Scanning the many hallways carved by the dwarves, I wonder what their goal is. They all lead to nothing but a dead end. My guess is simply that they strip the mountain for ores and gems. Without prior knowledge of dwarven culture, I can only assume. The spiral stairs that are now inaccessible with whatever junk or furniture I can find to clog it up, just to prevent anyone from ascending and descending. Circling it, I make sure no blockade is out of place. Knowing what's out there, I can't be so careless. It's been two weeks, the temperature noticeably shifts, the mines feel hotter, and dealing with it makes me wish this place has AC or something to deal with it.
God... the stuff I live with, all the comforts of my old life, all the good things I used to have that I took for granted before it was ripped away from it. I look over at the table with my mask, cloak, and leather armor on it. Which I am reluctant to wear since it's too hot right now. How do these short people even handle this heat? There must be something that will help.
I have to deal with being a rat now, and other issues that come with the fact.
Finding out there are living tree people outside of this mountain after trying to find food is one thing, and now it's summer. Call it instincts, but I feel it in the wind. "I hate it here so much." I walk over to the table and swipe the mask off of it. I continue to wander around, aimlessly walking through one of the many entrances of the mines. Venturing deeper and seeking out a cold place in this hell hole. My only goal as of now.
From the end, I can hear my own footsteps echoing back to me. Amazing hearing is one benefit of being a bipedal rat. I look at the mask in my hand, the empty eye-sockets glare at me.
"What do you hope to achieve?" A deep, yet charismatic voice speaks to me. The skull feels a little heavier for some odd reason.
"Trying to find a cold spot in this place." I answer before staring ahead. It takes me a few seconds before I stop in my tracks. When I realize that the voice is actually that of the mask, I look around, thinking it might be a squirrel. So far... nothing. No pitter patter of their little paws. Their little chewing and chittering. No, it's dead silent. I am alone.
Which means only one thing.
"Oh great, Shepherd you are now hallucinating that your own mask is talking to you." I facepalm as I keep on walking in the mineshaft, my footsteps echoing once more.
I hear a chuckle coming from the skull mask. "Hallucination? You know hallucination means you are seeing things, not hearing things- right, my rat friend?”
I shake the skull vigorously as a precaution. Empty. “No, auditory hallucinations are a thing, you know. And I wouldn't be surprised if this damn heat is the cause of it.”
“Hm, indeed, Shepard. I was wrong about the subject. But perhaps this is real, not a figment of your mind. What then?” The skull asks me.
"Okay, I'll bite. " I sit down on the cold floor, it feels nice. Like the stone is siphoning the heat in my body. This is by far the best move I have yet made. "So, two things. One, tell me something I don't know if you are real, and two... Why are you talking to me?" If the mask has eyes, I am pretty sure it would be looking at me curiously.
"Let's see" The mask said "You are in the black forest or 'Elf Land' as some crudely call it, but for others, it's the place that nobody would ever enter alone. I am surprised that you have survived this long on your own."
"What" His words are confusing me. Or is it my words? I have truly gone to the deep end thanks to this lonely beginning of mine. "What do you mean 'Elf Land'? So far, I just met monsters, killer trees and squirrels."
I hear a noise from the mask that mimics my own confusion. "Do... do you not realize that those 'killer trees' are elves, right?..."
My brain just stops at hearing that information, it takes me a few minutes to understand what he just said.
"What... WHAT!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THOSE GORE TREES ARE ELVES?!" I go into overlock, ranting and trying to think of theories of why they are just walking trees. Did they become trees on purpose, was it an accident, are they born this way?! My mouth is like a machine gun of words as I keep talking and talking. Endlessly, I try to justify my findings and how I even learned about it. The idea that those things out there are elves is somehow beyond my expectations. It is just unbelievable to me. Is it a curse? This monster that lurks in this forest must've done something. My mind races to find a proper answer as my view on elves begin to dramatically change.
The sound of laughter interrupts my thought process. Ceasing my barrage of sentences.
"HAHAHAHA YOU- you are fascinating! Did your parents never teach you about the outside world? It's understandable, the truth is terrifying for those who are too young to understand it. But for the other question you ask about me, the reason why I am talking to you is... I was... curious as to why a Ratfolk is out here all alone... but now. You have my attention."
