Manifest Page 23

Cooldown: 10 minutes

  Cost: 250 mana

  Duration: 60 seconds

  Targets: 1

  “It looks like the spell took hold. That’s good news, Brother! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I can sense some of these souls are becoming restless. I know you are probably curious about pink magic, seeing as you are a bit stunted from having a dirty-old gnome for a teacher. All I can say is pink is the color of love and romance. I suggest speaking with Puk, your trainer. He can be found in the Training Hall. Now be a dear and clear off before one of these feisties has a mind to try a little soul posession this morning.”

  Quest Received: Pink Magic

  Kazi has advised you to seek out Master Puk in the Training Hall to learn more of your romantic love magic.

  Reward:

  Variable

  Gitch had several more questions for the eccentric fairy, but the threat of possession sent him sprinting out of the cemetery as fast as his little legs could carry him. He avoided flying altogether. He didn’t want to risk pulling anything besides excess floating mana into his body.

  Kazi called after him as he ran. “Be sure to greet Puk with a kiss on the cheek when you arrive. That is customary with pink fairies and especially important if you want his help!” She then began to sing and dance among the graves once more. The dead loved the song and dance, but there was one thing that beat all others. Whether in life or death, all fairies were enthralled with the ‘Art of The Prank’. She felt the many unseen eyes on the two of them as she yelled after the noobtastic fairy. Dozens of the mischievous spirits chuckled in the wind. It had been a good morning.

  Gitch kept running, passing all manner of buildings and fairies until he was certain he was out of range of the greedy ghosts. As he slowed down, one building in particular caught his eye. Nestled between two trees was a long wooden building that reminded him an awful lot of the hull of an old wooden ship. He couldn’t figure out why, but there was a small sign directly above the door that simply read ‘Diversity’. There was also a small red cross on the door itself. He couldn’t understand what diversity had to do with it, but the cross made it seem like this might be the healing hut. Possibly the same hut they had taken his Alpha! He was still jittery from his near possession, but he needed to check on his friend. Besides, a very familiar fairy was walking up to the door as well.

  “Wasi? What’s with the um...?” Gitch pointed to the green dress and face paint the purple fairy wore.

  Wasi let out a sigh before answering him. “This was one of Chitt’s final requests. He charged me with donning this outfit and bringing news of his death to his only remaining family. Apparently, it has been a long-standing family tradition when one of his relatives falls in battle. Anyway, his aging uncle lives inside,” Wasi finished while lowering his eyes. It was clear that he was uncomfortable, but he and Chitt had been the best of friends in life, and Wasi was still committed to their friendship. Gitch nodded solemnly and they walked through the door together.

  They were instantly greeted by a burgundy colored fairy with brown hair combed to the side and a thick mustache nestled on his face. He didn’t even think fairies could grow facial hair.

  “Welcome to Diversity where we provide healing for all! What can we do for you? Cut? Stab? Poison? Clap?” he asked. There was definitely a bit of a snobby undertone in his voice. Wasi just kept on walking, not interested in speaking with the eccentric fairy. He already knew where he was going. Gitch wasn’t so lucky.

  “Uh no, I am actually looking for someone. A wolf, her name is Alpha. Is she here? Also, did you say Clap? As in…” He didn’t finish. This ‘game’ might be much more realistic then he had given it credit for.

  The fairy‘s eyes lowered, and his smile dropped upon hearing there was nothing physically wrong with him. Apparently, he was disappointed Gitch was in good health.

  “Oh yes,” he said with a sigh. “There is a case of the Clap going around. It started out as some fairy prank, but anytime a fairy claps in Fae-thil, they are unable to stop! We think it is a spell, but don’t know for sure. If not stopped soon, it very well may turn into an epidemic!” he said with a smile, which was quickly replaced with a poor excuse of a frown. He appeared happy about the possibility of an epidemic. Gitch realized he might very well be dealing with a genuine psychopath or a fairy really into job security. Either way, he wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.

  “That sounds horrible,” he said. The strange fairy began to shake his head, but caught himself and began nodding in ‘agreement‘.

