Fables of Fantasy

The Starlight Knight

It was dark inside the forest. Night had fallen and the tall trees were blocking out any light that could be given by the stars. The ground was covered in dead leaves and twigs and the brush was thick with only small, narrow gaps between the trees. The only sound was the crunching of leaves as the group moved through the forest.

“So, what are we looking for again?” Vann asked as he walked behind Adan, his hands behind his head. Adan, leading the group, looked over his shoulder at the Dragon behind him.

“It’s called a Lacrima, It’s a power ring that magnifies a certain character trait, such as strength, agility or even a characters overall mana level.”

“Isn’t that a pretty common thing?” Vann replied.

“Ah, but this accessory’s power is permanent, it doesn’t wear off after one battle. That’s pretty useful don’t you think?” The Alchemist answered. Vann’s only response was a nod of understanding.  Still looking at Vann, Adan’s gaze shifted.

 “Though, while we’re on the subject of interesting accessory items.” he continued. The Alchemist glanced at Vann’s arm, “You seem to have picked up one yourself.”

 “Huh? Ah, this?” Vann replied, holding up his hand, his sleeve falling back to reveal the black armband. Vann blinked, “I got this after I found Blue’s card. Ever since it appeared, I haven’t been able to take it off.”

Adan frowned at Vann’s comment, “There isn’t a way to remove it?”

 “I would not recommend that” Blue, who had been walking quietly beside Vann cut in, “The armband appears to have become a part of your characters code.” She said emotionlessly, “I would advise against trying to remove it. Not only does it allow you to find other pieces of the Matrix Key, it offers some protection against the Hackers.”

“Hmm, what do you mean protection?” Vann asked.

“I believe it has the power to render you impervious to some of their Hacks. Not all, but some.”

“What about you?” he said, cocking his head, “You don’t have one, are you gonna be okay?”

“Such things are already built into my programming. There is no need to worry.” Blue replied, a bit of pride seeping into her voice.

“Hey.” Adan laughed, getting their attention, “If you guys are finished.” he said, suddenly stopping and turning to face the others, “We’re here.”

“And where is “here”?” Vann asked narrowing his eyes. Adan’s eyes glinted under his hood as he smirked. Slowly he pointed upwards with his finger. Following his gaze, the other players looked up. Vann narrowed his eyes as he saw a dark shape in the tree.

“Is that…?” Rallen started. Adan grinned mischievously, looking up at the monster corpse hanging from the branches of the tree.

“Fangbull Forest’s own werewolf den.” Adan answered, “Judging from that, it’s just up ahead. And their level looks pretty high. Are you ready for it?”

Vann smirked and punched into his fist, “I’m always ready for a good fight.” He answered.

“Yeah, let’s go get me a Lacrima.” Rallen grinned.

 Watching the three, Blue couldn’t keep a small smile off her face as she stood a small distance away from the players. Bowing her head slightly she let out a small breath. A small wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves.

Blue froze as a chilling feeling shot through her body. Eyes widening, her head turned sharply to her right, staring intently into the forest.

“Blue? What’s wrong?” Vann asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Blue’s eye’s narrowed slightly, peering deeper into the forest. Again a breeze blew through the forest causing the leaves to fly around them. The A.I. continued to stare intently for a moment before finally sighing, her figure relaxing.