“This way, Puck! I have a good feeling our friends are bound to be in this direction.” Shaco declared, sticking his arm out straight with pure confidence. Puck tagged along his side, trusting his gut as they wandered through the misty town. “Do not fret, we will make it through this nightmare and unravel the secret to it all!”
Puck was convinced by Shaco to separate from Barry based on his own intuition as to where the source of the land's madness was located. “Uh-huh! Puck’ll put his super-duper detective skills to good use and solve this mystery.” The Kobold responded energetically, his enthusiasm never wavering despite the grave situation that shrouded them all.
With Shaco taking the lead, they kept marching on till Shaco spotted a mix of different shaped constructs through the mist. “Ah, what are those? Hmmm…” He did his best to peer at what it was. “Puck, there’s something interesting over there. Shall we investigate?”
“Yeah! Lets!” Puck agreed wholeheartedly, the two skedaddling on towards their new discovery. What they found when they arrived, wowed Puck. “Awesome! It’s a playground!” Immediately setting aside their goal of finding the others, Puck rushed to one of the colorful and extravagant slipping slides, embracing his childish tendencies.
“Haha!” Shaco cackled, right before deciding to join in on the fun. Both of them had a blast on this phenomenal land of fun obscured and surrounded by the eerie and spine-chilling ghost town. Shaco promised they’d resume their search after recharging their spirits on the playground, though that vow was made about an hour ago; and they were still having the time of their life on the many enjoyments the place had to offer. And despite it being such a nice looking playground, not once did Puck question how such a place could be taken well-care with the town being devoid of all life.
The little Kobold just got done messing around on the monkey bars and waddled over to a bench, plopping down and taking a hard-earned rest. “Puck getting a bit tired…but this is so much fun!” He felt like wanting to stay longer to enjoy everything else that the playground had to offer. Shaco came on over after visiting the merry-go-round, completely dizzy and feeling nauseous. “Hehe, you okay Shaco?” Puck giggled.
“O-Oh y-yes…” Shaco replied in a weak tone, taking a seat down next to Puck as he tried to regain his composure again. “I almost vomited in my mask while I was experiencing the thrill of the spinning-wheel of motion sickness. But still, it was a delightful merriment. Haha.” He patted his chest, sticking a hand in his coat and pulling out a box of tea biscuits. Shaco ate some and offered to share with Puck, to which he happily accepted. “This has been a grand discovery of ours, don’t you think little buddy?”
“Mmmhmmm!” Puck nodded, scarfing down his treats. “Puck’s home used to have some fun things to do like here; but it’s been so long since Puck’s seen a playground again.” He then wondered what Shaco did when he was a kid. “Oh, Shaco! Do you remember what you did for fun as a kid? Anything cool?”
The question made Shaco freeze up for a bit, he wasn’t expecting to be asked something personal right off the bat. “R-Remember? Oh, well…” His mind began fabricating a convincing lie to tell Puck, he preferred not to share any of his painful memories as a kid. “You know, I had always taken a liking to drawing out my vivid imaginations. At times, I enjoyed letting my mind run rampant as I doodled in my coloring books. Though, I wouldn’t call myself a masterful artist. Hehe…”
“Wow! So you were a professional artist!?” Puck exclaimed, his eyes full of amazement as he glared at Shaco like he was a celebrity. Shaco was embarrassed by the sudden admiration Puck had for him. “Do you have any of your drawings with you right now? Puck wanna see what you have!”
“E-Eh, uh…” Shaco was feeling kind of nervous upon hearing his request; yet still, he couldn’t say no to the puppy dog eyes that Puck was beaming at him. He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a sketch book and hesitantly handing it over to Puck. “P-Please don’t judge too harshly…I’m not the b-best like I said…” Shaco asked, sounding shy.
Puck promised, taking the book in his hands and eagerly looking at what was inside. Shaco quaked in fear of what Puck thought about his artistic talent, wondering if he might dislike anything that was not to his expectations. “Shaco…this is so…” Puck’s voice trailed off, continuing to examine every page, the suspense causing Shaco even greater anxiety. “It’s so…” Shaco wanted to plug his ears, thinking it’d probably be best for him not to hear what Puck was going to say next. “...awesome!”
