The fluttering of tiny wings resounded, reaching the ears of the ones hiding in bushes as if foxes.
They had finally arrived at the edge of the Fairy Village. The whole thing looked like a garden as the buildings were giant plants/flowers. Size-wise they were slightly smaller than human houses.
#Gardener's Paradise #Gargantuan Weed Possible?!
There was one issue: this place would have deserved to be called Fairy Fortress! The small creatures were everywhere, always patrolling!
He finally understood the message about a potential genocide. It sure was tempting as the only alternative was to sneak! (A pain but safer)
"Psst— Why don't you let me talk to them?" The still caged fairy whispered.
"Look at their glowing red eyes: this is a sign they've lost their mind. They'll see anyone unaffected as an enemy. If they notice us, we're all dead…." Jack explained.
Was there anything sillier-sounding than rabid fairies?
But contrary to their cute appearance, the ones in the village were super scary, for they were masters of magic: Wind/Earth/Life/Grass and more!
Given their numbers, facing them was madness. Plus, the whole place smelled of altered mana, the kind that would enhance the residents' power. They'd have to find the last protector and investigate, but for now…
"We need to find a safe spot to use as a base. We can't just keep bush hopping like that." Jack grumbled with their flying companion beaming.
"I know! I know! We can head to my place! It's where I craft the medicine…usually anyway."
"Alright, the fairy acts as our GPS. As for you, Chicky…."
"Cluck! Shriek!" (Heroic!)
It was ready to sacrifice itself for the cause again! It would eventually die, but it would show them all the pride of a chicken by surviving super long! But it was bound to be disappointed.
"The enemies don't know we're here, and it's better we keep it that way. I'll re-summon you when we get there." On that note, Jack destroyed it before turning to Moon Moon.
"Look over there: trees. There are probably sentries overseeing the entire town, if I'm not wrong anyway. We'll have to use the buildings as cover. Are you ready?"
"Woo!" (Yes, Master!)
"Alright, move out!"
Jack reluctantly freed their winged guide and then started operation caterpillar. Human, wolf, and fairy alike were all crawling on the ground.
Fun fact fairies considered walking beneath them. Now, this one was forced to humor him if she didn't want to finish in a pot and fed to the undead. (Jack's words)
How many times did they almost get spotted?
How many times did they crawl behind a tree/flower to hide?
It all happened way too much! But sadly, that was just the beginning. Suddenly they found themselves in the middle of a soil road with fairy patrols incoming from all sides.
Escape —> None!
Screwed? —> Very!
Even their guide was freaking out!
Jack frowned as he prepared himself for the near-impossible fight that would ensue. But just in case he tried one last thing….
The patrolling berserk fairies approached and…
— Stab! Stab! —
— Splatter! —
— Slash! —
In a small mountain of pumpkins, the party was hiding.
The fairy guide almost had a heart attack. A blade had nearly chopped her head off! A little to the left, and she would have been dead! She barely managed to remain mum.
But that's when she felt some dampness. What now? Her small body trembled..this was blood! Lots of blood! Wait, if she had almost been stabbed to death with her size…
The duo of master and pet were bleeding so goddamn much! At this rate, they were all going to die and—
"Hum…It's empty. Must have been a prank from the flying squirrels. Let's slaughter them before they cause more trouble!" A fairy soldier instructed as they all left.
As soon as they were gone, the pumpkin mountain trembled as the group reappeared. The fairy was about to rejoice that they were still alive, but then she saw their state.
Flesh torn, gaping wounds, deep cuts, burns, and all other sorts of injuries. The two were so goddamn close to death! Heck, a mosquito bite could have finished them!
But what she found impressive wasn't their luck. What was truly baffling was that they hadn't uttered a single complaint, even as they suffered so much!
"What are you waiting for? Lead the way." Jack uttered, the fairy returning to her senses, guiding them to her place.
It was a dome of sunflowers, roses, and vines. The interior was as cozy as warm, the summer smell was worthy of godly perfume, and there were no annoying guards.
What followed was lightning-quick scouting of the village! In and out, as if they were ninjas stealing brownies at night! They then gathered back.
— Super Long Strategy Meeting Time! —
1. They needed Lunar Blossoms to finish the elixirs. Yes, the ones that Moon Moon absolutely loved.
2. This specific ingredient was only found in the Fairy Palace. It was guarded by the strongest fairy in the village, who acted as the protector of this place.
3. A bunch of red-eyed fairies blocked the palace's main entrance. There were too many to force their way through.
4. There was actually a VIP entrance to the palace, but it was reserved for the second strongest fairy in the village. They needed her access token.
5. This Fairy was patrolling the village and was impossible to take down without a commotion, but she had one weakness: she was an alcoholic!
6. There just happened to be a source of liquor in the village…
That last point was their hail mary! Jack grinned as he addressed the others:
"Alright, here's the plan: we grab some of that…peach nectar as you guys call it. Enough of it to completely floor our target. Then we steal the token, and we sneak in the palace."
"Woo!" (Alright!)
Just like that, they were gone! They crawled toward the equivalent of the Fairy Bar. It was a humongous peach that emitted a delightful aroma.
There was only one issue: the booze was freaking guarded! There were a couple of fairies inside protecting the place.
"Woo?!" (Worried!)
Jack frowned but then noticed a detail. Their red eyes were glazed…they were drunk!! Lucky! Perhaps they could exploit their intoxicated status to bypass them?
"Moon Moon, I have a plan. Help me over here!"
The duo got to work while avoiding the patrols. A long while later, Jack had a complete makeover, one even more impressive than on the TV shows!
He was now wearing what looked like a ghillie suit….with googly eyes added on top.
"Woo!" (Pfft—)
The little wolf knew how serious this operation was but still couldn't help but chuckle as it looked at its master. He looked so silly! Still, how was this supposed to help them?
"From now on, I am no longer Jack but a friendly Grass Elemental. You shall call me Grassy!"
"Woo!" (So cool!)
The little wolf stared at its master in awe. It really couldn't see him anymore, how magical! As expected of him, he was wise beyond belief!
"Alright, wish me luck!"
"Woo!" (Claw Up!)
It watched its master head inside and disappear. A few seconds afterward, it noticed the nice fairy. She was now completely livid. How long had she been there?
"Oh god, don't tell me that green thing was him? He's screwed!"