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Mission 006: Sage Advice

SHIFT Mission Briefing: We've uncovered a book at the Great Alexandrite Library that may contain vital information on the recent magic we've encountered. Unfortunately it is written in a language that we currently have no method to translate. However we know of a hermit who lives at the top of a mountain. It is said he can speak and understand the language of any living being. Seek out the hermit and see if he is able to translate the book.

SHIFT Heroes Deployed on this Mission

Sinopa

Cobalt

Erakir

Sinopa soared through the air as she approached the peak of the mountain. The griffin was starting to get used to how her wings worked and maintained her altitude easily despite her two passengers. One of those passengers was Cobalt. He was a large bipedal wolf and almost eight feet of pure muscle right now. The other one, Erakir wasn't quite as heavy. The diminutive purple imp was only 2 inches tall and wore a robe made out of a tissue as she sat on Cobalt's shoulder.

"I guess this is better than walking." Cobalt looked over Sinopa's side as the earth below. "When I got the mission briefing I was sure we had a tedious hike up the mountain."

"SQUAWK!" Sinopa gave her own opinion on it.

"I am... Unsure of what that means..." Cobalt had no way to translate Sinopa's random noises.

"Probably something like don't jinx it." Erakir chimed in. "But that's okay, you probably already did."

At this point the three arrived. Sinopa dove down from the sky aiming directly for the mountain's peak. There was a small hut made of straw and stone sitting at the top. While most of the mountain was covered in snow the hut was completely untouched. Cobalt slipped off of Sinopa's back as they touched down, allowing the griffin to stretch after the long flight. Erakir immediately hopped off of Cobalt's shoulder and fluttered into the air. Cobalt clutched the book in one of his massive paws as he slowly approached the simple hut. He didn't get the chance to knock before its inhabitant appeared in the doorway.

"Visitors now?" It was a monkey that spoke. He looked to be somewhere in his thirties. He dressed in only a simple pair of trousers and vest and carried a long staff with a golden ring on each end. Despite him not being that old he spoke in a strangely slow tone that was often found with elder more learned individuals. "I can't say I was expecting anyone today. I would have put on a pot of tea if I knew you were coming."

"Well that's the most pleasant greeting we've ever gotten on a mission." Erakir mused. "I don't trust him."

"We came here looking for his help." Cobalt growled at Erakir. He then showed the book with the symbols of the sun and the moon to the monkey. "Are you the hermit who can read any language? We need help translating this book."

"I suppose... That is not an entirely inaccurate description." The monkey took the book with his free hand and began to study it. He opened it up and flipped through a few pages then smiled. "Now this is a rarity. You don't often find reports of the Seelie that are this accurate in detail."

"The what now?" Cobalt looked at monkey. "Wait so you can read it!"

"Of course I can." The monkey smiled. "I'm an old man living atop a mountain. But the bigger question is... Are you worthy of this knowledge?"

"Squawk!" Sinopa created a rude noise indicating her own certainty of their worthiness.

"Look we've worked hard to get this information and dealt with a lot of crap." Cobalt's voice had an edge to it. "All we need to know is what the book says."

"Very well..." The monkey held up his hands dismissively. Interestingly enough the book and staff he was holding stayed in place until he resumed gripping them. "I'll be happy to translate the book for anyone who can reach me." He turned around and began to walk away with his eyes closed. "After all the three challenges of the mountain ensure to their worthiness."

"Challenges?" Erakir looked hesitant at that.

"Oh that's right." The monkey opened one eye and turned to stare back at Sinopa with a smile. "It looks like you three cheated and flew right by those. I'll tell you what. Climb the mountain properly and clear those challenges and I'll translate the entire thing."

"We don't have time for something like that!" Cobalt said. "This information could be very sensitive!"

"In that case you don't have time to argue with me. Oh... But let's make sure you keep your feet on the ground and have to climb up here the hard way." In one swift motion the monkey swung his staff at all three of them. In a heartbeat Cobalt brought up his trident to block the attack. There was no impact from the blow. Cobalt never felt the staff land... But everything went dark.

"IS EVERYONE OKAY!?" Cobalt could hear Sinopa shouting. That was strange... He didn't think she could talk in griffin form.

"You don't have to shout I'm right here." Cobalt growled. The monkey must have transported them somewhere with magic. Wherever it was, it was so dark Cobalt couldn't make out anything.

"WHAT!?" Sinopa shouted. "I SEE YOUR LIPS MOVING BUT YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY NOISE!"

"Wait you can see in this darkness?" Cobalt asked. As he spoke he felt something pull on his tail. It was strange... His tail felt longer and thinner than it should have been. He couldn't make out anything though.