Utterly flabbergasted by Puck’s response, Shaco stuttered. “A-A-Awesome? Y-You r-really think so?” He couldn’t believe it.
“Mhm, Puck can see how much love you put into your drawings. Puck is not as talented as you are, everything looks so cool and radical!” The Kobold pointed to each drawing that was his favorite, describing why each one caught his eye. “Puck thinks you must have had a lot of friends growing up if you were able to make stuff like this.”
Shaco was stunned, he didn’t know how to reply to such positivity, becoming scattered brained for a bit. “F-Friends? I-I don’t know…uh…I sort of kept to myself majority of the time. And actually…you’re the first person to have seen my sketch book in quite a while. So thank you for giving me your undeserving praise, Puck.”
It came to Puck as a surprise to hear how Shaco chose not to associate with other people, despite his outwardly friendly personality. “Oh, well…Puck thinks that the people from your past might have really enjoyed looking at your drawings and become popular.” Puck reminisced on his past life, growing up. “Puck never had many friends, everyone was scared of Puck’s mojo burning everyone and everything. It was bad times…real…bad times…” Puck’s tone died down, his mood becoming dismal.
Seeing Puck’s happy attitude turn depressing made Shaco comfort him with a pat on the back; he started to sense an emotional connection to Puck’s troubled state that resonated inside. “Rough childhood for you, hm?” He asked the little Kobold, who nodded. “I would have never thought, given your bright and fiery attitude that you wear so proudly all the time. I hope you don’t think about your darkest moments all the time, because it can really weigh you down if you let it.”
Puck nodded, admitting that the thoughts surfaced from time to time. “Yeah…bad times come and go sometimes when Puck isn’t even thinking about them…” Shaco was about to say something to ease his nerves when suddenly Puck rose and stood tall and proud on the bench. “But when the bad times do show up, Puck always thinks about something else that makes them go away.”
Curious as to what it was that reignited Puck’s motivation, he went ahead and asked. “And what would that be?”
“Barry!” Puck replied vigorously, his answer shocked Shaco to his core; Barry’s name was not what he was expecting to come out of Puck’s mouth. He listened to what else the Kobold had to say. “When Barry met Puck, Puck’s life changed for the better. It was all thanks to the wish Puck made on the shooting star that passed one night.” Puck flashed a smile, showing Shaco how happy he was at his recollection. “Puck wished for a friend, and Puck’s happy to have a friend like Barry.”
As grateful as Shaco was for Puck to receive a friend during his dark times, he was a bit bothered by the fact that it was Barry of all people to be his friend. “Barry…huh…” He tried processing what it was about the guy that made Puck like him so much. “I’ve noticed how loyal and brotherly you are when you’re around him, might you tell me what makes him so great since he happened to pull you out of your darkest hours?”
Illuminated by the question, Puck cheerfully went ahead and explained how life changing Barry was. From how he resolved the bullying issue at his home, to how he motivated and gave him a sense of purpose, and overall allowed him to journey along and introduce him to what the rest of the world had to offer. Shaco was amused by the stories Puck told, he couldn’t believe that this was the same Barry compared to one he had met. ‘Is this Barry guy really as influential as Puck is describing him to be? From my first encounter, Barry didn’t look like the type of person to do much for others rather than his own. Could it be that Puck is just blinded by his previous act of pulling him out of his rough time? I’d be a better friend than that lousy prick…’
Unable to contain himself, Shaco abruptly spoke out of turn. “Sorry to cut in, and sorry if I sound a bit confused, but are you still referring to the very same Barry that’s associated with us?”
“Uh-huh!” Puck confirmed. “Puck doesn't know anyone else named Barry, he’s the first friend that Puck ever made. Barry-”
“But…how?” Shaco interrupted again, still sounding genuinely confused. Puck wasn’t sure what he wasn’t understanding until he became more clear. “I mean, how can he have done all those things for you and everyone else despite acting so…so…cold? A-And the way he talks, the profound language he uses and the way he distances himself from others; forgive my harsh opinion, but he seems to only care about himself ultimately in the end.” Shaco hoped that Puck would change his perspective of Barry.
