Chapter 40 (1/2)

“I think I should sub-class as a time mage,” Tafel said as she brushed dirt off her sweater. Vur’s head popped out of the ground as he coughed out a lump of dirt. Exzenter had teleported the pair to the wilderness.

Vur frowned. “I don’t like teleporting,” he said, “too much dirt.”

Tafel shrugged. “It’s only wonky when the distance is really far,” she said as she helped dig Vur out of the ground. “At least we kept our clothes,” Tafel said, her cheeks tinted with pink.

Vur shook the dirt off his body and looked around. The two were in a jungle with the canopy of leaves blotting out the sun.

“Do you know where we are?” Tafel asked.

Vur shook his head. “I think we’re near the graveyard,” he said, “but there could be other places that look like this.”

“That’s okay,” Tafel said and hugged his arm. She smiled at him.

“I’m glad I met you,” she said, “I didn’t think I would become an adventurer this quickly. It’s all thanks to you.”

Vur’s face flushed as he smiled back. The two walked through the forest while holding hands. Tafel kept turning her head to look at the animals and the trees.

“Why wouldn’t your mom let you be an adventurer?” Vur asked after they’d been walking for a while.

Tafel pouted. “I don’t know,” Tafel said, “I’ve asked her, but she always avoided the question. Always saying, ‘you’ll thank me when you’re older,’ or ‘because I said so.’” Tafel rolled her eyes. “Don’t your parents ever tell you things like that?”

Vur shook his head. “Mom lets me do whatever I want and dad’s too afraid of mom to contradict her,” Vur said, “Grimmy sometimes tells me I can’t do things. Like that one time he said not to wake auntie up and I did it anyway.” Vur shivered and nodded. “Always listen to Grimmy.”

Tafel laughed. “You’re lucky,” she said. “I wish I could live like you.”

Vur squeezed her hand. “You can, now,” he said.

Tafel sighed and leaned against him.

A green bush speckled with yellow caught Vur’s eye.

“It’s a bananerry bush,” he said. Tafel raised her head and saw a few figures flitting over the bush. The two waved at the bush and started walking over.

“Ah! It’s the demon and the bully!” the blue eyed figure said.

“The dragon boy?” the red eyed figure asked, “quick. Hide me!”

The yellow eyed figure rolled her eyes. “If he wanted to hurt you, he wouldn’t just walk over here like that,” she said.

Vur peered at the fairies. He held out an empty bottle. “Cry for me.”

The red eyed fairy turned and stared at the yellow eyed one. “You were saying?”

The yellow eyed figure stared at Vur with her mouth gaping.

“Vur… You can’t just ask them like that,” Tafel said. The red eyed figure nodded and stuck her chest out.

Tafel smiled. “You have to say please.”

“You!” the red eyed figure said and pointed at Tafel, “I’ll curse you again!”

Tafel hid behind Vur and peeked over his shoulder. “Don’t do that, Ral… Rei… Reila?”

“It’s Rella!” Rella said and stuck her hands on her hips as she flit above the bananerry bush.

The blue eyed figure flit in front of Vur. “What’s my name?” she asked as she circled their heads.

“Berry,” Vur said and pointed at the yellow eyed figure, “and she’s Yellow.”

Yella facepalmed and crouched while turning around.

“Your memory sucks for someone who practically ate the tree of knowledge,” Bella said as she tapped his forehead.

Vur shrugged. “You weren’t important enough to remember.”

Rella gasped.

“Ouch,” Bella said and clutched her chest. “You’ll make me cry.”

Vur nodded and held the bottle out towards her.

Bella puffed her cheeks out and smacked the bottle. “That’s like half my height! I can’t cry that much.”

Vur frowned and his eyes glowed. The three fairies plummeted to the bananerry bush.

“Rude!” Rella said as she squirmed, trying to get up.

“What are you going to do to us?” Yella asked with wide eyes.

Tafel smiled and pulled out a feather.

“Oh god,” Bella said, “please, no.”