#oh well ahjbakn

[huffle-dork]

Long Live the King

Chapter 7: Crossing the Unknown

Read Fantasy Masks | Read Swapboys | Read the first FM adventure | Other Multiverse Adventures | Read on AO3

The marshy ground of the Moors becomes more and more overrun with water during the day, until there's only the occasional mound of earth poking out from under the surface. The trees aren't bothered, their roots growing larger and lifting themselves out of the ground. Slowly, the boat starts to rock again. Just the faintest bit of waves. Not long after this motion gets noticeable, the boat pulls over to one of the small islands. There are three row boats docked here, along with two groups of people--one wearing wide, flat hats, the other wearing Phantom masks. The flatbed boat stops and Vsevna gets off first, greeting the Phantom group with enthusiasm.

Jackieboy peeks over to look at the new people and the row boats. He frowns, “We’re not crossing the ocean for two days in tiny row boats are we??”

Henrik, standing nearby, laughs. "No, of course not. That would be terrible. Look." He points farther out to sea. There, illuminated by the fading sunlight, is a large sailing ship, the sails not yet down. "That is the Serpent's Wake. Vsevna's ship. He is very proud of it."

Jackieboy squints at the horizon and then he brightens up, bouncing slightly, "OH FUCK YEAH!! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!!"

Henrik laughs again. "I know! It is so amazing, isn't it?!" 

Chase joins them, staring out at the ship. He whistles. "I-I didn't expect it to be so big." 

"You have never been on a ship, then, Chase?" Henrik asks. 

He laughs. "I grew up in the mountains and never went more than a day's walk from my village. Of course I haven't." 

Jameson joins as well. To be fair, I haven't, either. 

"Didn't you also grow up in the mountains, though?" Chase asks. "I remember that the Jairsolas claim was in the Northavens." 

Jameson nods. That's true.

"I wanna climb those sail rigging things SO BAD!!" Jackieboy exclaims, "I wanna be like a pirate!! Like in the movies!!" 

"Please don't Jackie if you fall here we can't help you when you break something," Dr. J says with a sigh. 

Bro laughs, "Don't worry doc, I can float up there and catch him if he falls!" 

"Yeah Jays! Let me live my dream!!" 

Henny is staring out at the boat in awe, "It is majestic! Like something out of an epic!"

Henrik grins. "Vsevna will be so happy to see your reactions. He loves his ship." 

"Hey!" Jackie is over by the pile of supplies in the center, untying the ties. "We have to move this stuff to the rowboats!" 

"Ah, right, right." Henrik nods. "Ah... we were not expecting to run into four extra visitors, so it may be a bit tight. Perhaps we can convince some of the others to wait for a bit." 

"I say we let them take a boat to the ship right now," Chase says. "The sooner they come back, the faster the loading will happen."

"I can stay to help load! Flying will make it easier," Bro grins. 

"I'm willing to do whatever needs to be done to make this easier for you all," Dr. J says with a smile. Jackieboy looks like a kid waiting for his turn on a ride, excitedly watching the boat. He can't keep still.

Chase notices Jackie's excitement and grins. "How about me and Jameson row out with these three?" He indicates JJ, Henny, and Jackie. 

"That will work out," Henrik says. "Go talk to Ankhi and Felicia over there, in the hawk and doe masks. They will row you out there while the rest of us load the two last boats and get ready to load the third when you return."

"Yes!" Jackieboy pumps his fist and parkours out of the boat, eager to get to the row boats now. The rest of the swaps laugh, seeing Jackie so excited. Henny and Dr. J thank the others then follow Jackie out to the rowboats. 

Jackieboy is first to the new Phantoms, "Hi! I'm Jackie!“

 The two Phantoms--Ankhi and Felicia, hawk and doe--look surprised to see Jackieboy. "Ah, good to meet you, then," Felicia says, giving a small smile. Ankhi looks over at Vsevna, raising a hand for attention, and when 

Vsevna waves back he shrugs and looks at Jackie again. 

“Our friends said you could row us out a bit early?" Jackieboy asks.

"Early? Yes, I suppose," Felicia continues. Chase and Jameson catch up with Jackieboy. "Sorry, it's just that we picked up some extra people along the way," Chase explains. "So you will need two trips then, I see." Ankhi nods. "Alright, in the boat, then." 

The rowing takes longer than the swaps expected, but soon they stop next to a ladder built into the side of the ship. "Be careful climbing up," Felicia says. "Landwalkers find it hard sometimes."

Jackieboy makes a 'pffft' sound, "Don't worry, I'm pretty good at this kind of stuff!" 

Dr. J and Henny share a concerned look. But, Jackie scales the ladder like a champ and jumps onto the deck before poking his head down to look at the others. "Hurry up, slowpokes!" 

The two sailor Phantoms look impressed at Jackie's scaling.

"Oh my god he's insufferable sometimes-" Dr. J sighs. 

Henny giggles and goes up next. His lanky limbs kinda get in the way before he manages alright. 

Dr. J hesitates then slowly works his way up the ladder, clinging to the deck once he makes it. Henny helps him up and holds him steady once they're all up. 

After the swaps have gone up, Jameson goes, slow and careful, and then Chase, who tries not to look down and breathes a sigh of relief as soon as he gets on deck. "Not a fan of high places," he says. 

Ironic, considering the jumps you've made before, Jameson says. 

"Hey, those were desperate moments. If we didn't jump out that window the King probably would've killed me." 

That's fair. 

There is so much space on this deck. Not to mention there are stairs leading up to a second deck on top of a cabin. 

Jackieboy laughs in disbelief as he sees the deck and he runs around on it and spins around, laughing in glee. "Look at this thing!! ITS AMAZING!! it's so big!!" He looks back at his friends and points, "That's it! When we get back home- I'm looking up where to find a ship like this nearby cuz I need to take Zara and the kids on one of these!!" 

Dr. J chuckles, "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Jackie." 

Henny comes to join Jackie, running around the deck and looking around. Chase and Jameson hang off to the side, more watching the other three react than anything else. 

There are quite a few people out. They all have Phantom masks but only a couple are actually wearing them on their faces. They all seem to stare at the Swaps when they see that they don’t have masks but relax as they see Chase and Jameson with theirs. 

“I guess we’ll have to see if Vsevna has plaster here… you all need masks,” Chase says. 

Henny gasps in excitement and stims a bit in place. “We can get masks?! Oh yes, yes!!!” 

“Heh really? That’d be so pog!” Jackieboy grins. “Bro and Alt talked on and on about how much they loved theirs.” 

“But… aren’t those only for Phantoms..?” Dr. J says quietly. 

I think at this point you all certainly count as Phantoms. Jameson smiles. 

“Though we’re not exactly the uh- authority on that,” Chase laughs. “But I’m sure Jackie, Hen and Marvin will agree.” 

The Swaps exchange excited looks. 

Meanwhile, Bro is trying his best to help carry all the heavy things and load them into the rowboats.

While that group piles in the rowboat and heads off, the others continue unloading the boat, which is a bit harder than loading it in the first place since the hold is so small. Marvin's levitation magic proves invaluable. 

