Basil led Barry and his group back to the room of councils, and upon entering was introduced to a more livelier room than from the last time they had entered. Both the council members and a court audience were seated and waiting for their arrival. Basil brought forth the party in the center of the court, Kaiya greeted them all with a wave and smile, while the old prune gave Barry the stinkeye. Barry waved back at Kaiya and snickered back at the old prune. Basil remained by the group’s side till the council was finished making their decision about what to do with Barry.

  “Barry.” One of the five council members called out, this member appearing to be a middle-aged man. “Hello, I am Jhord, pleased to meet you. Right beside me are Fhleu and Khasca…” He patted at the two elves next to him, Fhelu being a slightly younger man and Khasca also being a slightly younger woman. “And I believe you have already introduced yourself to Kaiya and Noldric. We are the council members as you can already tell, I hope you enjoyed your tour after victory over Thandor. I see you still have yet to be administered proper medical aid?”

  “Eating was my first priority after the match. What can I say, I was too hungry to even think about tending to these scratches.” Barry made light of the situation, genuinely causing the room around to laugh at his joke. “You have good food, and even great hospitality. Basil’s been treating us well after the event of things.”

  Jhord found Barry amusing, he didn’t show even the slightest bit of fear in the arena and not in this court. “Thank you for those kind words, and never would I have predicted I’d see a human put forth their life in order to save one our own.” Jhord glanced at Fae for a moment, thinking how grateful she must be feeling for a human to risk their life for her freedom. He had questioned himself about the differences between an elf and a human in terms of personality, motives, characteristics and such.

  “Yeah, well, I thought how dumb the rule was about elves not being able to communicate with humans. And the way Thandor mistreated Fae really triggered me to jump in and help her.” Barry reminisced on how good it felt to dismantle Thandor both physically and psychologically, then realized that he might have done too much. “Uh, when I think about it, I might have done more than help her…Thandor was an asshole, no doubt, but is he…functional?”

  “You dare ask that after the type of savagery you displayed in the arena!?” Noldric, the old prune, exclaimed in frustration. “You made a mockery of him, fractured his face, and left him in a horrific state! You’re worse than a human! You’re a monster!”

  “That bastard got what was coming. What can I say, he had a very punchable face.” Barry was not holding back his sarcasm today and a part of the audience was loving it. His party did their best to hold back from cracking up.

  Too angry to argue with Barry, Noldric faced the rest of the council members. “He’s clearly a madman thinking he can do what he wants! This human is a perfect representation of why they should know their place in the natural hierarchy of life; they think the world revolves around them, finding every aspect of life something to either joke about or make it their own. I don’t understand why it’s so hard to detain him and put him to death already! His true intent of coming here was probably to infiltrate our land and plot a way to overtake it. Don’t let his facade fool you all, he’s probably one of the villains that the gods have warned us about!” There was some murmur from the audience about the possibility of Barry actually being a true villain or not. It was strange that Barry had disguised himself as an elf in order to get access into their homeland.

  Kaiya rose from her seat to defend Barry from the speculation. “He is not one of those villains, I assure you, Noldric. Though I am his mother when I say this, Basil has already cleared him of any evil intent he may have. You do recall his unique trait, yes? Basil would have no reason to betray our clan at all, it would make no sense for him to allow someone malicious inside our homeland. Besides, how was he to know that Barry was disguised as an elf? I’m sure all of us were pretty convinced that he was, based on how good of a job he did.” Barry appreciated the support from her, reminding him of how lucky he was to have met her and Basil.

  “Tch, even so, the fact that Basil still intruded on Barry’s arrest is telling enough that he knew what Barry was. Especially since he allowed the human a couple hours of freedom before coming here. Try explaining that to me again how trustworthy your son may be, Kaiya.” Noldric shot back with venom in his voice. Kaiya was offended by Noldric’s foul accusation; she couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of the old elf’s mouth.

  “Enough!” Jhord demanded, standing with his palms stretched out at the opposing sides, causing them to settle down. He took a deep breath, sitting back down. “Given that Barry has infiltrated our homeland under the guise of an elf, in which he should be properly punished. But on the other hand, he brought Fae back a hag’s imprisonment, while also betting his life from his recent match in order to regain Fae’s freedom. What do you both say on this matter? Fhelu and Khasca?”

