Foster used the last of his magical energies to ‘gate’ to the fairy world of Eolande. He asked Micah to call for his faithful butler Gelfrey to both resurrect him from the dead (again) and help him reach Ivan in time to save his life. Gelfrey dabbles in black magics and pokes around in dead things. He takes requests and once placed a fellow’s soul into a dragon. That’s important! Gelfrey tells Foster he can’t use magic for a fortnight (it sounds fancy, doesn't it) and says their only hope is to travel via the Infinity Gate deep within dragon territory, in the dreaded and hard-to-build-a-set-for Jade Forest. Dragons don’t like uninvited guests, which is incidentally (not really) the title of the first story in this ongoing series.
The only way they could get close to the gates of the Jade Forest was to enter a snail race. Shrunken to chibis and disguised as fox sprites, Foster and Micah were instructed to wait for a contact at the Cozy Den, a fox-sprite tavern in a fox-sprite village north of the Lavender Vale. Micah ran into a star snail racer, Kip Lightning, whom he manipulated into paying their racing fees. 40 gold? Inflation is an issue in Eolande these days. I blame the war and the Regent's terrible domestic policies. The day of the race fast approached, then I decided to paint my office. Dolls sat in boxes for months. I am ashamed. A little. Just a little. At least the office is blue!
Lo, the day has come and a small set was built. I’m glossing over a lot of stuff because I can’t get the set to work. We find our stalwart heroes after having veered off the path of the Pan-Eolander Snail Racing Championships. The entire plan hinges on Gelfrey being able to help them because only a dragon can open the gates. I don’t have a prop for a gate but with enough close-ups you won’t notice! GLOSS GLOSS GLOSS!!
TL:DR: re-read the stories. LOL
Link for #33 Time Flies (for the more current stuff)
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10256
#46: A Walk in the Park
“The gate into the Jade Forest is just beyond that tree,” Foster said. “Now we wait for Gelfrey.”
Micah said, “That wasn’t so bad."
“The worst is yet to come, my friend.” Foster eyed the locked gate. “Thankfully we didn’t race hard so our dragons should make it up the mountain.”
“We’ll make it,” Micah said.
Something in the underbrush spooked the dragons!
“Come back here you wretched beasts!” Foster’s angry shrieking only made the frightened mounts run faster.
“That really hurt.” Micah groaned.
Foster said, “This is going to make reaching the gate infinitely more difficult.”
“I think I twisted my ankle on these green rocks lying everywhere.”
“Blasted emeralds,” Foster said. “The whole forest is littered with the worthless things.”
O__O <----- Micah’s face as he calculates how many emeralds it would take to cover tuition until he got his doctorate.
"Why isn't it called the Emerald Forest?"
"The Fourth Emperor of the Kee Dynasty said Jade sounded cooler. He also named Capital Square."
"So?"
"The city is ringed in concentric circles." Foster shook his head. "The Kee were inbred, not at all like us Fee. We only marry cousins, not siblings."
"I really didn't want to know that."
“My dearest prince,” Gelfrey said. “Tis I, your faithful butler, ever ready to serve. Oh yes, how I love to serve."
“Never mind all that, Gelfrey. How are we going to get to the gate? Those idiot dragons scampered off!”
“I suppose you’ll just have to go on foot. Oh yes, I do love a good walk.”
“We’ll never make it on foot!” Foster shrieked, waving his tiny sword. “This terrain is impossible! Make us big again.”
“Oh my dear prince… how you love to complain. Alas, I can not return you to your size without considerable risk of exploding your precious royal person. It should wear off in a few days, never fear. This is my friend Bert, the fellow I told you about, the one so keen on breathing fire? He’ll open the gate and escort you through the forest. With him as a guide you’ll make it. I mustn’t tarry, that fool brother of yours has convened a war council to deal with the northern threats and I’m late as it is. Farewell my dear prince.”
“I don’t wish to keep you, then. Be well.” Foster cleared his throat. “Thank you, as always. Your loyalty… means… a lot.” He cleared his throat again. Gelfrey bowed and left them alone with Bert.
“All right. Listen up. Stick close, keep quiet, and don’t dawdle. Most importantly, don’t touch anything! I’ve only been a dragon for a year but I can tell you… you smell delicious!” Bert belched a blast of fire from his throat. “Oh yeah. That never gets old.”
Hours of hiking through terrain without a trail exhausted the miniature heroes but they pressed onward to their goal.
“GET IT OFF ME!” Foster screamed.
“Shut up already,” Bert said, belching a blast of flame. “You trying to get eaten?”
“Wretched things…” Foster said. His cheeks flushed.
Micah snickered. “It’s just a little snake.”
They hacked their way through dense underbrush as the forest grew darker and darker. Things slithered and crawled and skittered through the underbrush, just out of sight. Eyes peered down from the trees.
Micah said, “Does anyone besides me notice that there are an awful lot of skulls lying around?” He shivered. “It’s more than a little creepy.”
“Most of the bones are chewed or digested, but the skulls… well, are you familiar with gizzard stones?” (Gizzard stones are stones swallowed by birds and other types of animals to help them grind their food. Once smooth, the stones may be regurgitated and replaced with new stones.)
“Gross.” Micah blanched. “That’s just… that’s disgusting.”
“It stinks… faugh! What is that awful smell?”
“Don’t ask.”
“RUN!”
“It’s right behind us!!!”
“I’ll distract her,” Bert shouted out with a belch of smoke. “Keep heading north until you see the gate keepers at the top of the mountain! You can’t miss it!”
Micah cracked his skull on a skull. XD
“Are you hurt?”
“Just a little,” Micah said. “I’m just a little dizzy.”
Foster said, “It’s not much further. Can you walk?”
“Yes, let’s keep going. This place is giving me the creeps.”
“It’s like they’re staring at us,” the fairy said. “Unsettling.”
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Oh… heheh…hey. Fleshies.”
“The Gatekeepers,” Foster said. “The Infinity Gate is just beyond this sacred grove.”
“Pardon my passing,” Micah said. He figured it was better to be polite. Just in case.
“Where you goin’ fleshies?”
“Wow.” Micah stared up at the vortex of light. “That’s really big. So… we walk through that thing?”
Foster nodded. “The Infinity Gate should take us where we want to go.”
“Then we can save Ivan,” Micah said. He rubbed his hands together. “It’s been days since we arrived in your kingdom. Zo only needed fifteen minutes to get to the apartment. You’re fully certain this thing will eat up that much time?”
“Portals are unpredictable, but I have noticed that weeks here amount to hours there. Just fix your mind on your apartment and… well, we just have to have faith that the Oracle will see us through.”
“Leap of faith, huh.” Micah snickered.
“It’s bit cliché.”
“A bit?”
TBC... really! I swear!!
#47: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=11169&p=128695#p128695
