Ven shared what he knew about the stalker that wanted to snatch away Ron from his group. How he was actually told by one of his colleagues, Lily, to request Barry to protect Ron from this particular contestant solely because he was a part of his group; it was Barry’s own popularity amongst the gods that helped raise the revenue of Lily’s channel because Ron was with him all the time. Barry felt even more disgusted knowing that this Lily person was asking him to protect Ron not because she cared about his well-being, but because he was making her money. Ven warned him that this stalker was exceptionally strong and should not be taken lightly, which Barry always kept in mind against any foe.

  “So you’ll protect Ron right?” Ven asked for assurance, believing that he would, given how fond he was of his teammates being useful. “I know you will. They’re your battle buddies. Your chums, your friends, your-”

  “They’re not my friends.” Barry corrected. “Aside from Puck who is one, the rest are reliable allies that I appreciate having around. I don’t have room to call anyone else a friend, I don’t need any chummy emotions holding me back from getting shit done.”

  His response was what Ven kind of figured would be; he had seen him encourage through words, presence, and training alone, but he’d always try to distance himself from them in terms of building friendships. “So if it comes to it, you won’t try to defend Ron will you. Is that what you’re saying?”

  There was a pause on Barry’s end for a few moments before answering back. “Just let me sleep, I’ll handle the guy how I feel if or when he decides to show up. Thanks for the warning, and thanks for pushing out that challenge against Thandor and the bet against Noldric. Good bye.”

  “H-Hold on! T-That’s not very reassuring to hear! Also, I have something to say about Pu-” Ven’s voice was cut off upon the press of Barry’s button, ending the call and giving Barry back his moment of peace.

  He turned over on his side, shutting his eyes, falling fast asleep like he always wanted. Barry then drifted off to his dreams, conducting some training alongside Thalia and Claude. His mentors were pleased with his performance against Thandor, even though a part of his focus at the time was humiliating Thandor in front of the entire crowd. Claude found it all hilarious how Barry managed to crack an elf’s composure and tear down their pride from the ground up. Thalia’s thoughts on Barry’s match were satisfactory to her, though she wished he didn’t have to get so brutal at the end; fracturing Thandor’s face was over done on his part.

  Barry asked Thalia and Claude about combating spirits or enemies of that nature, seeking any helpful advice from them.

  “Silver, Lycanrite, magic, enchanted weapons, things like those are truly capable of bringing hurt upon those spectral entities.” Claude suggested. “If you try some regular ol’sword then you won’t do a lot of damage to their spiritual essence that keeps their presence together as a whole. You’re practically swinging a blade through water or gelatinous substance, never doing anything. But when using either one of the things I suggested, you are profoundly harming their form that binds them to the physical realm.”

  “And out of all my weapons, only my trident is capable of harming them somewhat because a portion of its damage output is water magic. That sucks.” Barry didn’t like the thought being useless against spectral enemies, almost everyone besides him and Anna were magic users. “I don’t have any other weapons to ward off these spirit enemies when we enter that mysterious forest. Is there no other way for me to fight against them?”

  “I’m afraid not. You’re just going to have to make do with what you’ve got.” Thalia advised, she tried sifting through her mind for anything else. “The only thing else I can tell you is, stay vigilant and do not let them grab a hold of you for too long. Not all spirits are the same, each one possessing a different range of powers and behaviors. For some, your mind will gradually decay after prolonged exposure to them and that is when they’ll possess your body. Attacking your psyche is a normal tactic of theirs, so do everything you can to avoid coming into contact…hmm…”

  Claude had something else to share with their pupil, but it wasn’t something that was meant to be useful. “There’s a story of one lone traveller that encountered a mob of wraiths; he tried offering them some coin to sate their hunger for greed but they declined. So know what he did for them instead to spare his life?”

  Barry raised a brow, giving his full attention. “What?”