"I......" I don't know what to say, this is not a hallucination, this is real. Which of course; I should have seen this coming since this is a magical land after all, everything is now possible and something like this in this world is normal. God I am an idiot.
Somehow, some way. I found an unlikely friend in this world. Moreover, it is a damn mask. I have truly gone mad.
I turn my head away from my mask and massage my eyes. I could have sworn I saw something in the dark looking back at me. I don't know what it is, real or not, I am not going to stay here all day. "So before I go out to find food and water, what is your name?" There is a moment of silence before he speaks.
"The name is Henry. Your new friend." I get up and make my way out of the mines to get ready for the day.
"Ok... Henry. Can you tell me about the elves of these lands?." When I inquire about the people of this land, it feels as if he is smiling back at me...
-----
Somewhere else in a far away land, in a village somewhere else. A tiny magical creature that resembles a tiny brown bear sleeps peacefully on a pleasant, sunny day in their own home.
That is, until her alarm clock sounds.
After opening her eyes with a little groan of frustration, she slowly moves her hand to the offending machine and silences it. Her name is Daisy and she has been the familiar for magical girls or a mascot as it is called nowadays. For 30 years. As she gets off her back, she makes her way to her closet and opens it; trying to figure out what to wear for today. A black sunflower-patterned dress or a t-shirt and shorts? She decides to pick the sunflower one. It takes some time to put it on, then a yellow hair bow clip on her ear.
Once done, she takes a look at the mirror on her wall.
Sadly, Daisy's expectation isn't met as she stares at her own reflection. Her fur is faded, and the evidence of time is evident around her eyes. She is long past her youth.
The face of a woman who has been through so much stares back at her. She may be a bear, but she's also a person.
"Wow... right... I'm 48. Hitting 50 in a few years."
Daisy sighs, forcing a smile on face. Her hand goes for the makeup kit she keeps in the medicine cabinet. Something to lighten up her fur a bit.
"Pretend to be 20 daisy, there are a lot of magical girls you gotta help today, got to make sure you are cool like them.”
To be relatable with the kids isn't as easy as it was back when she first started her job. To be the magical familiar of generations of magical girls. Instructing them for a full ten years, guiding them through life. This is her calling, like her ancestors before her. And it is up to Daisy to bring honor to her family.
Does she even have a childhood?
No time to think about it. There are teens to teach. And wisdom to unravel.
She begins to move toward the kitchen, which is tastefully decorated with a few flowers. Opening the fridge, seeing a leftover sandwich from last night, she grabs it from the fridge unceremoniously and eats it. She closes the fridge before moving her way to the radio on the table, then switching it on to see what is going on today.
"On today's news, there were reports of a monster at-" The radio goes silent, cutting the news reporter off completely. Confused, Daisy finishes her sandwich and checks on the radio why it stopped working. She opens the rear panel to examine the mana crystal. They are dead... great, and to make this worse, she forgot to buy some new ones.
"I need to remember to buy some when I get back home." But she needs to get to work first.
She gathers her things which consists of an ID, A hand bag that's known as the Spacious Pouch for holding a lot of stuff for when things go wrong- like always- and a sunflower straw hat. Who knows what the weather will be today, never wrong to be too careful.
"Now it's time to get ready for the day!" She opens the door and steps outside, a warm breeze goes by. Closing the door behind her, she sees her sunflower garden is in full bloom, a beautiful sight to behold. Taking pride, she can't help but smile at work.
Something in Daisy's heart is telling her that today is going to be perfect.
Walking out of her front yard, she sees her human neighbor watering can on some roses, she waves her hand at him "Hey" and he turns around to wave back.
"Hey Daisy!"
She continues on her way, taking only 4 or 5 minutes to get to the train station. Seeing there are a few people in line, she inquires with the person in the ticket booth about the news today since her radio didn't work. Just curious about the current events.
A minute has passed and she is now face to face with the ticket booth person, Jim. A frail and aging human who is 60 years old with glasses and a big beard on his face.
"Hey Jim, so um... My radio isn't working today so I miss the news. The only thing I heard was a report of a monster before it was cut out. How bad is it?" Jim just gives Daisy a smile.