The three of them weren't trapped in darkness at all. They were outside and it was a bright day. They were now sitting at the base of the mountain at the start of a trail leading up it. They had changed significantly though. Sinopa and Cobalt were both a lot smaller while Erakir had gotten a lot bigger. All three of them were around two feet in height now. Cobalt was the tallest and Erakir the shortest, but not by much. All three of them were now the same animal. They all looked like ordinary spider monkeys. Cobalt had blue fur, Erakir had white and Sinopa had a creamy orange colored fur.

"...!" Erakir opened her mouth to speak. She was trying to shout at both Cobalt and Sinopa but no noise came out of her mouth.

"I THINK ERAKIR IS DEAF!" Sinopa shouted. Erakir responded by slapping herself in the face.

"ERAKIR IS HERE!?" Cobalt asked. "CAN SHE CAST SOME KIND OF LIGHT SPELL SO I CAN SEE!?"

"...!" Erakir tried to shout more in frustration. She had figured out what was going on pretty quickly. Each of them had been stricken with a powerful curse. Based on their current physical forms it wasn't hard to figure out what curse. However it was rather unlucky who had gotten each curse. Erakir was able to identify it but had no way to explain it to the others.

"I THINK THAT MONKEY MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO HER!" Sinopa shouted. "HE MUST HAVE DONE IT WHEN HE TURNED ALL THREE OF US INTO MONKEYS AND TELEPORTED US DOWN HERE!?"

"Wait I'm a monkey!?" Cobalt growled at that. It would explain why his tail felt off. His entire body felt weaker now. When he got up from wherever they were stuck he was going to give that monkey guy a good punch in the face. "Where are we?" He asked. "What did he throw us down into? Some kind of dungeon?"

"COBALT I THINK HE MIGHT HAVE MADE YOU MUTE!" Sinopa shouted.

"What I'm talking fine?" Cobalt stared in the direction he assumed Sinopa was standing in. "What is wrong with you?"

"...!" Erakir who had enough of this began to dig in the dirt. Dropping onto all fours she began to slowly write letters in the dirt. It took her several minutes to write out the full message. As soon as she finished she grabbed Sinopa and pointed her at the message in the dirt.

"ERAKIR THINKS WE'RE CURSED!" Sinopa shouted. "SHE SAYS IT'S A MONKEY BASED CURSE! AND THAT SHE'S MUTE, YOU'RE BLIND AND I'M DEAF! WAIT! IS THAT WHY I CAN'T HEAR YOU!?"

"Wait I'm blind?" Cobalt paused at that. That was worrying. It would explain why it appeared to be so dark... But that was extremely concerning. If it came to combat he was at a severe disadvantage. And... He was a monkey too now? He held his trident in his hands. It definitely felt bigger. It would be nice if he could see it. But... If he was blind... Hopefully there was some way to cure it back at HQ. He considered if they should retreat for now and come back later. Then he remembered that the monkey still had the book. "Where is he from here!?" Cobalt growled. "We can't let him steal the book and leave us like this!"

"WHAT!?" Sinopa shouted. Erakir sighed and began to write another message in the dirt. After several minutes Sinopa was able to read it out loud. "ERAKIR SAYS WE'RE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MOUNTAIN! THERE'S A TRAIL LEADING BACK UP! SHE'S PRETTY SURE IF WE FOLLOW THE TRAIL WE'LL FIND THAT MONKEY AGAIN!"

"Well then let's go pay him a visit." Cobalt said and he started to walk forward.

"THE OTHER DIRECTION!" Sinopa shouted.

"I can't see!" Cobalt growled. "Cut me some slack!" He turned around and began to walk in the correct direction. He poked at the ground ahead of him with the base of his trident. He used it as a walking stick to slowly work his way up the trail. "I swear when I get up there I'm going to knock him flat on his butt."

"..." Erakir replied. She wasn't happy with the situation but there was something else that had been said that bothered her as well. She was pretty sure something... Or more precisely three something were going to try to stop them on their way up the trail.

They had been walking for only about half an hour when they encountered the first something. The trail dead ended into an enormous chasm. They could see the trail continuing on the other side of it. In the middle of the chasm someone had erected several enormous bamboo poles that stuck out of the ground rising to be roughly even with ground level where the trail ended.

"Good afternoon." A female voice spoke up. It came from a tall crane with white feathers and a red crest that stood at the end of the trail. She wore only a long trailing red scarf that billowed in the wind. She was roughly a foot taller than the monkeys. "It has been some time since someone has scaled the mountain. You stand before the first trial. It is a test of agility and grace."

