±]


    [¡°What? I never said she wouldn''t succeed... and don''t forget, the only reason they seem so weak is that we had the advantage of...¡±]


    [¡°Hey girls! What the heck is that thing!¡±] Demora asked as she came to a stop to point above them.


    In the air, above Pinkili''s and Anancy''s webbed down Nethbadon was the dark squid-like ball of residual energy; The Nethbadon looked towards the creepy spider bunny girl that had suddenly halted her rush, spotting the tattered remains of its Nethbadon packmate behind her.


    Time seemed to slow as a jumble of thoughts went through its mind...


    It knew there was no avenue of escape. It couldn''t beat these two freaky weird doll heads flying round itself so there''s no way in neth that it could beat all three of them teamed together. There was only one way it was going to leave here today and that was as a ghostly wisp just like its packmate.


    It gnashed its teeth in regret! It had wanted to free its Nethbadon packmate from the ghostly chain net but didn''t because the other Nethbadon had ordered not too. And since it had been the one to call them here that meant it was the leader of this hunt.


    And this leader was 1. Angered that the other Nethbadon had crashed into it, ruining its attack. And 2. Wanted a bigger portion of the glory for defeating their foe with fewer packmates, thereby increasing their honor earned.


    The idea of getting more honor also appealed to it so it had gone along with the order and left the other Nethbadon bound in chains. As such, sealing both their fates. Now, with no hope of escape, its eyestalks all focused in on the dark something that was squirming about in the air directly above which had the attention of its enemies.


    Well then... since heads I lose and tails they win, I might as well make my end count for something! Who knows, if this works maybe that dimwitted leader here will repay my sacrifice by helping me earn the spirit money I''ll need to replace my vessel and gear once we''re all back in the Netherworld. It''s worth a shot...


    The webbed down Nethbadon uttered a quick series of yips and growls towards its leader who quickly responded back. Receiving the confirmation it wanted, it lifted its head up and began to howl as monster girl resumed her fight with leader; She wanted to end her fight quick so she could jump into the Nethmouth Gate that would soon close.


    Energy flowed up the Nethbadon''s throat from the Soul Lantern, pooling in its mouth. It burbled and churned as the energy from the air above rushed down to join, swimming and melding together...


    ¡°What the neth is it doing? Looks like its gargling... gross!¡± Demora muttered, scrunching her face at the repulsive sight of the Nethbadon with a mouth full of squirming dark energy.


    Turning its head, the Nethbadon then spat out the dark energy with great force towards the lead Nethbadon. The leader howled at monster girl causing her to dodge the soundwaves to the side as the energy squid came swimming past, rushing into its wide-open mouth.


    The big ball of energy, formed from its packmates, entered its mouth to swim down its throat and funnel into its Soul Lantern. It seemed to growl in laughter as it watched the other Nethbadon summon its Soul Lantern out of its chest to hang in the air and begin to pulse with power and light.


    Feeling a build-up of energy...


    ¡°That''s not good... RETREAT!¡± Demora shouted.


    All in the room made their moves...


    The lead Nethbadon rushed to the near metal sorting table which was pushed up against the wall. It slid underneath and flipped the table over causing everything atop it to crash and spill onto the floor, forming a strong protective barrier. But it didn''t stop there, it summoned all of the dark energy it had just gathered within its Soul Lantern and sent it flooding out into its body as it began to grow...


    Pinkili rushed in front of Anancy, acting as her shield as they flew high and away!


    As for Demora, she turned and was just about to jump away when she suddenly found herself being scooped up and hugged by monster girl who had chosen to save the strange little girl that had teamed up with her against the Nethbadons.


    Monster girl knew that by protecting this cute itsy bitsy bunny girl, she had lost her chance of making it back too the closing Nethmouth Gate in time to return to the Netherworld as its bell toll struck one final time. Going home wasn''t going to be easy now... at least not without either finding a new soul seeking departure or leaving her vessel and gear behind and ghosting back.


    Well, if she wasn''t so young and new she''d have several other options of returning but that was still a long way away...


    With Demora in her arms, monster girl turned her back to the pulsing Soul Lantern in the air and sent a chunk of her remaining energy into her furry back, increasing her defenses while running as far away as she could; The webbed Nethbadon''s growling laughter could be heard from behind her as its Soul Lantern spun faster and faster, pulsing brighter and brighter until...


    BOOOM!


    The powerful explosion sent dozens of deadly shards of glass flying in all directions as shockwaves rocked the room.


    Pinkili''s shield flared as several glass shards slammed into the backside of her head, piercing near her ear.


    [¡°Pinkili! Y-you''re hurt... let''s switch places!...¡±] Anancy called out, getting ready to switch places with her.


    [¡°No worries. It''ll take a lot more than just a couple of pieces of glass to take me out...¡±]


    Meanwhile below, monster girl released a series of grunts as her fur undulated in thick tendrils blocking scores of shards and dampening the impact of the shockwaves, fully protecting Demora from harm.


    At the same time, a staccato rain of glass breaking against metal rang out causing the last remaining Nethbadon''s ears to twitch. It growled from behind its shelter as its bones continued to stretch and pop. Clawing the ground and bumping the walls and turned table, eagerly waiting for the changes to come to an end so that it could jump out of hiding and rend its enemies.


    ¡°I-I think it''s over... You can let me go now...¡± Demora said, gently tapping the fluffy hands holding her body.


    [¡°Dea! Are you okay?...¡±] [¡°Is monster girl hurting you?...] Pinkili and Anancy asked at nearly the same time as they rushed down towards them from near the top shelf.


    [¡°Ah, it''s okay... I''m okay... It seems she decided to protect me for some reason or other... but everything is fine..."]


    ¡°Little monster friend, are you okay?¡± Monster girl asked, releasing Demora as she then stretched her back and shook her fur causing glass shards to fall onto the floor in a pitter-patter of tinks and clinks.


    ["Huh... Did she just call me a monster? I''m no monster... right?''] Demora asked in mindspeak chat.


    ["Ya, that''s right. Dea may be little compared to her but she''s no monster..."] (Pinkili)


    ["Yup. The only monsters here are those mutts and herself."] (Anancy)


    ["Oh, I get it now! You''re little, the monster is her, and friend is you so you''re a ''little monster friend''..."] (Pinkili)


    ["Meaning you''re a little friend of a monster which is her!"] (Anancy)


    ["I see... I think. Well, that sorta makes sense so let''s just go with that..."] (Demora)


    Now free and having been asked a question, Demora turned around, looked way up (since monster girl was quite a bit taller than her), and with upturned lips answered, ¡°Oh, me? I''m just fine... not one little scratch! Thanks to you... but you... how are you doing? You took quite a blast and look a bit... drained.¡±


    ¡°I''m good!... Well, mostly... almost... just a bit banged up... And quite low on energy because of all the fighting and the big boom...¡± Monster girl was saying, using the darkwood staff to stay upright...


    BAM!... CLANG!


    An explosion of movement sent the metal table crashing across the floor as a bull-sized Dire Nethbadon revealed itself, turning its head to glare at monster girl as she spun around to face it, staff in hand but near her limit.


    ¡°You all need to run away! I don''t know how long I can stop him. I''m almost out of energy...¡± Monster girl spoke, standing in a guard position as Anancy and Pinkili flew to her sides helping to form a protective line to keep Demora safe.


    ¡°Dea, run!...¡± Pinkili and Anancy shouted in unison. ¡°Don''t worry about us... it''s just our vessels. You go, be safe!¡± Pinkili and Anancy rushed in, flying about that huge mutt, attacking with webs and pins, keeping it distracted to buy Demora time to run.


    Just when it looked like their attacks would be ignored by the dire nethbadon, Pinkili shot forth her empowered pin! Piercing deeply into the beast''s hairless arm limb, the pin unleashed all of its stored energy. Sending a rush of pink to cloud all of the big mutts eyestalks causing it to see loads of clones of all in the room giving Demora the perfect opportunity to flee...


    But there was no way Demora could do that... just abandon her dollie friends. Friends that reminded her of... well, she couldn''t quite put her finger on it but she knew they were important to her. Plus, she had an idea that could help.


    Demora moved in behind monster girl and gave her fluffy fur a tug to get her attention, ¡°Uhm, I have a way to help you... to give you lots of energy but it''ll only work if you trust me and accept my connection... so do you want to give it a try?¡±


    Monster girl looked down at Demora, thoughts swirling around in her mind, knowing that without help that not only was she doomed but so we''re these new allies of hers... so if there was a way to get more energy, to give them a chance of winning and all it took was to trust this cute itsy bitsy bunny girl then, ¡°Yes, let''s do it... connect away!¡±


    Smiling, Demora nodded, then began to weave a vibrant Nethryn Arachneth Tether; Using the long reach of her fluffy arachneth legs, she immediately attached it way up on monster girl''s back.


    Demora felt half of her oryn energy pool sectioning off, becoming dedicated for the sole use of Monster Girl. This left her with about 10% of her own oryn pool to use since Pinkili and Anancy were using the rest. And since this was the case, Demora made the decision to rush up to the top of the wall of shelves to watch and support from on high... out of harm''s way.


    A big grin lit monster girl''s face as she suddenly felt a rush of energy swarming into her body, scuttling up into her head, and entering her empty Soul Lantern third eye!


    The more that this stronger source of energy entered to fill her Soul Lantern, the stronger her feelings of friendship and desire to protect Demora grew until they became a part of her, deepening the connection and bond between them as Pinkilil and Anancy cheered! [¡°Yay! We got a new sister to play with!¡±] [¡°Welcome... umm... I don''t know your name yet but I''m sure Demora will give you a great one!...¡±]


    A confused Demora was about to ask what they were talking about when suddenly, a frustrated ground-bound mutt that kept missing these annoying doll head flies with its quills turned its head towards a reenergized monster girl that was heading its way with staff in hand...


    Storymask


    Yay! Not only did Demora succeed in saving Chibi Kresh but looks like she added another cute fluffy member to the team! Much to the happy cheers of Pinkili and Anancy! Now all that''s left to do is defeat the mangy mutt turned Dire Mini-Boss! Only then will she be able to relax and finally loot the storage room before morning comes and all in the Asylum awaken. Coming up Next in The Puppet Asylum (Part 7) A battle against the Dire Nethbadon, giving a new friend a name, finally finding something to wear (hint, it''s in the wonderful new sketch illustration below), and trying to figure out where to store all the wonderful loot! Also, a better look into her book...


    Side Note: My niece has sent me her first sketch of Demora! And it really looks great so have a look below or just click the link. So for those wondering how I go through the Character Appearance process, it''s like this:


    1. First, I think of a character I want in my story and their class. A lot of times the class will help shape their looks in my mind... such as skin, hair, and eye colors. Body shape and height. Gear and clothes... etc...