Upon hearing Shaco’s personal judgement of Barry, Puck hummed to himself as he thought about it some more. “Mmmm…” The anticipation within Shaco was building up, awaiting Puck’s answer. “...Puck can understand why you’d think that…”
Shaco smiled, overjoyed to hear those words. “Right! It is my firm belief that friends should always help each other out, uplifting their spirits, and having loads of fun every single day. Which is why, as hard as it is for me to say this, I think it would be best if you ended your friendship with-”
“No.” Puck politely denied, knowing what Shaco was going to ask.
This shocked Shaco, rattling his mind. “B-But, w-why not? You understand the point that I was making, and yet you still wish to be associated w-with him!? I-I don’t…”
“Yeah, Puck knows that Barry can be hard to talk to; or that he doesn’t like to share anything about himself to anyone. Puck’s learned that overtime…” The little Kobold recalled every interaction Barry has had with those they’ve met, remembering the times when Barry was being difficult with others. “...but…Puck also knows that Barry doesn’t hate the people who are trying to be nice to him. He just doesn’t know how to express himself in the way that it seems nice to others. And just as Puck is making lots of memories with friends…Barry is experiencing what it’s like to have friends and how to be kind to others. Whenever Barry does something good, it makes Puck happy.” He beamed a smile at Shaco, sending chills down his spine due to how honest he was.
Pondering on Puck’s defense for Barry, he thought about himself for a moment; about how he had basically enslaved every person he had encountered since childhood uptill now, converting them into his shadow friends. ‘So this Barry guy is learning what it’s like to have friends? That’s your defense for him, eh, Puck? I don’t believe someone like him could ever know what it’s like to treat another with kindness…he’s too self-centered, whereas I…I…’ Festering inside him were underlying emotions based on his own personality and internal confliction. He went ahead to try and pick at what Puck had just said, hoping to get a deeper response. “So, essentially, you believe that Barry can change for the better; that he can eventually become someone to lean on for support, a person who will always be there in your time of need. Am I correct?”
“Uh-huh!” Puck replied in full confidence, it startled Shaco. “Puck has a good gut feeling about people, and Puck knows a kind person when he sees one. That’s what Barry is in his heart, even if he doesn’t know it yet.” Puck plopped down from the bench and faced Shaco, keeping his optimism. “Barry has helped others in the past; no matter if he didn’t like to do it, he still did. Puck believes there's more reason behind him doing it for his own gain…and that’s for him to realize it.” Shaco didn’t know what to say as he listened to Puck speak. “People can change Shaco; Puck doesn’t judge a person based on how they look from the eyes of others, Puck judges them based on their actions, because that can tell you all you need to know about them.”
Frozen in his seat, Shaco did nothing while he processed the answer given to him. ‘Actions…you’re saying that actions speak louder than words? Well of course they do; I’ve been bullied and treated so unwanted by those in the past. They were cruel people, and that’s why they deserved what they-’ He stopped thinking, reflecting on what was said to him. ‘...no…no I was in the right, they were wrong; they got what was coming, no one can tell me I was bad for forcing my friendship on them…’
Puck looked onwards, deciding it was time to go back to searching for the others. “Shaco, we should go and find the others. Puck hopes they’re alright.” He gave a slight nudge onwards, encouraging him to move on. “Come on, let’s find our friends.”
Shaco stood up, following Puck from behind slowly as he continued to wrestle with his conflicted feelings. His eyes then latched back on the carousel he had played on, and that was when an idea popped up in his head. “Say…Puck…how about you treat me to one more turn on the merry-go-round. I’d like to experience a bit of motion sickness before hitting the road.”
“Oh, yeah! Sure!” Puck agreed. The two approached the spinning wheel; Shaco loaded himself on it, preparing himself for another nauseating experience. Puck stood firm in place, eager to twirl the wheel with everything he had. “Ready?” Shaco nodded in response. “Alriiiighty, hold on!” Puck then let it rip, only this time, he used his draconic fire to amp up the speed by propelling himself around. The sight was like a swirling blaze of inferno, a flaming cyclone of mayhem.
The g-force influenced on Shaco’s body gradually increasing, he was astonished by how such a little Kobold was able to produce this much firepower. Soon, just when Puck was about to end the thrill, Shaco’s body was sent flying outwards. Worried for Shaco’s well-being, Puck immediately slowed himself down to a halt by propelling in the opposite direction. “S-Shaco!” He shouted, fumbling as he tried rushing over to him, feeling the aftereffects of the spin himself. “S-So dizzy…”
Puck trundled in the direction Shaco flew as he recovered, but as he did, he spotted Shaco’s ink-mask lying on the ground. “Ah, Shaco’s mask!” He picked it up, feeling the texture and how watching the ink shape itself into different images as he flexed it around. “So cool…oh! Shaco, are you okay!?” He called out.