In the time it takes the first rowboat to go out and come back, the other two have been loaded. 

"You can take one of these two out while we finish this last boat," Jackie says to Bro. "We won't mind if you want to meet up with your friends sooner."

Bro wipes some sweat off his brow and then looks at Jackie and laughs, "Do I really need to take a rowboat if I can just... fly over?" Then he thinks, "... then again- I don't wanna scare the other crew-"

Vsevna overhears Bro's comment and laughs. "Do you think my crew scares that easily?" he says, playfully. "We have seen much! We have even sailed through some Wyldseas. Sure, they may shout, but they will not be scared." 

"But he does not have his mask," Henrik points out. "They may not trust him at first." 

"Ah, I'm sure his friends can explain."

Bro laughs with Vsevna and nods, "Ah very true- I was wonderin' if you guys still had my mask from last time... but considering what happened to Wyvern lair... probably not." He sighs and shakes his head, "...probably good I didn't keep mine though... Alt had his when we left... but he didn't have it after... I think the King got rid of it..." Anger burns in his eyes.

Jackie's expression darkens. "He might've kept it," he mutters. "I haven't interacted much with him, but from what others have told me... he's the type to keep trophies." 

"Son of a bitch," Henrik mutters. 

Bro grits his teeth in even more anger, his eyes glowing bright blue. “Fucking bastard.” 

Jackie sighs. "In any case. It seems like you can fly on over if you want. I think Vsevna knows his crew." 

Vsevna grins and nods.

Bro looks back at Jackie and manages to calm himself down for a second- enough to give Jackie a small smile. “…I have been getting kinda restless not being able to fly so-“ He jumps up and hovers in the air above them for just long enough to give them a salute, “See you on the boat then, gents!” And then Bro rockets over to the boat. 

The crew on the Serpent's Wake shout out in surprise when they see Bro flying. A few go for crossbows hanging from their belts but Chase waves his arms. "No no no! He's with us!" he shouts. 

"A flying man?!" Someone shouts, confused. 

"Um--yeah?" 

The crew exchange glances and mutters but don't do anything as Bro flies closer. 

Jackieboy looks up and grins, waving up to the sky, “Bro!!” 

Dr. J chuckles, “I’m surprised he waited this long to fly around!” 

“I could tell he was getting antsy,” Henny giggles. He joins Jackie in his waving.

To be honest, he didn't do that much flying while he was here last time, Jameson says, eyes wide. It's amazing to see.

"Yeah that makes sense- He doesn't wanna scare people," Jackieboy chuckles, "He's a bit better than Alt though. Alt gets sick if he can't glitch- Bro just gets super restless. Like- that feeling when you're trapped inside and you wanna get out-" 

Bro startles as the crossbows are grabbed and hurries down to land on the deck. "Uh- hello there everyone! Sorry- i'm friendly and with the Phantoms I swear!" 

"Yeah he's with us!" Jackieboy grins and throws his arm around Bro's shoulders. "He's chill!" Bro blinks and then laughs, ruffling Jackieboy's hair. 

The crew look at each other and--almost in comical unison--turn away and get back to work. 

Chase and Jameson are surprised, and Chase actually laughs. "I wasn't expecting that." 

I suppose sailors have more to worry about, Jameson says. Is that true, about Alt getting sick? 

Jackie and Bro both look at Jameson. The hero nods sadly, "Yeah... he used to get sick a lot as a kid cuz... well he didn’t know he was magic I guess. Or I think we had to hide that? at least that's what my aunts said... I don't remember why... I think we just didn't want our parents finding us?" He gets a far off look in his eyes for a second before he shakes his head and continues, "But, yeah- one time early in our friendship he wasn't glitching around us and he just got... really sick." 

"I believe we figured out later its just pent up magic," Dr. J adds, "His body produces magic very fast and he has to use it or it overwhelms him like a fever." 

"He didn't use his ghlishing all that much last time," Chase mutters. "Poor guy. If he was worried he didn't need to be." 

Bro looks at Chase with a slightly sad expression, "Yeah... knowing Alt... he was trying not to... He's very stubborn like that... and really hates being looked at strangely... you know? But, if he does glitch around you, that means he trusts you." He smiles a bit more at this.

Jameson looks a bit worried about the far-off look in Bro's eyes, but decides to ignore it. I hope he doesn't do that again. His comfort is more important than others' impressions. 

Bro smiles softly at Jameson, “I hope so too… I think it’s easier for him here now… he didn’t seem like he was like- looking to hide it.” 

"Well, it's hard for some people," Chase says slowly. "People don't like to stand out. I get it." He smiles back at Bro. "And I think it's really nice that he eventually got comfortable to, ah, ghlish around us. Is that how you say it? I thought 'ghlishing' was the only form of that word." 

Clearly we lost something in translation last time, Jameson says. 

"Clearly." 

Bro blinks and then knits his eyebrows together, “It’s cuz it’s a really modern word… it has to do with a… lightning machine we have and his magic looks like… an effect it gives off?” He laughs, “it’s really complicated to explain…” 

“It can be called ‘glitch-ing’ as an action or… I guess ‘glitch’ is also an action word!” Dr. J chuckles, shaking his head. “English is so strange sometimes.” 

All languages are strange, Jameson comments. 

Changing the subject, Chase looks around. "I didn't expect a ship to be so busy."

Looking out towards the coast, the three rowboats are halfway to the ship. People start shouting and running about, preparing for their arrival.

Henny looks around at all the chaos too and sticks closer to the group. “ah yes- a lot is happening…” He looks towards Chase and Jameson, “Should we be helping? Or would we uh… get in the way?”

Chase also looks confused and a bit worried. "Um... I think we should stay to the side," he says. "None of us really know anything about ship stuff." 

The swaps all look at each other then agree to stay back. Yeah, this seems complicated. Besides- looks like the crew had it handled. 

When the rowboats approach, the crew lowers some winches as people start climbing up from them. Vsevna is first, and a lot of the crew shouts greetings. He laughs and waves and starts talking with the others. Henrik and Jackie soon appear, though Jackie turns around and shouts back down, "You can't make them pull you up again!" 

"Fuck you!" Marvin shouts back, though he doesn't sound actually angry. 

The swaps all laugh at hearing Marvin's shout.

Jackie sighs and looks around for the others. "Hey."

"Pulled up again?" Jackieboy asks through giggles, "Did he make the crew pull up the whole row boat so he wouldnt have to use the ladder before??" 

"That's exactly what he did," Jackie says. "I don't fully blame him for that, since he's not the best on his feet, but surely there's some magic that could help with that, right?" 

"If I'd known that was an option, I would've asked for that," Chase mutters. "That ladder was terrifying." 

Jackie sighs. "In any case. There are three guest cabins downstairs with a bed each. They're pretty small, but if you want to all try to fit in, go ahead. Or I suppose you could choose to sleep with the crew, they probably have spare hammocks. Oh, speaking of Marvin. He asked for a cabin to himself, given the whole... nausea condition. Even with the tonic he's worried about it. So there's really only two. "

The boys all share some looks, then look back towards Jackie. 