  “Indeed! Any-who, your wolf is down the hall, fourth room on your left. That imp poison was nasty stuff, but we were able to counteract the toxin before it reached her heart. She is recovering nicely, but we want to keep her a few more hours for monitoring. You can go back and see her if you like.”

  “Thanks,” he said, already starting down the hallway.

  “No problem. Stay classy!” the fairy shot back. Gitch saw him grab something off the shelf nearby. As he neared Alpha‘s room, he heard what sounded like jazz coming from the lobby he just left. The fairy was actually playing some sort of flute and dancing around wildly. Gitch ran the rest of the way down the hall. Partially out of concern for Alpha, but really because that fairy gave him the creeps.

  He pushed open the door to the room and saw a sleeping Alpha lying on the floor next to a small, fairy-sized bed. He walked over to her large head and began the customary scratching of ears. It did not take long for her tail to begin wagging and her nose to begin sniffing. She slowly opened her eyes and met Gitch’s gaze.

  “GITCH FAIRY! YOU COME SEE ME? OHHHH YAY! I AM HAPPY SEE YOU! YES! YES! I BETTER! NOW! YES! WE GO FIND GOLDIE AND DWIK GNOME NOW? YES? YES! YES!” she yipped frantically.

  “Hey Alpha! I’m glad to see you too and am very glad you are doing better! We will see our friends soon enough, but they want to keep an eye on you just a little while longer. In the meantime, can I get you anything?” he asked.

  “NO, I ALRIGHT. MUSIC GOOD FOR HEALING. THAT WHAT HEALER SAY. I THINK STUPID HEALER. MAGIC GOOD FOR HEALING. EATING GOOD FOR HEALING. MUSIC? HEALER MAYBE STUPID HEALER. STILL. I BETTER NOW! YES! YES! THEY GIVE BIG FOOD TOO! AND SPECIAL WATER. I FELL SLEEP AFTER DRINK. SLEEP GOOD FOR HEALING. YES! YES!” Alpha said, followed up by a yawn and an expulsion of bad breath that almost sent Gitch gagging.

  “ALPHA TIRED STILL! YES! Yes! I sleep now. Okay Gitch fairy?” she said softly. Her eyes were already beginning to close.

  “Of course, my friend. Get some sleep, I will check on you later.” Gitch gave her one more pat and stood up. It was a shorter meeting than he had pictured, but that was the way of hospital visits he supposed.

  “Thank you, Gitch fairy. I am better. Yes. Just tired. Bye-bye,” she finished, already breathing heavily.

  Gitch gave her a final look before leaving the room. He was truly worried she might die last night. He could take her being groggy for a while if it meant she was still alive.

  Gitch quietly left the room and gently shut the door behind him. He could already hear the soft wolf snores of his friend on the other side. He began walking back down the hall when he heard shouts and the sharp slamming of a door behind him. He turned to look and saw Wasi streaking down the hallway with his dress hiked up around his knees. He looked both parts terrified and angry.

  “Wasi, wha-” The door on the other side of Alpha’s banged open again, this time revealing a wrinkled cream-colored fairy, half-naked from the waist up. He had a gnarled cane in one hand and a set of teeth in the other.

  “Shoopa! Shoopa, it’s been so long! Don’t listen to your mother, my love. Come back to me!”

  “Stay back, you withered sack of crazy! I am not Shoopa. Keep that thing away from me!” Wasi sprinted down the hall just as fast as he could while the old geezer was doing his best to keep up.

  Wasi locked eyes with a shocked Gitch. “Help! This wrinkled skin thinks I’m some old flame. That over-sized leaking sphincter lied to me! Up yours
, Chitt!” He cursed as he glanced towards the ceiling. Gitch could have sworn he heard a laugh echo down the hall as his friend looked on with glee from beyond the veil.

  Gitch almost intervened, almost. He liked Wasi, but who was he to stand in the way of love, or a prank that transcended even death itself? He shot the fairy a quick smile and a thumbs-up as he stepped to the side. Wasi sent him a dirty look and zoomed on passed. Gitch let loose a chuckle of his own as he saw the pair rush down the hall. Wasi managed to just slip out the main door, but his suitor became enraptured with the jazz performance currently taking up the lobby... He was the audience.