    2. Second, now that I know the basic appearance of the character, I go searching for images online that have parts or pieces that are similar to what I envision for the character. Examples: images of hairstyles and colors, images of clothing and gear, images of body shapes, etc... I then put all these images together and create a Character Appearance Collage using the free online Photo Collage website. Here''s the collage I put together of Demora. You can also find a couple of collages I put together of fluffy monster girl on page two of Our Illustrator''s Box.


    (small note: For help with my name pronunciations and spelling I go to Names.org)


    3. Third and lastly, I send my description and reference collage over to my niece and let her do the rest. She does send back questions she may have about certain aspects that need clarification... but other than that the illustrations all come from her interpretations of all I sent her... so without further ado, here''s the first sketch of Spider Bunny Demora.

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 7A)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 7A)


    The big mutt unleashed a sonic howl towards monster girl while firing another volley of tail quills towards the pair of giggling doll heads above.


    As for the quills on the dire nethbadon''s back, while bigger and deadlier, they seemed to be only useful as a deterrent against foes seeking to either jump on its back or to those foolish enough to fly over... at least that''s what Demora thought as she watched from the safety of her perch on high. After all, it''s not like it can aim them, or do they have some type of homing magic? Hmm, I should warn them...


    [¡°Hey you two, I know you''re having fun up there but be careful not to fly over its back, okay? Those quills back there look far more dangerous than the others.¡±]


    [¡°Will do Dea.¡±] [¡°Staying clear, over and out.¡±] Pinkili and Anancy replied with giggles, dodging another round of tail quills while staying wide and clear of the big mutt''s back.


    At the same time that Dea and friends were mindspeak chatting above, a certain fluffy monster girl was busy stomping her foot onto the floor below, pushing off hard, propelling herself straight into the sonic howl''s soundwaves, surprising everyone.


    Demora was about to shout a warning but stopped... for her arachneth eyes noticed the energy within monster girl rushing up into her horns and out into her silvery bluebell windchimes; With a simple shake of her head, a rain of magical tintinnabulations sang out forming a barrier of sound before her big fluffy body, completely nullifying the incoming soundwaves as they crashed into her shielded Wild Horned Charge!


    Thundering towards the wide-eyed mutt, monster girl lowered her horned head straight at its creepy ''mouth-face''. The dire nethbadon''s claws scratched at the ground as it shifted its body to the side...


    WHAM!


    Monster girl''s horn missed its intended target but still managed to strike its shoulder causing its muscles to tighten and jaws to clench; The big mutt stumbled a few steps sideways to keep from falling as monster girl''s charge came to a stop and turn.


    Angered, the big beast stretched its neck towards monster girl as she easily stepped out of its bite range but then something odd and totally unexpected happened; The beast''s creepy needle-teeth mouth stretched like dark taffy reaching towards her lower belly to bite!


    A bit startled, monster girl''s instincts kicked in as she turned her side towards the beast''s snapping mouth sending out long thick locks of fur which slapped the bite attack aside. At the same time, she had sent waves of energy into her paw causing the fur to lengthen and wrap around her clenched fist forming a big fluffy rose-pink gauntlet which she quickly launched towards the big mutt...


    The dire nethbadon made a strange sound in the back of its throat as it eyed the big incoming flying furry fist! The mutt pushed off the ground with its front limbs hands, retracting its neck and mouth, rising up to stand in a hunched raptor-like posture; Twisting its body while leaning to the side, the fluffy fist grazed its leg limb eliciting a yelp as it flew past...


    BAM!


    The colorful flying fist smashed into the rock hard wall behind it as Demora''s eyes widened... Wow, I can''t believe such a big fluffy flying fist could crack the wall like that... Heck, it even bruised that big mutt''s leg with just a graze. What''s her fur made of... iron?


    The dire nethbadon once again unleashed a sonic howl while rubbing its bruised leg and stepping back, seeking to get a little breathing room as monster girl shook her head, creating another bluebell barrier.


    From above, Anancy and Pinkili continued to rain down web balls and pink-hued pins which were getting on its nerves! While their attacks weren''t doing much if any harm to the big mutt, even the haunting effects of the non-empowered pins were being resisted, their antics were still distracting and very annoying; Managing to cause it to waste time and energy on the pesky duo with its tail quill shots.


    Each volley of tail quills launched at them meant none towards what it considered to be the real threat... monster girl.


    As the trio continued to fight the dire nethbadon below in a series of feints and frantic clashes, Demora''s eyes spied something that she felt may be useful so she hopped up onto the ceiling above and made her way safely across the room to retrieve it, unnoticed.


    Outnumbered and frazzled, since its attacks were being countered, the dire nethbadon decided to use its trump card as its very next howl changed to that of a haunting wail...


    A parade of dark spirit-shaped energy rushed out of the big mutt''s creepy mouth, flying about the storage room to disappear amidst the stored dolls and puppets; A network of vein-lines of blood-red energy grew beneath the surface of the dolls and puppets ''skin''. Sigils of void-purple formed, tattooing their faces, limbs, and bodies with soft glowing power.


    The newly possessed polterdolls (thrumming with dark energies) began to shake, rattle, and... rise!


    The strange menagerie of polterdolls quickly gathered into a pair of packs; The larger of the packs headed towards monster girl whereas the smaller pack became airborne to hunt those above.


    Round and round the polterdolls went, forming a pair of haunted cyclones around their prey, seeking to slam into them as they attacked with lanky limbs and snapping mouths.


    Pinkili''s Pinkushy Shield flared with each hit as she kept a web ball spitting Anancy behind her; The bright-eyed duo chuckling as they danced about in the air, evading most attacks while whittling away at the smaller pack''s numbers.


    As for Demora, she viewed the scene from behind the protection of her open umbrella shield; Her bunny ears twitched as her eyes tracked any stray polterdoll foolish enough to come her way; Thrusting with her fluffy ''spears'', she pierced another doll head.


    Her eyes stared at the convulsing polterdoll body; It was impaled through the head by the bladed tip of her arachneth leg, eyes dimming and sigils fading. Not wanting to retract her leg with the doll still attached, Demora gave her fluffy leg a strong flick sending it hurling towards the ground like a thrown ragdoll...


    The discarded polterdoll hit the ground hard, its spirit energy completely faded away as it tumbled towards a big fluffy monster girl who was twirling her darkwood staff about, protecting her front. A series of ''thwacks'' rang out as the bodies of attacking polterdolls were repelled. While from her back long locks of fluffy fur lashed out like an angry Kraken flailing its powerful tentacles from below the surface of the ocean''s water.


    Seeing that its trump card wasn''t having much results and that time was running out on the powerful spell, the big mutt did not panic but instead used the opportunity the polterdolls provided for a concentrated attack on monster girl.


    Raising its head it unleashed a howl commanding all of the polterdolls surrounding monster girl to charge and swoop at her spinning staff in waves.


    A thunderstorm of thwacks resounded in the room! Polterdolls were sent back flying as if they had run headfirst into a helicopter rotor blade... but not all of them.


    Some of the polterdolls had managed to grab hold of her slowing spinning staff, latching onto the darkwood shaft as they began to pulse with energy.


    Seeing that the first part of its plan had worked, the dire nethbadon drew near, then kicked off the floor with its hind legs to stand in a U-shaped handstand with its quilled tail, arched back, and stretched neck all aimed at monster girl.


    Monster girl''s eyes squinted and the corner of her bestial lips rose...


    This big silly mutt wasn''t the only contortionist around, nor the only monster with a plan. Monster girl jumped up off ground, her body turning round as her head not only stayed facing her enemy but also shook causing her bluebells to sing, forming a large barrier sphere around her body as all polterdolls caught within fell limply to ground.


    At the same time that monster girl landed on the ground with her fluffy undulating back and horned head facing the dire nethbadon (which Demora found to be super freaky by the way) a large howl echoed as a big volley of large and small quills streaked towards monster girl.


    A series of piano-like grunts issued forth from monster girl''s wide grimacing mouth as her shield shattered from the offensive onslaught of soundwaves and quills; A half dozen or so long quills made it past her fluffy locks to pierce her back turned front causing her to wobble like Tweedledee.


    Seeing its chance to finish it, the dire nethbadon quickly lowered its bottom half back onto the floor and scurried forward on all fours as its neck and mouth once again stretched toward her.


    Monster girl chuckled softly, the light in her third eye shinning as Demora and friends shouted out warnings while breaking into a flurry of motions:


    Anancy and Pinkili, having finished with their small pack of polterdolls, swooped down towards the big mutt''s head. Demora, from on high, launched the ghostly chain net she had stealthily recovered earlier during the fighting.


    Unfortunately, with their minds filled with worry, they failed to coordinate their teamwork as the thrown ghostly chain net caught not the big mutt but the two would be savior dollheads!


    The netted dollheads duo found themselves spinning and bound as they smashed into the back of the big mutt''s neck, bouncing off to crash onto the floor and tumble into the wall.


    While the unexpected attack was a failure it did serve to distract the dire nethbadon causing it to not notice that monster girl''s back seemed to be undulating far greater than before... as if waiting for something with great anticipation.


    The dire nethbadon''s elongated mouth and clawed hands lashed out at monster girl. Her long thick locks of empowered fur swarmed out to meet the attack, slapping its eager mouth aside hard, and wrapping around the dire beast''s arms as if living chains, catching the big mutt completely off guard as it tried to pull away!


    [¡°Oh wow! You got ''em... umm... monster girl! Don''t let ''em get away!¡±] A just escaped from the chain net Pinkili cheered via mindspeak chat.


    [¡°Let ''em have it... umm... monster girl! Show ''em who''s stronger!¡±] Anancy added before looking towards Demora. [¡°You know Dea... our new little big sister really does need a name...¡±]


    Demora smiled in relief seeing that her friends were in good spirits, [¡°Agree. We''ll think of one right after she wins this battle of the Soul Fetchers...¡±]


    Finding that it was losing this tug of war and that this monster girl was much too protected by empowered fur, it stretched its neck and mouth up hoping to catch her off guard to bite her face...


    But how could monster girl allow that to happen with her third eye on watch?


    Spotting the mutt''s serpentine-like neck moving upwards, her fur struck forth, reaching out to grab and wrap around its long furry neck, badged collar and all; With a great tug, her fur locks pulled its head down and into her back where an eager mass of supernaturally strong fur swarmed into its wide-open needle-teeth mouth to slither down its throat and latch into its Soul Lantern.


