It was the midst of springtime. Thin rays of light were hitting the shadowy forest floor, illuminating a small margin in specific areas. The sunlight from above made the leaves of the elderly trees glow a light green. The afternoon was still in full swing, with temperate weather and light breezes heeding the call from mother nature. The familiar crunch of footsteps crushing the grass was audible, with the snapping of fallen branches along with it.
The four party members were traversing aimlessly, with Wilt taking the lead, as usual. "Our old camp shouldn't be too far now, we're getting closer, I know it," Wilt said as he stepped over a stone.
"But you said that earlier, like an hour ago. The spider tunnel must've been really long," Ed pointed out before he yawned.
"Good ol' Wilt is really good at navigating. Trust me, he definitely didn't get us lost or anything, right?" Bloo gave a side-eye to the red leader.
The tall fighter's strut turned restless, "Nah, nah, I swear, the camp is not even a mile away, if you guys could only be a little more patient, this hike will be over before you know it," Wilt said as he sliced a few vines that were obstructing the way.
"Cococococococo, cococococococo?" Coco was growing impatient, asking the red leader if they reached their destination yet. She also mentioned how her feet were beginning to ache due to the rough terrain.
"Don't worry, we're almost there, just gimme like twenty more minutes," Wilt clearly had no idea where the camp was. He sheepishly looked side to side, hoping to find a lead of any kind.
Ed scanned the forest floor, "This hike has been no bueno so far, I can't even find our old footsteps."
Bloo groaned, "If you do find any footsteps, it'll be from us walking in circles. I've seen the same anthill like three times!"
Minutes passed and no pointers or any memorable landmarks were found. The party grew even more exhausted.
Bloo wiped some sweat beads from his forehead, "Kay', Wilt's way finding is a lost cause, I'm going to climb up a tree and see if there's a clearing or whatever," he announced before he began to adhere and scale up a random tree in his proximity.
"But-"
Bloo cut the red leader off, "It's better than cramping our ankles from goin' in circles. Just let me be the navigator for once, okay?"
Wilt led out a deep sigh, "Fine. If you know what you're doing, go ahead."
"Watch out for any creepy crawlies in the tree, they're well hidden sometimes!" Ed warned.
"Don't sweat it, I'm way more aware of any hidden spiders, due to you know what," Bloo reassured.
Wilt snickered, "Hmph, playballs," he mocked. The other two snickered as well.
The slime was irritated from the mockery, but shrugged it off and continued up the trunk.
Scaling up the tree was easy enough, Bloo stopped once he reached a high enough branch to see over the majority of the treetops in the forest. It was quite a sight, there was green stretching towards all cardinal directions, so much so that it's nearly overwhelming. When he looked down, he saw nothing but branches and leaves, he couldn't see a sign of his friends on the forest floor.
He studied the area. Ah great, the slime thought, there's no nothing for at least a few miles. Since his surveying bore no fruit after a good while, Bloo's attention became centered on a duo of ravens that were soaring in the sky, distracting him for a moment. The ravens were close to each other, one was slightly larger than the other. They flew without subordination, when one fell behind slightly, the other one would slow down, staying at the same pace together. Their flight was cheerful, which showed as they did playful twirls in the air. Peaceful is how Bloo would describe the moment, his observation continued further.
The larger raven did a final twirl with its friend before breaking away suddenly, swooping down to a dead tree, likely to hunt for food. The smaller raven now seemed uncoordinated and confused, it still flew, but it seemed like it missed its friend. It flew in circles, unsure of where to go, but eventually, the lonely raven slowly descended, and finally disappeared into a meadow. Intriguing, Bloo thought, before realizing it flew into a meadow he didn't notice before in the west. Yes! The slime was relieved, finally something, and it wasn't very far, only about half a mile. Bloo scaled back down the tree to inform his friends.
His landing caught the other three's attention as they were gathered together, likely making small talk with each other. They turned to face the wizard.
"Well, did you see anything?" Ed asked.
Bloo flicked off some leaves that got stuck on him, "Yep, there is a meadow to the west. I'm not sure if it's our camp though, but screw it, let's go," Bloo began pacing that direction.
The other three looked at each other and shrugged, they went ahead and followed him.
