- Epilogue: Such Is The Life -

Frida's House

Morning

A few days ago, Johanna had decided to go to rehab, overdue as she was. Meanwhile, Alfur and Twig stayed over at David's House for the time being. He slept surprisingly silently every night considering everything they had gone through.

The following days consisted of David, Frida, and Alfur trying to figure out what the Black Hound was doing in Trolberg.

On this morning, David, Alfur, and Twig had arrived on to Frida's doorstep to discuss what they were gonna do next. With their current results unfortunately remaining inconclusive, there wasn't a lot for them to go off of, especially with the city being more focused on recovery from the attack.

David rang the doorbell and waited for Frida to arrive, but something drew his attention on a Tree close nearby.

It was a Nisse - one who was wearing an orange sweater much like his, lying on a branch. He wasn't sure what one of them was still doing out here. Granted, the citizens were still hesitant to let them back in, but after the role they had played in taking back the city, they did gain a reward in having shelters built for them. But in the middle of his thoughts, Frida answered the door.

"Morning, David."

"Hey, Frida. You been able to figure out anything?"

"No…" Frida answered sadly. "Hilda would've gotten something by now, but we need to let her rest."

"Maybe we're just thinking too much about how she would have done it." David suggested.

As the kids continued their discussion, the Nisse in the tree branch was finding it harder to rest. Eventually, he had awaken.

"Do you guys mind?" He asked.

"Who are y- Wait, I thought I saw you when we were dealing with that nightmare monster." David pointed.

"You must be thinking of someone else." The Nisse replied.

"What exactly are you?" Frida asked.

"*sigh* If I tell you, will you leave me alone?" The Nisse asked.

"We didn't mean to bother you, but, yeah. Go ahead." David said.

Taking a deep breath, the Nisse relayed everything.

"In every home, there's a lot of wasted space. The space behind bookcases, gaps in the floorboards, the tops of cupboards you can't quite see, that kind of thing. In everyone's house, the subtotal of that space manifests itself as a kind of extra room - one that only a Nisse, like myself, can enter."

"A Nisse?" David inquired.

"I take it you've never heard of us?" Tontu asked.

"Well, none of us have, actually." Alfur responded.

"Uh...who said that?" Tontu said, looking around in confusion.

"Oh, that's just Alfur the Elf. He's a friend of ours." Frida explained.

"You should really sign the paperwork." David added.

"Getting back to the point, what are you doing outside your nest?" Frida asked.

"The owner of a house has the ability to banish a Nisse from their property forever if they catch them doing no good."

"What'd you do?" Alfur asked.

"NOTHING! I was wrongly accused…" Tontu responded as he started to walk down the sidewalk with the others following him.

"I find that hard to believe." Alfur pondered.

"Wait a minute." David began putting the pieces together. "Did you see what the Black Hound did on that night? It just vanished into a wall while fighting Twintail."

"I wasn't thinking about it considering what was going on, but yeah." Tontu responded.

"...what are the chances of it being capable of the same thing that you are?" Frida asked.

"Oh gee… this changes everything." Tontu commented.

Hilda's Grave

Night

David and Frida didn't want to bother her at this time, but they felt like they had no one else to turn to. But before they could recite the passage again, her ghost immediately rose from the ground, startling Tontu.

"Mother of…" Tontu said in between breaths.

"Hilda? But...we didn't even recite the passage." Frida said.

"Do you need something?" Hilda asked.

"Well, uh… we don't mean to bother you-"

"No no no! It's alright, guys." Hilda interrupted. "I'm always happy to help you with whatever needs doing. Even if I'm not, well, immediately accessible. It's… actually gotten quite lonely here with mum in rehab and all that."

"Maybe you could still visit her? I take it she might be feeling the same." Frida suggested.

"Thing is… I don't know which room she was taken to, and I don't want to cause an uproar or interrupt whatever procedures they must undertake."

"Can we please address the elephant in the room?" Tontu interjected.

"Right… Hilda, do you happen to know anything about the Black Hound?" David asked.

"Well, before I died, I remember hearing bits and pieces about it on the radio." She began. "I heard a little more on the TV, but not much. The storm messed up the connection before I could hear a lot, but I saw what it did."

"Did you remember it disappearing the night we destroyed the vortex?" Frida inquired.

"Yeah, that's what I meant." Hilda answered.

"We think we might have found a breakthrough. This Nisse, Tontu, is capable of the same kind of thing. It actually leads to a hidden room inside a building." David explained. "We've got a hunch that might help us get to the bottom of all this."