  “He gave them a show by dancing for his life. The wraiths howled in laughter throughout the dark of night and let the poor soul go. Haha!” Claude chuckled, Barry did not find that piece of info not one bit valuable, knowing it was all a joke. Thalia rolled her eyes, remembering how obnoxious Claude can be when it comes to trolling others. “Maybe you oughta do that if worse comes to worse. There’s no harm in resorting to it if you’d tried everything else possible to live.”

  A shook of annoyance came from Barry, ignoring Claude’s sarcasm before thinking about how long he must have been asleep for. “Hey Thalia, mind checking if the sun’s out through the windows for me please? My party was planning to head out in the morning, I don’t be late to what we agreed on.”

  “Sure.” Thalia’s presence disappeared for a moment, manifesting in the physical world to see for him what it was like. She would return back in less than a minute, having some other news for him as well. “It appears that it is morning, the sun is just peaking out over the horizon…” Her voice trailed off, followed by a slight laugh. “And it also seems there is a surprise waiting for you when you awake.”

  This made Barry puzzled. “Surprise? What do you mean? What is it? Tell me.”

  “Oh I’ve gotta see this.” Claude commented before vanishing to check it out as well. He back chuckling, not even trying to hide his amusement of what was in store for Barry. “You’re going to love this, I promise you kid. I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you wait up.”

  Their secrecy was pissing Barry off every second. “What is it!? Just tell me, quit trying to hide it!”

  “It’s harmless I promise you. Haha.” Thalia assured, though she was curious how Barry would react to what he’d find awaiting as soon as he woke up. “Just don’t be mad when you awake.”

  Frustration was piling up inside Barry and so he stopped asking them and meditated to awaken from his sleep, hoping that it wasn’t anything horrible on the other side. ‘If it’s my party trying to pull a prank on me, they’re going to get what’s coming to them for ticking me off. They should know not to mess with my temper…’

  With his psyche being brought back to reality, he awoke feeling a bit groggy but overall well rested. He prepared himself before opening his eyes, thinking that Anna and Luna might have set up some sort of humiliating trap for him. But the first thing he felt was the softness of someone breathing close to him. ‘Odd…why do I feel this…’ He slowly opened his eyes, mentally prepared to retaliate to whoever was going to prank him. But when he did, a shock went down his spine. ‘W-What!? Fae!?’

  Leaning on his bed, her head resting on her elbows, was Fae. The elf was sound asleep, her long hazel hair flowing off the edge of the bed, Fae’s soft lips, her gentle breathing bouncing off his skin, her peaceful and serene state made her seem like a clueless beauty that had chosen the wrong spot to take a rest in front of someone as a rageful as Barry. ‘I was about to sock her in the face had I not realized it was her a moment sooner…why is she here?’

  He got up from his bed halfway, looked at her still sleeping undisturbed and felt weird about what to do. Barry was curious why she chose to sleep in his room and when she had entered, so he let out a sigh and slightly tapped on her head.

  Fae moved in response to his gesture, lifted her head, and saw the puzzled look on Barry’s face. “Oh…Barry, good morning…” She didn’t process at first why he was confused until a few seconds after realizing that she had intruded into his room and started panicking. “ACK! B-Barry! I-I’m s-so sorry! I-I didn’t mean to s-sleep in your room! I-I must have sleepwalked here! I, u-um, uh-”

  “Calm down.” Barry asked, as he placed a hand on her head. This made Fae freeze up and listen to what he said. Her spazzing out reminded him of how Kat would be when her social anxiety got the best of her. “I’m not mad, just surprised as you are, like when did you get here; let’s start there.”

  His hand on her head made her feel at ease, calming her nerves, making it easier to gather the answer for him. “Well…I remember having trouble sleeping last night…I recall having nightmares of my time in the…the…hag’s torture room.” Fae saw herself as being a nuisance, someone that had disturbed Barry’s sleep. “I-I’m sorry for rudely entering your room without permission. I-I seriously must have sleepwalked inside while you were dozing off-”

  “It’s cool.” Upon hearing Barry accept her seemingly troublesome action, a sense of radiance filled her inside. “Nightmares are a bitch to fight off on your own, though I haven’t really experienced any myself to know how that feels. So listen to me when I say, it’s fine. You looked like you had a great night's rest for once in your life, so that must be good.”