The group reached the meadow after a short while, but a good amount of daylight was spent during the trip. The afternoon was beginning to show its age. Bloo took a few steps ahead of the others, peering around. The meadow was rather lively. A few butterflies were flying about, complimenting the wild flowers in the area. A large fallen tree was laying on its side near the edge. "Seems like a normal meadow," Bloo signaled the others to proceed.
Ed approached the dead tree, likely with the intent to lounge on it. "Què bien, I needed a water break," he said while taking out a small canteen from his pack before he took a seat. The moment he fully shifted his weight on the bark, he immediately jumped up while holding his rear and yelped. "Ow, something poked me!"
Bloo chuckled, "What? A splinter got your ass?"
Wilt facepalmed to hide his amusement, a few chuckles slipped out however.
Ed whimpered and turned around to see what stabbed him, his face went from slightly hurt to attentive. "That wasn't a splinter, amigo. Take a look at this."
The four crowded around to investigate. Ed sat down on an arrow, which was snapped in half. The two halves were lying adjacent to each other.
Wilt was the first to start discussing it, "A single broken arrow in the middle of nowhere, odd. It might be old, who knows."
"Cocococococo. Coco coco coco," Coco was perplexed, she noted how the arrow likely meant someone was there before them, but whether it was recently or a while ago was the real question.
Bloo picked up the lower half of the arrow and examined it. The fletching was made up of red feathers, and the shaft was created from pine wood. It was simple, but of quality. These aspects seemed strangely familiar to Bloo. He dropped the piece back on the bark, "Something's…" he paused, "off..."
Ed rubbed his rear, "Could just be a stray arrow, Azul," he unscrewed the cap off his steel canteen and took a long sip. Refreshed, he went on, "In fact, it could mean people might've hunted here. Could be people from our village, those cult weirdos, or someone else."
"Hmm, possibly. Imma' look around and see if there's any more arrows, maybe we can piece something together," Bloo said.
Wilt gave an approving nod to the slime, he looked at the whole group, "Stay alert guys, seriously. With the encounters we've had lately, it's best to keep our guard up at all times. Be prepared for anything."
"Cocococo," Coco readied her slingshot.
"Entiendo," Ed kept watch for any movement in the surrounding bushes.
"Don't need to tell me twice," Bloo began his investigation. He walked around the fallen tree to examine the other side. The opposite side of the trunk was dotted with arrows, about eight total. All were intentionally aimed at the higher section of the bark if it were standing upright. Two of the arrows were shot right at two knotholes, which happened to be adjacent. Six of them went in a large gaping hole just under the two knotholes. The arrows were identical to the broken one from before.
Bloo felt even more uneasy, why would someone waste their arrows on a tree? Target practice? Even then, any rookie archer would retrieve them. Tree sap was leaking out of the arrow wounds on the tree. Peculiar, Bloo thought. The slime looked to the lower part of the trunk. The tree wasn't chopped down, its roots were pulled from the ground, and the ends of the roots were very sharp, almost like claws. There were only four outstanding roots, two in the front, and two in the back. Almost like legs-
"It's a dead tree mimic," Wilt suddenly said by the pondering slime.
"How did you come to a conclusion so fast?" Bloo questioned. "I was just about to connect the dots-"
"Knew it as soon as I saw the four legs. C'mon man, you know real trees don't have those stubby roots, they wouldn't be able to grow if they did. Normal trees have super long roots that spread and go deep in the soil," Wilt explained.
Bloo sighed, "Okay Plant Man, I get it. Someone took down a tree mimic. I wonder who though?"
"At least they took it down for us. But anyway, that's the reason why there's arrows, so we can probably get moving now," Wilt said before he stretched.
"Okay, but gimme a few more minutes, I'm taking these arrows, they're still good," Bloo replied.
Wilt's neck gave a small pop as he cracked it, "Aight, knock yourself out. After you're done, we'll continue on down the meadow," he said before walking away.
Bloo glanced at the red leader as he moved away, he wondered what Wilt was thinking about during this entire quest, but the thought waned as he remembered what he had to do. Bloo gripped one of the arrows and pulled, it took a fair bit of strength, but it came out after some convincing. Once the arrow was out, Bloo noticed something about the tip of the arrowhead, it had a crude 'M' carved into it.
