28th of Cobre, 4:37pm, 1659

"Lenoria. One of the Soulstones is nearby. It's faint, but I can sense it coming this way."

Lenoria and the rest successfully walked around the walls of Norwich and continued on along the mountainside, where the Norwich Forest trees had finally come into view.

"Which Soulstone is it, Pearl?" Lenoria asked.

"It's..."

***

The magic darts hit their mark, knocking Luno out of her trance-like state and forcing her to open her eyes to meet with her assailant.

"You little tw...tw...twit! What do you think you're doing?!"

"You first!" Cecilia shook her fist angrily. "I just cast a [Magic Missile] at the darkness that is your heart, and I don't mind doing it again if you don't explain to me what's going on!"

While waiting for an answer, Cecilia tried to make sense of the situation in front of her. Ghostly forms of her friends were trapped in cocoons hanging from the ceiling of the massive cave room she's in, and if she wanted to save them, she had to act fast. Maybe she could fire a [Scorching Ray] and hoped the silk would dissolve and release them. But as they hung from the ceiling, she wondered if the fall would hurt these translucent bodies. What would happen to the bodies she left behind if the bodies here perished in some way?

Better not risk it.

"You were supposed to be asleep, dreaming sweet dreams. You're the first person to ever manage to wake up on their own." Luno dusted herself off. "I understand your anger, but if you attack me again, it won't end well for you."

"Then tell me. Why did you put us to sleep? We drove the demons back, didn't we? You have no reason to attack us because we saved your stupid forest!"

"Not entirely! You only pushed the demons away. You didn't kill them. Their presence continues to linger in my forest, and before my forest can even stand a chance to survive, I had to trap them here with me. But I couldn't do it when they first stepped in here. No; I had to wait until the appointed time."

Luno fluttered a little closer to Cecilia, flying away away from the pool of cave water.

"We mothmen are agents of fate. Our purpose is to ensure that destiny stays on its proper course. Have you heard of the rare times a human is brought back to life without explanation? Or how about when humans sometimes find themselves at the right place and at the right time? Or perhaps...the times a building collapses, and all the investigators could find as a probably cause was a faulty foundation? That's us."

"You seriously expect me to believe there's an organization of moth people who work in the shadows because they see themselves as the hands of fate?" Cecilia stomped the ground. "Cut the crap! All you're doing is making me want to set this place on fire and free my friends!"

"You will doom your friends if you do." Luno pointed at the cocoons in the ceiling. "What you're seeing there is your friends' consciousness made manifest. Damaging them, burning them, cutting them? They all yield the same result. By doing so, you risk severing their consciousness from their physical bodies. If you destroy their consciousness, they will never wake up."

Her adversary thought of everything. It was a good thing Cecilia didn't fire her darts at her captain's 'consciousness'. The moth woman could be bluffing, but it was frightening to think what would have happened if she wasn't. All she can do now was stall for time until she figured out a way to free her crew without endangering them.

"Fine, I won't set anything on fire. But what's this about you trapping the demons here?"

"For that, you must know a little about me. My people may be agents of fate, but I wandered into this forest many years ago. The giant moth population was declining, so I stayed here to protect them from hunters and poachers. Eventually, Rosewood Grove took notice of me, and their archdruid made me Guardian of this forest. The archdruid himself is no one special, but he is a conduit of the forest divinities. If they approve of someone becoming a guardian of one of their forests, then they grant him permission to grant that power to the worthy. And the power given to me? To give me eyes across the forest. Every moth, big or small, reports to me. I see what they see, and feel what they feel. And if someone is a threat to them? I have the power to trap them here."

Cecilia was not one to take things at face value, but it was a good thing Luno liked to yap and yap. The longer she did so, the more time the halfling pirate had to come up with a plan.

"Wait, if you already knew about us after freeing your little friend from the bear trap, why did you reveal yourself to us all threatening-like?"

"And give away a hint of my powers? No, thank you." Luno crossed her arms. "But there's something that bugs me now. How come you woke up? Is your mind trained against hypnosis?"

"What, and give away my powers?" The irony was not missed from Cecilia's retort.

"Hmm. They do say that red-haired people are touched by the fey. And given your magical aptitude, I wouldn't be surprised if you were. Maybe your fey blood gave you some protection from my powers, if not outright immunity. You have been asleep for over an entire day, after all."

An entire day? Then that would mean...

27th of Cobre, 11:09am, 1659 28th of Cobre,1659

Cecilia had assumed she only slept for about eight hours when in reality it must have been at least over twenty-four, if not more. There was no way to tell the time of the day without stepping outside, and with bigger things to worry about at the moment, she wondered if it was wise to escape now. Escaping through the darkness in uncharted territory should only be considered if there was no other choice. Especially if the demons were still out there.

