"Ye need to take out the scaling problems, boy," Rory finally said, after listening carefully to Louie's plan. "If the dogs breed, this whole plan will implode. The population will rise exponentially and ye won't be able to bring in more strays. Hells, ye won't even be able to continue having the rest of them there."
"Yeah, I still need to figure out that part," Louie said and momentarily his tail stood still. "I don't want to do the thing humans do to their dogs, you know."
"That's something our Queen will happily help you with when the time comes, Louie," the faery said. "There are spells that can... take away the matter of procreation from the minds of animals when in its area of effect."
"That would be great!" Louie exclaimed. "When can we meet her?"
"That isn't the reason you came here, and you are still not yet admitted to an audience with the queen."
"But... but you have to let us talk to her. Alex did his best to gather the money for the key, and we came all this way already. We have to see her."
"Your soul is pure and worthy of every gift our goddess can bestow upon you, Louie Thunder," the faery said, producing a shining blue pin from her inventory.
She proceeded to place the pin on the side of the hat Louie always wore. The pin flashed for a moment before the glow grew to envelop him and form a thin outline around him. Immediately, I saw a buff icon appear next to his name in our party overview screen.
Name: Faery Friend
Type: State
Level: 1
Effect: The recipient is coated in a layer of blue light, signifying that they are royal guests
Time Left: ???
Description: The enlightened and their party members are welcome in the realm and palace of the Faery Queen. No beast or person under her rule may hurt them, lest they intend to suffer Her consequences.
5
Land of the miracle
"Thank you, Miss Leelah," Louie said happily.
"Thank you," I echoed. "When will we be able to have our audience?"
"Tomorrow, at dawn," the faery said, while inspecting each of us. "A royal guard will pick you up and bring you to the audience chamber."
"Pick us up from where?" I asked.
"From wherever you have opted to spend the night," she replied. She hurried to provide further explanation before I asked my next question. "It won't be difficult to find you. We don't get visitors so often."
"I see," I said, and slightly bowed my head to thank her again.
"What should we do until tomorrow then?" Louie asked.
"I would suggest finding a place to stay, trying some moonlight pies, drinking faewine, and walking through our market after sundown. It is quite magical this time of year."
"Oh, ye mean we should be tourists?" Rory asked.
"Whatever you want to call it, good dwarf," the old woman replied. "But make sure you rest well. The quest you're undertaking is not easy. You'll need strength in your bodies but most importantly wits in your mind."
"About that," I said, before she had the chance to fly away. "Information is scarce on what we're going to face. Can you please give us some hints about what to expect and what to prepare?"
"In the age of information where everyone knows everything," the faery said as she made her dramatic exit, flying backward and away, "don't you think there is magic in starting something without knowing what to expect?"
"I guess," I said, and then shouted after her as she was already quite a few feet away. "Hey, isn't this your office?"
"Lunch break," she shouted back, and waved at us before putting her hands behind her back and flying away. "Best of luck."
We watched her fly to the top of the high-ceilinged foyer and into a hole in the wall from which another faery came out. He was much younger and swifter in the way he turned in midair and flew straight down toward us, taking a seat at the desk Leelah had been sitting at before.
"I believe you have been admitted," he said, looking at the soft blue glow surrounding Louie. "I hope you enjoy yourselves."
Without waiting for our reply, he dived straight into a thick ledger in front of him and began talking to himself. We looked awkwardly at each other and muttered "Thank you" under our breaths before moving down the brightly lit corridor, which seemed to be leading outdoors.
True enough, we exited into the inner courtyard of the palace, which looked more akin to a valley than a garden enclosed by a building. There were trees of all kinds rising high into the sky, connected by thick vine and wood bridges. And animals. So many animals.
Monkeys jumped from one branch to the other, shooing away birds of all sizes and colors, while on the ground was a pandemonium of mammals. It was as if we were walking into a zoo, or better yet, by a lake deep in the savanna where all the animals gathered peacefully to quench their thirst. Only the animals here were talking to each other--Gorillas conversing with alligators, and wolves lying in the sun next to tigers.
Name: Jafari Red
Race: Lion
Class: Light Strider
Level: 41
Name: Heron Anjian
Race: Infernal Steinbock
Class: Duelist
Level: 46
Name: Daee Gaee
Race: Roinden
Class: Mage
Level: 18
Everywhere I turned, there were warrior and spellcaster animals. Some of them were native to the world I knew, some were significant variations of animals I vaguely recognized, and some--like the Roinden, a cross between a monkey and a vulture--were completely alien. If ever there was
