Dragon Hunter

Chapter 35: Flights of Fancy

Again the bird hesitated before answering. A pause that made Cooper clench his fists once more in an effort to stay calm. But, when the blue creature answered, the grim dragon hunter wasn't sure he liked what it had to say.

"For its serene appearance, the Eternal Forest is a plane of conflict and struggle," the bird began. "The rulers, powerful beings with godlike powers, are in constant warfare with each other to determine which will hold dominion over the Forest."

Cooper's frown deepened.

"Dunno if you want to hear this, but constant warfare doesn't seem like a good way to run a place," he pointed out. The bird shifted its wings.

"I am not in a position to challenge the way of things in the Eternal Forest, hooman," it replied. "I can only accept what is."

"How very Zen of you," Cooper said sarcastically with a wry twist of his mouth. The bird's head tilted.

"While I don't know what 'zen' means, I recognize the tone in your voice," it said frostily. "Such a statement only reveals how ignorant you are about how things work in the Eternal Forest."

"Frankly, Woody, I couldn't give two shits about how things run here," Cooper growled, his patience quickly waning. "I don't plan on staying long enough to figure it out. Just point me in the direction of one of these rulers and I'll be on my way."

The bird made a cawing sound that resembled a laugh.

"With what, hooman? Your resolve alone won't carry you between the world trees. You have nothing. Not even a stitch of clothing to cover your nakedness."

Cooper fought the impulse to grimace. The damn bird was right. He was completely without anything that could help him. Including clothes. But wait: didn't Woody say all he had to do was exert his will power and he could wish shit into existence?? Well, to be precise, it said 'denizens of this place' had that power, but it didn't hurt to give it a spin.

First thing to try was to get his clothes back. All he had to do was figure out how to wish them back from oblivion. Maybe if he just thought about how they felt on his body, and remembered what they looked like ...

The blue bird squawked in surprise for a second time as, with a shimmer of particles and light, the clothing he had been wearing in the Shadowed Expanse appeared around him.

"How ... did you do that?" the bird stammered yet again, clearly shocked.

"You said will power got shit done in here, Woody," Cooper said as he ran his hands over the gray and black clothing he had gotten from the temple's quartermaster. "I wanted my clothes back and tadah, here they are." Then he focused on his pack and supplies and smiled when the pack's weight appeared on his back. Now, all he needed was his weapons ...

Cooper's frown returned when the crystal .50 didn't appear in his hand even as he focused on its remembered dimensions and weight. Instead, with a distinctive surge of light, the sword he had taken from the draconic ambassador on Koriban, Phayrak, appeared point down and hilt in his hand, its baldric and sheath coalescing on his body.

"Fascinating!" the bird exclaimed. "A sword forged by ancient magic and power! One that distinctly says it belongs to you."

Cooper looked down at the sword.

"Well, it does look pretty badass in my hand ..." he began before another squawk from the bird cut him off.

"No, hooman. The sword just told me that it belongs to you," it said.

"No shit." Cooper peered at the sword. "I took it off a dragon I killed in the Garden, on a world called Kaliban. I was told it had been in that dragon's lineage for generations. Why would it suddenly say it belongs to me? And why am I not hearing it talk?"