"Okay. So you need help with the demons. And you need your own pirate crew for that because...?"

"Because I need help protecting this forest. And while my moths are scary to the average human, they have no fighting ability whatsoever. Poachers know this, the demons know this, and they both hunt my babies day and night. I can't be everywhere at once, even if they're my eyes and ears. A crew like yours is just what I need."

Cecilia took a defiant step forward. "You think they'll listen to someone who forced them to sleep for so long? They can't even agree on what to get for chow every night."

It was hard to tell from the woman's mouthless face, but Cecilia shivered when it shifted to something close to a smile. "But they will listen to their captain. Your crew respects him enough to include him in their dreams. I don't need to convince them, really. Just...him. I'm so thankful I waited to close off the forest exits until he arrived."

"No...Y-you mentioned sealing the forest at the appointed time." And then it hit Cecilia. "Were you waiting for us?!"

Luno nodded. "Your captain. He...is special. I had a vision proclaiming the arrival of a man in red in a ghostly vessel not too long ago. The fates declared this man would not only drive off the demons, but save the forest as well. It's his destiny to remain here and help me protect it! But I know humans; without companionship, they will grow lonely and eventually die an early death. That's why I'm keeping his crew here, and I'm willing to give him everything he desires."

"Destiny? As if! How is the captain any different from anyone else?!"

"Has he not told you? Of course, with a secret as wild as his, I suppose no one would believe him even if they wanted to. But let's just say he is...out of this world."

"I get it, you want him." Cecilia scoffed. "Fine, keep your secrets, but don't act like you know him. I just want to know; if you needed help that badly, couldn't you just ask the people in the neighboring towns?"

"No. They are far too weak to battle the demons. And the local governments, from what I've gathered, would rather raze the forests along with the demons. But a crew of seasoned adventurers? They shall be more than enough to handle an extermination task."

Luno flew around Cecilia in a non-threatening way. Despite the halfling's visible hostility, the moth woman was graceful by comparison.

"There's no need to fight me, Cecilia. You and I are the same; you care for your crew just like I care for my forest. I promise they will never be harmed. In fact, they will continue to dream while I carry out my plans."

Luno snapped her fingers. Out of the pool of water came a dripping, translucent figure in shining armor that Cecilia recognized instantly. The halfling silently cursed the moth woman for such a low blow as the newly arrived Alistair embraced her from behind.

"And that means you, too, if you wish. Your suffering can end here. You can dream away, along with everyone else. After all, isn't this what you want? You can live the fairy tale you always wanted and have that family you always wanted. You are also free to challenge me if you wish, but I must warn you right now that you cannot fight destiny. Your captain is destined to remain here; if you try to prevent that, your story might as well end here, too. But if you want to surrender, then simply close your eyes and let your dreams carry you away."

Had the captain's destiny already been determined by the gods? And could it be overwritten? Luno certainly seemed to believe nothing could stop what was already set in stone. If Cecilia tried to stop her now, she would be outmatched and possibly killed. The easier thing to do - perhaps even the smarter thing to do - would be to resign herself to a lifetime of sleep, dreaming about her wildest fantasies until her body expired. The man of her dreams would be hers, and no one else's.

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

But unbeknownst to Luno, Cecilia was not one to betray her crew's well-being.

"I see. So, that's your game." The halfling pirate wiped her eyes, soaking her sleeve as she steeled herself for what could be the consequences of her decision. "You somehow have access to our minds while we sleep. There's no way you could have known this boy before we came here."

Without even taking her eyes off of Luno, Cecilia unsheathed her dagger and stabbed the thigh of the 'Alistair' behind her. The boy shouted a garbled scream, and in an instant he dissolved into a puddle of water that splashed everything around it.

"You peeked into my dreams. I do thank you for the dream I had earlier before waking up; that guy was so good at plowing the farm fields - among other things - but if he's to become mine one day, I'll win him over fair and square. I will never settle for a cheap copy!"

"You do understand that by stabbing him, you will only dream about an endless void if you stay here?"

"I'm not staying here. If you're some sort of forest guardian, then I won't risk my life by fighting you. But I promise I'll find a way to stop you. No matter how long it takes."

"Hey, Selena! Where are you?"

Both women turned to the direction of the pool, hearing Caesar's voice coming from it. Not bothering to challenge Cecilia, Luno dismissed her declaration with a scoff and flying toward the pool.

"Do what you want, then. But there's no way you can leave the forest. The silk and the foliage will block all of the exits, and they won't move without my command."

"We'll see about that." Cecilia made great effort to not show how relieved she was. She managed to avoid a confrontation with her new enemy, and she was now free to leave the cave. She would be leaving her crew and the kids for now, but leaving and returning with help was a better plan than facing off against something more powerful than she was.

