Fairy Preview 4 (Patreon)

Big progress since the last time I showed this off! I have to be done with my writing for the game thing before the 8th, but after that I'm going to focus on getting this done.

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There was a young adventurer from the Cransmere Adventurer's Guild by the name of Coye, and he was about to embark on a quest within the infamous Gnarled Woods. It was a kill quest, his target was a malevolent spirit known as Jack 'o the Pumpkins.

The head of a nearby hamlet submitted a request asking for a brave soul to exterminate this fearsome foe.  With a grisly scythe, tattered, flowing robes and a carved pumpkin for a head, this menacing apparition would only grow in power if left unchecked.

In time, this evil spirit would leave the confines of the forest and terrorize the nearest hamlet if someone didn't put a stop to it. While the young adventurer wasn't certified to kill spirits, with the right application of oils on his sword he could at least damage the monster enough that it would take years to reform.

That was good enough for the Guild, as stretched thin as it was.

At a glance, it would be hard to see this adventurer as anything more than a boy. Coye was twenty years old, and he was a half-elf on his mother's side which caused his young and girlish appearance.

As a descendant of the fair-folk from the Realm of Sylvandiel, Coye possessed smooth, white skin, and his short, silken hair was a striking shade of platinum blond. He also had a pair of bright blue eyes that sparkled with serenity, and most noticeably of all, pointy ears. While they weren't as long as those of a full-blooded Elf, they were far from human.

He stood only five feet tall, and his fashion was subdued in comparison to his girlish good looks. While out on an adventure, Coye always wore a signature bluish-green cap, a matching tunic, and a pair of white trousers.

Favoring speed over full protection, his armor of choice was a brown leather cuirass with matching leather faulds, greaves, and gloves. Upon his back, he carried his sword and his shield. Neither of his tools was that impressive, the shield being a normal shield and his sword having a weak enchantment which allows him to shoot out a weak beam of light so long as he hadn’t taken any damage.

Equipped well for the job, around his waist was a leather belt that carried a large bag containing his numerous supplies. His belt also had an excess of pouches that held countless provisions and adventuring tools for every situation imaginable.

Coye was forgetful and absent-minded, thus, he made it a point to over-prepare as much as he could since the alternative scenario where he fell victim to his own carelessness could prove fatal.

Coye's class was 'Fighter', which meant little more than that he knew the basics of fighting monsters and could perform a handful of Arts using his weapon of choice. Coye's aim was to eventually reclass into a Spellsword, a type of swordsman who wields simple spells cast with hand gestures, but magic never came as easy to him as it did to others.

By all accounts, most half-elves find themselves gifted with arcane talent. It was nothing other than rotten luck which saw Coye take after his mundane, warrior father in that regard. Although this lack of magical prowess continued to disappoint him, Coye certainly excelled at what he did for a living.

After a year and a half of hard work, he recently reached the first milestone of his career by graduating from a bronze-ranked adventurer into a silver-ranked one.

This would officially be his first silver-ranked quest, and Coye looked forward to the significant sum that awaited him upon its completion.

With his gear packed and his sword freshly sharpened, Coye was ready to go. He departed the forlorn village of Cransmere without looking back, just as he'd done a hundred times before.

Cransmere sat directly on the mouth of the Gnarled Woods, a fact which the village paid dearly for in history long since past. Coye wasn’t about to head straight in, though. His destination required Coye to travel westward along the outer rim of the forest until he came upon an area where an excess of wild pumpkins grew.

This was fittingly where the spirit was last sighted, and it was where Coye would actually delve into the woods proper. As soon as he did, an all too familiar sensation crept over every inch of his body.

Coye understood that he was being watched.

That fact alone wouldn't be cause for alarm. Not here, at least. The Gnarled Woods was a cursed place, a forest forever tainted by the corruption of the slain Demon Lord of Arrark's past, Thalrad. Here, it would be weirder if a mysterious pair of eyes weren’t trained on the adventurer at all times.

What made this situation so unsettling was that Coye couldn't sense any malice from the creeping gaze. Whatever observed him, it wasn't a beast waiting to pounce him for its next meal, and it wasn't a bandit looking for an easy mark.

The gaze was curious and dutiful, almost like it was studying his every move.

Coye would have preferred if his onlooker really was just a hungry monster. Ignorance might be bliss to some, but to an adventurer, it could get you killed. Being unaware of the stranger’s motives was unnerving, complicating his work even further.

This wasn’t the first time Coy had experienced this, either.

Because of his job, Coye often had to traverse these woods several times a week. Whenever he did, this hidden onlooker was there every step of the way. This started three months ago, and it hadn’t missed a single chance to stalk him since.

Whatever it was, Coye was starting to believe that it probably didn’t mean him any harm. In all this time there were dozens of chances where the presence could’ve taken him by surprise, yet it never did.

Worrying about it was a waste of mental resources of which Coye, a pure and simple lad, had precious few to spare. He put his concern out of mind, focusing on the task at hand by following the trail of increasingly evil-looking pumpkins.

A chill ran through the thick air, a distant laugh resonating from several directions all at the same time.

“Turn back, fool,” An echoing voice both whispered and yelled at the same time. “Or my scythe shall mince you into fertilizer for my garden of terror!”

Coye stood there, unimpressed. While he could see why these theatrics would terrify any peasants unlucky enough to cross paths with the malicious apparition, to him, this was just another day on the job.

The obligatory taunting did serve as a nice reminder, at least.

