”So, I’m friends with a genie and a dragon now? Seems about right.”
Gate gives a wink to his entourage.
”Independent eyes sounds good. Or perhaps you like to join us and see for yourself, Lord Valta.”
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”And while we wait for them to arrive, why don’t we investigate the Queen’s chamber?”
Gate pours himself a goblet of wine. ”So, that’s it then? All waking princesses, families reunited, and curses lifted? How my heart overflows. What would make this ending any happier?” He takes a drink. ”Oh, I’ve an idea, how about settling up the matter of our payment?”
For a moment Gate looks surprised, then he gives a wolffish howl. ”Aawhooo!” He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, grinning. ”That’s how you do it.”
Gate tastes some of the pie from off his boot. "Are you surprised? Did you think we wouldn't actually succeed? You can kiss her now, you know. She's only been waiting for what feels like ten months." Gate jumps down from the table with a wince, and looks for something else to eat.
Knowing there could only be one alpha wolf, Gate moves to join the pack!
Gate strides to the edge of the entangled forest and then teleports himself to Lumi's side!
Gate adjusts himself and then puts his weapons back on his belt.
Gate listens with mild interest as Valta prattles on. Only at the mention of an uncouth beast do his ears perk up. ...untoward and Boorish theatrics... Gate thinks back to his ride on the bat, spiraling toward the moon, and then diving among the fireworks. ...bare himself in a provocative nature... How alive he had felt, straddling that bat, the wind ripping through his open shirt, ruffling his chest hair. ...cause several townsfolk to swoon to a most scandalous degree... The crowds below held in rapturous awe. They fell like dominos, like wheat beneath the threshing blade, gasping. ...the crescendo of one’s vulgar vainglory... Gate grins wolffishly at the memory. The triumphant dismount, the roaring applause, the adoring crowds, the many flowers tossed at his feet, the generous autographs he gave. He was a veritable role model, a paragon of masculine ideals. As Valta finishes, Gate nods and says: ”I take your question.”
”Yes, of course. Wouldn’t want to stand in the way of justice now, would I?” Gate slides out his punching daggers and hands them over.
”I’m thinking about it.”
”To your feet, now, come on. Ghosts can’t faint.” Gate says to his entourage as he stands, picking feathers from his chest hair. Looking from the prince to the serving boy, ”Which one of you is Lumi’s brother then? Or am I confused?” He points to the prince. ”Was it you? Were you about to marry your own sister? Without even knowing? What do you make of that, Hesperance? Shocking, I say.” He then takes the goblet from the serving boy and gulps down the dregs. ”Have we missed supper?”
”Wait, what’s this? You don’t even have the doll we came here for? Am I understanding you correctly? We came all this way, did all this funny business, Klaytal lost his heart or some such, and you traded away the doll? We’re wasting our time then. If you had what we came for then maybe this conversation would be worth sticking around for, but since you don’t, let’s take this gem, which is really quite nice, to someone who has what we want.”
”Anything special we need to wear? Wooden shoes on the left foot or something like that? I say we just take her back to the prince.”
”So, you’re running a vineyard out here? Is that what I’m to understand? Out here in this forest? And you traded away Lumi’s brother for Birne, here? Left your baby grandson overnight on your doorstep? To a known trickster you said, ‘Alright, sure, I’ll leave the newborn child of my recently departed daughter out on the stoop over night.’ Really? I’ve heard crazy stories before Granny but this one is truly a masterpiece of insanity. And to think, we came here looking for help, for a way out of our problems. Not to dive in deeper.”
"What big eyes you have Granny. And sharp teeth too. What do you do, living out here all alone?"
”Perhaps you should give her a kiss, Birne. Surely no one loves her as truly as you do.”
”That huntsman who was actually a woman and raised killer insects? Yes, I would say your intuition was correct. She met a terrible end, if you ask me.” ”Do we know how to wake someone from this magical sleep?”
