Wendy watched her skeletal claws pass harmlessly through the giggling nightmare yet again. She snarled, kicking and slicing at the air, meeting nothing but more mist.

“I’ll kill you!” Wendy snarled, leaping at the misty form again.

“How when you can’t even hurt me?” The girl giggled.

“I’ll find a way, trust me!” Wendy backed away, eyes flicking around.

“No, you won’t!” The lilting voice set Wendy’s nerves on edge. “You are way too stupid! Yay!” She giggled. “Mummy said I had to kill her friend's daughter, but she said I could play with you as much as I want first.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Or I can, as long as your Dad doesn’t die too quickly. Once he’s dead, so are you! Stupid Toy!”

Wendy slashed out at the figure as it drifted closer, trying to force her mana out of her body and into the claws. It didn’t work… but she felt like it might. Mocking laughter floated to her from behind, and she rolled forward straight into a slicing claw that cut a line down the side of her face.

“Ugly little thing, aren’t you?” Wendy snarled.

“Oooh, rude Toy!”

Wendy dodged a blow, then another, before taking the third on her arms. It was enough to send her flying back, her armored feet leaving furrows in the dirt.

“Playtime’s over!” The girl snarled, flying at her out of the mists. “I don’t like you anymore!”

Wendy drew herself up, trying desperately to channel her magic in some meaningful way.

The creature froze a few steps away, its form breaking up and drifting into the mist. A sound behind her made Wendy turn; seeing blood raining down from above, she jumped back.

Above Wendy, in a tree she was sure wasn’t there a second ago, was the creature. A spear tip was sticking out of the front of its neck, and a pair of swords were buried to the hilt in its small chest.

Wendy blinked, watching in shock as the air shimmered and the half-pixies appeared, holding onto the weapons.

“Um, Hi,” Lily said as she put her foot on the back of the creature, pushing against it to pull her spear free.

“What happened?” Wendy asked, feeling like the pressure in her head was fading away.

“I think it was some kind of Mesmer,” Lily frowned. “It used illusions anyway.”

“My system said it was called a Mistwreathed Child.” Rose offered awkwardly.

“Umm, thanks.” Wendy blinked at her unlikely rescuers. “Did you get good experience?”

“Very, thanks.” Lily nodded.

“How did you find me?” Wendy asked, avoiding asking why they would come to find her.

“We are linked to all members of the Court,” Rose offered helpfully. “I thought we could help!”

Wendy saw the look Lily shot at the back of Rose’s head. She shook her head and summoned a corpse to heal with. She was feeling quite shaky.

“Can you help me find Scruff?” She asked hopefully.

“Who’s Scruff?” Rose asked.

“The Farmer,” Lily sighed and shook her head at Rose.

“Oooh!” Rose looked embarrassed. “Of course.” She squinted for a moment. “She’s that way, but also… down?”

“I think she is underground, but she’s moving, so she isn’t buried or anything,” Lily noted, seeing the panic in Wendy’s eyes.

“Show me, please,” Wendy asked.

The three of them moved fast through the dense mist, with Rose acting as the direction finder and Lily focusing on keeping them hidden. Things seemed to move in the mists around them, never quite visible.

“She’s still a way down, but this is the area,” Rose said at last.

“I can’t see a way down!” Wendy gasped, scrambling around, looking for anything that might lead downward.

“Me either,” Rose shook her head, “But I am directly over her here!”

“I need help,” Wendy said, closing her eyes. “My Pretties are coming, but they are far away still.”

“Umm, Wendy?” Lily raised her hand.

“Yes, Lily?” Wendy asked, still searching.

“I just got offered a class, and it might help?” Lily offered. “It’s called a Pathseeker?”

“I’m sorry, Lily, I don’t know that one.” Wendy shook her head.

“Neither do I,” Lily admitted. “But the description says it is a Seeker Class. It might help?”

“I know I shouldn’t ask you to do this, but…” Wendy hesitated. “Please take the class and try and find Scruff.”

“Yes, Wendy.” Lily nodded, her eyes glazing over.

Rose looked on in horror. “You… you made her take it.”

“Yes, I did.” Wendy nodded. “I’m sorry, but I can’t lose Scruff.”

“I have a skill to locate missing people!” Lily said excitedly. “And one to find hidden ways and paths!” She twirled in the air, shooting off towards the north. “This way.”

Wendy sprinted after Lily, scooping the still-stunned Rose up as she ran past. She swung the little half-pixie onto the back of the suit and felt her grab on.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Rose wept.

“I’m, I’m sorry.” Wendy apologized as she sprinted across the ground after Lily.