“I-I’m still alive…” Shaco replied weakly. “H-However, my mask flew off during the incident; did you happen to find it?”
“Yup, Puck found it.” Puck confirmed, approaching the sound of Shaco’s voice and shortly found Shaco’s figure sticking out a bit behind a large tree in the park. “Ah, there you are. Here Shaco-”
“N-No! Stop!” Shaco pleaded, Puck paused. “Can you throw the mask to me, I-I don’t feel c-comfortable letting you see what I look like.” His voice quivered, inferring to Puck how shy he was about revealing what he looked like behind his mask.
“Uh, okay, but…Puck doesn’t care about what you look like without it. There’s no need to be afraid of what Puck thinks, because Puck cares about you just as much as our other friends.” Puck didn’t want Shaco to be scared of what someone like him might think, though he was honestly curious of what he did look like behind the mask yet never cared to ask.
Silence fell on Shaco’s end while Puck remained still, awaiting for Shaco to answer back for what he wanted to do. After mulling it over, believing the worst case scenario could happen, Shaco replied hesitatingly. “...okay…but please…don’t be frightened by what you see…”
Wondering what he could truly mean by that, Puck walked over slowly, the anticipation building up between the two. Shaco was regretting the decision he had made, now thinking of how he was going to handle the situation if Puck were to react just like the others before. Puck stood behind Shaco’s hunched back, he was still unable to see his face due to his attempt to shield his appearance with his tall hat.
Sensing Puck’s presence from behind, Shaco took a deep breath. ‘If he truly does not care what I look like, then he’s a true friend. But if he shows even the slightest bit of fear…if he does…’ Racking his thoughts about the many possibilities, Shaco set it all aside and fixated back on the current moment to test Puck’s honesty. “Okay, Puck. Allow me to show you-”
“Puck!” Someone’s voice echoed from the deep mist, grabbing the attention of them both. “Puck! Where are you!? It’s Barry! I know you’re here, tell me where you are quick!”
“Barry!?” Puck said to himself, astonished to hear his voice again. “Barry! Puck is here with Shaco by the-” The little Kobold stopped talking due to noticing the ink-mask from his hands being snatched away by a mysterious force, shifting it back to Shaco’s possession. Puck turned around to look back at Shaco who had placed his mask back on. “Shaco?”
Shaco passed Puck, his attention now on Barry’s announcement. ‘Damn you, Barry. My other self couldn’t deal with you unlike the rest; now you’ve just made things more problematic for me.’ He was aware of Barry’s amulet that apparently had the ability to tell him where Puck was. ‘And he stole my book too, at that…’ Frustration built up inside him.
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His fists were balled up, Puck taking notice but unsure why he was expressing anger at this moment. “Um, Shaco, we should go meet Barry. Don’t you think?”
Pondering on what to do, he quickly broke out of his thoughts and answered back upon making a decision. “Wait here, Puck. That may not be the Barry you know, possibly the cursed forest playing tricks on your mind. So let me handle this personally and I will get back to you.” He then started running in the direction where they heard Barry’s voice.
“Shaco, wait!” Puck tried reaching out as he sprinted to chase him down; yet, he was not able to catch him, surprised by his elusive capabilities that made him magically disappear after losing line of sight. Puck stopped, wondering what to do next. “What? How did Shaco go away so fast? What about Barry? What should Puck do?” The little Kobold stood in silence on his own now, planning on what to do next.
Back at the pathway leading to the depths of the cursed forest, were Abe, Fae, Basil, and the rest of the elven forces. They continued to remain camped outfront, awaiting for the return of Barry and his party. Fae was fixing a meal for everyone to eat, while Basil and his men were out patrolling the perimeter for any unknowns. Abe, however, was currently chatting away with some critters around the camp. The most efficient way for him when it came to scoping out any worldly news, was by sourcing his information from his ol’reliable pals.