Dr. J timidly lifts a hand, "...I'm also worried about being nauseous so if I can... a cabin would be great." 

"We could share, Doc!" Jackieboy says with glee, "That way I can hopefully get some better sleep too- last couple nights have been rough..." 

"Me and Henny could share too- You wouldn't mind, right Hen?" Bro asks. 

"only if it is okay!" Henny says timidly, "I would not wanna take a cabin from someone else who is needing it!"

Henrik raises an eyebrow. "If you all think you can fit. They are pretty small." 

"I'm fine with sleeping with the crew," Jackie says. "What about you two?" He looks at Chase and Jameson. 

Chase shrugs. "I don't really care. I can sleep wherever." 

I'll take wherever I can get, Jameson adds. 

Henny and Bro look at each other, "If they're small- me and Hen can sleep with the crew too. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper." 

"Yeah! I think it could be fun! I have never slept a whole night in a hammock!" Henny says brightly. 

"Also, here, JJ." Henrik hands JJ a small ceramic bottle. "This is one of the tonics. Take one mouthful when you go to sleep and another when you wake up." 

The thought of a swinging hammock on a rocking ship makes Dr. J look kinda pale. So, he's relived when Henrik hands him the tonic. "Thank you so much Henrik."

"Not a problem." Henrik smiles. "I need to give one to Marvin, too. Where is he?" 

"Boat." Jackie points. "Again?" 

"Yea." 

"I do not think the crew like him that much." 

Jackie stifles a laugh. 

Bro laughs loudly at this, "Yeah i'm not sure I would either, having to do that!" 

"Oh, the sunset!" Chase gasps, looking off the bow of the ship. The sun is setting, the orange and pink light reflecting off the deep blue water. "That's beautiful!"

Henny and Jackieboy looks towards the sunset, then towards each other before they run towards the bow.  Jackieboy climbs on the top of the wall of the ship and looks out, laughing lightly in awe, "Wow... that is just gorgeous..." 

Henny leans on the wall and smiles, watching," Ha... this reminds me of when I was young… with my Papa and brothers... seeing the sun set on the beach..." 

Dr. J watches the two go with a fond shake of his head. Bro smiles and they take in the sunset too.

For a moment, everyone just watches the sunset. The crew doesn't mind, working around them. They're used to passengers. So they start pulling up the boats and their stored goods and begin to transfer them to the cargo hold. 

Marvin gets out of the boat and wanders over to the group, also looking at the sunset for a moment before clearing his throat. "I'm, um... going to go to a cabin." 

"Ah, here, Marvin." Henrik hands him another one of the ceramic bottles. "One mouthful before sleep, one when you wake." 

"Alright. Sure." Marvin examines the bottle. "Is everyone going below the deck, too? Who has the cabins?" 

"Jackieboy and JJ." 

"And you?" 

Henrik blushes. "Vsevna offered..." 

Jackieboy snickers at Henrik's blushing. 

Marvin grins but says nothing and just heads down a set of stairs tucked next to the captain's cabin.

"I might follow Marvin's lead and retire early too..." Dr. J says, clutching the tonic. "Since its gonna be dark soon anyways." 

"Oh yeah- is this kinda ship good to sail at night?" Jackieboy asks with a head tilt, then he shakes his head. "... that might be a dumb question- I just dont remember if we're setting off right away or in the morning-" 

"If we were not leaving until morning, why would we already be on the ship?" Henny asks, knitting his eyebrows. 

"Idk man! I dunno how boats work! That's my wife's specialty!"

Henrik chuckles. "Of course the ship is good to sail at night. It is built for long voyages. You cannot just stop sailing when it gets dark, that would eat up so much time. Don't worry, the crew is very capable." 

Jackieboy laughs and messes with his hair, "Yeahhh that makes sense... That'd be dumb-" 

"We might as well go to bed then, and let them take care of it," Chase says.

Bro stretches and nods, "That works for me." 

Henny smiles, "Yes! nothing wrong with some extra sleep. Then, we'll be one nights closer to finding our friend!"

"Let's go below, then," Jackie says. "Come on. I've been on the Serpent's before, I can show you where things are."

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

A benefit to sleeping below the decks of a massive ship? There is hardly any light to wake you up in the morning. Those in the cabins have portholes, but the portholes have wooden shutters that close. Everyone is free to sleep as long as they want... though those in the hammocks may be stirred by the sound of the crew getting up and going about their ship business.

Bro rises pretty early with the crew- used to early morning patrols. He stretches and looks around, smiling as he sees Henny still curled up asleep in his hammock. He goes up on the deck and goes to the edge to look out at the sea, feeling the fresh salty sea air. 

Dr. J comes up not long after, looking around and then relaxing slightly at seeing Bro. He comes over to stand next to him. "Good morning, Chase!" 

Bro smiles back at JJ. "Mornin' Doc. How ya feelin'?" 

"Better than I thought I would! Henrik's tonic has helped a lot." The good doctor smiles.

Jackie is already up, also used to early mornings, doing sword practice in a corner of the deck with some of the sailors. Seems the swaying deck has taken away some of his keen dexerity and he loses pretty frequently. 

Chase wakes up shortly after JJ does. "There's so much water," he mutters, looking out at the open sea. Then he looks up. "There are already people up there?!" He blanches just seeing the crew members going up and down the rigging.

Bro looks up at Chase's exclamation and then grins, "Oh... Jackie's gonna be such a menace to those guys-" 

"Honestly I don't see the appeal..." Dr. J says, shaking his head. 

"Only cuz you're scared of heights." 

"Any sensible person would be!"

"I completely agree," Chase says. "What if you fall? Not everyone can fly. In fact, almost no one can fly!" 

Henrik comes out of the captain's cabin at that moment. "Good morning, everyone," he says cheerfully. "Hmm. Seems only about half of us are awake. Do you want to watch Jackie fight? He falls down while doing so on the ship, it is very rare to see him fall." He chuckles. 

Bro grins, "I'm actually thinking of joining if I can! But, dunno probably good to eat something first-" 

Then, one of the doors to the lower cabins bursts open downstairs and Jackieboy claws his way up the stairs to the deck. He grins wide at seeing others up in the rigging and points up, "WATCH OUT ROPES IMMA BOUT TO CLIMB YOU SO HARD!!" 

Bro bursts into laughter, "Uh oh- proper sleep has made him hyper!" 

"YA DAMN RIGHT IT DID!" Jackie calls. 

Dr. J shakes his head, "Before breakfast? He's a mad man-" 

Chase shakes his head as he watches Jackieboy. "He's a fool." 

Dr. J laughs, "I agree- but unfortunately he's a very loveable fool." He says this as he watches Jackieboy start to climb the rigging, grinning like a child on Christmas. 

"Don't be so mean," Henrik scolds. "Not everyone is scared to fall. Besides, Bro could catch him, probably." 

"Well, he's free to do whatever he wants." Chase shrugs.

Henny soon pops his head up from below, his hair tussled from sleep. "Why is there the yelling?" he asks as he joins the others, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. 