"Well good news for you little gardenia, it was not an actual monster at the Autumn Kingdom. It was an art sculpture that someone was making of a monster."
Daisy feels a sense of relief that it is not an actual monster. "That's good. But why would someone make a monster sculpture?"
Jim just shrugs his shoulders. "Who knows, kids are always up to something these days, but here." He hands her a ticket which surprises her. Just as she is about to grab her purse, Jim holds out a hand and stops her.
"But I didn't pay for it."
Jim just pats her on her head "Don't worry my friend, it's on the house." Daisy smiles at him. "But one more thing, here." He pulls out an umbrella. "I forgot to tell you that it's going to rain later in the day. So be careful."
Daisy raises her hand "Don't worry, I always carry one in my Spacious Pouch, so I will be fine but thanks for telling me that, Jim." He nods his head and puts the umbrella away.
She moves away from the ticket booth, taking a seat on one of the many benches. She distracts herself by grabbing a book from her Spacious Pouch and reading it. After 10 minutes the train finally arrives at the station. The door opens to show a dwarven train conductor.
"All aboard! show your ticket please!"
One by one, everyone steps up to the conductor and gets their ticket punched. Daisy is the last to meet with the dwarf, her ticket ready in her hands.
"Hey Daisy, how's life treating you?"
She hands him her ticket. "I have been doing good. Have to buy some new mana crystal when I get to the city."
The conductor nods his head as he punches the ticket. "Good luck with that, I heard some jackass stole crates full of them. Because of that, some people jacked up the prices for it."
Daisy just stared at the dwarf in disbelief "...Wh...what do you mean someone stole some crates full of mana crystal?"
"Thieves. No clue what goes on in their heads." He turns around and enters the train with Daisy behind him.
"When did this happen? How did this happen, where did this happen?" So many questions firing off in one go, which makes the dwarf stop in his tracks. Turning around and raising a palm at her.
"Look, I'm just a train conductor. Not a news reporter. If you want to know more about that, go ask your magic guild or something. I got to train to run." With that, he opens a sliding door and moves his way to the head of the train. Daisy, still with a concerned look on her face, decides to take a seat near by the door. Her mind starts to wonder who and why want to steal crates full of mana crystals…? Well actually there's a lot of reasons.
Sell them for money, use the crystals for their own gain, or even worse... consume them!
The thought of that makes her shiver. She recalls the stories she had heard about a poor guy who tried it and was taken to the hospital right away; it took five hours to remove everything from his body while still keeping him alive. See, mana crystals have a strange effect when consumed. Altering the mind and allowing many to see images which are different for each person. Only a fool would even dare to turn a source of power into a recreational drug. "What was that person thinking?" She didn't seem to keep that thought in her head as she felt the train start to move.
As the train slowly picks up speed, she wonders what kind of magical girl she is going to meet. Like Daisy's mother before her, and her mother's mother, Daisy will be responsible for the next generation of protectors.
She would've returned to her book for the whole ride, but the scenery is just amazing. Farms and towns in the far distance, like a beautiful landscape painting. Soon the train enters the forest. It was the Elder Woods, a forest that covers most of the east side of the region. Covering even the skies as the train goes deeper. The tunnel of luscious green is a sense of calming effect. Whatever ray of sunlight that pierces through the thick forest sparkles on the dew of the leaves. Bringing the stars to her.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Once the train exits the forest, she meets the shining blue ocean. A series of islands not just in the distant waters, but high above the skies as well. Remnants of the old world, when the land was once one. Yet just as beautiful as the stories of old. The train rides the rails that span over the ocean, leading to the mainland. The sea is just as blue as the skies, but teeming with kinds of life. As she appreciates the awe inspiring scenery, Daisy takes a look around the cabin. From dwarves to humans, different races mingling together. Chatting to pass the time. A sense of unity brings a smile on Daisy's face as she returns to admiring the view outside.
Just in time to watch a seagull fly by.
Sometimes a book can't replicate the beauty of the world with mere words.
