Once upon a time, there was a boy who played a lot of online games, usually as a female character, who buried himself in the part so well that it became an obsessive force of habit even in the latest and greatest of all video games currently out on the market, Panarena Fantasy Online.
Oh wait. You knew that. Which means you also know about all the adventures and shenanigans said boy-playing-as-girl got up to in real life and in the virtual world for the first half of his tenth-grade life, including getting a girlfriend, making more friends, uncovering a dastardly plot by a GM and his rascal son, making even more friends and getting into even more adventures, culminating in the first Grand Tournament and then winding down the year with friends in real life. Yep, it's Sean Daniels, and we're back.
More specifically, it's the end of winter break. And boy did we have a time of it, online or offline. We did several Winter Quests over the break, often going back to this sub-realm of Panarena called the Other Realm, a fantastical winter wonderland that quickly became a forum subject on account of how cute it was and player speculations on other special event realms that might turn up as the new year rolled along.
Then on Christmas Eve, Rachel spent the night at our house, and we went to visit Grandma Maisy and Grandpa John on Christmas Day. Grandpa had recovered some English, much to his dissatisfaction, but he conversed in Irish happily anyway. Rachel was able to say a thing or two now as well, having insisted that I prepare her the night before. Boy was she a quick study. So that day went by very well, and when it was over it was as if an old friend had suddenly left us.
We played some other games besides Panarena, though we logged in quite a bit there as well, getting ourselves past level one-hundred and manufacturing more than enough parts and supplementary structures for our fortresses, as well as getting a small fleet up and running. We had a trade cog, two longboats, and a junk outfitted with a couple of cannons that we had bartered from Gears and Wheels in exchange for a load of rare ores and gems that we had come across in our adventures through the Untold Deeps. So now our main focus was to build up a steady income so we could hire a few crews of sailors and sea-warriors to man the ships in question.
Hm? Oh, the first little longship I built? It's still around. We use it for traversing the inlet of the Jade Sea, and sometimes we head up to Pirate Isle on it, though with that excursion we have to be extra careful. Especially when our privateer crew isn't around. And of course we've also kept our promise to Fyu on that count, ensuring that he need never be reminded of their existence.
But yeah. Winter break is almost over. It's Friday today; the new year started four days ago, when we got together for a lively breakfast and continued celebrating with a livelier lunch in the form of pizza, courtesy of Joshua, who stopped by to enjoy it with us. He was as cheerful as ever, giving Rachel and me a big hug as he set down the stack of pizzas before joining us at the table, where we had decided to sit. After the pizza was eaten--and boy there was a lot of pizza eaten--those of us not living there started making our way home, Mandy and Christina taking me to my house after I said goodbye to Rachel. The two of them are now a thing, by the way. Think it happened New Year's Eve or so, from what they said.
“We gonna get online again tonight?” the dark-haired girl asked. “We're still on break for another week, I think, so we'll be good for it, unless we do something else.” she continued, gently smirking at Mandy.
“Hmm... but it would be fun to go out somewhere at least one night next week,” Mandy remarked.
“Nothing crucial going on in Panarena so far as I know,” I said with a smile.
“True.” the older girl nodded.
“Oh, I forgot to ask; how did... I mean... with your family...” I said to Christina, who softly smiled.
“My mother... I think, I finally understand her now. My sister... Sabrina... that day, it made me happy. She even took a bath with me at her house,” she said with a laugh.
“Hmm...? Sabrina is her real name, huh...” I remarked. And then for the first time I suddenly noticed Christina was wearing a black and green sweater instead of her usual bandeau. “Huh?!” I suddenly jolted, wondering if I was in the wrong car.
“Hm?” Mandy looked back at me in the mirror, following my gaze of surprise. “Oh, that! I bought it for her as a Christmas gift!” she smiled.
“Did you just now notice I was wearing this??” the other girl said to me.
“Ahh...” I returned, mumbling incoherently as my face fell into a wry smile.