    The dire beast shook its head furiously and thrashed with its clawed hands and feet sending small tufts of rose-pink fur up into the air. Monster girl''s piano-like ¡°Grrr''s¡± sang out as she wobbled and danced about in circles, their entwined bodies slamming into shelves and walls...


    But she just wouldn''t fall down no matter how hard the desperate beast fought to get her onto the ground to break free... CRACK! It was too late; Cracks began to form on the surface of its blood-red Soul Lantern, much to Demora''s dismay.


    Monster girl''s long furry locks pushed and pulled against the insides of the weakening dire beast''s throat and Soul Lantern until with a final surge of power, the Dire Nethbadon''s mouth and throat were split apart and its Soul Lantern shattered... which would have been so gross had the big beast been made of flesh and blood! (But thankfully... wasn''t.)


    ¡°Woohoo! You did it... umm... monster girl! But is your neck alright like that? What with it all turned around to your back and all...¡± Pinkili cheered then wondered as she circled around her.


    ¡°Ah, I thought it had you when it launched that onslaught of attacks, making you wobble...¡± Anancy said with hints of mirth, flying up to hover before monster girl.


    ¡°Ahaha... Did I really... wobble? Or did I feint? Well, I guess you can tell by the results. All of my foes so far have fallen for that little ''Tweedledum'' act since they don''t realize just how great my fur really is; Not only is it my greatest defense but also one of my strongest trump cards.


    After all, even my Flying Furry Monster Punch can crack concrete walls... and I''m just a young nethlyng so it''s only going to get stronger and the cooldown shorter!


    As for my neck, no worries... I have full 360 rotation just like my limbs, see?¡± Monster girl said, grinning as her head turned fully around to face towards her front as it ought to be while spinning her arms around like a windmill. While her head and arms were demonstrating her flexibility, her fur was busy removing any and all quills that were pierced into her body.


    ¡°Now that the battle''s done and there''s no threat around to be found, it''s time to return the monster into me.¡± Monster girl''s third eye closed as her big monster body began to shrink and change back to the cute little mask-head wearing Nethdren girl; Anancy and Pinkili circled around her changing body with ''oohs'' and ''awes''... ¡°I can''t wait to play out here in my vessel body...¡± The duo excitedly chatted...


    Dropping down from above with a smile on her face, Demora opened her mouth to congratulate her new friend but stopped; She didn''t know her name.


    Tilting her head and looking down, Demora began to ponder as her foot absentmindedly nudge-kicked and shifted aside cloths and stuffings that were strewn about the floor around her...


    Clink clink clink


    Something dark and metallic skittered out of the pile her foot was sifting through. The noise and movement drawing everyone''s attention.


    Demora stepped towards the object, curious about the dark energies swirling within it... ¡°That looks like... yup... its the nethbadon Soul Fetcher badge. I wonder if it''s enchanted with...¡±


    ¡°Don''t touch that!¡± Nethdren girl called out, rushing to a startled Demora''s side, pulling her away from the badge. ¡°Only Soul Fetcher''s may claim them. Others that try will find their souls damaged.¡±


    Relieved that her new spider bunny bestie was okay, Nethdren girl bent down, picked up the dark badge, and dropped it into her coat pocket where it disappeared with a Poof.


    The pocket of her Soul Fetcher coat was connected to a processing room in the Agents of the Gray''s headquarters. She would earn credits for each badge delivered; Credits that could be used to purchase vessel and gear upgrades or turned into spirit money.


    Nethdren girl felt something odd this time... The badge went through but something was sent back up into her transfer pocket. She put her hand in her pocket, retrieved the item, and held it up for all to see... it was a letter from HQ.


    Confused, she opened the letter to read as Demora and company looked on. ¡°What''s... umm... monster girl reading?¡± Pinkili asked.


    ¡°I don''t know. But what I do know is that she needs a name... right Dea.¡± Anancy urged.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Demora muttered, her attention returning.


    [¡°Name. Our new friend needs a name. After all, we can''t keep going around calling her monster girl...¡±] (Pinkili)


    [¡°That''s right, it''ll seem like we''re being mean and teasing her...¡±] (Anancy)


    ¡°Oh that... I agree. Let''s see... what do we know about her...¡± Demora muttered as she eyed the little mask-head girl who was actually a whole head taller than her. ¡°She''s a cute little ghostly white loli with a beautiful voice that sounds like a piano.


    She wears a big fluffy creepy-cute whimsical beastie Mask-head and gothic loli outfit of pitch blacks and milky grays so her name could be... Masky?


    No, that won''t do. What about... Creepy... Cutie... Crutie? Nope... nope... Let''s try again...


    Hmm, Whimsical... Whimsy? It''s better than the others to be sure but... ugh... why is this so hard?¡± A puzzled and bit frustrated Demora grumped. ¡°So what should we name her?¡±


    ¡°Let''s see, she''s a Soul Fetcher of the Gray that catches spirits...¡± (Pinkili)


    ¡°And she can turn into a fun creepy-cute whimsical plushie monster!¡± (Anancy)


    ¡°That''s kind of like those spooky stories told to scare children... like that old tale...¡± (Pinkili)


    ¡°Ooh, I know that tale... it''s the one they use to scare kids into being good! The one we turned into a game...¡± (Anancy)


    ¡°Yes, yes! The el Cucuy game!¡± ¡°Ah! It''s el Cucuy! Run and hide!¡± ¡°Everyone run! Don''t let the Cucuy-Harvey get you!¡±


    ¡°Aww... why am I always IT!?!¡±


    The duo giggled, taking turns chasing one another in the air above, lost in the fun memories of playing at the dollhouse with all the others as a pensive Demora pondered aloud, ¡°T-that actually seems quite fitting in a fun sort of way... el Cucuy catches naughty kids and she catches naughty spirits...


    So then how about calling her... Kukooie... or Kukouy or adding some whimsy and making it sound a little like Joey at the end like... Kukoey...


    Ooh, I like that... Kukoey! We can call her Ku or Koey for short.


    What do you all think?¡± Demora asked, but the little ones were too busy playing above to have heard so she called out to them using mindspeak, [¡°Hey, what do you all think of naming her... Kukoey!?! We can call her Ku or Koey for short.¡±]


    ¡°I like it. It''s fun and whimsical...¡± ¡°Ku-koey... sounds perfect for her.¡± Just as they came to an agreement with her new name, Kukoey looked up from the letter which she had just finished reading.


    ¡°So, good news or bad news, Kukoey?¡± Demora asked, turning to face her newly named friend.


    Noticing that everyone''s eyes were looking at her, the little Nethdren girl looked left, then right, and then pointed at herself, ¡°Kukoey?... who me?¡±


    ¡°Yes! That''s your new name... isn''t it great? Dea came up with it for you. Or do you have one already?¡± Pinkili asked with a smile.


    ¡°I guess we really should have asked if she already had a...¡± Anancy started to say...


    ¡°Name? No, I don''t have a name. None of us Soul Fetchers do... so I get a name?¡± Kukoey asked, head tilted.


    ¡°Yes, you get a name. After all, we can''t keep going around calling you monster girl... That wouldn''t be a nice way to treat our cute new friend.¡± Demora reasoned.


    ¡°Yay! I''m happy... so Kukoey is my name...¡±


    ¡°Indeed. So Koey, what was that you were reading?¡± Demora asked.


    ¡°Oh, yes... that was a letter from my Agent of the Gray headquarters. It was a letter informing me that I''ve been put on Sabineth.¡±


    ¡°Sabineth? What''s that?¡± Pinkili asked, floating down to their level.


    ¡°Sabineth is given to Soul Fetchers who have been given an opportunity to go out into the world to strengthen themselves. It seems that I''m now... umm... bound to you until your dying breath. So during this time, I''m to work hard at improving myself so when I return I can use my new strength for the Gray.¡±


    ¡°That great! Welcome to the team Kukoey. We''re so happy to have you join us!¡± Demora smiled, giving Kukoey a hug before stepping back. A hug that Kukoey was both surprised and happy to receive.


    ¡°And thank you for helping us win this fight...¡± Pinkili started to say.


    ¡°No no-no-no... I''m the one that should be thanking you. Without your help that would be my torn and shredded vessel...¡± Kukoey started to say, pointing at the dire nethbadon''s tattered and ripped body on the floor.


    ¡°Ah, no need for thanks,¡± Demora said, clearly happy. ¡°We''re family now! And since the danger is over how about we all celebrate with a looting party?¡±


    The group cheered as they began their search for loot with Demora heading towards the wall of dressers; Her eyes focused on the dresser door in the center with the web design...


    Storymask


    Yay! Team Demora, along with new team member and MVP of the battle, Kukoey, have won! Receiving approval from HQ to be with Demora the group is now ready to celebrate by having a much wanted and quite delayed loot party! And by the looks of it, Demora knows just where to begin her search for loot. Coming up next Demora''s outfit gets an upgrade, her hard work pays off with blessings, a little looksie into her grimoire, and the search for food begins in The Puppet Asylum (Part 7B).

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 7B)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 7B)


    [¡°Yes! The coast is clear... no one is heading our way so feel free to explore and see what there is to find.¡±] Demora mindspoke as she shut and locked the storage room''s door.


    As for me, time for a change of outfits. Not that I would call what I''m wearing right now an outfit. She thought to herself as she looked down at the worn and torn t-shirt which she had on since the start of this whole crazy adventure.


    With a target in sight, Demora stepped with a light hop, wending her way around the mess strewn floor heading towards the pitch-black door in the center of the wall of mismatched wardrobes. I can''t wait to see what''s waiting for me in there...


    [¡°Yay! Anancy, let''s gather parts for our vessels!¡±] Pinkili flew towards the doll and puppet laden shelves; Not forgetting to search the floor below along the way since many had fallen during the back to back battles.


    [¡°Ooh, good idea. I can hardly wait until Dea puts them together for us...¡±] Anancy mindspoke, smiling as she flew past Demora towards the other wall of shelves. She then stopped to look at Demora''s retreating back, [¡°By the way Dea... where did your Soul Lantern go?¡±]


    Stopping after realizing what had just been asked, Demora turned to look at the bright-eyed Anancy. [¡°Huh? You want me to make your vessels? But I don''t know how to do that... I mean, I''ve done some sewing and patching up of my dollie and plushie friends at home before but isn''t that... different?


    As for my lantern, I was afraid it might get damaged during the fight so I sent it to our dollhouse when the polterdolls started attacking. It''s the only one I was able to get so I didn''t want it to break...¡±]


    [¡°Oh, you don''t have to worry about your Soul Lantern breaking so easily Dea. Depending on who they''re bound to they can take quite the pounding you know. And even if they do break or shatter, as long as you''re alive, they will repair themselves over time or faster if you have the materials needed for the mending.


