The Witch, The Wizard, and The Out-Worlder

A New Direction, A Long Walk

"Thank you so much for your help." I gushed. There was something about having the ring that made me feel prepared for what was ahead, even if we truly weren't. I could tell Felix wasn't as convinced in his feelings.

I typically could read very little expressions on Felix's face, but this time, the look of confusion was just too overwhelming. His mouth was left slack, his brow furrowed, and his entire head was even craned forward just a little as he held his enchanted spoon in front of him.

"Consider it a good faith gesture." He touted his good deed as he ushered us back down the stairs. It took Felix a slight prod to get him going. I was particularly shocked that he couldn't come up with anything to say, all things considered.

"How far is the bridge from here would you say?" I asked him, trying to fill the void of silence as we marched towards the tower doors.

The Out-Worlder had to give it a bit of thought before he proceeded with an answer, "As I don't do much in the way of walking, it's hard for me to say. If I had to guess, you should hit the river before too terribly long, maybe five or six hours of straight walking. Then it's a couple more hours to the bridge itself. After that, I truly do not know what is inside the Forest of Unfamiliars, so I could not fathom a guess."

Even with the artifacts at our disposal, just mentioning the Forest of Unfamiliars made my stomach lurch, "Well, hopefully it wont take too long, I feel like I want to be there as little as possible".

"Agreed." Felix added, giving his spoon a grimace.

The Out-Worlder paused at the threshold to the tower and turned to face us, "Well my friends, till we meet again," he said as he waved his scepter in the air, causing the doors to slowly swing open once more.

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to come with us? We could definitely use you." I pleaded, full well knowing what the answer was going to be. Part of me felt like he truly just didn't care enough to want to come.

"Now now, I would just be an extra risk. The second she saw me, she would unleash every kind of horror upon us. It being just the lot of you, she will find non threatening and allow passage, if for no other reason than to just watch." He raised himself up on his tip toes once more, bowed his head and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Fine, do have the portal ready to go when we return. I cant wait to be home." I walked out at a brisk pace, Felix right behind me."

"Best of fortune." The Out-Worlder chanted as the doors slammed shut behind us.

"He gave me a spoon." Felix cried softly, though I don't believe he was speaking to me.

I walked nearer to him and pushed him forward gently, "It's an enchanted spoon. You saw what it could do. Believe in the magic and it will be so much more than a plain old spoon Felix." I tried consoling him as we began our new journey. He just shook his head and started following me onward.

The walk wasn't so bad. We didn't have a path to follow anymore, but we knew what direction to travel in, and it wasn't hot out considering we were traveling under the shade of the many giant plants. The wildlife seemed to consist mostly of rabbits and birds, though we could hear various others in the distance, but we were never able to catch a glimpse.

"Why don't you try using the magic?" I asked Felix after about an hour of walking in general silence. He was still brooding over the disappointment of getting a spoon.