Of Magic and Nature (Interactive Story)

[Bookworm5515]

Answer with, "I've heard rumors..." Or something like that. Don't answer it directly.

[Piefan]

Author's note;;
Soo Xura drew Khairina for me! :D And it's epic. Seriously. But, ahem, I guess I did say I'd be making a status sheet for her. And I will, in a moment. It's midnight right now, and I've been sorta busy.

Also, new poll; vote. I personally have my plans leaning towards dark stuff, but I could probably modify it a little.

Inventory
$10
Saddle/saddlebags
Postcards
(but no stamps)
Multiple books
Other info
Hurt in leg
Cannot run

Earth Beat
Companion, friend.
Amaryllis
Roommate, acquaintance.
Shadow
Leader

[/quote]

"I've heard stuff about it," you reply, willing Earth Beat not to comment on your half-truth. To your relief, she says nothing, instead idly tapping a hoof against the stone ground. "We're talking about the 'wizards and druids shouldn't be rivals' thing, right?" You watch her, gauging her thoughts about the matter.

Not much analysis is required.

"Yep! That's the one!" she replies. In spite of the subject, her cheer doesn't waver; as far as she is concerned, the two of you are gossiping about a harmless, silly organisation. Your eyes narrow slightly, though she seems not to notice. "I wonder if those people've ever opened up a history book."

Earth flattens her ears, shielding her mind from Amaryllis as she mentally speaks to you. "Do you think there's any hope of changing that belief?"

"... Probably not," you reply, however reluctantly. No matter how sarcastic she may be at the worst moments, or how flat-out annoying her hawk often is, you have taken quite a liking to her. Besides, her power is undeniable, so having her as an enemy would be terrible.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. I- OW!" Something claws at your face, catching you by surprise. Ajax is hovering in front of you, smugness colouring his thoughts. You resist the strong urge to use violence against him, though you have to stop Earth from kicking and trampling him to death.

Brow furrowed, Amaryllis glares at him, presumably communicating via the mind. You rub your face - thankfully, he missed anything important, only seeming to cut through the skin on your forehead. So much as touching the wounds leads to a biting pain, and you hiss softly. "Are you okay, K? (hey, that sounds weird. okay, k.) Sorry, he's just kind of..."

"A jerk?" You ignore his indignant response. A strange sense of déjà vu brings you back to just a few hours before, when you gave her a nosebleed. Well, that's kind of payback, you suppose. Ugh. You stumble back to your dorm, collapsing upon your bed.

Neither Amy nor Ajax are here, for which you are grateful. Not that you dislike the former much, but the latter is downright intolerable.

What do you do next?
(You're free to do literally anything you want. Read your books, investigate the rebellion, burst into song on the streets. Anything.)

[TheFabulousHorse]

Go find food, maybe raid the bakery a little ways away.

[Piefan]

Author's note;;
idk why but today I was laughing about the Great Longan Escape (it's an inside joke) and I really feel like I'm missing something here...

Inventory
$10
Saddle/saddlebags
Postcards
(but no stamps)
Multiple books
Other info
Hurt in leg
Cannot run

Earth Beat
Companion, friend.
Amaryllis
Roommate, acquaintance.
Shadow
Leader

[/quote]

As you force yourself to stand up, you notice just how large Earth Beat is - standing at over a metre and a half, she is several centimetres taller than you. She, at the moment, is in front of you, looking down with concern. "Are you alright?" she asks, nodding towards your head, and then the lower part of your leg, where Shadow's wolf bit you. "You ought to see a nurse, you know. Get a bandage, if nothing else."

You shake your head, causing a tuft of hair to fall onto the cuts on your forehead and a new world of pain to be introduced to you. Brushing it out, you reply, "No, I'm fine. Let's get some food, alright?" After a lull in the conversation as you begin to exit the room, you add, "You do know the route, right?"

***

Surprisingly, she does. "I memorised the location of most buildings in the area," she explains as the two of you walk, with Earth Beat leading the way. Why she would do that, you are not certain, but you assume it is just a habit of hers.

She slows down, stopping in front of a small shop that seems almost invisible, in part due to its simple colouring. Unlike the far more flashy shops it is sandwiched between, it is painted neutrally, with greys and browns. A sign at the top reads Humble Pie Bakery in dull red lettering, and indeed, the windows display mainly pies, though there are buns and tarts as well.

When you open the door, the scent of freshly-baked bread wafts to your nostrils, and a slight smile spreads across your face. The interior of the building is just as simple as the exterior, though in a cozy, homely way.

A man stands behind the counter, humming to himself and leaning forward. Upon noticing you, he smiles politely. "Welcome to Humble Pie Bakery!" he greets in an almost robotic tone. "How may I help you today?" He glances, briefly, at the horse beside you, though he says nothing about her, for which you are grateful.

Before speaking, you scan over the display case - cupcakes, donuts, pies, and other pastries, each no more than three dollars. One, you notice, is considerably cheaper than the others, despite. When you glance up questioningly, the cashier just shrugs. "Chef messed up. It's sorta poisonous and induces temporary paralysis. We aren't responsible for anything that happens because of it."

"... Is selling that even legal?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

You give him an oblong look, which he neither replies to nor even acknowledges.

What do you buy?

[trickszy]

BUY THE PARALYSIS PASTRY.

[retroaqua]

Buy EVERYTHING >:D

Oh, and maybe a few stuff in other shops.

