(ooc: suuurrrre take all the posts why dontcha? ;) )

((OOC: Sorry hahaha - this is long-ish so we want to make sure we have enough - I'll make entertaining posts in anything we don't need))

((ooc: You better! Or I'm comin' after u! lmao ))

Well I postd it on time in the wrong forum board. LMAO Let me try again

[spoiler=Cosmic Moon entry]

After making it back the friends of cosmic moon were finally reunited with their friend Blair, who had to stay behind at the Squirrel when the rest of them were heading for their adventure. Due to her broken leg, Blair had not been able to travel with them, as her leg needed all the rest it could get. It seemed ages ago that they had seen each other, but it hadn’t really been that long.

“It seems your leg is doing a lot better” Lirien said with a big smile. “Yeah it is, I was trying to find a way to be reunited with you all, when Thorson got a message about you all wanting to come back. It’s disappointing I’ve missed all the action” Blair responded. “Well, you haven’t missed everything” Winton said with a wink after walking past them with Larianne. “Wait” Ilaera said. “What did he mean by that?” Kenny looked at Blair with a frown on his face. “You remember the companions were needed in another mission when you left this place?” Blair asked. “They have been on their own travels towards fire mountain to find the kobolds hide out”. “Ah yes, I remember that very well” Kenny said while patting Blanco on his head. “I’m glad to see he’s okay”. “They succeeded in finding the hide out, which was locked by a gate of some kind, but they also had some news about a squirrel archer in the woods, slowing down the kobolds” Blair said. “They have been an amazing help in getting us all the information we need”. Ilaere looked up in the sky to where Phaeri was flying. She had missed her a lot on her travels, due to the fact that Phaeri always warned her for any danger they might come across. All of a sudden she saw how Phaeri came flying towards her, landing on a branch not that far away from her. Ilaera walked towards her, placed her hand on Phaeri’s wing and whispered to her that she missed her so much. “It seems you’ve done a great job in taking care of our friends” Lorelei said with a smile towards Blair.

Suddenly they noticed how their respective companions started yipping, squawking, mewing and flapping in an attempt to get their attention. “What’s wrong Keniera” Kayara asked. “It’s like they want us to follow them” Lorelei said. “If that’s the case, we better might” Blair said. “Because their feelings so far have turned out right every time” she continued while laughing. “You go with us this time, right Blair” Lirien asked. “Of course I am, I’m ready for some action and since I missed the previous adventure, there’s no way I’m missing this one!” she exclaimed. “Well then” Kenny said to the companions. “You lead the way”. The friends followed their companions all the way up towards fire mountain and even further than that.

All of a sudden the group meets with an ogre standing in front of a tree that’s laying across the path. “What the…” Blair started her sentence, but then the ogre started to speak to them. “No mean harm” the ogre started his narration. Then he told them they wouldn’t be allowed to go through before they would help with a puzzle he had been given. “Why should we bother” Lirien whispered to her friends. “We can just go around the tree if we want, we don’t need him to clear the path for us”. “It’s not like we haven’t done something like this before” Kayara whispered back. “And wow, that’s one ugly ogre” she continued softly. “Have you ever seen a good looking ogre then” Kenny whispered back, making them all laugh. “Never!” Blair said in response to Kenny’s question, but her answer had been just so loud that the ogre could hear her. Lorelei looked at him closely, she saw how the big ogre got tears in his eyes. “You know” she said. “He’s not so bad, it won’t take us long to help him”. Lirien looked up. “Well, it’s true that normally we wouldn’t even consider leaving him here without help, but we’re in a hurry”. “I bet we can help him out real quick” Ilaera said. “I don’t know about all of you, but considering all of the puzzles we have had in our adventures, this can’t be that bad”. Kenny had a frown on his face while looking at the tree across the path. “It would be a lot easier to get past that if the ogre just cleared the way for us. Eventually I think we’ll be quicker if we just try to solve his puzzle” Kenny said to Lirien. “Alright” she said. “But he better show us that puzzle right now, otherwise I’m going to continue my travel”. Lorelei walked up towards the ogre, standing right in front of him. Even though she was so tiny in comparison to him, she wasn’t afraid of him. “Please calm down” she said kindly to the ogre. “We will help you”. The ogre then gladly showed them his puzzle. “Is that all” Kenny said after looking at the puzzle and the clue for five seconds. “This is the easiest puzzle I’ve ever seen and my dears I’ve seen plenty of them in my life” laughing all the way towards the ogre. While the others stood there watching and waiting, Kenny was having a conversation with the ogre. His friends were waiting impatiently to see what the ogre would do after Kenny finally stopped speaking, then they saw how the ogre got up, grabbed the tree in one of his hands and pulled it away from the path to make sure they would be able to continue their travel. “Thank you” Kenny said, while walking past the tree, but the ogre was already walking away from them. “He might be the ugliest ogre I’ve ever seen” Ilaera said. “And believe me I’ve never seen one before” she said while laughing. “But he might have the most beautiful heart too” she eventually continued her sentence. “So true” Lorelei said. “Hopefully the answer Kenny has given him is correct”. “Alright” Blair said to the companions. “Now you can show us the way again”.

After walking for almost the entire day the friends encountered a clearing with some barrels on it. “This must be where the kobolds have been in hiding” Kenny said to the others. “This place looks deserted now though”. “The kobold patrols in the woods are being ambushed by that squirrel archer all the time. It might take them some time to get back to their hide out” Blair said in response. “There’s a gate over there in the wall” Kayara pointed out. “There might be kobolds inside” Blair said. “Seems to me that’s the real hide out”. “Is this the gate you were talking about before then Blair” Kenny asked. “Not sure, it could be, but I haven’t seen the gate myself, only heard about it from our friends” she said, while bending down to look at Ikalo. “Is this the gate you were referring too?” she asked him. The wolf only nodded to her. “Alright, let’s open this thing to find us some kobolds” Kayara said. “It doesn’t seem that easy” Kenny responded while looking at the lock. “This is a strange kind of lock, by the way it looks I think this will only open with the right key”. “A key we don’t have” Lirien said. “Maybe I can try to pick the lock?” “I don’t think that will work” Kenny said. “It’s a very specific lock”.

