-]1[-

"I hate this forest," Archon l'Argent muttered for the eighth time. His once
pristine white robes were now filthy, torn, and minus half of the gold frippery
that had once adorned it. The fool deserved it all, though, coming out here like
this, Ilthan reflected. For all his brainpower, the mage hadn't accounted for
the fact that coming out here in ceremonial robes might not have been the best
idea. He, at least, had traded out his usual shining breastplate and cloak for
something lighter and not nearly as valuable for the expedition.

"Oh, Arky... don't go saying that," said the Moondancer drifting along at the
Aquamancer's side. Between her small size, her amazingly high-pitched voice,
and her girlish giggle, it was almost impossible to believe that Goody
Gorsetail was a full 25 years old. Even the hazy-eyed nymph prancing along at
her side seemed so much more mature than the squirrel-like furrikin. "Can't you
see the beauty of this place? Can't you feel it? Be one with it, Arky. That's
all you have to do!"

"Miss Gorsetail," the merian mage said sternly, "I have fallen headlong into
six different mud puddles as of now. I have caught myself on three different
thorn bushes, causing six tears in my robes, and a full twelve cleansings have
failed to get the various stains out. I've discovered three new allergies and
been accosted by two foxes, three bears, and a particularly vicious raccoon. If
I become one any more with this forest, it shall consume me."

Goody giggled even louder at that, twisting around on her broom and grinning
playfully at Archon. "Oh, Arky... you say that like it's a bad thing."

"Are we there yet?" Ilthan growled, partially to divert Archon's attention from
the wiccan, but mostly out of his own frustration at the whole trip.

Archon sighed deeply. Though still young, he'd perfected the weary tone of the
long-suffering scholar that Ilthan remembered from his tutors. "We're almost to
the meeting point, yes, Ilthan. It's just at the top of this hill."

"Who are we meeting?" Ilthan demanded brusquely. "And what happens after that?"

-I told you this already, Ilthan.- Archon's voice entered directly into
Ilthan's mind, sounding as weary as ever. The human scowled, and formed his
thoughts as best he could.

-You didn't. Words too big. Told you already to stay out of my head,- Ilthan
replied, the last thought far more emphatic than the others.

-Better this than to be seen quarreling with each other in front of our ally,
Ilthan,- Archon returned. -And we'll be meeting with a guide Miss Gorsetail
arranged for in Estelbar. We'll meet with her, and then proceed to our final
goal in the Great Crater.-

-Another girl. Great. More giggling.- Ilthan snorted audibly as he trudged up
the hill.

"Is something wrong, Ilthy?" Goody asked, floating down alongside his head,
looking concerned, but not nearly as concerned as the nymph, who looked at him
as one might look at a hurt puppy.

"Not at all," he replied smoothly, and formed his thoughts once again. -I'm
going to kill someone, Archon. It's probably going to be her, but it might be
you. Or me.-

"Okay, that's good," the Moondancer continued brightly. "I thought you were
annoyed at the person watching us, but I guess not."

Ilthan blinked once, before drawing his twin blades from the sheathes on his
back. His favorite armor had stayed behind, but no power in the planes or
beyond would separate him from his weapons. "Dancer, up. Archon, hide," he
growled low, before stepping forward. "Show yourself!" he demanded, all
irritation at his charges leaving him.

As Goody vanished upwards into the canopy, Archon stuck his staff into the mud,
and started to mutter. "By the sphere of the Foundation, my body be one with the
ether. Yesod, take me." As his form faded into the background, the merian added
in a whisper, "Be careful, Ilthan."

"Quiet, mage," Ilthan returned, scanning the paths all around... the bushes...
the trees... and there, in the shadow of a great oak, was someone hidden. The
Paladin charged, darting forward and around the corner with strength and
certainty, plowing into the hidden figure... who stood there as firmly as if
he'd hit the oak itself.

Snarling in rage, it threw Ilthan backwards into the mud with a simple push of
its shoulder, and the human finally registered what his opponent was... a
humongous, shaggy igasho in armor of leather and iron plates, wielding a single
enormous hammer. Tumbling backwards, Ilthan righted himself and ran in to engage
it once more, launching into the form his mentors had taught to him. In towards
the belly to feint, twist to slash across one leg, follow through to slice
through the other... bring both blades down into the arm after, or if the
opportunity presents itself, the head...

Of course, the plan fell through at the first step, when he ran face-first into
the igasho's outstretched sledge, and was left staring upwards into the canopy.
He rolled to the side afterwards, to dodge the downwards blow that had surely
followed... only to find the igasho still waiting, hammer at the ready and
snarling viciously at him, but not pressing the attack.

"Ilthan, that's enough," Archon said, emerging from hiding. Before the Paladin
could scream something at him, the mage bowed deeply to the igasho, and said,
"Greetings. Lady Tiola Mossleaf, I presume?"

Still keeping a wary eye on Ilthan, the igasho turned, and lowered the hammer.
And now that he had a chance to look harder, Ilthan could see in the bulges in
the breastplate, and the slight curviness of the hairy form that it was,
indeed, a she. "Correct," she said, in a low, smooth voice, as she lowered her
hammer and let the head thump heavily into the mud beside her. "Welcome,
city-goers, to the Ackleberry."

-]2[-

-This is our guide, Ilthan,- Archon sent quickly. It didn't take psionic powers
to see that the Paladin was fuming. -Calm yourself. She means no harm.-

Ilthan growled, and gave him a pointed look... he might've been trying to form
a thought for him to read, but whatever it was had been distorted by rage and
violent intent. All the same, though, he did sheathe his blades once he made it
to his knees, and did seem to calm down as Tiola offered him a massive hand to
help himself up.