  A joyful feeling stirred within her, she was ever more grateful for Barry’s understanding nature. “But it is weird that you unconsciously chose to sleep near me.” Barry questioned, thinking it would make more sense to sleep with either Luna, Anna, or Kat. Fae was stunned by his question and she wasn’t sure how to answer herself. “I would think you’d sleepwalk into Kat or Anna’s room.”

  “U-Uh, maybe it was because my bedroom is next door! Y-Yeah! I must have moved over because my body thought it was more convenient. H-Hehe…” Fae fidgeted with her hands the entire time, hoping that Barry would accept her reason and not ask her anymore.

  “Okay.” Barry replied nonchalantly, thinking it made logical sense for her to wander in since he happened to be the closest. “Well, do what you want. I don’t really care…” He thought about mentioning how he was going to punch her if she was anyone else trying to prank him but omitted it. “I should get ready for the trip to the forest. I wouldn’t want to keep the others waiting.” He got out of bed, stretching. “You’re staying here right? Now that you’re free.”

  His question made her startled a bit, it was a thought that she had decided upon before telling the party. “U-Uh, no…” Barry was a little surprised to hear her say no. “Actually, I was planning on joining you all back to your own base. Kat mentioned to me that was where you all mainly reside in terms of home, and I wish to provide help in its construction. T-That is…if you will have me…”

  It didn’t take much thinking for Barry to give her an answer. “Alright, sure. I don’t mind and I’m believe the others won’t mind either, in fact, they might be thrilled. You’re free to do what you want Fae, remember that.” She was pleased by his acceptance, hoping that he’d say yes. He placed a hand on the door knob, ready to leave when he heard a knock on his door. “I’m up, I’m up, no need to bang on the door!” He opened it, curious who was behind it.

  Behind the door was Anna and Kat, the two had come to check up on him. “Good, you’re awake. We ate early but you should…what the…” Anna’s voice trailed off as soon as she saw Fae on her knees near his bed, Kat saw this too, making them both very curious of what was going on. “Barry…” A sense of disturbance filled inside Anna, as did Kat. “What the hell is Fae doing in your room…” Anna questioned him in a low but stern tone, Kat was experiencing second hand-embarrassment already in the background.

  “She said she had a nightmare last night so she chose to sleep by my bed. Listen, I was just as surprised as you two are right now.” Barry did not like the misunderstanding that was going on right now and just wanted to get some breakfast; hoping Anna wouldn’t give him anymore shit. “Do you two really think I would do something terrible to her? I promise you nothing happened.”

  Fae rose from the floor, coming up to them in support of Barry. “H-He’s telling the truth! I was too scared to sleep, thinking about the past and so that’s why I came here. Please don’t be mad at him.”

  Anna and Kat could see the honesty in both of their faces; they knew that Barry would never do anything indecent given how serious and focused he was on completing the main quest, they were just shaken up by seeing Fae being in his room alone. Anna sighed, easing her frustration. “Of course, why would I even question you for something so obvious. Forgive us for misunderstanding; and Fae, if you have trouble sleeping, we’re here for you as well.” She turned around and grabbed Kat by the hand, seeing that she was still too anxious to say anything. “Eat something and be ready by the gates, we’ll meet you there. Come on, Kat.” Anna then walked away, taking a nervous Kat along with her.

  Barry was relieved that he was forgiven an unnecessary scolding by Anna, he didn’t need that at the beginning of the morning. “That ended better than I thought. Come on, I’m hungry so let’s eat quick and head out.” Barry advised, stepping out of the room to get some breakfast. Relief flowed throughout Fae’s body, pleased about the same thing and followed him. The two ate a normal breakfast and strolled outside to the same entrance they came from when they first entered the elves domain. Barry’s party and both some elven knights and Basil’s corps of assassins were there waiting.

