“Okay, I know the trees in The Endless Forest were one thing, but this wall wasn’t here when we left.” I point at the impressive structure i
“Okay, I know the trees in The Endless Forest were one thing, but this wall wasn’t here when we left.” I point at the impressive structure in mock outrage, as if asking, 'Are you seeing this?'
My partner Tabitha rolls her eyes as usual at my over-the-top antics, but I could see that she was secretly impressed by what my village had accomplished in the relatively short time we were gone. The wall stretched in both directions as far as we could see, with no one in sight, meaning this section of the wall had been completed for a while now.
It was safe to say neither of us had expected something like this to stop us, but here we were, blocked from making our grand entrance—the story of my life.
“Of course, this happens,” I groan exasperatingly while chuckling tiredly. For a second, I considered smashing our way through the wall, but that was just my intrusive thoughts getting the better of me.
Sure, the wall in front of me blocked me from seeing my family. And sure, the thought of dragging this sled a single foot farther made me want to tear my hair out, but I’d never really consider destroying my brother’s crowning achievement….
“No,” Tabitha firmly slapped the back of my head as my hand slowly drifted toward my hammer, which was secured to my back.
“Ow; I was only joking," I pout as I massage the spot she hit. Mostly.
“If you’re done playing around, can we get a move on?” Tabitha’s eyes narrow slightly. “Master Pacore is waiting for us.”
“Ugg, don’t remind me. Maybe this wall is a good thing, I say we make the old man wait a bit—“ Tabitha’s eyes narrow threateningly until I stop talking.
“Fine, fine,” I hold my hands up in surrender. “Message received. Give me a second to see which way we’re going.”
I wait for Tabitha’s nod of approval before tossing aside the sled ropes and jumping as high as possible. Then, once I'm in the sky, I use Air Walk to go even higher until I can see the entire village below me and the surrounding landscape, and holly crap has Spotted Creek Village been busy in our absence.
The core part of the village remained unchanged, but that was it.
The original plan was to surround the village only; after discussing the plans later, it was decided we would expand the area enclosed to include Del’s clearing. That alone was supposed to almost double the amount of work needed to complete the project, but apparently, that wasn't enough for someone because it looked like somebody took the idea that bigger was always better and decided to go crazy with it.
From where I was hovering, we weren’t just including Del’s house anymore, but the quarry and everything in between. The wall wasn’t completed yet—it'd be a genuine miracle if it were—but I could see where the forest had been cleared ahead of time. With that in mind, I could visualize what it would look like when the wall was completed, and boy, did it paint a picture.
Where did I begin?
When we left, the wall only stretched from the front gate to what I assume is the eastern gate. Now, everything from the North Gate all the way around to the West Gate was finished. The only section still under construction was the bit directly between the North and West gates, and even that section looked halfway completed.
“Since when did we need four gates?” I stare dumbly at the various distinct entrances. Or on second thought, how come I never thought of that? It only took one look to see that each gate had a distinct purpose besides being an additional way to flee in an emergency.
The North Gate led to our village’s namesake and backup water supply in case our wells ran dry. Then there was the East Gate, which pointed in the direction most of our hunters went to find food. The Southern Gate was the entrance to our village, and finally, we had the Western Gate; I could only imagine it was placed where it was to make Master Del’s life easier.
If Kervin showed up now with a materials delivery, he didn't need to go through the village to reach Del's clearing. All he had to do was follow the wall to the Western Gate, and boom, he'd be there. It was elegant in its simplicity, truly a well-thought-out design.
I wonder if Richard designed things this way on purpose or if he had help from his mentor, Salus?
Regardless, I’m sure my brother was strutting around like he owned the place.
Which, good for him.
The wall was impressive, and if all that wasn’t enough, they’ve cleared a frankly ridiculous amount of land simultaneously. Not only have all the trees on either side of the wall been removed, but a lot more space around the village has also been cleared.
The fields were extended, and the animal pens were moved and expanded while they were at it. A new path led from the quarry to the village; everywhere I looked, things were better—bigger. But how did they accomplish all this in the time that they did?
I saw signs that most of the trees removed were done so recently in the past few weeks; did something change?