“There’s some sort of a pedestal here too” Lorelei said all of a sudden. “It seems to miss something right here in the middle” pointing at a hole in the pedestal. Ilaera was looking at the pedestal and back to the gate. “I believe that’s some kind of an alarm” she finally said pointing towards the pedestal where Lorelei was still standing. “You think?” Blair asked. “I have to agree with Ilaera” Kenny said. “I believe that if we try to open the gate, the pedestal contains an alarm that will be triggered”. “So what do we do now then” Lirien said. “We don’t have a key for the gate and the gate can’t be opened in another way according to Kenny and there’s also the alarm that will go off if we even try to get inside without the key”. “It seems like we can’t do anything right now” Lorelei said. “We might try and figure out what’s needed to put off the alarm” Ilaera said. “If only we knew what was supposed to be in that hole”. Ilaera looked at their companion friends. “Any ideas” she asked them, but she didn’t get a response to her question, because all of a sudden Kayara started to yell enthusiastic. “Those markings on the pedestal” Kayara exclaimed. “What’s with those?” Kenny asked. “I have seen them before, but I don’t remember where it was” Kayara said in response. Kenny walked over towards the pedestal to look at the markings Kayara had been talking about. “You’re right” he said. “I’ve seen those markings before too”. “Maybe it has something to do with Crystania” Kayara said. “We’ve seen a lot of strange items there, so it might be we saw the markings over there somewhere. Blair had picked up their backpack to head back, since she believed there wasn’t anything to do at the moment, but while picking it up all the things they had been collecting on the trip, that they hadn’t used so far, fell on the ground. “Alright, whose the smartass that didn’t tie up the knot tight” she said with a sigh. “Wait!” Kayara yelled, when Blair started to put their belongings back in the pack. Blair who was holding some sort of an jewel in her hands, looked up, to see Kayara right in front of her. “That jewel you have there” Kayara said, while grabbing the jewel out of Blair’s hands. “See, I knew I had seen those markings before” Kayara continued with a grin, holding up the jewel to show the markings on it, matching the ones on the pedestal. “Can you try to put this in that hole” she asked Lorelei. “This is a topaz” Lorelei said, while taking over the jewel from Kayara. “Those markings on the topaz seems to be runic engravings” Kenny said. “Strange to see them here”. “It seems to match the shape of the hole” Lorelei said about the topaz. “We can take the risk” Kenny said. “But we might cause the alarm to go off if we’re wrong”. “We’ve always tried risky things” Lirien said with a smile. “Worse thing that can happen is that a large group of angry kobolds will attack us”. “We need to take the risk” Ilaera said. “We can’t go back to the Squirrel until this is solved. They’re counting on us”. “This time we have Blair with us” Lirien said with a grin. “So even if we get attacked by the kobolds, I’m sure Blair will protect us” with a wink towards Blair. Lorelei pushed the topaz inside of the hole on the pedestal, expecting that at the same time an alarm would go off, alerting all of the kobolds in the area. She saw how a green light started to flicker on the pedestal, before going out entirely. Nothing else seemed to happen. “Alright, that seemed to work” Lorelei said. Lirien walked over towards the gate and tried to place her lock picks in the lock. “Kenny was right” she said after a few moments. “No way we can open this lock without the key”. “At least the alarm didn’t go off” Kayara said.

“You guys” Blair yelled at them. “What’s up Blair?” Kayara asked. “For the gate we need a key right?” Blair asked “Yes, we need a key, but it should fit the lock” Kenny responded. “Would a key made out of the same strange metal work?” Blair asked, while holding up a strange key they knew they had been carrying around in their backpacks for a long time. “Really?!” Kenny exclaimed. “We have been carrying around that key for so long and we never seemed to be able to use it anywhere, so I figured it was nothing special” he ended his sentence with a big grin, while Blair went over to the gate, placed the key in the lock, turned it around and with a click the door opened. “Now look at that” Blair said. “It seems I’ve actually been able to help out in this adventure” causing everyone to laugh. “I’m glad to have you back here with us” Ilaera said.

“Alright” Kenny said. “Time to take a look inside that hide out”. “I’m sure you will get even more of an adventure inside” Lirien said to Blair, while walking past her to enter the hide out. Blair grabbed a hold of one of her swords. “We’ll show them what we’re made off” she said with a grin on her face. All of her friends immediately knew she was looking forward to a big fight. Then before any of them could do something, Blair ran inside with her sword in front of her. “We better go and help her” Lorelei said with a sigh. “It’s always the same” Kenny said. “Always rushing in without even thinking of the consequences”. “She’s driving everyone crazy” Lirien said. “But we wouldn’t want to miss her”. Ilaera grabbed a hold of her bow and arrows and started running towards where the fight seemed to have started. When she came closer she saw how Blair was fighting with two kobolds. “You’re leaving some for us right” she yelled towards Blair, while shooting her arrows all over the place. “Of course I won’t” Blair yelled back enthusiastic. At the same time their other friends came running in too.

Ilaera had made her way over to one of the corners from the hide out where a group of forest animals were trying to hide from the fight. Ilaera grabbed a hold of her dagger, wanting to cut through the rope that was holding the animals. When they saw her dagger they quickly tried to hide from her. “Don’t worry” she said softly. “I’m here to free all of you” and with that she cut through the rope, yelled to Kenny that he needed to help them get away and threw herself into the fight again. Kenny who had been standing very close to the corner now came running in, he told the animals to follow him and headed into the direction of the entrance. There he told the animals to get into the forest as quickly as they could, before heading back himself for the big fight. When he entered the hide out, he heard Blair yell. “Wait, that can’t be all of them” Blair yelled. “I’m not done yet!”. “Don’t worry Blair” Ilaera said. “This was only a part of them” she continued with a wink. “The patrols!” Blair exclaimed, turning into the direction of the entrance. “Wait a second” Lirien said, while grabbing her by her arm. “You can go once we’re done here”. Kenny looked around at all the mining equipments. “We better make sure they can’t use that anymore” Lorelei said while looking around. Blair, who had been stopped by Lirien, and was finally thinking clearly again, looked around too. “It’s all made of wood” she then said. “And?” Kayara asked. “Wood can burn” Blair said in response. “I have spell components for a spell Lorelei could use” Kenny said. “You know the spell I’m talking about right Lorelei, the spell that creates leaves and then set them on fire”. “Of course I know that spell, brushfire it’s called” Lorelei responded. “Even if we burn the equipments, they can still use the hide out and start all over again” Lirien said in response to that. “Then we just have to let the hide out collapse” Kayara said. She had meant to make a joke, but she saw how Kenny and Lorelei looked at each other and that they were planning on something. “To get that to work we all have to leave this place” Kenny said. The friends and their companions headed out, they stood in front of the hide out’s entrance when they saw how Kenny gave a potion to Lorelei.

