S31 | C5 | We're not in the forest anymore
Session 31 | Chapter 5
She scans the foyer, clocking Alicander, and then her eyes land on our group. I’m not entirely sure what I expected, a glare perhaps, maybe an eye roll, but nothing prepares me for her eyes glancing over me like I’m nothing.
I am nothing to her.
This is what you wanted though, Huntress.
No–no it’s not. I wanted to feel like myself again, to be able to focus on processing everything that I’ve learned without fear of judgment or being placated. I know I am not innocent–in my past or my present. But I didn’t intend for this to be the consequence of my choice.
The sight of Perona, her light dimmed and grayed, causes something in my chest to crack. Her previously vibrant auburn hair is now stark white, neatly piled on her head, and the holly berries that grow like a crown of laurels on her head are charred. She approaches our group as Alba finishes her story. As she gets closer, the gauntness of her features is apparent, amplified by the dramatic makeup she’s chosen to wear today. In an emotionless monotone, Perona meets Alba’s eyes and says, “I am happy for you. Alba, will you also be going to the Southern Forest?”
“Is there a–” Alba stops, considering her answer for a moment, “Well I love seeing new places.”
Perona nods once and looks down at her journal. “I’ll write you down as a yes.”
“Is there a temple for Selune there?” When Perona doesn’t answer immediately, Alba adds, “There is but it’s a small one?”
“Everything is small in the Southern Forest in comparison,” Perona shares.
Alba shrugs, “I might as well see it for myself still. Even if it’s a small temple, it’s a temple.”
“Well I’ll keep that in mind,” Perona answers, “I will try to make sure everyone has a guide, or at least directions to where they want to go.”
Layna stands and informs her, “I already know where Maire and I are going.”
Similar to how she passed over me, Perona simply doesn’t acknowledge Layna’s comment. Instead, she turns and looks to the others in our group to see to their travel needs. Zeref comes back down the hall and immediately goes to give Perona a hug when he sees her in winter. Their embrace makes my stomach tie in knots.
He didn’t hug you like that, Huntress. Seems he’s chosen his side.
I clench my jaw as I fight to not physically recoil at the sight. I knew they were close, but I thought Zeref and I were friends too. After a moment of glaring in their direction, I avert my eyes and settle my attention on the edges of my sleeves, picking at a thread that’s started to come undone from a button.
“I need to find Raesh,” Perona tells Zeref in the same even, emotionless tone.
“He was just in the other room,” Zeref explains, pulling away from Perona and looking back towards the entrance to the dining room.
At this time, Raesh, hobbling as he stuffs a bottle down his pants leg, comes around the corner and over to our group. A little chuckle builds in my chest and a brief smile forms on my face.
Perona blinks at him in disbelief as she asks, “Raesh, do you need help as well?”
“Help with what?” he replies, cracking a wry smile. Perona gestures at his bulging pants leg, and he quips, “Oh you like what you see?”
This is the first time I’ve seen Perona’s facade crack. She keeps herself composed, but I can tell her anger is leashed by a thread. “Has something happened that has made it…so much of an issue–” she stammers.
“Speechless,” Raesh jeers, “I love it.”
“That it has injured you?” Perona nearly shrieks, her voice pitching higher in her appalled state.
Raesh furrows his brow, “No…”
More composed, Perona asks in her monotone voice, “Why are you limping?”
He chuckles, “Just growing an extra arm down here. Why do you ask?”
“I’m going to disregard that,” Perona replies, blinking rapidly, “Are you hoping to go to the Southern Forest as well, and if so, what are you looking for?”
“Yes, and yes!” Raesh cheers, holding out the business card for Perona to see.
Her eyes go wide and she exclaims, “You have your own guide–great! Everyone is going. I will be sure everyone has an appropriate guide.”
Zeref steps closer to Perona, and his mechanical cobra slithers towards her excitedly. Unable to watch this interaction, I avert my attention back to my shirt sleeve. My mind is on the edge of spinning, but Lendys’ words echo in my mind once more. “You made the right choice.” In my gut, I know I did. Even beyond how things escalated with Lendys this morning, calling things off with Perona was the right decision for me. The only solace I have is that I ended things before our relationship was taken to the next level–if this is purely from the budding emotional connection we shared, I don’t even want to think how bad the fall out would have been had our relationship turned physical.
Movement catches my attention as the group is walking towards the foyer where Alicander stands. Lendys comes over and nudges me under the arm, “Time to go, Ranger.”