"We gotta start somewhere." Hilda suggested. "What if we checked my house? To be honest, I couldn't bear to know that there wasn't a room in my house that I'd never seen."

"I suppose that's a good place to start." Frida agreed.

Johanna's House

Night

"That's certainly one way to go places." Tontu got up, shaking off residual corpse frost.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Hilda said with a light chuckle. "I… didn't even think I could do that."

"Now... " Alfur began, squeezing leftover ghost material out of his hair. "Where's a good place to enter?"

"Behind this bookcase, perhaps?" Tontu said.

"Is it okay if we come, too?" David asked.

"Okay, fine… just take my hand." Pointing to Frida, Tontu then proceeded to give out instructions. "Everyone, basically, join in a chain if you all want to come along."

After they all joined hands, the group was already to travel. "Okay, so how exactly does this wor-AAAAAAAHH!"

Frida wasn't able to finish her question as Tontu leapt into the bookcase, dragging everyone with him.

The Nowhere Space - Johanna's House

Everyone tumbled through the entrance of the Nowhere Space. They would have landed in a heap if it weren't for a strange lump in the surface scattering them all.

"Whoa…" Hilda said in amazement.

"What are all these holes?" Frida asked, noticing an assortment of them.

"They're entrances, or exits, to all the nooks and crannies of your home." Tontu explained.

Looking through one of the holes, David saw the bookcase they had all traveled through.

"So everything that gets lost into or forced into the back of something ends up here?" He asked.

"That's the long and short of it!" Tontu responded chipperly.

"...this is a lot to take in." David said.

"Mum's old flashlight!" Hilda interjected as she found a flashlight in the mess. "And my science homework! N-not that I need it anymore… or… ever needed it to begin with."

"And… that doesn't explain how an ARMCHAIR ended up here." David continued as he sat down on it.

"Things left unused or unloved for long enough have been known to be mistaken for offerings. My guess is that that armchair is from the previous tenants of this flat." Tontu explained. "Believe it or not, there was a time when we Nisse were rewarded-"

He was cut off by the sound of something eating a discarded bag of Jorts in the distance.

"Hey, Tontu, are these guys Nisse too? They look just like you." David said as he pulled pulled out a picture close by. "...Tontu?"

Everyone looked to see the creature in the distance as it revealed itself to be another Nisse. This one seemed to be completely bald, save for a tuft of fur on its' tail.

"I should have told you there'd be someone here already…" Tontu said sheepishly. "And that Nisses are typically pretty territorial."

"Hey! Those are my clothes! Well… not that I'll ever need them again, but still!" Hilda called out.

The other Nisse lunged at Tontu, tackling him through one of the holes and out of the Nowhere Space, Hilda following suit.

"Hilda!" David yelled before getting Frida, Alfur, and Twig out of there carefully.

Johanna's House

Night

Tontu and the other Nisse tumbled out a bookshelf near the couch, knocking some books into a heap on the floor. They fell on said couch and began to fight. Tontu jumped between the cushions as Hilda flew out the bookshelf.

The house Nisse threw a cushion away to find Tontu, only to find that he was gone. But Hilda caught the cushion out of the air so it wouldn't collide with anything just before the Nisse threw the other cushion. Hilda promptly blocked it with the cushion she had on hand.

Tontu emerged from behind a hung up picture of some leaves before being spotted by the tenant Nisse.

"No, no no!" Hilda cried as the tenant Nisse lunged for the photo and was about to do some damage. She used the cushion as a shield as the photo flew towards her way, keeping from being broken. Tontu emerged from the photo carefully and ran just as David and co. emerged from behind a dresser.

The other Nisse was about to follow Tontu before Hilda grabbed him. As the Nisse struggled in Hilda's grip, she closed her arms around the house spirit tightly. Really tightly.

The house spirit let out a scream as it began to sink into Hilda's body. Eventually, her arms didn't have as much strength as the Nisse sank in, but that didn't exactly matter considering that it couldn't get a good grip on anything before it was fully absorbed inside Ghost Hilda's body. "Gotcha!" Hilda interjected triumphantly.

"I guess being a ghost has its perks." Tontu commented.

"You can say that again." Hilda responded in relief. The Nisse was flailing wildly inside Hilda, but the movements were completely ineffectual. "I'm guessing this is my Nisse?"

"Most likely." Tontu began.

"LET ME OUT!" Hilda's Nisse screamed, but the voice was muffled.