And paralysis pastry. You could use it as a prank owo

[Piefan]

╭xxxxxxxxxxx╮
Ｋｈａｉｒｉｎａ
Female---Druid---13
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

╭xxxxxxxxxxx╮
Ｉｎｖｅｎｔｏｒｙ
Saddlebags
Saddle
Books
Paralysis pastry
$8
Postcards
(no stamps)
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

╭xxxxxxxxxxx╮
Ｓｔａｔｕｓ
Injured leg
Cuts on forehead
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

╭xxxxxxxxxxx╮
Notes;;
don't mind me, just trying out
a new format. ouo What do you
think? Also, new poll.
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

"We should buy everything," you joke telepathically, throwing a half-smile at Earth Beat. Although she does not speak, you can sense her mild amusement. You know you do not have the money to purchase much, and even if you did, you would rather save it. On a somewhat related note... "How long has it been since I last visited my parents?"

"Three days."

... You were expecting far longer. It seems hard to believe that you have done so much in so little time, from joining a new organisation to meeting several new people. On the more practical side, you note, it will be four days until you can get your allowance.

But you're getting off-track now. You scan over the selection, quickly deciding what to buy. "That... paralysis thing, please, and that donut." The latter is just because you are hungry; the former should be helpful for... practically anything, given a little creativity.

"... Wait, seriously?" The cashier shows mild surprise, probably the first flash of emotion he has had since you entered. He recovers quickly, however, regaining his earlier robotic tone. "That will be two dollars." Removing the two from the display case, he grabs a pair of small boxes.

Using her muzzle, Earth flicks open her saddlebag, though you are the one who reaches in and pulls out the notes, as it seems doubtful that money covered in horse saliva would be accepted. After you the cash for the two pastries, you examine them as you walk off, pushing the glass doors open.

Obtained paralysis pastry and donut!

The 'paralysis pastry', as you decide to call it, is a simple danish, decorated plainly. The donut is more intricate, decorated as if it were a miniature, slightly simplified galaxy, with yellow dots as stars. You slip the former into your bag, and finish the latter in a few bites. Remembering, suddenly, Earth, you turn to her. "Are you hungry too?" you ask. "If you are, there's probably some florist or something nearby."

"No," she replies in a neutral tone. "The school does provide food for herbivores, you realise. Now hurry; it happens that I would like a word with Ajax." She speeds, her gait changing into a trot, and you run to catch up.

Although you would, under normal circumstances, be stared at, this street happens to be almost completely filled with druids. As such, raptors, lionesses, and rattlesnakes roam the streets, meaning a single horse guarded by a teenager seems like nothing out of the ordinary.

An animal's voice cuts through your thoughts: "Hey! You two!" It is a male, you note, though you cannot identify much else about it. Luckily, you do not need to. A few seconds later, a small bird - a pigeon - is flying towards you, quickly and swiftly. "Ophelia sent me. Formal training's optional, but she suggests you come."

Will you?

[retroaqua]

Suuuuurrree. Check its not a trap, too.

[trickszy]

wow my name for the danish stuck ;u;

[Piefan]

╭xxxxxxxxxxx╮
Ｋｈａｉｒｉｎａ
Female---Druid---13
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

╭xxxxxxxxxxx╮
Ｉｎｖｅｎｔｏｒｙ
Saddlebags
Saddle
Books
Paralysis pastry
$8
Postcards
(no stamps)
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

╭xxxxxxxxxxx╮
Ｓｔａｔｕｓ
Injured leg
Cuts on forehead
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

╭xxxxxxxxxxx╮
Notes;;
What do you call the sound
a pigeon makes, anyway? Also, I
just noticed that Ophelia is the
first fully white character here. xD
Amaryllis, Khairina, and Shadow
are all described as having tan skin,
which is in my mind's eye brown.
╰xxxxxxxxxxx╯

Although you are about to agree, something stops you. Namely, suspicion - why in the universe would Ophelia use a pigeon which she has yet to mention? It seems likely to be a trap. At the same time, you note, she didn't mention anything that directly proves it to be so. You decide to follow, gesturing for Earth to do the same. She does, without protest.

"You should lead," says the pigeon, tone neutral. This suggestion does not help its case, but you do nothing more than narrow your eyes, beginning to head for the headquarters. Earth feeds you directions as you walk, for you have not fully memorised the route. "Ophelia doesn't bring me along, as you might have been able to tell." That, you can't help but concede, is true. You may have only seen her once, but this pigeon certainly wasn't there.

You walk in silence, hoping you aren't messing up too badly. Giving away the location of one's 'secret' headquarters to the enemy seems like it may be a bad idea, somehow, but you are not certain

As the house-cum-base comes into sight, you slow down slightly. The pigeon croos (for lack of a better term), a high-pitched noise that causes you to wince. Noticing your discomfort with the sound, he stops. "Hurry up-" He pauses suddenly, then he's flying off as abruptly as he approached.

"Wait!" you call, confused. When he does not respond, you dart towards him and reach out, grabbing him in one hand. "Why-" You resist the urge to cry out in pain as he pecks at your forearm. Are birds' beaks naturally this sharp? In shock, you release him, and he again takes flight, disappearing into the endless expanse of the sky.

"What was that?" Earth neighs.

"... I'm not sure, frankly." Looking around, you spot Ophelia nearby, walking in the opposite direction. You call out to her, causing her to turn around. Without missing a beat, you rush towards her. "By any chance, did you send your companion for me?" you ask.

At the question, she frowns. "No."

... Well, then, that really was a trap. And one you would have fallen for, at that.

What do you do next?
Again, free reign. If we end up wandering aimlessly for too long, I'll insert as obvious a plot hook as I can. If you'd prefer, you could also just make Khairina wait around for that hook.