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“THAT thirty-minute time limit had me a little worried at first, but it turned out to be a walk in the park,” Hatta said.
The few monsters that did crop up were completely harmless, letting them proceed at an unusually fast pace.
But just as the four thought they were home-free, a deer jumped out in front of the coach.
“What now, Ali—” Hatta looked over, and Alice was, naturally, getting some shuteye.
He and Haigha decided to take matters into their own hands and hopped out of the coach.
“Would you mind getting out of our way?”
“I’m the White Queen! Turn back immediately; it’s dangerous out here.”
You’re a deer, Hatta thought.
“Listen to the dragon’s footsteps.”
What footsteps? Haigha thought.
“What’s this guy’s deal, anyway?”
“I think we’re supposed to be fooled by its disguise, which isn’t really working.”
“So, you’re saying it’s a monster?”
“Animals aren’t exactly known for their speaking abilities, now, are they?”
They figured they’d just ignore it, but the deer kept on rambling.
“Don’t throw your lives away; turn back while you still can! I’ll keep the dragon busy. Don’t worry about me; there’s nothing I, the White Queen, can’t handle!” it finished, winking playfully.
At this point, Hatta and Haigha felt they had to say something before things got out of hand.
“I don’t know how to say this, but—”
“Yes? Go on.”
“You…know we know you’re a deer…right?”
“Deer? I’m no deer, I’m the White Que—” the deer trailed off as he realized the jig was up. “H-How long have you known?!”
“Since the start.”
“Why didn’t you say so before?!” he wailed, burying his face in his hooves. “Do I look like a clown to you? You think this is funny, you sickos?!”
“We’re sorry, really.”
“Sorry” didn’t seem to cut it as the deer started rolling back and forth in shame. Haigha, on the other hand, stood there smiling, happy to share the pain with someone else.
“Say, what kind of spell did the Demon Lord put on this forest?” Hatta asked. “I’ve heard it’s not your regular illusion magic, but I’d like to know a little more.”
“Why should I tell you?”
“We’ll forget everything that happened.”
“You’ve got a deal! So basically, the Demon Lord used his Poem of Jabberwocky to surround the forest with that thin layer of fog you probably noticed on the way in. Once inhaled, the fog produces illusions from inside the body. It’s a high-level spell, which regular dispels can’t touch.”
“He can deploy magic over an area this large? That’s just…wow.”
Hatta and Haigha exchanged glances, then shifted their gaze to Seb observing from a distance.
“Is something wrong?”
“White said you could give the Demon Lord a good run for his money. Not like I don’t trust the guy, but how do you plan on taking him down?”
“His magic might be powerful, but he doesn’t stand a chance in close-quarter combat. As long as I can avoid every spell he throws my way, and I can get in close, he’s as good as dead.”
When Hatta thought about it, it seemed no matter how fatigued he got, Seb hadn’t taken a sliver of damage, not to mention that he took down anything he touched in one shot.
Over the course of their journey, however, Hatta had acquired a much greater kill count than him. It seemed Seb excelled purely in single combat.
“So, basically, you’re a one-trick pony. Also, one other thing has been on my mind for the longest time now—why in Wonderland do you serve Alice?”
“To put it simply? Because it’s fun.”
“You find all this fun?” Hatta scoffed.
“Well, no. Even I couldn’t have predicted this. I just want to go home and rest.”
The arbitrary nature of Alice’s actions seemed to have finally thrown even Seb for a loop.
“Are you seriously planning to take on the Demon Lord? You should really quit while you’re still ahead. You could get seriously hurt!” the deer warned, its doe-y eyes filled with genuine concern for the party.
The deer was a kind monster at heart, as evidenced by the fact that it tried shooing them away without inflicting bodily harm.
“I appreciate the concern, but we can’t just turn back now. Sorry, buddy.” Hatta turned to Haigha. “We can’t stay here for much longer. Let’s get moving.”
Haigha caught on to Hatta’s concern almost immediately and got in the coach ASAP.
Was this due to running low on time? Not really—they just didn’t want Alice to serve their new furry friend for dinner.
“Off we go, then!”
What if Hatta, the White Rabbit, and the Deer fell into a love triangle? Wouldn’t that be something? Haigha thought, staring into the Deer’s longing eyes as they faded further into the distance.
“Something wrong?”
“It’s nothing, really.”
“You sure? You were making this really stupid face just now. We need you in tip-top shape, Haigha. The Demon Lord’s castle is right up ahead.”
“I know, but I think we have other things to worry about,” she said, pointing to some enormous creature.
“Is that a G-Griffin?”
A creature, part-eagle and part-lion, was sleeping peacefully right in the middle of the road.
“I sense powerful magical energy. What kind of a monster is it?” Haigha asked.