  “Ah, the man of the hour has arrived!” Abe announced energetically, gathering everyone's attention. “Ready for another do or die mission, ‘Mr. Fear No Evil’.” Barry liked the sound of that title, it being a fact to his true character.

  Basil approached Barry on his horse. “This won’t be like any other area you’ve explored before. You'll notice the negative energy radiating from its boundaries when we arrive there. Are you positive that you are ready to undertake this exploration? There is no guarantee you will make it back out at all.”

  “Yeah I’m sure. I’m new to this whole fantasy world, so really everything here is already new to me. It makes no difference where I go, and I don’t really give a damn.” Barry’s comment made Basil smile, knowing that was a genuine Barry like response. “Now come on, take me to this freaky forest and so I can get this over and done with. I wanna see that old prune’s face when I win our bet.”

  Barry and his party got inside Abe’s carriage, prepared to venture off to what could be their perilous doom and followed Basil and his men. Barry was told it would take about an hour of travel time till they arrived so he remained awake rather than training in his sleep so that he could talk to his party more about their upcoming journey through the ominous forest. He provided them some knowledge on how to handle spirits from what Thalia and Claude told him, which was useful but also made them question where he got that knowledge from. His response to their question was that he asked Ned about it, lying to them and keeping his secret about his mentors hidden. He didn’t want to reveal to them yet about Thalia and Claude, and that was unnecessary to know at the current moment.

  Ron was on Barry’s mind, remembering the stalker that was pursuing him unknowingly based on what Ven was telling him. He couldn’t exactly tell the group that this someone was pursuing Ron outwardly because he was sure that it was something he wasn’t supposed to know as a contestant, Ven explained that it would be a hassle for him to clean up and explain if he were to tell the rest of his group something he shouldn’t be knowing as a contestant. Anytime Ven was able to talk to Barry was when he was able to get away with talking to him, and Barry wasn’t going to risk exposing Ven’s use of moderator privileges since he was at least of some use to him. So in the end, Barry decided to keep what he knew a secret but be prepared for when this stalker did show up.

  A knock on the carriage door was heard, signalling the group that they had shown up to their final destination. “In and out, everyone. We’ll be fine. Stick close.” Barry encouraged, before opening the door and being the first to step out and experience a wave of chaotic energy coming into contact with his body. ‘Basil wasn’t lying. There is something wicked lurking inside this eerie forest.’

  Everyone got to experience the same odd sensation once they exited the carriage, all sharing the same opinion of it being too creepy and intense. A grove path leading them to the dense evil forest of violent-looking trees, mist, and unknown cries from within that sent shivers down everyone's spine. Basil’s men were even standing back, their expressions clearly showing how disturbed they are of being here. “This is it…” Basil declared, gazing off into the beyond. “No doubt a great malicious presence resides in this alluring forest. Though I care to know what happened to our people, I also wish you all had chosen a different form of punishment than this…may you all make it back alive and with your sanity intact.” The party appreciated Basil for all they did for them, returning back his kindness with some gestures of their own; handshakes, fist-bumping, and even hugs.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Abe walked up to the party alongside Fae, they wouldn’t be joining them on their exploration but they did want to give them some parting words of their own before they entered. Abe bestowed them some words of encouragement first. “Not only do we hope to see you all back, I wanna hear some ghost stories when y’all do return. That’ll be a hoot to listen to…Oh! And do stay away from any spirit trying to sell you anything sketchy, like alcohol-trees, one managed to weasel some coin out of me. Fiendish bastard!” What he said lightened the mood of the party, calming them somewhat. They thanked him for being the best chauffeur they ever had.

  “I believe you’ll all make it out of this inescapable forest, this won’t be the last time we see each other.” Though fear lingered inside Fae, her belief in their chances of surviving was even greater. “I’ve been very fortunate to have met you all, so I hope that some of that fortune passes on to all of you. Don’t lose conviction or optimism, you’ll find the answers behind the lost people and break through this curse that trapped them inside. Trust in yourselves as I have trust in yous.” She then went around and hugged every member of the party, uplifting them before venturing into the depraved unknown.