“What's that word Rachel uses all the time?” Mandy smiled over to her.
“Adorkable!!” they chorused together.
“Hahh...” I sighed. “I'll never hear the end of that word...”
“Not as long as you have us around!” Mandy beamed.
“We'll have to make sure we all end up in the same neighborhood someday!” Christina said to her.
“Yes!! Absolutely!” her girlfriend replied. I felt my face turn a slight red color, and looked away as I felt a tear in my eye.
“Sean?” Christina said, looking back at me.
“What's up, hon?” Mandy asked in concern.
“N-nothing... just... reading my mind...” I replied softly, and the two of them smiled at each other.
“He's so adorable.” I saw Mandy silently mouth to Christina, who nodded. We finally arrived at my house a couple minutes later, where they got out to hug me before I headed on inside and they set off for their apartment. I headed on inside, had a light snack, and then headed up to my room.
The rest of that night passed by for me in Panarena, as did most of the next few days, continuing up to Friday, today. And that's when we got in to our last adventure before the dreaded returning-to-school that Monday.
***
I loaded up into my Panarena self, Lana Windstrider, now a contender for the deadliest assassin in Harmonia thanks to the Grand Tournament. A lot of people still counted Rayna, one of my defeated opponents from the Arena, to be the best, which I didn't really mind. Apparently she had begun adopting a few of the more unconventional methods that Myanihia and I used, such as the occasional “surprise! It's a gun!” trick. And of course Myanihia herself had regained at least some of her mysterious persona, although when she was with me or Lysandra she would let her guard down, it seemed.
Anyhow. Healina and Ariana had been on for a while before I had logged in, it seemed. The two of them greeted me as I loaded up in the main hall of Queen's Haven, and we went to sit near the warm hearth while waiting for the others.
“We sure got a lot more decorations for the winter season than we did the autumn one, huh?” the Sea Elf healer with platinum hair remarked.
“Definitely,” I agreed, untying the band in my own hair to let it loose for a bit.
“I bet we get a lot of spring decorations when that celebration comes around!” Ari remarked with a smile, brushing her dark hair back as she curled up next to me.
“Think the others will log in tonight?” Heali then asked.
“Belle and Lysandra told me last night they'd be a bit late tonight, but they'll be on eventually,” I said.
“And of course Lizzy and Der won't be on again...” the other girl sighed.
“Anhe seemed eager to get back in tonight,” Ari noted, “And Maryn was definitely hoping to get on and do some crafting, at least.”
“One of those nights, huh?” Heali grinned.
“Hmm,” I sighed, bringing up a map on the table. “We've been over Memphani a few times with Dreamers Fables, huh... and of course we've had a few expeditions into the Untold Deeps... not that we got very far, though,” I mused.
“We just barely got that last ultra-rare diamond before that giant worm thing came out, and poor Heali almost fainted,” Ariana said with an apologetic grin to Heali on the side.
“Ugh.” the other girl sighed.
“G-good thing the system didn't kick you out down there,” I pointed out with a nervous laugh.
“Hahh... true...” she smiled wryly.
Note to self: form raid parties when going to Untold Deeps, I thought to myself with a crinkled grin.
“Hey! Why don't we go up to Bethelia?” Ari then said.
“Heh? Up north? I don't have a problem with it, I guess,” I replied.
“If you're thinking about farming, the Grasslands of Inyan is closer, even if it's not as good,” Healina pointed out.
“Hmm... but there's a quest up there for a couple of bonus farming skills and a special tool I'd like for my herb garden,” Ari returned.
“Ahh! That one! Okay, we'll see what the others think!” the other girl smiled back.
We spent an hour or so of Panarena time puttering around the manor a bit before the others logged in, and then after we worked on our crafting a bit, Ariana brought up her suggestion again. The others agreed to come along for the adventure, and we were soon off on our way to Bethelia.