“Molten Boulders in the sky Make sure this place won’t get a retry With fire and stone This place will be left alone”.

Lorelei threw Kenny’s potion into the cave right at the moment she finished her spell, she then lifted her hands up to the sky, from where the friends could see how great fiery boulders were dropping down, from out of nowhere so it seemed, onto the hide out from the kobolds. It took a while before they heard a loud noise, but then the entrance to the hide out collapsed. Lorelei turned away from the cave and the friends saw how the boulders

[spoiler=Misfits to the Rescue!] As everyone’s attention went to the portal, the Misfits felt a strange tug at their hearts. The world they were used to and that was home to them beckoned them back. Still, going home meant saying goodbye to their new friends in Crystania.

Leaf watched as the lady Misfits exchanged tearful smiles and farewells with the ladies of Crystania. Despite his longing to get back to the forests of his homeland, Leaf was going to miss the now beautiful city and the people in it. He gave a little smile and ruffled Scruff’s hair, telling him to stay brave and take care of Letty. The ranger was glad that he’d been able to help save the little urchin. As some of the other groups began to enter the portal, he cleared his throat and said, “Ladies, I think it’s time.”

With a few sniffles and many waves, the Misfits entered the portal, Juana leading the way and Leaf bringing up the rear. It was a bittersweet sight waiting for them all – familiar faces of welcome replacing the countenances of those who had become familiar during their adventure. The Misfits smiled at the sight of OneToo launching himself into Thorson’s arms and Jilly and Amdir blinked back tears at the touching reunion of Larianne with her parents.

But there were more reunions in store for the group. The main courtyard of the inn was crowded with assorted animals and Leaf suddenly spotted a dark blur bolting from the mix and bearing down on him. Before he could do anything more than brace himself a bit, Pitch lunged at him with a half howl. The black wolf rose to his hind legs and placed his forefeet on the elf’s shoulders, whining and nuzzling his friend.

Leaf hugged the shaggy beast and ruffled his fur, murmuring affectionate words in elvish a moment before turning his head slightly and giving a whistle. A ringing neigh, sounding much like a trumpet of welcome, was heard, and Leaf was immensely glad that the stable gnomes had thought to release all the animals before the adventurers returned. Otherwise he would have been spending the time cleaning and repairing a busted stall wall, rather than enjoying his animal friends and a good meal.

Shoving and snorting his way through the throng, Aran arrived at Leaf and Pitch’s side. Leaf threw his arms around the horse’s neck at once, much as he’d done years earlier as an excited elfling when he saw his mount for the first time. Burying his face in Aran’s mane, horse and elf nuzzled each other, reconnecting and speaking with soft sounds of affection that needed no real words. After several minutes, Leaf pulled back and noted that the crowd in the courtyard was beginning to thin out somewhat as groups made their way into the inn. Delicious smells were drifting out and seeming to pull the adventurers into the welcoming atmosphere of the Wayward Squirrel again. Stroking Aran’s nose and promising him treats very soon, the elf, with Pitch close to his side, headed toward the entrance in the hopes of finding out what had gone on in their absence. He grinned as he saw Jenna with Kwixis and took a slight detour to go to the bard.

Jilly couldn't wait to be reunited with her cat, Salem. Being around Twofer and One Too made her long for her companion while they were parted. The black feline was lazily snoozing outside on a tree branch, or at least he gave the appearance that he was. His tail gave a little excited twitch as soon as he spied her in the crowd but he didn't lift his head and didn't make any effort to move from his napping spot. Jilly finally found him, "There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! Are you going to come down here? I've missed you!"

Salem opened his green eyes and regarded her for a few moments. He twitched his tail in annoyance. After all she left him alone with all these smelly animals.

"Oh please, come down. I'm sorry I left, but I had to go and you know it. We had to save Larianne!"

He slowly got up on all fours and stretched out while yawning. He then carefully picked his way down and sat in front of the alchemist, tail still twitching.

Jilly got down on her knees and started scratching him behind his ears. Oh, she knew how to bring him around. But he wasn't giving her a purr. Not yet. So she reached in her pocket and pulled out a couple pieces of dried fish. All of a sudden his eyes lit up and he sniffed at the offering. The salty fish was irresistible to the feline and he nibbled at it almost instantly.

"There you go Salem. I'm truly sorry for leaving you. I hope you'll forgive me. I promise we'll never be parted again, okay?"

Salem looked up at her, then a low rumble came out of him and he lowered his head and butted her hand for another ear scratching. Jilly was happy to oblige.

As she watched all the reunions, Amdir smiled and turned her eyes upward. She didn’t have to search the crush of people and animals for her dear friend. Within moments, the vagabond heard an excited mewing sound and watched as her little Mew darted her way through the sky and straight to Amdir. The little creature wrapped herself around Amdir’s neck, her tail curling around the vagabond’s arm as soft mewing and then a humming purr came from the small throat.

“I’m so glad to see you again too, little one,” Amdir said with a smile as she stroked and cuddled her faithful companion. “And you’re safe and none the worse for wear, I see. I have so much to tell you and I hope that someone inside can tell us about your adventures while we eat.” Together Amdir and Mew entered the inn.