    Actually, you can even make them from scratch with the right materials, tools, and know-how.¡±] Kukoey happily informed her using mindspeak chat for the very first time.


    [¡°But I don''t know how to do that either. Making a Soul Lantern from scratch that is... where would I even begin?¡±] Demora asked.


    [¡°Hmm, how about your grimoire Dea? Maybe it has a ''how-to'' section on making vessels and Soul Lanterns and everything else you need.¡±]


    [¡°That''s a great idea Pinkili! I''ll give it a look right after I find something new to wear since this t-shirt is quite... drafty. The rest of you have fun looting; Just place the things you like over on that metal crafting cart Kresh rolled in.¡±]


    ¡°Yes! Gonna find us some dollies...¡± ¡°Gonna find us some puppet parts...¡± ¡°We''ll put them all together...¡± ¡°On Dea''s vessel making cart...¡± Anancy and Pinkili started to playfully sing as they began their search in earnest.


    As for Kukoey, she headed to sift through the remains of the nethbadons to gather their dropped belongings.


    Having reached her destination, Demora stood in front of the ornate door. Her eyes drawn to the wonderful web design tracing the path of the amethyst and strawberry pink threads towards the center in which a spidery spirit emblem was embedded; Tilting her head, she pondered, ¡°Now what?... I don''t see any handles or knobs that I can use to open this up. Maybe if I push the door in it''ll pop open?¡±


    Demora raised her hand and pushed on the emblem but the door remained closed. This spidery spirit emblem is truly stunning; The surface looks like dark frosty crystal and is cool to the touch. It even thrums with nethryn energy that I can see scuttling within... so maybe by accessing that energy the door will open? If so then how do I access it...


    Demora''s eyes scanned all around the edges and sides of the door spotting what appeared to be 6 vertical slit-shaped holes. (Four on the corners of the door and a pair to the sides of the spidery spirit emblem.)


    Tilting her head as her arachneth legs bobbed up and down, her eyes came to rest on their plum hued bladed tips. ¡°Oh, I wonder if... well, only one way to find out.¡±


    Demora raised her fluffy arachneth legs up to the top corners of the spidery door and carefully glided the bladed tips into the slits; She heard a soft ¡°psht¡± as something moved within the slits, clamping onto the tips of her arachneth legs. ¡°So those slits really are... keyholes. Good, good. Now to key in the other 4 holes which means I need to summon the rest of my Angorai Arachneth Legs.¡±


    [¡°Umm, Anancy, can you come and assist me for a bit. In order for me to open this door I need to summon all of my arachneth legs so if you could help that would be great.¡±]


    [¡°Sure thing Dea! On my way...¡±]


    Anancy flew across the room to hover by Demora''s side where they spent the next 10 minutes or so safely summoning the other 4 fluffy arachneth legs from her back.


    After thanking Anancy for her guidance, Demora turned her attention back to the door and one by one inserted the bladed tips of her fluffy spider legs into the remaining keyholes.


    ¡°PSHT¡±


    She felt strings of energy flow up into her spidery legs from the keyholes connecting to her trinity core; The energy then spun about within her chest for several breathes before flowing back along the same path returning to the door. The spidery spirit emblem softly pulsed with ethereal light, then turned upside down with a ''click'' as the door softly opened, revealing a magical gothic victorian dress within.


    ¡°Wow...¡± Demora whispered, eyes wide open, transfixed on the beautiful dress. It was just hanging there on a pair of silvery webs waiting to be claimed. Her eyes traveled down the length of the white silken dress admiring the wonderful web designs on the ends of the sleeves, across the midsection of the lightly ruffled skirt, and wrapped around the stomach area like a corset. ¡°It''s so pretty and... huh? What''s that down below?¡±


    She reached out, moving the bottom of the skirt aside, smiling as her eyes landed on a pair of matching shoes and gothic victorian umbrella. Sweet! I can''t wait to put it on... oh, but first some undergarments.


    ¡°Let''s see if these drawers down here have what I need.¡± Demora began to rifle through the drawers below, pulling them out one by one, searching for the proper undergarments that would match the accent colors of her new dress (which were the same colors as her hair... in addition to silver).


    ¡°Yes. These are perfect. Not only are they threaded with nethryn energy but there are even holes in the back for my arachneth legs.¡± Demora said, inspecting the back of the silk undergarment top. ¡°Oh, I wonder if the dress does as well? I''ll check right after I put these on... which will be a lot easier if I just unsummon my fluffy spider legs.¡±


    Sending her Angorai Arachneth Legs back into her body, Demora stripped off her t-shirt, tossed it aside onto the floor, and put on her new silken undergarments finding the thrum of their energy comfortable.


    She then climbed up the wardrobe, reached out, and removed the threads holding the dress up catching it before it could fall. Ah, I was so captivated by this dress that I didn''t even notice that I''m much too small to wear it...


    :giggles: Silly Itsy Bitsy Bunny girl... Simply put the dress on and bind to fit and fit to bind... :giggles:


    She felt the dress shift about in her arms as she jumped down onto the floor. Oh, so that will make it change size then... Okay, let''s give it a try. She held her new dress up over her head and lowered it onto her body as she scooched about to put it on.


    ¡°Now for the binding... just like I did my bell,¡± she muttered as her hands released her energy into the corset webbings causing the dress to shrink to fit. Yes. It feels cool, smooth, and soft. I''ve never felt anything like this before.


    ¡°I wish there was a mirror in here,¡± She whispered as her eyes finished roaming the room.


    Guess I''ll have to look for one later elsewhere... after I bind my shoes and new umbrella...


    ¡°Wow Dea, you look amazing!¡± ¡°You really do! Just like a beautiful spidery angel...¡± ¡°Twirl for us, Dea...¡± Her friends all chatted excitedly, circling around her now twirling body.


    ¡°It really, really suits you to a tee Dea... so breathtaking.¡± Pinkili praised, eyes gleaming.


    ¡°It truly is but how does it feel? Is it easy to move in? Especially if you have to fight...¡± Kukoey wondered with concern for its durability.


    ¡°Will it get in the way of your fluffy spider legs and how about those shoes? Will they make it hard to run, hop, and spider climb?¡± Anancy asked, gazing at her new low heel shoes. ¡°Although, there are loads of clothes here so you can always get another outfit to wear for everyday use and save that beautiful dress for special occasions.¡±


    ¡°It should be fine I think, after all, my guides said bind to fit and fit to bind so let''s give it a try.¡± Demora turned her back to the trio and summoned forth her Angorai Arachneth Legs. The back of the dress shifted about creating form-fitting holes for each leg to go through.


    ¡°Ooh, that''s great Dea. Your dress changed to fit your fluffy spider legs perfectly.¡± A very impressed Pinkili smiled.


    ¡°Now, try moving about like you would in battle!¡± Kukoey called out, as she thrust her butterfly net towards Demora at half-speed which she dodged to the side; Thrusting faster and faster as Demora continued to dodge and evade, the duo danced about the room until her new dress caught on a sharp-clawed puppet hand sticking out from one of the low shelves causing the skirt to rip.


    Kukoey stopped thrusting her butterfly net staff, her eyes filled with remorse as Demora held her skirt up to stare at the tear, eyes glassy and lower lip lightly trembling. ¡°I''m so sorry Dea... I didn''t mean for that to happen. I feel just terrible...¡±


    ¡°I-it''s okay Koey. I know you didn''t mean for anything bad to happen...¡±


    :gigglings: Silly Itsy Bitsy Hare your dress is trinity bound so just use your energy to mend the rend... mend the rend... mend the rend...¡± :gigglings:


    ¡°Oh, really? Okay then...¡± The trio was just about to ask her what she was talking about but stopped as they watched the tear softly glow and mend. In less than a breath, the dress was good as new again without a trace of damage to be found.


    ¡°How did you do that Dea?¡± Kukoey asked as the guilt and heartache she had been feeling just a moment ago faded away.


    ¡°Hmm, it seems that since this dress is now bound to me that I can mend it using my energy... which means it should be fine to wear even in battles. Actually, I feel like I have more energy now and am more agile.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t doubt it, Dea. Your dress is clearly magical and looks to be tailor-made for you so I wouldn''t be surprised if it enhanced you in multiple ways. Still, I''m curious about whether you can climb around in it... especially with those shoes.¡± Anancy said, eyeing the shoes on her feet once again.


    ¡°Let''s find out then since I need to climb up those shelves to retrieve my bell. I left it behind up there during the fight. I should have sent it to our dollhouse along with my Soul Lantern but it just slipped my mind at the time. Guess I was too worried about my lantern since it looks so fragile...


    Anyways, that bell would be perfect for hanging on this silver thread chain wrapped around my waist.¡± Demora walked across the room and then jumped, nearly reaching the top of the shelves with her double hop. Scurrying up the rest of the way. She found her bell waiting for her, picked it up, and attached it to her chain belt.


    Satisfied, she jumped up, grabbing onto the ceiling, then scurried on over to her waiting friends. Seeing them below, she let go and dropped to the floor easily landing with knees bent and a smile on her face.


    ¡°Amazing. My shoes... they become ethereal with just a thought allowing my feet to stick. I really wish I had some type of appraisal skill to see what else they could do... just like my new umbrella which I left.. where?¡± Demora asked, eyes searching as she felt the energy within her chest begin to spin and release from the tips of her top arachneth legs...


    ¡°Look, look... Dea''s new umbrella is haunted!¡± Pinkili called out.


    ¡°Oooh, it''s floating this way,¡± Anancy said.


    Demora turned her head, easily spotting her new umbrella bobbing through the air. It was indeed floating her way; Her eyes shined, focusing on the ethereal nethryn energy threading out of her spidery legs attached to the umbrellas hook-shaped handle.


    Lifting her hand while desiring the umbrella she muttered, ¡°Come play with me...¡± With a flick of her arachneth legs, the umbrella jumped through the air into her open hand as the dollheads laughed and Kukoey clapped.


    Turning to face them, Demora said with a smile, ¡±Yes. Now that I found what I was hoping for how did you all fare? Any good loot?¡±


    Nodding her head, Kukoey spoke, ¡°I did. I found 2 more badges which I sent for credits. I also looted these 3 blood-red collars that enhance not only nethryn magic but also one''s agility... so I was wondering if it would be okay for me to keep one of them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please do. You''ve earned it. I wouldn''t mind keeping one too but ugh, the thought of wearing that around my neck is really...¡± Dea said, eyeing the collars in Kukoey''s ghostly white hands.