Bethelia is one of those regions referred to as “cutesy” by some people. I couldn't say I disagreed, from what I had seen of it on the forums. It was probably the most whimsical and peaceful place in Panarena, its quests being more pastoral or slice-of-life. The NPCs here are anthropomorphic animals, rabbit-men, squirrel-folk, owl-people -- you get the picture. Some of them were only about a meter and a half high, though others like the owl-people, badger-folk, and fox-kin were more human sized. Basically they retained the proportions of normal animals, in terms of height.
“I bet this place has a lot to do with the spring quests later this year,” I said as we sat down in our cabin-lounge aboard the train from Harmonia City.
“Oh definitely.” Sky Belle agreed. “I think a lot of people would about riot if that place of all places didn't do something for spring!”
“That would be funny to see, though,” Maryn smirked.
“Pfft!” Lysandra chuckled in agreement.
“I can see the hordes of angry players protesting outside the GM's castle in Kingsmark now,” Healina nodded.
“Hmm? They're not in Harmonia City?” I wondered.
“Nope.” Lysandra shook her head. “They have a retreat further to the north by a lake. It's guarded by level five-hundred elites for now, though you can bet they'll increase in level when players start getting that high.”
“Yeek.” I remarked. “I'm just glad to have reached one-oh-three after four months,” I added.
“Same.” Belle agreed.
“Definitely.” Ari nodded.
“I cannot imagine getting to five-hundred,” Anhe said with a bemused look.
“They say as long as you can grind something you'll keep levelling, but the game has to have some end to the content eventually?” Maryn said.
“I'm not privy to the latest news. But Myanihia said that they're plotting out an expansion update this summer; more sub-realms with special quests you have to do to get into them.” Lysandra told us.
“So you are privy.” I replied, giving her a strange look.
“Eh.” she shrugged back.
“But that sounds fun, though!” Belle remarked.
“Absolutely!” Ari agreed.
“We've barely seen everything here and we're already near to plotting out trips to places that aren't even there yet,” I smiled, leaning back in my seat.
“You should leave your hair down like that.” Ari suddenly told me.
“Hmm? But it gets in the way if I don't tie it back,” I replied.
“Hrrmm...” she gazed at me with a grumpy smile, her mind undoubtedly trying to find some sort of loophole.
“Have to agree with Lana this time,” Maryn said. “Being an assassin-type character would be majorly hindered by hair getting in the face all the time.”
“Boo,” Ari sighed.
“Is it that important?” I asked her in genuine curiosity.
“Your real hair is no fun to mess with, so I want to mess with Lana's.” she replied with a soft pout.
“Gyeck!”
“Oh, true...” Lysandra said, “Though it's not too short, though. If Sean stopped getting a haircut I bet you could mess with it by the time summer comes along!” she smirked.
“Oy...”
“Isn't Sean playing Robin Hood in the musical?” Maryn asked.
“Oh yes!! He should definitely grow it out for that!” Heali jumped in with agreement.
“Oy...!!”
“That would be kind of cute!” Anhe grinned.
“… Oy!!” I softly griped for a third time, then noticed Belle looking through her inventory.
“And... there! Ari!” she said, transferring something to my partner, who squealed in delight when she saw it and turned to me with a mischievous smile.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Eh? Ehh?? Ehhhh?!” I wondered with fright as she softly chuckled in an evil fashion.
***
Long story short, I ended up with a gold-and-green hairband, the kind that makes a U-shape and sits just above your brows. I was only mildly disgruntled by the time I got off the train with the others, but Ariana was extremely happy, so I just kept my mouth shut.
Moving on. Bethalia only has one major town (where the station for the Magic Bullet Express is located), but there's many farmsteads and villages scattered throughout the area. The town was called Valebrook, and indeed there was a brook that ambled on its way through the vale the town was situated in, splitting the cozy-looking place in slightly uneven halves. All sorts of animal-folk were wandering about, along with the occasional hauflin, several fairies, and a few dwarves.