“So you’re telling me that wack-job, McGuinness, is scouring the land in the west?” Abe asked one of the birds amongst the group of animals in his circle. The bird chirped in affirmation. “Oh yeah, his crazy metal golems are no joke, but his ego overall is. The guy gets totally insecure about himself whenever someone brings up his height, or incorrectly says his name. One of my buddies had a grand time messing with him. Hehe.”
Another animal squeaked, it being a squirrel, Abe listened to what it had to say as he nodded. “Vicious purple monsters in the south from a buddy of yours? Sounds like those Eviscerators my friends fought in the past; man, these adversaries of ours are really spreading all over the land. The search for these prisms are getting more serious by the day, let's hope Barry’s itch was right about delving into this unforsaken forest.”
“Abe!” Fae’s voice called out, reaching his ears and grabbing his attention. “Dinner’s almost ready, can you pass the word to Basil and the others.”
“Yeah, for sure madam! I gotcha!” The spectre ranger acknowledged, as he stood up and glanced at the forest animals around him. “And by that, I mean can y’all let them know. I’ve been skipping leg day ever since the day I’ve died, not much function in your muscles when you're dead. Hehe.” His joke didn’t seem to phase the animals, who didn’t seem to want to run Abe the errand he was given. “...gah! Alright! I’ll compensate you with some goodies if you inform the others for me; only the good stuff. Does that sound sweet or no?”
Chirps, squeaks, and grunts were communicated amongst the animals till one of them agreed to Abe that they would do it and scattered about. Abe smirked, pleased he was able to convince them to do the task for him. “It doesn't take much to persuade the fauna when you promise treats.” He then started strolling back to camp.
Fae was getting everything ready for everyone's return when Abe arrived; she wondered if he actually spread the word to the others or not. “That was…fast? Did you really let the others know about dinner?” She said, looking puzzled.
“Yup!” Abe grinned, as he playfully flipped a coin. “Well, I didn’t; but our kind fellow forest animals are doing that in my place instead. So…yeah.” He fell back on a chair, stretching his legs out and relaxing.
Finding it both funny and lazy, Fae simply sighed and continued finishing things up. “What did you talk about with the animals? I’m assuming that was what you’ve been doing with most of your free time since Barry and the others went inside the cursed woodlands.”
“Oh, just getting the good ol’scoop from what’s been going on around Scion. In short, chaos and terror is being brought upon the innocent from the villains we’re contesting against.” Abe hoped that Barry was right about the 4th prism being located inside the cursed forest. “And you know what…now that I think about it…” He started recalling the previously known info about one particular villain.
Noticing that he was deep in thought about whatever it was, Fae asked as she was curious herself. “Think about what? Is it really important right now?”
“Yeah…” Abe admitted, as he rubbed his chin. “...there’s three villains that we know out of the supposed four. One who is an egotistical inventor, another that is a dimensional beast-like monster, and the other…”
Suddenly, a squirrel perched on a branch within his view. Abe drew his attention directly at it, and when he did, the same sense of nervousness he had in the past resurfaced. “No…” He stood up immediately, Fae instantly looked at Abe due to his startled appearance. “T-There! T-That squirrel! Look!” Abe jabbed a finger at it, guiding Fae to look at what he was seeing. From his perspective, it radiated the same malicious pitch black miasma that the raven he saw from last time did. “That squirrel isn’t ordinary, it’s wicked!”
And just when he said it, the squirrel swivelled its head directly at Abe, its eyes locked dead on Abe. Fae couldn’t see what Abe was seeing, but it did send chills down her spine the way it gave the thousand-yard stare. “Abe, you’re scaring me. Are you really sure this squirrel is-”
“FAE! ABE!” It was Basil, shouting at the top of lungs; his voice echoing from a certain distance. “GET TO THE CARRIAGES! WE NEED TO-” He was not able to finish his sentence due to an unforeseen circumstance taking place.
The very ground beneath them began trembling lightly, though the intensity could be felt increasing over time. Fae stopped what she was doing and was about to rush over to Abe’s carriage but didn’t when she noticed that Abe was still fixated on the squirrel. “Abe!” She called out, yet received no reaction. Deciding to take a more direct approach, she ran up to him, taking him by the hand which broke him out of his concentration. “We have to go! Now!”
