Leyland Adventures Chapter Thirteen: Part Seven

Flocks of fairies passed by Tysashi as his face was buried in the book concerning the various creatures of Leyland.

Valrock

"These small, sturdy creatures can typically be encountered in the deeper parts of Kiyoshi Woods. Valrocks disguise themselves as regular rocks and then make the move once the coast is clear. Valrocks travel in a group to support and look after each other. Being a Rock/Psychic type, they attack by detaching their heads from their bodies and throwing it at enemies. Once thrown, their heads will return to them like a magnet granted they're in range. If not, both the head and body will attempt to find each other. They don't need food to surv-"

Before he could finish reading, another body smashed into his, knocking them both down. Peeking from the book, it didn't take long for him to recognize the person.

"Hey, watch it!" Nate shouted. His eyebrows were weighed down as an unpleasant frown appeared on his face.

"Sorry about that, Nate. I haven't seen you in a while, did those Harmony Crystals help your mother?"

"Yeah, she can sleep like a baby now. Anyway, I wanted to apologize for my actions towards you. I didn't know how to react to a non-fairy person in our world, I was also experiencing some issues at home. My friends also wanted to apologize, but they're not here so I'm apologizing for them. Anyhow, I really misunderstood you, and I hope you could forgive me."

"Hey, of course I forgive you guys. I mean, after what happened at the fair, I thought we were automatically cool with each other. So yeah, it's water under the bridge." He smiled, extending his hand out.

Smiling back, he took his hand and picked himself off the ground.

"Cool. So what are you up to?" He questioned with his emerald green eyes focused on the books he carried.

"Oh, I'm just reading about the creatures in the Kula Region. I picked a few books from the library to learn more about Leyland. I thought I'd be fun to learn about this planet."

"Ah I see, I actually know a decent chunk of knowledge. To celebrate our friendship, maybe we could meet up for lunch sometime to discuss. I know the perfect place: we can meet in about a week from now."

"That sounds fun, but I'll be busy that week and probably next week. I'll keep you in mind, don't worry."

"Alright, man. Well, take it easy. I'll see you then!" Nate cheered, waving.

"You too!" He replied with a great sense of happiness in his voice.

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Within close proximity to the castle, Tysashi spotted another familiar character standing near a petite pond packed with aquatic life.

"Hey, Aquiline!" He shouted, waving his hand.

In response to his abrupt shouts, the liquid that formed her body zoomed upwards. She turned to him, quite annoyed.

"Thanks to your inability to use your inside voice, you scared the fish away." She stated with an empty tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just haven't seen you in a while, what are you up to?

She sighed before accepting his apology. "Well, before you interrupted me, I had been collecting fish for my aquarium in my realm. I recently started to collect different kinds of fish in this region and was gathering the ones in this pond." Aquiline created an orb of water in which she secured her prize, holding it in her hand.

"Oh, that's cute. I guess it makes sense why the water goddess would enjoy catching fish."

Bubbles danced within her body as she explained that her activities weren't cute, immediately shifting the subject.

"Shouldn't you be working on finding Malodan?" She asked, placing a single hand on her hip.

"Oh yeah, I gained a lot of information about him. I got his favorite fruit to lure him to the surface. Anyway, I don't see you around much, do you occasionally come here just to search for fish?"

"Yes, I rarely come to here only to catch fish. Speaking of which, it's time for me to go."

"Oh, ok. Well, it was nice seeing you again. Maybe next time when I enter your domain, you can show me your aquarium." He grinned, hoping that moment would come.

She sat in silence for a bit before responding. "I'll...think about it, bye." Without another word, she took her belonging with her as she vanished from his sight.

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Before he could have a moment to himself, Marissa greeted him with a pleasing smile.

"Good afternoon, Tysashi. I haven't seen you since this morning. I've been told of your current goal, please know that defeating Malodan is no simple feat. That creature has an unpredictable movement pattern. Your best chance of finding him would involve a temporary stay at the coastal city know as Kanpoi's Edge. It's a colorful city that specializes in the selling and production of fish and succulent seafood. The city is a neighbor of Swealie Sea, the location where Malodan can typically be found before he moves to the surface. Of course, you could also visit Kiyoshi Woods in hopes that Malodan is currently resting there."

"I appreciate the information; it definitely helps."

"I'm glad my knowledge could assist you. Speaking of which, I believe it's time to explain who and what Aradressa is. Oh, where are my manners? You're probably exhausted from today."

"Oh, no no, I'm fine. Really, I'm down to hear anything positive about her." He stated with a smile.

"Very well, as you know, Aradressa possesses an incredible amount of power that few fairies possess. Her full name is Aradressa Everglade and she was raised to be a potent, empowering, and confident warrior. During her childhood, I taught her important values and how to use weapons to fortify herself against this uncontrollable place we call Leyland. Aradressa was blessed with superior intellect, graduating much earlier than any of her classmates. Aradressa never focused on boys, all she cared about was her GPA and her friend. Aradressa didn't wrap herself in ridiculousness; she would always follow what she thought was morally right. She was always emotionally and mentally stable under indescribable degrees of pressure. As she grew older, every attribute about her peaked. Allow me to introduce you to something called Traits. Traits are like rare special abilities that some fairies are born with, one fairy can have up to three traits. Aradressa's traits include a resistance to all elements, an impressive memory, and her eternal youthful appearance."

"Wait- so no matter how old Aradressa gets, she'll look the same as she does now?"

She nodded with a glowing smile.

"Wow. I could only imagine that attracts plenty of guys."

"Correct, that trait pulls in waves of men. However, no one is good enough to handle my little supernova. Well...maybe except for one." She stated, turning her eyes to him.

He stood confused before connecting the dots. "Wait, me?!" He exclaimed with a blush.

"Oh don't act all innocent now, I've noticed you two trust each other very much. You two spend so much time together, and Aradressa cares about you to an extraordinary degree. It's clear the relationship between you two goes beyond friendship and I proudly support it. Tysashi, at first I was skeptical about letting you in this castle, but after Aradressa shared what she saw, I had changed my views. You really are the definition of a hero. I'm ecstatic to know there's a boy who I can trust with my little girl. Thank you, Tysashi Aerosmith."

With those words, she brought Tysashi closer to her body. Her arms curled around his waist, gradually tightening her grip. A thousand thoughts swirled inside as a feeling of warmth shot through his body. However, he had to break the truth.

"You see, though Aradressa is a wonderful person, I have a lovely girlfriend back in my homeworld. I told Aradressa about her."

After hearing this unexpected news, the queen broke off the affectionate hug. "Oh, I see. Well, allow me to ask you this. How do you feel about Aradressa, be honest with me."

The young boy could feel his heart race as a dozen memories of Aradressa's unmatched kindness and beauty invaded the back of his head.

"Aradressa...is-"