The town looked like a rustic village from Scotland or Ireland, with homely thatch-roofed cottages and larger but still quaint-looking wood-buildings with tiled roofs, a few cabins on the edges of town, and several barns and silos further to the west. A rainbow could be seen in the distance, shimmering merrily in the early afternoon sun.
“I don't think I want to leave...” I said as I looked around.
“Right?” Ariana agreed.
“It's so...” Maryn began, only to trail off with a tear in her eye.
“Maryn?” Anhe asked her.
“Nothing.” she replied softly, a smile on her face. “Where's the quest we're looking for?” she then said in a stronger voice.
“Hmm...” Ariana mused, bringing out her guidebook again. “They said it's from a master farmer in... oh, he's on the edge of town here,” she said.
“Let's get the wayport over there and bring Fyu over, just in case,” I said, and she nodded back as we began heading over to it.
“What about Dracuoatlax?” Lysandra wondered.
“H-he had a fair rampage with us over the last two days... and do you really he'd come to this place for a farming quest?” I said with a bemused look.
“Ahh... guess not!” she replied with an innocent smirk.
“He'd definitely try to mutiny if you did,” Ari remarked with a laugh.
“Exactly.” I nodded as we reached the wayport. It activated for us, and I selected Queen's Haven as my destination. “Back in a bit!”
“See you soon!” the others waved, and I stepped through.
“Speak of the dragon and he will appear,” I noticed as I stepped through. Dracuoatlax was conversing with Fyu Dongtian in our front yard, as we called it. Both of them sniffed the air and looked over as I approached.
“Master.” Fyu nodded.
“Greetings, Windstrider.” Dracuoatlax said. “Have you need of our services? Our long chat was just nearing its end, and I was going to fly off for the Torching Mount, but if you need me...?”
“Hmm... if you feel like it, maybe you could harass some of those pirates out there, but I won't make it an order.” I said to him.
“Ha-ha-hah! But I enjoy playing with pirates, master; I will do this for you!” the dragon replied.
“Save some for us: we'll be back in a couple days, hopefully!” I told him.
“As you wish, master!” he said, taking off to go deal with his targets at once. Fyu then blinked, affecting a grin on his face.
“You felt guilty about coming here for just myself, did you not, master?” he said to me.
“Yeah, I really did,” I said with a wry face.
“He is gratified for his time with you, and he looks forward to the day when true battle begins; I think you have done him no ill this night.” the dog-beast told me.
“Thanks, Fyu.”
“Now where are we off to ourselves, master?”
“Up to Bethelia; we might end up travelling more than we guess for this quiet adventure.” I told him as we went to get the waggon.
“Hmm! An interesting choice. I had always meant to visit, one day. Though I doubt Dracuoatlax would appreciate it.” Fyu remarked.
“Basically what we thought,” I softly grinned.
I helped Fyu into his accouterments for the waggon, and when he was buckled in I went to activate the wayport once more, and we stepped through to find ourselves in Bethelia. We quickly caught up to Ariana and the others, who were waiting for us on the edge of town near a farmstead that seemed to be owned by one of the rabbit-men in the area, a fairly tall (for one of his people, at least) fellow with white fur that had a couple of grey spots here and there.
“Hmm?” I said as I got down from the waggon, heading over to them.
“We definitely need Fyu!” Ari grinned, and the dog-beast softly beamed back.
“It's gonna be a long but hopefully more tranquil night,” Lysandra nodded as we all got back on. The rabbit-man waved to us as we set off, smiling as the waggon rolled away at a steady pace.
“He really is a giant rabbit, huh?” I remarked as I settled into the waggon to let Fyu drive himself.
“Isn't he cuuute!!” Ariana squealed.
“Sooo cuuuute...!!” Heali sighed happily.
“They're all cute!” Belle giggled.
“Agree.” Lysandra nodded.
“Definite!” Maryn said.
“Absolutely!” Anhe smiled.