Before I can think too hard, I spot a man in similar armor to Escort Knight Stevenson pushing a makeshift wheelbarrow filled with rocks out of the quarry. And once I noticed one, the rest stood out like sore thumbs.
Men and women of all ages wearing previously spotless armor were working all over the village, many red-faced, looking like they were ready to collapse where they were.
I immediately put two and two together and started laughing like an idiot in the sky, so much so that I almost forgot to kick to keep myself airborne. Leave it to a man like Pacore to force his guard detail to help the villagers of Spotted Creek Village with all their heavy lifting.
"What is it?" Tabitha yells up at me, confused. She probably saw me struggling to breathe from laughing too hard and was curious what I found so funny.
“You’re going to love this,” I shout back down in between breaths.
I was just about to descend and tell Tabitha the good news when I suddenly felt like I was being watched, and not by Tabitha. My back straightened as my hand instinctively moved to grab my weapon after everything we went through in the magic-dense region. Meanwhile, I looked for the source of my discomfort. I wasn't picking anything up with Sense Mana, so who was spying on me?
Slowly, I scan my surroundings, but when I don’t see anything in our immediate vicinity, I'm forced to expand my search elsewhere. Eventually, I start scanning every dot in the village, and then I see it—or should I say her?
“Oh, it’s just General Pitz,” I sigh with relief as I let go of my weapon. She was so far away that I had to strain my eyes to see her, but I would never forget her profile, even at a distance. “I guess Pacore brought her along this time too,” I wave to the distant figure, knowing an archer of her renown could likely see me.
I’m proven right when I can just make out her hesitantly waving back at me. It's funny, I can barely see her from where I was, but for some reason, it looks like her eyes are popping out of her head.
Well, this has been fun, but I can sense Tabitha losing her patience below me. It was time to drop back down and finish our journey.
As I fall, I make one last observation. It was subtle, but I can see a wave of excitement slowly spreading throughout the village. As people walked past each other or paused to take a breath, they talked to their friends and became visibly more excited, rushing to complete their various tasks. Those who weren’t in the middle of working were slowly making their way toward the center of the village, Camden’s house.
“I think someone let slip that we were coming,” I joke as I land next to Tabitha. “Everyone’s gathering at the center of the village. You won't believe how much has changed," I beam excitedly.
“Then we should hurry,” Tabitha deadpans, clearly struggling to remain stoney-faced when she was so obviously excited to see her master again after all this time. “How do we get in?”
"Closest entrance is that way," I point left towards the Eastern Gate.
“Very well,” Tabitha nods before grabbing one of the ropes to the sled. “Let us work together to get there faster.”
"Oh, please," I scoff as I grab the remaining rope. “You just don’t want people to think you made me pull everything back by myself,” I joke.
Tabitha doesn’t say anything in response, but her eyes soften.
As we worked together to pull our sled, my heart rate sped up the closer we got to our destination. I could sense people gathering past the fields, waiting for us. A lot of the signatures felt familiar to me, but I didn’t care about any of them. There were only a handful of people I wanted to see.
“Mom. Dad. Richard. Sandra. Master,” I repeat as I pull harder, forcing Tabitha to keep up.
And then we reach the gate, and I hear it, the sound of applause followed soon after by cheering once we appear through the gate.
In the time it took us to reach the East Gate, most of the village had gathered to welcome us back. Having so many people cheering my name made me feel like a celebrity, so naturally, I started to blush heavily.
I try to hang my head so as not to meet any of their eyes, but Tabitha doesn't let me. “Keep your head held high,” she whispers to me sternly. “As high-level individuals, we aren’t supposed to show weakness to the masses.”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not,” she says solemnly. “Look at it from their point of view,” Tabitha tells me. “We’re bringing the corpse of a monster that could kill all of them and destroy your village in a matter of seconds. If we look weak in front of them, what’s to stop them from fearing another monster coming and doing the same?”
“But it could,” I note sourly, dreading even thinking about it.
“They don’t need to know that,” Tabitha tells me. Let them believe they are safe behind their new walls. It's what they deserve. To them, the magic-dense region is just another far-off land whispered about in stories. To them, it’s not a part of The Endless Forest.”
