Day One More Passed, and the Carriage Continued Hurrying Forward Without Stopping. However, Paltio Interrupted the Journey When He Noticed That One of the Horses Was Slightly Limping.
"Pax, we need to stop," he said firmly. "One of the horses is injured."
Pax frowned but eventually relented. It wasn't out of obligation but because Paltio had been kind enough to return his energy during their last battle.
They stopped by a clearing in the forest. With the help of the Ulimeo sphere, Paltio quickly healed the horse's leg. Meanwhile, the rest of the group began to feel the toll of hunger—they'd been traveling for an entire day without eating.
"We can't stop for long," Pax remarked, arms crossed. "If we reach our destination sooner, you'll see your parents earlier."
"I know," Paltio replied with exhaustion in his voice, "but..."
A loud growl from Ron's stomach interrupted the conversation. Everyone exchanged glances; even Pax's stomach betrayed him with a silent grumble.
"Fine, we'll make a short stop," Pax conceded reluctantly. "But only for a little while. Remember, we still have two more days of travel to Fortelia."
"Yes!" they all exclaimed in unison.
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse," Ron joked, rubbing his stomach. The horses shot him accusatory looks, and he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just kidding! But seriously, I'm starving."
"What's in the provisions?" Alita asked, turning to Paltio.
"Well, I think they packed some cereals and bread," he replied confidently.
Ron rushed to the carriage trunk, eager to satisfy his hunger. But as soon as he opened it, his enthusiasm vanished instantly. Instead of food, they found a gaping empty void.
"And where's the food?" Ron asked, incredulous and frustrated. "Where did it go?"
"It can't be," Alita replied, stepping closer to inspect. She, too, was surprised to find the hollow space inside the trunk. "It's true, Paltio, come look at this."
Paltio approached and peered into the trunk. Only half a bag of grains remained.
"This isn't possible… They filled the provisions before we left," he murmured, bewildered.
"Some idiot must've played a prank on you, kid," Pax interjected indifferently. "Some fool from the Red Shadows' army probably stole the supplies and left this hole as a 'joke.'"
"How do you know that?" Mok asked, frowning.
"Because they used to do that to me when I was just a field soldier," Pax answered with a shrug. "Rookie stuff."
"Damn it… And we didn't even notice until now," Paltio lamented, running a hand through his hair.
"Don't worry, Master," Mok intervened calmly. "There's bound to be a solution. For now, the best course of action is to gather food. I'll go look for something edible." With that, he grabbed some blue fire and ventured into the woods.
"Hey, Golden," Paltio called out, "if I use the Ulimeo sphere, will I be able to repair the wood of this trunk?"
"Of course," Golden replied. "The sphere can heal inanimate objects too."
Paltio placed the sphere in front of the trunk, and magically, the large hole began to close. Within seconds, the trunk was as good as new.
"Amazing!" Alita and Ron exclaimed in unison.
"I'll go gather food for the horses," Pax announced, adjusting his cloak. "And you lot, collect some branches to make a fire. That way we can cook whatever Mok brings back."
"Understood," Paltio replied with a nod.
Everyone split up to handle their tasks and dispersed. Meanwhile, Golden took the opportunity to warn Paltio about using the sphere.
"Remember, young prince," Golden said seriously, "although the sphere can heal anything, you mustn't use it lightly. Every time you heal someone or something, there's a risk of unexpected side effects. This is why Avocios entrusted the power of the scepter to your kind—to prevent abuse."
"What kind of side effects?" Alita asked, intrigued.
Golden paused thoughtfully before answering.
"For instance, you might end up with a horn growing out of your head that will gradually disappear over two or three days."
Alita imagined herself sprouting a unicorn-like horn from her forehead and shuddered.
"You'd better point out that thing somewhere else, Paltio!"
They all shared a brief laugh at the idea, but the concern about their lack of provisions still lingered in the air. Nevertheless, they decided to stay calm and work together to solve the problem.
"Alright, I'll keep it safe in my bag," Paltio said, ensuring the Ulimeo sphere was secure. "And remember, I can use it, but only once per day, per person. Is that clear, Prince?"
"Yes," responded Paltio, the prince of Avocadolia, with determination.
Meanwhile, Pax returned to the camp carrying food for the horses. The others had already gathered enough branches to start a fire when they saw Mok approaching, dragging a large animal that looked like a wild boar.