"And what does that mean exactly?" Cobalt tried to look in the direction of the crane. Right now he had no idea what she looked like or even what species she was other than she sounded female.

"Simply cross the bamboo poles to the other side and you pass." The crane spoke with a sly smile.

"..." Erakir crossed her arms and stared at the crane. It was clear she wasn't taking her words at face value.

"You suspect some kind of trick?" The crane's smile widened. "Well of course there is." She jumped up onto one of the poles and stretched her wings out into a ready stance. "I'll do everything in my power to hinder your progress. Oh... And only one of you can attempt the trial."

"LEAVE THIS TO ME!" Sinopa shouted and stepped forward. "I MAY NOT HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST SAID! BUT I KNOW A MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTING POSE WHEN I SEE ONE!"

"Well technically the only challenge is to get across..." The crane muttered. "You don't have to actually defeat me per say just-"

"I'LL KNOCK THIS BIRD DOWN IN ONE SHOT!" Sinopa shouted.

"Ah right, deaf." The crane shrugged. "Well what can you do? This isn't really meant as a test of strength... But I suppose defeating me will also prove your worthiness. But perhaps one of you may want to communicate to her that it'd be a lot easier just to-"

"HERE I COME!" Sinopa shouted. She leaped nimbly between the bamboo poles using her tail for balance. She then swung her leg around for a kick. The crane however flapped her wings taking to the air sailing nimbly over the orange monkey.

"You won't be able to win if you're entirely focused on aggression." The crane replied. "You need to think ahead and-"

"GET BACK HERE!" Sinopa shouted as she leaped again. This time she twisted in the air as she delivered another kick aimed directly for the crane's head.

"You know fighting someone who can't hear you is actually quite annoying." The crane sighed as she caught Sinopa's foot between her legs. In one fluid motion she twisted. Instead of blocking the kick she turned Sinopa's own momentum against her, sending the monkey flying over the crane's head and towards the pit.

"GAH!"Sinopa found herself thankful for her prehensile tail. She wrapped it around one of the bamboo poles and saved herself from flying into the seemingly bottomless pit. "OKAY. SO THAT WAS A THING!"

"Come now." The crane smiled. "Surely you can do better than that." She make a 'come hither' gesture with her wings.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU SAID!" Sinopa responded. "BUT I'M SURE I WOULD NOT LIKE YOUR TONE!" She climbed back up onto the poles and leaped towards the crane. Remembering how the previous fight attack went she landed directly before the crane. This time she attacked with a series of punches. She had stable footing here and clung to the pole with her tail for extra leverage. She wasn't about to let herself go flying again.

The crane in turn nimbly avoided the punches. She weaved left and right on her pole avoiding a single one hitting her. Sinopa seeing what happened aimed low instead. She brought up one leg to do a sweeping kick directly at the crane's legs. The crane responded by leaping over Sinopa and smacking her atop the head with her wings. Sinopa was nearly sent plummeting from the pole, only managing to catch herself on the side of it because she had grabbed it with her tail.

Sinopa paused halfway to climbing up and looking at the crane. Everything she tried the crane seemed to counter effortlessly. It was a wonder she hadn't already been struck down... Except... Suddenly realization dawned on her.

"YOU'RE ALL DEFENSE!" Sinopa smiled. "YOU CAN COUNTER EVERYTHING I CAN DO! BUT YOUR TECHNIQUE... IT LACKS ANY OFFENSIVE ABILITY OF ITS OWN!"

"So you found me out?" The crane giggled. "But how does that help you now?"

"WHAT!?" Sinopa who was still deaf had no idea the crane had just said.

"Never mind." The crane sighed. Sinopa leaped for her again. This time as soon as Sinopa landed near the crane she jumped back away from her. As she did she clung to the original pole she leaped from with her tail bending it backwards.

"What are you up to?" The crane kept her distance and held her wings up in a defensive pose. Sinopa released the bamboo pole from her tail. It sprung back, going past its original position and swinging directly for the crane's legs. "Heh nice try. Points for cleverness but you're simply not fast enough." The crane leapt into the air.

It was what Sinopa was waiting for.

The orange monkey leaped into the air mere milliseconds before the crane did. The crane saw what Sinopa was doing and brought up her wings to redirect the attack. However... This time it wasn't a punch or a kick. The crane might have been able to reposition Sinopa's limbs... But this time she was going for a full body slam. Even with the crane's wings she wouldn't be able to change directions fast enough to get away. The monkey's entire body collided with the crane in the air. Both of them went careening over the bamboo poles before landing on the other side of the chasm.