The realization hit Bloo's mind. He knew exactly who shot these arrows, and even who crafted them.
It was Mac.
So many questions were now entering Bloo's mind. Why was he here? Why did he leave his arrows? Did he face this mimic not long ago? Is he okay? Where is he now?
Bloo decided to call everyone over, "Hey guys, could you come here a sec?" He yelled.
The others came over, curious about why the slime called for them. "What's up?" Wilt asked.
"These arrows belong to Mac, he was here," Bloo answered.
"Señor Mac was here?! No way!" Ed said.
"Yep, no doubt about it."
"Cocococo, coco?" The palm tree asked how Bloo knew it was him.
"The arrows got an 'M' carved into them. It was oddly familiar due to the red feathers at first, but that combined with the "M" gave it away. He must've gotten into a fight with this tree mimic and left his arrows in it, which he never does," Bloo answered while pulling out the rest of the arrows and inserting them into his quiver.
"If that's the case…" Wilt kneeled down to the dead tree mimic's mouth, he inserted his only hand and felt around for a moment. Several flies flew out. "He was here yesterday, maybe at noon. The tongue is still fresh and the flies have had plenty of time to make a picnic." The smell of rotting flesh assaulted everyone's noses.
Ed was noticeably disgusted and grimaced as Wilt touched the deceased mimic. "Ay, gross! Get your hand outta there. Ugh, you're gonna make me throw up!" Ed said while gagging.
The young wizard fanned away the horrible odor, "Yesterday, at noon, huh? Hmm..." Bloo glanced up into the sky, thinking for a moment, "He left in the morning before I went to class. Maybe we can check if he's nearby?"
Wilt pulled his hand out of the mimic's mouth. His hand was covered in saliva and other nasty fluids, disgusted, he wiped it away in the grass thoroughly and turned around, "Didn't you say he's on a big adventure? He's probably long gone by now, man."
Bloo looked down and sighed, "Yeah, you're right. He moves around so quickly, he's probably not even in the forest anymore. Hopefully he didn't get chased by someone,"
"Well, it would explain why he didn't take his arrows. He could've got mixed up with a werebear or some other monster and ran. While he was running, he must've bumped into the mimic and put it down in a hurry," Ed explained while plugging his nose.
"That's probably what happened, but anyway. If Mac was here yesterday, we're likely not even a mile away from home. So let's get moving down the meadow, please," Wilt said as he walked a few feet, stopped, and gestured for everyone to follow his lead.
"I'm coming…" Bloo said, obviously disappointed.
Ed closely followed Wilt down the meadow, with Coco and Bloo hanging back behind him. Bloo wasn't fully ready to let go of the situation, his mind was still trained on it. Coco was concerned about the blue slime, noticing how he kept looking behind him to look at the scene.
Coco stepped closer to the slime, and brushed her wing against him to get his attention. Bloo tilted his view towards her. She whispered, "Cococococo, cocococo co co. Cocococococo cocococo coco." She said it's perfectly fine to be worried about Mac, as the journey he's going on will likely be dangerous, remembering what he told her. Coco comforted the slime by reminding him how Mac is not only a good fighter, but an analytical individual too, he wouldn't pick a battle he couldn't handle. She wanted him to think positively.
Bloo's spirits lifted up a little, he whispered back, "Thanks, Coco. I kinda needed to hear that…"
The avian bard smiled, "Cocococo, co co cocococo," she told him to focus on what they're gonna do once they get home instead, like figuring how to sell the ruby emblems.
"Well that might be its own quest entirely-"
"I see a path at the edge of the meadow up ahead, the village must be this way!" Wilt suddenly announced.
"A path?! Wait, I thought we were looking for our old camp, what about the bedrolls and the tent?" Ed noted.
"Sorry, Ed. But I don't any of us think it's worth going back for those, we have another set back in our hut anyway," Wilt said.
"Oh we do. Forgot about that," Ed replied.
The party followed the path, which led them back to the large clearing which nested the entirety of Mystic Mana. The familiar mossy, vined walls and large gate were a sight for sore eyes. Evening was the current time, as the sun crept just over the dark trees, the sky was a subdued orange. The four peaked out of the tree line.