Before he forgot, Coye opened up one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out two glass bottles filled with special oil. Squinting his eyes, he fought against himself to remember which bottle was for fighting spirits and which was for fighting the undead.

He sighed, coating his sword with the contents of both.

It was a waste of resources, but he didn’t trust his faulty memory. Coye had long since accepted his simple nature, refusing to stress over what couldn’t be changed.

Sometimes he felt like he would be better off with a partner who could help guide him and keep him from making stupid mistakes, but that would require making friends back at the Guild. Coye was more likely to become a Spellsword sooner than he would develop into a social butterfly, so he ignored the idea.

Ready for battle, Coye traversed deeper into the woods while brandishing his oiled blade. The wild pumpkins he passed by appeared more vicious than the last, each possessing twisted, demonic carved out faces. All of these fruits stared at Coye as he went, witnessing the hunter on his way to the slaughter.

The trail led Coye to a clearing where fog dominated the area. Dense vines with sharp thorns circled the area, leaving no means of escape save for the way he came in. Coye was sure that the entrance would mysteriously close behind him once he entered, too. Experience had taught him as much.

Turned out, he was right.

The path behind him closed in, leaving him trapped and without a means of escape. Coye was just confused as to why a monster would purposefully choose a showdown like this as opposed to ignoring the adventured trying to kill it, but he was primarily thankful he didn’t have to solve any puzzles to reach his foe this time.

Puzzles were the main reason Coye avoided dungeons, even though the Labyrinthe of Light was only a few days out north of Cransmere. He’d take a boss room over pushing a block onto the correct switch any day.

“So, you’re the one they sent to kill me, are you...?” The menacing voice materialized yet again, Coye keeping his eyes peeled for wherever the spirit chose to appear.

“I knew I should’ve kept a lower profile until my powers had developed further... but I suppose you’ll serve me well as a test to see how far I’ve come!” Jack ‘o the Pumpkins laughed, but Coye was barely paying attention to his foe’s monologue at this point.

His vigilance was rewarded as he saw the shimmering metal of a scythe coated in cool, wispy flames come into being to his left. The monster planned to strike while Coye was unaware, but it had no idea what it had coming.

In this single heartbeat, Coye took in the sight of his enemy. As always, the artist who drew the pictures of the monsters on quest flyers for the association were right on the mark. Jack o’ the Pumpkins resembled his bounty poster with near-perfect accuracy.

This monster appeared as a wispy, floating spirit brimming with malevolence. His head was a pumpkin, his face was carved like a fearsome jack-o’-lantern. As a spirit, Jack’s innate magic could change the expressions of his face. Orange flames flickered behind both of his carved-out eyes.

Over top his head he wore a wide-brimmed hat, when combined with his lanky proportions and his ragged flowing cloak, gave the spirit a distinctly scarecrow-like visage. Although, scarecrows are not what the boy thought of first when he saw Jack.

This evil spirit looked like one of his fathers training dummies, and this amused him. If it wasn’t for Jack’s scythe which rippled with blue flames, the simple-minded boy might even have trouble telling them apart.

Now aware of his enemies position and appearance, Coye had precious few seconds to retaliate.

The adventurer gripped his blade, filling it with the energy it took to cast one of his Arts. Although Coye had gained access to a handful of offensive and defensive moves, the one he most often defaulted to when he wanted to deal significant damage was Spinning Slice.

He maneuvered the sword behind him, building up an explosive burst of sideways momentum. Coye jumped toward the spirit and unleashed the attack, brute force spinning him rapidly like a top. This Art used this whirlwind of propulsion to amplify his strength, making the attack stronger than his own body could normally produce. It was perfect for a half-elf like him, and it always served him well.

This time was no exception.

The spinning adventurer ripped through the air, hurtling toward Jack ‘o the Pumpkins before it knew what was coming. There was no time to use its scythe to deflect the blow, relying on a last-second dodge to evade the brunt of Coye’s attack.

Coye landed on his feet as graceful as a cat, his training ensuring he wouldn’t grow sick no matter how many times he spun about. He looked upon his work, pleased to see that the spirit wasn’t able to completely escape. It was a shallow cut, but the front of the monster’s robes was torn and blue fire drizzled out of the wound.

His foe clutched at the wound with a gloved hand. “So it’s going to be like that, eh?” The cut shined, the spirit’s robes reforming as the damage was healed. “Fine! So be it, I-”

Coye didn’t understand Why so many enemies that he faced liked to babble on about this or that during life or death combat. All he knew was that it suited him just fine. As a quiet boy, he didn’t have much to say back in return. His blade would do the talking for him.

Advancing once again, the adventurer readied yet another of his attacks. More energy sparkled in his sword as he raised it. Coye performed the Art known as Double Strike, another easy-to-learn technique that did exactly what it sounded like; doubled the power of any weapon attack.

Coye didn’t waste his time with anything too fancy when it came to learning new Arts, the simpler, the better.

The only problem was that Jack was ready for it this time around. Although the evil spirit was irritated over the lack of respect this adventure showed him, he was forced to acknowledge the threat he posed.

Jack’s spectral power rent the air as he swept his weapon, catching Coye’s sword with the blade of his scythe. The clash of steel on ghostly steel made a wailing metallic noise, wispy fire bursting out from the impact amplified by Jack’s wrath.

A twitch of hesitation occurred on the monster’s carved-out pumpkin head, the flames in his eye sockets flickering with anxious doubt. Coye’s sword forced him to buckle under its weight. Jack knew that if he didn’t go on the offensive, this boy was going to break his ethereal weapon.