  Fhelu was the first to give his opinion on the matter, sounding confident in his answer. “In comparison to other humans that we’ve met in the past, Barry is a…peculiar human in terms of personality. I’m not saying all humans are inconsiderate or take things for granted, but their expansion to grow their civilizations without a care is a bit concerning…” He analyzed Barry’s character once more before giving his final opinion. “However, if he wanted to remain anonymous and plot an evil scheme like Noldric suspects; I wouldn’t imagine why he would do something so reckless or pointless as to blow his cover by wagering his life in a battle for one of our own. I’d like to believe Barry should be given a light punishment, even after humiliating Thandor in combat. I also think that the jurisdiction and system overall should be revamped entirely to prevent the corruption of authority and rule over our own people .”

  After giving his opinion on the matter, he stepped down, passing the spotlight onto Khasca. She rose from her chair and initiated. “I’ll first point out that the laws we have now are the reason why our clan has been able to persevere for so long. Like you said, human expansion continues to grow as the years go by at a gradual rate. The last time we tried building relations with them, they betrayed our people by taking our land, our resources, and the women! And that can be why Barry decided to fight for Fae, knowing that he can win and take her in as his own concubine! He already has two beautiful elves by his side already!” She declared madly, referring to Kat and Anna.

  Barry was bewildered by the assumption she had just made, his eyes widened like she was crazy. His group thought the same thing about how insane Khasca was speaking. Fae shook her head the entire time, flustered by Khasca’s words, knowing Barry was a genuine good-hearted person that never thought that ever. But before Fae could stand up for Barry, Anna beat her to it. “The fuck did you just say, crazy!?” Anna shouted at Khasca with clear anger, startling Khasca. “That’s a wild guess you just made; Barry is not that kind of person and was never on his mind when he challenged Thandor!”

  “It’s okay, there’s no need to defend that disgusting human.” Khasca coaxed like Anna had been brainwashed by Barry already. “I see that he must have broken your mind with his villainous torturer methods. Don’t worry, we’ll have him executed and you will once again be free from his torment. As will the other timid lady beside you.”

  Kat was flustered as well by the nonsense that this woman was talking about, feeling offended by her words. “I-I can speak for myself! What you're saying isn’t true! We’re not his concubines and we’re not-”

  Anna raised a hand in front of her, telling Kat to stop and let her finish correcting the bitch because Anna could not contain her own anger inside. Kat stepped back and gave the spotlight back to Anna. “I’m about to shatter your false logic right now because I’m losing brain cells just listening to you. Ron, drop it.”

  Ron knew what she was asking for but paused with uncertainty. “But Anna, if I do then-”

  “Just do it. We might as well all be honest here.” As much as she wanted to see the look on Khasca’s face when she realized that her and Kat were never humans to begin with; Anna also didn’t want Barry to shoulder the fault alone of being the only known human inside the elves' home.

  Ron accepted her request and dropped the rest of the party’s disguises, leaving him to be the only true elf. Suddenly, like from a comedy movie, dramatic gasps were made from all around the room thanks to the audience. Khasca’s eye twitched as if her brain was trying to process the truth of the matter before speaking. “W-What!? T-Their h-humans!? More humans invading our land!? HUH!?”

  “Yeah! Ron is the only elf you dumb bitch!” Anna scolded. “How dare you call us concubines and falsely accuse Barry of such a thing. And yes, though we’re intruding on your land, I promise we’re not here for anything evil. We meant to come here to bring Fae back and to see what your people’s thoughts were on the matter of this game we’re all in. It would be very nice if we all worked together in order to bring an end to this main quest.”

  More commotion resonated within the room about a lot of things; about if Basil and Kaiya knew the whole time about the humans entering their land, if Barry’s group was telling the truth, and that maybe the way the rules and system are needed to change. Noldric observed Jhord’s expression, curious what his current thoughts were but saw that he wasn’t even a bit surprised or worried about there being more humans. “Jhord. I would have expected you to be more concerned about there being more humans? Don’t tell me…you knew the whole time?”

  Jhord sat deep into his chair, a hand on his face with a look of defeat; it seemed like he really wanted this meeting to come to a close as he gave a heavy sigh before responding back. “...Yes, I did. I was informed beforehand actually…”

  Jhord was avoiding to look at Kaiya, but Noldric noticed how hard he was trying and gazed at Kaiya with intense eyes. She too seemed to be avoiding Noldric’s gaze as she pretended to be in deep thought about something. Noldric was furious, he could not believe that the two were aware the entire time while Barry and his group were enjoying their grand tour. “N-No! I can’t believe this! This is outrageous, not you too Jhord! I-I- GAH!” Noldric sensed that Jhord was likely on Kaiya’s side, and was seeing the writing on the wall when it came to determining Barry’s fate.