“I understand,” I nod to Tabitha before looking up at the crowd. Well, I wanted a hero's welcome, far be it from me to complain now.
"Well, if you can't beat them."
"We've returned!" I shout boisterously, pumping my free hand into the air. I think I hear Tabitha chuckle next to me for a second, but whatever I think I heard is quickly drowned out by the noise of over a hundred villagers shouting our names as one.
“Aaliayh! Tabitha!” They roared over and over again as we approached. I see some Escort Knights mixed among the group shouting Tabitha’s last name to the confusion of those around them, but said lady pretends they don't exist. I spot Stevenson in the back cheering with them, but the sea of shifting faces quickly swallows him up.
Some of the village kids run up to us in excitement, but each quickly turns around and runs away once they catch sight of the massive green snake head atop our sled, which makes me chuckle.
The closer we get to the cheering masses, the more people finally notice what exactly we are dragging behind us, and slowly, a hush falls over the crowd. I knew everybody wanted us to explain what had taken us so long to return, but I had something else I had to do first.
Leaving the sled behind, I silently approach the crowd, which parts for me. Many people pat me on the back as I walk past them, but I barely feel any of it. The world falls away as the last villager steps aside to reveal my parents, patently waiting for me behind the crowd.
“Mom. Dad.” I rub my eyes emotionally as soon as I see them.
“Welcome home.” Mother opens her arms wide.
I don’t need any more of an invitation. I Flash Step in front of them, and their arms wrap around me lovingly. And suddenly I’m home. After two months of surviving in the wilderness—Slaying a lesser dragon—I was finally home.
“I missed you,” I whisper to my father and mother.
“We missed you too,” They whisper back in unison.
We stayed like that for almost five minutes before somebody cleared their voice behind my parents. Looking up, I came face to face with Camden and his wife, Sarette. "I'm happy to see you have returned," he said with a bright smile.
"I'm Happy to be back," I tell him, and suddenly, my brain reboots. "Sandra?" I ask.
But before Camden can answer, a voice farther back cuts him off. “Figures you’d ask about my wife and not me.”
I know that voice!
“Richard!” I shout happily as I gently pull away from our parents and walk around the headman and his wife. I’m moments away from Flash Stepping in front of him like I did our parents when I finally realize he’s not alone.
Using my brother as a walking stick, Sandra beams at me as she slowly waddles her way towards me, still very heavily pregnant, removing an invisible weight from my shoulders.
I didn't miss the birth of my niece or nephew after all.
"You look ready to cry some more,” Richard teases me playfully beside her.
“Shut up and let me hug you," I snap back, rushing towards them with open arms, only to be stopped by Richard’s outstretched hand.
“Easy,” he reminds me a touch nervously.
I'm about to joke that Sandra isn't made of glass, but my friend beats me to it. “Honestly, I’m fine,” she lightly slaps her husband’s outstretched arm in exasperation. “He’s barely left my side the past few days,” she turns and tells me with a humongous smile, glowing like a lightbulb.
“I believe it," I smile back, pretending to shield my eyes from her like she's the sun. "Can you dial it back a bit?" I joke.
“I wish,” Sandra huffs tiredly, affectionately patting her humongous baby bump. “When my mom told me pregnancy was an illuminating experience, I didn’t think she had this in mind,” she jokes back, letting go of Richard and opening her arms for a hug. "Now, hurry up and hug me," she orders in her best mom voice. I don’t need to be told twice.
“I see you’ve been busy,” I hear her say while we’re hugging, no doubt talking about the massive snake head behind me.
"Do you ever go anywhere and not get into trouble?" Richard shakes his head, exaggeratingly, smiling the entire time.
"Nope," I say, sticking my tongue out at him while still hugging Sandra. After a moment, I open my arms and gesture for him to join us, which he happily does.
I could stay like this forever.....
“Master!” I hear Tabitha exclaim from somewhere behind me.
So much for that idea.
I hear Pacore before I see him. “My, my, my; haven’t you two been….. busy,” I can hear the barely contained excitement in his voice as he approaches.
Pulling away from Sandra and Richard, I face Pacore, standing in all his invisible glory. By that, I mean he looks like a drunk old man with one foot in the grave, but no one believes that for a second.