  Gitch didn’t really feel like being the second audience member. He walked across the lobby floor, careful not to make eye contact with the eccentric performer/healer/possible psychopath as he exited through the door. He spotted a discarded green dress off to the side and looked up to see a flying Wasi hightailing it over to the cemetery to give Chitt a piece of his mind. It was turning out to be a very strange day indeed.

  Gitch alternated between hovering down the streets and flying through the trees. He took in the sights but didn’t seeing anything that was worth a stop at first pass. There was a small park next to what looked to be a school for fairy children. He also passed a stable that held all types of creatures. Some walked on four legs, others six. There were winged creatures, slithering creatures, and even an alcove that led out to the river filled with dozens of aquatic creatures. Some sported shark-like fins, some with tentacles, and some with both.

  The animals were not confined to the stables or even the beach. They roamed freely about the island, with many taking comfort high up in the trees. Gitch passed several odd-looking blue koalas on one of the rope bridges, which would have been an odd scene in and of itself, but they were in the process of climbing on top of one another in hopes of reaching a single purple fruit on a branch above. A gloop fruit!

  Gitch had mixed feelings. On the one hand, the koalas were so darn cute! They were being so polite, taking turns and encouraging one another higher and higher. The littlest one in particular appeared to be afraid of heights. He was trembling on his sister’s shoulders as his claw just grazed the bottom of the berry.

  On Gitch’s other, much more selfish hand, all he could think was that it was time for breakfast! He flew over to the leaning tower of koalas, eager to fill his tiny pink belly with gloop. When the littlest one saw him flying towards them, he let out a squeal of delight.

  “Ooooh! Missah fairy! Missah fairy! Will wu help us? Pweeeaze?”

  Gitch had just reached the 1 rahzen berry and was already stuffing it into his Pouch of Holding, when he felt something get caught in his throat. His mind was trying to tell him it was a gas bubble from his emaciated stomach, but his heart knew the onset of guilt full-well. His heart won out at hearing the sound of the poor little marsupial, and he found himself slowly touching down on the bridge below. He pulled the fruit back out of his bag and handed it to one of the big critters.

  “Oooh, thank wu missah fairy! We so hungwee!” the little one said as he landed on all fours, moving in to sniff the 1 rahzen berry in his sister’s hands.

  “My pleasure! My name is Gitch by the way. Would you, um, happen to know where I could find more of those purple fruit ?”

  “Oooh! Yes, Missah Gish, my is Kwat. The fruitses are in this twee! Before wu weave, we hug?” Kwat asked hopefully. The others didn’t wait for a response but immediately converged on him from all sides. These blue koalas were sure friendly, but Gitch didn’t mind in the least. He was enjoying his beast friend trait very much. Plus, he could already see some gloop fruit on the branches far above them.

  The koalas soon departed. Gitch waved them off before flying to the upper levels of the tree with a giant smile on his face. He set to work, collecting as much fruit as his little pouch could hold, which was quite a lot. Once that little chore was completed, he took his trident, slashed a gloop fruit across the middle, and dug in.

  Belly full, he descended back down to the ground to explore some more of the island. He eventually came to a large tent with all of its wall flaps rolled up. He could see inside were dozens of stalls, each with a vender soliciting their wares to passersby. He had found the market!

  Gitch didn’t have a lot of money, at least he didn’t think he did. Still, he was hoping to buy some armor, or whatever the fairy equivalent to armor was. He would also kill for a pair of shoes. He just couldn’t rid himself of the memory of his foot plunging into the imp head from yesterday. The feeling of brain between his toes was not a fond memory. Besides, his feet were really blistering from walking so much, even with the option of flying.

  He entered the market with a spring in his step and was instantly assaulted from every direction. Sellers were all calling for his attention, peddling anything and everything with abandon. There were a few other shoppers out as well, but the sellers vastly outnumbered them all. He felt a bit like a young Hermione Granger at Comic-Con. He tried to ignore most of them, as he couldn’t really afford any impulse buying. He knew what he needed and set off to find it.