    ¡°Then why not just wear it like this?¡± Kukoey asked as she wrapped one of the collars round her wrist, wearing it as a bracelet. ¡°Or you can wear it around your ankle...¡±


    ¡°Oh, that''s a great idea!¡± Demora said, walking up to Koey and claiming one of the two remaining collars for herself. After some thought, she decided to wear it as a bracelet as well; The moment she secured it in place, their energies mingled and the color of the collar turned bracelet changed from blood-red to plum hued, binding with her. ¡°This is great... I can see its energy adding to my own. I wonder if I can wear two of them and get double the benefits...¡±


    ¡°Sorry Dea, that''s not possible. Only one per wearer according to what I learned as a Soul Fetcher of the Gray.¡± Kukoey explained.


    ¡°Ah, that''s a bit of a bummer but still, I''m grateful for the one I have. As for that last one, just hold on to it for now.¡± Seeing Kukoey nod, Demora turned her attention to her happy little dollheads. ¡°How about you two? Did you find what you were hoping for?¡±


    ¡°Yes! We found quite a bit of doll and puppet parts that are perfect to use when making our vessels.¡± Pinkili eagerly said, eyeing the nearby cart.


    ¡°What makes those parts perfect and not the others?¡± Demora asked.


    ¡°These are not only infused with energy but energy which resonates with our own,¡± Anancy stated the importance.


    ¡°As such, we placed them on the metal cart,¡± Pinkili said, hovering over to the cart.


    Demora turned to see all that they had looted and muttered, ¡°Oh wow, that''s quite the pile... so how are we suppose to carry all of that with us? Plus the clothes and tools I''ll need for making vessels...


    Hmm, what we need is a bag! A really big bag or a magic sack like Santa but where would one be...¡±


    Demora''s eyes roamed the room as her cute friends also looked about but all came up empty-handed.


    ¡°What if... I make a big bag using those?¡± Demora pondered aloud as she walked over to the shelves; Kneeling, she carefully looked over the half dozen or so large plushies being stored down there. These two seem to be big enough and are brimming with energy so let''s go ahead and use them to make a bag.


    She pulled out a pair of big fluffy plushies from off the bottom shelf and set them aside on the floor. ¡°Now I just need some scissors, a sharp cutting blade, sewing needles, and thread...¡±


    ¡°You can just use your own threads, Dea! They''re many times better than any thread you''ll find within this metal cart.¡± Anancy said, bobbing up and down over the side of the cart which held a variety of built-in compartments and small drawers.


    ¡°Indeed. As for the other tools they should be in one of these crafting drawers.¡± Pinkili said, floating beside Anancy.


    ¡°And if you can''t find any needles just look down.¡± Kukoey smiled, pointing at the floor.


    Looking down, Demora spotted quite a few large and small nethbadon quills. Ooh, those look sharp but I''m not sure I can use those to sew.


    Still, if I can''t use them for sewing then maybe I can use them for my Nethrika Ghostfrost Needles spell... that is if I can bind them. And I think my best chance at binding would come from the dire nethbadon''s quills so let''s find and gather those while I ask the others to...


    ¡°Umm, would you mind helping me by clearing off the top of the metal cart? I''d like to use it as a worktable to turn these plushies into a carrying bag.¡±


    ¡°Will do Dea¡± All three responded as the group quickly got to work clearing the table while Demora searched for and gathered quills.


    By the time the cart had been cleared off, Demora was standing near with a smile on her face as 5 soulbound quills floated and danced about around her: Each needle controlled by the beautiful threads of her fluffy spidery legs.


    Well then, looks like binding and controlling 5 needles is my current limit so I''ll just hold on to these other 7 quills for when my magic increases... or maybe just give them to Pinkili since sooner or later she''ll have a vessel of her own to move around in...


    ¡°Your new needles look wonderful Dea! They match the tips of your spidery legs and hair perfectly. I can''t wait until I get some of my own.¡± Pinkili happily (and a bit enviously) praised. Anancy and Kukoey nodded along in agreement.


    ¡°Thanks, Pinkili. I''ll save these and give them to you once I make your vessel,¡± Demora said, holding up the rest of the quills in her hand which made Pinkili''s smile widen. ¡°First though, I need to make a big plushie bag so we can carry all our loot in case someone or things come our way...¡±


    Storymask


    Yes! Demora has geared up, increasing her powers, and more importantly getting a beautiful new (battle) dress. Unsure of how much time she has before morning comes and the Asylum awakens she seeks to craft a big fluffy bag to carry around all the wonderful loot she earned before heading out to explore her surroundings. Coming up next Demora gets to crafting before finding a safe place to study her grimoire and then moving out to explore The Puppet Asylum (Part 7C).


    Side Note: My niece has re-sent me the sketch of Demora with the changes she made to her Angorai Arachneth Legs, chain belt, and bell (which may be a little hard to see until it''s colored in). The next step is the coloring of the sketch. Furthermore, I added a pair of awesome colored illustrations of Big Sister Cara (aka The Spectacular Stardust) to the second page of Our Illustrator''s Box over at Storymask.com for those of you interested in taking an early look.

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 7C)

    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 7C)


    Demora cleared a wide section off the second shelf up from the floor creating a clutter-free place for her to stand on. Next, she rolled the crafting cart into place and with a small grunt tossed the large bunny plushie on top where it landed face down with a ''whump.''


    Okay, time to channel my inner Geppett-a...


    Standing before the plush bunny on the uncluttered shelf, Demora raised a sharp scalpel-like blade that she had found within one of the cart''s crafting drawers and got to work.


    She began by cutting the stitchings at the base of the head removing the plushie''s long fluffy ears. She took a short moment to admire the smokey purple art nouveau patterns that were accented in rich amethyst and soft pink hues before setting them aside.


    She then removed the arms and only leg placing them beside the ears. ¡°And now... off with your head!¡± She grinned causing Pinkili and Anancy to gulp; Koey found their reactions to be oddly funny considering the vessels the duo were currently possessing.


    In just a few short moments, the large cute plushie bunny had been dissected and turned into a soft furry pillow. Okay, looks ready. Now to see if this will work. If it doesn''t, I''ll have to use my hands.


    With lips pressed into a thin line, Demora squinted her eyes; The energy within her chest continuously spun as it flowed into her upper pair of arachneth legs. Webbings shot forth from the bladed tips threading the Nethrika Needles lying in wait atop her open palms. She tossed the ''sewing'' needles up into the air where they hovered for a breath or two before darting into the plushie''s ''pillowy'' body where they began to stitch close all the openings.


    Finished with the blanket stitchings, she cut a horizontal opening on its back (from shoulder to shoulder) and reinforced the edges of the slit with stitchings. Nodding her head at her sewing work, she opened the bunny plushie turned furry bag and removed all the stuffing inside making it snow onto the floor. Good, good. There''s plenty of room inside. Now to make it sturdy... and cute.


    She pushed the newly made furry bag aside making room atop the cart.


    Hopping down onto the floor, she picked up and tossed a large fluffy teddy bear onto the cart. There''s no doubt the teddy had seen much better days as it was now missing its ears and all of its limbs save for one leg as well as being a bit beaten up... But she really loved the smokey blue colors with the deep smokey blue tiger stripes that covered most of it from head to toe; It matched perfectly with the light smokey blue sections of its muzzle and tummy which were stripe free.


    Hopping back up onto the shelf she got back to work using the bunny parts to make the teddy plushie whole again.


    [¡°Wow Dea! Those bunny ears and limbs really look great on that teddy...¡±]


    [¡°I agree Pinkili. When Dea was putting it together, I thought the smokey blue colors would clash against the colors and patterns of the bunny parts but I was wrong. It really does work...¡±]


    [¡°I think so too,¡±] Koey added as she reached out and patted the new plushie. [¡°But I don''t get why you made it if you already have that fluffy bag. Also, the... umm... bear bunny plushie is missing a blue button eye.¡±]


    [¡°Oh, I missed that. Thanks, Koey.¡±] Demora looked to her side, reached down, and retrieved the bunny''s head; With a couple of quick flicks of her blade, she removed a pair of dark amethyst button eyes.


    With new button eyes in hand, she set about sewing them onto her fluffy creation making sure to remove the bear''s sole button eye first.


    She then flipped her bunny bear plushie onto its tummy and slit open its tiger-striped back. Her sewing needles then began to reinforce the edges of the fresh opening with stitches as her little friends looked on with puzzled expressions.


    Next, she joyfully removed all the white fluffy stuffing within its ''pillowy'' torso, tossing it up into the air and making it snow once again.


    With bear belly now empty, she reached over and grabbed hold of her furry bag... Then stuffed it into the bunny bear''s opening.


    After fiddling around with the inner bag she lined up the openings and began to stitch them together as her little friend''s eyes lit up like gems.


    [¡°Oh, now I get it. You''re making a big Bunny Bear Bag... so cute.¡±] [¡°I think it would look even cuter if she added bear fabric patches on some of the bunny limbs...¡±][¡°Yes. That and a flap over the opening on its back so you can button the bag close...¡±]


    Listening to the suggestions from her friends, Demora put the finishing touches on her fun cuddly creation by stitching a flap (cut out from the bunny''s head) over the opening and used the teddy''s blue eye to button it close.


    [¡°I wonder, Anancy...¡±]


    [¡°Wonder what, Pinkili?¡±]


    [¡°If Harvey could work his magic into Dea''s new bunny bear bag.¡±]


    [¡°Hey, that''s a great idea. It''s definitely worth a try. Besides, I''m sure he and Nessi are dying to come out and play...¡±]


    Kukoey could only listen in as the dollhead duo giggled and chatted with Demora since she hadn''t met any of the others waiting for her back at their dollhouse.


    Anancy and Pinkili said their goodbyes, reassuring Kukoey that they''ll be sure to let the others know all about her. They then ghosted out of their dollhead vessels and entered Demora''s body.


    Demora spent the next 10 minutes or so scrounging around the shelves in search of a new pair of dollheads that would be fitting for Nessi and Harvey.


    Kukoey used this time to sift through the large mound of what was Kresh''s plushie body with the butt of the staff from her butterfly catcher.


    She heard a ¡°jingle¡± as her staff struck something metallic causing it to skid-free of the mess and into view. Looking down she spotted a large ring of keys as well as the corner of what seemed to be a small box. She bent down and collected both items, carrying them to the cart.


    Setting the items down next to the bunny bear, she turned her attention to the hand-sized box and opened it. Her mask-head covered face lit up in happy recognition as she pulled out what was a pack of magical inkblot playing cards. Holding the cards in her ghost-white hands, she began to browse through the deck losing herself in thoughts of playing with Dea and the others...