Floating away to the left side of the battlefield, the Spirit raised one of its gloved hands and summoned a number of jack-o’-lanterns similar to the ones Coye had seen on his way here. These ones were quite different, though, as when the monster commanded it, one of the pumpkins hurtled at the adventurer.

Coye knew better than to expect this to be just an ordinary pumpkin. With the age of his trained reflexes, he thrust out his shield at the last second.

It exploded on contact.

The force of the explosion sent him flying nearly 10 feet backwards, little more and he would’ve been sent right into the sharp bramble. While it didn’t inflict any major damage, Coy knew that deflecting all of the incoming pumpkins was not something he could risk.

As Jack sent the remaining projectiles toward him, Coye began to close the distance, ducking, weaving, and dodging ever nearer to his prey.

Coye was in his element.

Out here in the midst of battle, all that mattered was his own instinct and the training he had been put through since he was young. He didn’t have to talk to anyone, he didn’t need to think, all he needed to do was to do. Battle was perfect for a simple-minded boy like himself.

Not a single one of the explosive pumpkins Caught him in their blast. By the time the last one exploded against the ground, he was within striking distance once more.

He let out a shout, grunting as he unleashed his sword upon the spirit. It was a light strike to test the waters, the attack reaching past the monsters safe and performing a downward diagonal slash across its chest.

“Shit, shit, shit…!” Jack muttered as one of his hands grabbed at the wound. While the monster wasn’t convinced it couldn’t still come out on top, it now understood that the odds weren’t as stacked in its favor as it believed.

Coye saw his chance now that his foe was stumbling backward. As good at combat as he might be, his weakness was his straightforward nature. He ended fights the only way he knew how, rushing straight in and refusing to let up.

This led Coye straight into a trap, as the spirit had over exaggerated its suffering.

While rearing in pain, its hand was in truth building up magical force to ready a phantom trick. As Coye stepped in to further his attack, two additional copies of the monster materialized from the darkness.

Both screeched, their scythes slashing at Coye.

There was no time to dodge, he figured, and wouldn’t be able to block it with his shield, either. With no other option, Coye ducked to the swipe, and relied on his Steel Soul Art to minimize the damage.

His quick thinking ensured that both their full slashes only grazed into the back of his leather armor. They only just hit the surface of his skin, his defensive aura stopping the attack from fully rending his shoulders.

While it still drew blood, the damage was almost fully mitigated.

Coye shrugged off the pain, refusing to let it intimidate him. A quick slash to his left and his right dispelled the copies of the spirit, leaving him alone with his prey once more.

He gripped his sword even tighter, gritted his teeth, and used the Art Quick Step to advance on the real Jack. His foot left an impact crater on the grassy ground as his body’s energies burst out, propelling him forward like he were launching himself from a springboard.

With his shield positioned in front of his face, he readied his sword arm for a piercing thrust as he flew.

As it watched Coye rapidly approach, the spirit was regretting the decisions which had led things to this point. Jack had been gaining power for several years now, starting off as yet another minor forest spirit until increasing his strength by absorbing the fear from others.

When it saw a group of lumberjacks approaching the Gnarled Woods, it just couldn’t help himself. Jack had himself a good go at them, and it went smoothly as it could have, but it led to the entire lot of them reporting the rogue spirit to the Guild in Cransmere.

If only Jack had known it would have led to him facing off against his perfect match.

Coye was not afraid of the spirit, locking off most of Jack’s fear-related abilities and powers. The adventurer respected his opponent, but he was far too simple to fear.

This angered the monster, feeling as if it were being mocked by this persistent brat. Summoning more of its ethereal strength, it threw out its hand and expelled a roaring blast of its pale fire. Fuelled by wicked thoughts and absorbed fear, Jack’s flames were fanned into an even deadlier threat.

At the speed Coye was approaching, he knew the flames would swallow him up. He needed to either course correct, or somehow speed up so that the air would protect him as he barreled through the oncoming blaze.

Coye focused on gathering energy inside of his shield.

It was time to rely on another one of his simplistic Arts; Shield Bash. By channeling power into his shield and then expelling it back toward his own body, he would create a kinetic explosion or sorts that in this case would accelerate him towards his enemy.

After performing the technique, Coye’s momentum increased, sending him through the fire almost unscathed. A smolder here and there licked at the adventurer, burning a few holes in his trousers and singing the flesh of his legs, but beyond that, the monster’s attack was in vain.

Coye landed, his feet skidding to a halt along the dense forest grass. He looked up, staring into the monster’s flaming eyes. His sword shined, readying his signature Art a second time.

Spinning Slice was unleashed.

Around and around the fighter spun, his sword gaining more power with every rotation. Although it seemed futile at this point, Jack was not about to just give up and die. The monster performed a series of parries with his scythe, one after the other until finally Coye’s power snapped the ghastly blade into pieces.

After that, there was nothing Jack could do to defend himself. The monster wailed in agony, Coye’s sword slashing through its mist-like body until it had been sliced into nearly nothing.

Jack o’ the Pumpkin’s head fell to the ground, his wide-brimmed hat withering away into particles of spirit energy along with the rest of his clothes. As Coye steadied himself after stopping his spinning attack, he looked down at the state of his fallen foe.

“Fool,” The pumpkin spoke, his expression weak and haggard. “You think this is over?” He laughed, the fire flickering behind his eye sockets dimming to nothing.

A thin, orange mist faded out of the jack-o-lantern’s carved holes, which Coye recognized as the spirit’s reduced form. Like this, Jack resembled a glowing, airy, pumpkin-shaped sprite. After seeing this, Coye was grateful he didn’t have to actually kill Jack to complete his mission.