In front of him, Tabitha was kneeling on one leg, her head bowed respectfully as if he were her king. Barf. He wants to ruin my moment; let's see how he likes it.
“Sup, old man. Been waiting long?” I call out to him casually as I approach. Behind me, I hear over a dozen Escort Knights inhale sharply while Tabitha shoots me a murderous glare over her shoulder that doesn’t reach her eyes. Pacore—He just smiles and greets me as if I’m his unruly granddaughter.
“Oh, forever,” he chuckles sarcastically, taking another drink of his paint thinner, before eying me up and down like I’m a piece of art he’s trying to decipher. Only I could sense his invisible armor. I'd ask if he ever took it off, but after spending so much time with Tabitha, I think I already knew the answer.
I'll give the man this: nothing ever seems to bother him. “Did you really have to come all this way for us?” I ask hotly, only making him smile wider.
“What, not happy to see me? I’m hurt,” he banters like the best of them.
“Let’s just say I wasn’t expecting such a reception,” I drawl, crossing my arms confrontationally.
Pacore pretends not to notice, ignoring me in favor of gesturing to Tabitha to stand up. While he turns his attention to her, I turn and smile at General Pitz, who is powerwalking toward me like a woman on a mission.
"Nice to see you again, General.” For some reason, my greeting catches her off guard, but it doesn't dim the fire behind her eyes.
“You’re back,” she mumbles incoherently, staring at me like I’ve grown a second head since she last saw me, leaving me slightly uncomfortable. What’s gotten into her?
“How—?” She spaces out the longer she looks at me. “It’s impossible,” she stammers loudly. “Your level!?”
Oh, so that’s the reaction of somebody who could sense my level. I’m about to ask her to keep it quiet while we’re in front of everyone, but that's when the General looks past me, sees Tabitha for the first time, and nearly faints in shock.
“You…. You….” She points a trembling finger at Tabitha, all traces of a noble lady gone.
"What my star-struck companion is trying to say is that we are most curious to hear about your adventures,” Pacore expertly cuts in with a smile, but he wasn't fooling me. After getting used to Tabitha hiding her emotions all the time, Pacore was like an open book to me. There was a deep hunger behind his eyes, threatening to explode. He struggled to contain himself just as much as General Pitz was; he was better at hiding it than she was.
“Yes, tell us!” Someone in the crowd behind me shouts, and the rest echo his sentiments. All eyes, including Pacore's, fall on Tabitha and me, and I have to remember Tabitha’s earlier words to keep myself from lowering my head in embarrassment. Tabitha—She just stood like a statue in front of her master, ignoring everybody else like they weren’t even there.
Everyone wanted to hear our story—
Mostly everyone. There was still one more person missing. “Hey, where’s Del?” I ignored the high-level individuals in front of me and turned to ask my brother, who was still standing nearby with Sandra. His smile immediately became strained.
“Well, you see,” brother awkwardly rubs the back of his head, choosing to stare at Sandra instead of me.
“Oh, I know where Master Del is,” a cheerful voice in the crowd calls out to me.
As if I didn't have enough surprises today, I turned and saw Frank and Lloyd pushing their way through the mass of people separating us. Frank called out to me, but as usual, the two of them were together.
“Hey guys,” I smile politely and wave to them as they approach, but mostly I just want to know why Del wasn't here yet.
“It’s good to have you back,” Lloyd greets me with a laugh.
“Master has been positively ornery ever since you failed to return on time," Frank adds, looking at me like a naughty child.
“Sure," I roll my eyes hard before glaring at the two men. "And is that any way to speak to your senior disciple?" I puff up my chest and put my hands on my waist in mock rage.
“You’re right, a thousand apologies, Mistress," Lloyd bows his head playfully while Frank doubles over in laughter.
I let the two have their fun for a minute, but then it’s back to business. “So, seriously, why isn’t Del here? Does he not know I’m back?” I ask, concerned and hurt by his absence.
Frank and Lloyd look at each other like they’re having a silent conversation, each shoving the other, urging them to speak up, until Frank loses the silent battle of wills and decides to answer for both. “No, Master knows your back.”