  “Alright, I believe this meeting has gone off for far too long. So let’s make a collective decision as a whole of what to do with Barry and his group.” Jhord announced. “All those who wish to execute Bary and his group, stand and raise your hand high.” Noldric and Khasca were the first to immediately rise from their seats, showing how badly they wanted for their wish to happen. A bit less than half of the audience rose, declaring the same punishment. Noldric felt nervous when he saw this, the number of hands raised were less than what he was expecting.

  “Now if you wish to forgive Barry and his group for their actions, please show.” And just as Jhord said that, Kaiya and Fhelu weren’t the first ones to support Barry; in fact, the rest of the audience had beaten them to it. Noldric was in total shock of what he was witnessing, his old heart felt like it was about to burst and have a heart attack. Jhord stood with them all, and with three council members and a vast majority of the audience on Barry’s side, it was crystal clear what the decision was going to be.

  Barry’s group was pleased by the results, it was just as Basil told them, they really didn’t have to worry about anything. The face Noldric and Khasca were making was a sight to behold to them, it was comedic to them how it looked like their heads were going to explode any second. Now, with all that said and the results being obvious, Jhord decided to finish bringing it all to a close. “Well, it appears that nothing else needs to be said. Barry and his group will be pardoned from their actions and let free. So without further ado, this concludes-”

  “DOUBLE VETO!” Noldric and Khasca declared in sync. Everyone was surprised by the sudden call out the two had made. Each council member had a limited number of times they could veto per year, and they’d have to be used in pairs with another council member at minimum. No other council member could respond to this with a veto of their own, which meant that their decision was now a tie. And as of now, Noldric would be using his last veto for the year. “It appears that we’ve reached a deadlock now. Making the verdict unfinished.” Noldric said proudly.

  “Noldric…” Kaiya had always disliked him from the beginning since she had taken her seat as a council member. The way he acted distasteful and condescending towards the tenderhearted people of their home; how he showed favoritism at those corrupt with power and authority like he was. Jhord and Fhelu didn’t think Noldric would use his last veto so desperately like this; he must really wanted Barry and his group on death row. But that couldn’t happen because the veto had now made their decision a tie, so the only thing left for them to do was to collectively agree on a decision.

  Noldric beamed a sinister grin at Barry, liking the way things were looking now and he had something in mind in case a situation such as this happened. The old prune leaned on his elbows, hands clasped together, displaying how cocky he was. Barry’s group stared at him with eyes of conviction, hating how he had just snatched away their ticket out of here. “I’m sure you all hate tie breakers, it’s really troublesome. So let’s all think about something we can agree on for Barry’s punishment. Don’t worry, I’m aware that executing them is out of the question, so we can remove that off the list.”

  “You really couldn’t have let this one go, could you, Noldric…” Basil commented, his eyes reminding him the type of person he was inside. Anna was seeing the same thing, red malicious aura exuding from the old prune like he had some disease. They wished that he could just kick the bucket already and leave them alone.

  “Please, Basil, you and your mother really thought you had everything decided before the meeting started? That’s just plain unfairness on your part, I’m trying to do what’s best for our lives. Humans are not to be trusted and I’m simply willing to do whatever it takes to protect our people from their influence.” Noldric spoke to Basil like he was an uneducated child. “I might come off as a bad guy in the eyes of others, but it is out of tough love that I am doing what is right.”

  Barry was getting irritated by Noldric’s attitude and intervened. “Tough love, sure prune. Now tell me, what is it that YOU have decided for a substitute as punishment? I know you’ve been plotting something since you sat your ass down. So spit it out.” He crossed his arms in a hostile manner, wanting to get this shit over and done with.

  “Well I’m glad you asked, human!” Noldric taunted. “I have been formulating a type of punishment that I’m sure even you will agree to. Though, it might not be a punishment at all depending on what you and your party view it as.”

  “Out with it then. I don’t give a fuck what it is, so long as we’re guarranted our freedom.” Barry demanded, genuinely unafraid of whatever the decision Noldric made.