The warrior also went searching for her little sprite, Flint. However the little companion was feeling a bit naughty and decided to fly right behind her head, just out of her sight. She called out to him, but he didn't answer. She looked to the left and the right and could not find her friend anywhere because he kept slipping behind her. She then heard a faint giggle and swung around, but nothing was there.

"Oh you little stinker. I know you're here! Where are you hiding?"Then, Juana had an idea. She started to walk off and she spoke loudly, "Oh dear, my poor Flint must've been eaten by the Kobolds! Oh the humanity of it all! How will I ever survive without him?" She pretended to sniffle and even took out a rag and blew her nose. The honk was so loud it startled Aran and he neighed at her. Flint started to feel guilty, so he flew out from behind and showed himself.

"Ah ha!!" Juana scolded. "I knew you were there all along! Is that any way to greet your friend?" She then smiled and laughed, "I really missed having you along. I hope you kept everyone safe here!"

The little sprite smiled back and nodded at the warrior.

As soon as she set foot on the ground, Jenna searched for her beloved dragon. It was chaotic with all the adventurers milling about trying to pair up with their companions. She called out to Kwixis and it wasn't long before the dragon launched himself into the air. She spotted him immediately and waved her arms to grab his attention. He flew to her and she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Boy, did I miss you!" She stepped back and looked him over, "Hey, I think you've grown a couple of feet since I last saw you! Did you eat poor Winton out of house and home?"

Ertrude happened to be nearby and giggled. "No, dear. But he sure does have a healthy appetite for a growing dragon!"

Kwixis grinned a toothy grin and stretched his neck as tall as it would go to show just how much he had grown.

Leaf came over with Aran and Pitch and smiled at the dragon. "He looks great Jenna. How big will he get do you think?"

The bard shook her head. "I don't know, but I hope I don't have to pay his food bill!" They both laughed and walked inside together, Leaf lightly brushing his hand against Jenna’s hand or thigh as they walked. When she glanced over at him, a light blush staining her fair cheeks, he gave her a wink, but said nothing as they joined the Misfits at a table.

Anna looked around seeing companions near and far. Her face lit with excitement at the thought of being reunited with Little Al again. She started to walk in and out of the crowd, but didn't see her fun little friend. She was beginning to get sad as she continued to look around, but then her ears perked up at a whisper.

"I'm over here, I'm over here!"

She quickly glanced first left and then right but didn’t see anything that resembled her companion.

"Ugh," came the familiar little voice again. "All these giant people around here. I'm going to get trampled. I'm over here!"

Anna started to look more closely on the ground and finally knelt to get a better look. She grinned broadly when she saw Little Al jumping up and down behind some big, ugly horse. The mage quickly slithered through the crowd and Little Al climbed up on to her shoulders.

"Whew, this is a much better view then down on the ground,” the friendly blob stated. “ Boy, do I have some stories to tell you. This group you left me with is CRAZY!"

Laughing, Anna said, "Well, I think we should go find a quiet place inside the inn, with some food and a drink and you can tell me about your stories."

"Sounds good, I hope it’s cool inside. Living with a hot dragon for a few weeks makes me want to go to a beach. And don't even get me started on that little Flint creature. He is just always looking for trouble." Little Al says as they begin to walk away.

"Oh, I can imagine,” Anna nodded. “Juana wanted to get us in a few tight jams too but we managed to get through. We did have a rough run-in with some possessed rats and mean cats though," Anna stated.

Little Al bounced. "Oh my! I bet that was interesting. I so wanted to get in touch with you when I learned of the band forming to fight the kobolds. I just wanted a walkie talkie to give you a heads up. Instead I had to settle with making sure Mew didn't fly away and that Aran and Pitch didn't run away. There was a pretty white wolf that kept trying to get Pitch to disappear."

"Sounds like all of your friends were trying to get themselves into a little bit of mischief. What did you try to do?" Anna asked as they made their way into the Wayward Squirrel to sit down.

"Who me?!?" Little Al huffed as he jumped onto a chair. "I was a perfect angel. I would never get into trouble."

Jenna and Kwixis, along with Leaf and Pitch, arrived in the inn just in time to hear the last few statements. Kwixis just shook his head and blew out a short flame of fire. Anna laughed and said, "I think Kwixis just called you out on your bluff there."

Little Al just looked at Kwixis and said, "Shhh, we don't need to tell all of our secrets. They won't ever leave us alone again!"

Leaf looked down at his wolf friend. “What’s this about a white wolf hmm?” Pitch blinked in seeming innocence and then gave a sharp yip at Al as though to tell him he should follow his own advice when it came to secrets.

The morning dawned bright and clear and the Misfits converged on the spacious dining room at the Wayward Squirrel for breakfast. The previous evening had been a time of good food and a restful night of sleep after luxurious showers in the waterfall-like showers. Now they were refreshed and refueled from a breakfast and being briefed on the events that had been taking place with the kobolds on Fire Mountain.

“This one sounds like a battle we can really do something in,” Juana said happily, patting her sword that hung at her side again.

Anna rolled her eyes at Jilly. “Here we go again. She’s got to smash, kill, maim, or destroy something.”

Juana huffed. “I’m a warrior. It’s what warriors do.”

“I for one am glad to hear the squirrel leading the band has the intelligence to use a bow and attack from a distance,” Leaf commented. He smoothed a hand over his beloved bow. Dressed in the soft leather clothes he loved with his quiver and bow handy, the ranger looked much as he had when he’d first joined the Misfits. Though if one looked close enough, there were a few gear accessories. Leaf had come to like the steampunk look, though who knew what his fellow rangers and his father would think of that.

“Is that directed at me and my fighting style?” Juana bristled.

“Well, if it’s directed at you, I don’t miss my mark,” Leaf countered.

Jenna shook her head. “Would you two stop?” she asked. “Both types of attack have their purpose.”

“Jenna’s right. We have to decide what to do now,” Amdir spoke up.

The group mused over the problem while the companions fidgeted restlessly. Having spent the past days waiting, waiting, and waiting some more, they were more than ready to get back to adventuring.