Glancing at Fae then back at the critter, the squirrel kept maintaining its menacing gaze on Abe. He broke his focus from the squirrel and cooperated with Fae. “A-Alright.”
They rushed over to his carriage, taking seats in the coachbox, and Abe taking his spectral horses by their reins, cracking them. Abe wanted to turn the carriage around and seek Basil to pick him and his men up, so that was what he did. However, the closer he got to where Basil was shouting from, the more unstable it became for his carriage to drive on. In the distance, Fae could see Basil and the others traversing from tree to tree, appearing to be running away from whatever was behind them. She hollered out to them. “Look, Abe! They’re over-”
Abruptly ending her speech, they witnessed what it was chasing down them. “What is…why is there…” Roots, thorn vines, vibrant colored flora of all kinds were uprooting all across the land; it relentlessly travelled across all it encountered, even the very trees themselves began merging amongst what was mother nature’s wraith.
The event was so jarring that they did not hear the shouts of Basil beckoning to them. “Leave! We’ll be fine! Just go! Go! GO!” He demanded, not wanting them to get caught in the questionable mayhem being brought forth.
Doing as told, Abe whipped the carriage around and galloped away from the madness. And as he did, he took one look back at the place where he last saw the evil squirrel. However, it was no longer there, supposedly gone elsewhere. ‘No, I can’t be going crazy. There has to be a reason why I’m seeing these types of animals; there HAS to be. But what-’
And as he navigated away from to a safe area, he caught sight of multiple other fauna fleeing the scene; but amongst them was a still canary gazing at him, sharing the same dark aura as the other creepy animals. His eyes spotted a deer with a similar vibe, then a rabbit, and a few other sorts of animals. This freaked Abe out, wondering why they were all staring at him and what was the cause of their strange vibe. A lightbulb flicked on in his mind. ‘There was apparently a villain able to control plants based on the visions provided by Ron, which would explain what’s going on right now. And if these odd animals are truly evil, could they have been tailing us as a way to feed information to that certain villain? It would only make sense…right?’
It was the only possible explanation he could think of currently at the moment, but as of now, he had to focus on getting him and Fae out of the danger that was sweeping across the land. Basil and his men, on the other hand, were still fleeing the disaster going on. The speed at which the violent woodlands kept raging was stunning, one slip up could be costly for them. “Pick up the pace! We can’t slow down or we’ll be caught in the wave!” Basil urged, not wanting to lose anyone.
They continued to move outwards, hoping that they’d be able to escape the danger zone. Never wavering, always pressing on, they kept zipping from branch to branch until they started to see the extent of how wide the wave was. Feeling ever more confident, Basil and his men pushed even harder, successfully clearing away from the relentless wraith of mother nature. Still, the entire team kept pushing on a bit more before stopping to catch their breath. Basil did a head count, making sure that everyone that was with him had made it out which was the case. He sighed in relief. ‘Good, no one was lost…’
Watching from a distance, they witnessed the transformation that was left behind due to sudden nature's wake. Prickly plant matter, larger than average flowers, massive bulbs awaiting to bloom, it was as if the vegetation had been bestowed with some incredible magic capable of granting this phenomenal alteration. “Basil, what could be the cause of this forest frenzy?” One of the scouts questioned their leader.
Basil was unsure when asked, but soon recalled Barry’s team mentioning that one of the four villains was capable of controlling vegetation. “It could be one of the villains that was assigned to oppose us by the moderators. A foe able to use magic to twist nature to their very will. Barry’s team mentioned this to me and the council when I brought them in. Hmm…”
He pondered about the likelihood of this being the case and made a decision on the spot. Basil ordered his men to find and regroup with Abe and Fae, while he scouted the area for a clear answer to what was happening. Though reluctant to allow Basil to go off on his own, they conceded and did as instructed; leaving Basil to explore on his own. Taking a safe approach, Basil traversed the outer edges of the vast reformed woodlands; his goal was to reach the pathway that led into the cursed part of the woods.
