The Shady Adventures of Fabian

Chapter 30

"How much loot did you score?" Druvidia asked as she suddenly materialized in front of Fabian.

"None of your business, tree wench," Fabian said with a scowl.

"Ah, but it is my business. The whole reason I came along was to ensure that you did not screw over young Brandon."

"You mean Scrote? Don't worry, he'll get his fair share. If we can find him, that is. It's a mighty big enchanted forest he's somewhere in the middle of."

"Don't worry, I know exactly where he is. I'm still deeply tied to the forest after all. I can lead us straight to him. And he'd better get his fair share."

"Or you'll do what? You're not even in physical form. You can't do anything to me."

"I believe I can still access some of my magical abilities," she said. "I wouldn't mind practicing on you."

"Yeah, let's not do that," Fabian said hastily. "Say, if your sacred ties to the forest can tell you exactly where Scrote is, can't you find the cat as well? I mean it would save us a heck of a lot of time and trouble if you could just lead me straight there. You could take me to the cat first actually. Then, if we have time, we'll swing by and pick up Scrote. Otherwise we can just leave him out there. It's pretty much the same difference to me either way."

"I do not know the location of the cat because I have not formed a personal bond with it as I have with young Brandon."

"In other words you're useless," Fabian rolled his eyes.

He paused to glance at a poster that had been plastered onto a wall. It showed a sketch of a young boy. Fabian didn't want to bother with reading all the fine print but he did notice the two especially large words that said "Missing" and "Reward."

"Doesn't that drawing look remarkably like Scrote? Didn't he mention something about having a father or some other sort of guardian type figure? I wonder how large of a reward we're talking about here. Maybe I can forget about the cat and just bring Scrote in for some cold hard cash."

"We shall return the boy to his home after he receives his just rewards," Druvidia said. "And if he wishes to complete his quest to recover the missing feline, we shall allow him to do so."

"All right, all right, fine. Just take me to him so we can get on with this. And by the way, it's my quest. Not his. He's merely my lackey. His task is to obey my every whim."

"Yes, let's depart immediately. I do not enjoy the city. It's crowded and smells like bodily functions. I long to return to the sanctity of my forest."

"Well, I don't feel like walking any further than I have to. Let's find a wagon that's heading out of town and hitch a ride."

After making a few inquiries he found a merchant who was going to be heading to another town across the enchanted forest. He said he would allow Fabian to hitch a ride for a modest fee. Fabian declined and then snuck onto the back of the wagon when the merchant wasn't looking and hid underneath a blanket. It was a bumpy ride, but it beat the heck out of walking.

After a little while Druvidia materialized next to Fabian. "We are not far from Brandon's location. It is time to exit this mode of transportation."

Fabian peeked out from under the blanket. He could see they were on a narrow trail with thick growths of trees on either side. "Which way?"

"To the right. The merchant's attention is on the road ahead. He will not see you, but you must jump now."

"You don't have to tell me twice, lady," Fabian said as he leaped into the woods. He hit the ground and rolled several times before landing on his feet with a flourish. "That was a pretty agile landing if I do say so myself. Too bad nobody was around to see it."