"As a former resident of this house, I will not." Hilda replied in an authoritative tone.

"If I may ask, what's your deal anyway?" Alfur asked.

"Nothing YOU should be concerned about, that's what!" Hilda's Nisse snapped back.

"Do you know about the Black Hound? I think it's a Barghest." Alfur explained.

This seemed to strike a chord with the Nisse, though it didn't seem to change its disposition. A small shake was felt throughout the house, startling everyone.

"What on earth?!" Frida exclaimed.

Tontu darted for a bookcase and vanished into it. Moments later, he jumped right back out in a state of severe panic.

"It's there! IT'S THERE!" Tontu cried. "We gotta go, it's not safe here, oh I knew this was a bad idea from the start!"

"Tontu! Tontu, calm down!" David said. "What did you see in there?"

"THE BLACK HOUND! I don't know how it got here, BUT IT'S HERE!" He responded.

"We need to stop it somehow!" Hilda suggested. "This could be our chance."

Before they could go, they heard the sound of a door opening. It was Johanna, who had arrived back after a few days.

"Hilda? What are you doing here?" Johanna said in surprise before noticing everyone else. She was about to ask what they were doing at her house as well before recognizing one of them.

"Wait, is that a Nisse?!" She inquired.

"There's no time to explain!" Tontu said hastily. "Follow us!"

The Nowhere Space - Johanna's House

Tontu dropped into the Nowhere Space just in time to witness the Black Hound escaping through an exit. "It went through there!" He pointed.

"Wait, what exactly are we chasing?!" Johanna cried.

"The Black Hound!" Hilda replied.

"WHY ARE WE CHASING THAT OF ALL THINGS?! SHOULDN'T WE BE GETTING AWAY FROM IT?!" Johanna asked loudly. Needless to say, this was not what she wanted to come back home to.

"We're so close to discovering its secret! We know it has the same power as a Nisse." Hilda explained. "C'mon! We can't let it get away!"

Frida's House

Night

The chase led them through a bunch of houses. It was still pretty early in the night that some people were still awake. Hilda had apologized to everyone who fell victim to the chaos passing by. But they suddenly found themselves emerging from underneath a dresser in Frida's bedroom. It was slightly torn up by the Black Hound passing through, but nothing a little cleanup could take care of.

"It went through there! HURRY!" Tontu gestured.

The Nowhere Space - Frida's House

They tumbled down a shaft of Nowhere Space, but Frida was quick to notice something surprising.

"Wait… MY BOOK!" She cried. "It's been here all this time!" As much as old wounds were reopened, and she was ready to let out multiple curses at her friends, she realized that there was no way anyone of them could've known, and they'd never would've known about the ghosts to see Hilda again.

"Sorry, I didn't know." A tiny Nisse said. Now, this one was the one responsible for the whole thing. Frida grabbed the tiny house spirit in her hand and decided that it was only fair that…

Frida's House

Night

… she'd throw the little thing out of the house, never to belong there ever again.

"YOU STARTED ALL OF THIS! I DON'T CARE THAT YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO! YOU'RE PRACTICALLY THE REASON MY FRIEND DIED!"

Learning this, Frida couldn't bring herself to keep going tonight. She could only hope her friends would be able to finish the job.

The Nowhere Space - Frida's House

"Wait, where's Frida?" David asked.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." Hilda said as she turned back to Frida's room only to find…

Frida's House

Night

...Frida, who buried her face in her bed pillow. She was also wearing her PJs.

"F-Frida?" Hilda began.

"None of it was your fault." Frida murmured in her pillow. "It was my Nisse. If it weren't for him…"

Hilda looked down, then moved to comfort Frida.

"Just go on without me… I can't continue tonight. I'm sorry." Frida continued.

Understanding that her friend needed to be alone, Hilda nodded and pulled the covers over her.

Trolberg Streets

Night

The others emerged from a house, noticing that there was a wide opening. But only so wide that the Black Hound was gonna vanish into another building any second.

"An opening!" Tontu pointed.

"Only until he reaches the next building!" Alfur cautioned them.

"Come on, Hilda!" Johanna groaned. "Don't be late!"

The Black Hound was so close to vanishing through the building, but was suddenly stopped by Ghost Hilda, who rushed past everyone and flew right in front of the hound. "Halt!" Hilda yelled. "This area is off-limits!"

Hilda expected the Black Hound to try to ram past her, but it didn't. It was suddenly staring at the Nisse that was trapped inside Hilda. It also wasn't looking quite as menacing. In fact, it tilted its head to the side.