There came a moment when he had to infiltrate the transformed vegetation in order to proceed and so he crossed over. Now having a closer look of the new plantlife, he was astonished to find all sorts of new vegetation he had never seen before. ‘I’ve heard and known of mages talented enough to produce results similar to what was made here, but not on a scale such as this. If the supposed villain is here as I suspect, then they will surely prove to be a threatening force to reckon with.’ He was getting closer to the spot where their campsite was made. ‘And for the reason why they decided to come here, it could only mean one thing. That the 4th prism is located in this very area…’
Soon Basil arrived near the camp, blending himself in with the new vegetation amongst the trees. The camp had been overtaken by the overgrown plantlife, overlapping everything they made. He directed his eyes to the path leading to the cursed forest, the wild wraith of nature continued to extend into it. ‘Could it be that the prism is in there? If so, then there's a possibility that Barry might have known about it all along.’ He wondered how Barry and his team were faring on their end.
Something appeared out of the corner of his watchful eyes, taking even more effort to hide his presence. ‘What is this now?’ Though it was miniscule, his keen eyes were able to track a streak of blue magical essence darting in the air on the ground below. He observed silently, questioning what it could be until finally discovering the truth, shocked at what it was.
Manifesting in front of the pathway was a cloaked blue-gold cloaked figure, its appearance looking to be cosmic-like. Basil assumed this person to be a type of mage, one with extraordinary magical powers and of unknown origin. ‘Now who could this mysterious individual be? I don’t believe them to be the cause of this sudden madness.’ The elf continued to study the mage from afar.
Sticking his hand out a bit, the mage produced some more of their unique magic, Basil watched it float in the direction of the pathway for a couple of seconds before ending the channel. From then after, the mage converted his body back into a streak of blue essence and travelled down the path. ‘They chose to enter the damned forest? For what reason would they want to do that? There’s so many questions I need answered…’
There was nothing more that Basil could do at the moment, therefore resulting in him leaving to join the rest and pass on what he had learned. ‘I hope you resolve the matters inside there, Barry. I will hold belief that you and your team make it back out alive at the very least.’
Returning back to the conflict that was occurring in the cursed forest that was Shaco’s domain; Barry was continuing to be chased by one of Shaco’s reflections and his stolen teammates, Kat and Anna. His goal to reach Puck, using the amulet gifted to him as his guide, seemed to him like he was closing in on the little Kobold’s whereabouts.
“Puck!” Barry shouted once again, continuously scanning the area around him in search for Puck. The tremors of Shaco’s animated house of terror kept bulldozing from behind, despite him being able to put distance between it. ‘He’s nearby, the amulet is shining intensely now even more than ever.’ The book that he had stolen from Shaco was pressed tight against his chest; he was still puzzled of how he’d be able to undo the transformation cursed upon Kat and Anna. He tried smudging their names, doing anything to erase them but the words weren’t affected whatsoever. Another thing was that he was unable to store it in his inventory which was just as puzzling to him.
Another beam of black magic was fired from behind him, striking his shoulder and causing Barry to stumble; yet wasn’t enough to push him down. ‘Damn that stings; my armor can only provide so much magic resistance and that’s what I lack unlike my physical defense stat. So far I haven’t seen Ron or Luna; I see their names written in the book but I haven’t seen them converted into shadows. That has to be good right?’
Teleporting from above was Anna’s shadow, making an attempt to launch a surprise attack. Barry rolled forward, avoiding her downward plunge, followed by a flurry of daggers thrown at him, prompting Barry to shuffle sideways in order to dodge. He received a few cuts and kept moving. ‘Maybe once I find Puck, he could try burning the book with his draconic fire and maybe that’ll release everyone under Shaco’s control. However, there’s also the chance that might not even work…fuck.’
His legs carried him to a secluded park land, now sprinting down a cobblestone pathway. “Puck, where are you!? You’re in this park right!? Say somethi-” He went quiet as he spotted the figure of a large tree trunk being hurdled directly at him; Barry dashed forward, ducking his head under the passing tree. Multiple other objects came soaring at him; benches, light poles, trash bins and alike. Barry scanned the land using his pulses while he dodged, he would soon locate what was assumed to be Shaco’s highlighted figure in the distance. ‘Another you, I see. Then Puck has to be here for sure.’
The tremors from the monster house that had been chasing Barry from behind could no longer be felt, probably a sign that it was no longer animated. Yet, a couple blasts of dark magic from Kat continued to fire at Barry, reminding him that trouble was still after him. Barry carried on, using his amulet to finish guiding him to Puck. More obstacles were thrashed at him. “You just had to go ahead and make things difficult for the both of us! Barry!” It was Shaco ranting at him. “You can’t run from your fate for long! And you most certainly will not see Puck anymore! He’s with ME now! So hand over my book!”
