| |
Inexhaustible Bottle
The pale sapphire sky had shifted into a bruised purple by the time I stumbled upon my first village. I wasn't sure if the change in colors meant the sun was coming up or going down. Then again, I wasn't completely sure if there was a sun to come up.
The village was comprised of wooden huts scattered throughout the forest floor, woven grass roofs sitting on top of them like straw hats on clay midgets. A rapid clustering of buildings marked the center of the village, the most widely used structures marked by thicker pieces of wood used for the sides and smoothed out with careful hands.
The roads were wide tracks in the ground, the ground around the edges of each hut a trampled mess of sticky mud. Woven grass mats were laid in the middle of the messes, probably to increase traction despite the mud reaching through any holes available.
I followed the beaten path to the closest cluster of buildings, finding my way to a building with a crudely-constructed porch made of logs forced into place among the mud. The sounds of community drifted through a makeshift curtain of thick leaves covering the entrance. A pair of pale, hollow-eyed elves walked past, keeping their heads down as they pushed past the leaves and made their way into the building.
Judging by the many muddy tracks on the makeshift porch, this place was where the elves gathered. Or at least, one of them. Might as well start asking questions and see what I could see.
I went to the curtain and attempted to brush it aside. My hand passed through the leaves instead. I pondered it for a second before snorting to myself; of course. Of course I can’t interact with things. I pushed past the curtains and entered the hub.
No one looked up as I entered. Couldn’t complain; I didn’t usually look up if I didn’t sense a ghost in the room. Hollow shades sat with their noses poised over slushy food or thick drinks served to them in thick, wooden mugs. The only light came from a single gem crammed into the center of the wooden tables, raw edges giving a disturbing effect to its innate light.
The one exception to the nearly motionless hub was a young red-headed elf standing in the middle of the room. Her huge green eyes stared at me, one hand holding up a polished wooden tray with mugs and food covering it. Light from the surrounding tables cast a pale green light on her drawn figure.
Since she was the only one staring, I assumed she was the only one that saw me. I nodded to her and walked forward, performing my ghostly act perfectly as I drifted through her body and continued walking to the other side. Her tray clattered to the ground to the dismay of the room, but I didn’t turn or budge. That’s not what ghosts do. I passed through the far wall, through the sluggish activity of two kitchen maids and a cook trying to work, and out into the night.
The elf girl wasn’t far behind me.
"Who are you?" she asked brushing fire-red bangs from her malnourished face. "What do you want?"
"Apparently I’m a ghost," I responded. "And I’m looking for someone to help me."
"I...I will try to help, spirit," she answered, crossing her arms and hunching her shoulders uncomfortably, “although I am not sure how.”
“Oh don’t be doubting yourself now. You’re the only one I can interact with, so far. I need to determine the importance of this sword,"—I half-pulled Layla's sword from my pocket—"and the location of its owner."
She glanced down and began to shake. "It’s...that’s one of the royal blades.” An arm came up, thin finger pointing down the road. “Head to the castle. There may be a Seer able to help you on your quest."
After getting her to tell me exactly where the castle was, I followed her directions as best I could. As I traveled, I watched the rotation of a small blue planetoid in the sky above, closely followed by a dull red orb. Both of them disappeared at some point, overtaken by a bright green sky for a good length of time.
The orbs rose and fell three times during my travels, disappearing twice in deference to the green sky. The horizon played with many colors my whole journey, the alien environment doing funny things to my senses. My surroundings were occasionally lit up by bioluminescent plants scattered over the forest floor. Some giant glowing Venus flytraps would open up as I came near and snap shut for no apparent reason. Flowers with pink and purple leaves danced in unfelt wind as I ran full speed across the landscape.
After roughly three ‘days’ of travel, I finally found myself at the gates of the castle.