“That thing’s not a monster,” Hatta scoffed, “it’s a legendary creature. It has sharp talons and fangs and is known for bringing a swift death to any and all who dare anger it. Seb, can we squeeze through somehow? If not, let’s just go around.”
“The road is much too narrow to squeeze through,” the butler answered. “And as much as I’d love to go around, that simply isn’t an option as we’re running dangerously low on time.”
“What’re our other options? Picking a fight with the damn thing?”
“We could also try abandoning the coach and traversing the forest on foot, although we might not make it on time, no matter how fast we run, and then there’s always the possibility of us getting lost.”
They had five minutes left. The clock was ticking.
“You better get up right…now?” Hatta’s voice trailed off as he noticed Haigha staring into the distance, pale to the bone. “What’cha looking at—” He lost his voice the second he saw Alice on the Griffin’s back.
“What in Wonderland are you doing up there, my lady?” Seb cried.
“I’m feeling it out. It’s not quite as fluffy and soft as the sheep, but it’s definitely a top-tier contender. A griffin, right? I hereby dub thee Griffy!”
“I must say that’s a rather cute name indeed.”
It went without saying at this point, but the princess and her butler really were something else.
“Do I look cool?”
“Of course you do; what could possibly be cooler than the world’s first griffin knight? Dragon knights wish they could be this cool.”
“I know what could be cooler,” Alice said, banging Griffy on the head. “Wakey wakey, sleepyhead.”
The griffin looked around in confusion as Hatta and Haigha screamed on the inside.
To make matters worse, a lizard-faced humanoid monster appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It seemed to be an intermediate-level boss monster based on its aura alone, which certainly didn’t help quell that internal screaming.
“So, you’re the ones who managed to get past Humpty. I’m the guy who owns this place, and you ain’t going nowhere ’til you get past us first. Also, since when was that griffin there?”
Three minutes left on the clock with a legendary creature, and boss-class monster blocking the path. The odds couldn’t have possibly been more stacked against them.
“It doesn’t seem hostile. Try giving it some food, my lady.”
Seb, however, was not about to throw in the towel.
“All I’ve got on me is a monster sandwich,” Alice replied.
“That’ll do just fine.”
Were they planning to poison Griffy? Or were they banking on it succumbing to illusions? Nobody knew, but that didn’t stop Alice from tossing her sandwich inside its mouth anyway.
They all watched with nervous anticipation, waiting for something crazy to happen, only for Griffy to gobble it up like it was candy.
“Aww, he looks so happy.”
“I think it likes you, my lady. I hear Griffins can comprehend human language and have two special abilities: Wind Gust and Roar. You might just want to try it out on those monsters right there.”
“I guess we’ll see if it works. Griffy, use Roar.” Griffy graced the monsters with an ear-piercing roar, locking them in place. “Good boy! Now use Wind Gust.”
“W-Wait! I’m the great Demon Lord’s—”
Griffy flapped his wings, sending the monsters flying over the horizon as Hatta and Haigha just looked on in disbelief.
“You two get on Griffy’s back. Quickly now! We’ve only got a minute left.” Seb guided Hatta and Haigha onto the Griffin’s back. He then cut off the reins, sending the horses galloping toward the exit, and got on himself. “Can you see where I’m going with this, my lady?”
“Do I look blind to you? Griffy, grab the coach and get us out of here.”
Griffy seized the coach in his talons and lifted off with a majestic roar, ferrying the four outside the Nameless Forest in the blink of an eye.
“We made it, with a whopping five seconds to spare too.”
The thin veil of light around them faded the second Seb finished speaking. It had been close—worryingly close—but they’d managed to scrape by the skin of their teeth.
“Who’s a good boy? You are! Yes, you are,” Alice praised, petting Griffy. “You too, Haigha; show him some love.”
“Who, me? S-Sure, I guess.” Griffy screeched with joy as Haigha caressed his back. “What a good boy!”
“Told you.”
Haigha had quickly taken a shine to Griffy.
“Thanks, buddy. We couldn’t have done it without you.” Hatta lowered his guard, petting Griffy. “What’re we gonna do about the runaway horses, though?”
“That I do not know. I was expecting us to converge back at the exit, but that didn’t quite go according to plan, as you’ve so astutely noticed,” Seb said.
“Who needs horses when we’ve got the next best thing?” Alice ventured.
“You might just be onto something, my lady.” Seb bonded the broken reins back together and attached them to Griffy.
“Now, this is what I call cool,” Alice said, beaming at the world’s very first griffin-drawn coach—a mode of transportation worthy of the gods themselves.
“Let’s get a move on then, shall we?
And so, the four made their way to the Demon Lord’s castle, their unlikely companion scaring away all who dared approach.