    Meanwhile, a smiling Demora found what she had been looking for as she pulled a couple of dollies out from a low shelf. With a slash of her scalpal the scavenged dollhead vessels were ready; One of the vessels belonging to a blue-haired mermaid dollie and the other to a white hare plushie with black polka dot ears.


    With eyes closed, she invited Harvey and Nessi out to play...


    The pair of dollheads opened their eyes and rose up into the air. They swayed to and fro, eyes shining as they took in their surroundings. Spotting Demora and Kukoey (who had just finished putting the inkblot cards away into her pocket), they flew towards them with Duchenne smiles.


    [¡°Hello Dea! Thank you ever so much for calling us out to play. I never thought I''d be able to come out into the world again. And you must be our new friend Kukoey. Anancy and Pinkili were just telling us all about you...¡±]


    [¡°Happy I am to be here Dea. Thank you for inviting me too. And big sister Koey, if Koey I may call you, meeting you is good. You are cute as said. I look forward to us playing together.¡±]


    [¡°Mm-hmm, I''d be happy if you called me Koey... both of you. After all, we''re all going to be friends and playmates for a very long time thanks to Dea. So I''m pleased to meet you too. Also, I really love the tone of your voice Nessi. It''s so musical.¡±]


    [¡°And I yours Koey. Reminds me of a piano...¡±]


    [¡°Nessi, you learned how to talk? I can understand you now...¡±]


    [¡°Really? Nessi happy you can. Will make time together more fun since it can be hard when not knowing what others are saying. And I can help you better this way... like with that bell.¡±] Nessi said as she floated down to stare at the silvery-blue bell hanging on the web chain belt wrapped around her slim waist.


    [¡°Help me with my bell... how so?¡±] Demora asked, head tilted and eyes scrunched.


    [¡°I can teach how to control waves of sounds so you can mold them into different shapes like cones and such. That way you only hurt what you want to hurt.¡±]


    [¡°That sounds wonderful Nessi, please do...¡±]


    [¡°Don''t forget about me, Dea. I''m here too...¡±] Harvey grumbled as he looked down and away, bunny ears drooping.


    [¡°Ah, it''s good to see you too Harvey. I wasn''t meaning to ignore you... I was just surprised that Nessi could talk now.¡±]


    His ears perked up as he turned her way. [¡°But she could always talk. Hmm, maybe the reason you can understand her now is that your powers have grown, strengthening your connection to us? Such a thing happening seems plausible what with all the stories the others have been chatting about...


    Which reminds me, I want to thank you for bringing another boy into our group. Now I''m not alone. Although, Kresh isn''t the brightest of bulbs in the dollhouse. But at least now I''m not always the last to say ''Not It!'' when playing games.¡±]


    [¡°I''m happy to hear that Harvey. I want you all to get along since we''ll all be depending on each other from here on out.


    Speaking of which, Anancy and Pinkili said you might be able to help me with my new cuddly ''frakenbearny'' plushie bag that''s sitting atop this cart. Although they never did say how you''d be able to...¡±] Demora mindspoke as she hopped up onto the shelf and gestured at her fluffy creation atop the cart.


    Harvey circled around the bunny bear bag, eyes scrunching from time to time as he gently chewed on his lower lip. A few minutes passed before he finally turned to face Demora. [¡°I think there''s a very good chance I can help. After all, your bunny bear is nicely patched and mended. And the threading seems energetic and strong. You really did a fantastic job with the stitchings so it should work... but no promises okay?¡±]


    [¡°Understood. So what''s the plan?¡±]


    [¡°Well, as your summons, I can infuse two of the polka dots on my ears with energy turning them into rabbit holes and give them to you. You can then sew them into the palms of her... or is it his? Either way, you can sew them into the paws.


    As for where the rabbit holes will lead to...


    That''ll be to a small dimensional pocket space; Since that''s my current limit. Also, in order to activate them you''ll have to supply the energy.¡±]


    [¡°Wouldn''t that mean that my bunny bear bag would become a cute fluffy item box? That sounds wonderful Harvey.


    But just so I know, how small of a space are you talking about? Is it grocery bag small or closet room small?¡±]


    [¡°About half a closet room small... I think.¡±]


    [¡°Sweet! Let''s do it...¡±]


    Harvey happily nodded as the tip of his furry right ear shifted about forming a three-fingered hand. The ear-hand then reached over to the left bunny ear and removed one of the dark polka dots found near its base.


    Infusing it with energy, he passed the first dot turned rabbit hole over to Demora who accepted it with an eager smile. As she began to stitch it into the palm of the plushie''s right paw Harvey switched ears and gathered another polka dot but this time off his right ear.


    Demora gave Harvey a gentle head pat as she received the second rabbit hole. Nessi and Kukoey stared from the side...


    [¡°Why are his cheeks turning red Nessi?¡±]


    [¡°He''s blushing Koey. It happens when...¡±]


    [¡°No I''m not, Nessi! I''m just a little... h-heated from making rabbit holes is all.¡±]


    [¡°So you get hot when using your abilities?¡±]


    [¡°Funny. I remember not that happening before...¡±]


    The three continued to chat as Demora ignored their playful banter. She watched intently as her needles exited out of the plushie''s paw and tied closed the last stitch completing the task.


    The needles then flew to her arm where they pierced into the sleeves of her dress next to the other resting needles. Now for the binding...


    Threads shot forth from Demora''s upper arachneth legs, one connecting to the bunny bear bag and the other to dollhead Harvey.


    [¡°Okay Harvey. Threadlines are connected and fingers crossed. Time to see if this will work.¡±]


    [¡°Here goes Dea... Sending my energy your way. Be sure to mix it with your own before infusing it into the bunny bear.¡±]


    A bluish-white energy orb with floppy rabbit ears hopped out of Harvey''s forehead and followed the ''threadline'' connecting to Demora where it entered her body and mixed with her own energy; The bunny-eared orb sprouted spidery legs then scuttled out of her body and hopped down the other ''threadline'' disappearing into the bunny bear...


    Suddenly the sound of sweet child-like laughter filled the room with its playful melody as the doors and drawers on the wall of mismatched wardrobes began to rattle and shake; The clamor grew and grew in intensity until finally a small silvery whitewashed door accented in blues and lavender patterns burst open releasing scents of homespun fabrics and paints into the air.


    They all looked on in confusion towards the now open door but could spot no sign of the cause of the bedlam coming forth from within the small wardrobe''s dark interior.


    [¡°Just what in the neth is going...¡±] Three pillars of light beamed down from the ceiling capturing Demora, Harvey, and the fluffy Bunny Bear Bag like bugs in whimsically colored jars.


    [¡°Dea!¡±] Kukoey and Nessi shouted as they rushed towards Demora leaving a trapped Harvey behind.


    Demora held up her hands, gesturing for them to stop. [¡°I-it''s okay... I think. I''m fine. In fact, this feels better than fine. My skin is all tingling and there''s a warm comforting current flowing all around me. How about you Harv...¡±]


    Just as she was about to ask him, the pillar surrounding him disappeared back into the ceiling, freeing him as he rushed to join the others.


    [¡°I''m okay Dea. That light didn''t hurt me at all. It just seemed to flow into me like warm scented oil and swish about for a little while before streaming out.¡±]


    [¡°Good. I''m glad you''re fine Harvey. This... huh? Who is that little girl? Her outfit is so pretty... and cute.¡±] They all turned to see what she saw...


    Standing in front of the opened wardrobe was a small ethereal girl dressed in a sweet loli coat which reached her knees in the front and calves in the back; The coat was silvery white from the chest up and blends of blues below with lavender accents.


    Hanging from her ribbon belt was a trio of cute plushie dolls.


    Ringlets of hair spilled out from the sides of her fluffy bunny-eared hood as she lifted her fair-skinned hand. She made few quick gestures with her slender fingers summoning forth a long golden-silver paintbrush. Taking hold of the magical brush she waved it about as if painting on canvas causing the room to become washed in rich oily colors.


    Demora felt a fluttering in the pit of her stomach as she turned her head to look at her friends. Her eyes widened; They were all painted in place, unmoving.


    Storymask


    Having just completed her new bunny bear bag an uninvited guest arrives on the scene and seems to have quite the artist''s touch... Coming up next Demora finds herself in a painted corner with no way out and a sweet-looking loli headed in her direction in The Puppet Asylum (Part 7D).


    Side Note: My niece has sent me 4 colored illustrations of Demora''s sketch so I decided to share two of the darker hued ones down below in this chapter: Demora 1 and Demora 2. As for the other 2 (which includes the white dress) I''ll be sure to share them in the next chapter... enjoy.

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 8A)

    Previously: Demora felt fluttering in the pit of her stomach as she turned her head to look at her friends. Her eyes widened; They were all painted in place, unmoving.


    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 8A)


    In fact, the only life-like objects in the room (other than herself) was her bunny bear plushie and the little magical girl that was gracefully walking her way...


    The little girl approached the cart that was too tall for her to see atop of. Looking down at the floor, she unsummoned her paintbrush then rummaged through one of her coat pockets. Smiling, she pulled out a rose pink button and tossed it on the floor in front of the cart.


    ¡°Embiggen,¡± she whispered as the button grew as round as a basketball hoop. With a nod of her head, she stepped onto the inch thick button disc and muttered another word which Demora couldn''t quite make out; The button disc rose up off the floor allowing the loli to hover before her fluffy target.


    Reaching out with small hands, she lifted the big bunny bear bag up off the cart and began to inspect it with big curious eyes.


    ¡°Hard to believe that such a fun whimsical plushie bag was made from discarded plushies... How wonderfully creative. And these stitchings, while simple, are well-chosen and excellently done.


    These threadings are amazing as well; They have the potential to be amongst the best I''ve seen and used. I never would have guessed that such a young doll crafter could make them...¡± The loli said aloud in a voice that even world-famous singers would envy.


    As the little girl continued to inspect the bunny bear, Demora''s eyes returned to her friends; They stood still, painted into the surroundings. [¡°Nessi... Harvey... Koey... c-can you hear me? Are you okay? Just blink your eyes if you can hear...¡±]


    ¡°No need to worry, Dea.¡± The little girl assured her as she placed the bunny bear back onto the cart. ¡°I didn''t harm them. Nor will I. They are merely in a painted chrono-stasis like being on red light when playing that game...¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank god (the little girl giggled). I feel so much better knowing that,¡± Demora said as her stomach butterflies calmed and her muscles relaxed. ¡°Wait... H-how do you know me? I don''t recall us ever meeting before...¡±


    ¡°That''s because this is our first time meeting. Up until now, I''ve been having a great time eating delicious sweets while watching your adventures on the Divine Livestream above... Well, also when I visit my bestie''s home in the Netherworld city below like today.


    You''re her favorite Livestream!