“Chester’s shiny!” Leaf suddenly exclaimed. When the other looked at him, the elf explained with a smile at the memory. “Remember when I told Chester his bedtime story? He gave me one of his special shinies. It’s got to be the rune stone.” He dug in the pack for the topaz stone and held it out for the others to see.

“That has to be it,” Amdir agreed. “Now, what else do we have left in there?”

A quick rummage revealed a small key of some unfamiliar but sparkly metal. It was unanimous agreed that this key would be needed to open the gate. Armed with their usual weapons of choice, be it a true weapon or a vial of something whose contents were only known to the magic minded of the group, the Misfits, much to the delight of their companions, were at last ready and off for another adventure.

Since the companions knew the way, they proudly took the lead. Kwixis and Mew flew above the group while Flint flitted between, around, and over the others. Salem padded along beside Jilly and Pitch loped easily at Aran’s side.

The stallion was far from thrilled. Carrying the gooey little Al had been bad enough and he had been glad to see Leaf return. He’d actually looked forward to carrying his friend and master through the forest and showing him the bridge and tower, especially when he had heard that Leaf had the stone that was needed. However, Aran hadn’t counted on carrying anyone else. He’d been startled when Leaf lifted Jenna to his back instead of swinging up himself. He’d made his objections known too. A snort and a stamp of his foot had told his elf plainly that he knew the woman could walk…and thought she should. Leaf’s blue eyes had looked at his faithful mount and an eyebrow had been raised as Aran stomped again and shook his head. “Stop that,” the elf chided. “Jenna might not be a ranger and I know you’re a ranger horse, but she deserves a treat for a change. If you want to continue to receive yours, you’ll behave,” he warned. The grey stallion curled his lip and blew out a frustrated breath at Leaf. He was not pleased, but his love for both apples and his elf over-rode his dislike at this new development.

Jenna patted Aran's smooth neck and started to sing softly into his ear. The melody had no words and the horse’s ears began to twitch to and fro. He immediately stopped his fit and began to bob his head happily to her singing. Leaf smiled at the two of them and Jenna winked at the ranger. He had no idea she had such a connection with animals like this. Once she finished her song, Leaf mounted behind her and they set off in the direction of the camp.

Things were progressing very well until a large tree and an even larger ogre appeared.

“Now what is this all about?” Al said to Anna from her shoulder where he was riding this time. “The way was clear the last time we knew about it.”

“Hush, let’s just listen to him and find out if he’s friendly or not,” Anna advised.

Juana’s sword was already out but with Jilly on one side and Amdir on the other, the warrior didn’t have a chance to charge. Which was a good thing considering the story they got from Clunko.

“Poor thing, we need to help him,” Jilly said.

“The course of true love never did run smooth,” Amdir commented, glancing at Leaf and Jenna.

“How poetic, Amdir,” Jenna smiled as she and Leaf dismounted to assist with the puzzle. The bard was hoping her own new found love might be easier than that of poor Clunko.

The Misfits had been solving puzzles so often recently that they felt they wer

@ GreenRowan # foggy

[spoiler=The Stone Cold Rogues and the Explosive Finale] As Isze watched the debris from Lucien's ship rain down from the sky, she shook her head at the ridiculous romantic gestures, and hoped the suspiciously fast sloop was in fact on a successful rescue mission. As she drifted sleepily through the portal, thinking about the royal couple’s dilemma, she wondered why Vertilline didn't simply marry both Djoni and Tanaka. It was an obvious compromise. Women seemed to get the short end of the stick in royal marriages in so many societies though...

As she stumbled out of the passage and as Larianne hugged her parents, she felt an odd pang, and for the first time in an age, Isze's mother came into her mind. Her voice, smooth and dark like rich brandywine, seemed to swirl around Isze like a memory in physical form. Isze felt her mother’s phantom presence stand over her, tall and strong, with ferocious black eyes, as she laughed wildly over her children falling face-first into ponds, let them wander into the woods for days, and called encouragingly as they clambered trees and buildings, even when she brought them into town.

Townsfolk were appalled at both of Isze’s parents - her father would disappear for weeks at a time, and hardly talked but Isze thought she had the best parents in the world. Why did people fuss that all the family had their own lives? Isze knew her mother didn’t laugh at accidents out of cruelty, but out of a fierce joy at seeing her children’s tenaciousness. If they desperately needed help her mother would remove them from their fix and if necessary patch them up, pretending to barely notice. It saved them from getting embarrassed, and made them brave.

As for her father, he cared about his children, and knew them well enough to know things like the fact that hunting a rare bird for feathers that Ere and Ereu wanted was as a loving gift for them, but it would be a mortal insult for the huntress Isze. With a shock, she realised there was wetness on her face. She was so incredulous that she wasn’t even embarrassed. She had perfect respect for people who might express themselves that way too, but she never had.

Tears were a physical reaction; they were what happened in stinging wind or automatic reactions when you hurt yourself heavily. You breathed calmly, got yourself under control and then you separated the pain from your mind when it stopped being useful. When her mother had died, that had been that. She was grieved, but what was there to do? You had to burn her body with love, and accept she had moved to a different part of the natural cycle. But suddenly, Isze wanted home.

She had coped with her mother's death, but had the others? Especially her father, who was a kind of vine on her mother's 'tree'. So they were an independent family, but they were a loving, attentive one too. She realised her own instinctual independence, and her obsession with that mage, had caused her to neglect them. She hadn't been even to visit, for all these months. And she wanted to see them. She wanted the comfort of their presence, she wanted to sit in silent sympathy with her father, and she wanted the woods and streams and animals of her home.

Without even greeting the inn staff, she stumbled off to find a place to make a camp outside, revelling in being surrounded by nature once again. Entering the woods, she bolted upright and turned around. In her emotional exhaustion she had almost forgotten to fetch Walter, and she lambasted herself. But a happy barrage of mewing and a small tangle of fur barrelling towards her showed her that Walter had fetched himself. Isze picked him up, and looked disapprovingly at his knotted fur. "I am never leaving you unattended in this inn again," she muttered. An indignant Winton, who was within hearing range, shouted back, "He tried to bite anyone who tried to brush him! I’m not taking responsibility for that!"