"I have some medicine if you need it," she said lowly, but Ilthan waved her
off, and hurried off behind a tree to attend to his bleeding nose.

"You'll have to forgive Ilthan," Archon said, stepping forward. "He's rash, but
his intentions are good."

The igasho grunted lowly. "I understand him well enough. No need to apologize
on his behalf," she said, glancing off towards the bushes where the human was
busy healing himself. "In any case, I believe he's more concerned about his
poor showing than his swiftness of action. But no matter. I am indeed Tiola
Mossleaf, merian. I am guardian of this forest, but I understand that today,
you wish me to be your guide."

"My guide, yes," Archon said. "My guide, as well as Ilthan's and Goody's."

"Oh yes. Goody." Tiola grunted lowly. "The wiccan. I presume she's about
someplace?"

"I'm right here," Goody said brightly, dropping from above to hover beside
Archon's head on her broom. Her nymph emerged out of nowhere at the same time,
to accentuate the entrance with hands on her hips and a wide smile. It was
endearing, really, how the nymph mirrored her mistress's emotions... a pity
Ilthan didn't feel the same way. "Hi... it's a pleasure to meet you!" the
squirrelkin said brightly, giving a little wave.

"A pleasure," the igasho replied flatly, and Archon noted a touch of
indifference... much as he'd felt in Ilthan the first time he and Goody had
met. He put it down to a character flaw inherent in warriors, and put it out of
his mind.

"The three of us wish to travel into the Great Crater... to the former site of
the Elder Honeysap," Archon said. "Can you take us there, Miss Mossleaf?"

"I can," Tiola said simply.

A long silence followed.

"Will you take us there, Miss Mossleaf?" Archon asked finally.

"That," Tiola said, picking up her hammer and slinging it lazily over her
shoulder, "will depend on a number of things. First, you will tell me why you
are here."

Archon blinked. "We were told you would be our guide. We wish to go to the site
of the Elder Honeysap."

"A step in the process, mage," Tiola replied. "It does not explain your purpose
here."

The Aquamancer frowned. "I wished for a guide, Miss Mossleaf. Is that not
enough?"

"No, it is not, mage," the igasho said. "I told you, I am guardian to this
forest as well. It would be a failure of my duty to allow you to come here and
cause harm in doing so."

Archon frowned deeper. "I do not wish harm to your forest, guardian. I can
assure you of that."

"Not wishing harm and not causing harm are two different things, mage," Tiola
said simply. "Answer. What is your purpose here?"

The Aquamancer scowled, and prepared to deliver a blistering retort when Ilthan
coughed loudly, and shot him a meaningful look. -What is it?-

-Just tell her, Archon.- Ilthan sniffed loudly, readjusting his nose.

-The Star Council ordered that this be kept quiet. If you think that...-

-Star Council isn't here. She's part of this forest. She won't let the Taint
know. Just doing her job,- the Paladin interrupted, certainty mixed with
irritation in his mind. -Tell her. Won't hurt.-

Tiola raised a thick eyebrow at Archon, and the Aquamancer sighed deeply. "Very
well, then. We wish to journey to the site of the Elder Honeysap. There, me and
Miss Gorsetail will attempt a ritual which we believe will allow us to
re-establish contact with the lost Ackleberry commune."

There was another uncomfortable pause.

"Interesting, merian," Tiola said finally. "You're aware, I hope, that several
attempts have already been made? What makes you think that you will succeed?"

Archon brightened. This, he could deal with. "Ah, you see, there have indeed
been several attempts made to restore the Ackleberry, but none have involved
the cities. These past attempts have all involved makeshift rituals utilizing
the insufficiently understood and poorly documented 'totem spirits,' all of
which have failed to trace the Ackleberry to its current location. An
alternative means of tracing the forest has not been pursued due to an
historically poor relationship between the communes and the cities, but now I
believe it will be possible through the use of psionic signatures to trace the
Ackleberry. With the emotional phenomena that must have surely left residual
traces on the site of departure, it should be possible to locate the forest's
resting place, and establish a link there."

The merian beamed as he finished his masterful summary, but another awkward
silence greeted him. He must have gone too fast again, he reflected. Goody was
fiddling with a stray twig on her broom, Tiola seemed to be muttering askance
to the gods, and Ilthan had an all too familiar glazed-over look in his eyes.

"So you have a plan," Tiola said at last.

"Yes," Archon said calmly, as he mentally entertained himself with a vision of
beating the igasho over the head with a psionics primer.

She tapped her fingers across the handle of her hammer, before finally nodding,
and turning. "Very well. Understand, however... the Crater is a sacred place.
Harm it, and I shall kill you. This includes you, merian, as well as all of
your comrades, and will especially come into effect if you flood the area...
are all of you clear on this?"

Ilthan grunted affirmation, and Archon frowned and nodded. Goody, though,
giggled nervously, and managed to get out a quick, "Well..." before Tiola cut
her off.

"Yes, you too, Moondancer. And your unseen allies as well. Know that you too
are a stranger to this forest." The igasho grunted. "Though I expect you shall
know better than these other two."

"Oh yes," Goody said meekly, with a small, completely uncharacteristic smile.
"Of course." And Archon, unable to stop himself, touched the surface of the
furrikin's thoughts and found an amazing fury blazing beneath the surface.

"Very well, then," Tiola said, completely oblivious to the anger she'd caused,
and turned to start over the hill. "Follow, then. And be careful. There are
dangers along the way."

-]3[-

And so Tiola found herself leading three more fools into the homeland.

It had happened before... adventurers come to seek something within the
Ackleberry. The Serens, and more recently, those of the Glomdoring, had come in
small groups or individually for research or personal enrichment. Those she let
into the Great Crater, but never near the village, never near the former site
of the Elder Honeysap. Those from the cities would come as well... these, she
let to the edge of the Great Crater at the furthest, assuming their intentions
were good. Those who sought personal gain at the forest's expense... those ones
found their ways into the maw of Brother Bear and his children, if she was
feeling nice about it.

