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Jessica opens her eyes, feeling as though she has been sleeping for a long time. She's lying on the grass at the edge of a dark and foreboding forest.
It’s not going to hurt to take one look. I was taught how to orient myself anywhere.
Jessica scans her surroundings as she was trained, covering 360 degrees and both the bottoms and tops of the trees. The forest seems most foreboding when she looks 45 degrees to her left.
Behind her is an open meadow and what appears houses in the distance. The forest is thick to her left and she hears a she hears growls and the sounds of wildlife that give her a chill despite the shining sun above. To the right is a rough but recognizable path through the forest.
Why would the Confederacy set me at the edge of a forest? It must be more benign than it seems. Or else someone would have eaten me already. Maybe there’s something in there they want me to see, something to visit.
Jessica feels an almost magical pull into the forest. It feels like a place of magic and mystery. Oddly, the weather even seems to change at the forest boundary, becoming dark and cloudy above the trees.
This must be the magical Stuff that Teacher spoke of.
Magic is not only in legend.
Seeing the intent clearly, Jessica walks straight into the forest.
Walking into the forest, her surroundings darken. The previously colorful surroundings seem to dim. She hears the buzz of insects and the croak of frogs. The trees and plant life look completely unique, certainly nothing like any planet she has been to.
She knows her time limit here is set by food and water, and that can only be supplied to her by people. So she goes on into the forest, looking for the mastermind of all around her.
She continues, passing by a bed of blue flowers and continuing on until her way is blocked by a large tree. The tree bears some marks of craftsmanship, with a hollow interior and what looks like windows and a small door.
Jessica waves her arms in circles so exaggerated that no one can think she is hiding anything.
“Helloooooooooooo!!”
If someone is inside, there’s no way they’ll miss this.
There is no answer. It appears no one is home. She looks behind the tree and sees the path continue deeper into the forest.
The door is short, but appears slightly ajar. She can fit inside if she ducks.
She enters the house, looking at the objects around her one by one for any sign of habitation or use.
The house is comfortable but primitive looking. Tribal masks with inhuman faces decorate the walls. In one corner are shelves of plants, some you remember seeing in the forest. In the opposite corner is a small bed. In the middle of the room is a large cauldron bubbling over a fire. The liquid inside is green and murky.
Jessica goes and lies down atop the bed.
I’ll just sleep for a bit, and the cauldron’s owner will certainly return.
The bed is cramped and sags under her weight, but she manages to find a comfortable position and close her eyes. She is awoken by the sound of hoofsteps on the wooden floor. A small zebra with large eyes, about 3 feet tall, wearing golden hoop earrings add some plants to the cauldron with a considered expression. The bed creeks and she looks at Jessica.
“My, hello!” Jessica shouts. She gapes performatively at the zebra’s earrings. “Can you talk?”
If she took the care to put in earrings, she’ll take care with me, too.
Wary, Jessica refuses the glop. You’re intelligent but not verbal. Jessica snaps her fingers, grabbing and holding the zebra’s attention. Then she jabs her fingers at the forest paths around the house, hoping for any reaction.
The zebra seems calm and patient, reacting slowly to the snapping and pointing, then takes a sip of the mixture from the bowl to show you it is safe, then patiently offers it again.
The mixture is bitter and grassy, reflecting all the plants and herbs in the ingredients. The zebra then speaks in a calm, ageless voice.
"Now that you have tasted my translation brew. We can talk. How do you do?"
I’m a researcher of undiscovered magics for the Coltain Confederacy. Conf, you can call us. There must be magic here that I can take back to our Planet.
"The winds informed me you would be here. You will have what you need, never fear."
"Much magic is here for you to peek. What magic is it you seek?"
“I seek a magic that uniformitizes the guardian eye of our Confederacy. We call it the angelnet idea. No material can do it, we tried, but given how... peaceful this land is, I am certain there is something protecting you.”