She caught up to the little Half-Pixie and found her floating over a staircase hidden in the shadow of a large rock.

“This way!” Lily darted down the stairs, with Wendy only a step behind her.

============

“Stop running, you little coward!” Bell buzzed through the air, her wings a blur as she chased after the retreating fairy.

“I yielded!” The fairy hissed back. “I yielded, and you attacked me again!”

“And I will do worse than that when I catch you!” Bell snarled as she fired another of her knives at the fairy.

The butterfly wings twitched and then folded, the fairy diving down into the bare tree branches.

“When someone yields, you have to stop!” The fairy wailed.

“Ha!” Bell narrowed her eyes. “You can’t run forever, you little toad sucker!”

“I do not!” The fairy flew to the right, ducking into a ruined tower.

“That’s what they all say!” Bell blitzed into the tower and stopped, seeing the fairy fluttering in place with a pleased expression.

“Tell that to my sisters!” She grinned cockily as half a dozen more fairies appeared behind pillars, boxes, and eaves.

“I’ll let my mates tell them,” Bell laughed, and nine Muilti-Bells popped into existence around her. “Get 'em, girls!”

The original Fairy took off out of a hole in the roof, with Bell following close behind. The Multi-Bells could take care of those other Fairies.

She chased the fairy back and forth through the valley of the mists, moving faster than most eyes could see. Occasionally, the fairy would spin and fire some spells from her wand, or Bell would fire off a knife or two.

The Fairy was starting to tire, but so was Bell.

Eventually, it was forced to land, gasping on a tree branch. Bell barrelled into it and slammed her fist into the thing’s face.

“I yield!” It cried.

“I couldn’t give a fuck!” Bell laughed viciously. She kept punching.

“I yield, you low-born bitch!” The fairy spat at her between blows.

“I said I didn’t care,” Bell drew a knife and spun the Fairy round. “Now let’s have a look here…” She cut away the butterfly wings.

“They will grow back, scum!” The Fairy struggled as Bell pulled her to her feet.

“How quickly?” Bell asked, kicking the fairy off the branch.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She watched it fall, screaming, to the floor below. There was a quiet, wet splat.

“Not fast enough!” She giggled.

Bell was just dusting off her hands when she heard a distant roar.

“Slothy?” She zeroed in on the direction. “Mummy's coming!”

==============

“Attack!” the Mage Captain skeleton ordered, the elves whooping and hollering as they charged.

Bud watched them come, looking for any sign of order. There was none. He sighed, but at least it was a reasonable threat.

“Defensive positions!” He called, drawing his bow as the opposing Captain began to weave his flaming hands through the air. Bud watched, judging the timing, then fired as the Mage completed his cast.

The massive fireball formed a split-second before Bud’s arrow pierced it. A flash of light and a roar sounded as the mage was sent flying backward. It crashed into the wall, sliding down it with the plate armor glowing.

He stepped back, drawing another arrow as the charging Elves ran straight onto Gor’tal and Tru’nal’s blades. The brothers vanished, appearing a split second later and digging their daggers into the backs of the elves' stragglers.

Gor and Tal moved as one, his shield and her greatsword making an impenetrable wall, while Sal’ali and her brothers picked off any elf to drop its guard.

Even little Tim got in on the action. He jabbed at the elves with his twin swords from underneath Gor’s shield. More than one Elf fell after a sudden stab to the foot or shin broke their shaky concentration.

Seeing everything was in hand, Bud turned back to the Mage Captain, who was starting to struggle to his feet.

An arrow pinned first one arm, then the other to the floor. Bud stood over the blank skull of the Mage Captain and tsked.

“You lack any true intelligence, my brother in death,” Bud said sadly. “Your troops were not even trained.”

“I was not commanded to train them, only to lead them.” It replied.

“How can you lead them without training them?” Bud asked.

“I-I-I.” It hesitated and stuttered.

“A thought for your next life,” Bud reached out and snapped the mage Captain’s head off. The light in its eye sockets flickered and went out.

“Ball?” Tim asked, appearing next to Bud suddenly.

“Aren’t you fighting?” Bud asked.

“Baddies dead,” Tim shrugged. “Ball?”

“Play with it later,” Bud sighed, handing Tim the skull. “We need to find the others.”

“Ball, later!” Tim said, wrapping the skull in a strip of cloth that he tied to one hip bone.

“Orders, Boss?” The Bud Patrol formed up.

“Let’s move out,” Bud pointed. “The Waystation is that way.”

“On it, Boss!” the two brothers moved ahead of them as they moved out, walking in single file next to Bud.