He thought that his enemy was rather cute, now.

“I’ll be back, just you wait...” The spirit grumbled, now so small that Coye’s oil wouldn’t have any effect. It took a lot to destroy a spirit, and truthfully, even if the Guild could do it, they wouldn’t.

Better to have recurring threats that guarantee a gold than it is to ensure the safety of the smallfolk.

The last words that Jack spoke as he flew away from the clearing was, “I’ll remember this, you damn, wretched little girl!”

Coye’s brow twitched, his lips pouting. He took it back. This asshole wasn’t cute at all.

He kicked at a rock he saw on the forest ground, not saying a word, but obviously upset that now, even his enemies were starting to mistake him for a girl. This was hardly the time for pouting, though, so like always, he sucked it in and focused back on his job.

Since all kill quests required a proof of kill, Coye bagged up the remains of Jack’s pumpkin head as well as the cold, metal pieces of his scythe. He was lucky that this spirit actually dropped a few things he could present as a trophy, because without that, getting the Guild to actually pay for a defeated spirit is an uphill battle.

As he tied up his trophy bag and fastened it to his belt, Coye took in a deep breath and reflected on the battle the way his father taught him to do. While replaying his actions in his mind, Coye only felt annoyed at himself for being so stupid.

Even when things went as smoothly as they did just moments before, he felt shame at his simple-minded nature. He wished he could come up with more impressive strategies to use in battle, or that he could use Arts more complex than the beginner-tier Arts he relied on.

Maybe then he wouldn’t have ruined his favorite pair of pants.

Coye had to snap himself out of it by force, dwelling in negativity for too long wasn’t his style. Besides, now that his job was done, he needed to get the hell out of here.

The hunger was starting to set in, and Coye hated the hunger.

The Gnarled Woods had this effect on anyone who dwelled within for too long. What was once the home of the Lord of Gluttony himself was stained forever by his presence, and

---

At least if that were the case then he would know what to expect, and he wouldn't have to ponder the mysterious watcher's motives.

Regardless, Coye was an adventurer. If there was something waiting for him out there in the darkness of the Gnarled Woods, then he would face it with courage. But like it always did, the mysterious presence did nothing, and the boy grew tired of this unsettling feeling running through his nerves.

The woods were starting to take its toll on him, making him hungrier and hungrier like the Lord of Gluttony himself. Coye hated being out here for too long, never fully getting used to this evil-induced craving for food. It was a true, painful hunger that stemmed from the throat. Coye knew that if he lingered any longer, he would find himself scarfing down his rations and eating questionable things from off of the ground. It wouldn't be the first time that the Gnarled Wood drove him to such lengths.

It took the adventurer a little over an hour to emerge from the forest, the entire time struggling to barely fight off his temptation to feed. The sky was red with crimson and violet shades of the setting sun, illuminating the grassy plains and making them sparkle with the light of dusk. As beautiful as the sight was, it only told Coye that he wouldn't be making it back home to Cransmere and the Guild tonight. Not with how tired and hungry he was.

This hardly mattered to the adventurer, and in truth, Coye was excited for an excuse to make use out of a recent purchase. In the large sack strapped to his belt he carried him an enchanted, collapsible tent he bought from the Adventurer's Catalogue. It was a spendy purchase, just like anything that the Association has on offer, but his Guild Mistress talked him into it. It didn't take her much, Coye felt the investment was worth the cost considering how much use he'd get out of

Like all the adventuring gadgets that the Association of Adventurers sold it was spendy, but Coye felt it was worth the investment considering how much use he'd get from it. It never occurred to him to check and see if a local

He didn't make a campfire, for he had nothing to cook. Instead, dinner was simply a couple of handfuls from the rations he kept in his bag. A little hardtack, some jerky, a mix of seeds and nuts. It wasn't much, but it did its job. A weariness began to take over the boy, making him wonder if he took more damage than he might have thought. It wouldn't be the first time he noticed wounds after his adrenaline wore out, so Coye retreated into the tent to inspect his body.

Just in time, too. Only a few moments after hiding himself from the elements, the elements did their thing as a thick rain began to pour down on the plains. The half-elf stripped down to his underwear as an endless pitter-patter tapped against the material of Coye's tent. Just like he thought, he had more bruises and scrapes than first thought.

With the slightest of frowns, Coye debated using the last of his health potions. If he did, the boy knew he'd have to wait another week until his monthly subscription would give him another fifteen bottles, so he decided against it. Coye wasn't sure how much gold he would save if he bothered visiting the local alchemist, but he wasn't the type of boy who had much going on up there in general. He figured it was more convenient to pick up your potions from the Guild, and that was that.

Sighing, the half-elf unpacked some bandages and some ointments to speed up his recovery. That's when he felt the feeling again, that he was being watched.

Coye stopped what he was doing, dropping the medical supplies out of instinct. He readied his hand to shoot out and grab his sword if need be, but his wariness died down as soon as he saw a blue orb the size of his fist glowing outside the fabric of his tent. It flitted around like an oversized firefly, the half-elf knowing just what he was looking at.

Anyone who trudged the Gnarled Woods as often as he did knew a Fairy when he saw one.

That didn't mean his visitor wasn't dangerous, as the spirits were prone to mischief and pranks, but Coye figured he probably didn't need to make the first move with his sword.

"Hey, hey! It's raining like nobody's business out here. You got enough room in there for two?" A playful voice called out to the boy from the other side of the tent. The Fairy's words had a mystical air about them, almost echoing as she spoke.