And then, sometimes, some came to try and bring her cousins home... and these,
she would let as far as they liked into the Crater, as her father and his
father before him had done. This would be the first time in memory a Celestian
would be allowed access to the vanished Honeysap, and she hoped her ancestors
would forgive her, but she had to try... three generations they'd waited, now.

They'd all failed, in the past... each and every time. Sister Lake had vanished
from the realms, as had the fae who had once danced with her. The Ethereal held
no path to the lost kinsmen. Brother Bear, Brother Wolf, Brother Trout had
somehow failed to find them, despite their power... perhaps because of their
power. Perhaps the elders had not wanted to be found, especially after what had
happened to Raven, and had sealed themselves off from the totems' touch. In any
case, it didn't matter... the fools who had come before had left in defeat,
with only condolences to offer to Tiola and her fathers...

But the Celestian had a plan this time... something different. It would
probably fail, like every other time, but... she could not give up hope. She
had to keep trying. She had to put some of her faith in the merian... as
galling as the idea was.

Which reminded her...

"You never did answer my question, mage," Tiola said, gently pushing aside a
bush to reveal a path sloping down the hill.

"I thought I had," Archon replied, in what was probably meant to be a calm,
conversational tone, though the effect was ruined as he slid in the mud. Only
Ilthan prevented him from taking another dive into a puddle. "Great Crater,
Elder Honeysap, ritual and all..."

"A noble task. And one I find quite acceptable, merian," Tiola said. "But
ultimately, it is merely a means to an end. What do you hope to gain here,
Celestian? I still don't understand."

Archon halted a moment, before shaking his head and continuing along. "What...
you don't believe in simple acts of goodwill, Miss Mossleaf?"

"In the past ten years, mage, I've seen hundreds seeking entrance to the
Crater, mage," Tiola said calmly. "Woodcutters, those searching to strip the
land of rare and valuable herbs, a few people thinking to claim this area as
farmland, countless others seeking spiritual growth... I've even had a couple
seeking to plumb the crater for raw power, as if my homeland were nothing more
than some mine or well, meant for nothing but tapping. The one thing I've found
constant is that people come here for a reason, whether they know it or not.
What is your reason, Celestian?"

The mage grunted irritably. "I simply wish to make contact with a long lost
people. Is that not enough?"

Tiola smirked a bit. "That's not the root of your travel, merian. Your
companion, the warrior... him, I understand well enough." Ilthan frowned as he
looked up. "Duty drives him, whether through a general desire to protect those
of his city, or a more personal connection to you, I do not know. But I gather
that he would not be here were you not. Correct?" Ilthan frowned some more, but
nodded faintly, and muttered something under his breath that made Archon blush
faintly.

"So you're looking for something like that that drives me, then?" The merian
said, hiding an embarrassed smile. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that... I
really don't know myself. But I can assure you that I mean nothing destructive
to this forest. Or to my companions, either."

The igasho nodded to herself... at the very least, he seemed earnest. "It's
fine. There are many out there who don't know what drive them. You may wish to
meditate upon that, however. The journey may prove difficult up ahead."

"What's up ahead?" Ilthan intoned lowly, a hand drifting over his shoulder to
his blade.

"There's a village!" Goody dropped out of the treeline on her broom, looking
quite alarmed. Tiola had given up on keeping track of the furrikin, deciding
that the further she was from her, the better... a feeling Ilthan apparently
shared. "There's a village and it's full of icky nasty degenerate inbred
taintball orcs!"

"That's Agthall, wiccan," Tiola explained. "Formerly a small trading outpost
and... a favored retirement spot for some of the elder people of Magnagora,
back before the Taint Wars. They aren't all orcs... many are orclach whose
fathers took pity upon their twisted brethren, but... all the same, we'll be
going around. We'll be descending into the Great Crater soon as it is."

"What?" Goody's voice was shrill with indignation. "You're going to let the
tainted mongrels live? You need to wipe them all out as a general precaution!"
Her nymph had appeared out of nowhere again, and had her hands on her cheeks
and her face in a silent mask of horror... a look that would have been much
more believable if it weren't for her glazed-over eyes. It was odd... the
nymphs of Faethorn never had such a fawning, doting, and utterly mindless
character to them when Tiola had visited.

"This way, wiccan. And you two as well," the igasho said firmly, shaking his
head. "We're not going to be killing any innocent orcs. Taint or not."

"We haven't got the manpower to deal with a village full of orcs as it is,"
Ilthan muttered, nodding at her, before waving to Archon. "Come on." The mage
followed him, looking glad to avoid the danger, and Goody followed after,
fuming.

A short detour later, Tiola halted and sighed, stepping out of the thick woods
and looking out over an expanse of greenery, lush, tall grasses making up the
most of it, with the occasional bush or young tree sticking out in the valley
that had apparently formed out of nothing. "We're here," she said.

"This is the Great Crater, then... it's beautiful," Archon murmured, before
frowning. "Now if only the rest of the trip had been as pleasant."

"It's not a regular valley..." Ilthan noted. "What did this?"

"Ah. That." Tiola shook her head. "A couple hundred years ago, this used to be
a great lake... a small sea, more like. Home to Sister Lake and her coven. The
Honeysap trees... they're special. They grew from the fertile soil at the
bottom of the lake, and up above the surface. My forefathers lived around the
bases of the Honeysaps... we still have some of the boathouses from the old
days." The igasho sighed. "But then they fled, leaving behind only a few
willing to face the terror of the Taint to keep the homeland safe until they
could be brought back. They took with them the Elder Honeysap, and Sister Lake
as well, and after, the great lake began to slowly evaporate... until all that
was left was several acres of exceptionally fertile open land, which you see
before us now."