Bro chuckles, "You don't usually sleep this late, Henns-" 

"The hammock was very comfy..." Henny yawns.

Chase glances at Henny and smiles. "Yea, it was, wasn't it? Something about the swaying was so soothing to me. And then--then I had another draisling." He looks at the swaps. "You remember me telling you about that, right? With Jack?”

Bro blinks and then nods, "Oh yeah! Your magic dreams- I remember!" 

“He, um... told me something. The King and Magnificent are going to the Wyldwood, and they're bringing Alt with them." 

Jameson appears just in time to hear this, looking like he didn't sleep as well as Chase and Henny. So my vision is on our path? he asks. 

"Seems like it." Henrik lets out a breath. "That is good to know." 

"And," Chase adds, "the two of them think that the Winged Elder One is helping Alt somehow." 

Henrik gasps. "So we are really on the right path, then!" 

Jameson grins, happy to hear this. 

Bro frowns at hearing about the King and Mag, and looks furious at the mention of Alt still being with them. But, he does brighten as he hears about the Elder, but his expression quickly morphs into worry. "If that is true... then they already know... that means they're gonna do everything they can to stop it..." He grits his teeth in anger.

"The King and Magnificent will stop it, you mean?" Henrik asks, looking worried. 

Chase rolls his eyes. "How arrogant do you have to be to think you can stop an Elder? If I was in their position, I would just give up there and try something else." 

Jackie, after getting knocked on his ass again, gets up and joins the others. "What are you talking about?" 

"Oh, uh..." Chase fills him in quickly. 

Jackie sighs. "Well, people like those two won't give up until they get what they want. And honestly, I don't think they'll ever get what they want. Their goal will keep shifting." 

Jameson nods. There's a way of fortune telling involving arcana cards. I remember learning about it when I was little, oracles in Saelas use it. One of the arcana cards is Hunger. A person who is never sated no matter how much they consume. This spirit is certainly like that, and I'm betting Magnificent is, too.

"Oh yeah... that's probably the best way to describe him," Bro growls, power bright in his eyes. "Arrogant, power-hungry... probably thinks going up against an Elder is a fun challenge-" He spist out with hatred. 

"... What can we do then? What if... together... they can best an Elder?" Henny asks in a small voice.

Chase and Jackie start laughing at that. 

"If they can defeat an Elder, they'd still have to deal with the other twenty-four of them," Jackie says. 

"I don't care how unnaturally strong that spirit is, he cannot defeat them," Chase says. "And even if he can, the world is full of other gods who would take issue with that." 

"Exactly," Henrik says. "The Celestial Sisters are watching over this island, as well as the Forger. Do they think they can defeat the ocean? Do they think they can defeat the moon and sun?" He scoffs just saying that.

Henny blinks and then laughs lightly too, shaking his head. "Ha... no- Magnificent is powerful but not that powerful!" 

Bro seems to relax at this too. Having someone point this out helped to ease his worry. "Ha- never really thought we'd have gods on our side..." He looks up at the sky, gripping his shirt over his chest. "... I hope they're able to help Alt... just until we get there..." 

"I'm sure he can make it," Jackie says. 

Chase nods. "I've had a couple encounters with an Elder. They're in my draislings. I'm sure they can protect him."

Bro smiles at Jackie and Chase’s reassurance.

"We have to believe in him too, Chase," Dr. J says gently, "Alt is a tough lad- I bet he's fighting as hard as he can... But, no matter what... we'll find him and bring him home." 

Bro nods at this and sighs, messing with his hair, "Yeah... I know... I just... can't help but worry. He's my baby brother..."

As Bro mentions Alt being his brother, Jameson's expression uncharacteristically... breaks. It's hard to catch, but for a moment, his face is full of grief. He quickly schools it back to sympathy. It's tough, trying to protect younger siblings, he says. But you can't let that guilt eat you up. You're doing everything you can. And I'm sure Alt knows that, even through whatever spell they have on him. 

The others glance at Jameson.

Henny watches Jameson and looks concerned for him. 

Bro blinks then smiles slightly, “Oh yeah- you mentioned having siblings once… sisters, right? So… you get it.” He sighs and messes with his hair some more. “But you’re right… Worrying isn’t gonna do anything right now…”

Jameson glances at Henny’s concerned face, then looks back at Bro with a small smile. Well technically Emer wasn’t my sister all the time, sometimes she was my [sibling], but she didn’t mind the rest of us lumping her together with Orla and Mairead. 

Bro smiles, “Non-binary- nice! also those are such pretty names! I bet they’re great gals!” 

Jackie clears his throat. “I have siblings too. Haven’t seen them in a while but I do wonder how they’re getting on sometimes. I’m not going to say you shouldn’t worry, it’s impossible not to, but don’t let it control you, okay?” He grins. “How about a distraction?” He raises a wooden practice sword in demonstration. 

“Oh yes, Bro, you may have a chance now that the waves throw Jackie off,” Henrik chuckles.

Bro looks at Jackie and then grins wide, “Hell yeah!”

As soon as Bro looks away Jameson’s expression slips again. Chase puts a hand on his shoulder, which Jameson looks grateful for. Has anyone seen Marvin? he asks, changing the subject. 

“I think he is still in his cabin,” Henrik says. “I hope the tonic is helping his nausea. If it is, he should come up. He would like watching this I think.” He gestures at Bro and Jackie going off to spar. 

I’ll go check on him, then, Jameson says, and turns to leave.

Henny watches Jameson with more worry and then looks to the others, “I think I left something downstairs as well! I will go with Jameson-“ Then he quickly follows after Jameson. He hesitates for a second and then reaches out to gently take Jameson’s shoulder, “…Jameson my friend… is something wrong?” He asks quietly.

Jameson stops just before the stairs below deck. He reflexively starts to deny it, then hesitates. Are you… prepared to hear something serious?

Henny looks even more worried but then he nods, “If you are willing to share… it is alright if you are not though. I just want to make sure you are okay…”

I think an explanation is needed, anyway. It’s only fair. I think everyone else knows. Jameson hesitates again before going on. My sisters… have passed. Six years ago my parents opposed many of the King’s new policies, so he… retaliated. I’m the last of my line. He shakes his head. All that sibling talk just… reminded me of things. 

Henny’s eyes widen and then, without thinking, he grabs Jameson and pulls him into a tight hug. He buries his head against Jameson’s shoulder and whispers in a shaky voice, “I am… so sorry, Jameson…” 

Jameson, not expecting that at all, stiffens slightly. But then he quickly melts into it, hugging Henny back. He closes his eyes and lets out a long breath. Been a while since someone said that.

