No sleep for the restless…

The hoard is silenced as is the voice that screams endlessly in their minds. Peering upon the fluttering wings of this ethereal butterfly one Tye Lancaster let loose from his grasp. Protected it he did without thought. Before the fire of their commotion could touch it. 

A good child…

 The goblins scream all at once and lower themselves prostrate to the ground. Throwing down their weapons and pleading sobs of forgiveness. Of joy. 

This whirlwind of a moment has happened so fast Corin has hardly a second to think much less breath. With all the flames and smoke soot and ash and mist and steam and explosions. Not to mention the thoughts of Tye being incinerated before her eyes. Helpless and hopeless she felt. Hopeful for something obnoxious to spontaneously happen. 

I think that about sums up the events of today. She could think to herself as she peered down from her brookside perch along the ravine. Standing alongside the equally dumbfounded Locke, Brent and Nora Nebula.  

They’d been plucked from their world and made to witness unexplainable things. But this, Tye Lancaster, standing before them unburned yet burning. He can control fire? Or maybe it just refuses to burn him. She’d have to ask him the details when they all got a moment to calm down. To settle in. To collect themselves. 

It’s just, right now, smoldering before them, was yet again an unbelievable scene. This horde of goblins now wailing and cheering and sobbing. It’s just to much of a juxtaposition to take. This butterfly fluttering from Tye’s hands flowed in such a way. It was impossible and beautiful. It was power pure and true. 

She could feel it in her core. See it with her eyes. 

“Feralis!” Nora says aloud in shock.

“You’re nature god?” Corin inquires. 

“It has to be. A sign.she is awakened.”

“How can you be so sure?” Locke replies lost. 

“The nature god lives!” The upstart matriarch screams to the elation of all the goblins around.

“It is a sign!”

“She sees us!”

“The voice it’s gone!”

Then the butterfly flutters away and it’s glow lingers but it leaves up to the mountain top. Away from us all. As it does the light it gave off and the feeling it permeated into all of us began to fade. 

“Leave this place! Olcan child, young summoner!” The upstart matriarch cries. “Leave before the voice returns. She is awaken but she is weak! Save us from ourselves because we cannot!”

The goblins scramble away, cowering back into the holes from which they came. Two larger ones come to the unconscious elder matriarch and lift her up with the child. They take her away in silence. Corin thinks to stop them but knows better as Nora nods her head and beckons them to follow. There are no goodbyes for they leave in haste. Away from the horde and this place in silence before the demon's curse pervades yet again and Feralis’ touch  dissipates. 

The speed at which they progress is substantial as energy seems to burst from the summoner. She seems invigorated. Corin thinks she can almost catch a glancing smile on her face as they jump from her to there down the path to their summoner’s estate. It is another hour of this until it comes into view. Smoke billowing out of what must be the big toe of the mountainside statue estate.

“There it is! We are almost there. I can see it now.” Nora shouts with unmasked elation. “Quickly! Let us be home.” 

Corin, Tye, Locke and Brent all look between themselves and nod in acknowledgement. Everyone is ready for some rest at this point but it doesn’t feel like it’ll be easy to come by. This strange land and it’s strange inhabitants. What would this village hold for them? 

“Hopefully they have beds here.” Corin thinks to herself. It would be nice to not sleep on the ground or on straw or something primitive. Today has been long.

The entrance to the Nebula Estate begins before the very base of the big left toe. They walk along this wall cautiously.

“There are guards about on these walls. Looking for signs of goblin intruders. Usually they don’t talk before casting their fire magic.” Nora tells them. “We were lucky back there, it seems Feralis was looking out for us.” 

“You mean them attacking me with fire was curious?” Tye asks. 

“The fact they only attacked you and even were willing to hear me speak.” Nora confirms.

“Nice.” Tye replies flatly.

“I suppose we should count our blessings.” Locke nods knowingly.

“…” Brent replies signaling a thumbs up. 

“Stay close to me and behind me as we reach the gate. I will introduce you. We will be received in celebration. There hasn’t been a summoner since her Lady Olcan. I have brought the highest honor to my family and hope to our people. So don’t be afraid. You are mine as are they.”