Denying this fairy shelter would only make her more likely to target him for her mischiefs, so the boy felt he barely had any choice in the matter. He reached out, opening the flap for his guest.

"Oh, thank Titania..." The Fairy sighed with relief, darting into the tent like a missile. After shaking rain out of her hair like a dog, the fairy floated up to Coye's eye level. "Getting through the rain is such a huge drain on a Pixie's mana, you got no idea. Easier to just buckle down and wait it out than risk running out of juice, yeah?"

Coye regretted his decision to shelter the fairy immediately. As a simple boy who mainly kept to himself, there were two things he struggled with. Chatty people, and cute girls. Even though she was only a foot and a half tall, the fairy definitely fit both categories.

She had a sharp face, sharper ears, and her skin was as white as silk. Her body glowed a faint blue color, a mischievous smile coupled with playful pink eyes which made her look . Her hair was turqoise in color, and after drying it out fully it became obvious she fittingly had a fluffy pixie-cut.

Rather than the childlike body expected of a fairy, this girl looked to be in her late teens, yet very adult where it counted.

Coye's eyes were drawn to this Pixie's tiny chest, which for her size wasn't that tiny at all. If they were the same height as each other, they would be big. Real big. To make it worse, her tight, black crop-top was absolutely soaked and the Pixie's nipples poked out dramatically, wet and cold from the rain. She also wore black booty shorts that did little to cover the curves of her again sizable behind. Her clothes were patterned with green, swirly details typical of her race, but at the moment Coye couldn't appreciate the detail put into her wardrobe.

"Oh geez," The girl laughed at him, her face growing red. To Coye's relief, she wrapped her arms around her breasts and covered up her pointy nips. "When I first saw you I totally had you pegged as a cute and innocent kid, but I didn't think it'd be this bad."

She waited for the adventurer to say something back, but after fifteen seconds of silence she knew it was a futile endeavor. Narrowing her brows at him, she fluttered her wings and flew closer to his face. "You don't talk too much, do you, kid?"

Coye shook his head, proving to the Pixie he was capable of at least a limited form of communication.

"Figures," She sighed, slumping her shoulders and hanging her head. This gave her a better look at the boy's body, and as much as she enjoyed his surprisingly fit form, her interest was subdued by the concern she suddenly felt when noticing all of Coye's wounds.

"Oh, crap... I thought you had that stupid old tree in the bag. What are you waiting for? Stop standing around and sit, you silly boy."

Coye opened his mouth to attempt a question, but the fairy cut him off before he could even try. Rolling her eyes, she said, "Yes, I was watching your adventure. I was bored, alright? Now, SIT!" To show she meant business, the Pixie pointed her tiny finger toward the ground.

Coye did as he was told, the situation too surreal to argue. He still needed to tend to his wounds, anyway, so he reached out for his bandages. The fairy stopped him, dropping her weight down on his hand. "Just chill for a sec and let me have a look, alright?"

He nodded his head, then, he once again he tried to ask something the girl a question. Somehow, she managed to read his mind a second time. "Shayla," The Pixie declared, flying up off his hand with a teasing smile. "Shay for short. You?"

"Coye." He mumbled, causing Shay's eyes to open wide out of shock.

"And here I was starting to think you were a mute or something..." Shay's smile grew warmer, Coye's cheeks doing the same after soaking in how cute the miniature girl could be.

After giving the adventure a playful wink, she started to fly circles around him, pausing at every wound to assess the damage. She found that most of it was surface damage, and that it wouldn't take much of her mana to fix him up. So that's what she did.

The pixie flew around to a large bruise on the boy's left pec, but stopped short of curing it as a naughty idea came to her. Shayla had never had a chance to mess with a boy before, and was eager to experiment. She could just snap her fingers and use her magic to cure him right then and there, but Coye didn't know that. He also seemed very oblivious, maybe even a little bit dumb- in an adorable way.

Shayla smirked, then puckered up her lips and planted a kiss just above the affected area on his pec. Coye shivered as it sent an unexpected wave of magic surging around the area, which seemed to congregate in his nipple. He yelped, scooted backwards, blushing as he stared at the fairy who looked at him with a big old grin.

"W-What... w-why did... you...?" He stammered, unable to get much more out than that.

"Fairy magic, duh. Did you not want me to heal you up?"

"Isn't there... other... way?"

"No." Shayla said flatly, holding back laughter as Coye instantly believed her.

Although it made him embarrassed, Coye did his best to ignore the tingling pleasure surging through his body every time the precocious Pixie flew around and kissed one of his wounds. He failed miserably at this, but at least he made an attempt. Each time the still-soaking sprite pressed her soft, little lips against him, the boy shivered then and there. And that wasn't the worst of it.

Coye also kept letting out a delectable whine, a whine so cute it made the fairy drool with untoward lust. Shayla wiped it up with her wrist, feeling lucky that the boy didn't notice her slobbering all over him. His eyes were shut as the Pixie's healing magic overwhelmed him just as much as her kisses, if not more so. The magic flooded his body, making him feel light headed and oddly at peace as his pain drifted away. This didn't feel anything like the standard Association-issued health potions, but that was a good thing, Coye thought.

Shayla forced herself to stop kissing the whimpering half-elf. She was growing afraid Coye might run away if she kept going, and that would ruin everything. Flying away from his body, she gave Coye a grin and a thumbs-up. "There! That just about does it, I think."