    This is no surprise since she played a very big role in creating your new... you. And you are proving to be totally worth the effort it took to remake you.


    Anyways, I learned all about you from her and started watching your Livestream and I''m now hooked too! So I feel I''ve gotten to know you quite well... and I must say, you''re much prettier in person. That''s not to say you''re not pretty in-stream because you are. You have quite the following you know.


    Anyways, I''m happy to say that we have much in common like our wonderful taste in outfits and love of cute cuddly dollies. (She gestured to the trio of mini-plushies hanging from her fluffy ribbon belt.)


    So after seeing such a cute fluffy girl craft this amazing bunny bear bag I just couldn''t help but come up to have a closer look. After all, I''m one of your biggest fans.


    And I must say, I''m glad I did for you are truly gifted; A veritable Mozart of fabrics and threads. As such, I have decided to give you my blessing...¡± She said as her button disc hovered over to a stop before Demora.


    ¡°Blessing? Then that must mean you''re a...¡±


    ¡°Wizard?... No.¡± She said with a chuckle, laughing at her own joke as she raised her hands to her head and lowered her hood setting her long silky twin-tail ringlets free; Revealing their silvery-white colors that melted into blends of blues and lavenders matching her coat and beautiful Heterochromia eyes.


    ¡°I am the Goddess Miabella. Well, a goddess in training that is... Still, I''m the daughter of Espiriella, the Goddess of MusArts and Crafts.


    As such, I believe you would benefit greatly from my blessing. After all, not only will it increase your dexterity, making it easier to work with your hands and arachneth legs, but it''ll also increase the quality of all your crafts which is quite the boon for a voden. And judging by the Sigil Ring on the back of your neck it looks like you have room for one more... so will you accept?¡±


    ¡°Accept her blessing? I-is this for real?¡± Demora softly asked herself as she looked down with brows scrunched...


    I mean, according to everything I read before this game released, being given such a blessing is a super rare event. So what are the odds of some magical loli deity in training, claiming to be one of my biggest fans because she watched me on this so-called Divine Livestream, popping out of a wardrobe like a box of cracker jacks offering me a grand prize...


    This offer seems too good to be true.


    Maybe this is some kind of game or trap from this Puppet Asylum. She''s not some kind of trickster doctor of this asylum... is she?


    But what if it''s... real?


    Not only would I forever regret saying no but I''d be one of this game''s biggest fools for missing out on this golden opportunity of receiving such a fitting blessing. Plus, this little girl... umm... Goddess seems to be truly sincere and good-hearted so...


    ¡°Yes, please. I accept.¡± Demora said in a steady voice as her hands continued to clutch the handle of her umbrella.


    The Goddess Miabella''s face bloomed into happiness and her balled up little fists hidden within the sleeves of her coat opened. After all, not only would this be her first blessing but Dea was her favorite Livestreamer! As such, she would be thoroughly embarrassed if her blessing failed so she would give it her all and toss in a little bonus gift or two to boot (with ''little'' being quite subjective).


    ¡°Ready, Dea?¡± The loli Goddess asked.


    Demora gulped, then nodded her head.


    The Goddess reached out with her fair hand, parting the barrier of colorful light like lacy silk curtains. ¡°Okay, here goes... just like it says in my goddess training manual...¡± Demora''s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak but froze as Miabella''s ethereal hand pierced her chest.


    Demora shivered but felt no pain; On the contrary, the young goddess''s touch was warm and comforting. She closed her eyes as a small sound of happiness escaped her lips.


    ¡°There it is... your soul. Just a pinch is all I need...¡± Miabella muttered in soothing tones.


    Pinch? Pinch of wha... ¡°EEK!¡± Demora yelped as she felt a short sharp pain like one would feel when stung in the chest by a bee. Her head bent down watching as the little Goddess retracted her hand from her body; Miabella held a small glob of what looked like ethereal clay between her thumb and fingers.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Demora asked softly, rubbing her chest as the pain faded away.


    ¡°This...¡± Miabella said, holding up the wiggling clay for her to clearly see. ¡°Is a small piece of your soul.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°M-my soul? You took a piece of my soul... put a hole in my soul? W-why? What are you going to do with it? And what''s going to happen to my soul?...¡± Demora''s lips trembled and her breath quickened.


    ¡°No need to worry, Dea. Your soul will heal. After all, you''re a voden. Your magic comes from your soul, is powered by your soul, and will completely regenerate with time.¡±


    ¡°Huh? My magic is powered by my soul... What happens if I use too much of my magic? Will my soul disappear...¡± Demora began to fiddle with her hands as her umbrella stood on its own beside her.


    ¡°Fear not for you can never use your soul''s core so you don''t have to worry about that. In fact, thanks to the blessing you received from the Goddess Elunora, your soul will regenerate at a much faster rate.¡±


    Her words eased Demora''s worries and calmed her fears.


    ¡°Now, as for why I took a piece of your soul it''s to give you a gift...¡± The Goddess said as she infused the ''soul-clay'' with her magic causing it to shapeshift on the palm of her hand; It grew a pair of bunny ears on its head and sprouted six little arachneth legs from its back as it became a miniature statuette of Demora.


    The mini-Demora then jumped off Miabella''s open palm, hopping through the air towards the cart where it froze in the air as a haunting song from a woodwind flute streamed out of the open wardrobe door followed by the arrival of another cute girl.


    The slender newcomer stood still looking like a beautiful china doll with long (mostly straight) silky hair cascading down her back in blends of pitch black and white. Her ethereal blue eyes scanned the room, zooming in on the mini-Demora. ¡°That''s no fair Mia. You came here to give Dea blessings and gifts without me...¡± The girl softly reproached as she glided over the floor towards Mia, shrinking down to their size along the way; Her ancient Asian inspired dress floating with her movements.


    ¡°I just couldn''t help myself Kaili. You see, when you left the room to see what your mother wanted, Dea here crafted this irresistible bunny bear plushie and you know how much I love cute and fluffy dollies so I just had to cross over right away to have a closer look and reward her.


    Besides, she already has your blessing which is why her Voden magic is so strong.¡± Mia countered, then turned to face Demora, ¡°By the way Dea, that''s really the reason you were able to bind an actual Soul Fetcher... Well, that and the fact that Kukoey is so young. I must say, I really love the name you gave her...¡±


    A slightly annoyed Kaili reached out and tugged Mia''s sleeve, redirecting her attention back to herself. ¡°Hey, don''t go wandering off-topic... Mother just wanted to know about the yokai that have recently crossed over into the round mortal city of Revenkai by way of the Nethstrom Carousel Gate. I handed her the list and returned to find you gone and on the Divine Livestream about to give my... umm... I mean Dea your blessing and gift.


    Sure, it''s true that she already has my blessing but I haven''t given her a gift yet... And you knew how much I wanted too.¡± Kaili lightly frowned as her hands fidgeted within the long and loose-fitting sleeves of her beautiful flowing dress.


    ¡°Hmm, that''s true... How about if we both give her this gift together?¡± Mia asked, gesturing at the mini-Dea that was still frozen mid-air near and above the bunny bear plushie.


    ¡°Give her a gift together?... Well, if you insist then so be it.¡± Kaili glided over to the soul-clay statuette and with a wave of her hand infused the mini-Dea with her energy causing it to increase in size by half and grow a pack on its back. The corners of her mouth turned up as she nodded at the result.


    Hiding her small smile, Kaili floated to Mia''s side, turned to face the cart, and snapped her fingers freeing mini-Dea from stasis; Regaining its movement, mini-Dea fell downwards and disappeared into the bunny bear''s chest. The fluffy plushie creation pulsed with light and jerked about with soft whumps atop the cart for several breathes before coming to a stop.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡± Demora asked, head tilted as she stared at her bunny bear.


    Miabella just continued to smile, swaying side to side, eyeing the plushie; Kaili stood still beside her as her silken dress and hair lightly moved as if blown by a gentle breeze.


    The plushie sat up and looked down with button eyes at its legs hanging off the cart''s edge; It kicked them in and out for a few moments. The cutie then lifted its fluffy arms and moved them about testing their motion. Satisfied, it grabbed hold of the cart with fluffy paws, pushed off, and fell face-first onto the floor ¡°Whump!¡±


    The sight was quite comical but Demora''s lips only twitched as she held back her laughter since she was worried it had hurt itself.


    The Bunny Bear Bag pushed itself up onto its knees and then with an effort, got up off the floor to a wobbly stand. It turned its head to look about, coming to a stop on Demora. Its face seemed to brighten; It pattered her way, arms out wide as if walking on a balance beam.


    ¡°So cute... is it alive?¡± Demora asked as she hugged her new companion that was a tad bit taller (and wider) than her; The little bunny bear made some happy little ''kuun'' sounds.


    ¡°It''s a very, very special plushie golem that''s kind of like your favorite storybook puppet... only better. After all, that puppet wasn''t given any special gifts by an amazing pair of soon to be full-fledged Goddesses. And who knows, depending on the choices you make... maybe one day it will become a real bunny bear.¡± Miabella winked.


    Storymask


    Coming up next Demora learns about some long forgotten lore, the reason for her unique race, and discovers just how wonderful the gifts she was given truly are in The Puppet Asylum (Part 8B).


    Side Notes: Well, the past two weeks just flew by as I spent most of my free time watching (and researching) loads of youtube videos from Esper the Bard, Dungeon Dudes, and The Dungeoncast about D&D which brought back loads of great memories. It was fun watching them talk about all the classes, monsters, spells, and even seeing them play a campaign of the game.


    But the fun didn''t stop there as I noticed and clicked on some recommended videos that popped up on the side of the webpage about a certain rpg related game now available in early access called Baldur''s Gate 3. It''s been ages since I''ve played the first two in the series (or any game for that matter since I stopped playing WOW about 4 years ago) and took quite a bit of will power not to purchase it at this time... I''ll do my best to wait for the full release.


    And lastly, here is the illustration of Demora in her white dress and another in her black dress with plum-hued arachneth leg tips.

 Book 1.5: Side Tales – Koko: The Puppet Asylum (Part 8B)

    Previously: ¡°It''s a very, very special plushie golem that''s kind of like your favorite storybook puppet... only better. After all, that puppet wasn''t given special gifts by an amazing pair of soon to be full-fledged Goddesses. And who knows, depending on the choices you make... maybe one day it will become a real bunny bear.¡± Miabella winked.


    Eh! Where Did My Pen... Pen... Go!?!