“It almost reminds me of that old children's book... ahh, I forget the name of it now... foo!” Belle softly pouted.
“You'll remember it later.” Lysandra said, softly patting the little pixie's head.
“And wake up shouting it in your ears.” the other sighed.
“True.” the werewolf girl smiled.
“Where are we off to first?” I then asked.
“Hmm... Derry, it says, by Serenity Lake,” Ariana said as she checked.
“I shall follow the signs on the road, masters,” Fyu told us. “This land seems much smaller than our home of Xuanpu. I could probably cross its bounds within hours; but I shall go at a steadier pace, and let us enjoy it as we go,” he then said.
“We'll leave it to you, pal!” I replied, and with that he set off at a slightly faster pace, one that would probably see us to Derry in a few hours or so.
Very generally, the road wound its way towards the east, and somewhat north. We passed through long stretches of farmlands, meadows, or forests, crossing quaint and beautiful old-style bridges when we came upon rivers and streams or even fording them if it was low enough for us to do so. When we neared the lake we saw several plots of land that were available for sale, and we made note of them for future reference. As we passed by one of these plots in particular, a wide mead surrounded by forest with a brook running through it, I could see Ariana envisioning a homestead upon it.
“What's the name of this one?” I said, pulling up the map. “Hmm... see Old Mr. Burrows in Derry for details...” I softly read.
“What a cute name!” Belle exclaimed.
“Right?” I replied with a smile.
“Hmm... but the one on the southwest side of the lake looked nice, too...” Ariana said as she thought about it.
“We will have plenty of time to find one, if we want to,” Anhe smiled at her.
“True.” she agreed.
Our journey around the lake continued on an eastward road that eventually turned north, and then curved around to the west to head for Derry, one of the few proper villages marked on the map. There were a lot of smaller steadings, communal farms, and hamlets that we had passed by as well, but they had different markings than anything more town-like. Serenity Lake looked like something out of a peaceful dream; we could see boats sailing upon it or being rowed in the distance, either returning or heading out for a fishing trip or perhaps idly cruising the lake for fun.
D-do NPCs have fun here? … well, I guess they might, considering how advanced their intelligence matrices have come since the start of the century... I pondered to myself as we began getting closer to our destination.
Derry had the same aesthetic as Valebrook, with a waterside front on the southern side of the village where we could see a lively little fishing industry going on. On the west and northern sides were the farming communities, and on the east side, nearest to us, was a bustling little market square. Fyu took us over to a stable and lot for waggons, where he nodded to us as we got out to find the quest-giver for Ariana's farming interests.
“I shall await your word here, masters.” he said to us.
“We should be back in fifteen minutes or so,” I returned.
We headed into the market square, where Ari found that the NPC who was to give her the quest we came for was also the same one who had a quest for the lot we had passed by: Old Mr. Burrows, a prominent badger-folk landowner who was planning to retire soon, according to what we heard in the market.
“Hmm... I wonder if that makes both quests or at least the one unique...” I said after we had gotten directions to his abode.
“Maybe,” Lysandra shrugged. “The one for the land further south is definitely unique; I doubt the farming quest is, though, since a lot of people have done it.”
“Oh, that's true... duh!” I remarked with a goofy grin.
“Silly!” Ari gently flicked me. “And besides, Mr. Burrows is the second NPC on the quest; at the end we'll have to go and see Waddles Longfoot to finish it up!” she reminded me.
“Heh? His name was Waddles?”
“It sure was!” she beamed back.
“Anyway! He said we had to go up to Elmburg to sort out a deal with another person, didn't he?” Belle said as we returned to the waggon.
“I think so; ah! 'Visit Missus Greydown in Elmsburg to find the second part of the mysterious item,' it says,” Ariana read. “Oh! I decided to get the quest for that piece of land, too, and its second objective is in the Whistling Heights near the village up there,” she said to me.
