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The Sky above is overcast and the path that seems to follow what the maps and note indicates lies before Vorpal. The map itself isn't exactly geographical, that wouldn't be particularly be helpful in the Hedge, it's more a collection of notes, images and crude drawings of the destination. The maps looks like a giant pink post it note that's so crumpled it could fall apart.
In the distance, something of a dim hum is heard and further down; the path seems to get a little sinuous. The strange vegetation of the hedge seem to all bend away from the road and area.
Vorpal has been doing her best to suss out what the symbols and heiroglyphs on the note represent. She's not overly concerned about travelling through the Hedge- it feels like home, most times- and noplace is ever much more than Just A Little Further in the Hedge. So while she's prepared for this (The Baron is napping at home, having made its customary contribution to its partner's adventures), she is not overly concerned as she wanders at the whims of the "map."
The Hedge complies and simply does not even bother to impair Vorpal on her way out to the area she's seeking. The way there is longer than she expect but way, way more quiet than any trip there has any right to be. At one point, it begins raining rather heavily around the area and the vegetation surrounding the area react to that by slowly, but sure, turning into more aquatic-like plants or at the very fascimiles of such.
Just when the maps start to indicate music notes as the next step, Vorpal starts hearing high pitched, squeaky voices singing just around the next bend of the path before her. This seems to be the very last leg of the travel through the hedge.
Vorpal maintains her pace, figuring that a steady pace suggests neither aggression nor deception and helps avoid an unnecessarily negative appearance. She glides down the path, her waterproofed briarwolf overcoat shedding the falling water to the sides, by all appearances comfortable and confident behind that inscrutable expression as she nears the voices round the bend...
A doused off campfire, A tent battered by the chaotic elements and a road that disappear around another bend and a very distinct smell of stale water abound in the area. From within the tent is where the singing emanates and as the maps gets doused with the rain of the area, it seems to indicate that this is the camp Vorpal is seeking.
An odd, fleeting, erratic blue glow seems to move about in the tent. The size of roughly a Sturm-sized fist.
Johnnie gets the map back into cover ASAP lest it suffer unnecessary damage, and calls ahead. "Ahoy, the tent! A fine evening, isn't it?" She is trying to be congenial, but the damper on her tonality thanks to that impenetrable composure damps that down a bit.
The strange blue glow in the tent seems to flutter erratically at the call and something resembling a classic tinker-bell fairy being emerge from the small unzipped area of the door and it's moth-like wing seems to produce something like a little mist of some kind.
A squeaky sound comes from it and it attempts to fly toward where the road disappear around the bend! Leaving a little trail of blue mist behind it.
"Wait- you don't have to go!" Johnnie called after the fretful foxfire, grimacing faintly but deciding it will be easier to follow in a moment than it may be to find the camp again. For the moment, whether it stops or not, she looks round the camp, trying to suss out any interesting details she might be able to hunt down.
Approaching the tent is enough to reveal the short stretch of road the span beyond it and sink into what looks to be a marsh-like area with many, many blue glowing spots like the one that just escaped the tent.
The camp itself is a tent, with a sleeping bag, with two bags full of completely damp and damaged clothes. There are books piling up and being used as a note-taking station and other various writing implements. The campfire seems to be where the owner of the camp ate or kept his food, though there isn't any left.
The glowing little being that left the tent apparently can turn translucid and dim their lights, but their outline can easily be discern when propped against a stable enough backdrop in your vision. It seems to be remaining within eavesdropping distance.
Noting the sneaky thing lingering, Johnnie took it upon herself to narrate and keep it appraised and at ease while her shadows sifted through the soaked belongings and she moved to check the books, for their titles or labels. "Hm. Books, a single sleeping bag, two bags of clothes..."
The books are mostly notebooks with writings inside about the area and such. The sprite doesn't seem to make any move while Vorpal search for the camp and the notes for more information or somesuch.
The Investigation leads Vorpal to find out specifically the last part of their journal in term of chronological order. The first entry that catch Vorpal's attention It's dated. 12/12/2019
"I am lost in this strange land and I'm going to ask the glowing ones for help, I know there's something in the fort that might help me go back where everything make sense and they know the area much better than me. I know they can talk, I heard them before."
The next entry reads in a similar handwriting, but one that speaks of lack of practice.
"Never force a fae to talk in their domain, their word always goes. On that note, I'm taking a vow of silence. I'm leaving whatever there in this place here, It never could be worth it for me. I just want to go home. That entry wass written on the date 19/12/2019
Vorpal reads aloud, aware she's being overseen and wanting to keep the Glowing One engaged and interested. "Hm. Seems they thought there was some sort of gate in the ruins, or maybe a treasure. If only there was someone nearby who knew more about this mysterious person who could be helpful..."
It was worth a shot.
"Me me me me me me me!" The high pitched squeaky voice rises as the blue-glowing, tiny humanoid with moth wings dances around Vorpal in a rapid fashion, but without touching her. "I'm MYSTERIOUS!" It's hard to get a good look at their minute details given the speed at which they flutters around.
Vorpal smiles, the genuine crack in her facade small and all the more notable for her typical inscrutability. "Gasp! Why so you are! I hadn't the slightest idea i wasn't alone! What lovely fortune that such a mysteriously helpful one such as you should be around! I don't suppose you remember much about who used to stay here? The writing suggests they were a mortal!"
