MHA Fantasy Quest for the SOL

Part 24: Fay Forest 2/3

Hitoshi and Mei followed the intrepid adventurers completely undetected by them, and the mist didn't pose the problem to Hitoshi that it did to the others. He didn't lose his bearings. Mei didn't pay attention enough to be bothered by it. Sometimes her blind faith in his leadership almost made Hitoshi feel uneasy, what if he did fall into a trap? he was only half fay after all, and fay could be trapped by each other anyway... and often were, they weren't the most clannish of peoples. Unlike the humans, he could feel the magic tingling in the air as they wended their way through the trees. Also unlike them, he could feel eyes watching them. He recognized the music he heard, some of it was innocent, it might just be a party of some sort, some of it definitely had a lure. At least the party didn't follow it. So they could listen to warnings. But the deeper they got into the forest, the thicker the magic around them became. "It looks like the forest is watching them now," Hitoshi said. "I think it's safe to say it doesn't like them intruding." Mei looked up. "What do we do about it?" "Nothing yet, we should watch to see if any of them get lured away." Hitoshi said.

The fay have many tricks, but no one expected what happened first. It was something like a magician's misdirection, the trees around them just seemed to get thicker till they were forced to walk almost single file, and of course, the people at the back were falling behind as they climbed over tree roots and through brackens, the final straw was crossing a babbling brook... brooks were often magical places, and a fay brook was likely to be a boundary line of territory, no one dared touch the water, as it could hold sprites, or worse, a spell. Momo's ankle had been steadily giving her more and more pain on the uneven ground without any rest, though she refused to say anything about it, but hopping the brook proved to be too much for her. As she lifted off with one foot, her ankle gave way and she plopped into the water before she could stop herself. Nothing happened, other than she was soaked in cold water and a tadpole flitted over her lap. "Momo?" She heard Shoto call. She looked up, where was he? He'd been right behind her with the horse... then she realized with a chill that she couldn't see anyone. In the space of a few moments, she'd lost the whole party.