Henrik hugs him tight for a while before finally letting go. He wipes underneath his eyes and then looks at Jameson with a sympathetic expression. “…I understand your pain, my friend. In a different way but… I… I will tell you something my friends know that you all do not…” He fidgets anxiously with his pocket watch and looks down, taking a deep breath. “…Magnificent… he pulled me from the past in our world… one minute… I was still living with my papa and my brothers were alive and then… it was suddenly 90 years in the future.” Tears brim in his eyes, “in a way… he took my family from me… and I already lost my mother and my sisters in a war…” He pushes up his glasses to wipe at his eyes better before laughing bitterly. “M-maybe that is too serious but… I understand, Jameson… I lost my entire family too…”

Jameson's eyes go wide, and then his expression softens. He shakes his head. No, it's not too much. It's alright. There are tears in his eyes too. I'm so sorry, Henny. I can't imagine what it would have been like jumping through time, after already losing your family. He gives a voiceless, dark laugh. But I also understand that pain. He smiles, eyes watery. I suppose we have to make them proud from beyond, then, don't we? He indicates the mask hanging from his belt. My family crest was a rabbit. I think... I think resisting the King is what they would want me to do.

Henrik looks up at Jameson and gives him a watery smile too, a tear dripping down his face. “Yes… I-I think they would be very proud… of both of us.” He gives Jameson another quick hug before backing up and wiping at his face again. He laughs lightly. “now… w-we should probably see if Marvin is alright, Ja?”

Jameson nods. He's probably sleeping in, if he's not too nauseous. But let's check anyway. He gives him one more smile, and then heads down the stairs. 

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

Soon after the sun rises, Aneirin wakes up. He immediately turns his attention to Alt. He didn't see any more strange dreams that night, but that didn't mean there weren't more possibly coming. Getting up, he nudges Alt awake, and then Magnificent. "I think it's time," he says, grinning. "Time to jump across the land."

Alt looks exhausted, the dark bags under his eyes getting worse each day. But, he glitches up and stands at attention, dazedly looking back at the King. 

Magnificent blinks awake and then grins, getting to his feet in a flicker of magic. “Finally~!” He glances over at Alt and checks his strings mentally. They’re still strong. He nods in satisfaction, grinning even more.

Aneirin looks a bit concerned at Alt’s condition, but they don’t have time to let him rest. “We can leave the horses behind,” he says, grabbing the bags from them. They’d made sure to stock them up during the trip, but if worst comes to worst, he could remember an edible fruit if he saw it. “It will be too difficult for them.”

“Good- they were useful but I’m glad to not have to ride them anymore.” Magnificent grumbles. 

Alt looks at the King grabbing the bags and holds out a hand, “I can carry those, mu Ríth.” 

Aneirin grins. “Thank you, á klaíoh.” He was going to tell him to carry them anyway, but it’s always good to see them showing initiative. Alt takes the bags and adjusts them accordingly, nodding to the King. 

 As Aneirin hands them over, he looks up at the sky. Clouds are visibly moving across it. Gathering above them. This black magic is certainly giving him a boost. Then he looks around. They need a stretch of clear land… there. He points to a spot about fifty feet away. “I’ll open the doorway there. Don’t get too close until it appears.”

Magnificent grins at the clouds but then tilts his head and narrows his eyes towards where Aneirin pointed, “Why can’t we get close-?”

“Because lightning is about to strike,” the King says bluntly. The clouds rumble ominously after that. How dramatic.

“…oh- well yeah… that would explain it.” Magnificent replies, blinking rapidly.

“Get ready.” The King narrows his eyes. They flash green— A bolt of lightning flashes down from the clouds and strikes the ground. 

Dirt and grass sprays into the air, and suddenly a hole opens up, an archway of green light wide enough for the three of them to walk through side by side. The middle no longer shows the field, but instead a lush forest in all shades of green, the ground gradually sloping downwards.

Alt’s eyes widen as he sees the forest on the other side. He starts to walk forward- but Mag grabs him and tugs him back slightly. “Stay by us, kitten. We don’t want you getting lost.” 

Green flashes weakly in Alt’s eyes but he nods, whispering, “Y-Yes my liege.” 

Ah. Just as he remembers. The King nods, preparing himself, and walks forward. 

Magnificent grins, looking at the portal with mad glee. “This is it! Let’s go~” He walks toward, Alt trailing just behind him.

As soon as the three of them are through the doorway closes. They are standing on a sloped ground, surrounded by trees with dark green leaves, thick enough to completely block out the sky. But it’s bright as day in the forest, lit up by glowing yellow and orange mushrooms growing on the trees’ bark. Patches of moss cover everything in a fuzzy green carpet and the grass blades are wide, reaching their knees. “This is… in the foothills of the mountains, I believe,” Aneirin says.

Magnificent whistles, “My my… what a pretty sight!” He then makes a face at the grass reaching up so high and lifts up his foot slightly. “ugh- I definitely see where the wild fits in though.” 

Alt looks around at the glowing mushrooms and the trees. “it’s… beautiful.” 

Aneirin looks around. "I suppose it is. It's been so long since I've seen it in person." He gently puts one hand against the nearest tree. And the moss shrinks back, spreading away from his hand like an amoeba moving. A low groaning sound echoes through the forest. Other than that, there is no noise at all. "But that doesn't make it any less dangerous. I think I remember our destination being on flatter ground."

“Then let’s get moving,” Magnificent says, heading down the slope. 

Alt hesitates, watching the moss shrinking away from the King. But soon enough his eyes flicker with green and he moves to follow Magnificent. He grips their supply bag tightly, looking around the forest cautiously as they move.

Nothing happens for a while. They brush through the grass and weave around the trees, heading gradually downwards. Alt and Mag can feel the magic around them, so strong it's practically buzzing. Another one of those groaning noises echoes through the forest, and despite the lack of wind, the trees rustle. And then the ground heaves, gnarled tree roots rising from the earth, blocking their way forward.

Alt reacts first, getting in front of Mag and the King and holding a hand buzzing with green lightning out towards the roots. But, he relaxes as it doesn’t seem like it’s attacking them. He does look at them in confusion, though. 

Magnificent steps forward and growls, lighting green fire up in his hand. “The fuck is this?!”

"I told you, the forest has a mind of its own," the King says. He steps forward, experimentally touching the raised roots. They don't react. He turns to the side, inching between the trees, but it seems this wall continues to the left and the right. "No way around it, it looks like. We'll have to find some way through."

Magnificent growls, eyes glowing bright, “I’ll make a way through!” 

“W-Won’t that cause a huge fire??” Alt says in a bit of panic. 

“Silence whelp- you weren’t spoken to!” Magnificent snaps at Alt. The knight scampers back and presses his lips shut. “If this forest has a mind of its own- it can find a way to put itself out!” The mad magician giggles, then lashes out to try to blast a hole through the roots with a blast of green fire. 

The fire catches, burning through the wood surprisingly quickly. 

Aneirin steps back, looking actually shocked. The roots writhe as more of those groaning sounds echo through the environment. And then, from deep within the forest, comes a wailing scream of terror. Fear rolls through the woods, rising up within them at the sound of that scream. It's almost a physical force telling them to run as fast as possible in the other direction.

Alt stumbles back from the fire, eyes wide. Then, the screaming comes and he feels a shiver go through his body, parts of it threatening to pixelize. He starts to step back, almost wanting to listen to the force. But then his eyes flash green, Mag’s command to stay close washing away all the terror and he relaxes, eyes glazing over slightly. 

