Chapter Text
With Miracose’s guidance, Veronica made her way across the Rolling Hills. She soon arrived at the bridge checkpoint between the Heartlands and Rolling Hills. This bridge was built to make crossing from Ding Dong Dell to Evermore more convenient for traders. Crossing the bridge was no trouble. The moment they stepped onto the Heartlands side of the bridge though, the air immediately felt lower in quality. Something was definitely wrong. Looking at the sky, dark clouds were obscuring most of the sunlight. In the distance the great city could be seen.
“I have a bad feeling about this. Let us hurry to Evermore.” Miracose urged Veronica.
Crossing the Heartlands was treacherous compared to the Rolling Hills. The monsters were behaving abnormally. Even the normally docile wildlife had become violent. Their eyes shined with a sinister purple light. A red mist emanated from their flesh. Caution was more pertinent than ever. When they finally arrived at Evermore’s gates they found them closed tight with no guards stationed. Confused, Miracose had Veronica knock on the gates.
“Hello!? We would like to enter the city!” Veronica called out.
They received no response. There was only one entrance to Evermore, so where were the guards? A sound then got their attention. Looking to the right, large suits of black armor were approaching them. Each was armed with a large claymore and kite shield. A sound to the left alerted them to more suits of armor coming.
“Something tells me they aren’t here to open the gate for us...” Veronica swallowed nervously.
“Run for it!” Miracose cried.
Veronica then fled as the knights charged and swung at where she was previously standing. Miracose led her to the Fablewoods a ways away from Evermore before stopping to rest.
“Those were knights of Nevermore, demons in human flesh. I fear that Evermore may currently be overrun.” Miracose told her.
“Is Evermore our only means of reaching Canaan?” Veronica asked.
“It isn’t, but I’d rather not go further south than we need to currently. The area around Goldpaw is in Cybele’s territory.” Miracose sighed.
“Couldn’t you carry me on your back?” Veronica questioned.
“Not if the skies are cursed like that. You’d be covered in blight and be sicker than a dog.” Miracose shook her head.
“What do we do then…?” Veronica sighed.
“We’ll get you a proper staff while I think of something. These are the Fablewoods, home to the one and only Manawood Tree. A wand or staff made from Manawood is guaranteed to make a fine wizardry tool.” Miracose replied.
“All right then…” Veronica nodded.
She then began to make her way deeper into the Fablewood. The monsters here seemed mostly unaffected by the cursed land, but were still somewhat hostile. None of the trees looked like this Manawood that Miracose mentioned, or at least it didn’t seem like it as she didn’t say anything. Veronica had no clue what Manawood even looked like. Dark oak, light oak, or chinkapin oak she could spot in a heartbeat, but not Manawood.
Deep in the woods they came across a simply massive black tree. It had no leaves and many thorn-like appendages on the branches. At the foot of the tree was an itty bitty iridescent flower bud. Lying in front of the flower was a rusted and broken greatsword.
“Oh my. An invasive species.” Miracose spoke, looking at the flower.
“This flower doesn’t grow here?” Veronica asked.
“It’s a Prison Plant, normally only found in Nazcaa. Beautiful, but it can imprison creatures nearly a hundred times its size. This one looks to have captured something.” Miracose explained.
“Can we free them?” Veronica questioned, looking at the plant.
“I’ll teach you a spell not contained in the Wizard’s Journal to free the prisoner. The moment you do, I’m going to uproot that invasive pest so it can’t imprison anything else that happens to pass by.” Miracose instructed.
Miracose then taught her the symbol for the spell Free Prisoner, a unique spell that frees anything trapped by a Prison Plant. Veronica took a deep breath and then drew the mark in the air. It then poured light energy into the plant making it grow and expand to be larger than she was. The bud then opened and dropped a knight out before returning to normal size. Miracose then was true to her word, grabbing it by the stem and yanking it out of the ground. The knight was the one who refused to partake in Ellie’s kidnapping, though his armor had seen better days being rusted with some breaks here and there.
“That armor…! He’s from Nevermore!” Miracose gasped.
“How long was I in there…? Ngh… Trick… When I get my hands on you…” he groaned before falling to his hands and knees.
“Um… Are you…from Nevermore?” Veronica asked the knight.
“Ah… You must be my rescuers. I am Victor Wyrmsbane, Captain of the Nevermore White Knights and Commandant of the Nevermore Royal Guard, Consort of Her Imperial Majesty.” he introduced himself, trying to gather his strength.
“Of all the luck! The King of Nevermore!” Miracose exclaimed.
“Do not be silly, Lady Miracose. I am no king. Just a man in love with a woman who has blessed me by loving me back. What I did not expect…was to be betrayed by the court jester Trick. He is the one who pushed me into the Prison Plant.” he told them.
“Why would he do that?” Veronica asked.
“I received word that our child was taken here, so I came looking. If he betrayed me, it surely must have held some merit. It also reeks of conspiracy.” Victor replied.
“Do you perhaps think you can convince the Enchantress to release her curse?” Miracose asked him.
“Unfortunately, my love has been overcome with grief since our child was kidnapped. It was a trial just coaxing her to eat. So I decided I would pursue the kidnappers, searching for clues, and return with my daughter cradled in my arms.” he answered.
“Why don’t you rest? We’ll be back once we find the Manawood we seek.” Miracose suggested.
“Be careful… Trick may have done something to the woods. A jester he may be, but underestimating the sleight of wand that makes his tricks possible would make a fool out of you.” he warned.
“Thank you for the heads up.” Veronica nodded.
The two then continued deeper into the wood. Sure enough, a fog began to roll in. It was incredibly thick making navigation more difficult, and here and there they found more Prison Plants. Inside of them were chests containing items, and Miracose plucked each plant quickly after extracting them. Veronica was getting to make good use of her pouches too. Deeper in they began seeing large glowing mushrooms, when the fog would allow.