My eyes flick from the group and back to him. In response, I give him a solemn nod and stand up, running my hands over my pants more out of habit than any actual need to clean them off. When I realize this, I flex my fingers and stuff my hands in my pockets, walking over to where the others are speaking to Perona’s brother.
Alicander asks Raesh where he needs to go in the Southern Forest, and Raesh stammers slightly, “Oh, um, I think I’ll stick with y’all for now.” He looks at Layna and I before adding, “I have my own way to get where I need to go after.”
“I assume you will be looking for Bahamut’s temple?” Perona asks, the venom in her tone when she says Bahamut’s name transparent.
Raesh nods and Alicander furrows his brow, “There are four temples to Bahamut. Are you looking for one in particular?”
My eyes go wide and I finally speak, blurting, “What?”
Raesh turns to me and states, “That’s a question for you. You know which one is spicier than the others.”
I stammer, trying to recall the name of the man I met last night when Perona cuts in, “I know Maire wanted to see the Magistrate’s–”
Fire builds in my veins as she speaks for me once again without even acknowledging I’m standing right here. Remembering the man’s name, I speak over her directly to Alicander, “Grand Maester–”
Perona adjusts, like the information just came to her rather than having been said by me, “Grand Maester…magistrate–”
“Grand Maester Piaus,” I speak through clenched teeth, leashing my frustration as much as I possibly can in such a public setting.
Alicander looks between Perona and I then states, “Ah yes, I know which temple.” He scribbles in the notebook he holds, mumbling to himself, “Grand Maester Piaus’ temple of Bahamut…” Looking up to the rest of the group, he asks, “Anything else?”
“Not that I–” Perona starts, then turns to look at the rest of us. “I don’t know what everyone else wants to see.”
Layna speaks up, gesturing between her and I, “We’re going to see Markus at his dojo.”
Perona’s brother nods, jotting down the information, “Okay you want to see–that’s fine. Markus’ dojo. And that’s it? That’s all the stops?” He clearly wants to be doing anything other than helping us, but then Perona starts talking about taking Crimm sight seeing and I can’t help but feel for the man. After jotting down the additional notes, he says he's going to see the cartographer.
True to his word, he returns within five minutes, holding five pieces of parchment rolled and tied neatly. “These are the notable sights,” he declares, handing that piece to Perona. “Grand Maester Piaus’ temple, Markus’ dojo,” he mutters, passing me and Layna the appropriate rolls. He looks at Zeref and hands him a parchment, but before he releases it, he states, “The Temple of the Omnissiah–you don’t really need this. You can’t miss it. It’s a straight road when you get there. Giant pyramid.” He lets go of the roll and turns to Alba, “And for you the Temple of Selune.”
With the parchment in my hand, Raesh leans into me, whispering, “Did you find which one?”
I nod, the seriousness of visiting this temple suddenly hitting me. I take a breath and meet his eyes as I declare, “And we go burn it down.”
A smile breaks out on his face as he holds up his hand. I smile back, pleased with his reaction, and high five him.
Alicander tuts to get our attention, gesturing and waving at us, “The way these work, you go to the portal at the end of our plate. Hold it up and it will activate the portal to the South Forest.”
“What happens if you need to go to multiple places?” I ask.
He stares at me blankly for a moment, and I can tell I’ve asked a very dumb question. “The map–open it up when you get to the Southern Forest, and it will lead you there.” He holds his notebook flat, miming how to follow the maps. “They will work from anywhere and give you directions to the associated location on the parchment.”
I nod in understanding, and Raesh asks skeptically, “ Is this place really so complicated that we need maps and guides?”
Perona blurts, dramatically emphasizing her tone, “The Feywild is a very large place.”
“And the Southern Forest is the highly mechanized area of the realm,” Alicander adds. “You’re going to be going from a forest sky plate to industrialized cities that you will never understand.”
“A what?” I exclaim.
Alicander rolls his eyes, stating, “You’ll see when you get there. I can’t explain it.”
“It’s a lot,” Layna whispers beside me.
“All the spell jammers, the reason why all the plates float–all of that is South Forest shit. They are also the most devoted to religion in our realm.”
On my other side, Raesh leans in and whispers, “The Omnissiah hub. I was told there could be benefits to going to their temple too.”
“It’s a gilded golden pyramid with a sun at the top–you can’t miss it,” Perona’s brother groans.