  Silence filled the room entirely, suspense taking over and making everyone anxious of what Noldric was going to announce. “...The Enigmatic Forest.” Everyone but Barry’s party was stunned upon hearing those words. Barry wondered how strange and dangerous that place was to make the atmosphere uneasy. “I would like for Barry and his group to explore that place and bring back answers for our units' missing absences. Any objections to this?”

  Kaiya, Fhelu, and Jhord rose from their seats, disapproving of his decision. Jhord spoke for them all. “Noldric, we oppose that decision of yours. You know how many forces we’ve lost upon entering that profane territory. And we’ve agreed to send no one else there. I will not have them enter that zone just like the ones before. Our answer is no.”

  Noldric rolled his eyes before replying back. “We agreed not to send any of OUR people there, but that is a different matter when choosing to send those outside our clan. Especially those that demand consequences for their actions. Besides, I can see that Barry is quite interested in knowing what this unholy place is….”

  Barry was intrigued by the mystery of why this area was claimed to be off-limits. He went ahead and asked them what they knew about it so far. “What’s so scary about this place other than your people never returning back? Any info at all?”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “It’s exactly that. None have returned from that place, not even a messenger bird or a message via the system provided by the gods.” Kaiya replied, her voice sounding a bit fearful of what the possible outcomes could have happened to those that entered. “The only thing we do know, is that just outside the boundary of that particular forest, there are…whispers of some kind, some hear weeping, others cackling. An eerie feeling of discomfort leaks out of the forest, that is the first you’d notice when you approach it, right outside its domain.”

  This way she spoke of this place made Barry remember the illusion that Ron had manifested from his visions. It also made him recall what Puck said about what his dream dragon, Valkynox, had shown him. A mysterious forest that was shown and described as having the same thing Kaiya had just said. And if this all turned out to be true, adding on to the coordinates provided by Calista of where the 4th prism could be located, then maybe…

  His group looked at Barry, they wanted him to make the decision for them but they couldn’t help but feel anxious about what was lurking inside this creepy forest. And as Barry was thinking in deep thought about this peculiar place, Anna was the first to ask for his thoughts about the matter. “Barry, Noldric clearly wants us to accept this, but we don’t have to fall for it. We can just-”

  “I accept.” Barry’s confirmation rattled the minds of the entire room. Noldric and Khasca were clearly pleased by his decision, while the other council members were horrified by his choice. “I will go there and return back with info about your lost people. Whatever's lurking in that abominable place, I don’t fucking care. You’ll have your answers, and we’ll have our names cleared from guilt and any mistrust you have of us. And you can be damn sure, we’ll make it back. That’s a promise.”

  The way he spoke was full of confidence and sureness, he showed no hesitation or regret about his decision. Appearing in front of them was either a human capable of making the impossible possible, or a man completely delusional and lost in his own sense of confidence. Noldric wasted no time to attack Barry with some words of his own after making such a bold promise. “How wonderful of you to undertake to scout this wicked place for us. Your name will indeed go down in our records of notable mortals, I look forward to the day that you come back to us with the answers that you promise.”

  Barry was disgusted by the way Noldric was sugar coating the bullshit flying out of his mouth and shot back. “Damn right you should be, and when we do, I want you to jot our names down in those records for us. Add that to our freedom once we’re done, so that I can reminisce on the day you did something honest and considerate for once in your life.” Barry’s declaration instilled a bit of anxiousness in Noldric, hoping that day would never come.

  And a bit after Barry had finished speaking, a notification appeared in front of everyone. It was another quest notification provided by the moderators, this being a minor one and specifically towards the bet made between Noldric and Barry. Barry couldn’t help but laugh at it, whereas Noldric was shocked. “Haha! It’s like the gods watching are that confident I’ll make it out of that eerie woods.”

  The minor quest was simple; Barry was to find out what happened to the elves missing people and return back with info. If he failed, death was given since he’d practically be considered dead already. But if he returned back with information, then Noldric was to jot Barry’s name down in their records of notable mortals in a respectful manner without any illness or else he would suffer annihilation. Everyone couldn’t believe this was actually being enforced by the moderators, they thought that Barry must have been really popular with the gods watching since he was able to make them enforce his match against Thandor. Words could not be said on Thandor’s part, as he was in utter disbelief that the gods were forcing him to keep his false promise.

