529 Joining the Wild Hunt
Came morning, Ren and Elena joined the Wild Hunt as what the Queen suggested. It wasn't that hard to enter the Wild Hunt. They just had to defeat another hunter and take its position in the hunt, which both of them did easily.
Ren then read the quest again, for the lack of nothing better to do.
[Queen Floraia told the party of the feast she is planning on hosting very soon. She greatly desires a suckling warthog to be the centerpiece of the feast, but it is an exceedingly rare creature: a wild tusked pig that's already cooked yet still squeals and moves as if it is alive. Only once it's skewered does this odd meal stop moving.
The Queen is certain that only the Wild Hunt is capable of finding such a creature on such short notice. She believes that the characters should join in their hunt and convince them to do her bidding. To help, she can point out where the Wild Hunt is currently resting in the Hedgegrove map.]
"So what are we going to hunt today?" a hunter fey asked.
"Those interlopers, obviously," another chimed in.
"Them again? I'm tired of them. And they don't put much of a fight."
"Then how about a warthog, gentlemen," Elena butt in.
"A warthog?" the others looked at each other. A female hunter wasn't a big deal in the Wild Hunt. There were lots of them there.
"Those rare creatures that you could only find in the border of Hedgegrove and the Fey deep."
The others' faces turned dim, and Ren had to ask Elena why that was.
Elena answered with a scowl. She was still not over with what had happened yesterday. "Far beneath the surface of the ocean where the sun has never shone lurk the hadala-lafeda of Fey of the Deep. These cunning and mysterious Fey prey upon humanoids, using fearsome magic to drag countless sailors to a watery grave.
"More than a few tales of sea monsters and haunted waters can be attributed to the hadala-lafeda, who strike without warning. Alien nightmares that shatter the resolve of the most stalwart paladin, these Fey bring bizarre and frightening power to bear against the surface world."
"Their civilizations are ancient, with a culture and language obscured from all recorded history. From their sunken cities, the hadala-lafeda embark on great fishing expeditions, catching surface-dwellers by the hundreds. Those who wish for rescue best abandon hope, for only the most powerful and daring can return from the mystical oceanic depths the fey call home," finished another.
"Wait . . . a Suckling Warthog could be found in the ocean?"
"Rivers," another corrected. "They like to keep their fur clean."
The others laughed, and the talk suddenly turned into a joke, to bets, and then suddenly to a hunt of the Suckling Warthog.
"Alright! Whoever hunts this beast first is the winner!"
The hunters stepped into a wild clearing where there was a pentagram underneath. A mystical symbol etched into the ground using ancient and powerful magic. It measured about a hundred-meter diameter and was surrounded by a circle of smooth stones.
The pentagram seemed to be growing to accommodate everyone.
The pentagram itself was composed of five lines that intersected to form a star-like shape. The lines were made of a glittering, golden substance that seemed to glow softly in the light of the surrounding forest.
At the end of each line was a small circle, also made of the same golden substance. These circles were about a foot in diameter and seemed to pulse with faint energy. Inside each circle, there was a rune carved into the ground, which appeared to be an ancient Fey script.
When the pentagram was activated, the runes began to glow with a bright white light, and the lines of the pentagram started to pulse and vibrate. Then, a portal appeared at the center of the pentagram, leading to the borders of Hedgegrove and the Fey in the deep.
Entering the portal was not for the faint of heart, as it led to a realm of magic and mystery, full of wonders and dangers that only the bravest of the Fey could face.
The reason why the Queen was adamant they joined the Wild Hunt was because of this reason. Ren thought. No one could access this pentagram but the Wild Hunts, apparently. This was their exclusive teleportation device.
When Ren and Elena came to, they found themselves at the edge of a forest while the ocean was at their front and rivers ran in every direction.
The sound of the horn blew, and the hunters raced to find the suckling Warthog, even tripping each other in their haste.
Maybe the dare had gone too far? Ren thought.
"Tiki, lead us to the bore." Elena released Tiki into the air. The Lizard flopped on the sand and slithered to the opposite side from where the others had left.
"Should we be joining in the others?" Ren asked.
"Tiki knows what it's doing," Elena answered brusquely, and Ren knew that she wasn't over at what happened last night.
"You're still angry about yesterday?" Ren questioned, but Elena kept her silence.
Ren released a wry smile. "I'm sorry if I said anything to make you mad."
The Princess stopped, turned, and faced Ren with a scowl. "Do you even know why you're apologizing?"
Ren really didn't know how to reply, but he found himself replying nevertheless. "Because I made you mad?"
[Your Relationship Level with Princess Elena decreases!]
"And pray to tell why I am mad."
". . ." Ren drew a blank.
Elena's eyes grew hard as a stone. "Forget it."
Ren took a deep breath and caught up to the Princess when she jogged away from him.
"It started when I got drunk," Ren said beside her. "I didn't know what I said back there. And then you started to act funny about the room and then on the balcony. Do you really want to share a room with me?"
Elena skidded to a stop and faced Ren with a face bursting red. "Agh! Stop! Don't say it! It sounded embarrassing when you said it like that. And for the record, I didn't want to share a room with you, but can you at least pretend as if you care? You really know how to deflate a woman's confidence, you know." and she shied away.