Nodding at Alicander, I lean into Raesh, turning my head so I’m facing away from the group as I whisper in his ear, “Bahamut can’t see there.”
He pulls back, startled, and asks, “Wait, what did you say?”
“Bahamut can’t see there,” I repeat, clearer and louder, “Selune can’t either.” My eyes flick to Alba briefly.
“Just from seeing it?”
I shake my head, “No, they have no idea what’s going on down there.”
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“So we should investigate,” Raesh declares, and I nod, confirming his ideas. “Good, because that just makes me want to go more,” he impishly states.
Alba offers, “Let us not automatically assume that means it’s bad. It could just be a combination of different magics and technologies putting out energy that blocks the gods.”
I tilt my head, skeptically looking at Alba as she explains this. My mind can’t comprehend how a Paladin of Selune would think it’s not a concern that her god can’t see an area in a realm.
“Are we ready to go?” Perona announces.
Under my breath, I mutter, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
✦•······················•✦•······················•✦
At the end of Perona’s family plate, we’re preparing for the magical transportation to the Southern Forest. Zeref comes to stand near me and mutters, “I’m sad my saddle isn’t done yet.”
I look to see him and Blue, and excitedly I take the opportunity to work on teaching him. “Zeref! Actually this is great. It’s best to start with ground work.”
He looks at me, confused, “I didn’t plan on flying with him right away.”
“No, no,” I shake my head, “Ground work means you’re not actually on his back. You start by developing the relationship from the ground versus his back.”
“I think we’ve developed a bond already,” he states, the confused expression not fading. “We’ve been traveling together for months already!”
“Then get on his back,” I blurt. The leash on my emotions hangs by a thread–the rejection from Zeref following Perona and my break up hurting more than I care to admit.
“I don’t want to,” Zeref retorts.
“You can ride bareback!”
“I know that,” he replies, “I wanted the saddle for comfort.” He rolls his eyes and climbs on Blue’s back. Holding his gaze, I pop my hip and cross my arms, waiting for the drake to knock Zeref off his back like he used to do to Layna. Zeref eyes me skeptically, “You know he’s my familiar now…”
I can feel the final thread fraying as he stares back at me. My jaw clenches, fighting to keep the emotion out of my words, “Then why did you need my help?” Obviously Blue is Zeref’s familiar now–I was there for fuck’s sake, when he signed the contract with him. Of course he’d have the ability to ride the drake with that level of bonding. This is nothing like when Layna tried to break Blue back in the caves when I first met the rest of the party. I shake my head, trying to clear the emotions clouding my mind.
Zeref furrows his brow and snips back sarcastically, “Fine! It’s not like I wanted to bond with my friend or anything!” He lightly nudges Blue’s side with his heels and the drake saunters off.
My jaw hangs open, shocked at the conversation that just occurred. Blinking my eyes rapidly, I quietly squeak, “This is the worst day ever.”
Layna comes up beside me and places a hand on my shoulder, “Maybe just clarify the misunderstanding?”
My eyes start burning and I ball my fists. My chest starts to tighten, and instinctually, I want to reach out for Lendys–just like I would so many times before with Goose by my side. But that’s complicated now in front of the group. Instead, I hold myself together as much as I can, but a tear slips over the rim of my eye, falling traitorously down my cheek. Layna sighs and pats my head comfortingly.
Raesh appears at my other side and starts patting my lower back. He jokes, “I got the bottom, you got the top, Layna.”
“It was just a misunderstanding,” Layna elaborates, leaning back to look at Raesh behind my back. I can only imagine the glare she’s leveling at the gnome. “It will be okay. I don’t think he realized. Just ask him to be more clear with what he’s asking for next time.”
One by one ahead of our little group, the rest of the party walks through the swirling portal at the edge of the Galanodel plate. Finally, Raesh and Layna are transported to the Southern Forest. In a brief moment before we pass through, I meet Lendys’ gaze. He nods once and we walk forward, entering a radically different world than we left.
On the other side of the portal, we’re dropped in the middle of a massive mechanical city. Buildings soar as high as the clouds, and vehicles fly in and out of the structures. Looking around, I take in my surroundings, my gaze darting from one sight to the next. The sounds of the city–vehicles, motors, people shouting–are all consuming, overwhelming my senses. The skin at the back of my neck prickles and I cock my head uncomfortably, trying to shake the crawling feeling.