”Really? You’re going to use a human being as a bargaining chip and then spit on us? Very classy.” ”Look, the way I see it, and you can stop me if I’m wrong, we all have a common enemy here. So, I’m not going to negotiate over Lumi’s return, ‘cause quite frankly I don’t want her back. I don’t want to return her to the queen or the prince. I want her to wake up and do whatever the seven hells she wants.” ”I say, let’s return to the castle as allies and tear this kingdom apart!”
”Alright, since you’re asking, let me add my two coppers here as well, which is to say that we have come all this way into the forest to find Lumi, and we haven’t had any chance to rest or eat, on account of our camp being attacked by a creature that I can only think to call a worm hole. Obviously we survived, thanks to my quick thinking and, unfortunately, the sacrifice of our handy haversack.” ”And that says nothing of the creatures we met on our round-about journey, the dungeon we fought through, the genie, the giant bat I rode. None of this would we have done if we didn’t care about Lumi. Believe me, I don’t just ride bats or blow up worm holes because I like to.” ”I’m sure we can all appreciate what you’ve done to help her, here in this nice warm cabin with the big roasted turkey, but I can assure you it’s nothing compared to what we’ve gone through just to find her and be here.” ”Now, I’d love to stand around like strangers, and keep breathing in the scents of this turkey, but wouldn’t you rather discuss things over dinner, like civilized folks?”
As he leave his weapons outside, Gate gives Hesperance a wink. ”Don’t get yourself into any trouble out here.”
Keeping one eye on the sleeping body, Gate knocks on the front door.
Dangling from the branch, Gate shrugs off the bag of holding and drops it into the floating hole. "Eat that!"
Gate, gathering his wits, realizes he is a wolf inside a ghostly hole. He sees Birne singing down from the mouth above him, and has never loved the boy more. Hearing Heperance’s shout he instantly surmises what needs to happen. He shifts back into human form. And then teleports into the nearest tree that he can see! ”What is that thing?! Get away from it, Birne!”
In his confusion Wolf Gate bites himself!
Gate howls in pain as he touches the incorporeal side of the pit, a howl that becomes increasingly wolf-like as Gate is unable to contain himself any longer and transforms into a wolf! "Ahwooo!" He looks very confused and growls incoherently.
”Aren’t they sure of themselves, thinking they can find better.” He calls after them, ”Sun’s setting lads, not much time to look!” ”Think I didn’t already consider everything? Think I just chose this because there’s nothing else?”
”Looks like this is the best we’ve got, isn’t it?” Gate motions to the ditch. ”Long as it doesn’t rain, this should keep us sheltered well enough. Have to sleep head to toe, single file like, but it’s not the first time for some of us, I’m sure. Shall I get a fire going as well, or does someone else want to help out here?”
Gate looks for a nice clearing to camp.
Gate looks to the fading sunlight. ”Time to make camp?”
”Him? I don’t understand half the words that come out of his mouth. Means well though, and loves this Lumi.
Gate rolls a barrel at Wone the Gernie!
Gate hastily pulls off his boots, untying them with his teeth. ”Not so easy is it, rolling on a barrel. Let me show you how it’s done.”
"Let's play then already. What do we do? Just kick one of these barrels? Seems hard to lose."
”Win what? A game of this barrel rolling? Seems easy enough to me.”
Biscuit crumbs falling from his mouth, Gate asks, ”You gave something away for free? What was that? Not to us, I’m sure. We only just got here. I have, however, been known to be a betting man. What kind of wager are you talking about?”
”So she’s safe then, is that it? We just need to pick her up?”
”Oh, that’s right, a princess. I’d gotten so caught up in this tale of two brothers that I’d entirely forgotten there was a princess to save. Shall we carry on with that then? Perhaps check in at the castle and see what the queen and the prince have to say? I’m sure they would like an update at the least.”
”So did you...?” Gate draws a thumb across his throat.
Gate to the whole party with only a look.: Enough with all this secret s&&&!
”Is this the kind of inn that serves drinks? Can we get a round or something? We did just risk our lives after all to save this place, and I know I for one am quite parched to say the least. Is that something you can help us with, Gorgo, now that you’re in charge?” The ghosts all chatter excitedly about what a good idea this is.
Gate full attacks, not even bothering to get up. It's a menacing lounge.
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