Opening his eyes, Coye verified that his wounds had indeed fully healed. A blush filled the boy's cheeks. He was taught to always show his appreciation, so he bowed to the little spirit. "Thank you..."

By the time he raised his head, Coye felt a bump on his left side.

"Don't mention it," Shayla said, plopping her little butt on his shoulder. "I'm just glad I caught you when I did."

Coye hit her with a surprising attack of insight, asking, "...Weren't you the one who was watching me in the forest?"

Shayla's playful eyes opened all the way, her long ears drooping. "Wait, you actually noticed I was watching you?"

The boy nodded, signaling that it was now the turquoise-haired girl's turn to blush. "Ok, you got me," Shayla raised her little hands, figuring she can still play this one off if she chose her words carefully. "I was watching you during your battle, yep. You were super cool back there, and I followed after you because I thought you could use some healing! Honest!"

This made the boy happy to hear, but as simple as he was, even Coye could tell this wasn't the full truth. He hated confronting others, but he did his best. "This wasn't the first time you've done it... right?"

The Pixie was overcome with surprised. Fairies are naturals at avoiding the spotlight and remaining out of sight, so Shayla figured her stalking would've gone without notice. She now realizes that Coye's instincts might be sharper than she first gave him credit for, having initially taken him for a rather simplistic warrior who wasn't all that notable.

In response to his accusation, Shayla become panicked. Her entire plan revolved around pretending to meet this boy by chance, and that angle was going up in smoke right before her eyes. Without any other option, the Pixie shifted into panic mode.

Now in a total fluster, Shayla waved her hands around in an attempt to dismiss his comments. "What're you getting on about? I live in the woods, so, uh, duh I've seen you around a couple of times. Is that really such a big deal?"

Coye felt guilty for accusing the girl who just cured him of his wounds, lowering his head with shame. He mumbled something, but of course Shayla didn't hear it. This irritated her, and she put her hands on her hips.

"If you got something to say than speak up! I can't hear you if you keep mumbling."

Taking a deep breath to help him converse, the boy uttered, "You scared me. Didn't like... being watched... never knew what to expect these last couple months..."

"Urk-" Shayla recoiled. Even though she was a Pixie and lived for mischief, she wasn't a bad girl by any means. If she knew that she was making Coye's job harder and scaring him, she would have stopped ages ago. "Ok, yeah. My bad. I'm sorry about that..." She sighed.

"Why?"

"Why what? Why was I watching you?"

He nodded.

The sprite considered all of the ways she could spin her motives, but couldn't find anything that would sound right short of the truth. Shayla grumbled, her cheeks growing red. "I've lived in there my whole life, you know? That forest is as crappy as crappy can be, and there aren't even that many other fairies to hang out with, either..." Under her breath, she muttered something about there being no dudes as well, which Coye picked up with his half-elven ears. This didn't help him keep comfortable, but it interested him nonetheless.

"So that got me thinking. As a Pixie, I'm smart, clever, sexy, and I can use a decent amount of fairy magic, too. You know how some adventurers have a fairy guide or a partner that helps guide them on their journeys?" Coye had indeed heard stories about partnerships between fairies and heroes, but as he wasn't a particularly bright lad, the boy failed to pick up on the implications Shayla was laying out for him.

Deciding to go for it, Shayla flew right in front of Coye's nose, thrust her chest out to grab his attention, and pointed her finger at his face. "That's my ticket out of the Gnarled Woods, baby!"

Coye, tilted his head. It was in his nature to want to help others, so when presented with this problem he came up with an unorthodox solution. "I could ask someone back at the Guild for you."

Shayla felt exasperated. He wasn't getting it, was he? "I want to team up with you, dumbass."

It took him a couple of seconds to register this, but when he did, his face became red. An adorable fairy flying around him at all times, with tits like those and an ass like that? He couldn't even think about it without becoming a certain sort of frustrated. Without a word, he shook his head violently left and right.

His new would-be companion wouldn't hear it, however. When a fey makes up their mind, it's nearly impossible to get them to change it, and this case was no exception. "Why the hell not? I don't ever see you partying up with other adventurers, so it's not like you couldn't use the help!"

This was true, Coye rarely, if ever, worked with others at his Guild. It's not that he wasn't interested in going on adventures with friends, just that his disposition and shyness made it difficult for him to approach others regardless of gender. The only times he'd partied up were when the Guild Mistress assigned him on certain quests, and he mostly kept to himself on those occasions.

Coye thought deeper about the offer this Pixie was springing on him. If he could ignore her attractive body and her skimpy clothes that did little to hide it, she would indeed bring a lot to the table. She already showed her skill at healing magic, for one, and if she had more tricks up her sleeve then he couldn't imagine how helpful Shayla would prove herself to be.

"Why can't you just leave the forest on your own?" The boy asked, his eyes still staring at the ground.

"There's a reason fairies stick to the woods, you know. We live in places where there are tons of places to hide at a moment's notice, because we're so small that just about anything could swoop in and eat us if we're unprepared for even a second!" The idea of being consumed terrified her, and she wore it on her sleeve. "And it's not like I can just waltz into a human town, either. Mages and Alchemists are always looking to snatch up any stray fairies they can get their grubby hands on, and they'd do a whole lot worse than just eating me..."

What Shayla was unaware of is that the vast majority of fairy materials used by Mages are grown in ethical fairy farms over in the Tior Province and that illegally poaching fairies was a crime in the modern era of Karnalle, but she was still right to be worried. Mages and the law get on as well as water and oil.