"Wow! And where did you find that?" Ron asked, impressed by the size of the creature.
"Well, I found it around…," Mok replied modestly. "We Reeds are also skilled hunters, you know."
"Excellent work, Mok. As always," Paltio commented with a smile, while Alita added:
"Interesting… And not a single stain on your suit."
"Hmph! Show-off," Pax muttered under his breath, arms crossed.
Golden, observing the group with curiosity, interjected:
"How strange that this world has wild animals."
"Wild animals?" Paltio repeated, intrigued.
"Yes, Prince," Golden explained. "During my countless travels across the universe alongside Lord Avocios, we encountered a planet where creatures were similar to those—but they lacked thoughts or the ability to speak. It makes me reflect on this place... A planet where avocados take human form, just as your enemies do. It makes me wonder why Lord Avocios chose to settle here rather than elsewhere."
"What do you mean by 'human forms'?" Alita asked, curious.
"Well," Golden continued, "there's a planet in a distant galaxy inhabited by beings somewhat like you, but without pigmentation or leaves. They don't have your skin tone or the shells on their backs either. Some even have hair covering parts of their bodies instead. It's different, yet fascinating."
"I thought there was no life beyond this world," Mok remarked, processing the information with astonishment. "But hearing you talk like this makes me want to investigate further."
"So, are there people like us?" Paltio asked, growing increasingly interested in the topic. "People who talk and all that, but without our skin color or unique traits?"
"Well, well! The prince is showing interest in something… That's a first!" Ron joked, eliciting laughter from the group.
"Yes, lad," Golden continued. "There are many forms of life in this vast universe. I hope someday you'll get to explore it. But I believe that the race—the so-called humans—isn't ready for your kind yet. They'd treat you as anomalies."
"Are they dangerous, then?" the prince asked, concern creeping into his voice.
"Some of them are," Golden replied seriously. "But there are also good ones. Occasionally, I'd accompany Avocios on visits to them. Of course, we'd take another form on that planet."
Pax abruptly interrupted the conversation:
"Enough talk already! Are we going to eat or what?"
Everyone realized they had forgotten their hunger while listening to Golden. Without wasting any more time, they got to work preparing the wild boar's meat. As always, Mok took charge of cooking it.
"As always, Mok is working his magic," Paltio remarked with a smile.
Meanwhile, Golden muttered quietly to himself:
"What an interesting planet… Animals, fruits, vegetables, and other inanimate objects in human form, and some remaining in their primal state, wild. Lord Avocios sometimes does strange things." A faint laugh echoed inside his helmet.
Suddenly, Paltio asked:
"Hey, Golden, do you think Avocios is still here, or has he gone to another planet? If he's not here, the search will be much harder."
Golden responded calmly:
"Don't worry. I can still sense his presence on this plane. So if he must be anywhere, it's in this world."
Once Mok finished cooking the meat and everything was ready, he served a piece to each person. The aroma was irresistible.
"It smells good," Pax said, peeking down from his perch in a nearby tree. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells."
Everyone began eating, quickly becoming enraptured by the flavor of the meat. Of course, Pax ate apart from the others, hiding behind the tree trunk to avoid removing his helmet and revealing his face. However, from his makeshift shelter, he shouted:
"It's good, butler!"
"Thank you," Mok replied, accepting the compliment with a slight bow of his head.
Pax climbed down from the tree to grab more food, but the others seized the opportunity to ask him a question they'd been curious about for some time.
"Why don't you ever take off your helmet?" Ron asked bluntly.
Pax feigned indifference and quickly responded with an excuse:
"It's a decree from my leader, Tejod. I'm not allowed to remove it."
With that, he returned to the tree with another piece of meat, leaving the others with more questions than answers.
"Wow, I'm stuffed," Ron said, lying back on the ground. "If I eat anything else, I'm going to explode."
"I don't usually eat much either, but this meal was delicious," Alita added, wiping her hands clean.
"Thanks, Mok," Paltio said with a grateful smile, as the others nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Toco-Toco emerged from the hologram projected by Golden, floating near the group. It even seemed he had started salivating at the sight of the meat.
"And you're not eating?" Paltio asked, turning to Golden.
"No, lad," Golden replied calmly. "I'm more of a vegetarian."