  “Well then, you all know what the gods want. So how’s about we wrap this up and call it a day. Basil will take us to that mysterious place first thing tomorrow morning and we’ll do what we have too.” Barry was nonchalant about the whole thing, confident that he’d succeed. He then looked at Jhord. “What do you say, Jhord?”

  Jhord paused for a moment, wondering if this was what Barry really wanted but sighed and nodded to Barry’s decision. “Very well…you and your party will do just that. Basil will bring you all to the forest and you will unravel the mystery of our lost people tomorrow…may you come back alive and with news…case closed.” Uncertainty filled inside Jhord’s body, as did all those that supported Barry. Kaiya worried that things might not turn out as well as Barry imagined it would, she feared he was biting off more than he could chew no matter how capable he was as a person.

  Barry looked at his group, seeing the apprehension stirring inside them, it reminded him of the same looks he got from when he had challenged Thandor. Barry felt uneasy, so he faced away. “Gah…you’re all worried about the choice I made, I can see it…” He then walked away towards the exit. “So come yell at me at our lodging rather than here…” His party was not only shocked at him for making an overconfident decision, but also influencing the gods to make Noldric agree to such a promise. They followed Barry, as did Basil since he had to take them to a place to sleep for the night.

  They were all taken to one of their inns, providing a room for the entire group but the first thing they did was spend a bit more time to discuss the event of things that occurred in the room of councils. Everyone was seated at a table, having some midnight snacks and drinks to calm their nerves before a night's rest. “Barry…” Ron called his name, visibly showing some concern dwelling inside him. “...you have a reason for agreeing to Noldric’s blatant bait. Right? Please tell me that you do.”

  “Yeah, I do. I’d never agree to something that obvious otherwise.” Barry reassured, as he sunk in his seat, feeling a bit tired. “The 4th prism. I’m almost positive that’s where it’s at; that’s why I agreed. Think about it, the way they described it was just as foreshown by your vision. That’s also where the next villain will show up and take it, we have to snatch it before they do.” Barry remembered McGuinness mentioning a plant woman being one of the villains, and recalled an animated vine grasping a green prism.

  Kat vouched for what Barry was saying, being the first to realize what he was saying. “Y-Yeah, some plant woman for a villain would be there. And those sounds and images that Ron showed us, it has to be there then. It would make sense since Calista was finding it difficult to locate it specifically unlike the other prism locations…”

  “A place where whispers, cackling, and feelings of sorrow reside…it’s all so creepy.” Anna didn’t like zombies or horror movies in general despite being one of the few people in the party to not mind getting bloody herself. “I think I recall seeing strange shades or shadows from Ron’s illusions; are we to assume that we’ll be fighting spirits or ghosts this time? How much would physical attacks do against them anyways because me and Barry are about the only ones able to inflict that sort of damage.”

  “We’d have to ask Abe that I guess…” Luna wondered, then she realized something that everyone else had just noticed. “Hey…where is he anyways? He’s been gone for a long time, there’s no way that he’s been drinking all day has he? I bet he’s been wandering around the whole place like a total drunk.”

  And like a complete coincidence, their familiar and irresponsible drinker/friend came bursting through the front doors of the inn. Puck was the first to announce the arrival of their ghostly ranger. “Hey! The Great Abe is here! Where have you been?”

  Abe’s eyes had shifted around the room for a bit like a madman trying to look for them, but Puck’s acknowledgment made it easier for him. He made an effort to look calm as he approached them, but Anna could tell that something was up with his nature unlike his usual self. She expected him to greet them back by saying something energetically, especially since Puck had referred to him by his favorite nickname but that didn’t happen. “H-Hey, y’all! What’s going on?” He awkwardly picked a chair and sat with them, hands in pocket.

  “We’re going to go visit a spooky forest tomorrow! Puck excited to see what it’s like!” Puck explained, sounding thrilled as this would be his first experience. “Maybe Puck will make new friends with more spirits like you.” His tail wagged, showcasing how happy he was.

  “H-Hehe, yeah, maybe you will little guy, hehe…” Abe was acting weird at the table that only Anna could see, everyone else was thinking that it was just Abe being silly or uncanny like his usual self. Abe didn’t process what Puck had just said and until it hit him just now. “W-Wait!? Say that again? Spooky forest? What are you all talking about?”