“Hm? Ah? Eh? Oh, sure,” I replied, and the other girls exchanged soft smiles with one another. When we got back to Fyu, we told him of our new destination, and away we went.
Elmsburg lay to the northwest of Derry, and we had to cross one of the major rivers in the area via a magnificently crafted covered bridge that spanned it to get there. It was a fairly wide river, and the bridge had been raised to a height that allowed small sailboats to pass through with ease as its occupants headed up or downstream to do what they would. Fyu continued to follow it upstream, and soon we saw the Whistling Heights, apparently named for the strange yet soothing sound they seemed to make, probably something to do with the in-game wind.
When we reached the village itself, we found it to be smaller than even Derry, more a communal farm than a village, except that there were a few shops and a small tavern. Mrs. Greydown, a hedgehog-like being, gave us the item she had in exchange for shooing off a few crows, shrews, and other mischievous pests in her vegetable gardens. We were then told to head over to Nestdale to continue that quest, while Lysandra and I went up into the mountains to claim the objective for the other quest, a hidden stash left behind by one of Mr. Burrows' ancestors, quite valuable.
At Nestdale, an owl-person named Frigitidious Maroo gave us his item in exchange for ensuring the village was safe from a dastardly group of wolves and bears that had been plaguing the area. I tried not to think about it too much, but the logic of animal-folk asking us to deal with or drive off animals in this game ended up giving me a slight headache anyway. We also found another hidden stash for Mr. Burrows, and when we had done so we set off for our new destination of Westvale.
This town was a little more fortified than the others, insofar as that went for this region. It was near the border of Wardmark, which was near the Borderlands. Here we got to see the rare spectacle of an Onyxus player (a Minotaur, wouldn't you know) who had somehow managed to get this far without being stopped, only to be halted at the end by a couple of arrows from the guards still chasing him. He went ka-poof, and we entered Westvale without further excitement.
“That was a new one,” I remarked as we halted near the stables.
“The beings of Onyxus are relentless in their quest to invade Harmonia.” Fyu snorted. “One day a great war will break out, masters, and I hope to be at your sides when the day comes at last.”
“We'll be counting on you then, Fyu.” Ariana patted his head as we got off the waggon. The dog-beast bowed his noble head, and we headed into town, where we got the next objective for Ari's crafting quest from a squirrel-folk shopkeeper named Nutsy.
How cliché can you get? I wondered with a faint grin as he handed us the item in question, directing us to head south for Foxstead next.
By the time we got there, it was night time in Panarena and the NPCs were now entering their sleep schedule. There was no inn or wayfarer's abode, but Maryn surprised us all with a couple of tents she had prepared. Apparently they could be made with either the Builder or the Weaver crafting skill, both of which incorporated the sub-skill of Tent-maker. So we camped out for the night near Foxstead, and in the morning we went to see a Miss Enyi Redblossom, a fox-kin woman who provided us with what was the final item Ari needed for her farming quest.
“Now all you have to do,” Enyi Redblossom told us, “Is to take that to the source of the Singing Stream south of Hilldell, and when ye've done that ye can go on back to Waddles up in Valebrook so he can inspect it for ye!”
“Got it!” Ari smiled, and the fox-kin woman smiled back as we thanked her before heading back to the waggon.
“Come to think of it, this other quest wants us to head there too, huh...” I noted as we got back on, Heali telling Fyu of our next destination.
“Hmm?” Ari looked over as I reread the quest log. “Oh, neat,” she remarked, “I wonder if something will happen when we find the Singing Stream's source?”
“Probably some guardian of a final secret stash that Mr. Burrows wants... his quest wants us to go back to him now, after all. I wonder if it's one of those quests where we can preempt his giving us the next stage?” I mused as Fyu set off towards the southeast towards Hilldale.
“That'd be nice,” Lysandra nodded.
“Oh definitely,” Belle agreed. “Though with how cute this place is I wouldn't actually mind travelling back and forth a few more times!”
“Right??” Heali exclaimed.