And as the train finally enters the mainland, Daisy sees the capital of her home country, Sunnyfalls. A grand city at the heart of it all. A symbol of peace and serenity. And above the city is the castle in the skies. Though massive and imposing, it doesn't cast a shadow no matter where the sun is. As if it doesn't exist. At the center of the castle, is the pride of her country, an undying tree frozen in the season of autumn. Which inspired the name of her home, the Autumn Trees. You can even see the roots of this titan of a tree protruding from beneath the castle. As if reaching out to the city below it.
This is where her responsibilities begin. The city of Sunnyfalls.
A series of towers litter the lands, ever watchful for threats that may come. An ethereal eye watches over them as the train goes by.
She can't help but smile as the train soon enters the station. Her heart pounds in her chess as she feels the excitement of her new job. This is what she was trained for!
She hears footsteps as the sliding door open on her right. "We are now at the Sunnyfalls city!" The dwarf makes his announcement. On cue, everyone gets up from their seats as the train doors open and start to leave one by one.
Daisy is the last one to get up and leave the train, she waves her hand at the train conductor goodbye and he waves as well. As she leaves the train and enters the city, she hopes she can make a good impression on the magical girl.
...Tick tock tick tock, as the clock goes by...
As she waits within a fancy and well decorated office, a nameless girl looks through the glass wall to her left to see how much life is happening in the city. She observes a variety of people moving about, whether on bicycles, trams, or, in a rare instance, an airship, as she witnesses someone going to the castle in the sky.
'It's... amazing. I've never seen the city up close like this.'
It felt like she could stare out of the window forever. That is until she hears the door open.
She sees a bunny holding a briefcase walk in. He is sharply dressed in a black suit and tie, his eyes look hollow and tired. The sunken shadow under his eyes is a clear sign of lack of sleep. He's about half her height, but only if he straightens his back. Seems like this bunny slouches far too often. His lips are locked in a tired curve as both ends point down. She can see it in his eyes, he has seen enough of the world and is ready to sleep the rest of his life away.
Despite having such a clean appearance, his true emotions make her feel bad for him.
He turns his head to look at her and catches the way she looks at him, which elicits a sigh. "Yes, I do look horrible and yes I am used to this reaction. Now, let's get to business." Saying in a deadpan voice. He has a voice that is unfitting for someone as adorable and cuddly looking. "Hello Marie, I am Director Butter, the head of this fine institution. And I will be your friendly mascot today. You will be working for the Bureau of the Starlight Defenders; so I welcome you with open arms." His introduction sounded like he rehearsed it throughout the years.
He hops over to the desk and leaps on top of it, then he turns to face her. He places down his briefcase and takes out a piece of paper. Despite owning this office, his desk is far too large for him. Perhaps it is not for him but for the larger people in the building. A tad bit awkward to sit in front of a tiny desk and have to look down on the Director.
“So let's check your biography. You are human with white skin, brown hair, green eyes, freckles-”
“Is this necessary, mister?”
“I prefer to be accurate with these interviews. I cannot ignore every detail. If I miss even one, I fear it might be catastrophic.”
She can only shut her mouth as he begins again.
“Now, where were we? Right. Of course it's obvious that you are female so let's skip that. From the countryside-" He continues on talking about her biography… The girl doesn't know how to feel about this. He keeps on talking about the information provided to him by her.
'Is this... normal in the big city? It feels awkward just sitting here and doing nothing. Maybe i can ask-'
"Marie."
Butter's voice derails her train of thought. "Y-yes?!" She trips on her words as she fixes her posture. Butter gives a hard stare with a blank look on his face.
"I hope you are listening because I want to ask you an important question: Why do you want to become a magical girl?"
Silence. For a moment, Butter waits for an answer.
"Well...um... I always want to see the world. And I am a damn hoot in this magical business, so I thought about taking responsibility and joining the Starlight Defenders." Marie smiles as she waits for a response from the Director.
It feels like hours before he did. "...Huh... Well, that is a surprise. Usually the other magical girls always say: 'I want to do good', 'help others out' etc. That is a new one. Many are always selfless, yes, but you are quite honest. A little too honest."
"Is... is that a bad thing?" She asks curiously, the Director shakes his head
"No. But I have to say, it will be interesting to have that with your mascot." He says while grabbing some more paper to check over. "Now... where is she?"