Even Coye found all of her points understandable. He certainly wouldn't want to live in the Gnarled Woods his whole life, and leaving it without assistance sounded like it'd just be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

"And you want to me, because... why?"

Shayla caught him off guard, saying, "Because you're a nice person. That's why I've been watching you for so long, to make sure. You think I haven't checked out all the adventurers who get sent into the woods?" She wasn't being entirely honest, seeing as how one of the main reasons she chose to go with Coye was on account of him being totally her type, but she figured there was time to get into that later.

The guilt was eating Coye apart from the inside. He wanted to help her, he really did, but he just couldn't imagine having Shayla around as long as he remained as sensitive around girls as he was. "Thanks, but... I'm sorry... I..."

This wasn't going to cut it. Shayla had been planning this for too long now and she wasn't about to let it go just because the boy she ended up choosing had problems being around girls. "Is it because I have tits?" She asked, making a grumpy face while purposefully grabbing both of her breasts and squeezing them.

The half-elf watched this sexual act unfold, excitement and apprehension rising up in his body with equal measure. Somehow, he managed to squeak out, "T-They aren't helping..."

"Aren't they?" Sensing the truth, Shayla's grin widened. Her inquisitive fingers found the edge of her pointy nipple, pinching it for the boy to see. It was embarrassing for her, but he wouldn't know that. Right now, the only thing the Pixie cared about was seeing how far she could push Coye. "C'mon, kid. Tell the truth. You like my titties, don't you?"

He bit his lower lip, wishing he had turned this fairy away after all. Naturally, Shayla was right. The problem wasn't that Coye was uninterested in the opposite sex, but that his inexperience and his reserved personality made the idea even harder for him. He was just as sexually curious as any other boy his age, if not more so.

"I... I do."

Getting a little more into it, Shayla smirked and gave herself another little pinch. She was becoming hornier than she intended, but it was fun to see his reaction if nothing else. "Say it properly, Coye. You aren't gonna get used to girls if you don't learn how to talk to them!" She teased him using a husky voice, desperately hoping to break him from his shell.

"...I do like your boobies, Shay."

The sheer awkwardness of his delivery all but killed the mood then and there, Shayla frowning and crossing her arms as she stopped showing off.

"W-What...?" Coye sensed he did something wrong, but didn't know what it was.

"Nothing," The Pixie groaned and leaned into her palm, flying down to the ground and sitting on a roll of bandages like it were a tiny chair. "Can I be straight with you, kid?"

He nodded, eager to please.

"Even if you told me not to come with you, would you really do anything to stop me? It's not like you'd chase me off, sell me to a Mage, or get rid of me... would you?"

Now that he thought about it, Coye figured she was right. Now that he knew Shayla's desperate circumstances, it would be near impossible to turn the poor fairy down if she absolutely insisted on it.

His answer was obvious on his face, and Shayla knew she had won. "That's what I thought," She giggled with triumphant pride, before noticing him grow more nervous at the thought of her hanging around. "Ok, ok. I get it. We're going to have to do something about this girl problem of yours, aren't we?"

Coye wasn't sure what she had in mind for him, but he could tell it wasn't going to be easy. "M-Maybe... but... if you're really coming with me then... um... it's not like we need to do anything about it tonight." To further avoid her, the adventurer finally broke eye-contact and laid down across the tent floor after enlarging a magical pillow and blanket set out of his camping goods.

Shayla didn't like the idea of putting things off for another day. To her, it smelled like yet more indecision on the half-elf's part. Besides, after working herself up to tease the boy, she was hornier than she'd ever felt. This Pixie had yet to show off her body for a male before, and if she didn't get some release of her own then she likely wouldn't be able to stop herself even if she tried.

Hopping up off of her chair, Shayla walked across the tent straight up to his face. She leaned over in front of him, still smiling as her cleavage spilled out of her tight black crop-top. "Nah, we should retty get to it." Shayla teased, her translucent wings idly flickering behind her.

"W-Why...?" Coye was confused. What did this fairy even want from him, and why was she so persistent? Given her size, it was hard for the naive boy to imagine how that sort of thing would even work between them.

"Because I want you to take me with because you want to, and not just because I guilt tripped you into it..." She frowned, brushing her turquoise bangs out of her face. This gave Coye a better look at her watery eyes and her flushed face, stirring feelings in his heart. "And..."

"And...?"

"And also I'm just like, super horny." Shayla shrugged. "Us Pixies have crazy strong sex drives, so the sooner you get used to that, the better! If I'm tagging along, you're gonna have to give me some service, kid... Starting right now!"

Acting on total reflex, Coye jumped backwards. The blanket flew off of his body, covering Shayla up as she shrieked. This was the last straw. She tried being the patient and support, she tried teasing him, she tried guilting him, and she even tried being honest. Now, she would try being angry. "What is your problem, Gods...! Do you wanna get laid or not?!"

"Of course I do!" He blurted, closing his eyes. Coye didn't mean to actually say that, but it slipped out. "I'm... I'm just... nervous..."

The way he hid his eyes from her, his cheeks red as he twiddled his thumbs made Shayla go crazy. She stared at this adorable new boytoy of hers and was once more filled with certainty that this was the one- this was the ship she would hitch herself to.

Coye slid back down to the ground, curling his arms around his knees. Seeing him looking more vulnerable, the Pixie flew closer to him and sat herself down gentle on his knee. "I could make you less nervous, if you want. Would that help?"

He nodded, still refusing to lock eyes with the little woman. Coye totally missed it as Shayla's lips started glowing with magic, but he felt it when she pressed them against his cheek and kissed him yet again.