"They were and then they weren't and then they left." The little sprite-like being dart between the marsh and the road from which Vorpal just arrived. The thing shine "They wanted something in the swamp!"
Vorpal held out an all-too-graceful hand as an offered resting place for the flitting fairy. "Very good! Smart of them to leave while they still could. Is the swamp where the ruins they wrote of lie, perhaps, my friend? Do you know what they wanted, maybe, clever little thing that you are~?"
"I think it has to do with the big castle under the water and mud of the Samp." The little being flutter away from the camp and dances in a vague "8* shape as it hover over the water, leaving some of the blue mist behind. "But it's very hard to get inside, it's under everything."
"Lucky for me I can walk through things, then~" Johnnie stated. "The Mortal Who Was. Did they leave like me? Or like a ghost? Did you see?" She moved to peer off towards the swamp. "Or maybe you've seen where the big castle lies Beneath?"
"Hmm, I don't think you can get in there?" The Sprite seems dubious about that statement. "But I can show you where it is, if you're willing to exchange for my help! Can't work for free." It spins around Vorpal rapidly. "I think if I ask for my friend's help, we can even take the castle out of the water!"
Vorpal's eyebrows raise faintly. "If the castle can be raised out of the water, I'd be willing to pay for that assistance just to see it done. What do you and your friend like, hm? What could I get you?"
"Hmm, we'd like to set up a stall at a market so maybe a bit of Hob coins?" The fluttering blue sprite spins around. "I'm sure my friends have an exact idea of how much our help is worth, if you want to speak with them!"
Johnnie's head tilts to the side. "You'd like Hob currency? Well. Tell you what, then, let's find your friend, and the two of you can set your asking price, and we can decide if it's fair together, shall we?"
"Ok, Follow me." The little sprite being flies away leaving a very convenient blue trail of mist behind for them to be followable, because otherwise, they're going fast.
"I- wow." Johnnie whistles in open admiration before bolting after the misty trail, gliding from step to step in a liquid rush to follow that somehow still can't quite keep up!
They might be fast and normally, might be very difficult to find out if they did not want to. However, they don't conceal their glow or hide themselves. Johnnie makes it easily through a foggy area and into what looks like a large patch of ugly and bad smelling flowers-mushroom hyrbid. A particularly rotund individual of the sprite that's been interacting with Johnnie sit in the middle of a flower and many other little sprite gather around them.
A low, surprisingly cavernous voice comes from this one. "Welcommmmme to the gloowwwwwing mmmmmarrsh."
The rest of the sprites are quiet but they all greet Johnnie with a little flutter, some of them fly around her, examining her from closer.
Johnnie smiles faintly, sweeping a tremendously elegant bow that manages not to bop any fairies, whilst her shadows buzz and flit around her, delicately shaking tiny hands in greeting all around. "And well come, I feel. Thank you for entertaining my presence- I didn't know I would be intruding on such a lovely, aromatic home this evening."
It was her inhuman composure that kept her from retching. Her senses were absurdly honed, and those awful flowers rankled something bad. But it wouldn't do to be impolite.
The sprite that's been accompanying Johnnie dances about the slightly bigger one and giggles in what seems to be a local language of some sort.
The gravely voice of their apparent leader rises again. "You wwwwwish forrr ourrr help to access the sunkennnn forrrt? A fairrr prrrice mmmmust be levvvied forrr the laborrr of ourrr people."
The rest of the fairies acquiesce and assent to the statement.
"And a fair price shall be paid, once "fair" can be agreed upon. I hear your kind wishes to purchase space at the Market, to start your own stall. You'll need capital," Johnnie states. "Capital which I can help provide. Have you learned what price will be asked of you to start your stall?"
She keeps an eye on each and all, hard as it is to spot through her shaded eyes.
"We'll be asking for 5 goblin coins from you for our help to access the sunken fort." The Sprite that found Johnnie first speaks. "That way we can afford everything we need for a stall and a spot at the market." The little blue prite flutter about.
The one with the cavernous voice sit up from the flower and flies up to Johnnie with the exact same grace as the other of their people. Studying Johnnie from closer, it seems that they're bothered by the obsucation of Johnnie's features and decided to examine closer.
Up close, it's easy enough to see the shine of her eyes behind the shadows. That didn't used to be the case. She smiles gently, then lifts her hand at the stated price, snapping her fingers just so. As she does, her shadows- five of them, anyhow, catch one of her Mantle's leaves out of the air and palm it, handing to the sixth shadow one, two, three, four- a full five coins of good Goblin gold, clinking into Johnnie's palm as they're produced. She offers the stack with a flourish. "And you needn't even wait for me to pay the debt. There are benefits to dealing with Autumn," she offered with a widened smile. "Where should I put your payment, good folx?"
The leading sprite points to the flower they were sitting in. Every Sprite lights up and start flying deeper into the area, reaching out to other sprites and taking them deeper into the marshlands heading to the location of the Sunken Fort ™️
What lies in the fort? What treasure was the previous seeker hoping to find within? Find out in the next EXCITING EPISODE OF DRAGON BA---.
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