THE MOMENT
*CRUNCH* Abby didn't know what to expect; but, the warm gooeyness was surprisingly sweet. She was at the end of her adventure for the day and curiosity got the better of her. She'd heard of pixie cookies, of course, though, they were somewhat scarce in her new town. One baker, Glory May, was locally famous for her pixie cookies; but, they were a rare commodity. Abby had been in the town for about a month now and still hadn't had an opportunity to taste them. She popped the rest of the unusual snack in her mouth as she left the castle and enjoyed the syrupy center while she made her way back to town.
Abby had been feeling restless lately, and the decision to take a taste was almost a symptom of that. There was a change after her last adventure into the castle, and she felt proud of that; but, also somewhat remorseful. She defeated what she could only assume was a miniboss of sorts, and the constant ticking that filled everyone's mind was gone. There was a big party that night to celebrate, and everyone thanked her. But, that was before they realized that things were different.
On her first adventure into the castle, she died and woke up in bed at the Inn. That was when she noticed the ticking. Upon waking up she learned it was common. Anyone who died in the castle woke up the next day. Except, the unknown ticking seemed to be related to that. Without it, those who died in the castle did not return. She took some heat from the villagers; but, by now she'd made friends that stood up for her. She was the summoned hero after all, and she was obviously making some sort of progress on her mission to defeat the Dark Lord. And, the answer was simple; amateur adventurers stopped entering the castle. Only those who'd grown powerful enough to enter and exit successfully continued.
She'd also visited other worlds after that fateful event. It wasn't directly related; but, she'd made a new friend and learned how to use a legendary sword to travel between Earths. But, as far she could tell, there were only four other Earths to visit. She tried constantly for a couple of days and kept visiting the same places before she gave up. After that first visit to a new world was when she noticed the growing restlessness inside, and it only magnified when she realized how limited her options were.
Overall, she fell back into a daily life of visiting the castle and returning each evening with valuable plunder. Now that she was one of the few charging in frequently, she got more requests for goods from inside, and it kept her busy. Unfortunately, the castle still seemed to be changing on the inside and this particular evening she was returning relatively empty-handed. She didn't manage to collect anything that was asked for, but, as she reached the town she headed straight for Glory May's bakery with pixie cookies in mind.
"One more wouldn't hurt..," she giggled to herself and reached into the burlap sack she was carrying. She was close to the bakery now and instead of slowing her pace, she shoved the treat in her mouth whole and started munching happily with bulging cheeks. She crunched as fast as she could and swallowed by the time she stepped into the bakery.
"Abby! What brings you here?" Glory May, the green-haired baker behind the counter, greeted the hero with a broad smile.
"PIXIE COOKIES!" Abby returned the smile as she reached the wooden counter and hefted the bag onto it.
"Really?" Glory May was immediately interested. "Did you find them in the castle?" she asked as she opened the bag and peered in.
"Yep!" Abby nodded. "What do you think?"
"That's quite a haul.. almost a dozen....," Glory angled the edges of the bag to try and turn the contents around inside as she looked in, then, she shook her head. "But, not exactly," she added. "You know what's in pixie cookies right?"
"Everything, blood and all," Abby nodded. She'd overheard the secret at the Inn. But, it was akin to any other "baker's secret"; the equivalent of a splash of vanilla.
"Unfortunately, I need a full dozen for even the smallest batch. It's sweet on its own; but, pixie blood as an ingredient is very easy to overpower. I'm afraid you'll need more than this," Glory May said. "But, maybe you'll find some more on your next adventure. Would you like me to store these for you?"
"Awww," Abby sighed and slumped her shoulders. She wasn't expecting instant cookies, but, it was a new disappointment learning she'd have to wait more than a day. "No, it's okay...," Abby shook her head and collected the bag again. "If it has to wait until next time, I'll just bring you at least a dozen then," she said.
"They're rather delicate," Glory May spoke up. "They won't last more than a day in that bag," she said. Abby giggled and nodded. She was disappointed; but, in that moment it was funny because Glory May was very correct.
"You're telling me," Abby smiled as she opened the door to leave. "They're definitely sweet enough on their own," she giggled and waved at Glory May. Then, she walked out into the night to return to the Inn. Along the way she reached into the bag and brought another pixie corpse to her mouth.