"Wh-what's going on?" David asked.

"I… I'm not sure." Hilda answered.

"Wait… let me out!" The Nisse said.

"But-"

"JUST DO IT!" The Nisse demanded.

"Okay…" Hilda hesitantly let the Nisse out, the latter shaking off some corpse frost.

The Black Hound looked upon the Nisse curiously, before suddenly giving it a huge lick. And just like that, its eyes stopped glowing. This surprised the Nisse, who now knew everything.

"...Jellybean?"

The Nisse slowly rested their hand upon the hound's nose, causing it to begin panting like a dog.

"JELLYBEAN!" The Nisse cried before jumping and giving the big dog a hug. "It's you!"

"Jellybean?!" Everyone inquired in surprise.

"This is my dog! I haven't seen him since he was a puppy." The Nisse responded, and proceeded to explain their backstory together.

"But, isn't he dangerous?" Johanna inquired. "From what I've heard, he's eaten no less than three people."

"Hold on…" The Nisse hopped down and whispered something in Jellybean's ear. In response, the dog gagged and regurgitated three people. They all proceeded to run away screaming.

"Wait… I think I get it now!" David began. "You said you taught him how to use Nowhere Spaces when he was a puppy, right?"

"Indeed."

"That's how he did what we witnessed that night." David continued. "It could be what happened to you when you were kicked out of your own house. It's the only explanation that makes sense!"

"Wouldn't I have seen him if he did?" Tontu inquired.

"Probably not. Especially with that haircut of yours." Johanna remarked.

They all laughed it out, but something wasn't right. David could hear something in the distance. "G-guys? Do you hear that?"

"What's that?" Hilda asked, hearing the sound of Police Sirens.

"It's the Trolberg Safety Patrol." Johanna answered. "They might be here any minute."

"We need to get him out of the city." Hilda instructed. "We'll only cause even more of an uproar if we use the Nowhere Spaces."

"But, I don't have a car!" Johanna chimed in.

"I got it! Everybody, get on!" The Nisse called out.

"But-" Johanna began, but was interrupted.

"There's no time! Just get on!" The Nisse interrupted. "You, the ghost. Lead the way!"

"It's Hilda, and sure thing!" Hilda said as everyone else climbed on top of Jellybean.

"Jellybean, follow the ghost!" The Nisse instructed to her dog. "Everyone else… hold on."

On the Nisse's words, Jellybean began to run.

"How far are the city walls? If we can get him outside, maybe they'll let him go!" David asked.

"They're not too far away. We gotta get there before they overtake us!" Hilda responded as the flashing red and blue lights became visible.

"Where's Frida anyway?" David asked.

"She isn't feeling up to continuing tonight." Hilda explained. "She said that her Nisse was to blame for all this."

"Her book was in the Nowhere Space the entire time?!" David cried.

"THAT got you killed?!" Tontu shouted in shock.

"Well, I'm not sure if our argument was a factor or not." Hilda explained. "I don't blame her for it at all, though. None of us know for sure if things could have turned out differently."

"I see the gates! We're almost there!" Hilda said.

"They're gaining on us!" Johanna cried as nets were being shot from the cars right behind them. Most of them missed, but one hit its mark, causing Jellybean to tumble. Everyone riding on top were caught in the net.

"Oh no!" Hilda cried.

The cars formed a circle around Jellybean and the others, surrounding them all.

"Can't you do that teleportation thing again?!" David asked frantically.

"I could, if we had anything to work with!" Tontu answered.

"Wait… where did Hilda go?" Johanna asked.

All of a sudden, things were starting to feel a little heavier. The buildings around them were suddenly rushing below them. Within seconds, they were pretty high above the cars, seeing the troops below looking dumbfounded. But they began to hear the sound of someone straining below them.

It was Hilda! She had lifted them all off the ground, which obviously put quite a lot of physical stress on her.

"HILDA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Johanna screamed.

"No… other… way…" Hilda grunted.

Trolberg Wall - Outside

Night

Using all of her strength, Hilda managed to clear the wall. But unfortunately for the bunch, that was her limit. Her arms gave way, causing everyone to begin to fall down to the ground below.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Jellybean's owner screamed.

Thankfully, Jellybean was able to take most of the impact landing on his legs.

As soon as she could, Johanna dropped from Jellybean's back to find Hilda flopped on the ground, totally unresponsive.

"Hilda!" She called. "Are you okay?"

