Nugget was having the strangest dream. It involved a crown, a crowd and a bunch of smiling faces praising him. Yet something was wrong. Something was tickling his face, and it smelt awful.

Opening his eyes, he stared at an enormous fluffy nose covered in whiskers. A giant rabbit towered over him, nudging his face with the fine hairs of its chin. It had deer antlers and wings from either a chicken or a duck.

What on Fanswald is that?

The beast was sniffing his face, trying to decide if Nugget was food or not. A pink tongue flapped behind two front teeth, slapping him in the face with a bucket of drool. Luckily, it withdrew, wrinkling its nose in disgust. Nugget was definitely not food.

The invisible servant thanked the gods, then wondered how the magical beast could sense him, for his Queen's spell was still in effect. Shaking his head, Nugget knew that wasn’t the most urgent issue. Currently, he was in a bizarre pen, knee deep in hay and what he hoped was mud.

What’s going on? He thought. The last thing I can remember is opening the book and…

A bundle of fresh hay flew overhead, breaking Nugget’s concentration. Winston flung another bundle, smacking him in the head. Pulling himself free from the layers of hay took a great deal of effort. His muscles were sore and his head throbbed. The magical incantation he performed had taken a lot out of him.

How long have I been asleep for? He wondered. Judging by the state he was in and the layers of hay he was under, probably for at least a day.

Searching the area, he finally understood where he was. Nugget had somehow been transported into the supply room of the magical ship.

Ahead, Winston moved from the stable to organise a large row of newly placed resource crates. They were decorated with flashy white crown symbols on their sides. He could just make out the shapes of potatoes in one of the closer crates.

His stomach tensed as hunger gnawed at him. He would have to grab something to eat before long.

But how on Fanswald did I get here? He thought bewildered.

Then the fluffy bunny moved closer and nibbled at his shirt. It was then he realised the creature was more interested in the edibility of his clothes. Looking down, he found that there were a few large sections that had already been eaten.

Nugget tore off what was left of his shirt and tossed it to the hungry rabbit. Since he knew his location, a fresh shirt wouldn’t be hard to find. As the self-proclaimed master of washing clothes, he knew where the best garments were kept.

Nugget meandered the halls of the magical ship and made his way towards his secret spot. There he kept a bucket of water and a bar of soap for cleaning. After he washed himself enough to pass for a bandit, he donned a shirt.

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A pleasant scent floated down the hallway. Nugget’s mouth watered as he knew exactly what it was. Jumping at the chance, Nugget raced down towards the kitchen and found the prize. Sitting on the table was a large bowl of soup.

Steam wafted off the warm concoction of chicken and smoked vegetables with a hint of mild spices. There was only one problem. The soup didn’t belong to Nugget. A tall, handsome man eyed the soup eagerly with a large spoon.

Rupert Lowbags stared down at his hearty meal with eyes akin to a salivating wolf. Nugget searched the surroundings, realising that this portion of food was the only one in existence. The pain of hunger sent a cascade of cramps into his stomach, taking over his sense of reason and morality.

Thinking quickly, he snatched the spoon in Rupert’s hand and tossed it far to the other side of the room.

“What the heck?” Rupert said gasping.

The bandit leader stood to go fetch his utensil while nugget used the time to gulp down a mouthful while his back was turned.

Rupert eyed the soup suspiciously when he returned. There was a large mark on the side of the bowl as if someone had drunk from it. Turning his head, he searched the room, then shrugged and sat back down with his spoon.

Again, Nugget used his little trick to send the bandit's cutlery flying.

“Seriously, what’s going on?” he cried.

Rupert lunged around blindly trying to grasp who or whatever had thrown it but with no luck. Nugget had barely enough time to dodge as the tall man grumbled and moved to collect his spoon again.

This time, Nugget gulped down as much as he could. The soup slid down his throat like a land slide almost sending the invisible servant into convulsions.

“Damn it! Who’s there?” Rupert shouted as he found his now empty soup bowl.

Winston, the butler, poked his head through the door and coughed.

“Um, sir,” he said. “Have you finished your soup?”

Nugget quickly dashed away as the bandit leader screamed.

With a belly full and wearing clean clothes, Nugget’s day was looking a lot brighter. Then he overheard two voices. Melly and Thea were talking.

Over the distance, Nugget could only make out one word. “Queen.”

This piqued his interest, so the invisible servant moved down the hallway and followed the voices.

Nugget finally found the two in one of the special white rooms reserved for the insane or party members or both.

They were in a room decorated with various pots of yellow flowers. A wide bed was forced inside the tiny room, covered in red linens. A pale floral carpet covered the floor and a small window let sunlight warm the small space.

The two girls sat beside each other on the bed. Thea skimmed through the book Nugget had used to summon a dragon while Melly nestled an enchanted bowl in which Dog the friendly whale lay. Melly’s fingers gently scratched the whale's back as he hummed.

“Don’t you think the quest is weird?” Thea asked.

Melly nodded. “Confront the Queen? What does that even mean?”

Thea shrugged and turned a page. “Honestly, I am just going to leave that to Clem. He’s got some weird plan as usual and I guess we will find out, soon enough.”

“Yeah, that’s Clem for you.” Melly smiled down at the miniature Whale.

“You know what?” Thea asked. “I can’t find a single creature in his damn book you could tame.”

Melly sighed. “I know. I have scoured through it several times and not a single creature is suitable. They’re way too evil or completely useless.”

“Can the hunters help?” Thea asked.

Melly shook her head. “They said that magical beasts are linked with the hunter. Maim said it was up to destiny or fate to decide.”

They fell into silence as the whale continued to enjoy his little massage. It looked like Dog had already fallen asleep.

“So…” Melly said carefully.

“Yeah?”

“So, Ed seems nice.”

Thea paused from reading then said cautiously, “Yeah, he’s alright.”

“He’s very, optimistic.” Melly added.

“That he is,” Thea replied, sighing, then looked down at her feet. “Ed’s…”

A white light filled Nugget’s vision as the room dissolved. A sense of falling overwhelmed his senses as he collided with the stone floor of his master’s throne room.

“Nugget!” the Queen shouted. “What on Fanswald have you been doing?”