The Whisperwood forest is whisperless as usual. They really should give this forest another name. Call it the Talltree Forest or Monster Forest, or Snowy Forest. Damn, I’m bad at naming things.

  “CJ, are you listening?” Penelope asks.

  “If I’m being honest with you, nope,” I say as we walk through the forest.

  “I asked you how you managed to scare off The Blitz Demon?” she asks for the fifth time.

  “Like I said the first four times you asked. I scared him away.”

  “He’s telling the truth, Princess. I saw him do it,” Hopper says as he keeps an eye out.

  “I still don’t see how you managed to do that. The Blitz Demon is one of the most dangerous Demons out there. His attacks are so fast you don’t even realize you’ve been hurt. He once cut a man's head off, and that man kept talking for a good couple of seconds before he even realized he had been cut,” she explains.

  “What can I say? I’m The Chosen One.”

  With a sigh, Penelope shakes her head. “Fine. What are we hunting today, Hopper?”

  “I think we’re on the trail of a worg or at least it sounds like one,” Hopper explains.

  “Just one? They usually travel in packs, odd,” Penelope says, contemplating.

  “Maybe it’s a lone wolf and doesn’t need a pack. Maybe it felt too cool for a group, or it got rejected by its mate,” I joke.

  Hopper stops as he listens. “It sounds injured. It’s just up ahead.”

  From the treeline, we see a clearing in which a worg is smack dab in the center. Its monstrously large body heaves in the winter air. Along its fur-covered back, there are a number of arrows, and its toothy jaw is bloody. As I watch, I get a bad feeling from it.

  “I think we should leave it alone,” I say.

  “Why?” Penelope asks.

  “Let's call it The Chosen One’s intuition. Something is wrong here. I can’t quite place it, but it’s not good,” I say as that bad feeling intensifies.

  Hopper looks at the beast and then turns to me. “That’s a good enough reason for me. I’m not too keen on heading out into an open field either.”

  Penelope hesitates before letting out a sigh. “Ok. I haven’t gotten this far by ignoring a gut feeling. Let’s get out of here,” she says.

  As we turn to leave, the bad feeling grows into a terrible one. Looking back at the worg, I see a group of three heading out into the clearing. A purple-haired Elf, a rose-covered Dryad, and a blond Dwarf. As they get closer to the worg, that bad feeling grows. Damn it!

  Without thinking, I rush out into the clearing, much to Hopper and Penelope's surprise.

  “Get away from it!” I yell

  Viola's ears perk up as she turns to me. “Chosen One?” she says, stopping in her tracks.

  As I get closer, the ground starts to rumble and the earth starts to crack. Unable to move forward, I watch as the worg is swallowed whole by a gigantic white worm. The worm towers high into the sky, clear above the trees. Viola, Ruby, and William rush back to the treeline as I also turn back. Running through the snow, I watch as Hopper and Penelope also begin to run.

  The gigantic white worm crashes back down into the ground, letting out a terrible shrill. The rumbling resumes as it burrows its way towards me. Why is it that everything wants to kill me?

  As I catch up to the group, I ask, “What in the hells is that thing?”

  Hopper hops his way through the forest. “It’s a White Worm.”

  “No shit!” I say, watching the earth behind us starting to rise.

  The worm bursts out of the ground, lurching towards us, but before it can reach us, Penelope grabs both of us and jumps with all her might. We go flying, narrowly avoiding the white worm. The moment we hit the ground, we burst into a sprint as the worm continues to follow.

  “We need a place it can’t burrow to. Somewhere with dense ground,” Penelope says as we continue to run.

  “Can’t we just use the magic paper that the Professor gave to us!?” I yell out.

  “We need to be still for at least a second to use that. We’re not going to get that chance anytime soon,” Penelope explains.

  “Great!!” I say sarcastically.

  “The cliff! The one where the goblin cave is! That cliff is solid rock!” Hopper exclaims.

  “Isn’t that like two hours that way? Wait, aren’t we on top of that cliff?” I realize.

  Penelope and Hopper both simultaneously say, “That’s it!!”

  “Penelope, can you [Step] with the two of us?” I ask

  “Yeah, it’ll take a lot more MP, but I can do it,” she explains.

  “Great, then I’m going to trust you to save our lives,” I say hesitantly.

  The worm rushes forward as we pivot hard to the left. The rumbling grows closer. The worm crests out of the snow-covered ground. In the distance, the cliff edge comes into view. Trusting Penelope, I run straight for the cliff, not slowing down for even a second. Penelope grabs both of us by the shoulder, and right at the last second she [Steps] to the left. Looking to my right, I watch as the worm goes flying off the cliff edge and into the air. Slowly, it falls and lands hard against the ground.

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  “Is it dead?” I ask.

  As if answering my question, I watch as it begins to coil and then burrow back into the ground. The three of us let out a breath of relief as we collapse to the ground.

  “You guys forgot to mention that there are giant death worms out in the forest,” I say in between breaths.

  Hopper tries to catch his breath as he speaks, “Usually, they’re further into the mountains. Didn’t think to mention them since they rarely leave the Ravclin mountain range up north.”

  Penelope plops down to the ground, looking down the cliff. “The fall didn’t kill it. We should report this to the Professor. That things a [LvL. 40] at best,” she says.