But there was no response. She ran to her daughter and tried to shake her awake.

"Hilda… please…"

Still there was no response… until… she began to hear a strange sound.

Was it…

Laughing?

It turned out Hilda was starting to giggle. She was otherwise fine, albeit immensely exhausted. You could tell it in her voice.

"W… we did it!" Hilda giggled sheepishly. "WE DID IT!" She suddenly hugged her mum tightly as she kept giggling triumphantly.

Johanna needed a few seconds to process everything, but soon afterwards, she gave a light smile of relief.

She could never put it past her daughter to achieve the impossible.

Unfortunately, the mood was cut off when they all heard sirens approaching. The Safety Patrol had finally caught up with them.

"...We're going to have an awful lot to explain." Alfur said warily.

"Please, you need to listen to us!" Johanna began. "He won't cause any more trouble in the city from now on. He doesn't even have a reason to come back now."

Jellybean's owner hopped down to back Johanna's case. "She's right. He's not even that ferocious, he's just been lost and alone all this time! I'd know because I'm his owner!"

"Just let him go. What good will locking it up even do?" Hilda added.

At first, the Safety Patrol was a bit unsure of whether to believe them. The Nisse had something of a reputation for supposedly manipulating others into feeling sorry for them, only to cause trouble the instant their backs were turned.

But it would probably be a mistake not to give them a chance.

"Very well. But if we catch the Black Hound terrorizing our city again, you can kiss your puppy goodbye." The leader, Erik Ahlberg replied before gesturing the other cops back into their cars.

"So, what'll you do now?" Hilda asked.

"I think it's time Jellybean and I gave the whole 'city life' thing a rest." Jellybean's Nisse answered. "We're heading out into the wilderness. We'll make sure to drop by now and again, though."

"But… what about the house? There's no more Nisse there." Tontu asked.

"You can have it." Jellybean's Nisse replied. "I myself already have everything." She said shortly before departing with Jellybean.

"Y-you will let me stay, right?" Tontu asked Johanna.

Johanna couldn't see it in his face, but the pleading tone in his voice was quite clear. She answered by scooping him up in her arms and gently stroking his hair. He'd be the company she'd so desperately need during these lonely days.

"Oh, thank you!" Tontu said estactically.

"Alright, it's time we all head home. First, Hilda, then us." Johanna instructed. She would've thought about asking the Trolberg Safety Patrol for transport, but they were long gone. It was decided that they'd have to walk it. Hopefully, they would be able to get to the cemetery before sunrise.

St. Guglows Cemetery

Sunrise

David had already gone home, but as for Johanna, she had to bring Hilda back to her grave before the sun shone past the mountains. Seeing sunlight reflecting off the backsides of other mountains was a sign of immediate danger.

Hilda and her mother had no idea what would happen if a ghost was exposed to sunlight, and given how severely it was taken amongst the ghosts, neither of them wanted to find out.

They arrived at Hilda's grave just as the sun began to rise completely. With no time for a wordy goodbye, Johanna and Hilda shared a brief but weighty hug before the latter quickly retired into her grave.

Johanna's House

Early Morning

With everything said and done, everyone had gone home as the daybreak sun shone over them.

Johanna, Tontu, Twig, and Alfur all fell asleep in each other's arms.

After a good rest, Johanna had dusted out Hilda's old room and basically turned it into a sort of museum filled with all the photos of Hilda she had, whether they were during adventures, or with her friends and family. The final destination for Hilda's old sketchbook would be her bed.

Johanna gave a warm and hopeful smile as she closed the door. With her daughter now a ghost, she felt like she no longer had to worry whenever Hilda wanted to go out into the wild.

Though the hole inside her still could never be filled completely, she'd settle for this than be completely empty. And she'd at least have someone to talk to, to keep her company, and to hug by daylight.

And all the others would be by her side until her own story ends.

The Outside World - Institute for the Criminally Insane

Three Months Later

Evening

"Let's begin with a simple query. What is your name?" A man in a brown suit wearing square glasses and a red necktie asked. He was a member of the institute's staff, a psychiatrist known as Dr. Jansen.

"Here's a query for you: How's it feel knowing this is what all that time in college was able to produce?" Twintail snapped back.

"Interesting name." Jansen snarked. "I was informed of your… atypical attitude prior to this session. But I must remind you as your psychiatrist, it's my duty to learn the roots of this attitude." He didn't seem too bothered that Twintail's eyes were directed towards the left side of the room, motioning her right hand similarly to a puppet as he spoke, clearly mocking him.