Corin and the gang nod at that. Corin taking a deep breath and letting go. Stretching a bit before the big moment.

“Hold on a second. I’ve got a question.” Tye intercedes now that the pace a stopped for the moment.

“Yes?” Nora acknowledges

“How did you know I wasn’t going to die back there?” He demands. “Before I go an inch further how did you know I wasn’t going to be burned to a crisp back there?”

“I don’t know how to explain… I knew in an instant to say your name. I am a summoner and I know you all true.” She insists eyes wide and a smirk of sorts obviously aware of how weak her explanation might seem. “It is the nature of these things. Trust in it and it’ll see you through.”

“Don’t get me wrong it’s really cool to know I’m immune to fire but it sounds like you didn’t know that going into it. I feel like you just gambled my life away.”

The summoner exhales in exasperation, unable to hide her annoyance at the accusation. “I’m telling you to trust me. I had to choose one of you or the entire mob would have attacked us all at once and we’d of been overwhelmed in an instant. I knew the moment the matriarch made the challenge. I needn’t think or thought because that is the nature of our connection. It is magic. It doesn’t always seem intuitive but that’s exactly how it is.”

“Initiation huh? What a chic thing to say.” Tye brushes off the explanation obviously dissatisfied but he can’t help but look to his hands trying to imagine no doubt the fire early and how it danced.

“Do you not have magic were you are from?” Nora states as if suddenly having an epiphany. 

“Magic? No… magic is like not real.” Tye replies

“Clearly.” Nora rolls her eyes. 

“He means not as it is here in this place.” Locke interjects.

“Yeah we have this thing we’re you observe and make a theory and test and stuff.” Corin adds

“Yeah like math.” Tye adds in.

“Scientific method, that’s science.” Locke corrects

“Shut up.” Tye replies

“Scientific method?” Nora inquires. 

“You know like, you set up an experiment and you do things in an orderly way and write down your observations and the inputs and the outputs and measure the difference between the results and what you thought would happen?” Tye says in a prattling manner.

“That kind of sounds like the process to incantation of a spell. Working it by direction and execution?” Nora tries to relate. 

“Oh boy.” Tye replies

“Interesting indeed.” Locke nods his head in agreement.

“She must not be understanding us.” Corin says to them. 

Brent simply grumbles to himself shaking his head in Corin’s direction. Arms folded in a slouched posture stand. 

“Either way I feel like you just chucked me out there pretty half hazardly. Is it always going to be like that? I mean, I’m awesome but I don’t expect miracles to happen every day. Magic lady.” Tye complains

This obviously displeases Nora as she trudges ahead them all seeming to have had enough of this banter. “I tell you this again, it wasn’t a miracle it was the nature of my magic, trust in my magic and we might all survive this. Stop complaining over everything that happens. I need warriors not.. this.” She points to all of Tye. 

“What does that mean?!” Tye asks incredulously as she turns away and trudges forward.

“Lets be home, I’m tired and miss my sister and Gran Gran and Netters. They’re all probably worried sick I don’t think they expected it to take this long. They’re probably think the worst has happened. I needn’t things to come undone out of fruitless worry.”

The gang presses on after the young summoner with Tye left looking to the others as they pass him.

“What did she mean by that?”

Locke chuckles passing him.

Brent nods and lumbers on as Corin stops before him. 

“I’m happy you didn’t die.”

“Yeah me too.”

“Let’s go we’ll figure things out. How to get back home.”

“Yeah well, don’t be so quick to just trust this magic crap. My dad believes in fairytales and look were it got us all.” The replies. 

“Yeah, well, he never bent fire.” Corin replies

“That was freaky right? I don’t know if I’d call it fire bending it just kinda was happy to see me. Maybe it’s like fire friendly. Like I’m a care bear or somethin’”

They laugh and continue on. Tye lingers a little as turns away chance one lance glance behind them from were they came. 

“Ya know my favorite color is blue it’s lucky the flames turned that color. I wonder if I woulda been burned by poop purple. I hate that color. How could they know that right?”

“Tye shut up” 

“No it’s magic stuff. It all makes sense cuz none of it does.”

Obstacle 21. Head