  That didn’t mean he could tune it all out, however. Those flatterers really knew how to make a fairy blush. There were so many trinkets, gadgets, and delicious food options that he just wasn’t able to completely ignore. One vender showed him a hat that was impervious to water while also allowing its wearer to see in the dark. Another sold miniature creatures that were trained to follow you around and perform simple tasks. They looked so cute, but at a gold each, much too pricey for him.

  The most useful, if not the most interesting, was from a crimson fairy at the beginning of the third row. She was a quiet-type, which actually made her stand out from the others. She was holding up what at first appeared to be a green acorn on a silver chain, but upon closer inspection turned out to be a magic whistle.

  The vender explained that one would wear the whistle around their neck and blow it when in great danger. The sound would travel up to a quarter mile, signaling to all beasts that a fairy was in need of help. The downside being that the call was not limited to just beasts of positive alignment. Instead of a graceful unicorn galloping to your aid, you might just summon a starving basilisk with a sweet-tooth for young fairies.

  Gitch figured the pros far outweighed the cons. He tried not to appear overly eager when he asked about the price, but based on the very impish grin on the vender’s face, he knew he had not succeeded.

  “Oh, this here necklace is very dear to me. Not many like it, you know. I would only be willing to part with it for 5 silver,” she said, smile not leaving her face.

  5 silver! He barely had 1! There was no way he could afford the necklace. Not anywhere near what she was asking for.

  The vendor fairy must have seen the disheartened look on his face. “I can see you fancy my whistle, but I am thinking you do not have the coin to pay. Maybe we can come to some sort of arrangement. What have you to trade?” she asked shrewdly.

  Hmm. That was an interesting idea. He couldn’t quite remember everything he had picked up since logging in to Manifest, so he pulled out his Pouch of Holding to look for anything of possible value. As soon as he pulled out his pouch, the vendor’s smile dropped and her eyes went wide.

  “I will give you everything in this stall in exchange for what you are holding.” She was gripping the edge of the table tightly and inching over to get a better look at the pouch.

  Gitch considered the offer, but he knew deep down he was never going to part with his Pouch of Holding. It was way too useful to be traded.

  “Nah, I think I‘ll keep the bag. Would you be interested in any of these?” he said as he pulled several objects out of his pouch.

  Gitch handed over the uber gross spider eye, a single helping of spider brain, the wicked imp dagger, and finally the pale crystal he had procured from Kraznik shortly after they had met.

  “Hmm…” the vendor said as she poured over the items. She picked up the eye between her thumb and fo
refinger and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Supple,” she said quietly.

  She then moved over to the mound of brain and lowered her head to take in a whiff. She closed her eyes and nodded to herself before examining the dagger. The vendor picked it up by the hilt and ran her eyes over the wicked blade. Taking a piece of cloth from beside the table, she dabbed the metal. When the cloth came away green, she furrowed her brow and put the weapon down in a hurry.

  She spent the longest time on the gem. She picked it up and held it up close to her right eye, turning it ever so slowly to capture its many facets. Once done, she sniffed, licked, and even put her ear to the gem for reasons completely unknown to Gitch. After a few minutes, she set it back down with a shrug, though Gitch did see her repeatedly glance back at the pale gem.

  “The eye is intriguing; I will give a silver for it. I could swing 30 copper per pound of brain. It is rare for spider to keep long enough for it to be of much use in potion making, but yours still appears ripe. I imagine it has much to do with that special bag of yours,” she said enviously before pausing to look at the dagger once more. “The standard bounty for impish weapons is 25 copper, however, this appears to be coated in some sort of poison. As such, I can offer 50 copper for the weapon. The gem is nothing special, hardly worth the 75 copper I will give you in exchange.”

  Gitch knew he was being played. The fairy was obviously interested in the gem and was definitely low-balling him. The question was, by how much? He had no way of knowing any of these items true value. The only thing he thought to do was throw out a counter offer and see if it stuck.

  “I agree to your terms for the eye and dagger, but I will not take less than 80 copper a pound for the spider brain,” he said, attempting to speak in his most savvy voice.

  “50, final offer. And the gem? I can’t imagine why you would hang on to the bauble, but I could raise my previous offer to one silver. What do you say?” she asked. Her last question came out more forcefully than she probably intended, confirming her true desire.