============

Slothy roared and slammed her claw into the rotted skull, which shattered beneath the blow.

“Go on, ya glorious beastie!” Gavin cheered from her back. “Smash it again!”

Slothy slammed her front paws down on the ribcage, a wash of fetid liquid spraying as it was crushed beneath her. “Aye, that’ll do!” Gavin gagged on the smell.

Slothy roared in triumph. It was not her mother. She knew that now. She had been tricked. She sniffed again at the remains. She could smell at least a few different animals that had been sewn together to make this.

She huffed, glad no one was around to see her embarrassment. A gagging noise caught her attention, and she moved away from the rotten carcass. Her pet was there, but he didn’t know she was tricked. He was not very bright, Slothy chuffed and tried not to laugh.

It was bad to laugh at your pets.

“Ah, beastie?” Gavin called down to her, “Wha’ the ever-lovin’ fuck is tha’?”

Slothy looked up, seeing something drifting out of the mist. It looked like a giant seashell.

Slothy turned her head to one side, then the other. It was a new thing.

A black ooze slid down out of the shells, long stalks of it, and eyes opened on the ends of them. Chitinous legs slid from the underside l, hanging in the air beneath the floating shell. Finally, tentacles slithered from within.

“Aye, no.” Gavin said calmly, “We’ll no be havin’ any of that!” He pulled at Slothy, kicking his legs. “Giddy up! Let’s Gooo!”

Slothy batted at the shell, backing away. The legs reached for her, and she roared. It drifted on, the legs twitching as a clicking sound emitted from within the shell.

Slothy slammed one paw into it, sending it to the floor. The tentacles wound around her paw, pulling it towards the opening of the shell. She roared again, slamming the shell repeatedly into the sandy ground.

The shell cracked, the clicking inside stopped, and the tentacles went limp.

Slothy sniffed the strange creature to see if she could eat it, but it smelled… wrong.

Clicking noises started to sound off to her left and right. She growled, low and worried.

Then, the noises came from in front of her, as well. She whirled to run, only to find the sounds starting from another of the creatures, a bigger one, blocking her path.

Slothy roared, charging the shell thing that dared to stand in her way.

“I fuckin’ hate this place!” Gavin yelled as he clung desperately to her back.

=============

“Scruff!” Wendy screamed as she saw the body in the midst of the flowers and vines in the maze's center. She dashed over to the fallen Farmer, seeing the skin torn and muscles exposed here and there.

Shaking fingers reached for the throat, only for a vine to wrap around her hand, trying to pull her away.

Wendy fought the vine, but it wouldn’t let her touch the body a mere inch away.

“I’ve got it!” Lily said, a pulse passing through the room.

The vine let go, settling back into place around Scruff’s shoulder.

“Hurry!” The little half-pixie grunted. “I can’t fool plants for long!”

Wendy didn’t hesitate, pressing a finger to Scruff’s neck, feeling a faint pulse there. It was fading slightly with each beat.

Wendy summoned a deer corpse, casting Reclaim Flesh and channeling it into Scruff.

The farmer gasped, her eyes flying open even as the vines raced to attack Wendy.

“Stop!” Scruff ordered the vines, and the plants pulled back.

“Hold still!” Wendy said gently. “This is proving tough for some reason.”

“The plants,” Scruff gasped. “In me.”

“What?” Wendy gasped, then summoned every corpse she had. “Get them out of there!”

“Heh,” Scruff laughed weakly. “I was trying when I passed out.”

“Well, I’m here now.” Wendy smiled down at Scruff.

Scruff closed her eyes, the plants around her pulling back from her, pulling out of her skin and moving to the fresh corpses.

The healing shot ahead, wounds healing internally before the skin closed, and the color finally returned to Scruff’s face.

Wendy kissed her long and deep, then made a face.

“What?” Scruff asked, coughing.

“You taste a bit… planty?” Wendy said.

“I bet,” Scruff pulled herself upright. “How did you find me?”

Wendy looked away.

“What?” Scruff asked, pulling Wendy back to look her in the eyes.

“I, I made Lily take a class to find you,” Wendy said, her eyes red.

“Oh,” Scruff didn’t know what to say.

“And I did!” Lily said awkwardly, “Hi!”

Wendy stood and hugged the shocked Lily. “Thank you,”

“Um, you’re welcome?” Lily tried.

“If we had been even a minute or two later….” Wendy shivered. “I’m sorry for what I did, and I will try to make it up to you.”

“I would have done the same,” Lily shrugged.