Areiwyn grinned happily as she watched Larianne, Winton and Ertrude reunite. Everything was as it should be. As Areiwyn emerged from the passage, she was greeted by a large white object landing on top of her pinning her to the ground. “Kiburoth!” she yelled, although she quite enjoyed the polar bear’s licks of friendship and welcome. When Kiburoth eventually got off of Areiwyn, she hugged him tightly, “I’m glad to see you too,” she said, burying her head into the softness of his fur, “I’m glad to finally be home.”

After an evening of reunions, wonderful food and even better company, Areiwyn woke up the next day relieved that her adventure was over. She was a bit sad that Leislyn had to leave suddenly but she guessed that in her line of work people came and went quite quickly. Turned out that the person she had at first thought was a no-good thief had some good qualities after all. She sighed a little and wished Leislyn all the best.

Rolling over, she was greeted by a mess of fur and she smiled. She wasn’t even going to complain about the fact that she didn’t get to join in on the final battle, she was just grateful to be back with Kiburoth and not around anymore steamwork contraptions. As she emerged from her room with Kiburoth close by, she looked around and found her teammates sitting at their table. It looked like Donner had been helping himself to the round of drinks that Teislyn had been promising she would buy them once they got back. She sat down and listened to the chatter. It seemed the team was bound for one more adventure...

Isze had been the first to arrive in the common room that morning, and sipped her drink slowly as she thought out her new plan. Isze had had enough. Patience was a virtue, but after a point it was ridiculous. Her new drive to visit home hadn't subsided. If the damn demon wouldn't co-operate, she'd up her search for the Woman in Black in other ways. She wouldn't neglect new quests, or her family anymore and if Aicha got in her way, well she had had plenty of chances. She was distracted from her thoughts, however, by the arrival of Teislyn.

When Teislyn woke up that morning, she sat up in bed and looked out the window. The sun was already up, but it wasn't late, so she decided to take her time getting ready. She looked across the bed and saw Lini purring away in the sunlight like it was the best thing in the world. Lini loved the morning sun, so Teislyn scooped her up and nuzzled her for a little while. "I missed you Lini, it is wonderful to be back here." She must have squeezed her a bit harder than usual because Lini squeaked and tried to struggle out of her arms. "Okay silly thing, let’s go see what the others are up to."

She made her way to the common room and saw the others sitting at their table, so she went to the bar and ordered a few round of drinks and some food to be sent to the table, "We'll need it after what an adventure we had." She headed over to the table and sat down. "Morning, hope everyone slept well. So, what is on the agenda today? Oh, here come the refreshments.”

Kitcher had been overwhelmed by the series of events that transpired after she and Donner had set off the explosion and destroyed the Infernal Hourglass. Things just happened way too rapidly for her to comprehend or remember; she recalled seeing the pure light of the Beacon, but she missed seeing the raging battle at the Wolfenhague. At some point after the swirling vortex, she must have just clung desperately to Donner and shut down completely. She remembered arriving at the Wayward Squirrel and hugging Ertrude and some other people, and she remembered Donner carrying her up to their suite. They showered, but he must have helped her dress for bed.

Kitcher awoke alone in the early afternoon of the next day, she knew that Donner's tummy wouldn't let him skip two meals just to lounge in bed even if he were feeling amorous. She took her time to wake up and pondered her adventure in Crystania. Some of it was thrilling, some of it extremely scary, and at least one episode entirely maddening. Being separated from Donner after being forced to dress as a male was an experience she never wanted to repeat. No adventure was worth that humiliation and abject loneliness.

Kitcher dressed for the day in a sturdy pair of pantaloons and a blouse and looked in the dressing mirror. Had she filled out even more? Her trousers were a bit tight and her bosom was straining the buttons of her top. Perhaps she should dress in her travel dress after all. It was designed to see her through her pregnancy, the reason she had brought it with her from Subeta in the first place.

Satisfied that she was ready for the day, she brushed out her tail and perfumed it. She tied a pretty ribbon on it up close to her rump where she knew it would attract Donner's attention for sure. Not that he had any difficulty keeping his eyes off her. Almost as an afterthought, she took her amulet from her satchel, put it around her neck, and fondled it affectionately. It warmed to her touch and gave her a feeling of comfort and joy.

She traipsed downstairs to the common room and stood apart from her team for only a moment to take it all in. Donner was seated with Doom the honey badger asleep at his feet. Apparently the goblin staff had kept her pampered, perfumed and prettied. She had a cute pink ribbon in her mane, and she looked positively domesticated. Only time would tell with that little creature.

Last to arrive in the common room was Aicha. Morning had come too soon for her liking. The mage had wearily pulled herself from bed to get ready for the day. After a long hot shower and some fresh clothes, she felt a bit better but as she headed downstairs to join the others for breakfast, something still weighed heavily on her mind.

Seeing that the whole team was now together, Teislyn cleared her throat. "Before we do anything else, I'd like to make a toast," she said. She cleared her throat and raised her tankard, "To the Stone Cold Rogues, this has been some adventure and I'm proud to say that I enjoyed every bit being among friends. Let’s go out there for one last ride and end with a bang!"

Areiwyn grinned. "Well I'm up for one last adventure. I feel much more revived than I have been for quite some time now that I'm back at the Wayward Squirrel." She emptied their pack. "And so we meet our Kobold ‘friends’ again. I'm guessing we'll need something from here... perhaps this small sparkling key of some unknown metal to get us through the Kobold Gates and maybe this rather dull flat circle with uneven edges, which appears to be a coin of some type to disable the watchtower pedestal? I'm trying to think of what could pass for a glowing runestone... Surely not this Royal Cameo of Vibrissa and Grumpkins?"

Donner slammed down his empty ale mug (his fourth), stifled a beery burp, wiped a great blob of foam from his whiskers with the back of his paw and stood woozily. "Them damned Kobaa-(hic)-Kolbads! I say ve-(hic)-ee go in dare und kick some butt!" He slowly oozed back into his seat and gave Kitcher a goofy grin as if he had done something clever, but he really didn't look too good. "Gott in Himmel, mine Kit-(hic)-chie! I'm tinkink dat i'm kinda schloshed, ya ya? Erm...I don't vant to go home yet...."

