B4 – Chapter 44: Into the Wild

“I like the name,” Felicity said.

Tristan put on some clothes, and looked at his damaged armor. “Let’s get all of that to the gnomes for repair. Once its fixed up, you, me, and Onyx – or another unicorn if he is still busy with his firstborn foal – we’ll head to the Wild Realm. I need to find an enchantment dragon to prepare for our assault on the Demon King’s fortress.

Felicity shifted to her fairy dragon form and grabbed the whole mannequin holding the armor. She opened her surprisingly well-organized pocket dimension, and threw the whole mannequin inside; the metal clanging against other pieces. “Okay. Off to the smiths!”

The two left the Queen’s Wood and Tristan instructed the gnomes to begin repairs. Dorni was there, and cleared his throat after Tristan finished giving his instructions. “Lord Tristan, the repairs will take about an hour. Your new vessel has been prepared.”

Tristan blushed, and Felicity cackled from her perch atop his head. “Thanks,” Tristan said as he took the now-offered vial and grasped the silvery metal with a firm grip. “I . . . I’ll be back in an hour—for the armor.”

Dorni chuckled and walked away. Felicity batted at Tristan’s ears from atop his head. “So . . . did you need to take care of something for this new bloodline?” Tristan felt his blood racing and turned on his heel, heading into the Queen’s Wood once more. Felicity flapped away from his head and landed on the ground, swapping to her Elfanoid form and smiling lasciviously. “Come on, Dragonbloom. Let’s do what must be done.”

“Here you are,” Tristan muttered as he handed the filled vial to The Matriarch. She accepted the item with reverence, and placed it into her storage dimension. “I’ll be departing the Fey Realm for a short time. No more than a day.”

“Safe travels then.” The Matriarch bowed and then departed, walking over to the training yard to advise and instruct fairy dragons in their rotation.

Tristan headed over to the gnomes and acquired his armor and weapons, re-equipping all of it. Then, willing his Fey Realm wings to manifest, he jumped up and flapped, tensing his muscles expertly to rise into the skies. He made a course for the Springthaw Meadow, and as he raced overhead through the air, looked for the black shapes of Onyx and Midnight. He felt a smile spread across his face as he saw the duo trotting, and a smaller, black unicorn right between them. Tristan landed in front of them with plenty of distance so they could stop, and he folded his wings back in. “Onyx. Midnight. Congratulations.”

Both destrier unicorns came to a stop, and their foal; a perfect mirror of the two full-sized ones, struggled a little to slow down. Instead, the foal moved around Tristan and then looped back through the grasses, letting out a whinny.

Onyx walked forward and dipped his head. “Our child is healthy and hale.”

“Cute,” Felicity said as she hung off of Tristan’s head.

Midnight walked up next to Onyx as the foal ambled toward the two, huffing and puffing. “Go ahead, little one. Tell your ruler your name.”

The foal dipped its head. “I’m Ebony, Lord Tristan.”

“Keeping with the naming scheme?” Tristan asked as he knelt so that he was on its level.

“Yes,” Onyx replied. “It makes sense given our color compared to the rest of the unicorns.”

“Pardon, I can’t tell – boy or girl?” Tristan asked, addressing Ebony.

“I’m a boy,” the foal replied, letting out a little snort. “Don’t you see my bigger horn on my head?” He nudged his horn toward Onyx and Midnight, and Tristan focused on comparing the two horns.

Huh. I never noticed, but Onyx’s horn is a bit thicker. Maybe because I already knew their gender I didn’t really pay attention? Tristan chuckled. “Sorry. I should’ve assumed such a mighty unicorn was a boy.”

Ebony seemed to puff up with pride, and trotted over to Midnight. “See, mother? I told you I would impress him.”

“That you did, little one.” Midnight nudged Ebony with her head.

Tristan looked at Onyx. “I intend to return to the Wild Realm for a short duration. I would never ask you to leave your family; especially after having a new child. But, if you wish to carry me, I would be gracious.”

Onyx seemed torn for a moment, and glanced between Midnight and Ebony, then back to Tristan. “I would ask that you permit me to stay here in the Fey Realm for a while yet. I wish to truly know my child.”

Tristan raised his hands in mock surrender. “I understand completely.” He glanced around, and scanned the environment for another unicorn. Then, he paused in his scanning. “Thanks.” He manifested his wings and jumped up, lifting into the sky as he flapped over to just in front of the Queen’s Wood, at his usual departure point.

“Not going to get a unicorn to ride?” Felicity asked.

Tristan shook his head. “I plan on doing a quick visit to the Wild Realm. We’ll get there through the inter-realm market, and then I’ll use Wing Glide in conjunction with Dragon Leap.” He grinned. “I doubt that a dragon could stand much of a chance against me, especially if I ambush it from above with knowledge of its weak spot.”

“Assumed weak spot.”

“True. I don’t know exactly where an enchantment dragon’s weak spot would be. But, I can make an educated guess.” He spun his crucible, pushed the essence into his ring, and the world flickered white. He reappeared in the inter-realm market, on the edge of the marketplace proper.

“Oh! Right.” Felicity muttered something in Orcish, and Tristan felt that tingling sensation all along his body. “There we go. Alter Form for your Demonkin persona.”

Tristan reached up and felt the horn spiral out of his head. “Thanks.” He went to the portals and stepped through the one leading to the Wild Realm. The saturating warmth of the cracked steppes met him like a warm embrace, and he breathed in deeply as he tasted the dry air. “We need to start moving a direction,” Tristan said. He turned to his right and began moving away from the city and its bustling markets.

Felicity clung to his horns like a pair of handles. “Are you going to fly?”

Tristan smirked and began sprinting. He had not done a full-out sprint since his trial of the sap, and wanted to see how quick he was. To his immense satisfaction and slight surprise, he was running at the equivalent of pre-unicorn Onyx’s gallop. He let out a laugh at his sheer physical capabilities, knowing that he could outpace any non-mounted pursuer. Glancing back, he saw black-robed forms in the distance step through the inter-realm portal. Assassins waiting for me. Too bad for you, you can’t keep up.