That was all it took in a forest, but especially the Fay forest. Momo stood up and started calling for them, but no one answered, except Shoto, he couldn't seem to see her either. "Where are you?" "In the brook!" Momo didn't dare step out of it now. "What brook?" "I- the one we were crossing." "I don't see it," Shoto sounded scared now. "You're getting farther away." "I'm not moving!" Momo's heart rate began racing. "What? Are you sure?" Shoto answered, she looked down, then realized she was already several yards from the place she'd slipped from. She hadn't moved at all... the water had moved her with it...it didn't make any logical sense, but it was Fay, it didn't have too... Momo felt a little dizzy and disoriented. She pressed the medallion Hitoshi had given her. "Help..." She muttered. She started walking back up the brook, but it didn't seem to be any closer to the bank. "Hey!" She heard someone call her, a familiar voice, she looked up. Mei was on the edge of the brook waving her down. "Mei?" "Took you long enough to notice," Mei said, "Come on, you're going to get carried away like that you dolt. Don't you humans know anything?" Momo wasn't even sure it really was Mei and not a phantom of her, but she rationalized that a fay wouldn't be very likely to use someone she didn't trust at all as bait, since she was hesitating already, so she reached out and took Mei's hand, Mei pulled her up with astonishing strength but being both part elf and tinker made her stronger than most men. "You're lucky hitoshi is so soft hearted, or you'd be lost in no time," Mei chided her without much feeling or concern evident in her tone. "I hope you pay us for this," "What?.. Wait, why are you even here?" Momo asked. "Saving you, duh," Mei looked her up and down. "Oh, I see, you have a bad ankle, that's why you're an easy target... 'course, you're lucky too, fay don't usually mess with injured people, it's kind of an unwritten rule that it's not fair game. Unless they're evil... They probably won't put a spell on you, they'll just separate you from your friends." "And this is mercy from fay?" Momo was too cold and uncomfortable for her usual tact. "I'm not exactly gratified." "No one said your appreciation was a requirement," Mei took out an eye glass. "Hmm...I don't really need to use this, but it can be easier to focus one eye on it than both... don't want to see too much." She examined Momo's ankle, which was uncomfortable. "Good news, I can fix you up." "Huh? But you're not a doctor." "A tinker wears many hats," Mei pulled out some metal and tools. "It'll take me a few minutes though. We're going to stay put, Hitoshi will find your gentleman idiot and the rest of your party and if we stay put he can find us too, the forest won't disorient him the same way." "And you? Are you immune to the magic?" Momo asked. "So you do know it's there," Mei started measuring something around her ankle. "I'm a paladin, the goddess's blessing sharpens my resistance to suggestion," Momo said. "I can't sense it like a sprite can, it's more like... my thinking stays clearer than the average person's will. If I let my guard down though, I can be fooled, Camie's beaten me before." "Oh, so you trained with an illusionist," Mei stated using a small hammer to knock something into shape. "Well, that makes you the only person on this quest even slightly prepared for it. Wonder why you're not carrying the map." "I--wait, you know?" "Oh please, I'm a tinker elf, and you think I don't know who has the tool? I can practically smell it from here," Mei adjusted something so fast Momo couldn't even see what it was. "The whole forest knows already. But that could work in your favor, some mystical creatures will not help you but they won't hinder, the Dark Lord threatens them too if they ever venture outside the first, and not all of them are homebodies. Me? I could never stand the forest, even the less spooky one. Nobody there needs inventions. Elves like living closer to humans." "So you actually like people?" Momo ventured. "Like? I don't know. I need people." Mei shrugged. "I don't really consider if I like them or not... what good would it do if I did? I still need them even if I don't like them." "Surely, you like some people," Momo said. Mei considered. "Oh... well... I guess if they like inventions, I like them better. At least, I find them less ignorant, though clumsy, does it matter?" "I think, liking people, is how you enjoy what you do, I mean, why protect something you don't like? Why fight for and work your life for people you detest?" Momo said. "I suppose it makes your job easier," Mei acknowledged. Momo suddenly realized Mei was actually having a conversation with her. "Wait, you're listening to me?" "Huh?" "I--- apologies, I just thought you didn't like talking to people at length?" "Oh, it passes the time while I work," Mei twisted a peg. "As long as it's nothing too complicated, it can actually be helpful to talk so I don't get too tense, sometimes Hitoshi talks to me on purpose so I don't make a mistake. The thrill of inventing can be a little hard to resist... but you must understand that, when you create things with your magic, there's a pull to get lost in the process and forget about why you're even making it, isn't there?" Momo though.t "I believe when I was younger there was, but now I usually have no time to think of enjoying it, I have to protect people." "How boring," Mei said. "You should work for me sometime, you'd recover the joys of investing." Momo was not quite aware what a substantial honor it was to be given this invitation, but she had an idea. "Oh... I'm sure that'd be lovely, but I must finish this quest." "Eh, sure," Mei ran a polishing cloth over what she'd made. "I guess it's less of a nuisance for us all if he's dealt with. There, try it on." "Hmm?" Momo saw Mei had made some kind of brace for her, one that would fit inside the boot, it was so delicate. She slipped it on her foot. "Stand up." Mei ordered. Momo stood, to her amazement, her ankle didn't bother her, the brace took the full weight of her leg it was on and was light enough to move in with ease. "Until it heals up, that ought to be almost as flexible as your regular old ankle," Mei was beaming with pride. "What do you think?" "Thank you so much," Momo was delighted. "This is so helpful... What do I owe you?" "Worry about that later, it's not smart to take out money in here," Mei said. "Wouldn't want the fay to think you're greedy and put a pot of gold somewhere to lure you away to. Don't look at your reflection either, it might make two of you. Or you could fall in love with it, I've heard." "I know that story also," Momo said. "But are we really just going to wait for Hitoshi? My party is probably really far away by now." "Far? Not by much," Mei pulled out something else to tinker on. "You know distance isn't normal in here. With a good guide, you'd be out of the forest in no time. Eh, still, with that medallion, you'd be safer. You should probably be reunited with them as soon as possible. Don't move." Momo leaned on a tree carefully.