Magnificent feels the force but then snorts and steps forward, going through the smoking hole he made through the wood. “Nice try, woods- but you won’t scare me.”

Aneirin raises an eyebrow. "Impressive." He follows Magnificent. As he passes through the hole the tree roots slam down, barely missing him as they burrow into the earth to recover from the burning. He doesn't even flinch. "That's probably a banshee or darrig. We'll know if it's the latter if we have nightmares." 

The tree branches overhead bend, almost avoiding touching the two of them. They don't bend away from Alt. Which is a bit inconvenient, but it doesn't feel malicious.

“Oh goody- I love those,” Magnificent grumbles. He keeps moving forward. Alt stares at the roots as they slam down, a brief flickering in his eyes. But then he follows after Mag and the King, glitching around the branches in his way. 

It's hard to tell how much time passes without the sun for reference. Slowly, the trees change, growing taller and straighter, their dark brown bark speckled with white. The grass is no longer knee-length, now just brushing their ankles, turning dark green, almost turquoise. The glowing mushrooms disappear but are replaced by small white flowers and pink butterflies, both glowing as well. 

Soon, hunger starts to set in for the King and Alt. And just as they start to notice, they come to a section where vines drop down from the high branches of the trees. Vines with fruit on the end and berries along the length. There's a whole variety, the fruit resembling plums, apricots, nectarines, the berries like cherries and mulberries, but they're all the wrong colors. They look almost like jewels in the way they shine.

Alt, who's been dazedly walking through the changes, blinks up at the vines. Then, he seems to brighten, his stomach churning painfully. He instantly reaches up to try to grab some of the fruit. 

"Careful, á klaíoh." The King holds out his hand, stopping Alt from grabbing anything. "Fruit in the Wyldwood could be a trick." He narrows his eyes, trying to recall these. "If I'm correct... you shouldn't eat the ones that are warmer colors. Stick to the cooler blues and purples." Maybe. It's been a while since he had to eat these. And he'd rather Alt try than him. 

Alt startles slightly at the King stopping him. He blinks and then looks out at the vine again. He takes the first cool colored fruit he can find, hesitates, then slowly takes a bite.

It--it's so good. Delicious, sweet, and surprisingly rich for a fruit. It tastes like new flavors are emerging the longer he has it in his mouth, and as he swallows he feels comforting warmth in his stomach. His body is buzzing with energy, glitching on its own. 

He wants more. He needs more--

Alt practically melts as he chews on the fruit, eagerly eating what he can before he starts to reach for another. Then, he stops and furrows his brows against the sensation. He's hungry but... this... feels like a trap. He glitches back, looking at the fruit with narrowed eyes. He looks down at his body now, eyes widening as he sees the energy bubbling throughout. "...woah-" 

"...strange fruit-" Mag comments, raising an eyebrow. "If it provides energy though... maybe we should keep some around." 

"...I-I don't think that's a very good idea, sire..." Alt breathes, "...I think the fruit was trying to bewitch me-" 

Aneirin blinks. "Ah yes, I remember now." He reaches up to the vines himself and--avoiding the fruit at the end--takes some of the berries. "The warm fruit will steal your energy while the cool fruit gives you it, but they both taste so delicious that you want to eat until your stomach bursts. To offset it, you need to consume the berries first." He pops a couple of them in his mouth. They taste slightly sour, a feeling that lingers as he grabs a purple fruit and bites into it. It's delicious, but not irresistible. "You were able to resist the feeling on your own? Impressive."

Alt feels a wave of pride swell through him at the King's praise. He smiles timidly and nods, grabbing some berries for himself and following the King's lead. "T-Thank you, mu Rith." He mumbles, popping a few berries in his mouth and then grabbing another cool fruit. His body buzzes with more energy and he grins, feeling better than he has in a couple days. He starts to pick both berries and fruits to take with them. 

"You're welcome." The King leans back against a tree as he eats. "We can take a moment here. I believe we also have bread and meat in the bags, if we're making this a full meal. If you would, á klaíoh, when you're done gathering." He gestures at the bags Alt is carrying. 

Alt glitches around and then perks up a bit and seems relieved the King is willing to take a break. "Of course, sire!" He sits down and starts to unpack, pulling out all the things they need for a full meal. 

Mag looks annoyed about having to stop but he sighs and comes over to sit anyway.

Aneirin notices Mag's annoyance and smirks slightly. "Come now, Magnificent. Surely you remember the need for rest, even if you may not remember the need for food. Besides, we're not sure where our destination lies anyway. A search takes more energy than a simple journey."

Magnificent sighs dramatically but he does lean back on his hands. "Yeah yeah- I suppose my legs could use a rest." 

Alt breaks the bread and hands some of the bread and meat to the King before giving himself some to eat and digging in.

They eat quietly for a while, the only sound being the faint rustling of leaves and that strange groaning noise. Now able to sit and really listen, it sounds like... like something heavy moving. Maybe something wooden. 

Magnificent has his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the forest during their break. Even if he's not a big fan of that groaning noise... 

There's also another sound. Alt can hear a faint... murmuring. Not a sound that fits in the woods. It sounds like one or two human voices.

Alt eats quickly but tries to savor the food too. As he's finishing up he picks up the sound of the mumbling and looks towards it, lightly tilting his head.

"...What is it?" Aneirin asks, noticing Alt's attention. Then he hears it too. "...Voices?" He frowns. "Wait a moment. Let's see if they change at all." 

They don't. They stay where they are, at generally the same volume, too low to really hear the words.

Alt tenses his shoulders and listens, narrowing his eyes. When they don't move he looks towards the King, "...an illusion?"

"Possibly," he says slowly. "But I believe we can take on any creatures that would cause it. It could also be real. And if it is, I am curious..." He pauses. It's tempting to send Alt to check it out, but if he goes too far, they could get separated. He looks at Magnificent, silently asking for his opinion. 

Alt's eyes spark with magic, "I could check it out, mu Rith." 

Magnificent glances at Aneirin and then shrugs, {His control is solid. He knows not to stray too far from our side.}

Aneirin nods reluctantly. "Very well. Be careful. If you think you are in danger, return and alert us instead of staying to fight."

Alt's flash green at the command as he nods, "Yes, mu Ríth." Then he glitches out of sight. He appears where he thinks he heard the noise, magic bubbling in his hands as he looks cautiously around.

As he weaves between the trees, the voices get louder until he sees two figures crouching behind a pair of bushes--which doesn't help hide them at all, since they are the only bushes in sight and kind of stand out. One of the figures is small, the size of a child, but with adult proportions. He wears old-looking clothes and has a mane of curly red hair and a beard that practically hides his face. The other is mostly covered by a black cloak, but has skinny wrinkled arms and long white hair. They are talking. It's not Glasish (or even English), but somehow Alt knows what they're saying. 

"What is a Jester but a Fool without conviction?" 

"The conviction is the difference. A Fool would walk down the Forest Path, a Jester would turn away for spite or fun." 