"Finally, we're home!" Bloo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, I'm starving!" Ed said as he rubbed his grumbling stomach.
"Dinner sounds so good right now, man," Wilt's mouth watered. "Y'all know the drill, we gotta walk around the perimeter of the village and get to the spot we sneaked out from. We don't want to sour the end of this adventure by getting caught by the guards, so stay out of sight," Wilt commanded as he began to sidle around.
"We know already, geez. You don't need to tell us every time we sneak back in," Bloo complained.
Wilt chuckled, "I know, I just want an excuse to say 'y'all know the drill', I love saying it."
Coco scoffed, "Co..."
"I like when Wilt says it. To me, the quest is never complete until he says it," Ed admitted.
Wilt grinned, "At least someone understands."
Moving around the patrolled areas was second nature for the party, the hot spots with the most security and riskiest zones were well known, so they successfully reached the spot they sneaked out of in the first place, at the south side of the village. They swiftly dashed over to the stone wall, which notably had the least moss on it, due to the years of delinquents' boots kicking off any that were attempting to grow as they climbed up and down. But the vines still grew fine, as those were useful when climbing back up.
Wilt climbed the stone wall without issue, he checked to see if the area beyond the alley was clear, and returned to help his friends over, namely Ed, as he was the heaviest one. Everyone climbed over without too much of a hitch. The party emerged outside of the foul alleyway, between the empty merchant posts.
The party began to move through the south side of the village.
It was business as usual for the poorer side of Mystic Mana, with dozens of merchants selling fruits and vegetables, rations, low quality weapons, farm seeds, amateur potions, pottery, and homemade items like knitted blankets composed of old rags and shirts, anything to make money. Many races, common, uncommon, and unique were present, it was a melting pot. The homes were in disrepair, with cracked, weathered oak planks being the only barrier from the elements, some even had no windows. A few children were playing in the streets while their parents sold goods, kicking around an old ball and roughhousing. What the south didn't have in money, it made up with spirit. Arts such as paintings were regularly presented and sold frequently to passersby from the east or west. Performances involving flashy magic were done by retired or decrepit wizards to kill time and distract the villagers from their stressful days.
The four kept walking through, heading towards a different part of the south. They were going towards the huts given to discharged orphans.
For decades, one of the biggest issues in Mystic Mana was how hard it was for orphans to get adopted. Most villagers didn't want to adopt a child who were a different species than them, fearing they wouldn't be able to raise them properly, as not being able to provide for those requiring a variety of distinct needs. Thus, few generations were left to fend for themselves. The orphanage was always at maximum capacity, so the lead caretaker, Master Frankie Foster, had to lower the age of discharge from 18 to 16 to free up valuable space. With the policy in place, the orphanage had to remove the children who had reached or long surpassed that age..
When the rule was first instituted, the orphaned teens crowded the streets, homeless. Due to this, a law was agreed upon and established by the leader of the village, Grand Elder Foster (who happened to be Frankie Foster's grandmother), to give the discharged a simple hut and a small monthly allotment of gold to keep them off the streets. An entire district of subpar, cramped huts were built to give the discharged youth a chance to flourish. This came with some success, and it kept the teenagers from being beggars.
In the present, a tight-knit community still lives on. Orphans from all walks of life stay close, as their peers were often the closest form of family they had. The elders had turned their backs from them, so they had to be there for each other.
The party finally reached their huts. This specific sector of homes were arranged in a circle, with a single dirt path leading out of it. A worn, but functional well stood in the center of the circle, with a dented bucket hanging over the hole. Bloo lived with Mac, they had a hut alone together. Wilt, Ed, and Coco lived in a separate hut that was right next door to Bloo's.
Wilt checked his rickety mailbox, "Nothing new today," the mailbox creaked when he shut it. He turned to the slime, "Hey Bloo, you can eat with us tonight if ya' want. I think it's Ed's turn to cook," Wilt offered.
"Cocococo," the bard backed up Wilt's offer.
"I'm good guys, I just wanna sleep for a month right now," Bloo turned down as he checked the mail, finding one letter addressed to Mac.