“We’re not in the forest anymore…” I mutter to no one in particular.
With my attention focused skyward, I don’t notice Raesh until he replies to my previous statement, “Don’t you miss the times when we were like–”
“In the woods?” I attempt to finish his statement.
“Fighting kobolds and trying to take down Tiamat,” he continues.
I shrug, “Well I think we still are fighting her here.”
“Simpler times,” he muses, “We’ve gotten wrapped into a lot more shit.”
“True,” I comment, looking down at the gnome beside me. He bobs his head and gives me a shy smile. I return the gesture and add, “Not us being friends again.”
Raesh scowls and looks up at me skeptically. “I so hate you,” he retorts sarcastically, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
A wide smile breaks out on my face and a lightness creeps into my chest. “I hate you too!” I reply tenderly, dragging out the last word playfully.
“Twinsies!” Raesh cheers. I can’t help but laugh and jokingly shove his shoulder. With all the dramatic changes from this morning with the party and now our current setting, it’s comforting to have my and Raesh’s friendship seem to return to the dynamic we developed prior to our confrontation at the flying castle.
I scan the area surrounding us and see a group of young kids playing down the street a ways from us. They hold up a small token and seem to press something in the center of it. It’s gold and glints in the minute amount of sunlight that penetrates this deep into the city core. A moment later, the token transforms into a hovering board, not too dissimilar to Raesh’s earthboard, and each of the kids hop on their respective vehicles before shooting off into the sky above. It’s at this moment that I realize every person holding a token or wearing a golden pyramid pendant is mechanized in some way–altered, engineered, augmented in some fashion. A woman with a mechanical arm passes by us and I can get a good look at the pendant she wears. It’s just like the token Teddy gave Zeref of the Omni yesterday. Looking around once more, I realize each of these augmented, altered people must be members of the Church of the Omni. Suddenly, I feel even more out of my depth than I did when all I had to contend with was the developed city environment.
Bahamut’s warning comes to the forefront of my mind, “Whatever they worship–all of them, even the temple to Selune–is blocked by that…Omni.” Shivers run down my spine and truthfully, I can’t wait until we can go back to the Rosarium plate. At least there they had grass and trees.
“Well,” Perona starts, raising her voice above the din of the city to get everyone’s attention. “Everyone has a map to where they want to go…” She turns and looks directly at Crimm before continuing, “Where would you like to go first?”
My jaw tenses and I discreetly shake my head at Perona’s continued efforts to pretend I don’t exist. Logically, I know she owes me nothing, not even the chance to try to explain myself. With this morning’s developments, I’m not even sure I’d want to try to explain myself. My reasoning last night feels hollow at this point, but that doesn’t mean it still wasn’t the right thing. Like Lendys said, it wasn’t the wrong time, just the wrong person. My heart cracks a little seeing her like this, a hollowed, dulled version of the bright, vibrant Eladrin I’ve gotten to know over our travels.
And you did that to her, Huntress. The Priest’s voice hovers behind my ear, a whisper, and yet invasively loud even over the ruckus of the city. I groan, resisting the urge to give into his taunts, to allow his cutting remarks to eat away at my mind. I did initiate the events that lead to this transformation of her, but would it have been better for me to lie to her? I know I made the right decision–for me and for her. She will heal in time and move on from whatever infatuation she had with me.
I’ve tuned out the conversation the group is having about where to go first as I battle these thoughts, but Layna commenting on our group splitting up catches my attention. “It sounds like the best option,” she observes, “We all have a lot of places to hit.”
To no one in particular, I comment, “I need to go to the dojo.” My mind is still swimming as the Priest hovers at the edge of my consciousness. You need to center yourself. Bahamut’s instruction comes to the forefront, pushing all else aside. My gaze lifts to firmly look at Layna and the rest of the group as they’re discussing plans – I need to get to the dojo.
“I’m going with her,” Raesh declares, pointing at me.
Layna nods once, “Dojo.”
Their solidarity is comforting and I don’t quite know what to do with it. So I deflect the importance, trying to play it cool and mention to Raesh, “You could even go to the Pleasure Palace if you’d rather while we go to the Dojo. Unless you want to hang with us while I train. You’re welcome to if you’d like.”
Perona and the rest of the group continue their planning and discussion, but Raesh quietly comments to just me, “No, I’d like to come with you if that’s okay. I can always go to the brothel later.”