With guilt in her eyes, she looked back at her crew's 'consciousness' before running off to look for the exit.

***

The sparse giant trees were more noticeable during the daylight hours of Norwich Forest, even under the overcast skies of Thule. For the fleeing Cecilia, the droll sight was more welcome than the phosphorescent fungi inside the cave, and she was happy to finally be outside, away from the damp cave.

"Block all the exits, huh? If only I could fly, then getting out of here would be a breeze..." Cecilia thought about climbing the trees, but found it to be a fruitless idea. For her relatively small arms and legs, climbing a tree would take a while, and even if she reached the canopy, she would have nowhere to go unless she had wings. She settled for looking at the sun's position and determine where north was. She knew going further south would take her to the mountainside, but going north would eventually take her back to Norwich. And from there, Goodsprings. "The dumb blonde. I hate to say this, but she's the only one who could save everyone. I have to get to Goodsprings..."

It didn't take long for someone to take notice of her footsteps. She spotted a group of abrikandilu - five in number - who were throwing stones at a giant moth clinging to one of the giant trees. A broken twig here and a pile of leaves there, Cecilia made too much noise for them to ignore. Quite conveniently, she discovered a bush not far, and took a literal leap of faith and hoped no one had spotted her.

The abrikandilu looked in her direction, immediately giving up on harassing giant insects to check out the new arrival. They didn't spot Cecilia, but definitely noticed the sound she made when she jumped into the bush. Not ones to take chances, the hunched demons readied their claws and advanced menacingly, splitting the bush in two in order to open it.

Nothing.

They quietly nodded to each other and searched around the general area. Cecilia held her breath; had she not drank the potion of [Invisibility] in time, she would have been found and promptly been torn apart. Once the demons were out of earshot, she quietly emerged from the bush and continued on her way north. "Guess it's stealth from here on out."

Little did she know, the warmth of her Soulstone had returned. It was faint and she couldn't sense it, but it was definitely there.

***

It was as Luno said.

Cecilia stood at the edge of the forest. Despite her best efforts of sneaking around unseen, the forest had darkened, giving it an eerie feel which was intense thanks to the occasional demonic howl from other areas of the forest. And despite making it to the exit, the way was blocked by thicket upon thicket of briars, moth silk, and thick, thorny vines. The vines tangled themselves into a surprisingly sturdy wall in the spaces between the trees, making escape nigh impossible.

Worst of all, Cecilia had already finished her potions of [Invisibility]. Store bought potions were often weak, and those with the [Invisibility] spell imbued in them only lasted three minutes at best. With the howling getting closer and nowhere left to hide, Cecilia waited for the inevitable and prepared to attack. Perhaps there was only a few demons approaching, and she could force the vines to come to life once more while she peppered her adversaries with scorching rays of fire.

To her absolute horror, the new arrivals were six abrikandilu, along with the Blue Jays she and the captain met the night before the night before, just a stone's throw away. They seemed surprised to see her just as much as she was to see them, but the tension only got worse when one of the abrikandilu cried.

"That little jerk was the one who sabotaged our plans," one of the rat-like demons hissed.

"Really? Esa muchachita?" El Buitre gave Cecilia a shrug of indifference. "You and that fool of a captain were spotted with the children we rightfully kidnapped. Not only that, but we made it clear that the Abyssal moths were the enemy, and yet you helped them."

Cecilia grinned defiantly. She was scared and on the verge of tears, but she refused to show weakness to her enemies. "Save your breath. We know you cultists are in league with the demons, and those moths are far from dangerous. Besides, part of the deal was for us to grab the children, anyway. Don't blame me for having such a bad lookout."

That's right; it was better to shield oneself than to show weakness with emotion. Cecilia had to remain calm. The last thing she needed to do was give the Order of the Blue Jay the suffering of the innocent they desperately craved. She wasn't even remotely worried about the blue-caped buffoons; it was the rats behind them she was worried about. No doubt some of them from the night before were among them, and would be more than happy to sink their teeth in her.

"Look around you, sweetheart," said the blonde woman next to El Buitre, Darla, giving Cecilia a toothy grin. "You really think this is the time to act all brave? A small, dainty little thing such as yourself should know better than to wander around in the darkness."

"You've got nowhere to run," the dwarf among them warned. "The forest is sealed and we have you cornered!"

"I'm in way over my head here..." Cecilia smiled back. "Then congratulations. It took, what, ten of you bastards to corner one tiny 26-year-old halfling girl?" Flames flickered in Cecilia's hands. The time to make a stand had come. "Then again, relative to other halflings, I've barely reached the adulthood stage."

"That's an adult?" Asked one of the abrikandilu.

"She's 26?" Asked another.