  “Does anyone find it odd that there was a worg out in the middle of a clearing where a White Worm was just waiting to strike?” I ask.

  “What are you saying?” Hopper asks.

  “I’m saying I’ve seen a lot of traps in my lifetime and that sure as hells felt like one,” I say.

  Penelope stands up, having caught her breath. “Are you saying something was using the worg as bait?”

  “Think about it. The worg was already hurt when we got to it. It was out in an open clearing. It was bait, and I think we were the intended catch of the day, or at least someone like us,” I explain.

  Penelope thinks for a second before looking towards the forest. “Hopper, do you hear anything out there?” she says, unsheathing her greatsword.

  Hopper listens for a second before looking surprised. “Not a sound. Not the chirp of a bird or the scratching of a squirrel. Completely and utterly silent,” he says, drawing his bow.

  “Check again and listen closely,” Penelope says, her eyes darting from tree to tree.

  “Ok, but I don’t- Wait, I hear whispering.”

  “There’s only one type of creature with the intelligence and ability to set a trap like that. Dark Elves. We should use those magic papers now,” Penelope says with a hint of fear in her voice.

  Rustling through my bag, I pull out the magic paper and watch as a black arrow pierces straight through it. Penelope and Hopper flinch as their papers are also pierced through. Looking towards the forest, I don’t see anything, but I hear the low drone of a whisper. The whisper is in a language that I don’t understand, but the words send a chill down my spine.

  “What are they saying, Penelope?” I ask, hoping that she understands it.

  “It’s old elvish. They’re saying, ‘You do not belong here. These forests are ours. You have stolen them from us. We, in turn, will steal your life from you. Pray to your false gods if that gives you comfort,’” she says.

  “So, not a lot of room for negotiations,” I joke.

  “Nope.”

  “Lovely. Then translate for me,” I say as I step forward.

  “What are you doing?” Penelope says with a worried tone.

  I give her a wink, ignoring her question. “Oh, denizens of the Whisperwood forest. I, The Chosen One, have come to speak to you. Show yourself so that we may speak on even ground,” I say as Penelope reluctantly translates.

  Stepping forth from the shadow of the tree, I see a tall purple-skinned Elf with platinum hair and purple eyes. “You are The Chosen One?” she asks as Penelope quickly translates.

  “Yes, I am, and I want to hear you out.”

  The Dark Elf gives a small chuckle. “I do not know what scheme you are plotting, but the gods would never grant the [Title] of The Chosen One to a betrayer like us,” she says.

  “Maybe they were in a forgiving mood, but there’s no doubt that I am The Chosen One,” I [Lie].

  She looks me up and down. “Let us say that what you claim is true. Why shouldn’t I strike you down where you stand?”

  “That’s simple. You wouldn’t gain anything out of it. In fact, it would only be a detriment.”

  “And why is that?” she says as her ear twitches.

  “Because you don’t work for the forces of evil. You just want us out of your forest. Am I right?” I say, watching her ears twitch.

  “You are an astute one. You are right. We do not ally ourselves with the forces of evil, but that does not mean we ally ourselves with the kingdom,” she says, staring daggers at Penelope.

  Kingdom? Aren’t we an empire? Wait, think back to history class. The Elven Kingdom! The Whisperwood forest falls straight into where one of the Elven kingdoms used to be. I can use that.

  “It would seem your knowledge is outdated. The Whisperwood forest no longer falls under the control of the Elven kingdom that used to rule here,” I say, seeing a path for victory.

  The Dark Elf furrows her brow as Penelope translates. “Impossible. It has been a mere thirty years. How could they have fallen so quickly?” she asks, searching me for lies.

  “Oh, you know those pesky humans. Always in a hurry. One of them managed to conquer the entire continent, including the old Elven kingdoms, but that might be a good thing for you,” I say, placing the bait.

  “Continue,” she says with a hint of curiosity.

  “You want your forest back. The Nova Empire would be more than happy to negotiate that, and I think you’ll find them much more agreeable than the previous rulers. After all, I happen to know them,” I say, much to Penelope's surprise.

  “I don’t have that kind of negotiative power,” Penelope says to me.

  Keeping a smile on my face, I respond, “Well, you'd better find some soon or they’re going to turn us into pincushions. Lie, Penelope, lie.”

  As Penelope translates, I watch as the Dark Elf's face contorts with surprise. “We will take your proposal to our chieftain. We will expect an envoy by tomorrow.”

  “Lovely. I’ll pass along the message,” I say as the Dark Elf disappears into the forest.

  As the whispers subside, I look over at Penelope. “Great work. Now we will never come back to this forest ever again. Deal?”

  Penelope puts her face into her hands. “You’re ‘The Chosen One’. The Empire now has to send an envoy. We can’t go back on our word,” she says.

  “Well, good luck on that.”

  “It’s also Elven tradition that the one who initiates the negotiations must also complete the negotiations. Would you guess who takes that tradition seriously?” she says, staring daggers at me.

  “I’m going to guess the Dark Elves.”

  “What’s even better is that I have to be there as an envoy from the royal family. Do you know what you’ve done?” she asks.

  “A good job?”

  Penelope takes a deep breath as the white light of Professor Stargazer's magic overtakes us.