"Uh... Sorry to interrupt the history lesson..." Goody giggled nervously. "But
we've got trouble."

Tiola turned, bringing her hammer to the ready. Sometimes the orcs' nature got
the better of them, and one or two would try to pick a fight or cause trouble.
This, however, was something else... A full party of eight was coming out of
the woods, in full armor and war paint... and at their head was one of the
orclach. As the Agthall warriors caught sight of them, their leader howled out
something, and started to charge, and the orcs followed suit with gusto.

"This isn't normal..." the igasho muttered to herself, before taking up a
defensive stance. "Wiccan, mage, run to the bottom of the crater and take
shelter there... I'll get this sorted out."

"You're going to talk to them? No way in Nil that'll work," Ilthan snorted,
drawing his blades. "We can take them."

"There's no need for violence, here..." Archon said, backing up. "Surely,
reason will see the way..."

"Against these tainted abominations upon existence? Don't think so," Goody
said, giving off a strangely pleased giggle, as around her, fae started to step
out from glimmering tears in space, the last three a trio of women in shimmering
silver.

"Give me a moment," Tiola growled, stepping forward. "They aren't completely
mindless. Let me just find out what this is about, and..." She cut off abruptly
as a throwing axe whizzed by her head. "...to Nil with it, then."

"Archon, hide!" Ilthan yelled, before rushing in with a will, his blades
flashing in the light as he made first contact with the orcs, slicing through
muscle and bone, dispatching the first with speed and precision. Tiola rushed
to his side, slamming one orc heavily in the belly with her hammer, sending him
tumbling into another.

The disorganized charge slowed as the orcs saw their brothers taken down with
little trouble. The orclach snarled in anger. "All on the small one!" he
roared, before charging at Tiola himself. He never made it, though, as Goody
and her fae entered the battle. The leader was lost in the mob of tiny
creatures cursing him, shooting him, and playing with his mind, as the wiccan
flew in circles around him, laughing and blasting him with silver fire.

Snorting, Tiola fought to pull some of the orcs off of Ilthan, dropping her
hammer in favor of bodily hurling the creatures across the field. The human was
faring better than she'd imagined, however, even with six orcs swarming him...
partially due to his skills, but more because the creatures seemed to be
freezing completely in their tracks. "Off! All of you! Get out of here!" she
snarled.

Panting, Ilthan rose from the ground, bleeding from a few cuts, but mostly
unhurt, and looking victorious. "That's right. Run home, you snot-colored
bastards!" he yelled, rising unsteadily. "Can't even stand up to a Paladin away
from home..."

"Nice work, there, young one," Tiola said, looking over the human carefully.
"You're hurt, though. Hold still... I've got some salve." As her battle
instincts faded, others took over, as she pulled a roll of bandages from her
pack. Her mind still whirling from the unexpected violence, she tried to focus
on other matters. "You did well, there... was that mantakaya you were using?"

"That was me, actually..." Archon's voice said, sounding embarrassed.
Presently, the mage faded into visibility a short distance away. "I'm sorry,
Ilthan... I didn't mean to endanger myself, but..."

"Don't worry about it, Archon. You did good. And I'm fine," Ilthan muttered,
shaking his head, before looking up to Tiola. "And you don't have to mother me,
by the way..."

Tiola frowned, grunted, and dropped Ilthan abruptly, before rising. "...very
well," she said, trying to hide a faint bit of embarrassment, before surveying
the area. "Where's Goody?"

"I'm over here," Goody said cheerfully. She'd come off her broom, and was
looking carefully through the grass, before squealing in delight as she found
something she was looking for, and swung her little foot hard. At first it
looked like she'd kicked up a large clod of mud, but then Tiola registered the
croak of a toad, and she realized that the orclach was nowhere to be seen.

"Stop playing with the toad like that, wiccan," the igasho growled. "There's no
need to be childish."

Goody turned and pouted... an action that was mirrored by not just the nymph,
but her full entourage this time. "But the icky tainted poopheaded orc attacked
us. He deserves it."

"I don't care what he did..." Tiola snarled. "You'll stop kicking him around
like a football."

The wiccan sniffed heavily, but then shrugged. Then she brought her foot down
heavily into the grass. A sickening crunch followed, along with a long low,
rattling gurgle, that seemed to take forever to finally die.

"Okay, fine," Goody said brightly, before hopping back onto her broom, as her
all of her fae, save the nymph, vanished into the background once more, and
corpse of an orclach, flattened completely from the chest up, appeared in the
grass where a toad had once lain. "Are we ready to go, then?"

Tiola glared at the squirrelkin for a long moment, ignoring the gag and
splatter that came from behind her. "......we will go quickly, before they
bring more. Archon, please clean yourself up on the way."

-]4[-

Goody smiled as she floated along on her broom, humming to herself as the
others trailed along behind her. They gave her much more distance than before,
but it was all well and fine. They'd seen her power, and they'd remember it,
and they'd make sure to be nice to her in the future. At least, the Celestians
would. And that was what would matter. The igasho bitch might still stand up to
her, but it wasn't like she'd ever come out of this pathetic powerless excuse
for a forest.

It was a good thing she'd killed that first orc while out scouting, otherwise
the others might not have come at all.

Yes, that had been a nice little diversion. The trip had been boring... so
horribly boring. But the end was near, and soon she could be off in other
places, making people realize her power as they should... and with even more
power to play with than before. Maybe even the power of a goddess... ooh, that
would be nice.

"Wiccan. This way," Tiola grunted from behind her. The dumb, mannish bitch.