As if on cue, the door slams open to reveal a small bear in a sundress with a sunflower motif. "I'M HERE, I'M HERE!" She yells as she stops in place to catch her breath "I... I was... I was lost in the... city. For a bit..." She takes a moment to get some air before straightening her back. "I am here. To help with the new magical girl." She takes a look at Marie, which brings a bit of confusion to her face.
"Howdy there!" Marie waves her hand at her soon to be partner. "My name is Marie, and boy it sure is exciting to work with you!" She sticks out her hand, Daisy shakes it in return.
"Name is Daisy." She smiles.
Marie chuckles a bit. "Daisy? I thought your name would be Sunny since you are wearing so many sunflowers on you." Both of them laugh.
Which is interrupted by Butter clearing his throat. "So, since you are now here. I have a job for you, something easy for the both of you, just a simple scouting mission." He says as he pulls out a folder.
"The elves gave a report of a... 'disturbance' at Snowfall Mountain. Someone or something has been living there for some unknown reason. They didn't tell us a lot of detail, and because of that we don't know if this will become a problem or not." Butter hands the folder over to Marie. "Now you need to get to the Research Sector in level negative 3 and teleport to the dwarven kingdom BSD branch; hand them that file and take an airship to the Snowfall Mountain. they will do all the heavy lifting from there and you just report back if you find something there."
This causes Marie to raise her brow. "Can't we just use flying magic just to get there faster?" She asks innocently.
Before the Director can explain, Daisy speaks up first. "Because! It might catch the attention of the Iron Spears and which will cause us a lot of trouble if we just fly there all willy and nilly." Saying it with a smile on her face like a kid stating a true fact about dinosaurs.
"Oh... that makes sense actually." Marie says in surprise, a loud thump causing both of them to turn their heads to see the Director on the ground.
"Since that is done, let's head to the elevator." He hops his way to the door, jumps up the doorknob and opens it. He makes his way down the hallway as the new magical girl & her partner follows them, passing by Marie’s peers and some magical boys. If Marie remembers right, they are called Princes right?
The institute seems to be buzzing with activity as everyone walks in such a hurry to their destination. Some greet the Director with respect as they go by. A few give Marie a strange look. Considering how everyone is dressed, Marie stands out too much with her casual clothes. Even the animal familiars are far more stylish than the new girl. It is a very colorful workplace, straight out of a young girl's dream.
It takes a minute to find the elevator. They step in and Butter has to jump up to hit the button. As they slowly go down, part of Marie's mind doesn't believe that she is going to be a real magical girl. She feels nervous, but a small paw pats her leg and she sees Daisy look up at her.
"Don't worry, as long as we stick together, everything will be fine."
Marie smiles at Daisy, the small bear reminds her of her mom a bit. As the moment passes, they hear the elevator ding and the doors open. They watch Butter hop out of the elevator and gesture to follow him; they have reached the Research Sector.
As they walk down the hallway, they see different paths labeled with words that read 'Alchemical Research', 'Magic Theories', 'Monster Classification' and so much more. Even the workers on this side of the institute are wearing lab coats.
"This is the research area of the Starlight Defenders. Here, we study and record all forms of magic and life for the safety of the people. Forgive me if you aren't receiving proper orientation but time is of the essence. At the end of the hallway, you will meet Dr. Bob who is head of the teleportation division, he will give you your ID and start your first mission." He turns to face both of them "Good luck on your first day." He hops through the middle of them and back into the elevator.
Marie and Daisy stare at each other for a few seconds before nodding. They make their way to the teleportation division, and Daisy is the first one at the door. "After you." She insists, letting Marie open the door and revealing a very bald man with a beard standing in the center of the room. His lab coat is wrinkled and unkept, as if he is far too busy to even bother cleaning himself up. He is too deep in his notes to notice them at first.
"Hello there!" He greets them the moment he realizes he isn't alone. "You must be the new recruit! You may call me Dr. Bob, and I am here to help you with your first teleportation." Reaching out his hand to them, Marie shakes it happily.
"But what about our IDs?" Daisy asks curiously.
"Oh these?" He produces two cards out of his pocket. "These are made ahead of time." He hands both of them their IDs. Marie and Daisy look at their IDs in amazement. "With these, it will help you with your transformation."
Then he makes his way to a weird looking machine. He presses some buttons, and it begins to come to life.
