28th of Cobre, 2:27pm, 1659

Norwich was once again in the sights of our protagonists. Unlike the night of their arrival, the village seemed more lively from afar under the overcast skies. It would only take a few minutes to arrive casually on horseback, less than a minute if they rushed inside now.

"Are you sure Caesar is beyond the village, Pearl?" Lenoria's arms clung around Alistair while both rode on Chestnut's back.

The woman in black hovered next to Chestnut, her expression as cold and grumpy as usual. "His movements vary from time to time, but he has not left the forest since we parted ways. I can sense Beckett, but I can't locate the Argo Navis."

"Then we better get moving. They could be in trouble." The blonde leaned her head on Alistair's shoulder. "We're here, Al. I know these people don't like you, so I was thinking maybe we could hide you with a cloak or something."

"I have a better idea." Not far behind them, a low-pitched neigh could be heard as Solveig and her steed marched towards the side of the road. "We're going off-roading."

"What?" Melodious Aquamarine, not far from Solveig, raised her arms in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Who knows what kind of bugs you'll find in the tall grass."

"Why did Lenoria bring this brat, anyway?" Solveig's mighty steed, a skeletal horse made of fire, casually strode off the road and into the tall grass - easily three feet in height - without setting anything ablaze. "Hey, bird woman. You sure your man is this way?"

"I just said that he was," Pearl said with irritation. "Were you not paying attention?"

"Perfect. Then we go this way." Ignoring Pearl's protests, Solveig marched off the road in the direction Pearl had pointed to. The giant woman did not stop or even care for anyone else's thoughts, and went on her own.

Aquamarine shook her fist. "Talk about a big fat meanie! Why did you bring her, anyway, Lenoria?"

Chestnut was next to step on the tall grass, following Solveig's example as he brought Lenoria and Alistair with him. The noble steed waited until Alistair gave him the okay to proceed, then strolled further into the grass and followed the living fireball. Lenoria, riding on the back, gave Aquamarine a gentle nod.

"I trust Clara more than anyone else to take care of Lisa while we're gone. But I don't think it's a good idea for just the three of us to go. Who know what's waiting for us in that forest."

Having not gotten a word in until now, Alistair finally spoke. "I trust Solveig to keep us alive, despite her demeanor. Please bear with it, Miss Aquamarine." The boy scratched his head. "I'm more surprised she agreed to come with us."

"Yeah." It was a surprise for Lenoria as well, but it was a welcome surprise. The couple had made their way to the inner part of the village the night before until they located her, and she was not one to hesitate despite having only a few hours before departure.

Are you kidding me? I hate that bald toad, too. If we save these friends of yours, then that means Demetrio sent his men after them for nothing.

An ally driven by spite was still an ally. Plus, an agent of a death god opposing the actions of a necromancer was not unexpected. But until they had asked her, a margin of uncertainty would have remained. A good scientist would leave no question unanswered if that meant it left nothing to chance in their theory. And their reward was Solveig's assistance until Caesar and his crew were found safe and sound. Then, she would return to Goodsprings to resume her duties. That was her only condition.

"Fine, whatever." Aquamarine braced herself before urging Mr. Horsey to step towards the grass. The tall grass felt wet yet coarse as it brushed against her skin. This was going to be a long day.

***

27th of Cobre, 11:09am, 1659

The lair of the moth woman was a cave somewhere in the forest. There was no direct sunlight, but the phosphorescent fungi stuck to the walls pierced through the darkness with a blue light. There was enough space to fit the wagon inside, and once deeper inside the cave, everyone had gone to sleep to relax their minds and recover their wounds.

Cecilia was the first to rise from her slumber. She yawned and stretched her lithe frame as she took note of the feel of the place. The luminescence was bright enough to reveal a safe passage, yet it wasn't overwhelming for the eyes. The cold of the night outside was absent, feeling warm and cozy from just her tiny bedroll. She could hear the water constantly dripping in the distance, but not annoying enough to wake anyone in the middle of the night. The humid environment gave the cave a damp, earthy smell.

This was the best sleep she's had in months.

"It was just a dream..." The halfling woman had a sweet dream the night before. The paladin of her dreams tended to her every need, and the loser scientist girl was the maid of what became their ranch in the country. Finally, that knight in shining armor had come to his senses and ditched the brainy buffoon for someone who could take care of him, in both body and soul.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The rest of the band slept in their own comfy bedrolls as well, right outside the wagon. The pirates had spare blankets, and Cecilia remembered spreading out as many as she could to give the children a soft and safe place for them to sleep on, so she figured they must still be inside. The smiles on everyone's faces - including her captain - indicated that they, too, were having sweet dreams.

"Very nice of that moth girl to let us hide here in the meantime." Oh, right. Their new friend had given them her name as they fled to the cave. The captain may have been flirtatious during his request, but he genuinely wanted a name from her to establish trust. And a name she gave them; unique, sort of. Definitely a pronunciation they've never heard of before.

Luno.

"Wouldn't be the first time the captain tried to woo something from a different species. She really saved our skins back there, though." A tiny ember flickered at Cecilia's fingertips. With a snap from her fingers, it vanished without a trace. "Looks like my spells are returning. No one's woken up yet. I might as well work on my meditation now."