Goody turned, smiling, and giggled innocently, mentally prodding her nymph to
play along. If there was anything more disarming than one giggling female, it
was two... a lesson she'd learned early on. A pity she couldn't get her maiden
in on the act, but then she allowed her three favorites some semblance of
actual dignity. "What's going on? I see another village up ahead."

"Yes," the igasho said flatly. "But we're not going there. We're going to the
site of the Elder Honeysap." At last... it had taken forever already.

"Another village?" Archon asked, raising his lack of an eyebrow. "I wasn't
aware of two villages here..."

"That's my village. Where the remaining children of the Ackleberry call home,"
Tiola continued, taking the lead and walking away from that direction. "We
won't be going there. You'll be performing your ritual and leaving afterwards."
The bitch was suspicious, it seemed... oh good. She wasn't as stupid as she
seemed.

Archon looked disappointed... and still a bit nauseaous from the earlier
display, but as always, he was more focused on his goal than anything else.
Ilthan... well, the meathead was always between her and Archon now. Scared,
like Tiola should have been by now, but still trying to make sure Arky didn't
get hurt. If another Seren had been here, she'd've put money down that the
Paladin was an ass-bandit. The thought made her giggle again.

The sylph she'd sent ahead tugged at her attention, and she glanced forward,
blinking at the sight of a tall ring of grass. Rising upwards, she took in the
sheer size of it... a circle the size of two peasant cottages, surrounded by
tall grass yet completely bare in the center.

"Is that it?" she called downwards, and waited only for a grunt of affirmation
from Tiola before darting ahead. Soon, she'd landed in the center, and had
started to survey the area. A golden-hued root marked the center of the circle,
which felt like it had been created by some druid a long while ago. Beyond the
terraforming oddity, and the fact that this was the lowest part of the crater,
there really didn't seem to be anything special about the circle... even the
root seemed remarkably inert.

"Hmph. You sure this is the right spot?" Goody asked, mentally kicking the
nymph to start tapping her foot in her place, as the others emerged from the
grasses. "It doesn't feel... you know. Nexusy."

"The power left this place a long time ago, wiccan..." Tiola said, frowning.
"Many others have said the same as you, but I assure you that this is the
place."

"I don't see how I'm going to work here, though," Goody pressed, rolling her
eyes, "if there's no power to trace... I mean, come on."

"You're here to transport us, Miss Gorsetail," Archon said, stepping forward,
and rubbing his hands together. "I will find them. There is... much emotion
locked around this place. I'm amazed you can't feel it..."

"It just feels... frustrating," she snorted, crossing her arms, as the
Aquamancer put a hand to his temples.

"Yes, frustration. There is frustration here in abundance..." he murmured,
closing his eyes. "...much frustration. You are right, Miss Mossleaf... there
were many attempts... frustration and sorrow... I see yours... but we must look
past that..."

Goody went quiet, frowning, as Archon went on. "Sadness. So much sadness I
see... before the first attempt, now. We're almost there, I think, and... oh
gods. Oh gods..." Ilthan ran up to catch the merian, as he began to tremble
violently. "Terror. So much terror. Hundreds afraid... and determined. This is
it. It was here... it was here... hahah... yes..." Abruptly, he straightened
and shook his head, eyes shining with determination. "We have much to do...
Miss Gorsetail, I need you to stand... here," he muttered, drawing a circle in
the dirt with the end of his staff, just north of the root. "I will stand in
the space opposite... Miss Mossleaf, Ilthan... forgive me, but will you help
us? I might need... a bit of extra strength for this..."

"You know I will," Ilthan muttered.

Tiola, surprisingly, jumped right in as well. "Very well. I'll lend you my
strength. I assume I just need to stand in the circle?"

"Yes..." Archon said, before looking to Goody once more. "How long until it's
time?"

Goody, still surprised at how the merian was suddenly taking charge, took a
moment to respond. "Uh... two hours until nightfall. And full moon, too. I'll
be able to take you wherever you want then."

"Excellent... if you could all step away very carefully, then?" Archon said.
"I'll have to make some preparations before we begin..."

The next two hours were just plain boring. Archon traced all manner of
complicated symbols and circles into the dirt, muttering about Malkuth and
Kether and the planes. Tiola stood silent off to the side alongside Ilthan, and
neither seemed particularly inclined to talk to her... at least not until she
got up on her broom to have a look at the village, and then Tiola just snarled
"Stay" like she was some sort of dog. But finally, it got dark, and Archon was
ready, and she took her spot in the center of the mandala drawn in the dirt...
the merian in front of her, the meatshields on either side.

"Join hands," Archon said, before closing his eyes. And then suddenly, she
could feel emotion sweeping through her... frustration and anger at first, and
then sadness, and then terror... she gasped at the sudden rush of feeling,
before a sense of purpose entered her, tempering it... and she felt Tiola, and
Ilthan, and even a little bit of Archon within her, strengthening her resolve.

"Hold strong," Tiola muttered, giving Goody's hand a squeeze as she did...
reminding the furrikin exactly how much larger she was in the process.

"I have it... I have it..." the merian muttered, satisfaction evident in his
voice. "Hold on. This may be... unpleasant."

And the world distorted in front of Goody's eyes, as she felt her consciousness
leave the prime, spiraling upwards into the hazy, multicolored ether, riding
upon a river of terror and power as she twisted and turned and yet remained
standing where she was in the circle. All that kept her from screaming out and
breaking the flow were two thoughts, alien yet firmer in her mind than the
ground beneath her: My comrades must not be harmed. My family must come home.

And suddenly, standing out in the haze before her was a bubble of blue, with
bits of green and gold visible within. "That's it!" Archon shouted, his triumph
filling them all. "Miss Gorsetail, bring us there! Bring us to it!"