"Heh." Crane didn't take long to untangle herself from Sinopa and get to her feet. "Well that was certainly a crude method to deal with the problem... But... You pass!"

"I'M NOT GIVING UP YET!" Sinopa who had idea what was just said proceeded to take another swing at the crane. This time her hand passed right through the crane as if she was made of smoke. "What?"

"Your curse is broken." The crane replied. "And as a reward... I give my power to you. Use my techniques well." As the crane smoke she disappeared completely and Sinopa grew in size. She grew to just over three feet tall as cream orange feathers grew in over her entire body. Dark brown plumage grew in over her head as she transformed into a crane not much different from what she just fought.

"What?" Sinopa paused staring down at her wings after the changes finished. She had a look of surprise on her face. "What just happened and... Hey! I can hear again! And... I think... I think I just learned a new kung fu style."

"Good for you." Cobalt shouted from across the chasm. "Is it safe to cross yet?" As he spoke the ground began to rumble. The bamboo poles sunk into the chasm as a stone bridge pushed out from one side connecting to the other. It was now safe for Erakir and Cobalt to walk across.

"Yeah I think so..." Sinopa replied. "And um... I guess that's the first challenge done. There's three right? I guess each one we beat will break one of the curses."

"Thank goodness." Cobalt began to work his way across the pathway. "I am over being blind already."

The three continued up the mountain trail again. It was another hour before they reached the second challenge. It was at this point they encountered a small stream that ran down the mountain. They reached a point where it formed into a lake that cut the trail off. There was an island in the middle of the lake. The only way to access it without swimming was to hop across small stones leading to it.

A tiger was standing in the center of the island. He had orange and black stripes. His only garments were a headband, as well as cloth wrappings around his feet and hands that left his claws exposed. Standing over six feet tall he easily dwarfed everyone there.

"So you passed the trial of grace." The tiger spoke in a masculine voice as they approached. "But I'm afraid now you've reached the trial of strength. This is a simple ring out match. Whoever steps foot on the island must fight me. You knock me into the water, you win. When I send you flying into the water, you lose."

"More martial arts battles huh?" Sinopa looked smug. "Looks like you guys really lucked out bringing me along. I'll wrap this one up just as easily as the last."

"Don't be so sure of yourself." The tiger spoke with a savage grin. "You can enter the ring if you want... But the curse on your friends can only be broken by winning a trial. There's only one left after me. If you step into this ring to fight... Then one of your friends is stuck with their curse forever."

"...!" Erakir waved her arms up and down indicating she was not okay with that.

"I could fight him." Cobalt replied. "Which direction is he in?"

"Um well..." Sinopa looked over to the island. "Think you can manage a bunch of precision jumps across stepping stones to the middle of a lake?"

"Maybe?" Cobalt wasn't entirely confident but he didn't see much of a choice.

"..." Erakir held out her arms in irritation. Without waiting for the other two to make a decision the white monkey hopped across the stones onto the island.

"Okay I guess Erakir is going for this." Sinopa replied.

"Wait isn't she a white mage?" Cobalt asked. "Entering a test of strength."

"A mute white mage." Sinopa nodded.

"Well this is going to end well." Cobalt muttered.

"...!" Erakir stamped her foot. Honestly, the two had no faith in her. Sure, she wasn't going to win in a pure contest of strength... But they weren't thinking outside the box. Sinopa had brute forced her way through the trial of grace. There was no reason she couldn't think her way through the trial of strength. It wouldn't be the first time she had outsmarted a villain. She could probably provoke him into doing something stupid if she picked at his pride.

"At least one of you is brave enough to fight." The tiger smiled. "Very well. Are you ready?"

"...!" Erakir nodded. She also tried to make a smart comment about the tiger over compensating for something with all those muscles. It didn't work of course. She couldn't talk. That was annoying. It meant she'd just have to find some other way to communicate... Perhaps she could write something in the dirt.

In the middle of the fight.

While trying to avoid an angry tiger.

Erakir swallowed as she realized she might have just bitten off more than she can chew.

"Then let's begin!" The tiger pounced for Erakir. He covered the distance of the entire island in a single bound. Erakir fell back onto her bottom as she flailed trying to keep out of his reach. She barely avoided his attack. She had to think of something clever fast. Sadly... She couldn't cast any spells while she couldn't speak. She didn't have her staff because she hadn't replaced it after that time she had been shrunk as a demon. She didn't even have her makeshift robe now since she had grown in size when being turned into a monkey. She was left with no magic and no items to try to combat this beast.

So she grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at him.

"Seriously?" The tiger paused as the rock bounced right off his hide.