    Book 1.5: Amaranthe Guild ¨C Side Stories


    Koko''s Tale


    The Puppet Asylum (Part 8B)


    ¡°So she''s a Goddess...¡± Demora stopped mid-sentence as she stared at the design on Kaili''s dress which was moving like an old (mostly black and white) movie picture show; The scene being shown was that of an Asian-gothic city under a blanket of dusky clouds teeming with activity seen through the eyes of something flying above looking down.


    The wide cobblestone streets were peppered with all manner of transports ranging from carriages and carts pulled by unknown Netherworld beasts to those more modern looking powered by magic.


    Yokai of every type moved about on the sidewalks heading in and out of buildings and shops as ghostly wisps of various jewel-toned colors swayed above in the breeze like luminescent lanterns.


    Mia lightly rapped her forehead, ¡°That''s right... I forgot to introduce her to you. This ''aloof'' beauty standing beside me is my bestie Yokaili, daughter of the Goddess of the Netherworld, Revena. And niece to her mother''s twin brother, the God of the Underworld, Reven...¡±


    ¡°I don''t think she''s listening,¡± Kaili said, moving to stand before Demora whose eyes were glued to the ''movie'' being played on her dress. The current scene being shown was that of the heart of the city which held a fun circus-inspired amusement park. In the center of this dark wonderous park was a large doughnut-shaped carousel that had a tall maelstrom of misty energy and light at its core spinning up into the nethryn clouds above.


    ¡°Is that a tornado in the middle of that carousel? That''s dangerous... isn''t it?¡± Demora asked, the puzzlement apparent on her face. ¡°Those ghosts and samurai giants should be running instead of lining up by what looks to be a... ticket booth?¡±


    ¡°Tornado and samurai giants?...¡± Mia questioned, as she stepped to Demora''s side to turn and get a better look at Kaili''s dress. ¡°Oh, that''s no tornado, Dea. That''s a maelstrom gate that leads to the mortal realm... to a city named Revenkai in Abrynth. It''s an ancient city that was almost destroyed by a group of foolish mortals long forgotten.¡±


    ¡°Well, forgotten in the mortal realm above but not down below in the Netherworld where they''re still paying for their crimes,¡± Kaili interjected.


    ¡°Crimes? What crimes?¡± Demora asked.


    ¡°The list is long and not something I want to go into great detail about... Basically, a group of aging mortals that were wealthy and powerful feared that which comes to all living things... death. So they formed a secret organization calling themselves the Immorti. After many years of magical research and dark deadly experiments, they managed to create a ritual that would open a gate to the Netherworld.


    The fools actually believed they could crossover and bind the very essences of those of my realm to their cores to make themselves ''undying'' immortals...¡±


    ¡°Those of her realm?¡± Demora softly asked, leaning towards Mia since there was a hint of anger in Kaili''s eyes.


    ¡°Those being the yokai and other denizens of the Netherworld,¡± Mia answered. ¡°You do know what yokai are and that quite a few of them can take on corporeal forms right?¡±


    Dea nodded, then returned to listening to Kaili''s tale.


    ¡°Anyways, the arrogant fools performed the ritual in the dark of night within a large park located near the heart of the city. The energies summoned proved to be far more powerful and unwieldy than expected. As such, they lost control resulting in the creation of a powerful funnel-shaped maelstrom of nethryn energies which tore a rift into one of the dark gray realms of the Netherworld; Creating a wide-open gate.


    As for what happened that night... an umbrella of dark magical clouds formed above the city which remains to this very day. Wild yokai and other nethlyngs then crossed through the gate and poured into the streets spreading throughout the city leaving screams, death, and heartache in their wake.


    If my mother hadn''t discovered the Nethstrom Gate when she did and crossed over... the whole city would have been lost; Mother wended her way through the city playing her flute and ringing her bells compelling all of the yokai and ''others'' to follow as she led them back into the gate.


    With the city yokai free, she got to work.


    First, she created a ''mirrorscape'' of the city in the Netherworld below connecting the two cities by way of the gate which I now help to oversee. Next, she removed the darkness from that section of the Netherworld so that it became a ''crossroads'' city of the gray and light. Last, she rounded up a cruel dark-hearted tribe of grotesque ogre-like yokai known as Oni and made them an offer: Be banished into the dark or become her Onikai.


    The head of their tribe chose wisely...¡±


    Seeing the question on Demora''s face Mia whispered, ¡°Basically, she turned them from ugly dark-hearted yokai to those better-looking samurai dressed light-gray hearted yokai that you see standing there on both sides of the carousel gate. They are the guards of both Revenkai cities.¡±


    ¡°As for the surviving mortals from that night,¡± Kaili continued. ¡°They were so grateful for having been saved that they changed the name of their city to Revenkai and created a large shrine in mother''s honor.


    At present, many mortals that specialize in nethryn magic live in Revenkai and many more visit yearly during the week-long Festival of the Netherworld. As such, we allow yokai of the gray and light to ride the Nethstrom Carousel through the gate to visit the mortal realm... provided they have a ticket.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that dangerous? Mixing yokai with mortals... what of the children?...¡±


    Mia and Kaili both shared a look and chuckled at her question.


    ¡°Would you hurt the children if you were allowed into the city?¡±


    ¡°Me? Of course not but we''re talking about yokai and well, some of them look quite dangerous and scary...¡± Demora said as she pointed at some dark ghostly figures displayed on Kaili''s dress.


    ¡°Indeed, we''re talking about yokai which you are now a unique race of. Don''t believe me? Just take a look inside your grimoire when you get the chance and you''ll see.


    Your new race was inspired by groups of shapeshifting yokai that change their appearance based on their foes thoughts or emotions like the Alluren which can change their form to become that which their target most desires and the Mirraith that change their form to become an alternate clone of their target and the Boggart that take on the form of their targets greatest fear.¡±


    ¡°Then what does my race of Daemirra do?... And does that mean I''m d-dead?¡± Demora asked as she placed her hand on her chest to feel for the beat of her heart.


    ¡°Good questions Dea. Let''s see, after viewing your past and seeing how it shaped who you are I wiped the tears from my eyes, calmed the anger in my heart, and thought of a way to best help you help yourself.


    As such, I created the Daemirra as a faceless wraith-like race of yokai who strive to live free from the influences of fear. They do this by shapeshifting into a corporeal form that they feel and believe will help them to overcome their greatest fear.


    So once you defeat your great fear,¡± Kaili glided closer to Dea to look into her eyes. ¡°The physical form you used will become your new living body. This means you''ll have two states of being that you''ll be able to shift between; A living breathing mortal form and a ghostly form.


    But be warned, when in the mortal realm you can only be in your ghostly form for a short while and vice versa when you''re in the Netherworld. The length of time will increase as you grow in power... Understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe so.¡± Demora nodded.


    ¡°Good. In addition to what I just mentioned, you''ll also gain immunity against the influences of fear. This means that even though you''ll still be able to feel some fear it won''t ever haunt your nights nor hamper your actions or ability to clearly think and make decisions...¡±


    ¡°N-no more nightmares or living with this constant sense of d-dread when I''m around people... That would be amazing.¡± Demora muttered as a tear rolled down her cheek.


    ¡°I thought you''d like that. But remember, you must first overcome your greatest fear to become a true Daemirra and reap the benefits. Then and only then will you be able to fully enjoy your new life...¡±


    ring-ring-ring... ring-ring-ring...


    ¡°Hmm, sounds like mother''s calling. Well then, looks like I''ll be leaving first,¡± Kaili said as she raised her hand and wiped the tear from Dea''s cheek. She then leaned in and whispered, ¡°One more thing before I go... you are yokai now so you''re always welcomed to visit my home within the heart of Revenkai in the Netherworld below.


    As for how to travel there... the way has already been made but only by becoming a true Daemirra may you pass through the door.¡± Kaili then turned and glided back to the open wardrobe door calling out to Miabella to hurry back before disappearing from sight.


    ¡°Looks like my time here is also at an end,¡± Miabella said as she took Demora''s hand and pulled her free of her magical jar as bunny bear followed along on Dea''s other side. The cute trio walked towards the open door of the wardrobe, came to a stop as Mia turned to face Demora once more with her magic paintbrush in hand.


    ¡°But here are some things you should know before I go, Dea...


    Your wonderful bunny bear is not a toy battle golem so don''t forget to unsummon him... her? It really does need a name... Anyways, when it''s time to play rough just send it away into your dollhouse.


    Although, I did increase its durability a little,¡± Miabella winked. ¡°In addition, I bestowed it with a special little defensive spell that I think you''ll really like. But if it does happen to get damaged you can just mend it with your own hands and materials or simply wait for it to mend on its own within your dollhouse.


    As for its Item Box skill, I gave it a little upgrade, and then Kaili just went and made it truly special by... no, I don''t want to spoil her surprise for you so be sure to give it a look-sy. Just know that you can''t enter while the bunny bear is unsummoned within you. I know. That''s a bit confusing but you''ll soon understand...


    That leaves the last gift we gave which happens to be a couple of ''vanity'' spells that we believe to be in line with the Goddess Lokaini''s rules of gifting... we think.


    Anyways, your new Embiggen spell will currently allow you to increase the size of yourself and soulbound items by up to 50% while your Enshrinken spell allows you to make things 50% smaller. Using either spell will not increase or decrease attributes or abilities but we think you''ll find it to be quite handy as you can imagine.


    And the last but most important thing I have to say before I take my leave is... Never ever feed it after midnight.¡± Miabella warned, a serious look on her face...


    ''pfft''... ''pfft''... ¡°Ahahaha... just kidding, just kidding... Toy golems don''t eat...¡± Mia laughed as she wiped her eyes dry. ¡°Ah, it''s been such great fun visiting you Dea. I really look forward to watching more of your streamed adventures and always remember, no matter how bad and scary things get, Kaili and I will be rooting for you! So until next we meet...¡± Mia waved her magic paintbrush about before twirling and disappearing into the wardrobe (¡°Toodles¡±) as the door closed behind on its own.


    [¡°Dea! Are you okay?¡±] [¡°Huh, what happened?...¡±] [¡°Dea that little girl is a...¡±] All of her little friends mindspoke at the same time, freed from their painted stasis.


    [¡°It''s okay everyone,¡±] Demora assured them. [¡°The little girl.. well, actually there was two of them...¡±]


    ["Look! Bunny Bear is... alive?"]


    Demora smiled as she began explaining what had happened while they were in stasis...


    Storymask


    Coming up next Demora and friends discover just how special Bunny Bear truly is and Demora takes a look in her grimoire to go over her Status page before leaving the storage room to adventure deeper into the Puppet Asylum in The Puppet Asylum (Part 8C).


    Side Note: Last illustration of Demora with just a minor color change from black (in her hair and arachneth legs) to eggplant purple. The next illustration will be of Wylla for the cover of Book 2.