  “We just got done talking in the council room about what our punishment would be.” Ron explained to him this time. “Noldric, the old council member, tried baiting Barry into venturing into this strange forest where they lost numerous people and he took it, fully aware of the consequences that might befall on us. But we’ve already concluded that the 4th prism is likely there, and that’s why it’s as dangerous as it seems. So we were just talking about how to deal with spirits in terms of combat.”

  Abe nodded in affirmation, thinking about some advice to give them. “I see, gotcha…” He tried thinking about some useful info to give them, but the ominous scene that happened to him earlier kept replaying in his mind. He got up from his chair, taking off his hat and waving air at his ghostly complexion like he was feeling hot. “Phew, is it getting hot in here or is it just me? Ah, dang it, I can’t think of a single piece of advice to give y’all. Sorry, I’m going to go back for a walk.” He then left the table.

  “Okay, we’ll be staying the night here. You better not be acting like a bum while you’re gone!” Luna informed, everyone but Anna thought it must be the alcohol he’d been drinking that was wearying off. “Guys, does anyone else think Abe was just getting sober right now or is it just me? I sure hope he’s not going back out there to act like an alcoholic because he is our ride for tomorrow.”

  Anna rose from the table, currently in motion of chasing after Abe. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t cause a scene. I’ll be back later tonight, head to bed without me.” She advised, leaving the party to themselves to finish wrapping up their discussion. Barry was too tired to go after Abe but was glad that Anna chose to look after him.

  Upon stepping out of the inn, Anna's eyes darted around the area in search of the group’s goofy, animal handler but couldn’t find him. ‘Wow he’s fast, I stepped out a few seconds before he did and he’s already gone. He’s definitely more than a ranger he claims to be…’ She then focused on heightening her keen senses from her passive, trying to hear Abe’s voice as she scoured the environment around the bustling clan of elves. It would be a couple of minutes before her ears picked up the sound of his familiar voice by a beautiful park. ‘Found ya!’

  And when she appeared on scene, Anna found Abe looking up at a tree with violet colored flowers. Some ravens were perched on the tree, cawing at each other, including Abe into their conversation. “What do you mean you don’t know any strange cousins with voodoo magic?” Abe said, looking confused. “I just saw one a while ago when I was drinking…oh don’t give me that talk! I was being responsible as any normal adult would…no I didn’t over do it! I was getting sober!”

  “Abe?” Anna greeted, causing Abe to whip around, not expecting her to show up to see him.

  “W-Wha- Anna! What are you doing here!?” He then looked at her and then at the ravens, an awkward smile formed on his face. “Oh, did you hear all that? Uh, well, don’t mind all that nonsense about voodoo magic; that’s just nonsense. It must have really been the alcohol in my system at the time.” The ravens cawed at him, appearing to be making fun of him based on how Abe snapped back around, giving them an irritated look.

  Anna wondered what he was talking about declaring that one of the raven’s cousins had some sort of voodoo magic. “Abe, why are you acting weird? You may have fooled the others, but I can see through that facade of yours. What’s wrong? You can tell me.”

  Though she sounded like a true friend, Abe didn’t know how to explain to her about what he saw the other time. And the more he thought about it, the more he figured he was probably gaslighting himself and thinking that what he saw before couldn’t have been true. Abe rubbed the rim of his hat and played it all off with a laugh. “Haha, it’s nothing Anna. I’m just being a bit more awkward than my usual self today. I’m sorry I made you think something was wrong so-”

  Anna teleported behind Abe, swept him off his feet with a low kick, and caught his hat from falling. Abe fell down on his side, now looking up at her with a stunned expression. “Abe, lying doesn’t suit you. We've been working together for how long? I’d like to believe that I have a good perception of a person’s character, so you acting like this is way off the Great Abe chart for me…”

  Abe felt like he had betrayed her trust by trying to hide something that he thought wasn’t true. “Abe, you don’t need to lie to me by saying that it is nothing. But if you really wanted to hide something from me or anyone else, you can just say that you’re unsure or that you would like to think a bit more about your thoughts for telling us. We’re friends, and I trust you…” A sense of hurt resonated inside both of them. “...you do trust us…right?” Anna asked again, hoping that he did.

  No longer having to think about questioning her answer, Abe rose from the ground and dusted his ghostly self off. He grabbed the other end of his hat, as he looked into her eyes with full conviction. “I do. And I’m sorry that I, The Great Abe, tried to hide something that was troubling me…I’m sorry, Anna.” Sadness and truth was felt from his voice.

