For the first time since being in Freehold, I feel like I am home. The skies are over cast and snow is thick on the ground. Snow is magical in that it makes the whole world silent. In Freehold, however, there are always exceptions. I would have to say that one of the most bone chilling sounds while standing in Freehold is what everyone here calls wolves. You can hear their piercing howls from Annie's Inn. My thirst for revenge drove me to the Hinterlands where pack after pack attacked relentlessly. Initially no one realized that these beasts were glowing. I only noticed these monstrosities glowed when I ran into a clearing and was surrounded. Looking back, I laugh. In the moment, I had the “oh shit” reflex and slowly backed away. They were no ordinary beasts. While all the scholarly types were trying to figure out why the wolves were mutating, Connell asked myself and James to accompany him and his fellows on a quest. We sat and waited for the time.
Before the quest I was asked to help with, I was told that a stargazer was going to lead us to a gate or portal of some type. When he arrived, it was a fairly easy trip to the gate. I didn't think it was a good idea to go through this gate thing. However, this decision was not in my hands. We all linked arms and proceeded to walk through. When we arrived where we were arriving, it looked like the night's sky. It was pitch black for a short period of time. The stargazer was still with us and when he began to talk, the stars awoke. That is what he said anyway. They were twinkling and flashing so fast. It was overwhelming. Then we all realized that our escort was gone. While confused and floating in space, we found a gateway into what could have been another dimension. It looked as though it was someone's home. It is hard to say what this thing was. It was difficult to determine whether it was man or beast.
Upon exploration, we definitely had left home. It was a terribly odd place. Our belongings had disappeared. There were flowers that were as tall as me with vibrant colors. Huge mushrooms and vines everywhere. Everything seemed to glow. This place reminded me of the dream realm. The place that we were had two rooms. The second side was dark. It felt as though it held a dark evil. I felt oppressed on this side of the building. To my right, I discovered why I would have this dark feeling. Primus! He stood behind a barrier that was difficult to see through. He of course wanted us to free him and he told us that he could solve all of our problems. I paid no mind. Not wanting to be oppressed by my surroundings, I returned to the happier quarters of this place. The beast that had made a home in this place, kept talking about this bush with these apples.
I love apples.
He did mention that they had different effects on people like us. So, after a brief mulling over in my mind, I plucked an apple off the bush. It looked normal. Raith and O'Conell were with me. The glowing one looked at me intently. It tasted normal. When I went to tell my friends about the apple, I could not speak! Ha. That did not stop me from eating a second apple though. Shortly after eating the second apple, I decided to actually check out Primus. He didn't have any effect here. His magics, his will, nothing. He did explain that the wolves were eating his soul. That would explain their strength. I was about to ask Primus my own questions when we were suddenly ripped out of the dimension. We were spat back out the portal in which we came. Not cool. My stomach was so upset after that. We headed back to the inn where we told the tale of the special apples, the Primus zoo and, the crazy glowing man. What a trip!
There was no sleeping that night for me. I was stressed about orders I had received earlier in the day. I would divulge, but all of Freehold should not know my business. The inn was fairly quiet all night except for Brother Ark's visit. There was talk and laughter about beasts and games. All in all, it was a very uneventful morning. The afternoon was a different story. Teacher Truthful paid me a visit. That is always nice. I have been given new responsibilities. It is stressful and exciting all at the same time. As per normal, we escorted Teacher Truthful to safety. Also like normal, this escort mission was not easy. Ice elementals decided to come and play. I guess the cold and the snow made them take up a new home in Freehold. Once Teacher Truthful was safe, I then taught some people some skills. I never realized what I do naturally could come so difficultly to others.
My fun of the day came in my revenge against the forsaken wolves. There were several packs of them. Or maybe one huge pack. I had to kill at least thirty myself. That isn't counting all the wolves that other people killed with me. It was insane! I was so exhausted after killing so many wolves that I took part in Ixian nap time. I never do that. After I woke up, I realized once more why I never take the traditional nap. Immediately after sleep, bad things happen. Its almost like physics. When I awoke, everyone was going to kill these spiders. These mammoth, huge spiders. Webs covered the Hinterlands. The webs themselves had some type of poison that drove you insane. Kill your friends insane. Not laugh and point insane. That was very unfortunate. In what seemed like a short rests time, all of Freehold was out in the Hinterlands again. The scholars found a way to stop the shadow wolves. I like to refer to it as the Primus wolf. He was the alpha wolf, I assume. So when he ate Primus' soul it made him ten times more strong as the alpha wolf. It wasn't as clean cut as just killing this big bad wolf. There were other wolves. It was almost like you had to kill three other wolves to hit the alpha wolf once.
But, like most of the time when Freehold agrees and works together, things fall into place. If only we agreed on more things than the battlefield!
~Smiling Flowers
“Patience is the first step upon the stair of Enlightenment”