“It is very soothing here,” Anhe said in agreement. “Maryn, what kind of house can you make when we finish the other quest?” she asked, and Maryn opened up her crafting panel to look through the options.
“Hmm... I unlocked a few more styles since I got to Architect and Builder Thirty... we can definitely go with something cozy to start off with, and then maybe a few outbuildings like a barn or a stable, maybe even a tavern...” our shield-user told us.
“We have plenty of materials, too,” Belle said, “Though maybe we can go down to the Tundralands or the Vales of Aergondi to get some higher quality ones.”
“Definitely Vales then.” Lysandra returned.
“We kind of wore ourselves out in the Tundralands, huh?” I remarked.
“Agree.” Healina nodded. “Hm? Oh, Der logged in early -- or wait, it's actually super late, huh?” she said with a giggle.
“Lizzy won't be far behind him, then,” Ariana said, “Since it was her turn to drive them to work today.”
“Mmhm.” the other girl replied.
“Come to think of it, weren't you also planning to get a job somewhere?” I asked Lysandra.
“Hmm... true... they don't start 'til next week, though. Don't worry, I'll have time to be on and keep up with you all.” she told us.
“More than one, huh?” Anhe said to her.
“Coffee barista in the mornings on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and regular barista on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Luckily it's at the same place, technically, and I made sure it fit my class schedule.” the older girl said.
“Nice.” I returned.
“The masters are becoming busier in the other world, I see,” Fyu remarked as we came to a small brook with a ford across it; on the other side we could see the path diverging, one towards Valebrook and the other for our destination of Hilldell.
“Just a bit,” I replied to our friend.
“It is the way of things, it seems,” he answered. “Perhaps one day these two worlds will cross over, and we need never be parted again.” he then said, and once more I was reminded of how sophisticated some of the NPCs -- or beings, perhaps, actually were in this world.
“One day.” I replied softly. The conversation drifted off after that, all of us seemingly absorbed in the curious question or thought that Fyu had given us. Could the real world and the virtual one eventually overlap someday?
***
Deep thoughts aside, we arrived at Hilldale around noon in Panarena time, at which point Derwydd and Lizzy had caught up to us with Dracuoatlax's help. The dragon amiably scoffed at our being here, but agreed to go ahead of us to the Vales of Aergondi in anticipation of our next adventure.
“Masters, I must tell you something 'ere I fly,” he then said. “I do not know what awaits you at this source of the stream, but I smell something strangely vile in this otherwise peaceful land. What say you, Fyu Dongtian?”
“My nose tells me much the same, Dracuoatlax; I would have turned such thoughts aside if not for your words.” the dog-beast replied, and then turned to us, “Let us be careful, masters, as we approach this place.”
“We'll be careful; and thanks, Dracuoatlax,” I said to the dragon, who bowed his head.
“I shall await you near the Divine Mountain, my masters.” the great dragon said, and then hurled himself into the air to fly off eastward and slightly to the south. We watched as he faded into the distance, and then got moving again ourselves.
“A farming quest and a quest to get a plot of land, huh?” Lizzy remarked as we resettled ourselves in the waggon. “Not quite an epic adventure, but I'll take it!”
“It'll be more adventurous when we get to the Vales and start collecting building material there,” I grinned.
“Oh true!” she agreed.
“How far to the source of the Singing Stream?” Derwydd asked us.
“The wood-warden told us it shouldn't be more than half an hour away from Hilldell,” Ariana replied. “And then we'll turn in these quests, hopefully, before taking a breakfast break and getting back on to visit the Vales of Aergondi.”
“We'll have time to get there before heading off for breakfast, though,” Lizzy shrugged.
“Here is the path the wood-warden mentioned to us, masters,” Fyu said as we began ascending into the hills. “Let us keep our eyes open for trouble as we go.”
“Right,” I said, getting my bow ready while the others prepared themselves as well for whatever might be lurking in the hills.