Tafel and Vur sat in a corner booth in the adventurer’s guild. A chocolate cake the size of Vur was on the table in between the two. The fairies stared up at the towering confectionery with their mouths gaping.

“You traded our tears for this?” Rella asked, still staring at the cake with wide eyes.

“And some gold,” Tafel said as she pat the cloth sack next to her. “We also finished our first mission.” Tafel smiled.

“I guess that’s okay then…” Bella said and scooped out a piece of chocolate with her hands. “It looks like lizard poop. This thing is edible?”

Vur nodded. “Try it,” he said and smushed a piece of cake into Yella’s mouth.

Yella struggled at first, but then her eyes widened and sparkled. “It’s amazing!” Yella said. “I never knew my tears could taste so good!”

Bella licked some frosting off her hand and had a similar reaction. She pushed the piece of cake into Rella’s mouth. Rella’s wings flapped and she was lifted off the table.

“You have to make us cry more often,” she said to Tafel and flew next to the cake with drool leaking from her mouth.

The adventurer’s in the guild all looked at each other and then looked at the cake next to Vur.

One of them whispered, “Didn’t he make that huge crater because of a sugar rush from too much cake?” Their faces paled and a few scrambled out of their seats as they hurried to pay and leave. The receptionist looked at the growing pile of money on the counter and watched the adventurer’s flee in a steady stream. The guild soon emptied and he was the only one left with Tafel and Vur in the building. He whimpered as he sorted the change and ducked under the counter when he finished.

The sound of a door opening came from upstairs and footsteps resounded through the almost empty building. The guild master looked at the receptionist hiding under the counter and then swept his gaze over the guild. His eyes narrowed as they locked onto Vur and the cake. He inhaled and held his breath as he walked over to the receptionist. He tapped him on the shoulder and motioned towards the door with his head. Tears sprang into the corners of the receptionist’s eyes and he nodded as he took the guild master’s hand. The two tiptoed out the building as the fairies chattered with Vur and Tafel.

“Let’s go find Exzenter,” Tafel said after the five devoured the cake. The fairies looked like bloated spheres with arms and legs. Drool leaked from Rella’s mouth as she laid on her back.

“I feel sick,” Yella said with a green face. Bella moaned and tried to stand on her feet, but she couldn’t move.

“No parents?” Vur asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Tafel shook her head. “They probably went back to Niffle already,” she said. “And if they didn’t, I wouldn’t want them to know what we’re going to do.”

Vur nodded. “Let’s go then,” he said. “I want to do something fun.” He stretched his arms above him and his fingertips crackled with electricity.

“Wait for us,” Bella said as she raised her arm.

“I’m going to pu-. Urk,” Rella said and covered her mouth. She tilted her head to the side and a rainbow fountain of liquid jetted out of her mouth. Her body diminished in size until it was back to normal and her projectile vomiting ceased.

“Phew,” she said. “Much better.”

“That was so gross,” Yella said. Rella rolled her next to Bella and shook the table. The two fairies repeated Rella’s performance and slimmed down.

The guild master and receptionist stood across the street from the adventurer’s guild.

“Do you hear that?” the guild master asked. “It sounds like water magic.”

The receptionist nodded. “Well, the building hasn’t collapsed yet,” he said. “That’s a good sign, right?”

The guild master nodded and a few minutes later, Tafel and Vur walked out of the building with three fairies collapsed on their heads. The guild master and receptionist glanced at each other and approached the door. The receptionist opened the door a tiny bit and peeked inside before opening it the whole way.

“Woah,” the receptionist said. “It’s a rainbow paintjob. I kind of like it.” The corner that was reserved for adventurers was filled with color. Rainbow streaks lined the ceiling and floor along with the seats and tables.

“It smells like flowers,” the guild master said as he sniffed the air. He nodded. “Let’s keep it like this.”

###################################################################

Mina sighed as she sat on a bed and glanced out the window to her right. Zollstock went back to Niffle with the army and left her behind. Lindyss accepted Mina as a citizen of Konigreich and the skeletons inundated her with knowledge about their lord and resurrector along with the rules and requirements for living there.

A knock sounded on her door. “It’s open,” she said and turned towards it.

A skeleton opened the door and walked inside. It was wearing the plate armor of the heavy cavalry. It turned its head to the corner and picked up a basket of glowing blue crystals.

“Any word about Tafel or Vur?” Mina asked as the skeleton turned to leave.

The skeleton tilted its head. “Vur was seen eating a four foot tall cake in the adventurer’s guild,” it said. “You might want to stay away from there for the time being.”

“Was Tafel with him?” Mina asked as she lifted the blanket off her legs.

The skeleton shrugged. A crack appeared in the ground and a skull popped out. “Yes, Tafel was with Vur,” the skull said and disappeared back into the ground. Mina stared at the hole left behind with her mouth open.

“D-“

“Is that all?” the skeleton asked, interrupting Mina.

Mina closed her mouth and nodded. “Thank you,” she said. The skeleton left and Mina covered up the hole with her dresser before changing clothes. She left the residential area and proceeded towards the mansion where Lindyss lived. A few demons in the streets murmured as she passed by, but she ignored their stares and continued forward.

The mansion was unguarded and Mina walked to Lindyss’ room. She was about to knock on the door when a skeletal hand popped out of the ground and stopped her.

“She’s sleeping.”

Mina paled and backed away from the door. “Do you know where Tafel and Vur are?” she whispered.

“They went to find Exzenter,” the skeleton replied. “If you hurry, you might catch them.”

Mina nodded and her horns glowed green. “Thank you,” she said and sprinted through the halls. Her feet left no noise and a wall of wind pushed her forward as she ran. Exzenter had been given a room in the guard tower closest to the wilderness. When he wasn’t exploring the wilderness for materials, he was experimenting with potions and spells.

Mina ran through the streets. As she approached the back corner of the kingdom, she saw Tafel and Vur with three figures on their heads standing in front of Exzenter in the field below the guard tower. Exzenter had his arms spread open and wind encircled the group of five in front of him. Blue light streamed into his body from a few mana crystals on the ground next to him.

“Wait!” Mina shouted, still running towards them.

Tafel turned her head and looked at Mina. She opened her mouth and said something to Exzenter that Mina couldn’t hear. Exzenter remained motionless and the wind swirled faster. Mina was only a few meters away when a ring of light started to glow beneath the group. Mina grit her teeth and her horns glowed red. The pillar of light started to rise and shine brighter. An explosion sounded out from behind Mina and her body was tossed forward into the pillar. The light faded and only Exzenter remained. He looked at the pile of clothes at his feet and scratched his head.

 

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