Charter: Maplewood

The prediction came to pass, the Shaman turned off the cauldron and sat down to meditate. Meanwhile Athena didn't know where to place herself, she was nervous and unprepared, having seen many inconsistencies with which she was completely at odds, Athena was approached by Francie with a question: – Are you all right? You suddenly ran out without saying anything...

– Because I don't look like the savior of the world!

– Athena... I understand you perfectly...

– But I don't look like a brave Athena or a warrior.

– What has that got to do with it? Athena, you don't have to be brave... just be yourself. –Francie patted a sad Athena on the shoulder.

– I think so...

– But somehow you managed to start a book club and you succeeded when Herod Stan infiltrated it. Remember when you became a wall for us? You were yourself then. – Francie hugged Athena.

– Thank you, Francie. – The girls laughed and Athena was relieved of her doubts.

– And don't call me Francie! Just Frank, call me Frank as a male friend. – Dolan and Stan came over to the boys and started to hug them too, but Francie stopped Stan.

– You're not a member of the book club, hug trees!

– Now let's ask where we should start. – Athena suddenly took the lead and they went back into the tent.

– Oh! So you've come back after all.

– Yes, we'd like to know where to start and where to find the castle.

– Girl, what's your name?

–My name is Athena, Athena Clarke.

– Well, Miss Athena Clarke, you are naive if you think you can just walk into a castle with a pirate, a dragon and a creature that turns into other people's fears. To defeat them and free the kingdom, you must first gain the will of the three tribes who collaborated with the former king and created the Declaration of the Kingdom, without their power you cannot defeat them. You will need to go to the Morsal Mines and find the cartographer Versavia among the slaves working there, she will be able to give you a map of the Kingdom on which the plan of the castle is drawn. Don't get caught, though, as the mines belong to the very creature that makes people's fears come true. After that, go to the Dwarf Mountains, where one of you can get the Will of the Dwarves and Phillip's enchanted musical instrument, which hasn't been played for a long time and not everyone can open it. What else?

– What are the other two tribes? – Asked Dolan.

– Oh yes, the other two tribes the King made a treaty with were a village of mages, we have problems with them at the moment, their birth rate has dropped recently. You can meet them a little further away in a town called Scandium, where you can get a wizard's will. And the third will you have already received from the tribe of the Dark Elfes, you have seen my prediction and you also have an invisible spherical symbol of our will on your foreheads. But it's not a simple symbol, in the course of your adventure, one of you four will open the synchronization with the power of the Dark Elfes, what power one of you can give to the god, I don't know. But I do know that it will come in handy. – The boys were very surprised to see an honorable face before them who had seen the king up close, Athena had a question.

– Why do we need a map of the castle?

– Good question, Miss Athena, somewhere in the castle is a declaration and a hypnosis spell that the pirate has hidden somewhere in the building. You'll also have to burn the spell he stole from me, it's caused a lot of trouble.

The teenagers were uncomfortable: – Can you tell me more about this spell?

– Using this spell more than once puts the caster in danger of dying or being swallowed up by demonic souls. Prolonged use will cost the caster years of their life. Have you ever wondered how he was able to force the common people of the kingdom to become slaves and dig for jewels in the mines? How did he tame the dragon demon and take possession of the castle?

– He used the spell again and again. – Dolan continued.

– Exactly! The spell was known to me, Lan and the creepy Valafar, and now you know.

– So now he can't use it and he's grown old?

– He's hiding face with a rejuvenation spell, but you're right.

– How did he get those spells?

– The King could afford to hide from evil eyes what was not for the common people. So I advise you to rest now in the tent next door, and set out on your adventure tomorrow.

– Yes... we heard the information about the pirate, but we didn't hear his name? Dolan was curious to know the villain's name.

– His name is Valafar. He was once the owner of a great pirate ship, but one day the sea spat him out onto the shores of our Kingdom.

Dolan smiled: – This... this is a full-fledged fantasy world! Yes, I agree that we need to gather all the information first. I think we'll manage somehow.

– Eh.... Cool- Athena took a big breath in and out while slapping her cheeks, she looked at the boys in her face and realized that she had to adapt somehow. Lan came over to the girl: -If you don't mind, I'll take you to your prepared tent where you can sleep.

– Okay, I'm grateful. – The boys left the Shaman's tent and entered on their own and began to work out a plan of what to do next. Francie took over.

– First, we need to get out of the maple forest and straight to the Morsals Mines, without attracting the attention of a creature that can make other people's fears come true, and find the mapmaker Versavia.

– Frank, what if the creature sees us and it's too late to get out?

– Dolan, I was thinking the same thing. We'll get the cartographer and get out of the mines if we're spotted.

– I hope it's a good plan. –Athena agreed with Francie's plan: – But, Dolan, what have you come to? You are genius.

– The Kingdom of Morsalia needs our help, and the root of the problem now sits on the throne of the true king, locked in a dungeon. We must use all our powers to rescue him.

– The whole group shouted with joy.

Suddenly, Lan entered the tent with bundles of local clothes.

– There. No one will understand you if you walk around in non-native clothes, but that's the only one the poor people will accept as their own. – Lan pointed at the shabby Stan.

– Ha-ha-ha! Stan has been mistaken for a bum! – Dolan couldn't help laughing.

– I just climbed over the window! I'm not a bum! – grinned Stan and quickly took the clothes offered to him. While the boys changed, Francie had another question.

– How far is it to the mines?

– About two suns and a star.