  Basil, Abe, and Fae’s inspiring words of encouragement helped ease the party’s moods despite the intense negative energy pressuring against them. Barry walked up to the grove path, determined to uncover the mystery behind the missing elves and the truth of this wicked land. “We won’t be long, we’ll get answers and come back alive as promised. That old prune, Noldric, will stay true to our bet and I’ll cherish that memory when I see it happen.” He then waved a hand, signalling for his party to get moving. “See ya guys later.” Barry began strolling down the path, his will unshaken by the horrors awaiting inside.

  His group tagged along, waving bye to everyone else, hoping to get this mission done as fast as possible. Though they were aware of some of the trouble awaiting in store for them based on Ron’s visions, it would not be enough for them to be prepared for the bizarre events in the near future. Basil, Abe, and Fae watched as their figures were eventually consumed by the mist, a sign of confirmation that they had just entered the point of no return…

  Barry checked behind himself, making sure that his party was still with him and confirmed that they were; he also noticed that everyone else they had just left was no longer in view due to the mist’s concealment. He had friended Basil and Kaiya via the system and checked to see if he could message them but no dice, it was like they said, communications were cut off completely. “We’re in. Stick close, be vigilant, and don’t panic. Ron, mark the trees we pass by so we can track our movement.”

  Ron did as they had originally planned, making red X’s on each tree with his illusions. “Good. We’ll walk around in a wide circle for now and see how enchanted this forest is. If we don’t see any of the marked trees, we’ll know that this forest is capable of shifting wanders like us to different sections of the forest.” Barry wondered how alive this sinister place was, it didn’t make sense to him how elves could ever be lost based on the information given from Basil and Kaiya. One of the possible reasons behind this phenomenon could be that the forest had a will of its own.

  They walked around in a large circle for about 10 minutes while Ron marked each tree, never steering away from their intended path. And as they wandered closer to where they believed to be their initial start of their experiment, they were given their answer. “No markings. How about that…” They walked a bit more, trying to find more of the marked trees but saw none. “Yup, this forest is something else. Just as I figured.”

  “So even though we walked around in a circle without deviating from our direction, the forest managed to shift us away someplace else…” Kat concluded, sending chills down her spine. “Then…it doesn’t matter where we go…does it?”

  “So, we lost no matter what!?” Puck gasped, thinking how strange this place was. “What do we do now? Maybe there’s some weird mojo that’s doing all this and we supposed to find it…but how?” Everyone wondered the same thing, Puck was right to assume that there must be a source for this enchanted forest.

  Luna had an idea that she wanted to test out after knowing the information obtained. “Hey! What if I send out my clones and have them wander around. If I do that, and this forest takes them some place else, I might be able to find something out. When my clones shatter, or when I de-summon them, I’m able to retain whatever they learned. Won’t that be a faster way to uncover the mystery behind this spooky forest?”

  It was a good idea, one that’d be taking advantage of the forest’s weird spatial magic and improving their reconnaissance. “Sounds great to me. Do it Luna.” Barry approved, as did everyone else. She nodded and started sending off clones of herself in random directions.

  Luna sent 10 clones, mentally controlling each clone, having them run off in a straight line. Further they travelled, witnessing glowing luminous floating orbs, listening to multiple cries and shrieks of terror; she had to remind herself that her true self was with the party and not out there as to not scare herself out. “I’m experiencing a lot of frightening things…I’m also seeing some of those spirit orbs…hearing more odd screams…it’s so chilling.” Anna comforted her, letting her know that she was doing great so far and that she was safe. After a few minutes, something strange occurred. “Shadows, there’s shadows dashing all over the forest where my clones are. Their whispering…omnious stuff that I can’t understand.”

  Barry checked their surroundings, cautious of those shadows coming near them. He used his pulse scanner to track any potential threats approaching them but saw none, so he then switched his vision to thermal, thinking that he might find something based on temperature.