“Someone’s coming!” Rose hissed from the doorway.

“It’s Lord Bert,” Lily said reproachfully. “Rose, learn to use your new senses!”

Rose shot Lily a death glare but then nodded.

Bert rushed into the room, running straight to Wendy and Scruff and pulling them into a hug. “Are you okay?” He asked, still hugging them.

“We’re fine, Dad!” Wendy said. “Where’s Mum?”

“She’s gone to get Slothy and the rest,” Bert said, still trying to surreptitiously examine the two girls for injuries.

“Hello, M’Lord,” Rose and her sister bowed.

“What the hell are you pair doing out here?” Bert looked shocked to see them. “I didn’t think you left the Waystation.

The four of them explained their parts to Bert as they made their way back out of the tunnels. Bert winced a few times at their stories, a tension in his shoulders building. When he learned the two half-pixies had acted to save Wendy and what happened after, he just seemed to shut down.

“How did you find the entrance to this place?” Wendy asked when everyone was finished.

“Your Pretties are guarding it,” Bert shrugged, seemingly miles away.

“Oh, nice,” Wendy smiled. She loved those things.

They climbed out of the long, dark tunnels and back into the mist. The Pretties were arranged in a ring around the stairway, staring out into the foggy landscape.

“We need to get you four back to the Waystation,” Bert said, his tone clipped.

“The Express is on the way here,” Wendy offered. “It was moved a long distance away by whatever attacked us, so I’ve been directing it back to me this whole time.

“Good,” Bert said. “How far away is it now?”

“A minute?” Wendy guessed. She could already hear distant crashing sounds.

“Okay, wait here for it, then head home immediately.” Bert stalked away a bit, then stopped, “Lily, I need you to find someone for me first.”

“Of course, M’Lord.” Lily flew over, and they talked for a moment; then Lily pointed, and Bert blurred away.

“What the fuck?” Wendy asked. “Where is he going?”

“Someone called Felicia?” Lily offered.

“Oh, Shit!” Wendy and Scruff said in unison.

=============

One second, Dee was lost in her hunger, drawing the sweet blood of the Immortal; the next, she was flung away. She tottered to a stop, her head feeling drunk on the powerful blood.

She looked up, seeing Bert standing over the Immortal.

“Oh, Shit!” She slurred and sat down heavily.

“Wake up!” Bert roared in Felicia’s face.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she pushed to sit up, finding herself too weak to move. A slap brought her to her senses, and her eyes locked onto his.

“Are you awake?” Bert demanded.

“I am, Bastard.” She spat and went to say something nasty, but his eyes stopped her. She had seen many looks in those eyes before, mirth, fear, hatred, loathing, but never had they worried her. Now, she saw something worse.

The eyes were dead. Nothing lived behind them, nothing but an empty, emotionless void. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“This is too far; it has to end.” Bert’s empty eyes drilled into her soul.

“Look what your wife did to me!” She protested. “I was torn apart for MONTHS!”

“I don’t care.” His tone was flat, calm, and… empty.

“Who are you?” Felicia asked. “You’re not Bert, are you?”

“I am the end of all things,” That flat voice seemed to steal all her warmth. “I am the one who watches the watchers.”

“You are a creator?” She asked; her voice trembled as her whole body seemed to freeze.

“Is that what you call my kind?” The voice asked, in that same terrible monotone.

“Yes?” Felicia tried to lie, to excuse her actions… but there was no way to lie or hide from this. “Am I to be killed?”

“We do not kill.” The voice said. “We erase. We un-make.”

“Please!” Felicia wilted. “Don’t.”

“I am not here for that,” He blinked once, slowly. “I am here to offer you one last chance, Felicia of the Mist.”

“Anything!” She pleaded.

“You will never interfere in any way with this group again. They are blocked from you.” Bert’s face moved, but there was nothing of him there, she looked.

“Will he be okay?” She asked, her voice trembling. “After you leave?”

“Yes,” A strange fleeting smile crossed the face. “The fact you care if he is okay, in your way, is why you get a chance.” He stood and stepped back. “If what you tried had worked?”

“Yes?” She asked.

“He would never have been him again.” Another slow blink and Bert staggered. When his eyes opened again, Bert was there. “YOU!” He roared.

“I’m so sorry,” Felicia said as she began to fade. “I’ll never come back…”

With a wave of Mist, she was gone.

“Huh?” Bert stood there, his fury fizzling. “What the fuck just happened?”

The air horn of the Express sounded behind him.

“What happened?” Wendy asked, leaning out the driver’s window.

“I have no fucking idea!” Bert yelled.