For a sorceress like Cecilia, regaining her spells was not a difficult task. Her mind wandered back to the forest, the giant moths, and their guardian. Were they simply mere insects, or something above that? And if they were, what was their relationship with the fair folk? Come to think of it, she hadn't spotted any during her time in the forest, but it was common for such creatures to have an aversion to humanoids such as herself. Especially with demons attacking the forest.

This sort of back and forth thinking went on for another fifteen minutes, drawing no conclusions. Then, before she knew it, Cecilia could feel her power return to her. Her veins briefly flashed throughout her entire body with an emerald green light. "Much better."

Wide awake for sure, Cecilia used a rope to keep her bedroll rolled up and tossed it on an empty spot in the back of the wagon. The commotion did not stir the children; rather, they remained asleep as they had all cuddled next to one another like a group of cats. "They did have a rough time last night..." Not wishing to linger much longer, Cecilia closed the flap of the wagon and sat next to her sleeping captain.

What was he dreaming about? It was unusual, yet not impossible, for everyone in the area to be having sweet dreams at the same time. But what was the probability of something like that happening? Given the strange events that preceded this, she wouldn't be surprised if the demons left behind a little surprise as they fled with their tails tucked between their legs. But without Wulf's insight, all she could do was speculate.

"It's about time for everyone to wake up, but they're all sleeping like babes." Cecilia sighed. "Captain, what could you possibly be dreaming about? I better find Luno and figure out if she knows anything."

***

It was an early morning for 14-year-old Melvin.

His body awakened, yet his ears were active before his eyes were. They picked up the all-too familiar sound of strong winds around him. Hurricane season was still a couple of months away, but he lived long enough on the coast to know that weather can be unpredictable. He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he had to get up soon and be the man of the house if his father Rufus wasn't around. He had to grab his mother and his brothers and run for the community center.

But the longer he listened, the more he realized those weren't hurricane winds. They were the sounds of a vacuum at full blast. That could only mean one thing.

"Melvin Caesar!" The stern voice of an adult woman stirred the teenage boy awake. To him, that voice meant he was in danger if he wasn't standing in the next five seconds, explaining why he sat up and scrambled to quickly get out of bed. By the fifth second, Melvin was on his feet ready to start the day, posing as a soldier at attention like those he's seen in the movies.

"Hold up. I'm back home? What about the gang?" The boy held up his hands in astonishment. His battle scars, burns, and the scent of brine and rum were noticeably absent. "Am I dreaming?"

A slap on the back of the head was painful enough to convince the young Melvin otherwise.

"Ow."

"You know it's Saturday, boy. You ain't got time to dream, and you definitely ain't getting out of deep cleaning the house." The woman shoved a mop on Caesar's hands. "I'll start on breakfast. That bathroom better be spotless when I'm done."

"Momma, wait." Melvin set down the mop to meet his mother in the eyes. "Is it really you?"

"Were you expecting someone else?" The matriarch raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "You're not hiding a girl under the bed again, are you?"

"No! I just..." Melvin's voice trailed off. There was no way he could explain the dream he had. He could have sworn his life of piracy was real. Cecilia, Charlie, Wulf, Vanessa, and Temuulen lived a life of crime with him, broke bread together, drank together, pillaged together, cried together. He even recalled the time he swept a giant off its feet with his trusty rope. Was that also a dream?

Lenoria. The Soulstones. Were they not real? Melvin reached for his waist, only to realize he had been wearing black boxer briefs instead of his baggy pants. His pepperbox pistol and cutlass were gone. His armored gauntlet was gone. His Soulstone...was absent. All of his gear was gone.

Yet that was nothing compared to the joy he felt. He fought back the tears as he ran up to his mother and hugged her as tight as he could. His mother was surprised, but her stern disposition melted away at the sound of her own son crying on her shoulder.

"Did you have a bad dream, sweetie?"

"Kind of." Everything he lived up to this point was too out there to be believed. He knew how his mother would respond, but he sat down and told her anyway. She didn't have the same kind of imagination he had, but understood enough of his words to understand what his dream was about.

"You were definitely dreaming. I catch you drinking and sword-fighting anywhere before you're 21, and you'll be sweeping broken glass off the floor." She tousled her son's dreads. Despite her choice of words, she must have been happy for her son. "You're still cleaning the bathroom, though. Next time you'll think twice before peeing on the edge of the toilet."

His mother's words notwithstanding, Melvin was never happier to be back home. The dope slap his mother gave him hurt enough to make him believe he wasn't dreaming. If his adventure was all a dream, then there was no need to worry about the Soulstones anymore. He was reborn with a clean slate, and didn't have to worry about zombies, demons, and giant moths anymore. He will miss being a pirate, but now he can get back to being a skateboarder and aspiring basketball star.

The accident he suffered 24 years ago must have only been part of a drawn-out nightmare. He could still hear the voices of his crewmates, but perhaps that was just the aftereffect of the unique experience he woke up from.

"Captain! Captain!"