And Goody laughed as victory overwhelmed her, and she called the power of
Mother Moon to the circle. Silver light surrounded them all, and in her vision,
the bubble of blue rushed forward and swallowed her...

---

She awoke on her back, floating on waters cool and still. The sky above was
blue, but like no sky she had ever seen... darker than any cloudless sky, and
shining with an unnatural light. But off to the side was a golden tree,
sticking proudly out of the water, with amber sap running down the trunk, and
she realized where she was, and knew that she had succeeded even before Archon
smiled and reached down to help her up.

"We've done it," he said, and murmured something under his breath. She found
after that she could stand upon the surface as though it were solid, if
yielding ground, and that Ilthan and Tiola had awoken before her.

"We've done it," she murmured in reply, standing and swaying a moment before
steadying herself. A quick gesture summoned her broom, which she clambered onto
eagerly. "We're here."

"It seems as though we'll be able to get back easily enough as well," Tiola
noted, nodding her head towards a silvery gateway hovering above the waters.
Her voice echoed noticably. "Where are we?"

"Between prime and ethereal... deep in the aetherspace, and far from any other
place of power," Archon said softly. "The elders of Ackleberry fled far, it
seems."

"Better question," Ilthan muttered, looking around and frowning. "Where's
everything else? Shouldn't there be something alive here besides the trees?"

The others went silent, and looked around. Finally, Tiola pointed off in one
direction with her hammer. "That way," she said lowly. "The Elder Honeysap."

It took a long while of travelling across the flooded landscape, past countless
silent Honeysap trees... without seeing a single other creature. Finally, they
came to the largest tree, the tallest tree, the sap upon it crystalized into
brilliant amber droplets which gleamed in the soft bluish light. The trees
closest to it stood in a wide circle, almost as if giving it reverence...

"There's no one here," Archon said, frowning. "...I don't understand."

"There's no one here," Goody replied, simply. "There's nothing more to
understand."

"What do you mean?" Archon snapped, turning to glare at her. "Where are the
people? There should be a community here! Someone to re-establish contact with!
Not some empty bubble in the middle of nowhere... this is the Old Ackleberry, I
can feel it! Now where is everyone?"

"It's... simple, Archon," Tiola murmured lowly, sounding greatly saddened. "We
assumed they made it here alive... whole... well and fine, but it was a little
foolish to think that. The only other time this sort of thing has ever been
done was when the Fates cleaved a part of Shallamar from the Cosmic." The
igasho shook her head and smiled faintly. "And the Fates are the Fates...
around before the Elders, greater than perhaps even Dynara and Magnora. What
chance had mortals to replicate such a feat so perfectly?"

Archon was silent a long while. "...then we have come here for nothing," he
said, finally. "We have failed."

"Not of your own doing, Archon," Ilthan said sternly. "And we have accomplished
what three generations have failed to do. We found it. There's just nothing here
but the trees." He paused, and looked to the Elder Honeysap thoughtfully.
"And... well, I don't feel enough coming out of it to call it a Nexus anymore.
Maybe we can use it to..." He trailed off hurriedly, catching the horrible
glare Tiola was giving him.

"No, Ilthan. I had... hoped for far more, here, than simple power," Archon
said, smiling sadly. "Heh. I think I know now, Miss Mossleaf, what I came here
for. Such a glorious reunion in the name of the Light would bring me much
prestige... but bearers of ill news are rarely heralded so. I'll... have a
report, and some small recompense for my efforts, but... hardly what I wanted,
I think."

"Better that we know, at least..." Tiola said quietly, before grunting and
turning. "Come, let us go. It's not right to disturb a tomb in this manner."

Archon sighed, looking up at the Tree once more. "......I'm deeply sorry, Miss
Mossleaf. I... realize you too were hoping for far more than this."

Tiola gave a low, humorless chuckle. "......it is... fine. I do have other
family, Celestian. And you will have other opportunities." She shook her shaggy
head slowly. "Are you coming?"

Archon sighed, and started to follow. Ilthan came soon after, but Goody shook
her head. "I'll perform a small service, on behalf of the Serenwilde for our
lost brethren," she said, her high voice oddly somber. "It won't take long, I
promise." She stifled a nervous giggle afterwards.

"Very well," Tiola murmured, before striding off across the waters. Soon the
Celestians followed, and not even a ripple upon the water's surface remained to
be seen of them.

Goody sighed deeply, before turning to the Elder Honeysap, and bowing. "Now
that that's over with... greetings, elders, on behalf of the Serenwilde."

Ripples spread from the base of the great Tree, and as they passed beneath
Goody on her broom, she smiled, as voices entered her ears. -Greetings,
Moondancer, on behalf of the Ackleberry.-

-]5[-

-You have found us, little one,- the trees murmured. -Forgive us our current
state, but... the ritual did not function as planned.-

"Oh, it's fine," Goody said, smiling widely. "As long as you're all unhurt. I
take it you're the same elders as the ones who performed the ritual?"

-Yes. You now speak to Itara Solwen, and to Wenella Lakeheart, and to Gadri
Mossleaf... the last elders of the Ackleberry. We thank you for finding us,
after all this time, but we regret that we cannot return with you in our
current state.-

"Oh, that's fine too," Goody replied, and giggled softly. "I wasn't here for
you, anyway."

There was a brief silence. -Our children, then?-

The furrikin laughed all the more. "Oh, don't be stupid. I'm here for Kiakoda's
staff."

Everything went still once more, as a near-tangible tension filled the air.
-What do you speak of, Moondancer?-

Goody's giggle cut through the air like a dagger, and around her, her fae began
to emerge from rifts in space. "No need to be coy, elders... we all know you
didn't get to your tomb on your own. Only the Fates have done such a thing
before, and you... you aren't the Fates. You had a little outside help." The
furrikin smiled as she sat sideways on her broom, crossing her legs and folding
her hands together. "It's recorded that the Vernal Goddess Kiakoda came from
your forest, and left a little something behind to protect her homeland before
died. It doesn't take someone like Arky to put two and two together, here."