The short man grumbles and the cloaked woman sweeps two things towards her. It seems they're playing a card game of some sort, with a set of cards whose backs have the same pattern as the bark on the surrounding trees. Each of them has a hand of five cards and a pile of face-up claimed cards, and there's a deck to draw from in the middle. 

Alt pauses as he hears the voices get louder and he stops to hide partially behind a tree. He narrows his eyes at the figures. ...the King said this forest was dangerous... why are these people just... out here playing cards...?

Suddenly, both of them turn and look right at Alt, the tree doing him no favors. "Oh, someone approaches!" says the cloaked woman. "He smells of Hunger but he is not of that." 

"I think he travels with one, maybe two," says the small man. "Which is he, you think? Perhaps of the Hood?" 

"I say a Magician, or perhaps a Ghlish." 

"These people are of many arcana, maybe he is all of them." 

"That is very true. Stranger, would you like to join our game? We can deal you a hand. If you play well, perhaps we will give you aid."

Alt stiffens as they turn towards him, his blood running cold. He cautiously steps out from behind the tree, trying to keep himself from glitching. "um... dia duhui ..." He tries to greet. "Y-You all speak in... a strange tongue... may I ask what you... are, exactly?" He asks quietly, fearful of their reactions.

"Ah, some of the Wanderer in you, too, I see," the cloaked woman cackles. "Far from home, if you do not know." Somehow, Alt realizes that she's switched to another language that he understands as well. 

Alt blinks in confusion as they speak. Why does the language sound... more familiar now? It's not... Glasish. "... far from home...?" He whispers, green-blue flickering in his eyes. 

"You have nothing to fear from Lasta and Caba," the short man says, speaking that language too. 

"Frightening and strange we may be, but death and pain is no fun," the cloaked woman agrees. 

"And If I am Lasta and she is Caba, who are you?" the short man asks. "Will you give us your name?"

Alt  shakes his head out, blinking rapidly. "Oh well Lasta... Caba.... it's nice to meet you..." He says slowly. As they ask for his name, a foggy memory swirls in his head. Of a woman with red hair and a kind smile, who warned him about the fey. ... the fey...? like... the fair folk...? That's... confusing... but the memory’s vivid enough to give him pause before he speaks. "... I cannot give you my name... but you can call me Alt." He replies. 

Lasta and Caba laugh. "So he's clever!" Caba says. "Not so much a Wanderer, then." 

"Seeing more of the Magician, yes," Lasta agrees. "Well, Alt, would you like to play?" Caba picks up the deck and shuffles it. Alt catches glimpses of colorful illustrations on the face side of the cards. "There will be no cost." 

"And it may reveal more than you think," Lasta adds.

Alt hesitates again, glancing back towards where he left the King and Magnificent. But... surely there wasn't too much risk in playing a game...? He could just say he was scouting around. The knight nods and goes to sit down on the ground by them, "Um... sure? you.. keep mentioning all these titles and names... what are you referring to exactly?" He asks curiously. Honestly- it feels weird to be speaking so much. He's really only been speaking when spoken to by the King and Magnificent the past couple days.

"We speak of the arcana, Alt," Caba says, spreading out the deck for a moment to show the illustrations. Each card has one, with writing underneath it labeling it. 

Alt's eyes light up and he smiles, a foregin name on his tongue, "Tarot cards...!" Then, his eyes flash green and he knits his eyebrows together, shaking out his head. "Uh... sorry I don't... know why I said that..." 

Caba continues as if he had not spoken, "Oracles use them to tell fortunes, but they can also be used to tell the character of a thing." 

"Or for simple games," Lasta says. 

"Yes, like ours!" Caba cackles. She flips the deck so the faces are down. "Take five for your hand, Alt. Our rules are loose. Each round, present one of your cards. We will present one of ours. We must give reasons why our card will beat the others presented." 

"Use your imagination," Lasta says. "And if you do not know what your card is, go with your gut feeling to its meaning." 

"The one who convinces the others will take the cards," Caba continues. "And we go until we run the deck out. Whoever has the most cards wins for all. But you may bow out after however many rounds you please."

Alt listens to the rules and nods, smiling again, "Alright... that sounds fun." He starts to draw 5 cards.

Caba and Lasta smile. 

"Let the game begin!" Lasta says, and they each grab a card from the deck to fill out the rest of their hand. 

Alt's five cards are all different. Maybe there aren't any repeats in this arcana. The first one shows a two-wheeled silver cart being pulled by a pair of goats and driven by a woman with red hair and purple eyes. It's labelled as "The Chariot." The second shows a wheel with six spokes. In each corner is a woman, a bird, a wolf, and a cat, all with wings. It's labelled "The Wheel of Fortune." The third shows a man standing in front of a gold-framed mirror. While the man has short green hair and wears blue and red, the reflection has long brown hair and wears black and red. It also has scars on half of its face. This is labelled "The Mirror." The fourth shows a background that's all vivid colors blurred together, broken up by a black crack running down the middle, with more cracks branching off to the side. This is labelled "Fracture." The final one has an illustration of a clock face. It's floating in space, and the stars are spiralling around it, the background swirls of purple and blue. It's labelled "Time." 

Alt's eyes widen as he looks at the mirror card. Why... does the image of the man in red... look so familiar....?

"Play at will, Alt," Caba says, setting down her chosen card face-down on the grass. "We'll reveal in unison."

Alt’s caught in his own head for a second before he snaps back at the sound of his name. He nods and pulls a card at random from his deck, too shaken to put too much thought into it.

Lasta puts his card down shortly after. "I'll turn them, then," he says, and flips over the three cards. 

On the left is Lasta's card: an illustration of a cloaked figure wearing a white mask, holding a lamp in one hand and standing on a cliff. "The Hermit." It came out upside down when he flipped it. 

In the middle is Caba's: an illustration of a brown-haired man with a crown sitting at a banquet table, yet despite the full plate before him his cheeks are sunken. "Hunger." 

On the right is Alt's chosen card. The "Fracture." 

"Interesting, interesting," Caba says. "You seem to have no good cards, Lasta." 

"Better than yours, at least. A Hermit would not fall to Hunger." 

Alt's eyes widen looking at the Hunger card. The crown- the King...? He gasps for a second, a sudden pain in his temple as his eyes flicker green. He grits his teeth and tries to push past the sudden discomfort. He can't anger these kind creatures.... they are probably fair folk! It's just a simple game... it will be fine- He looks at the other cards and then mutters out, "Um.. t-the fracture would... affect both of them... wouldn't it? Anyone can feel... fractured-" He says this and grips over his heart.

They tilt their heads in comical unison. 

"Often a Hunger will cause a Fracture," Caba insists. 

"And the Hermit would have enough wisdom to avoid it," Lasta adds. 

"Oh, come now, yours came out reversed." Caba smirks beneath her curtain of white hair. "The upside Hermit is lost and lonely. He would have no one to support him through a Fracture." 

Lasta throws a hand in the air. "My hand has not been good these past few rounds!" 

"So you concede?" 

"I do." 

"Between you and me then, lad," Caba says. 

