CHAPTER 2
"Hey business partner! That's a pretty small backpack you got there!" Shadow grins as Green gives him a confused look.
"I just brought some essentials, though I did assume you would bring some things too."
"I brought some stuff!" Shadow holds up a small pouch.
"Okay but what can you fit in there, seeds?"
"Yes! And swords, and food, and other things!"
Green tips his head in confusion "Huh?"
Shadow grins and holds out the pouch. "Here watch!" He puts his hand into the pouch and pulls out a sword, a very fancy sword at that. Green really can't help but wonder if that sword was stolen or not, but that thought is overshadowed by the amazement of what that bag can hold.
"How did you do that!?"
"Bag of holding, my dear business partner!"
"... That doesn't exactly answer my question."
"A bag of holding! Much bigger on the inside than the outside! It's enchanted!"
Green honestly cannot hold back his noises of amazement. In the small town where these two are talking at this very moment, the most magical things that happen are the local water elves using their magic to get water from wells. With that considered, a bag of such a small size that can hold a not-so-small sword rightly mystifies the teen. After all the surprises Shadow has had up his sleeves, Green has a strong feeling that this definitely is just the start.
Meanwhile while the human is admiring the bag, the not-so-human is watching with an amused look. It's always so fun to watch humans become so interested in the smallest of magical things. After about a minute of Green studying the bag, Shadow breaks his focus "So are you just gonna stand there gawking at a bag of holding or are we gonna get going?" That of course snapped him right to attention.
"O-Oh yeah! Of course!" Green adjusts the backpack on his back "Let's get going! We spend too much time here and the sky will get dark before we're out of the forest!" And so Green starts walking forward, with the horned man bringing up the rear.
With those first few steps their adventure finally starts, and with those first few steps Green starts questioning just how stupid he is actually is.
This question is only amplified as the eerie feeling of the forest consumes the duo rather quickly. The croaking of creatures hidden away in bushes and in trees, the distant screech or two or an animal being chased, and the quiet footsteps that showed up every so often. Everything about the magical forest creeps and freaks Green out, whereas Shadow seems to be immune to it all.
Shadow's calmness did put the teen at ease a bit but only a bit. Every so often a twig snaps or a bush rustles, and the green themed human is of course startled. Anything can happen in a magical forest. That's almost never a good thing.
It wasn't until an hour in that a voice pushed Green over the edge. "Leave now, trespassers" the voice was grumpy and demanding but also rang across the clearing like a bell. The voice was commanding in a magically powerful way. It felt like some sort of protective energy, like some sort of guardian said it.
Green would be the first to admit that he immediately froze in place for a moment at the sound of the voice. He took a moment to recover before he starting to draw his sword and scan the trees around him and Shadow for the source of the voice. In the beginning he saw no one but with closer examination, a blue and gold outfit was hidden within the leaves of a maple tree. Since the target is now spotted Green fully draws his sword and points it in the direction of the stranger. "Show yourself!"
Surprisingly the assumed magical being dropped from the tree. There stood a teen with brown hawk wings extending out of his back, currently only half folded, ready to help the being take flight at any moment. It isn't just the wings that are getting Green, no it's also the piercing ice blue eyes, that seem to almost glow, which are staring right at him.
If the wings and magic power weren't enough of an indication, the teen also wears a blue vest with golden patterns, the typical wear for a fairy. That protective energy did indeed belong to a guardian as Green predicted. A guardian who's standing in front of them right now.