-Indeed, we drew upon the Staff of Kiakoda to bring ourselves here, young one,-
the Tree murmured. -But even now, it sustains this forest, the waters of this
lake, ourselves and our children. You would kill all of us for the sake of the
Staff?-

This time, she just laughed outright. "You're all too funny..." Goody managed,
at last, wiping a tear from her eye. "You think I won't kill off a bunch of
idiots who died long, long ago?"

-We're not dead yet, woman...- the Tree growled. -In a pitiful state, perhaps,
but not dead, and you know this. And our children...-

"I know it, but I just don't CARE!" Goody squealed happily. "You AND your kids.
And right now, it's just me, and nobody else!"

"And me, wiccan," growled a deep voice from behind her. Goody glanced over her
shoulder to see Tiola standing there, hammer at the ready, and bristling with
anger. "Lay one finger on my family, bitch, and I'll be forced to taint these
waters with your treacherous carcass."

Goody cackled, and rose into the air on her broom, waving her paw in a circle
to command her fae into an about-face. "Oh, so you did notice after all...
you're not a complete retard, then," she laughed. "Except that you're facing me
alone, with all of my fae here. So I guess you are. Kill her." Silver light
flared in the eyes of the fae, and as one, they advanced upon Tiola... and then
suddenly halted, looking about.

"Stupid whore," Tiola muttered, bringing her hammer up lazily over one shoulder
as the fae suddenly looked downwards. "You, of all people, would think I'm here
alone?"

"What's going on?" Goody demanded shrilly, her face contorting in rage. "Stop
screwing around and kill her already!"

"Surely you know this, wiccan. Mother Moon of the Serenwilde. Mother Night of
the Glomdoring..." Tiola intoned, before pointing down into the waters, and
Goody's eyes widened as a face started to grow out of the rippling surface.

"Get away from there! Now!" the Moondancer screamed, but it was too late. A
woman, formed entirely out of water and standing ten feet tall burst from the
waters, scattering the fae across the surface. The maiden, mother, and crone
struggled desperately to flee her presence, but the waters reached up and
dragged them, screaming, down into the depths.

"Sister Lake, of the Ackleberry," Tiola finished with some satisfaction, and
bowed respectfully to the Great Spirit. Sister Lake smiled grimly, before
vanishing, leaving behind only a multitude of falling droplets. That done, she
looked up to Goody, hovering above on her broom. "Leave now, wiccan, or
perish."

"The bitch didn't kill all of my fae, whore!" Goody snapped, rising higher into
the air nervously.

"They're no longer your slaves, dancer," Tiola replied, and indeed, the fae who
had not already vanished were rapidly leaving the area.

The furrikin growled. "Well, you can't catch me up here, bitch!" she snapped,
readying a ball of silver fire in one paw. "Fry, monkey!"

Tiola snorted, and raised her hammer. Then, with a roar, she brought it down
into the waters. From the surface, a tremendous explosion of water launched
upwards and unerringly towards Goody. The furrikin managed a short scream
before she was engulfed, the force of the blast snapping her broomstick in two
and knocking her up into the air a short distance before she plummeted, finally
landing in the water with a huge splash.

Goody spluttered and coughed up blood, as she laid on her back, Archon's spell
buoying her up to the surface. Groaning, she blinked the water out of her
vision, recovering just in time to see Tiola standing over her and bringing the
hammer down swiftly into her chest...

The igasho spat down into the pulped wiccan's face, before sighing and turning
towards the Elder Honeysap. "Apologies for the delay, elders," she said, bowing
deeply. "But I thought it best to remove the citygoers from the site first."

-You did well enough, daughter,- the Tree replied, ripples spreading out from
the trunk. -And you have our thanks.-

"The way remains open, but we have little time, I think," Tiola said, smiling.
"Please, return with me..."

-We cannot.-

Tiola continued to smile, though it became far more fixed. "Elders, surely you
jest."

-Forgive us, daughter, but truly, we cannot. Our forms here are fixed. Not
enough power remains in the nexus, nor in Kiakoda's Staff to return all of us
to our former state, and to keep this aether bubble formed.- More ripples
formed upon the surface, as if the Tree had breathed a great sigh.

"I can bring more power," Tiola said. "We know you're here, now... it'll take
some more time, but we can bring you all home."

-No, child... no. We've seen what the Serenwilde cares for us, now... and the
Glomdoring has taken enough from us as it is.-

"So... what, then?" the igasho snapped. "You'll just sit here and die? Is that
it? Three generations spend their lives looking for you, and now you tell me to
leave with nothing?"

-...no. Not with nothing, daughter. Never with nothing,- the Tree whispered.
-But not with everything. We failed on the day we left... in more than one
manner. The wiccan was right in her own way... we died long ago.-

"And so what now, then?" Tiola demanded. "What will you do?"

-Give us a moment, daughter. We will give you the most important heirlooms of
the Ackleberry to return with.-

"I'm not here for the Staff, elders..." she growled, but cut off when the Elder
Honeysap seemed to shake with laughter.

-Oh no... far more important than that, daughter. Far more.- The amber sap
glimmered on the Tree. -Thank you, daughter... we have no fear any longer, for
we know the Ackleberry is in good hands. Gadri's wife... your great
grandmother... would be quite proud of you were she here, he is certain.-

Tiola blinked. "......thank you, elders. But what, now?"

-Come forth and hold out your hands, child. You will not leave here with
nothing, we assure you...-

-] [-

"It's almost daylight," Ilthan muttered, as he stared at the gateway. "They've
been a while in there."