“No! Not unless you turn everyone back to the way they were before!” Barry demanded. “You’re upset, broken even, so frustrated at the way people have mistreated you in the past that you’ve decided to dominate them with your powers all because you wanted friends. Your feelings are valid, but the way you’re going about filling the void in your heart is fucked up!” Anna appeared from his blindspot and tried slashing at him, yet was avoided. “These shadows of people that you’ve converted into your friends, they’re nothing more than hollow shells of who they once were! For fucks sake, they can’t even speak!”
“Silence!” Shaco screamed in anger, his wails carried so much negative energy that Barry was able to feel the intense pressure against his skin. “I don’t want to hear a word about friends from you! Once you’re gone, Puck will have only me to look at; he will become my first true friend, a friend for life to keep me company. This is my domain, my playground, my sanctuary! And people like you are not welcome here!”
Suddenly, silhouettes of horsemen were seen galloping within the mist, the riders wielding weapons in hand. They were soon revealed to be enlarged toy-like beings, possibly animated due to Shaco’s chaotic magic. “Let us play in your final hours before passing; just you and me!” Shaco taunted.
Barry’s attention to Kat and Anna’s attacks, combined with Shaco’s supernatural abilities, were becoming more stimulating as time went on. He was in the right area where Puck was, but he just couldn’t find exactly where he was, probably some sort of spell of concealment came to mind. If this was the case, Barry had only one other option left to try. ‘Fine. Let’s play.’
Activating his ability, ‘King’s Commanding Presence’, he blitzed through the toy horsemen, cleaving through the horses legs with his greatsword, resulting in the riders falling down. Shaco was startled by this sudden show of aggression but did not hesitate to animate more of his toys, this time sending out horrific jack-in-the-boxes and stuffed animals. He was conscious of Kat and Anna interference at times, tactfully evading their attacks while trying not to do harm to them, he was unsure what would happen if they were supposedly defeated. Barry hacked and slashed, carving his way through the obnoxious jack-bastards vicious lunges and spilling the fluff out of the violent plush buddies.
Astonished by how quickly Barry was bulldozing through his toys, breaking them all apart effortlessly, he didn’t realize it until now, but he sensed Barry’s bloodlust reaching him. ‘I-I thought he was just a jerk, but it seems like he’s capable of putting up more of a fight than I imagined he would. Why does someone like you exist!?’
More trouble was deployed to stop Barry but it continued to seem like nothing Shaco had was able to halt the raging beast that was charging towards him. Barry was moments away from reaching Shaco, planning to disable him the first chance he had. And when he first caught sight of the masked man in view, seeing the shock in his stance, Barry aimed for his hand that was conjuring a spell of some kind. ‘Fun’s over, Malven.’
Suddenly, unexpectedly, the very person that Barry had been searching all this time had appeared. “Wha- Where did-” It was Puck, manifesting in between Barry’s assault against Shaco. “Barry!”
“Puck!?” Barry stabbed his weapon into the ground to slow down, coming to a halt. “Puck, Shaco’s-”
“Barry’s gone insane!” Shaco lied, being the first to label Barry as a villain. “The cursed forest has manipulated him into-”
“Shut up! He’s lying Puck! He’s enslaved our friends and now he’s trying to-” Barry’s speech due to sudden tremors from something. He looked at Shaco to see if it had anything to do with him, but noticed that he was being affected by it as well, same with Puck. ‘What the hell is going on now!?’
Shaco’s senses were going off, he had just felt a disturbance going on in his cursed domain. ‘Something unnatural has entered my haven, but what could it…huh? Why are there…’ His face turned away from the two, staring down in a specific direction. “Oh dear…this is…”
Barry and Puck observed what Shaco was focused on, the mist was being dispelled finally thanks to Shaco, allowing them a clearer look of what it was that approached them. It appeared to be mother nature's wraith being spread out all across, giving a whole new make over. The first thing that came to Barry’s mind was a recalled memory, one that he hoped to be prepared for. ‘Oh, so now she’s fucking here when I was just dealing with him…just how screwed am I now?’