Kitcher wrapped her paws around him and he nuzzled his head on her shoulder, he was really plowed, but he actually made some sense. She looked around the table at her companion and smiled as she patted Donner's head. "I don't think Donner's ready to let our adventure come to an end." She lowered her gaze and spoke in a wistful tone. "When it comes right down to it, neither am I. I don't want this adventure to end, I've come to know and to love each and every one of you so very much. Each of you has taught me so much about myself. I know that I will be a better wee creature, a better mate and a better mother to my pups for having known you all."

She picked up her small tankard of ale and raised it toward Areiwyn, "As our Captain, I would be honored to have you lead us out on one more adventure. I say we go and take care of the Kobold problem as soon as possible. I may even be able to make a potion that would render them just as sleepy as my silly mate Donner here. That would certainly give us some advantage. What do you all say, I'm in if you all are."

Isze glowered openly across the table at Aicha as Kitcher made her proposal. Isze felt touched by Kitcher's affectionate words, though she hadn't got to know her that well Isze's opinion was of a sweet, honest young character, and Isze honestly liked her goofy, forthright mate. Isze shrugged in response to Areiwyn’s question, “When you have eliminated all else, whatever remains, however improbable should be the solution. Although to me, items will always be interchangeable.”

Aicha was silent throughout the meal while the others discussed the next task at hand. It was only when she stood to leave that Teislyn grabbed her wrist suddenly.

“Before we deal with the Kobolds, I think there's something else to be done.” Teislyn said, and then turned to look at Aicha with a smile. “We have to fix your doll, right?”

Kitcher looked up at Aicha, "Aicha, I would be honored to prepare a special cleaning solution for your doll. Soapmaking was the first art I learned as an alchemist. I have a special no-water-no-rinse soap that the Master Weaver uses to restore the tapestries hanging in the Great Chamber up at Healer Hall. Would you allow me to tackle that task? The fabric will be completely restored to new condition. The soap is that good."

Aicha just nodded softly.

It was almost like an actual puzzle assignment, Aicha thought. Just like when they had a puzzle or task to do, the Rogues had all broken off into small groups to do the things they did best.

Isze had taken to mending the semi-broken seams on the legs and arms of the doll while Kitcher was using some kind of special soap to wash off all the dirt and grime that had collected. When Isze had finished mending the seams, Kitcher took the doll carefully in both paws and got permission to use the Alchemist's lab in the back of the Wayward Squirrel. It was a well-stocked laboratory and the soap-roots Kitcher needed for her special soap were plentiful. The solution didn't require the usual soapmaking techniques of stirring to trace, or curing, for when the mixture had reached a slow boil, it would be ready once it had cooled a bit.

With the same care she had seen the Master Weaver and the Master Laundress use on the ancient tapestries, Kitcher diligently daubed at the smoke-stained fabric of Aicha's doll. A couple of times, she became worried that she was putting too much solution on, or rubbing too hard and she stopped, touched the amulet at her bosom, calmed down and continued. The stains disappeared, almost as if by magic under Kitcher's small paws and soft touch. Perhaps it was magic, perhaps the wee weasel-girl really was magical by her own right. Perhaps the amulet was just that, a pretty bauble that Kitcher used to focus and concentrate her magical energy with. Whatever the case, within a short time, the doll was completely restored to new condition. Kitcher hugged the doll, brushed it's 'hair' and gave it a kiss for good luck before she sought out Teislyn to put the new clothes on the doll.

The burned clothes had gone to Teislyn who was using them as a reference to cut new material that she had made Aicha choose. It was then handed back to Isze who sewed them together with ease. Areiwyn had been elected as the runner; the one to fetch this or get more of that. Aicha herself just sat and watched.

It was only a short time, although it felt like forever, before Teislyn handed her the repaired doll. Aicha took it with slightly trembling hands and held it close. There was a short period of silence before Isze bluntly spoke.

“What exactly is that doll?”

Aicha frowned slightly, but then sighed. She supposed an explanation was in order. “It's my sister.”

“Your sister's doll?” Areiwyn said confusedly, scratching her head.

“No. This IS my sister. MY sister.” Aicha intoned. “This is what Devont did to her.”

Seeing the looks around her, the mage sighed again.

“It's a long stor

[spoiler=Getting That Gem] Digging around the archives that stretch into infinity beneath the Wayward Squirrel Laurie grinned.  "Found it!" she declared, holding up what looks an awful lot like a rock, proudly displaying her prize to no one in particular - mainly because no one else is around.  Blowing over the top of it reveals it most certainly is not, in fact it's nothing like a rock.  Quick as a hummingbird's wing beat she hopped up on a natural perch and even quicker she found her happy place, getting lost in this latest tome she'd found.  

So quiet, so peaceful, so.. dusty.  Being able to hear the faint flutter of a fairy's wings had become the norm since the protectors had embarked on their latest adventure. It's amazing what you get use to, a few short months ago she would have given anything for some noise canceling headphones, she was constantly catching herself distracted by something going on overhead instead of digging around in search of tidbits of information to help her team. Now with the archives so quiet she actually looked forward to times when above her the hustle and bustle of every day life would filter through the vents in hushed tones and whispers.

Without warning the archives beneath the Wayward Squirrel exploded with sounds of chaos and commotion from above, Laurie about jumped out of her skin which in turn sent the stunned gopher tumbling from her comfortable perch onto the floor.  She sat in stunned silence for a minute or two before calling for Hope who came toddling over as if nothing was happening.  There hasn't been this much activity in weeks - not counting the other day when the air was so electrifying one would think it was alive.  Sadly it didn't last long.  Might have been someone was messing with a gadget that actually filled the air with electricity, or a wand malfunctioned, or a staff, or countless other reasons you'd never even think of.  Which is why any sort of curiosity to go find out what was happening vanished almost as quickly as it had come, everybody knows that around here anything can has and does happen.