– Francie didn't understand what Lan was trying to tell her, but Dolan had just changed and came out to explain.

– She means two days and a night.

– Tomorrow we'll help you pack and give you some food for the journey. It's just enough to get you to the Dwarf Mountains. – Lan though hidden behind her coldness, was glad to help them.

– Thank you, and thank you for the clothes.

– Dolan twirled around Lan in a new linen shirt and a red cloak made of maple fiber, the thing resembled Canadian cloaks, but these were coarse and came down to his boots.

– Not necessary, the Shaman gave you all these cloaks for free, but your clothes are all different. – Francie came out of the partition wearing a dark bodysuit and trousers with a waistband that had lots of pockets with no bottoms sewn in.

– Oh, I thought they'd be useful for this. – She presented her with two dark curved sickles that looked like daggers.

– I thought these daggers would be good for you. – The lan put the two sharp daggers into Francie's hands.

– Wow! Frank, you're amazing! – Dolan looked admiringly at the dark sickles the Dark Elf presented.

– Don't worry, she wasn't the only one with weapons to help in an emergency, look under your boot. – Dolan took off one of his walking boots, a metal dagger like a crocodile's fang was hidden in the sole.

– Wow! – Athena, Stan, what's your weapon? – Athena came out of the partition wearing a khaki green linen shirt and was also given a red robe and weapon.

– Surprisingly, my robe has two large needle-like pins attached to it.

– Yes, you're right, but they can also come back to you after you've thrown them. Don't be afraid to catch them. – Lan sat down on the couch in their tent to see if the clothes would fit Stan, who took a long time to change but still showed himself to the boys.

Stan was wearing the same shirt as Dolan, but there was a massive iron net over the shirt.

– It's weird, even though it's iron, it's so easy for me.

– Yes, because in the event of a direct hit, this mesh can protect the wearer several times over. But I suggest you don't let the enemy hit you, or you'll have to repair it.

– Oh, I'll keep that in mind. And thanks for the sword, I don't know how to use it yet. – He pulled the thin blade out of its scabbard for a closer look and put it back.

– Well, you're ready for your journey. Tonight you will sleep in this tent, and tomorrow at dawn I will go with you as your guide and take you to the mines. – She stood up coldly and left the tent, where only four people remained.

– Are you... scared? – Dolan asked the boys as they started to undress to get ready for bed.

– I heard somewhere that fear is a good thing. Where there's darkness, there's the brightest light, we'll be alright, and if we're not, it's not the end. – Athena replied.

– You can set motivations if you need to.

– Surprised Dolan.

– Come on, let's go to bed early...

In the Maple Forest, where nature wanted to be so much better right now that it looked like a painting by a sick artist, there was a small tent with more space than it looked from the outside. They put on linen shirts that looked like pajamas and lay down on the makeshift hammocks that hung inside. The night under the maples was quiet and peaceful. The mist slowly enveloped the trees and bushes, creating an atmosphere of mystery and enigma. Everyone fell asleep except Athena, and it took her a long time to find a comfortable position, thinking how nice it would be to fall asleep in her comfortable bed.

As she fell asleep, she began to have nightmares that made her toss and turn in her sleep. She saw herself hanging over a precipice, clutching the wing of a stone gargoyle with one hand. Her right leg was bleeding, and her heart was beating so hard it seemed to jump out of her chest. With each passing moment, her hand sweated more and more until it slipped. Athena began to fall and woke up in a cold sweat from the inertia.

– It… was a nightmare. – Athena whispered. She saw the rays of the morning sun shining through the tent. She sighed with relief as she realized it was only a dream. But she still felt the fear and anxiety left over from the nightmare.

– And good morning, did you have a nightmare? – I was standing next to Athena's hammock.

– How long have you been standing there!? –Athena was startled out of her wits.

– I woke up while the sun was still up and decided to see if everything was all right, so I watched you and didn't want to wake you.

–Sometimes you're suspicious. – Athena jumped from the hammock and started to tidy up.

– Lan, could you wake the others? – Athena brushed her hair with what looked like a wooden comb. Lan woke everyone and gave them a meal of boiled meat she had caught on the hunt. The boys got dressed and waited outside for Lan to talk to the Shaman in his tent:

– So, have you decided which way to go to the mines? – The shaman sat in the lotus position and pondered over the maple bark in his hands, squeezing the wood hard and pouring syrup into a reddish leather bottle.

– Yes, we will go through his tomb. I want to see how he is. – Lan slid one of her daggers into the sheath on one of her hips.

– Take this, give it to Miss Athena... she'll need it. – The shaman screwed a makeshift cap onto the bottle and handed it to Lan.She took the substance in her hands.

– I noticed you gave the elven daggers to the girl who calls herself by a man's name...You felt the greatest compatibility with our power in her, too, didn't you? – He pulled back the screen and looked at the company with Lan.

– That's why I gave her the daggers. – Lan walked out of the tent and joined the boys.

– Now we can go! – Lan pointed to a path that wasn't near the guys a second ago.

– Trees are good at hiding hidden paths...be careful not to get lost. – They left the dark elf camp and said goodbye to the Shaman, who had been covered by the Maple trees. Dolan waved goodbye to them with his right hand and scratched the rash on his arm hidden under his cloak.

– Are you all right, funny boy? – Lan asked.

– Yes!

– Good… – The forest was getting deader and deader, and it was clear that the boys were on the right path to the Morsal Mines, which were killing the trees with their air, and they were walking slowly but surely.