"Now. When it's done charging up, you two will be teleported to the dwarven kingdom branch and yes, Butter told me ahead of time that you two are going." When he is done talking, the floor beneath their feet begins to light up.
A series of lines appear on the floor. All connecting to form a magical circle. A strange ring fills their ears as the circle rises up and disappears over and over in blinding speed. This goes on for a few more seconds before the strange ring turns into a soft hum as the world around them changes. One moment, they were at Dr. Bob's workplace. Next, they are here. The teleportation is seamless. As if they simply left through a door.
The architecture of the dwarven kingdom branch is a far cry from the main location of the BSD. In layman's terms, this place is less elegant.
A group of dwarves gathers before them. They are unlike the ones both have seen in their lives. Some might say that these are proper dwarves even. Robust and stout.
“Howdy!” Marie quickly greets them.
“Aye, let's be done with this. Come on, the both of you.” Marie and Daisy assume that this is the leader of the group. “Marie and Daisy. Butter already called and told me yer names. Call me Stonebreaker. Ship’s ready for us.”
The two follow the group out of the teleportation room. They see how different the Bureau of Starlight Defenders act differently in the dwarven kingdom. Of course the majority of the workers and magical girls are dwarves. And a surprisingly lack of magical boys, or Princes as they are officially called. Seems like the dwarven men prefer to pursue other careers than join the BSD. But… seeing the dwarven women… they are certainly tougher looking than the ones at home. As Marie goes by, a few of them give her a glare. This place is extremely different from the main branch.
The dwarves lead them to an elevator. A marvel of dwarven engineering. Able to fit even a car or two.
“Butter didn't tell you this, but this mission is under wraps.” Stonebreaker informs them. “Meaning this isn't recorded.”
“Why? Is this mission that important?” Marie questions.
“If it's that important… how come we're the ones going?” Daisy adds.
Stonebreaker sighs. “Because you two aren't in the records yet. We don't want anyone to find out about this mission not until we have some bearings of the situation.”
Daisy hums as she understands fully. “Because this might be a false alarm? Or perhaps some ploy from Iron Spears.”
“Now you get it.” The dwarf grunts. “For all we know, the elves are only seeing things. Or it's another prank. No, those woodland sprites were far too spooked to lie to us. So we can only hope it isn't about the Iron Spears.”
The elevator stops and they arrive on the airship docks. The group files out and approaches one airship ready to sail. Stonebreaker helps the two BSD agents aboard the airship and they embark on their mission.
Marie feels a sense of excitement as she looks over the rails. The ship begins to fly out with Stonebreaker at the wheel. The rest of the dwarves begin to keep the ship in top shape as they depart. When it leaves the docks, Marie gasps as she discovers that they just left the highest point of a mountain. This is where the dwarven branch of the BSD is at. And down at the base of the mountain is the rest of the city. They look like ants from where she's looking. The mountain itself is a grand example of dwarven might.
Marie can see dozens upon dozens of exits and entrances around the mountain. A few airships enter and exit the mountain from the number of docks. Some bigger, some smaller. It's hard to tell.
Even Daisy is enjoying the view.
As they reach the highest point in the sky, Daisy and Marie are treated with a hand scenery. The world is now visible to them. Many landmarks and cities can be seen across the lands. The ocean seems to grow the more they watch it. As they leave the territory of the Autumn Trees, they begin to see the largest mountain in the lands rising from the horizon. Snowfall Mountain.
The imposing mountain is far greater than they've heard. Once a place for dwarven unity and trading, now abandoned by those that called it their home.
“Didn't think I'd be here. My grandfather once told me about this place when he was a wee lad.” Stonebreaker tells them. “See… when the dwarves first made this place, they wanted it to be a neutral zone just so our kind could connect with the rest of the dwarves in the South. Despite it all, we are still blood.”
Stonebreaker eases the ship to the north face of the mountain where the docks are located. He and the crew slowly bring the ship down.
“Then what happened?” Marie asks.
Stonebreaker scoffs. “Both sides didn't like the idea very much. Think it'll allow spies to go through much easier. Then it started to teeter towards war. Bah! That's how the elves stole this island from us dwarves!” His knuckles whiten as his grip around the wheel clenches. “The Autumn Trees immigrated a population of elves into the forest below then claimed it as their land. Kicking out everyone from the island!”