"...!" Erakir tried to protest that it was worth a shot. In the meantime she had used this time to get back to her feet. The tiger lunged forward aiming a kick directly at Erakir. Rather than meet it... Erakir chose to run away from the tiger as fast as she could.

"H-hey!" The tiger called out flustered. "This is supposed to be an honorable duel! Don't run away!" Erakir continued to run forcing the tiger to chase her. Soon they were both running in circles around the island. "Come on! Enough with that! Face your enemy with honor! Victory or defeat... It matters not as long as you have an honorable battle!"

"...!" Erakir really wished she could talk right now. She had a few things to say about his honor. It was funny about how it was always the physically stronger fighter that cared about fights being 'fair and honorable.' She rolled her eyes as she continued to run to try to think up a plan. She had to think. He was a tiger. So basically that was just a really big and really angry cat. So how did you deal with cats? Well... Many of them were insufferably vain... But as she couldn't talk and he wasn't going to stop chasing her long enough to let her write a message insulting him was out. She had to do something though. She couldn't just hope she'd get lucky and he would slip into the water. She wondered how he'd feel if that happened. She thought tigers were ok with water... But they probably reacted about the same as other cats when it wasn't their idea.

Oh! Erakir smiled. There was an idea.

"Look you can run all day but you're eventually going to tire out!" The tiger called. "Stop running and face me! At least that way you will have the satisfaction of having given it your all!"

"...!" Erakir still planned to give it her all. She ran along the very edge of the island. The rocks were slick here and there was a high risk she would fall in. The tiger rather than take the same risk ran closer to the inside of the circle. This was letting him gain on her. That was ok... She needed him close enough to make sure she wouldn't miss.

Erakir dipped her tail into the water as she ran when she saw the tiger was almost in striking range of her. Then she lashed her tail with all her might. She whipped it out of the water sending a splash of it directly at the tiger's face. It of course wasn't enough to hurt him but...

He was still a cat.

"GAH!" The tiger jumped backwards landing on all fours. He let out a loud hiss in protest of the cold lake water that had just splashed him. "What was that for?"

"...!" Erakir laughed, though she produced no sound. No matter how tough felines acted they all shared the same weaknesses. It made them easy to trick and overcome.

"That was cheeky but it won't..." The tiger stood up and stepped towards Erakir. She whipped her tail through the water again splashing him. "STOP THAT!" He growled as he jumped backwards.

"..." Erakir grinned wickedly. She shoved her hands into the water this time cupping water as she could within them. She then ran towards the center of the island and tossed the handful of water at the tiger.

"Seriously!?" The tiger cried in protest as he got wet. "That's really annoying!" He jumped back near the edge of the island to put some distance between him and Erakir. Erakir landed near him again and whipped her tail into the lake a third time sending another blast of water at him.

"Not this time!" The tiger leaped into the air above Erakir. He landed directly behind her without getting wet. However as he made contact with the wet rocks that made up the outside edge of the island he started to slip. He wobbled his arms wildly for a moment before trying to regain his balance.

"...!" Erakir simply poked the tiger. She pushed on him with one finger while he was off balance. It was enough to make him slip, and the tiger fell off the island landing in the water. Even sitting in it the water was only high enough level to just be over his legs and waist.

"You cheated." The tiger growled. "But you technically passed. I can only hope gaining my power will help you learn to fight for real in the future." As he spoke the tiger disappeared into smoke that surrounded Erakir. Erakir began to swell in size. Her tail became less flexible, though it remained long. Blue and white stripes formed over most of her body while her ears were solid blue. Sharp claws formed within sheaths as her body took on a definite shape. She had become a tigress.

"Testing one two three." Erakir spoke out loud to see if she could talk again. "Oh thank goodness. That was absolute torture. I almost feel bad for what I did to Kick now... Almost." She looked down in the water where the other tiger had been. "And man that muscle head was annoying. Glad he's over with." She turned to face her two companions. "You're welcome by the way! Can't believe you guys let yourselves get hit with such an obvious curse... Or that neither of you could figure out what it was."

"You were cursed too!"Cobalt shouted back. He didn't realize how much he had come to value the silence while Erakir couldn't talk.

"Oh sure maybe!" Erakir smiled. "But I was two inches tall and distracted at the time. What's your excuse?"

"Should we just move on?" Sinopa sighed. She was usually the rash one in the group.

"Fine, whatever." Cobalt replied. "Is there a path?" Just like with the previous trial the ground began to shake. Stone platforms rose out of the water until they formed a bridge that extended to the island and then all the way to the other side where the trail continued. They were all able to progress.

