The Carnival at Moonbright

Far across the way, near the café area that Blight set up, Gisela waved hello to Mr. Muffins as he strolled with an older gnome figure. Looking around at the residents of Moonbright, she found herself enthusiastic to be here. The fairy swung the large mallet over her head and onto the beam. On the other side, she watched as the metallic disk rose higher and higher until eventually… DING, as it hit the bell near the top of the canopy.

“Come one, come all! Try and test your might against the bell! You saw it yourself. A little fairy can do it, so you should be able to too!”

She beamed and waved as people roamed by. Some managed to make their way over and tried to show their strength, but no one seemed able to strike it in the similar way that Gisela had. Friends and family of the patron would laugh, and once in a while, Gisela would have to prove it worked by doing it herself, which it consistently did for her. It could probably go up a few more feet and then be a challenge for her, but this? This was easy.

Even some employees made their way over from time to time to try it. Rhokhishi made a round or two every stretch when they stopped in a new town to try it. Sometimes she won, sometimes she lost, but she never walked away dissatisfied. She looked at Rhokhishi and watched as she dimmed the sunlight near her. The green and purple hues of the half-orc’s chainmail seemed to take the light from nearby. Rhokhishi grabbed two blue orbs, let them light up and glow, and began juggling them in the air. Soon, a small crowd surrounded her, and she occasionally asked the audience to throw in a random item or two. First, it was more orbs, then daggers, random souvenirs, and even a shoe got flung into the mix.

Gisela was snapped back to her place as a muddy man in broken chainmail put down a few coins and grabbed the hammer. She looked at this man momentarily, seeing his disgruntled expression push out the cheerful energy around him. His hair was greasy and slicked back. The chainmail was more like a half plate covered with gashes and random pieces of mud stuck on it.

She watched as the man lifted the hammer and swung it down. The metal disk rose and almost reached the top before gravity took control and brought it back down. As she watched the man try, she noticed the clothes underneath were torn in many places, and a circular scar was on his chest. On further inspection, the man’s shoulder plate had a strangely scratched-up symbol, smaller than the palm of a hand, but it was hard to tell what the mark initially was.

The man looked back at Gisela, threw the hammer on the ground, and set a few gold coins on the table between them. He grinned, and Gisela was immediately taken aback. His face shimmered… He was hiding his true face. Why?

Gisela let the man leave, then turned to Safira.

“Hey, I’m gonna get out of here for a bit. Can you take this back over for me?”

Safira looked over and smiled. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind making some extra money today.”

Gisela trekked over to Rhokhishi. She strolled right into the routine, but Rhokhishi kept her motion going.

“I don’t want to alarm anyone, but something seems off about a man who just walked in here. Can you do me a favor?”

“For you, Gisela, anything, my strong friend. What do you need?”

“Look to your left and tell me if you can see the man’s armor. He has a symbol on it, all scratched and beaten up. What symbol is it?”

Rhokhishi took a second to readjust the juggling items and shifted to look over and see who Gisela was talking about. Just as she got her eyesight on the man, he turned, and she saw the symbol. Rhokhishi stopped juggling instantly. The items hit the ground with separate clang, thud, and ting sounds.

“Gisela, we need to tell the others. That man is from my old temple. You follow above in the air, and I’ll find Master Elysium.”

The two split off and took their different paths. Gisela moved around the tents, keeping her distance but always trying to keep her eyes on the man. It didn’t seem like he had a purpose at the moment. He walked casually, staying away from most people, stopping at a tent here and there to check out things before moving on. Gisela entered the air and watched as he turned the corner behind one of the tents. He looked around to see if anyone could see him, then stepped forward. In a flash, the main seemed to disappear into thin air.

Could that be him?

“I don’t know…” Gisela spoke out loud, forty feet above the ground, to herself.

She floated down toward the ground and soared back behind the tent. As she rounded the structure, she nearly ran into a gnomish man.

“Ah!” cried the man as he swatted Gisela away from his face.

“You! Mr. Muffins mentioned something about a gnome man bothering some of the others. Are you following us? What are you doing behind this tent?” Gisela yelled out at Leaf.

“What do you mean I’m following you!? You ran into me!” Leaf hollered back.

Gisela turned midair and tried to find the man, in case it was just another illusion. Leaf proceeded around her and started to walk away but was startled again as a man in blackened armor forced by. He looked down at Leaf and smiled, and Leaf recognized the man immediately. It was the thug in the alley! Leaf jumped back, and Gisela looked over to see the slick-haired man smile at Leaf, then disappear again in a flash.

“It’s him!” Shouted Leaf.

“Wait! Do you know this man?” Gisela asked, panic starting to rise faster and faster.

“I have to tell Lyla he’s here!”

“Well, follow me. We can go to the Master Elysium in the main tent. I’m sure Lyla is there, as well as other friends.”

They ran back to the main tent, bumping into Mr. Muffins and Humboldt as they rushed past.

“What seems to be the hurry!?” Barthemus shouted to Gisela.

Gisela flew back and explained very quickly that there was danger.

“Well, Humboldt. It seems that duty calls. I’ll see you later, my good sir.”

Humboldt pulled his pocket watch back out and looked at it.

“It seems that time will bring us together again soon, I imagine Mr. Muffins. Good day to you.”

“Good day!”