  Anna grinned, letting go of his hat, allowing him to put it back on. “Apology accepted, oh Great Abe. We’re friends, and I’m always willing to lend an ear to you if you need it. Just say that you don’t feel like sharing and we’ll understand. It’s unusual to see something upset your already awkward and goofy attitude, nothing seems to get to you…at least until now.”

  Her words reached him, making it easier for Abe to come to a decision of what he wanted to do with what he knew. “Alright Anna…I’ll share what’s been on my mind. But be warned, I might have been a bit…tipsy at the time.” The ravens laughed. “Oh hush you guys, don’t act like you haven’t gotten irresponsible yourselves in the past by sipping on some Dungtoad mucus.” That shut the ravens up, knowing that Dungtoad’s mucus was a way to get high. “Yeah, don’t act like I didn’t know that.”

  Anna snickered at the birds. “Whether you were drunk or not, tell me what’s troubling you.” She reassured him.

  “Alright well…the reason why you saw me talking to these ravens is because while I was out getting buzzed off the wonderful creation of liquor I encountered a rather…ominous raven…” Abe appeared shaken up by the thought of the raven emitting a pitch black miasma. “Ravens like to chatter and gossip a lot about various topics with each other, and they’re not introverted as most people would think, they just have to get to know you is all. But this specific raven was radiating some evil energy that scared off any birds that got near it. It ignored me once until I called it out about its weird mojo and that was when it acknowledged me…”

  “You were scared of the vibe it was emitting, just like how I can tell if someone gives off malicious intent by seeing them project a red aura.” Anna sympathized. “So you think this raven was evil, is what you’re telling me? What was it doing that made it choose to ignore you?”

  “I-I’m not sure. It perched itself by some other birds and seemed to be studying…something…” Abe then recalled Barry and the others walking to the room of councils, how the raven was always looking forward and closing the presence of those around it. “You know what…I saw you guys walking off to the council room. It's just a guess but…maybe it was observing you guys?” Abe scratched and knocked his head like he was thinking he might be wrong. “Agh! I could have still been drunk the entire time, I’m overthinking this-”

  “No.” Anna rejected. “Trust yourself more, because remember, we’re up against villains in this world that we don’t know what they're fully capable of. We’ve already met one of them who likes to create robots, so a villain who is able to manipulate or control wildlife can’t be out of the ordinary. So if your affinity with animals was telling you that something was off about this bird, then trust it. This only reminds us as a group to be wary of what is going on around us that we don’t know.”

  Her trust in him made Abe feel better about himself, he was glad that he was talked out of his negativity. “Thanks Anna, I’ll…I’ll believe in my own non-existent gut of mine more often. You’re right to assume there’s a chance one of the villains might have been controlling that raven before. I didn’t think of that.” This made a lot more sense to him.

  Anna elbowed his shoulder playfully, she was glad that she was able to alleviate his worries. “Yup, so don’t go second guessing yourself without telling us one of your solo stories. It’ll make you feel better when you explain to us, I promise you. You're not just our chauffeur, you’re our friend.”

  After mending Abe’s own self belief, the two decided to return back to the lodging and rest up for the following day. And as they were coming back, another person was having a conversation of their own. Barry was lying in bed, expecting to get a good night's rest upon entering his room, when suddenly he had received an irritable call from his number one fan.

  “Ven, you just happen to call at the worst damn times. What the fuck do you want now?” Barry demanded, he assumed that he wanted to talk his ear off again about more nonsense. “If you’re hoping to brag to me some more about how happy your channel is doing, then so you better-”

  “Uh-Uh. Not this time…” Ven interjected, but then thought about it some more. “...well actually, now that you mention it. I do kinda want to brag a little here and there- Wait! Wait!” Ven exclaimed as he saw Barry about to end the call. “I really do have something important to say to you! So don’t you dare end the call!”

  “Then quit stalling, just spill it already.” Barry demanded, his fatigue getting to him.

  “There's someone that’s been stalking you during your travels.” Ven blurted out.

  This made Barry think about the time Abe mentioned someone was trailing them when they left their base. “Alright, well…I knew that already from what Abe told me. But why are you telling me this now? I’ll handle whoever-”

  “They’re a contestant and they’re trying to take Ron away from you.” Ven clarified.

  Barry was confused, more questions filled his mind, with only one response to say to Ven. “What?”