It took over an hour to reach the site of the third trial. By this point the sun had started to set. The entire mountain was lit up orange beneath the evening sunset.

This time... There was no obvious arena when they reached the sight of the next trial. The trail widened into a large circular area... but there was no holes in the ground, no rivers, or anything to prevent people from simply walking by. There was of course... One guardian awaiting them though.

"Evening." He spoke up with a chipper whimsical voice. It was a dragon, one with a long slender body almost like a ferret. He was covered in gold and silver scales and had a pair of antlers coming out of his head. He had no wings... But a long mane of hair traveled down his back while he had long whiskers sprouted from the end of his snout. He was also only a foot tall, making him smaller even than the current monkey form Cobalt. "Welcome to the trial of wisdom."

"Uhhhh..." Sinopa looked down at the dragon. "You're our next opponent. I was expecting someone..."

"Bigger?" The dragon laughed. "I get that a lot. I assure you though. I am absolutely the perfect size."

"Yeah good for you..." Erakir looked past the dragon and where the trail continued. "So I can't help but notice there's nothing to just stop us from walking past you and heading the rest of the way up the mountain."

"That there isn't." The dragon nodded eagerly. "I won't stop you if you attempt that."

"I guess that makes this trial easier." Sinopa muttered. "There's no reason for a battle if we can just press on."

"Wait..." Cobalt spoke up. "What happens to me if just move on."

"Nothing happens." The dragon shrugged and turned away from him. "You simply stay as you are. Forever." The dragon let the word hang in the air forever. It was obvious now there was no skipping the trial. Cobalt wouldn't regain his vision unless they cleared it.

"And if we face the trial... It has to be me doesn't it?" Cobalt asked.

"It doesn't have to be! Nothing has to be." The dragon replied. "You're more than free to leave and stay the way you are. It doesn't even have to be the thing that defines you. But... if you want the curse broken... Then defeating me in combat will break it."

"And turn me into whatever species you are too right?" Cobalt growled. "Fine I'll fight. What am I fighting anyway?"

"He's a dragon." Erakir responded.

"Well that sounds a lot better than being a monkey." Cobalt stepped forward holding his trident.

"But shouldn't you mention that the dragon is only-" Sinopa started.

"Shhhh." Erakir quieted Sinopa. "He'll figure it out."

"Very well." The dragon replied. "Welcome to the trial of wisdom. I'll fight you with techniques using both strength and agility. You must learn to read the moves of your opponent and adapt your fighting style at will if you want to survive the challenge. Your goal is to knock me to the ground at least once."

"How can I read your moves if I can't see?" Cobalt asked.

"That's a riddle you must solve yourself. Now... Just to make sure there isn't any interference." The dragon snapped his fingers. As he did a wall of flames erupted creating a circle around him and Cobalt. The circle was at least 20 feet wide giving them plenty of room. It did however lock Erakir and Sinopa on the other side preventing them from providing any aid.

"Ok..." Cobalt held his trident at the ready. He had to use both arms and his tail to grip it properly it was so much larger than him now. Sight or no sight... The blue monkey had no intention of losing. He was going to beat this dragon and regain his vision.

The dragon picked up a stick off the ground and spun it around like a staff. He acted first, running forward and smacking the stick against Cobalt's legs. Cobalt growled and swung his trident forward in the direction he felt the hit come from. He found it strange he made no contact as the trident went straight over the dragon's head. The dragon meanwhile wasted no time running behind Cobalt and smacking him in the tail.

"So you're fast..." Cobalt could only assume that the dragon had managed to move fast enough to get behind him before his strike had landed. He still had no idea the problem was the dragon being so much smaller. In his head he pictured dragons as huge hulking beast and that was what he tried to fight. As a result again as he swung his trident around, he came up without hitting anything.

"How are you moving around me so fast?" Cobalt shouted.

"Beats me." The dragon ran underneath Cobalt's legs before smacking him on the foot with his stick. "This is going even easier than normal for me."

Cobalt slammed his trident forward, again not making contact with anything. He tried to think. It didn't make sense. He was fighting a dragon. Something that big should make a huge impact with every footstep. Even if it was airborne he would be able to hear the flapping of its wings. But there were no loud noises giving away the location of the monster. Did it move around with magic? There had to be some way he could locate it.

He sniffed at the air trying to pick up a scent. He strained his ears trying to listen. He tried to focus as hard as he could on these two senses to locate the beast. He... He could definitely smell an unfamiliar scent. But it was all over the place... The dragon's scent covered the entire field. When he listened... He could occasionally hear the scampering of something. He struck skyward in the direction he heard this, again his aim being way too high and missing the dragon.