“Don't remember reading anything about that.” Daisy confesses.
“Only the sons of Thornbeard know about it. Everyone else outside the dwarven lands are unaware. This is one of the many reasons why this mission of ours is under wraps. The BSD doesn't want the big wigs at Sunnyfalls city to know. So we better work fast.”
The ship docks and the dwarves immediately fasten the ropes to the bollards. Once the ship is safely docked, they extend the ramp down to the platform.
“Alright lads! Fan out and scout out the place in pairs! If you see something, report quickly and do not engage!” Stonebreaker instructs them.
The dwarves are quick and efficient with their work. Daisy tries to help out as much as she can but she doesn't stray too far from Marie.
As the dwarves scout the area, Marie stares at the withered map on the wall. Her eyes trace the claw marks that are all over the place. It is somewhat a frightening sight. Whatever they're supposed to find in this place, is something she hasn't seen before. A beast of sorts. The large gate is wide open, and a few dwarves are already going deeper into the mountain. She begins to use her detective skills and look for more clues.
There are some footprints on the dusty floor. Barely visible to the human eyes. Some traces of magic are in the air, something that shouldn't be around if this mountain is supposed to be vacant.
And she can smell it. Something that doesn't belong.
She catches the sound of tightening rope. Marie might have assumed that it is just the ship, with the tethers holding it in place to keep it from flying away. But there's the racket from working gears. Her eyes snap over to the source, an elevator is in use.
Marie rushes over to the edge and catches the sight of the elevator returning. “Daisy, do you have binoculars or anything!?”
Daisy reaches into her Spacious Pouch and retrieves a pair of binoculars. Handing it over to Marie, the girl begins to scan the forest edge below.
As she pans from left to right, she sees the culprit behind the report. Two of them. A Ratfolk and… his shadow? No… it's something else. The thing, whatever it is, is towering over the Ratfolk. The shadow snaps toward her, their eyes meet. Marie feels her heart skip a beat and her blood runs cold. That thing must be why the elves are frightened. This rat and its… true self. A beast.
“There he is!” Marie grabs Daisy and jumps off the edge. The small bear woman begins to scream out her heart as they plummet down the mountain. Stonebreaker can only hope she solves the issue before anything else happens.
The Ratfolk walk into the forest and the shadow follows.
Just before she hits the ground, Marie reaches her free hand and uses her magic to cushion their fall. She repositions Daisy in her arms just before she runs into the forest. Her boots leave tracks on the forest floor as she tracks down her target. Faces peek out from the forest as the elves wake up. But they don't bat an eye as they watch Marie dash before them.
Soon they find their mark.
The rat is busy grabbing some berries and mushrooms. Stuffing them into his pockets hastily. Marie places Daisy down gently then strikes a pose as she announces herself. “Halt! You've been troubling these elves for far too long!”
The rat jolts as he realizes he isn't alone. He stares at them strangely for a moment. Marie gets a good look at him and she can see the skull clearly under his hood. An undead. She scoffs at the sight of such faults against nature. And he seems happy to see them.
“Guess you're one of those types that don't talk!”
She grabs her ID. Her information is written on it, and though it may seem like a normal item to have, Marie can feel the magic within. She calls from it and draws out the power. The winds itself shift as she bathes the area around her in a pink light. The rat stares at her with an even stranger look than before.
The light begins to dance as she feels the magic envelope her. It feels so warm. A familiar sense of home. Marie closes her eyes as she lets herself be consumed by the magic. And in a burst of light, her transformation is complete. Gone is her casual wear as a pink frilly dress takes its place. The ID itself transforms into a wand, her weapon against the darkness of this world. And with it, she shall vanquish the foe.
“In the name of the Starlight Defenders, I will defeat you!”
The rat stares at her dumbly. His expression is frozen as if he is doubting what he sees. He looks confused by the whole thing. And his expectations seem to be questioned as she stands in front of him.
She wastes no time and casts a spell. “LASER BEAM!” Her wand charges up and a pillar of light erupts from it. Which strikes the undead and beheads him with his skull is flying off as he lands on the ground with a loud thud.