"Funerary rites and all," Archon replied morosely. "For a whole forest.
Terrible."

Ilthan sighed, and gave the merian a friendly thump on the back. The mage
rocked forward heavily, but didn't complain about it for once. "Look, Archon...
it's alright. They were dead when you got there, it wasn't your fault. I mean,
what were you expecting?"

Archon sighed, and looked upwards. "A village. Full of life and vitality.
Children running about, untouched by the horrors of the Taint and war. A full
welcome by the village elders, happy to see us, as we reunite them with the
world... returning in triumph to Celest to acclaim and triumphant
celebration..."

The human considered that for a moment, and then grunted. "You'll still get a
welcome and a hot dinner when we get home, Archon. Don't take it so hard. And
if nothing else, you've accomplished the impossible."

The Aquamancer just sighed deeply again, and went silent.

Ilthan frowned, considering what else to say, when he stepped into a
particularly deep mud puddle, and swore in irritation. "...Archon, I know
you're pissed, but quit playing around. The igasho's going to kill you if she
catches you dem... demesthinging the place."

Archon raised his head, and glanced over. "What're you talking about? I'm
not..." the merian trailed off, blinking as he saw water rising swiftly from
the earth itself, starting to fill the Crater at an impressive rate. "I'm not
doing this, Ilthan," he muttered, before a cacophonous noise echoed across the
valley.

"Bears," Ilthan muttered, drawing his blade and looking around in worry. "Lots
of them. Hundreds." And sure enough, dozens of the creatures were lining the
edge of the Crater, standing on their hind legs and roaring loudly in unison,
flashing their horrible teeth and deadly claws... and sounding oddly joyous.

By now, the waters were up to the human's shins. "We should leave," he
muttered.

"Easy enough," Archon said, nodding. "But what about the other two?"

"The Moondancer can fly, and Tiola lives here," Ilthan said firmly. "Let them
deal with this strange foresty crap. Hot dinner, Archon."

The merian actually gave a little chuckle at that, as he prepared to return to
New Celest. It might have been his imagination, but as he placed his staff in
the waters, he thought he saw a woman's face smirking up at him.

---

She was alone. She couldn't move. Her ribs had been pulped, and every breath
she drew was agony. But she was alive.

Goody Gorsetail let out a little whimper as she struggled to sit up, and then
fell back into the water. They would pay for this, all of them. The Ackleberry
Elders, that bitch Sister Lake, and especially the igasho whore. She, above all
others, would suffer, if she ever got out of this place.

A familiar giggle caught the furrikin's ears, and she waved her one good arm
rapidly, hoping to get the creature's attention. She felt something in her
chest shift horribly out of place as she did so, but she was rewarded by the
appearance of her pet nymph.

"...help me..." she breathed, her lungs burning with the small effort of
getting out those words. But the creature just smiled, and tilted her head
uncomprehendingly.

Goody grimaced, and struggled to sit up. "Help me," she said again, louder, and
stabbing pains shot through her lungs in the process. But still, the nymph made
no move to help her, just giggling lightly, in that false, annoying manner
she'd beaten into the thing years ago.

The little furrikin snarled. "Help me!" she wailed in agony and frustration,
her internal organs quivering like blazing jelly inside of her.

And now the nymph laughed openly, and Goody finally caught the malicious note
in the fae's voice. Looking up, Goody saw in the nymph's eyes no mark of the
Moon's influence... just hatred and a horrible sense of triumph. The wiccan
almost managed to scream before the fae's foot came down, mashing her nose and
shoving her head under the surface.

As she was held there, unable to do anything but drown in agony, even the water
filling Goody's ears wasn't enough to shut out the nymph's maniacal laughter.

---

Tiola strode straight towards the gate, her pack full, hammer lashed securely
to her back as she left. Around her, the Honeysaps died, brilliant green leaves
suddenly withering to brown and dropping like lead weights. The air, once
silent, was now filled with a medley of little splashes... leaves hitting the
water where they weren't hitting other leaves. The waters were blanketed with
them... if she hadn't been here in the mere minutes before, she'd barely have
believed it was the lake she was walking on.

Don't cry for us, they'd said, before giving up their treasure. We died long
ago, they'd said. Our children live on with you. Let them grow strong.

The igasho warrior smiled faintly to herself. "They will," she murmured.
"Goodbye."

And with that, she left the Old Ackleberry to die, dead leaves and water
vanishing as barriers failed and the aether rushed in to claim all.

---

"Chieftain!"

Tiola barely had time to orient herself before the children came splashing
through the waters, grinning wider than she'd ever seen them. "Greetings. You
three are up early."

"Sister Lake came home, Chief!" a young fox-shaped furrikin announced happily.
"Brother Bear came out to greet her!"

"The Crater's flooding, though..." a rotund loboshigaru pup said, pouting.

"Well, hurry back and tell everyone to get everything loaded on the boats. The
time is now..." Tiola said, firmly, and the two of them ran off in a hurry.
Tiola smiled at the remaining one, a young tae'dae, looking up at her
wide-eyed. "Aren't you going with them, child?"

"What's in your bag, mama? Smells like honey," he asked, sniffling.

"Oh. That?" Tiola smiled and lifted her son over her shoulder easily. "That's a
gift from the elders. Be careful with those."

The boy had promptly opened up the pack and was nosing about inside, peering
curiously at the sweet-scented shards of amber. "Look kinda like people
inside."

"Those're your brothers and sisters. Careful with them, child..." Tiola
murmured. "They're sleeping."

The tae'dae cub nodded sagely, and then dug out something else: a huge, golden
seed. "And wha's this?" he whispered, as the others from the village came
running to greet her.

"That, my son," she said, "is our future."