Alt grips tighter at his tunic listening to Caba talk about the Hermit. Lost and Lonely... He has to shake his head more to look back at Caba. He sees the Hunger card and feels a twing of pain in his head again. "... fracture seems... powerful... doesn't it? s-surely enough to best a... a hungry... king-" He says slowly. 

"So you see it as a King," Caba says. "Fascinating." 

Alt blinks in confusion and looks up, "Is he... not?" He asks, tilting his head at the Hunger card. 

She cackles. "For one so unfamiliar, you are correct. A Fracture is a danger to many. I concede." 

"We've not had one beat us in some time," Lasta adds. "Perhaps we should have fought more." 

Alt looks back up with surprise. "I won...?" 

"This lad has been through much. The smell of Hunger says it. We are not like those cruel ones, are we?" 

"No, of course not." Lasta laughs. "Very well. What shall he win, then?" 

"That is the question, hmm." Caba sweeps the cards towards Alt. "For now, keep these three for yourself. Consider them a souvenir in addition to your prize." 

Alt takes the cards from them and studies them a bit closer, frowning. "Ah... t-thank you..." 

"Gold is traditional for my people, if you'd like that," Lasta says, grinning. 

"Or I can wish you luck on troubled waters, if you travel much," Caba adds.

Alt then looks back at them and thinks, "... I don't have need for gold... so luck would be... better I think. I have been travelling for quite some time..."

"Ahhh, we are very lucky," Lasta laughs like this is some joke between him and Caba. 

"The cards will look like what you know," Caba says. "Perhaps in the presence of others it will look different. But luck, you say?" The two of them lean closer, almost pressing their heads together. Then they draw apart again. 

"Very well." Lasta reaches into one of the bushes and pulls out a small twig with bright green leaves. He passes it to Caba, and she rolls it over in her hands. Alt can smell salt, like the ocean. Caba hands him the twig. "When you most need it, luck will bring you where you need to be," she says. 

Alt watches with bright curiosity as Lasta and Caba prepare the twig. He hesitates to take it though- his eyes flickering more with green. It almost feels like he's fighting something... but he's not sure what. But, he eventually grabs it and looks at it with a tilted head. "...where I need to be... huh...?"

"Now, do you wish for a second round?" Lasta says, shuffling the deck. 

For some reason, Alt feels that a second round is a bad idea... He straightens up at the offer and then he pushes himself up. "Um... I... I probably shouldn't... I'm expected somewhere... I-I need to return but... thank you for the game, and your gift." He says, giving them a small bow.

"Yes, of course, twas a pleasure!" Lasta says. 

"No debt owed, no need to thank!" Caba adds. "Return to where you came from, and tell your companions of what happened." Lasta shuffles faster. 

Alt backs up and then nods to them, "R-Right..." He's not sure how much he will end up telling the King and Mag... He's worried they will be angry for how long he's been gone. 

"And we will continue as we do." Caba plucks a card from the deck mid-shuffle. 

"Farewell," they say in unison. And then immediately, the two of them turn their attention back to the cards, like Alt is no longer there.

Once their eyes are no longer on him, Alt glitches away, hurrying back to where he left Mag and the King.

Aneirin stands up when he sees Alt approaching. "What happened?" he demands. "You were gone for so long." If he hadn't been able to sense Alt's mind staying still he would have been very concerned.

Alt stumbles back with a look of fear as the King speaks, "I-I stumbled into a pair of f-fair folk! They tricked me i-into a game. I'm s-so sorry, my king..." 

Mag sits up and knits his eyebrows in thought, "You got tricked?"

Aneirin's eyebrows shoot into the air in surprise. "A game? With two Fair Folk? By any chance, did they introduce themselves as Caba and Lasta?"

"Y-Yes." Alt says quietly. "Have you met them before, s-sire...?"

"Not personally, but I have heard of them," Aneirin says slowly. "A leprechaun and bodacha trapped in an eternal game. When the rest of the Fair Folk left this world for their Faerilynd, those two refused to help with the moving, instead continuing to play with their cards. In anger, other Fair Folk cursed them so their game would never end." He chuckles. "Little did they know that wouldn't bother the two of them at all. It's said they try to entrap travelers into playing while time around them passes quickly. But if the travelers win a round, they're granted a prize of some sort."

Magnificent snorts at this, "Ridiculous..." 

"...I... I won." Alt says quietly, yet, he tries to hide his prize under his tunic, suddenly afraid of the King knowing about it.

"You did?" The King looks surprised. He laughs. "They must have gone easy on you. Or perhaps you drew a good hand. Very well. What did you get? Tell us."

Alt stiffens, his eyes flashing green. He chokes a bit, then feels compelled to say, "I won these, mu Rith," and he holds out the twig and the 3 cards. His hands tremble as he shows the King. "Cards... and an aid for our travels." 

Magnificent teleports over and peers down at the spoils, then makes a face. "What garbage is this?" 

"The Fair Folk are fond of disguising valuables as common trash and common trash as valuables," Aneirin says. He takes the cards and turns them over, revealing their illustrations. Strangely, the person in the Hunger illustration looks different. No longer wearing fine green clothes and a crown, but instead a tattered cape with colorful static on the inside. The Hermit also looks different, now a man wearing a green cloak and holding a sword in the hand that's not holding the lantern. The King's expression darkens. 

"Keep these," he mutters, handing the cards back to Alt. "What do you mean by 'an aid'?"

Alt nods, taking the cards. Then he says quietly, " They said.... 'When you most need it, luck will bring you where you need to be' and h-handed me the stick." 

Aneirin's eyes light up. He looks at Magnificent. "I did say that we didn't know where our destination is..."

Magnificent eyes widen and then he grins too, giggling sinisterly. “My my Alt… how lucky for all of us!” 

Alt starts to back up, suddenly overwhelmed with dread. He holds the twig close to his chest- His eyes start to flicker.

"Alt," the King says, his tone dangerous as he notices the flickering. "Give that to me." He holds out his hand.

Alt flinches and seems like he wants to fight against the command- But, he can’t resist it as his eyes flare green again and he uncurls, reaching out the stick to the King. 

The King grins. He feels the slightest tinge of magic as his fingers touch it. And if Magnificent was to reach out, he could sense a faint signature from it and the cards, something strange and beautiful. 

Aneirin tucks the twig into a pocket on his tunic. "Well then. Now's a good time to continue on, I think."

Alt stands stoically in place one the stick is taken and nods dazedly. “Yes, mu Ríth.” 

Magnificent looks at the twig with a hungry expression. “If this thing could help us get to the doorway- shouldn’t we go ahead and use it?”

"I don't think this is something that can be used," Aneirin says. "Otherwise the Fair Folk would've told him a command word. I think its luck will simply guide us passively." He looks around, eyes settling on one direction. "Let's continue going downhill. I'm sure I remember it being on flat land."

“Ah- that makes sense.” Magnificent says. He glances at Alt and then starts back down the hill. 

Alt slowly follows after, the forest around him dimming into a hazy fog.

Aneirin leads the way, a triumphant grin on his face.