“We even saw him sigh with relief,” Lloyh adds helpfully.
“You know how he doesn't like crowds," Frank continues, smiling sheepishly. “He told us you’d come by once you were done celebrating your return with your family.”
That man, I shake my head back and forth. He should know by now that I consider him family. He's just embarrassed to be around the entire village at once.
“And where are you going?” Pacore asks me as I start walking away.
“Where else, I’m going to drag my Master over here,” I call back over my shoulder. “My real Master,” I emphasize. “Tabitha can start while I’m gone,” I wave lazily.
I don't look back, but I can sense Tabitha's posture stiffen even further. “Reporting, Master Pacore!” She shouts, drawing everybody's attention. “We encountered many enemies on our travels: Large birds. Poisonous frogs. Goblins. An earth Elemental—”
Tabitha rapidly named the monstrous beasts we saw, as if she were reading from a grocery list, giving no context whatsoever, and with just about the same level of excitement.
Multiple people groan loudly as she continues robotically, which I find absolutely hilarious. The masses quickly ignored my departure in favor of people calling for Tabitha to explain herself better, leaving me free to use Air Walk to beeline towards Del’s newly expanded clearing.
Running through the sky again without worrying about a level 60 monster swooping down to take a bite out of my head was liberating. And thanks to my increased stats and skills, I make it to my destination in only a few short minutes.
Everything looked almost the same as when I left it. The furnace and smelter were still in the same place, and the materials shack was still standing off to the side. The anvil looked like it had seen some use in my absence; if anything, the clearing was just a bit bigger, and I could see a new station meant for carving bricks out of stone.
Things were messier than when I left them, but I expected as much. Master wasn't the cleanest person around, and if Frank and Lloyd were going to continue to spend more time around here calling him master, it was their job as apprentices to keep the place clean. I'll need to remind them of this fact the next time I see them.
But all the thoughts of tormenting the two men vanished when my eyes landed on a particular bench and a man pretending to be asleep.
Crossing my arms, I let myself fall from the sky like a meteor from space. I wait for the last possible second to kick off one of my barriers to reduce my speed, but I still impact the ground with an audible thud and a sizable blast of wind.
“You’re early,” Del’s gruff voice greets me without ever opening his eyes.
"Yeah, well, someone wasn't there to welcome me back home," I snap accusingly.
"What, did your dad not show?" Del plays dumb, and I have to stop myself from smirking. No, Aaliyah, you were mad, and nothing he can say would change that, I have to remind myself.
“No, he showed up; him and the rest of the village. Only one person was absent," I hiss.
"Sounds like you had a big enough welcome party if only one person didn't show up," Del grumbles, turning away from me.
“I don’t care about how many people there were,” I say as I round the bench to continue standing in front of him. “They don’t matter; you do.”
Finally, Del cracks an eye open to see me pouting. "You're really going to make me go?" He asks me like a big, gruff baby.
"Please?" I use Acting and Charm to look extra pathetic. He knows what I’m doing, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.
“Fine,” he sighs loudly, sitting up. "What did I miss?" He asks me as I happily yank him to his feet.
"So, so, much," I grin wickedly as we start walking towards the village.
“That sounds like you,” Master Del sighs again, but that doesn't take away from the massive smile on his face.
“I’m glad you’re back,” he mumbles halfway through our walk.
I lean in and hug him tightly before he can react, whispering, "Missed you too, old man."
And with that, I could 100% relax. There was still a lot to do, and there was the whole thing with Pacore to deal with, but all of that could wait. I was back home with my family, and I was going to enjoy my time with them. All of them.
**********
Author’s Notes:
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, meaning this chapter was over five thousand words long.
I spent way too much time making a map for a place we were getting close to leaving, but I couldn’t help myself. I'm weak.
Five hours later, and I think I have my best map yet. I enlarged the old Spotted Creek map, keeping everything the same scale-wise, so it's incredibly accurate while staying true to my original work.
Then I kept writing, so that's my excuse for not having this chapter out yesterday. I hope all my work helps you visualize things better.
The next chapter doesn't have any pictures, so I think I'll have it out on Saturday, but please don’t hate me if it’s late.
Thanks for reading, and as always, stay safe and comment below.