Before he could even react, he felt a wave of calm wash over his body. His apprehension and anxiety quieted enough that he could look at the situation for what it was, a strange opportunity. Lowering his guard, he relaxed his posture and looked over at the Pixie, who was smiling at him encouragingly.

"Feel better?" She asked with a teasing lilt.

He nodded, a little smile forming on his lips.

"Good. Do you wanna try some naughty stuff?"

"Yeah, I do. The reason I'm so nervous about is is that when I was littler, I got teased a lot since I look so girly... I'm not very confident because of that..." Shayla's spell pried open his honesty, Coye revealing secrets he'd never told anyone before, not even his dad.

The Pixie, on the other hand, couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not only that, but the way he said it with his big, round eyes, his pouty lips and the girlish way he adjusted his posture... it all added up, making him cuter and cuter.

"You really don't get it, do you...?" Shayla shook her head.

"Probably not. I'm kind of dumb." Coye responded, at peace with this truth about himself.

Putting aside the boy's self deprecation, his new companion sighed. "Girls eat boys like you up, seriously. You're a strong, reliable adventurer who underneath the armor is cuter than most girls, but you have a dick. Are you seriously gonna tell me you never noticed anyone making lusty eyes at you before? Especially not any older women types?"

Coye didn't have to dwell on the question for long, because he felt that it might be true. Women did often go out of their way to take special care of him, and they always have. He thought it was because he was shy, but Shayla had the adventurer questioning if it might've been something else this whole time.

"Wouldn't know..." He mumbled. The fairy spell which calmed his nerves continued to have a pleasant effect on Coye, eventually getting him to slump his shoulders and lean further backwards.

"Well, I'll be around to point out any horny chicks for you from now on. I can whisper in your ear and tell you what to say to them, and then you'll be getting so much pussy you might drown in it!"

Coye swallowed deeply, while Shayla giggled at how cute the boy was whenever she left him speechless. "Do you like that idea, Coye?" She asked, hoping to get an even further rise from her new partner.

To her surprise, he ends up nodding his head. "Yeah."

"So you DO want sex," Mischief flared in Shayla's glowing pink eyes.

"I'm a boy," Coye said, feeling like that much spoke for itself. Most of his life has been training to become an adventurer, partially to prove the bullies who teased him wrong, and partially because he wanted to grow into a big, strong, man. Sadly, those damned Elf-genes of his were too strong of a foe and even though he became physically stronger, his body hardly showed it.

"Then let's celebrate our new partnership properly!" Excited, Shayla zipped around the tent like a hyperactive fly. After one skillful loop-de-loop, the pixie managed to strip herself of her clothes on her way to hover in front of the boy's face once again.

Rather than hiding her nude body, Shayla did the exact opposite. She spread her legs, puffed out her chest, and put her hands on her hips. Not only was she showing off, but she was doing it right up in his face only inches away from his face.

Coye's blood began to flow, growing hotter with each pulse. This was the first time he had ever seen a naked girl before, and he felt it might be unfair for anyone else who came after. Shayla was a fairy, her pale skin still damp from the rain was glowing faintly with beautiful and mystic energy that demanded his attention.

Her large breasts, about the size of two grapes on her tiny body, were round, heavy, yet impossibly perky. Following her curves downward past her slim tummy and narrow waist, his eyes soaked in the sight of the fairy's mound. This was the first vagina he'd ever laid eyes on, and Coye couldn't for the life of him look away.

He licked his lips at the sight of her bald pussy lips, feeling the intense hunger of the Gnarled Woods returning in an unfamiliar form. Shayla was visibly horny, the wetness trailing down her thighs. Although he had never had experience with a woman before this, even Coye knew that this wetness wasn’t solely fault of the rain.

For nearly half a minute he stared at the naked pixie, entranced and aroused. It took him all the courage he had to ask, “ how is this even going to work?”

Shayla pouted. “ what do you mean? Are you talking about size or what? Obviously you’re not gonna get to fit the full thing in, but I promise it’ll still feel good.”

His breathing grew heavy as he considered her words. “ have you ever done this before with someone my size?” Coy asked. The fairy was very pretty, so he assumed wrongly that she was well experienced in frolicking. He certainly wouldn’t of imagined that she was a virgin just like him.

“ oh, yeah. All the time yup.” Shayla bluffed averting her gaze to the side. She covered up her lie by performing as smug a smile as she could muster.

“ fairies like me are beings made mostly of mana. I’m pretty sure that we are like, I don’t know, 90% mana and 10% flesh?”

Tilting his head, Coye looked at the fairy making it clear he didn’t follow whatever she meant by this.

Once again this boy being as dopey as he is pleased Shayla. “ i’m saying that fairies are very, very stretchy.”

“Oh.”

Shayla smiled at the adorable face he was making, then, she flopped her wings and flew even closer. Although she was so small, the scent of her womanhood was thick in the air. He licked his lips without a thought, the fairy imagining what it would be like To feel such a gargantuan tongue lapping at her sweetness.

All in due time. She needed to ease him into this, there was no way he could just jump into giving cunnilingus to a fairy without a little warm up.

She rested her sizable breasts on his nose, teasing him with his first touch of a woman’s body. He felt his pants grow even tighter as her tits squished against him, Shayla making a face of pure seduction as her hand traced sensitive patterns on his cheek.

“ is there anything you want me to do? Or would you like to listen to my idea?” Shayla asked in a sultry tone, pressing her lips out purposefully as she spoke. Coye was frozen yet again.