"So go ahead and do what you came here to do," Cecilia continued, "but I'm warning you, I'm not going down without a fight. You lay a hand on me, my captain will make sure you don't leave this forest alive. And even if you do kill me, I know some dangerous folks who will make you wish you were-"

Cecilia quickly stopped herself when she spotted the blonde woman unstrapping a firearm off her back. Thinking quickly, Cecilia conjured up a glyph with her left hand, but a deafening KER-POW interrupted her casting. The shot from the woman's musket was too much for the halfling, who now held her now-wounded arm as it dripped with blood. El Buitre snickered away while the demons hollered at the sight of blood.

"It's not in me to hurt women, but I don't mind Darla doing it for me," El Buitre admitted.

"Huh. Normally, they're rolling on the floor crying after a single shot." Darla leaned the barrel of her musket against her shoulder, using her hand to hold it by the butt stock. "Color me intrigued, sweetheart. You're something else, ain'cha?"

"Why, you-" The pain from the musket wound held Cecilia back, forcing a whimper out of her as she struggled to cast a spell with it. "That was my good arm..."

"Looks like you're finally starting to understand just what you've gotten yourself into. But you're too late." El Buitre pointed at Cecilia. "You have two options: Scream, or don't. But you should have never crossed the Order of the Blue Jay."

You bring shame to your family. Leave and never return!

Cecilia was not one to believe in destiny, but the cruel words from her past returned to haunt her in what was possibly her final hour. She remembered herself, at the gates of a great manor, giving offensive gestures as her parents looked on from inside with absolute disgust.

"Well, guys. I guess you were right. I'm just a good-for-nothing little girl who was going to get herself killed by exploring the outside world. But it's not like I can take back what I did." She brought shame to her family and failed to deliver on her promise to save the captain, her crew, and the children. Perhaps this was destiny; soon, she would die an outlaw's death, cornered and alone. She was too much of a shrew to live the romantic life she always wanted. Perhaps she didn't deserve any of what little happiness she obtained, even in her dreams. "Sorry, Cap. I don't think I can take on this many demons."

"The stars above command you: Open the way, in the name of your king!"

The vines behind her untangled themselves and pulled themselves back into the shadows. A light as blue as the sky shone through the new exit, and no sooner after turning around did Cecilia feel something bigger than her pick her off the ground. She picked up a manly scent she instantly recognized as a pair of strong arms cradled her. She held back her tears as she clung to the chest of her savior.

"Forgive us, Miss Cecilia." A holy light shone from Alistair's hands as Cecilia's gunshot wound disappeared almost completely. The blood dried in an instant, and the wound closed off. "You took on a big responsibility in our stead. I hope we're not too late."

"N-no, you're not." Lost in the boy's eyes for a moment, Cecilia snapped out of her daze and squirmed herself off his cradling. "But the captain...the crew...the children... they need our help."

"Then let us assist you." The paladin hoisted the great hammer off his back. "My shield is useless against firearms. Stay behind me, okay?"

"Boy!" El Buitre's angered voice caught Alistair's attention. "How did you unseal the forest?"

"Blue Jays." Seeing the musket and recalling Cecilia's wound, it didn't take long for the paladin to piece together what had happened. "Sorry, but I don't answer to scoundrels, especially those who make deals with demons!"

"How did he know about that?" For the first time since his arrival at the forest, the leader of the Blue Jay group froze in fear as Alistair's hateful eyes turned in his direction. The rest of the Blue Jays quivered in fear, their movements slowed from Cecilia's wriggling vines. As for the demons, they expressed caution at the boy who didn't run at the first sight of them.

"Blue Jays....you and your demons have hurt one of my friends! Do not expect any mercy!"

The birdfolk leader did his best to stand his ground by putting on a cocky grin made from false courage. "Big talk from a greenhorn!" More people could be seen entering the forest's new exit; all women, including a silhouette taller than even Alistair. "You've gone from one person to five. You think you scare us?! There's still ten of us, so we outnumber you two to one!"

El Buitre was partially right. Four people had joined Cecilia in her hour of need. There was Alistair, the bratty girl known as Melodious Aquamarine, the blonde who's always drooling for Alistair, and a rock giant she didn't recognize. They had all arrived in their steeds, and had gotten off of them as they prepared to battle.

But unbeknownst to the Blue Jays, there was a sixth person among them. Shining with a light blue aura and standing behind Alistair was a black-skinned man, wearing a crown over his balding head and holding a scepter with his left hand. He was shirtless, and wore only a simple green kilt and a red cape around his shoulders. Standing at least six feet in height without his back hunching over, the regal man emanated with authority and courage, like a true king.

"Raven princess," the regal man's eyes darted to the left, knowing Lenoria was nearby. "The demons have turned this forest into a den of evil. Are they friends of yours?"

"No." Lenoria, holding a light blue gemstone, answered grimly. "You know our deal, Cepheus. Do what you have to do."