"Ah, I see… Or is it because you can't interact with physical objects in your holographic form?" Paltio joked, prompting laughter from the group.
"Well, yes, that too," Golden admitted with a smile, "but mainly, I don't eat meat. Though Toco-Toco always represents me in those cases."
"Can we take the leftover meat for the journey?" Ron asked hopefully.
"I doubt it," Mok responded. "We have no way to keep it fresh. Without a refrigerator, it'll spoil quickly and become useless."
"That's too bad…" Ron lamented, still wishing he could enjoy more of the meat the next day.
"But, Alita, you're a Hassdalia," Golden interjected. "Why don't you use your magic to freeze the meat?"
"Well, sir…" Alita replied, somewhat embarrassed, "I still don't know how to use magic."
"Oh! My apologies for asking," Golden said quickly, noticing her discomfort.
"It's alright," she responded with a small smile.
"Perhaps I can keep it fresh, but only for a day," Mok interrupted, pulling a ring from one of his pockets. He pointed it at the remaining meat, which instantly froze solid.
"Wow! That's impressive," Alita remarked, astonished. "How did you do that? Is it magic, right?"
"Well, yes and no," Mok answered mysteriously.
"What do you mean by that?" Ron asked, intrigued.
"It's trapped magic," Mok explained. "It's when an enchantment is cast on an object, allowing it to carry magic for short periods of time. It's not as powerful as the magic of great sorcerers, but it can be quite useful in certain situations."
He pulled a box from his coat and opened it, revealing six rings identical to the one he wore on his finger, each adorned with stones of different colors.
"And what are these?" Alita asked, eyeing the rings curiously. "Why do you have seven rings, including the one you're wearing?"
"They're trapped magic rings," Mok replied. "Each contains an element or combination of elements. For example, this one I'm wearing has ice, represented by the celestial stone."
"So, does the one with the red stone control hot water?" Ron asked, pointing to another ring.
"No, lad," Mok corrected patiently. "The red stone is fire. The blue is water, the white is air, the brown is earth, the yellow is electricity, and the green is nature."
The group stared at the rings in fascination, imagining the possibilities behind these small, magically charged objects.
"This is so cool!" Alita exclaimed, gazing at the rings in awe. "Who gave you these rings?"
"Yes, who gave you such a great gift?" Golden asked, genuinely curious. Pax, overhearing the conversation, also became interested. From his corner, he thought about how useful it would be to have one of those rings—or at least know where to get them.
"I didn't know you had things like that! This is amazing!" Paltio said excitedly, thrilled by the discovery.
Mok gave a faint smile before responding:
"Well, Master, I acquired these rings during my travels thanks to a friend of mine. She was a great sorceress who gave them to me as a reward for a mission in which we helped her in Fortelia. Unfortunately, I never saw her again."
"Oh! What a shame," Golden commented, his tone tinged with nostalgia. "But what was this woman like?"
"Well… she always wore an owl mask over her face. She never revealed her true identity," Mok replied, recalling the encounter.
"Did you say an owl mask?" Golden interrupted, frowning beneath his holographic helmet. "Then that fool is still giving things away to mortals…"
"Do you know her, Golden?" Mok asked, surprised by the hologram's reaction.
"Do I know her? It's Meliradal, the sorceress. One of Avocios' guardians, like me," Golden replied seriously. "An old acquaintance, though we don't always see eye to eye."
"Interesting…" Paltio murmured thoughtfully. "Do you think that if we find her, she might know something about Avocios?"
"It's possible," Golden said after a moment of silence. "And if what the butler says is true, she might still be in Fortelia."
Mok nodded.
"The last time I saw her was in Fortelia, on one of the mountains."
"So, do you think she's still there?" Paltio asked, his voice tinged with both hope and urgency.
"It's likely," Golden responded. "I have questions for her. Besides, maybe she can help me get out of this hologram. We need to head to Fortelia now—no more delays."
"Maybe she could also teach me how to use magic," Alita added excitedly at the prospect.
"It's possible, girl," Golden indicated, giving her a faint holographic smile. "But first, we need to find her."
With renewed determination in their eyes, everyone climbed back into the carriage. The group were resolute in reaching Fortelia and meeting the enigmatic sorceress Meliradal, whose aid could prove crucial to their respective quests.
The carriage set off once again down the road, as time continued its relentless march. There were 26 days left before Tejod's deadline would expire.