The Hallowed Forest was as beautiful as it was deadly. The trees glittered with glimmer-sap, a frequent snack of the strange mana-warped fauna, despite its toxicity to most anything else. Motes of glowing light drifted lazily through the forest, providing light where the overgrown canopy prevented sunlight from entering.
It was an idyllic scene, but one that belied the danger lurking in every mana-ridden nook. Every day was a day the magical vis further twisted the forest's residents into creatures far stranger than nature had ever intended.
I treaded carefully, my mission far too important for distractions. My steps were careful, measured, and entirely silent. Each boot was placed only after I'd meticulously considered the ground beneath my feet, avoiding any suspicious noises that might draw attention from the predators roaming nearby. I had to get to the bottom of this: Where had all the fairies gone? Tiny fantastical creatures, and the only comfortable resident of the Hallowed Forest who could speak. They managed the ecosystem here, kept the balance, and sent away ill-witted visitors like me when they ventured too far.
Today, however, not a fairy was to be found.
Not a single fairy had met me in days. Their absence would be more dangerous for the surrounding environment than any feral monster—the Hallowed forest was perfectly fine expanding endlessly without their control—which begged the question. Where had they gone?
I stopped in place, frowning as I focused on the tree just ahead of me. It was an old one, standing alone at the center of the clearing ahead, its thick leaves reaching even past the Hallowed Forest's overgrown canopy overhead. More importantly, however, it bore a little door built into its trunk. A wooden hut fit for tiny inhabitants. This was one such home for them, the only I really knew about—though I assumed there were others scattered around the forest. And yet, there wasn't a fairy buzzing around above it, ready to huff, pout, and shoo me away.
Time to investigate. I approached the door, giving a moment to appreciate the intricate engravings on the exterior before leaning in, listening for activity inside. There was a faint buzzing sound, and... the sound of sticky smacking? My brow furrowed as I knocked firmly against the tree trunk next to the door.
There was a startled flutter. The sound of thumping as something hit the floor. "We're closed!" Came a squeaky voice inside, followed by nervous whispers.
"For how long?" I asked.
There was a pause at that, a brief silence before the fairy spoke again. "Indefinitely," she called back.
"Indefinitely?! But you run this entire forest!"
Finally, the door creaked open a sliver. I knelt lower to meet her gaze. A fairy peered up at me, and immediately, I noticed some changes. She wore nothing but a tiny t-shirt, oversized for her to wear as a dress, with text on it reading "goonaholic". And more noticably, she reeked of female hormones and sex juices. Even her wings looked dirty and stained with fluids.
The fairy scowled at me. "Haven't you tried reading a book lately? Indefinitely means indefinitely. Go ask your dictionary."
"Since when did you switch out of your usual fairy outfit?" I frowned.
"Since none of your business." The fairy said pointedly, slamming the door shut again.
"Hey!" I knocked against the tree.
The door cracked open once again. "What do you want?!"
"Listen, none of you are showing up to help guide travelers through the forest." I demanded. "You know there've been accidents already, right?"
"Hmm..." She paused to consider, tapping a finger against her lips. "Makes sense that would happen without our help," she finally concluded. "And?"
I blinked. "Well... Don't you care about keeping the forest healthy and guiding travelers at all?"
"Nope," the fairy answered bluntly. "All those stupid humans are so rude anyway! None of you say please or thank you, and if we do guide you, you don't pay us in nectar or honey! So... We quit! And we found something way more fun!”
A loud groan from behind her drew my gaze past her towards what seemed like dozens of other fairies laying spread across the floor of a teenie living room, watching porn together on an even tinier laptop they must have shrunk with their magic. Most wore similarly tiny shirts like the one guarding the door. One was even dressed in a hoodie labeled 'edge addict'. All of them reeked similarly to her. Some even looked sticky with fluids dried onto their tiny bodies.
"...Are you all... masturbating in there?" I blinked incredulously.
The fairy guarding the door crossed her arms, cheeks puffing indignantly as they turned bright red. She tried uselessly to block my view inside, even hovering upwards in futility in a failed attempt to tower over me. "N-No!" She squeaked. "For your information," she continued haughtily, "we're engaging in group..." she squinted, struggling to come up with an alternative term. "...Study sessions." She finished triumphantly, sticking out her tongue at me. "Which is worth way more of our time than helping dumb humans like you."
I gave the fairy a dubious look. As if on cue, another fairy cried out from behind her in pleasure. "O-Oooh?! I'm getting so addicted to g-gooning! I'm the perfect goonette!" Another fairy, this one male, rutting a plastic pussy desperately replied almost instantly. "Me too! I love this goon cave! A-And this human pussy toy is perfect... s-shit!" He came loudly, drawing approving giggles and moans from his tiny peers.
One fairy called over to the guard fairy impatiently. "Hey Ella'sae! Hurry uuuup! We need to watch more gooning videos and edge ourselves~"
The fairy blocking my view, apparently named Ella'sae flushed even deeper, glancing backwards nervously before scowling again. "Study session?" I asked again, raising an eyebrow.
She sputtered indignantly. "Yes study sess..." She finally deflated, shoulders slumping as she landed on the ground, wings drooping sadly. Finally, she mumbled in defeat. "Fiiine, maybe we're masturbating in here! Good for you! Mister Sherlock Holmes over here, everyone! ...How much longer are you gonna hound us? I'm..." Ella'sae glanced backwards awkwardly, rubbing an arm. "I'm missing valuable goon fuel." She whined.
I paused for a moment while Ella'sae impatiently bounced in place before me, her tiny hand creeping between her thighs unconsciously until she snatched it back, looking annoyed.