Chapter 16: The Straw Village Scholar

The Cyber Lion, its shining paws silent, bore them quickly away from the turmoil of the Hearthstone and the frenzied carnival town. Auren, Rose, and Sunny rode in tandem, leaving the thumping music and the smell of spilled ale far behind as they dived deeper into the soft hush of the forest. The air became cool and fresh, a welcome solace from the stifling heat of the crowd.

"Auren," Sunny spoke up behind him, his tone full of surprise and admiration. "I didn't know you were that cool."

Auren laughed, a low, easy sound. "Really? Do you actually think I'm cool?"

Rose, in front of Auren, turned a little and playfully rapped her knuckles against his head. "You're a fool," she muttered lovingly, then turned to Sunny. "By the way, where are we going, exactly?"

Auren recounted the bartender's directions, the bizarre details of the conversation still fresh in his mind. "The bartender said there's an old man living in Straw Village named Bachan. He said Bachan is a former mage scientist at the Scholar's Plateau, but he proposed to Scarlet, and then Scarlet threw him off the plateau."

Sunny's face scrunched up in bewilderment. "Then, so what's wrong with that? What's the big deal if he asked her to marry him? She could just refuse him, that's all."

Rose glared at Sunny. "Then, Sunny, if she's a 'shithead' like this, you maybe have less of a chance of hiding yourself."

Sunny's face twisted up into a mask of utter fright. "What?! No, no, no!" he cried, the idea clearly repugnant to him.

"Don't worry, Sunny," Auren told him, though there was still a glimmer of uncertainty in his own head regarding the type of Scarlet. "Everything will be alright."

Before long, the trees thinned out to give way to open fields. In the distance, they could see a cluster of houses. They arrived at Straw Village, which in fact appeared very small and unpretentious. All the houses were made simply out of woven straw and dried mud, which blended completely with the surrounding countryside. Plain, unobtrusive people went about their business, weeding tiny gardens and repairing tools. There was no pretentious decoration, only peaceful, uncomplicated living.

"This village does seem quiet," Auren thought, enjoying the brief respite from the recent unrest.

A lady walked by, holding a basket of berries.

"Hi, miss, do you happen to know—" Sunny started, but his voice broke off as he saw the lady's face looking back at him, and his inner voice immediately wailed, "BEAUTY!" His mind went spinning: 'Lady, marry me! I'm not that short, you know!'

The woman, apparently unaware of Sunny's mental monologue, smiled courteously. "Yes? What do you want?"

Sunny came to an abrupt stop, completely lost in his stunned thoughts. Auren intervened hastily. "We are looking for Bachan," he clarified, with a brisk, tactful jab to Sunny's ribs.

"Oh, he resides there," the woman replied, gesturing toward a tiny, slightly askew straw hut at the village border. She smiled at them warmly before walking away.

"Thanks!" Auren yelled after her.

Sunny stood there and watched her go, a soft sigh escaping him. He slumped a bit, his shoulders drooping, then turned to Auren with a soft scowl on his face, a hint of childlike pique in his voice. "I lost my chance because of you," he growled

"Are you crazy? She's a lady!" Auren snapped back, flabbergasted.

Sunny closed his eyes and let out a broad, beatific grin across his face. "That's awesome!"

Rose, hands on her hips, gazed at Sunny exasperated. "Are you a pervert?"

"No, no! I'm a good boy," Sunny quickly protested, though his grin didn't quite disappear.

"Anyway," Rose sighed, rolling her eyes, "let's go to old man Bachan."

They walked up to the pointed-out house. Tap, tap, Auren knocked on the straw door. "Is Mr. Bachan home?"

The creaking door slowly let in an old man with bright, knowing eyes and a long, uncoiled beard. "Hey, kids! Any news about Scarlet?" He burst out nervously, his eyes glinting with a childlike eagerness.

The three of them blinked in surprise. "No, no, you're confusing us!" Sunny hastened to explain, advancing. "In fact, we want to ask something."

"Aw, my fault!" the old man replied, a smile wrinkling the edges of his eyes. "Come on in."

They all came in and, to their surprise, found a warm interior. Auren, Rose, and Sunny sat on a well-worn straw sofa tied tightly together, while the old man pulled up a wooden chair directly in front of them. "So, kids, what do you want to know?" he said, his eyes piercing through his slouching position.

"We require the position of the Scholar's Plateau," Auren said, cutting straight to the chase.

. Bachan rubbed his beard, a wry glint appearing on his lips. "So, you two are going to ask Scarlet to marry you, eh? But you youngsters are small; grow up some more bigger." He then pointed directly at Rose, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "And you, wee lass, you're from one of those newfangled social clubs, I see. Haha!"

Rose, who was utterly perplexed, responded quickly, "No, you're once more confusing!" 

Bachan merely laughed, stroking his beard. "Oh yeah? Oh, I am such a genius! Hahaha."

Auren bent forward towards Sunny and spoke softly. "Don't you think he's angry?"

Sunny blinked in surprise. "Really? I did not see it." Without further thought, Sunny turned towards the old man. "Are you crazy, old man?" He blurted out bluntly, his voice crisp and completely filter-free.

Auren's eyes widened as he clamped his jaw shut to prevent a groan. What?! Is he daft? he thought, glancing from Sunny to Bachan, expecting the natural umbrage….

. Bachan leaned forward, his eyes intense now, regarding each of them in turn. "Everyone in this world is mad, kids. Listen, what sort of mad you want to be is in your hands. But one thing is certain: only mad people can be happy in this world. That's what I've learned from my experience. Mad on the outside, wise on the inside—that's what makes a man hard, like a diamond."

As the children heard him, a silent comprehension came to their faces. They understood that this man, eccentric as he was, held a deep sagacity in him, which suggested a richer, more complicated history. A new silence descended in the room, thickening the previous one.

Auren held Bachan's stare, his own eyes shining with a sudden, harsh brightness. "Then we take the madness that saves," he said, his words low but unyielding, a soft echo of the anger she'd left him with in the cafe. "We look to the Scholar's Plateau for answers. Answers that could save more than our own lives."

Bachan merely smiled, a knowing twinkle in his eye. "Ah. Then your madness is for purpose, not folly. A rare kind indeed." He leaned back in his chair, a new, almost serious atmosphere surrounding him. "The way is open, young ones. But the Whispering Whirlpool tests more than mere courage."

Kids—what do you mean??