  Swarms of these shadows converged on all of Luna’s clones, overwhelming them with numbers. Luna tried having her clones retaliate against these shades but could not fight back enough to fend them off, resulting in them shattering under the constant pressure of attacks. She opened her eyes, her skin feeling cold. “T-There’s too many! T-They don’t look like normal shadows, but they look more like…black silhouette figures with no appearance?”

  Upon hearing this piece of information, Barry pointed out into the distance at what he was studying. “Like those.” Everyone looked at what he was referring to, startled by the sudden appearance of shady figures moving in on them in the distance. Their form was just as Luna described, figures lacking any description other than being different blank black figures that wisped around the forest. They sighted the party and were heading their way. “Stand our ground. One of us is bound to get lost if we all run.”

  They formed a defensive perimeter, prepared to defend against the shades. Barry equipped his trident, it being the only weapon able to inflict some harm to them based on what his mentors told him. Ron utilized his rune gloves, setting up frost traps; Kat armed herself with her mage staff and had her ghost companion, Dusk, wielding a shield and sword this time; Puck used his draconic fire, enchanting his allies' weapons so they could harm these entities more efficiently. Anna’s eyes darted around, sighting all the malicious red aura that she could see emitting from these shadows, she was a physical fighter like Barry and had to be careful not to get caught. Luna manifested more clones of herself, using her empowered slingshot. Their position looking really fortified, they repelled the assault of these shady beings.

  Magic was hurled everywhere; Kat’s black magic arrows being the first to blast these shades down range, Puck’s fireballs collided against them, dealing splash damage and welcoming them to a world of sizzling pain that produced heart-wretching shrieks. Ron’s frost traps acted as a safeguard to those that got near them, while he continued to feed Luna enchanted pebbles to use with her slingshot, launching a combination of electricity and ice magic.

  Puck’s draconic fire bestowed on Barry and Anna’s weapons was helpful in dishing out proper damage because without it, their weapons would be doing minimal harm to their ethereal forms. The two remained close to each other, never straying far from the rest of the team so as to not get lost by the forest’s will. These shades fought them using a variety of different things, ranging from claw strikes, black wisp projectiles, and even melee weapons. But the oddest thing that Barry and Anna noticed since they were fighting up close, they couldn’t help but see a resemblance of…humanoid type traits. ‘It’s hard to tell, but the more I focus on their blank slate appearance…some of them I can make ears like elves…or even tusks like Orcs?’ Barry was curious what exactly these shades were. And every time they were defeated, these beings would disperse into nothingness, seemingly banished.

  Their fight persisted for about 5 more minutes until they noticed that the amount of shadow enemies attacking them was dwindling. Motivation surged through the party, believing that they were going to survive the onslaught. “W-We’re winning!” Ron exclaimed. “I think these guys are slowly backing off. We can do this!”

  And just as he said that, after eliminating the last attacking shade, a conundrum of different shrieks wailed out from the mystic forest. They all looked around, wondering what was going to happen next when suddenly they saw an even bigger wave of shades rushing towards them in the distance. “You just jinxed us, Ron! Way to go!” Luna half-joked. “Now what do we do!?”

  Barry’s mind started racing, the gears grinding in his head to formulate a winning game plan that would get them out of this grim situation. But as he was about to spout a solution, he saw something luminous peeking out of the horde of shadows. “What the fuck is that?” Barry asked, pointing his trident at the light for everyone to see.

  Closer and closer the light was fast approaching, from where they stood it looked like a shining white sun was heading their way. This strange phenomenon then happened to burn right through the wall of shadows, it was as if some heavenly power had made an appearance, capable of banishing the wicked with its presence alone. “Whatever it is, it must be pretty strong to ward these evil things off.” Anna commented, hoping that this mysterious object was the miracle they needed.

  It flashed through the malicious entities, searing through the swarm and eventually arriving in front of the party, causing them all to shield their eyes from the blinding light it was emitting. “Friends! Do not fret, your miraculous savior has arrived from the great abyss!” A joyous voice called out, the party could not acknowledge this wondrous person due to how bright they were. The person had just not realized this. “Oh, oh, I am so sorry friends. Allow me to dim the light down a bit. My apologies, lost ones.”