I’m stunned by his reaction and nod quickly as my only response.
“I mean, do you need the support?” he asks, keeping his tone low.
My mouth opens, unsure quite how to reply, but I eventually ask, “Emotionally?”
He chuckles lightly and smiles, “In any sense.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” I respond.
Raesh nods and we turn back to the group’s conversation, which is currently debating whether or not there is a need for Zeref to learn martial arts. The tortle determinedly states, “No, I’m sticking with Perona.”
“That’s why I’m asking,” she replies, “If you want to go to the Dojo, then I’ll go with you.”
“Was there anywhere in particular you needed to go?” he asks.
Perona shrugs lightly before stating, “I wanted to show Crimm around, so that’s really all that’s on my list.” She holds up the map with the sightseeing spots that Alicander made her.
The radical difference in our group’s dynamic this morning isn’t lost on me. Had I not decided to end things with Perona, it’s likely that she would be as steadfast by my side as Layna and Raesh in the pursuit of my training. No matter how little she understood of my devotion to Bahamut, I can’t imagine we’d be standing here in the middle of a bustling city trying to decide who is going where.
Would she have been supportive of this training though? Markus seems like an intense and sought after trainer, Layna’s jokes aside about him being attractive. There has to be a reason he trains the Kingsguard for the Northern Forest and that Bahamut wanted me to seek him out specifically. He likely isn’t an easy coach, so once again, my heart and head land in alignment that Perona not coming, not being a romantic part of my life, is for the best.
My hand flexes at my side, lightly grazing against Lendys’ scales as he patiently sits beside me, waiting for us to make a decision. The brief touch sends electricity through my body and soothes my edges. My mind begins to drift back to this morning’s events while I wait for the group to make a final call on where we’re all going. The warmth of Lendys’ skin against mine, the feeling of his mouth on my neck–I could fall into that feeling and let it consume me if I’m not careful.
A loud noise of a mechanized vehicle backfiring pulls me from my daydream and then the party’s conversation grabs my attention. Layna asks Crimm, who looks angered and scared, “Is it the brother you mentioned when you attacked the wall?”
“I’m not sure,” he mutters softly, leashing his frustration tightly.
Perona asks, “Do you want to follow him?”
“Yes,” Crimm responds confidently.
Scanning the area immediately surrounding us, I can’t spot anyone who resembles Crimm enough to be an assumed relation, but he’s likely out of sight already.
“What does he want?” Layna inquires.
Crimm sets his jaw and declares, “He wants to kill me.”
My eyes lock on Crimm, furrowing my brow at his statement. Layna gasps and Alba shrieks, “That was an attack? You survived that?” I’m unsure what exactly she’s referring to, but something must have happened at the gala based on Layna’s line of questioning. Either way, an individual specifically targeting a member of our party is highly inconvenient and won’t be tolerated.
Perona shakes her head and takes two painted eggs out of her pack. She cracks them in her hands, the shells turning into a powder and floating to the ground. A flash of light bursts from her hands before her temples start to glow, and in turn each member of our party has the same glowing effect. Perona’s solemn, lilting voice comes through clearly in my mind. No matter where we go, we will all be able to hear each other for the next hour.
Raesh quirks a wry smile and replies, Just to make sure, you can’t hear me if…right? The implication that the gnome’s thoughts and commentary might come through mentally to our party while he’s at the Pleasure Palace has me belly laughing. The horrified expression on Perona’s face does nothing to stop my laughter, and I can only imagine the reaction each person would have should Raesh accidentally tune into our party’s mental communication lines.
After a long pause, Perona responds, Whatever mental button you’re pressing right now…keep your hands off it when you go to the brothel.
Raesh joins me in my laughter and a stitch starts to form in my side.
“And everyone has a sending stone should we be separated for more than an hour, correct?” Layna asks.
“I-I have one, yeah,” I reply between laughs.
Raesh hands his stone to Crimm as he states, “I’ll be with Maire, so you can take mine, Crimm.”
From the corner of my eye, a glint of platinum scales moving catches my attention. Turning, I see Lendys walking away from the group. I groan and call after him, “Where are you going?!”
He doesn’t reply and his face is expressionless as he continues at a steady pace into the city. I briefly look at Layna and Raesh before taking off after Lendys.
“Is he going to the dojo?” Layna calls behind me.
“I don’t know, but I have a feeling we’ll find out,” I yell over my shoulder.