"I'm making gumbo tonight, which is far more delicious than the boring rations we've been eating. You sure you don't want in, amigo?" Ed asked.
Bloo shut his mailbox, "I'm not super hungry for your gumbo, a bit of rice for me will be plenty," Bloo approached his door, before he unlocked it, he looked over to the others, who were just about to enter their hut, "We'll discuss-" Bloo sharply paused, and glanced around for any eavesdroppers, the area was clear as most of the residents were inside for dinner, he covered one side of his mouth from the open, and he continued in a hushed tone, "We'll talk about the 'loot' we got tomorrow, okay?"
The other three nodded in agreement. Coco smiled, "Cocococo!" She said goodnight to the slime. The other two did the same.
"¡Buenas noches, Azul!"
"See ya' tomorrow man."
Bloo grinned, "Later guys," he said before he unlocked his door and entered his hut. Retiring for the night.
The main room was dark as Bloo slung his gear by the door. He approached the dining table to place Mac's letter down. The table also housed the lantern, a worn tinderbox laid by it. Using the equipment in the box, he lit the lantern up to illuminate the room. Bloo yawned as he rummaged through the pantry, pulling out a sack of plain rice and a ladle. Being at his lonesome wasn't unusual, he was used to the silent atmosphere in the hut when Mac was out and about. He poured the rice into the pot of water that hung over the fireplace in the corner of the room, he got lost in thought as he cooked.
He was thinking about the adventure he just had, the loot he and his friends had gotten, how they were going to sell said loot, when he remembered something.
He still had Erugo's spellbook in his bag.
The thought of throwing it in the fire he's using for the rice was the first thing that crossed his mind, as the spellbook only contained troublesome contents, selling it, even just being caught holding it would cause him to get lynched. The forbidden magic in it is not worth the trouble to sell, he thought. Its destruction is the easiest way to get the book out of his life.
But then he remembered something the deceased changeling said in their encounter.
"Forbidden magic can make even the most basic spells far more powerful."
Erugo's words echoed in Bloo's mind as he stirred the rice. He knew Erugo was a fraud in regards to his cult, but his magic was very real, he saw the power of it with his own eyes. The Fire Bolt the changeling shot at him knocked him straight on his ass and nearly ended him right there, he thought. During the whole fight, Erugo seemed to be holding back his full potential, likely due to severe cockiness. But if Erugo used the power he showed when he made that enhanced Fire Bolt, the battle would've likely concluded with Bloo and Ed murdered. His arrogance made him fail.
Bloo let the rice simmer as he stepped away and unzipped his leather pack. The spellbook sat in there, with a dried blood stain on one of the edges. The wizard hesitated for a moment, he felt too exposed, but realized why after a moment, he almost forgot to close his curtains. After pulling the raggedy cotton sheets together, he continued, he took the book out and laid it down on the dining table, he sat down to take a closer look.
The slime was rather shocked with how the illicit spellbook appeared, it didn't look anything like how the elders would describe them as. But then again, they'd always over exaggerate and lie about these things, he remembered. The book didn't look intimidating or off-putting, it looked identical to a normal spellbook, except darker leather made up the cover. Bronze trimmings decorated the book, making it shine dimly from the lantern's flame. The book had a lot of wear, insinuating that it's decades or even centuries old. A deteriorating clasp held the book closed. There wasn't any disturbing imagery on it. The title wasn't quite like one would expect from an illegal text, it simply read, The Book of Enhanced Spells.
Curiosity stabbed Bloo in the chest, his blobby hands were in place to open the clasp and flip the front cover over, ready to read the first page. But his better judgement made him think twice. He recoiled from the book like it was an open flame, standing up from the chair. He stared at the spellbook down, his mind was completely split.
Read it, one side of him recommended, it's just a book, the elders are full of it when they say it'll make horrible things occur.
Destroy it, the other side of him demanded, whatever contents that spellbook contains, reading it might be a mistake that'll last a lifetime.
Both of these opinions clashed, countering each other. Bloo had no idea what to do with it. He wanted the knowledge within it, but he didn't want to risk anything unfortunate happening to him.
Bloo sighed as the rice began to bubble. Unable to reach a solid decision, he inserted the spellbook back into his bag, with the thought that he'll know what to do with it in the near future.