"Moving on, is there anything in particular that you want to say about yourself? More specifically, your formative years?" Jansen asked.

"...My what now?" Twintail responded in confusion.

"It's a term used to refer to one's early childhood." Jansen explained.

Twintail was silent for a bit before her face began to waver slightly.

"I've… actually never told anyone... but why do you care anyway?" She scoffed.

"I care because in spite of everything you've done, there are people who genuinely want to help you, myself included. I believe there must be some deep-seated matters regarding yourself for you to have ended up like this. "

Twintail looked at Jansen, and quickly figured out that he was absolutely, undoubtedly determined to get something out of her. She seemed almost hesitant to do so - modest, even.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to relay her life story.

"When I was little… my mom and dad never really bothered to pay that much attention to me." She began. "Not that it stopped me from trying. Of course, given the fact that nothing was ever good or interesting enough for those two, that never worked out for me."

"I see. Is there anything else in particular that you remember about your parents?"

"Well, whenever I set them off, I really set them off. Dad was usually the one to lay a hand on me. Mom was more keen to words, though she did get physical every once in a while."

Jansen nodded as he wrote in a notepad. "Have you ever considered them a crucial factor in how you become what you are today?"

"...Sometimes, yeah."

Jansen proceeded to jot this down as well. However, in the middle of the sentence he was writing, he began to feel as if it was getting more difficult to breathe. Then he erupted into a sudden and violent coughing fit, much to Twintail's surprise.

"What's wrong with you?" The former Marra asked in a tone that was very unlike how she usually was. It was if she actually seemed... concerned.

"Inhaler...room...next to us..." Jansen said between a routine of gasping breaths. "Get it..."

Twintail was flabbergasted. This was a man who, being left with no other choice, was placing his life in the hands of her - someone whose actions he was made well aware of beforehand. Thinking back to what Darby said at the phone booth, she pulled something out of her shirt.

It was the exact same inhaler that Jansen was talking about. Prior to the session, she had managed to sneak around (a feat that was none too easy in this environment, especially without her powers) and swipe it unbeknownst.

"This right here?" She asked in a concerned-sounding voice.

"Yes...please..." Jansen replied as he collapsed, not caring what it was doing with Twintail.

Twintail jumped off her seat and went to the man's aid. She lent the hand the inhaler was in towards his, and Jansen grabbed it.

...or at least he would have, had Twintail not dropped it on the floor and in front of his face.

Before he could grab it, Twintail placed her foot on the bronchodilator and began to press down on it. The pressure of the weight proved to be enough to snap it in two.

"Wh… why..." Jansen wheezed.

Twintail leaned down over her psychiatrist, Jansen hardly able to make her out in the midst of his ongoing attack.

"Hey." She began. "About that story of mine… I lied."

"GET HER!"

Additional staff came out of nowhere and began to pile on Twintail. Oddly enough, she didn't try to put up much of a fight. She only watched as other members of the staff went to try and help Jansen, who was still gasping violently for breath.

"Put her in solitary." A staff member instructed.

"Nothing but a scourge, that's what you are..." One of the staff dragging Twintail away said.

"I know." The former Marra replied in a whispered laugh.

"It would appear that she's learned nothing…"

The Wilderness - Hilda's Old House (Ruins)

In their adventures outside the city walls, Jellybean and his Nisse happened upon the ruins of Hilda's old house. Wood Man was there too, his burn marks from the House of Want ordeal still intact.

"What happened?" Jellybean's Nisse asked.

"This once was a cozy little house." Wood Man began in a somber but modest tone. "The girl who… lived here..."

He paused.

"You okay?" The Nisse asked, sounding a bit concerned.

"Yeah." Wood Man replied. "Got a little lost in the moment."

"I take it you knew this girl?"

"Indeed. Before she left, she befriended a giant."

"I guess she learned her lesson?"

"…We'll probably never know for sure." Wood Man replied, wavering a bit. "But if I were to bet, not likely. If she were still around, odds are… she'd do it again."

Johanna's House

Daytime

Alfur sat out the window, gears still turning in his head. "Still no word from the other elves…" Alfur thought. "I hope they got the message."

Suddenly, he noticed a squirrel arrive, with another elf on top of it. "Are you Alfur Aldric?"

"Yes, that's me." Alfur replied.

"I got your e-mail. Figured I'd come here personally." The elf replied. "I have the information you seek."

"Y-you do?"

"Yes." The elf answered. "It's the name of her father."