THE MOMENT
"I have to...," Astra patted the large white wolf that was blocking her path. She and her wolf, Ben, journeyed to the fountain of dreams; but, as soon as they reached the clearing Ben growled and dashed in front of Astra. "...I can find a way to defeat Majicka here," she tried to reassure the wolf with gentle pets. Ben snarled and yapped in response. "I don't know who he was," she shook her head. "But, I trust him."
A well-dressed stranger in a purple suit, and lion-like features encountered Astra when she was exploring without Ben. He seemed polite and knowledgeable about her situation, although he did not give her all the answers. In the end, the only thing she learned was that stranger was the one that chose Astra to be the summoned hero, and that in order to progress she needed to visit the fountain of dreams. Ben whined, then relaxed and moved aside.
Astra was relieved and continued forward. But, it wasn't long before she took notice of the human skeletons and shattered swords with a flowing fountain beyond. It helped explain why Ben was still uneasy as he kept close to her. The structure looked out of place in the forest clearing, it actually looked out of place for this world entirely. It was a large round base made of glossy, almost sparkling black stones. A vibrant blue liquid erupted from the spout to wash down the intricate design and join the neon pool contained below.
She finally felt uneasy enough to stop several feet away from the fountain. She didn't know what she was supposed to expect. Her gut told her it wouldn't be easy, and Ben's sudden low growl told her she was right.
"Welcome to the fountain of dreams!" the voice came before Astra saw who it belonged to; he appeared a moment after his announcement. A tall black portal opened in front of the fountain, and a gentleman emerged wearing spectacles and a shiny black suit. The suit shined in the golden hour light like black fish scales and it brought to mind Majicka herself. "What brings you in search of its powers," he asked with a broad smile. "I hope your answer is better than all of theirs...," he gestured at the remains littering the area.
"I've come to defeat Majicka!" Astra announced. Something happened to her; but, she didn't know what. Something about the portal he emerged from felt familiar. It almost reminded her of the world she came from; it was the first time she felt like she had a sense of 'home'. Fluttering thoughts began to distract her; but, she needed to answer his question. He laughed at her answer.
"You're in the wrong place, she's not here," his chuckles echoed through the trees and Ben took it upon himself to defend Astra with a volley of angry barks.
"I was told I'd find a way to defeat her here!" Astra recovered, thanks to Ben, and tried again. The stranger stopped laughing, but his smile didn't fade.
"That much is true," he nodded. Then, he shook his head with a shrug. "Kind of," he added. "If you were told you'd find a way to defeat her here, that's inaccurate. But, you're young, so I'm assuming you didn't listen correctly. Here, if you defeat me...," he took a single step forward and adjusted his tie. "...you will earn a necessary key and discover the path to defeating Dark Lord Majicka. I'm afraid it won't be as simple as winning an item, you still have quite a journey in front of you. Well, theoretically at least," he chuckled. Ben went crazy again barking in every direction as Astra watched the skeletons begin to stir.
"Shhhhh, let's get serious...," Astra patted Ben to calm him down as she drew her gun. The skeletons began to collect their rusted weapons on their way to Astra and Ben.
"Oh," the fountain's guardian laughed again. "I was just trying to intimidate you; but, if you want to get serious....," his hands began to glow with energy. "...the polite thing to do is an introduction," he said. Then, one of the skeletons closest to them burst into flames and charged forward. "...my name's Chip." The rest of the skeletons ignited as they surrounded Astra and Ben.