Wakfu: A new Story [REMAKE] [DISCONTINUED}

Chapter Six: Home away from Home

Song - Once Upon A December - Cover by Annapantsu on YouTube

Original from Anastasia (Liz Callaway)

As morning came, the group slowly woke and exited their cabins at the call of Elaine and Black Ink, claiming they were only a few hours away. As in response to this, they soon began to pack their things to off load when the time came. Once they finished, they settled down to rest. Amalia was peeling an Api with a small knife, sat next to Evangeline. Dally was telling stories of old adventures to Elely and Flopin, while hoping Pin, who seemed excited. Ruel was, shockingly, counting his kamas, occasionally, yet cautiously looking around as if someone was going to rob him. 

"Land!" Elaine shouted. "Land just ahead!" This caught everyone's attention, causing them to stand and prepare to unload and continue their journey. 

After a few minutes, they reached the shore, landing at a barren desert. Dunes and sandy plateau's prickling the empty wasteland. Amalia had been surprised this had been okay with the Eliatropes, it seemed inhabitable. They were from another planet, so she supposed they must be capable of making any land habitable. The group bid Elaine and Black Ink a fond adieu and continued on their journey through the desert using Scribble. 

"Well? Scribble, where next?" Eva asked, unravelling the map. Scribble looked around, squinting.

"North. There is a small village to stop at along the way." He finally replied. Eva looked over her shoulder at everyone else, nodding and turning North. 

"Let's go then, shall we?" She smiled as the group began to walk. 

Following some time, the group arrived at the small village, just in time for the sun to reach it's highest peak. It was a peaceful place, a decent sized well centring it. An abundance of small cabins surrounded the well, all made of wood and limestone. A young Osamodas woman stood filling a small jug with fresh water at the well. The Osamodas turned and smiled as she saw the group approaching the town. 

"Travellers! We don't get many visitors." She smiled. "I'm Lottie! How can I help you?" Eva returned the smile.

"I'm Evangeline, this is Ruel, Dally, my husband, our children, Elely, Flopin, and Pin. And Amalia, my best friend. We were just stopping by for temporary rest and some water, we have been travelling for a few hours." Lottie smiled.

"We can help you with that, my house is just over there." She paused, pointing towards a small cottage along one side of a plateau. "Feel free to rest at the table inside, and I'll be there in just a minute."

"Thank you." Eva replied, signalling for the rest of the group to follow.

"Oh! And watch out for my bow wow! MadEye is not always friendly to newcomers!" Lottie called after them.  

As the group entered the humble house, they found it quite nicely furnished with a small table by the kitchen, with a few chairs. There was a small couch with neat decorations scattered along the wall, and a decorative and colourful rug. Soon after, the group settled down at the table, Eva holding Pin while Elely and Dally admired the house. The bow wow Lottie was talking being a large thing with a patterned coat, quietly growling at the group from under a small nearby desk.

Eventually, Lottie walked in, hands empty except for a smaller jug than what she had before. She kindly poured the group cups of water and sat down across from Evangeline. 

"So what brings you here?" She asked.

"We are travelling to another kingdom, it's along this land further in." Amalia replied subtly. Lottie seemed intrigued, but didn't push it, instead giving Amalia a kind smile. 

"I see, feel free to stay as long as you need. We have plenty of recourses." She replied.

"Well, thank you for the offer. But we have to get going soon. We are running a little late." Eva responded politely. The Osamodas nodded understandably. 

"Okay, well how about a tour around the village? If you would like, it's small and won't take long." She offered. Eva looked at Amalia, her nodding in response. 

"Alright, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." She stated as Amalia finished her drink. 

The group walked outside and Lottie walked them around, introducing them to the village inhabitants. The residents ranged from Osamodas to Enutrof's. Then, she brought them into a cave built into a plateau. The cave was dark for a moment, when they reached the other side and were welcomed by the warm light of a grassy area. The room was relatively large and contained many different kinds of animals and wildlife. They all sat and adored the room, for a desert, it was unmatched. Amalia bent down and caressed some of the wild flowers, a genuine smile for the first time in a while growing on her face. Eva was delighted to see her friend so ecstatic. The group soon got distracted and settled in the room. Lottie had brought a picnic basket with food and drink. They had a wondrous time until Eva realized how much later it had become. 

"I'm sorry, Lottie, we have to go now." She smiled as they stood at the edge of the village. Lottie smiled kindly.

"It's alright. I'm sorry for keeping you. Safe travels!" She called as they walked and waved away. 

Soon enough, the village was out of sight. All that could be seen for miles was desert, and uncultivable dunes. Hours went by, and the group was still walking.

"Scribble, how much farther do we have to walk?" Amalia groaned as she opened the map. 

"Yeah, it better not be much, I'm too old for this!" Ruel groaned.

The Shushu glared around at the surroundings. "A slight few hours." He stated plainly. Amalia grumbled and stuffed the map back into its container, angrily forcing the wooden cap on. At one point, Dally dragged Ruel by the back of his shirt across the sand with Elely and Flopin dragging their feet in front of him. 

A few hours passed, and Evangeline abruptly froze in shock. 

Honey? Are you okay?" Dally asked, walking up to her and resting his hand on her arm. Following her gaze, he stood shocked as well. 

"What? What is i-" Elely was interrupted as Flopin elbowed her to gesture to what they were staring at, leaving her surprised as well. Amalia groaned, before looking up from the ground to see what she instantly recognized as her good friend's new home. The forests were a drastic change from the barren wasteland it was surrounded by. The trees packed tightly with their leaves having a strange blue-green hue. She noticed a few black rocks of large proportions, she was surprised she could see it from where she stood. She took notice of the blue runes imbedded into the rocks, though the most notable thing being the large zaaps and portals hovering below the clouds surrounding the forest. They were built with a thin rim, but a blue glow emanating from the inside of the portals.

"Is this?" Amalia didn't bother to finish her sentence, she already knew the answer. But to see that they did all of this in only a few months was just unbelievable. "How?" She whispered.

Date Published: 12/15/2023 7:48 German Time

Date Updated: 12/15/2023 7:48 German Time