It didn't make sense! That was the only other noise he heard, and it came around the same time as he got struck with a stick. But the dragon wouldn't be that quiet when he moved unless he...

Was a lot smaller.

"Cheeky jerk." Cobalt muttered. "SINOPA!" He shouted to the crane. He knew better than to ask his other companion for help. "How big is this dragon!?"

"About half your size!" Sinopa shouted back.

"WHY DID NEITHER OF YOU TELL ME THIS!?" Cobalt growled. No wonder he couldn't land a hit. The opponent he was picturing in his mind was a complete mismatch.

"Uh oh... Secret's out." The dragon replied as he smacked Cobalt in the knee.

"Enough of this!" Cobalt brought his trident around and spun it in a circle. He used this to do a sweeping attack aiming just above the ground all around him.

"Whoa that's dangerous!" The dragon took to the air. Though he had no wings he was able to float in the air without issue. "You nearly put my eye out!"

"Now you're up there..." Cobalt was glad the dragon was talking. It gave him an idea of where it was. So he was flying in the air now... But why couldn't he hear its wings? It didn't matter at least now he knew what he was aiming for. He jabbed his trident upward at the dragon.

"WHOA!" The dragon weaved to the side avoiding the trident. "Seriously! You're going to hurt someone! That's my job!" The dragon grinned at this... Then inhaled deeply before releasing a cone of fire from his mouth that completely engulfed Cobalt.

"ARRRRRRRRGH!" Cobalt let out a scream as he was lit on fire. It wasn't a pleasant sensation. As the flames died down and his neurons slowly stopped screaming in pain he glared in the direction he thought the dragon was in. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Oh? And why not?" The dragon stuck his tongue out. More importantly, his voice gave away his location.

"Cause now I can do this." Cobalt inhaled... Then he breathed out an identical cone of fire to what the dragon had thrown at him. The fire spread out from Cobalt as it traveled through the air completely engulfing the dragon.

"HEY NO FAIR!" The dragon shouted as it was his turn to be lit on fire. "You're supposed to wait till after you win to get my power!" With this the dragon dove downward to the ground and began to roll in the dirt as he shouted a mantra. "Stop, drop, roll. Stop, drop, roll." He then paused as he realized he was down on his back on the ground. "Wait does that count?" As he asked the question the walls of flame abruptly ceased to exist. "I guess it does. Well that's no fun."

"Wait is it over?" Cobalt asked as he gripped his trident unsure.

"I guess it is." The dragon sighed. "And I was having fun too. Well, you already stole part of my power. So guess there's no harm giving you the rest." The dragon transformed into smoke and dissipated. As it did Cobalt began to shrink. Light blue scales formed over most of his body while he took on a skinnier appearance. A mane of dark blue hair ran down from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. Though he had four legs he could stand on two of them and use the second set as arms and hands. However it didn't appear he even needed the two legs since he could float in the air.

As light returned to the world Cobalt looked around. It was good to be able to see again... But everything was so much bigger now. Even his trident was so big he could barely hold it. He looked at his two companions, seeing Erakir as a tigress and Sinopa as a crane. He was very conscious of how much smaller he was than them.

"I swear I'm going to slug that monkey." Cobalt muttered.

"Get in line." Sinopa replied.

With the third challenge completed the curse had been broken on all three of them. Furthermore, there was nothing left to stop them as they made their way to the top of the mountain. Soon they were standing back in front of the same shack they had first arrived at.

The monkey was waiting for them. His staff was still in one hand, and the book was in the other.

"Welcome back!" The monkey gave a shout. "I hope your trip was enlightening. I always like to think everyone comes out of them a little wiser."

"Wiser in what way!?" Erakir shouted. "All you did was make us climb a mountain and fight a bunch of people!"

"Yes but you had to be clever about how you fought them yes?" The monkey smiled. "If nothing else, it was a fun way to pass the time."

"Pass the time!?" Cobalt roared at that. He didn't care if this monkey was more than twice his size. He was going to give him a piece of his mind. "We don't have time! For all we know the people behind those previous attacks could be doing something else right now! All we wanted to do was ask you if you could read a book!"

"And what were you going to do while I read it?" The monkey asked. "I wasn't going to have you standing over my shoulder. Fighting them gave you some time to train for what's to come... And it gave me some time to look over this book and translate it." He opened the book up and showed that several sheets of paper had been stuffed into the book.

"Wait... You were already reading it?" Erakir asked in disbelief.

"Of course." The monkey replied. "When someone shows up with a book about the Seelie I tend to pay attention. Usually it's pretty serious when they're involved."