  The great light channeling out from this mysterious being dulled down a bit, enough for the party to slowly uncover their eyes and greet this mysterious figure. What was in front of them was a wagon drawn by a white stallion. Covered around the wagon were a bunch of different trinkets, masks, and other odd-decorations. White luminous magical lanterns hung from the sides of the wagon, the effects of these enchanting lights were what allowed its driver to burn through the shadows like butter. And the one sitting on the beautiful horse was their dazzling hero; a hunched over hooded-man dressed like a traveller, brown-leather cloak, bandoliers of trinkets strapped on, and concealing his face was an ink-blot mask that changed into different shapes at certain moments. “Greetings, friends! Care for some tea and biscuits to calm your nerves?” He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out both products fashioned on a plate like a magician.

  “T-The shadows! T-They’re still coming!” Kat reminded, as did everyone else, like they were in a toon show.

  “Hmm? Oh, that’s right; those pesky shades! Allow me to send them packing for intruding on us.” The traveller hopped off his ride, searching for something in his coat, whipping out a lantern staff that shared the same light as the rest. “*ahem* Bagalaploky shaski…” Everyone listened to him rambling his mouth off, using intelligible words that no one could understand. Puck found it very amusing, amazed as the light from the lanterns radiated even more to the point where a spherical dome extended outward.

  And when the shadows came into contact against the dome of miraculous light, their forms were instantly dispelled from existence, more shades tried to pile up together and break through the barrier but all were vanquished. Everyone was in awe of how easily this traveller was able to ward off these enemies they had tried so hard to fend against. The shadows realized how useless their efforts were at breaking through, deciding to back off for now and make a return later. “Ah ha! They never like it when I do that. Now then, about those snacks-” When he looked back at the party, he saw how stunned they were. “Oh my, did I do something wrong?”

  “Wha- THAT WAS AMAZING!” Puck roared, clapping his hands and running up to the angelic traveller, hugging him by the legs. “Puck’s happy you came to help! Puck was worried we wouldn’t be able to fight off spooky spirits.”

  “It was looking crazy before you came along, but then you just came storming in so nonchalantly and said some random words to banish them away! That was awesome!” Luna remarked, giving out dramatic gestures of how spectacular the traveller was. Almost the whole group praised their savior, aside from Barry who remained silent in the background.

  “I suppose I was looking mighty heroic, hehe.” The traveller accepted their compliments, rubbing the back of his neck out of embarrassment. “Ah, where are my manners! You may call me Shaco, pleased to be of assistance in these ominous woods.” He then offered a handshake to them all, to which they all accepted; though something was on Barry’s mind when he shook. “Wow, you have a stern grip there! I can tell a true warrior when I see one, and what brings you to these thick woods? Do you have a clue where you wandered into right now?”

  “For clues of missing people.” Barry answered, flexing his fingers, still thinking about something. “We came here knowing the trouble we were getting ourselves into. Those shadows or whatever, being one of the possible reasons for the disappearance of the missing people we seek.”

  Shaco raised a hand to his face, his ink-blot mask changing. “Yes! Yes! I have met some missing people during my time trying to find a way out of this cursed place. I’ve tried so desperately to protect them and shield them from the malicious entities and ominous voices residing here, but unfortunate circumstances always occur. Such as my protective lanterns dying out, or the voices in the thickets bewitching them into a mesmerizing trance and drawing them out. It’s been hard for me to keep even one single person alive…”

  The group could see guilt overwhelming Shaco, his mask forming a sad image, his posture even more hunched over than usual. “It’s not your fault, Shaco. You were doing your best, don’t blame yourself for losing them.” Kat reassured. Puck and Luna comforted Shaco as well, not wanting him to blame himself for losing those he tried helping.

  The traveller gathered himself together, thinking they might be right. “Thank you all, perhaps I am being too harsh on myself. Forgive my pitiful nature and let’s gorge on some snacks to calm our nerves. What do you all say?” Everyone didn’t mind a little break for now, especially if Shaco’s lanterns remained lit at all times. “Splendid! Then allow me to set up the proper arrangement for us all.”

