The group awoke the next morning, feeling a bit rested but still on edge from the action of the night before. Everyone was sitting around the fire eating the breakfast that Tobias had scrounged up for them. Bricky was the first to say what was on everyone’s minds.
“So Luna, vat is up vith zat hair?
“Oh well, that is something that just recently happened. I didn’t know that I could do that either. I felt different during that battle, when my hair came to life. I felt stronger. When that thing attacked me, I just wanted to protect myself and it seems my hair answered my call.”
Tobias, who had not been there during the last bout with the corpse, wondered out lout,
“You’re hair came to life?”
“Oh um, well yes.”
“Und vy is it purple?”
“Oh well my hair has been that way ever since I can remember. I don’t know why.”
Nearby, Drexla was grappling with her own secrets. The cravings for her special powder had gotten unbearable and she had to have some more. Thankfully, she had thought ahead and brought some with her. So she took a big whiff of some and immediately felt better and more alert. The ideas running through her hear were brilliant, like before. This time wasn’t nearly as good as the first time but it was still amazing and she loved it.
A was off the group could see the larger caravan begin rounding up and getting into position to head off. That was their signal to begin heading off as well. They rounded up what remaining supplies were left and resumed their journey to the Sacred Clearing. Captain V took this time to approach Bricky,
“I want to thank ya for patchin me up back there. I appreciate it.”
“All is gut. It is vat us Ghenacht do for one another.”
“It’s not often people do nice things for others from where I come from.”
Tobias chimed in, “Where are you from my friend?”
But V deflected, “Oh here and there, you know.”
Bricky broke the tension with a word, “I do have eine request.”
“Name it buddy.”
“Vuld you please add a y to ze end of miene name. Brick-y not Brick, please.”
“Well alright!” replied Captain V with a chuckle.
With that settled. The group buckled down for the last bit of journey ahead. Some of them gathered as they walked alongside the cart with varied success. Bogbean managed to find some very rare ingredients and was so excited to find out what she could do with them.
While the cart ambled on, Drexla came to fly by Luna and began asking questions to see what she could learn about her.
“What are you miss Luna?”
“Oh well, on the Hume continent they call me an elf. That’s all I’ve ever been able to find out.”
“Vell, where I am from, I have just seen pieces unfortunately.” Bricky said with a sad tone.
“I know, I’ve never met anyone who looked like me before. I’ve traveled quite extensively throughout the lands of Extrayus. I’ve even been to the Elemn continent and yet I’ve never been able to find someone like me.”
“Who knows maybe ve are all on the wrong continent.”
“Perhaps. I’ve been to the Hume continent as well and nothing there either. Of course, the MyrRin continent is full of MyrRin so I don’t expect I’ll find an Elf here, but they treat me nicely and they’re not rude.”
“Hmm alright zen. On your vay through ze Hume continent, did you perhaps come across or hear of a Castle Isenstadt?”
“I’ve traveled a lot but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a place like that. To be fair, I don’t remember much. The only reason I know I am an Elf is because others have called me that. I don’t even know what I am. I just know we have pointy ears, but I don’t know much else. I’ve studied extensively to try and find out, but nothing.”
“Well, maybe eine day you’ll know.”
“I’m hoping so. That’s why I travel a lot.”
“Vhat about you Tobias? What are you?”
“Tobias.”
“No, but what are you?”
“The cook.”
“I mean what are your people called?”
“Oh, the Rohmar.”
“Ahh, what about you, Drexla?”
“I am a Dimmin.”
“Ah, I have never seen someone quite your size before.”
“Yes, I am very small but I was raised by the Dimmin.”
“Vhat are the Dimmin?”
Drexla spent quite a few minutes describing Dimmin and their culture to Bricky and the rest of the group. Eventually, Bricky moved his attention and questions over to Captain V.
“Does everyone have scales like you do vhere you come from?”
“Well we just fought a small horde of miniature ones so I would say so.” replied Tobias with a dry tone.
“Vell I have seen some back home vhich is vhy I ask. We also had ones that looked like Bogbean but I never saw one that was whole before.”
“Whole,” echoed Luna, “What do you mean by whole?”
“Vell the hands and arms and things have been um exchanged before..”
“Oh you mean, you’ve seen parts of the on others like the pointy ears you saw?”
“Ja, they are spare parts zat are sometimes brought in through ze lower levels of ze castle for use in the smaller hard to reach areas.”
“Ah, because of their small size, I see.” Luna took notes with meticulous care as she heard Bricky talk about his home.
“Sounds like you come from a crazy home buddy,” drawled Captain V.
“It is not a home, it is a castle.”
“That’s a type a home isn’t it?” insisted Luna, “You lived there didn’t you with your maker?”
“No one has ever been referred to as ze maker. There was the Herr Doctor.”
“Didn’t he put you together?”
“It was Ubertodeshtefer Otto und Doctor Frederick Von Wallenstein who live there.”
“Oh I don’t know those people, my apologies.” said Luna.
“Dose are ur parents?” asked Bogbean.
“Vhat are parents?”
“Dey make u?”
“Oh no, all of ze ones zat vould work on ze outer valls, under Klaus’ control, ve vould stay outside. If you failed your tasks, you were not allowed inside at all.”
“No offense, but your friends sound like assholes.” sniffed Luna
“Nien, my friends were wonderful!”
“But they made you sleep outside!”
“Oh no, zose were not miene freunds, but I made some great bonds vith ze other vorkers.”
“Oh did those friends not come with you?”
“Nien.”
“Oh, did you have to leave them behind?”
“Ja.”
“Oh well, perhaps one day you’ll be able to see them again.”
“Ja, perhaps.”
The group had been moving through a tunnel of trees through the holy forest surrounding the Sacred Clearing for a week now. At first the trees had been widely space with sun falling generously between the branches and leaves to dot the land in resplendent, golden light. As they went deeper through the tunnel path, the trees grew closer and more dense. The branches crowded together and the leaves left no room for light to sneak through. An expectant silence seemed to overtake the group. Even the caravan ahead had fallen silent. Nothing could be heard but the occasional creak of a wheel on the road.
They could feel the eyes of predators from the darkness of forest beyond their eyes, but the noise of the caravan moving through and the size of it was enough to keep them at bay. It was on the sixth day of Nariza that they arrived at their destination. The forest had been dark and oppressive around them for the past four days without break in sight. It had been like traveling through night. At the end of their long journey, the trees finally broke to reveal a vast open space.
The Sacred Clearing stood before them, awash in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun. Where the last week had been silent and somber as they walked through the forest, the path opened up to a refreshing sight of bustling people and noise. Trying to take everything in, the group moved through the entrance with awe at their new surroundings.
DnD Wife Stories 