"Wait..." Cobalt paused at this. "You mentioned the Seelie last time we were up here too. What are they?"

"You don't know?" The monkey asked. "Ah... I suppose in your language you do call them something different. You would refer to them as faeries. Though I guess it's not fair to call all faeries Seelie. All of the Seelie are faeries but not all faeries are of the Seelie."

"Ok could you just... Explain." Erakir groaned. She got the feeling she was about to get way more side information than she wanted.

"Oh the book is sort of an encyclopedia." The monkey responded. "It details what we call the Seelie and the Unseelie. Most faeries fit into these two types you see. I guess... in you terms... You might refer to them as faeries of the Summer Court and those of the Winter Court. You also have faeries that belong to Spring and Autumn courts... But they're not quite as big a deal."

"So it's faeries we're dealing with?" Sinopa asked. "That... Doesn't sound too bad."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that." The monkey replied. "You'll probably want to look over this. But... there's a lot more faeries than just the kind little pixies you see in children's stories. The Fey Lords are powerful beings. Compared to a mortal they're like gods. And the Seelie and Unseelie courts are constantly competing with each other. No more than you can stop the cycle of seasons can you stop the wars between Summer and Winter."

"That's all well and good... But that doesn't really tell us what we're dealing with." Cobalt replied. "You said they're faeries but that's it. What even is the difference between the two courts other than what season they like?"

"Well... You could call them light and dark I suppose." The monkey shrugged. "You see... The Seelie see themselves as benevolent faeries. They often come bearing gifts to mortals. Many of them might take the identity of faerie godmothers, granting wishes to those they see in need. The Unseelie on the other hand... They're far more wicked faeries. They act with the cruelty and malice of the winter cold. Often they seek to punish transgressions that mortals have made against rules they never knew existed."

"So basically the Seelie are the good guys and the Unseelie the bad guys right?" Sinopa asked. "So... Should we try to get in touch with this Seelie and help them?"

"I never said the Seelie were good." The monkey replied.

"But you said-" Sinopa started.

"I said they see themselves as benevolent." The monkey explained. "They have a very different sense of morality from you and me. They'll bring you what they consider gifts... But many would consider them curses... But how could it be a curse if it makes your life more interesting? After all anything that makes your own personal story more engaging must be a blessing. The symbol of the Seelie Court is the summer sun. Tell me... When you encountered the Seelie's magic would you say it was benevolent?"

"No..." Cobalt had been on that mission. He had seen people with their minds overwritten and forced to play the part assigned to them in stories. "I would say they were pretty awful. They were destroying people's minds."

"But from their point of view they were giving them better minds. Better memories." The monkey explained. "They saw it as a blessing. I will tell you one major difference between the Seelie and the Unseelie. The Unseelie will always be more honest with you. They won't hide their malice behind false pleasantries... Of course... The Seelie will also always tell the truth... If only from a certain point of view."

"Well that's comforting." Erakir muttered. "But okay... So do we have any idea why they'd be acting up? The ones you call the Seelie were turning people into faerie tale creatures... While the Unseelie were responsible for turning people into monsters."

"I can't say the why... But I can hazard a guess." The monkey looked thoughtful. "It almost sounded as if each was trying to amass new forces. If that's the case, it won't be good for anyone. Still... I'll given you my translated notes. Perhaps you'll find a use for them to figure out what to do next." With that he passed the book to Erakir.

"So now what?" Cobalt asked. "We just leave?"

"You got what you came for did you not?" The monkey asked. "I have translated the book and give you information about the enemy you're now up against. All in all I feel I've been more than considerate."

"I'm a foot tall!" Cobalt shouted.

"And a dragon!" The monkey smiled. "A very fearsome beast! But... It's getting late! And since you guys no longer have your ride, you should probably be heading back. It'll be a long walk."

"Now wait a minute I'm not done with you yet I-!" Cobalt started to speak only for the monkey to twirl his staff. Suddenly all three of them were standing at the base of the mountain again. At least this time they hadn't changed or been cursed. "I don't like that guy."

"I feel like nobody does." Erakir rolled her eyes. "But you really wanna climb all the way back up there to talk to him again?"

"Not really..." Cobalt sighed. "So... How do we get back."

"Well..." Sinopa looked thoughtful. "You can fly now Cobalt! Right!"

"In case you didn't notice... You're both several times my size! I can't carry you back!" Cobalt growled.

"I guess we're walking then." Erakir sighed as she started away from the mountain. "Man I miss having wings."

SHIFT

Mission 006: Sage Advice

Mission Complete