  He then sifted through his wagon, rummaging around so much that the wagon was shaking from the outside. Moments later, Shaco hopped out, carrying a large traveller bag on his back, to which he set down and started chucking furniture around on the ground. Shaco’s precision was immaculate, not needing any rearrangement; following the furniture were the snacks and piping hot teapots that were already done, all landing gracefully to where they were supposed to go. Words alone could not explain how impressed the party was of Shaco. “There, it’s all ready. I have plenty more yum-yums in my bag of goodies, so partake in yourself if you will.”

  Puck was the first to welcome Shaco’s kind gesture, pouring himself a cup of tea and devouring some snicker-doodle cookies. “Hmmmmm, this is good! Puck like these cookies and hot juice, thank you friend!”

  The party picked their seats, joining in on the tea party, taking this moment to soothe their wavering feelings about this odd environment. Barry was handed a cup of tea and some biscuits by Puck, encouraging him to eat. Barry raised the tea cup to his eyes, sniffing it, analyzing the liquid. He found everything about Shaco to be…more than odd.

  He had been gathering as much information as he could from his unique eye abilities. All of Shaco’s equipment and trinkets were within the Uncommon and Rare categories from what he saw, that much he could tell from first glance. His first impression of Shaco was how he first thought of Abe, both came off as goofy and unpredictable, bringing light into everyone's lives to uplift their moods. However…there was something about Shaco that made Barry sort of uneasy. ‘So he’s survived through this horrific forest all on his own, attempting to save those unfortunate to wander through these lands, only to fail each time…’

  Shaco was enjoying the conversation he was having with the rest of the members when Luna realized that neither of them had introduced themselves to Shaco. “Oh shoot, I don’t think we ever told Shaco our names. Well I’ll be the first, Mr.Tea Man! You can call me Luna, like the moon, hehe.” Everyone else thought it was rude of them to not give Shaco their name any sooner and so they all went around in a circle, giving a short introduction. Shaco’s mask formed into a happy face, finding it a pleasure to know the names of these wonderful new friends he was making.

  Eventually, the last person to give their name was Barry. He wished he knew his real name had it not for his memories being taken away, disliking any questions or introductions that required him to give out any information about himself he didn’t know. And though Barry wasn’t his true name, it still felt odd for him to introduce himself to someone like Shaco who had just saved them from potential doom. “Barry. Plain and boring as it sounds; simple to remember even.” Everyone sensed the slight indifference in his voice, making them feel a certain way about how he called himself.

  “Hmph, well I think Barry is a fine name.” Shaco applauded, dinging his tea cup in a praising way. “Why! Even though you may think your name is rubbish compared to those sounding more fancy. It’s all about building one’s reputation that gives their name a whole new meaning, and I’m sure you’ll be widely known to be the greatest hero across the universe one of these days!” Everyone watched as Shaco stood high on top of a table, raising their tea cup towards the gloomy sky. “Sir Barry! A hero across space and time! World renowned fighter and friend to all those seeking refuge through dark times! Praise our friend Barry!”

  The entire party began chanting with Shaco, raising the volume that spanned across the wicked forest, their spirits revitalizing and no longer consumed with fear any longer. Barry hid his disinterest of being called a hero or friend, not wanting to ruin the mood. He knew he wasn’t fit to be either because he was mainly focused on restoring his personal memories, that was what was important to him.

  Suddenly everyone saw Shaco pull out an elegantly crafted purple leathered book and began jotting something down, using a vintage purple quill pen. “Ah ha! There! I have journalled all your names, that way I will always remember you lovely people. This is my way of treasuring any forgotten people lost in this sinister land. Let us do our best to endure and find a way out.”

  And as everyone was inspired by Shaco’s upbeat personality through these harrowing times, Barry’s eyes were latched on to the book he had written in; reading the name text of the book. ‘“Shaco's Personal Journal”, that’s what my eyes are telling me…and the text is purple…weird…’