Following the faint glow of the mushrooms, Veronica and Miracose continued further in. Soon they arrived at a clearing in the woods where gorgeous blue trees that looked as tall as redwoods but thin as dwarf pines stood proudly. The trees were simply awe inspiring.
“Finally, Manawoods.” Miracose giggled.
“So is there a trick to picking the best one?” Veronica asked.
“I’m glad you asked. Sure any Manawood will make a good wand, but any woodsman will tell you the best Manawood to pick is one that can carry a tune.” Miracose replied.
“Carry a tune?” she raised an eyebrow.
“Manawoods are unique. When wind blows through normal trees, it sounds like howling. When the wind blows through Manawood, it sounds like harmonizing. The sweeter the sound, the more mature the tree is and more magical power it’s capable of channeling. The more sour the sound, the more immature it is and the less power it can handle. Cast Whirlwind to get these trees singing, and then just follow your ears to the one that sounds the best to you. Oh, before I forget: baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano - the type of voice these trees have also has unique effects on the wand or staff made. None of them are negative, but it will impact the final product and how it behaves with your magic. Just a little something to keep in mind.” Miracose instructed.
Using the Wizard’s Journal to find the spell, she cast it making a strong wind begin passing through the area. Just as she said, the trees began to sing. The fog in the clearing was also being cleared up some. Their harmonic sound was wonderful, despite the sour sounds that would crop up now and then. Walking along the treeline, she listened close to their song. She then stopped in front of one that gave out a very deep voice. The depth of voice went beyond merely baritone - this had to be bass! Was something odd about this tree?
“This one. The only tree that sings bass.” Veronica smiled.
“Oh my, it must be a very old one to reach a vocal range beyond the normal ones you come across.” Miracose spoke, flying over to perch on her shoulder.
“So…how do we cut it down…? I didn’t exactly bring an ax with me.” Veronica asked.
“We’ll just be taking a little off the top.” Miracose replied.
“Off the…? This tree is simply colossal! How am I supposed to get up there?!” Veronica exclaimed.
“The same way we mages do anything, dear. Magic. Page 7, bottom left of the page, ‘Form Wand’. When you cast it, have a clear image of the wand or staff you want. Make sure to draw it directly in front of the tree you want.” Miracose instructed.
Veronica drew the symbol and light particles entered the tree making it begin to sing rapidly as it shook. A light then shined down from above. Slowly but surely a beautifully carved white staff descended. Inlaid in the top with root-like branches holding it in place was a beautiful blue orb. It then overlapped itself with Veronica’s walking stick and to her surprise the two became one.
“Wonderfully done. A witch’s staff always has a base and melds its current power to that of the new staff, its appearance being that of the new addition. You’re all set to get licensed now.” Miracose explained.
“I wasn’t licensed before?” Veronica asked.
“Nay. You can’t just go around flinging spells without a license. I’ve been here to sponsor you naturally, but there will be times I will be absent. If you’re found without a license during that time you could get in big trouble. You see, to be legally recognized as a witch you must pass an examination. For the exam, you need wizarding robes and a proper wand or staff. The Wizard’s Journal is the only item permitted, naturally, being a magic exam.” Miracose explained.
“Is it difficult to be licensed…?” Veronica asked.
“Well, that depends on your reading level I guess. Knowing spells is well and good, but it’s usually the meaning behind them that catches aspiring wizards and witches. Every spell has a story behind its birth, you know, and it is important to remember the past.” Miracose replied.
The two returned to Victor to find him on his feet again. He’d used cloth to try and repair his sword a little, or at the very least make it last long enough to replace.
“The knights guarding Evermore are ones I have not seen since the coup of Nevermore. If you will have me, I would gladly pledge my blade to aid you in reclaiming Evermore.” Victor told them.
“There’s wonderful. I feared I would need to step in. My spells could severely damage the city.” Miracose cawed joyously.
“Thank you for the help, Your Majesty.” Veronica nodded, bowing to him.
“There is no need for that. Besides, I am no king, as I have said. Just a very lucky man. You may just call me Victor.” he chuckled heartily, waving his hand dismissively.
The trio made for Evermore’s gate and the demon knights were already waiting for them. Victor proved his worth almost immediately, dealing powerful strikes to them, leaving them open to be struck by Veronica’s magic. Her familiar was able to capitalize on their enemies staggering, making a pest of itself. Before long they were brought down but they did not bleed out. In fact, there did not seem to be a body inside of the armor. They simply fell apart as red mist rose into the air, dissipating moments after. The armor and gear left behind would then crumble into ash.
“Now…how do we get inside?” Veronica asked.
Victor did not answer, and simply put his hands on the gate doors. He grunted and strained for a few moments as he began to push, but the doors eventually began to shift and move. Carts and stalls were revealed to have been barricading the gate as he further opened the way into the city. More of the demon knights were patrolling the city. Red mist was rolling along the ground like a morning fog. Needless to say, the architecture of the buildings required serious repairs as they were cracked and broken with some even being fully collapsed. The citizens had all been turned to stone, petrified in time in what seemed to be the midst of a panicked evacuation. It was a horrific sight to behold.
“My dearest Odette…what have you done? The people… The city… This is… This is simply…horrible.” Victor sighed in disbelief.
“It goes to show how far she is willing to go in order to get her daughter back.” Miracose stated.
“It is horrid what she has done. At the same time…I can empathize with her rage. My daughter is out there, waiting for me. She has no clue what is happening. She is barely six months old. I need to be strong though. I cannot save her as I am now. Until then I need to continue my journey. So we must save Evermore from this dark fate.” Veronica spoke, resolving herself for the fight ahead.