But this, this was different.  It wasn't coming and going.  It was constant, growing even.  Could it be!?  Anxiously she chewed on her bottom lip. "What should I do?" she wondered aloud. Going "up there" was out of her comfort zone, twice now she had 'put on her big girl panties' and gone up there, both times about giving her heart failure. This gopher likes to stay under ground, digging through the hundreds, nay, thousands of scrolls, ledgers, journals, tomes; leaving an outlandish array of scribbled notes on scraps of paper in her wake - it's what gophers do.  It also explains the reason she's chewing on her bottom lip instead of her trusty No.2 she keeps tucked safely behind her ear.  Bottom lips grow back, pencils on the other hand are like gold to someone the likes of this crazy lady.

A bit of a sharp tug on her hand snapped her out of her pondering and oddly enough straight into to the realization that she was no longer sitting on the floor. Stifling a giggle, she turned her attention to her little lairbear cub who was doing her level best to tug them both toward the main chamber where the staircase was.  "If you want to see what's happening I believe it would work much better if you let go of my hand and went to see for yourself little one."  Hope lowered her big brown eyes as if to apologize for about an instant, her eyes immediately returning to their glimmering selves and she resumed trying to drag Laurie in the general direction of the stairs.  Instead of returning to her tome, Laurie smiled, allowing her tiny companion to pull her along for a few steps then paused to listen.  It was obvious something was happening, something was bringing the Wayward Squirrel back to life.  Was that Larianne!?  There was so much commotion it was impossible to tell but if it was, that could only mean one thing, the adventurers had returned!  Maybe.  Only one way to find out. It was time for this gopher to go see for herself that her friends had returned safe and sound.  Hesitant, quiet as a church gopher and being led by a teeny tiny bear she crept toward the bottom of the stairs where a barrage of familiar voices hit her like a ton of bricks.  "It IS them!  They're back!" she whispered, snatching up Hope and hugging her tightly.  Not one to join in the insanity, the timid pair stayed put, content to just listen as tales including but not limited to placing themselves in imminent danger every time they turned around ended with their defeating DeWinter and being major players in the liberation of Wolfenhague.  

After a fashion things quieted down, the adventurers excusing themselves and heading to their rooms, they must be exhausted she thought to herself.  Using all the stealth she could muster she silently got to her feet and was about to make her way back to that unfinished tome when someone mentioned those horrid Kobolds.  The handful of adventurers still making jovial conversation at the bar fell silent. Hope scaled Laurie's leg like it was a ladder, clinging tightly to her neck.  Laurie felt a shiver ran down her tiny spine.  "None of that, little lady, these guys are called 'Protectors' for a reason, there's no safer place to be then right here."  Hope snuggled tightly as Laurie made her way further up the steps, both of them listening intently.  

She was unable to tell if it was Squirrely or Thorson or perhaps Winton who was talking as they made their way toward the back of the Squirrel and out of ear shot, the only thing she was able to make out was it would take 1 small sparkling key of some unknown metal and 1 small topaz with runic engraving to succeed, and the time to act was now.

Laurie stayed right where she was, you could almost see the wheels turning in her brain as past adventures she had been reading about in the archives began to fall into place.  And wouldn't ya know it, as they did, the Fallen Angels gopher about had yet another heart attack.  

Grabbing Hope tightly she began to pace up and down the steps. "Oh no.  Tell me he did not say topaz.  He didn't say topaz, did he?  Of course he didn't because we don't have one of those.  I misunderstood.  He did not say topaz."  Someone is rather lucky that her companion is not one to smack their friend upside the head for carrying on like a mad woman, this companion has something much more effective.  A whimper.  Laurie shook her head slowly as it dropped toward her chest.  With a long drawn out sigh she murmured what she knew all along, "I know, I know.  He said topaz."  

"There's no choice.  I've dug around the archives so much I know whats packed in their pack forward and back and that gem isn't one of them.  I also know how to get one but we can't wait till morning, it'll be too late.  I know what needs to be done, the rest of the team must be exhausted and I .. I .. I can handle this.  Right?  I need to help them.  I have to.  So that's just what I'm gonna do.  I'm gonna get them that gem!  Oh man.. tell me I did not just say that."  Sighing again she flashed a reassuring smile at Hope.  "There's only one way to get the Angels that topaz.  We need coins to barter with and I have to go talk to Morrow."  Swallowing her fear of making a fool of herself, both gopher and lairbear took a deep breath as they reached the top of the stairs.  Laurie made what she hoped was a smiling gesture toward GreenRowan sitting quietly in the corner and continued to make her way to the second floor.  "I swear Hope, that fairy never sleeps.  Wasn't that exactly where she was the las

[spoiler=The Fellowship frees the slaves] Quercus bowed to Djoni and Vertilline, glad that they had made it safely. She trusted that they and Jer would see to it that DeWinter never hurt another soul. A part of her worried about that. She hadn't seen him killed or captured, just fighting with Jer in the chaos. Briefly she wondered if she should have risked taking a shot at DeWinter. Could she have made it from that distance? It was possible but doubtful. There had been so much mess she could have killed someone else as easily as DeWinter. She almost spoke her thoughts aloud but Larianne coming out of her trance and the general happiness of everyone caused her to keep it to herself. "What will be, will be." She thought. "If DeWinter has survived and seeks revenge, we'll be waiting for him. I'll have an arrow waiting just for him." She smiled as Djoni and Vertilline walked away. "Let's enjoy what peace we have."

So much had happened and in such a short time. Venom practically stumbled from the portal and took a deep breath of the air that was familiar to him. Even with Larianne safe and Crystania restored he felt rushed and somewhat unstable. The climactic battle he had envisioned where he severed DeWinter’s head from his wretched body had not come to pass. Reaching he gently touched the spot on the back of his head where he had been hit by the technomancer. Perhaps, loathe to admit it as he would be, not facing DeWinter had been a blessing.

Amidst the chaos of the protectors return home Venom took a back seat to the activities. Approaching Larianne and her parents once the tears had ebbed he took a seat beside them. “Excuse my intrusion, and not to dredge up what we had just laid to rest…” He produced a small vial of crystal clear liquid from one of his pockets. “This will cleanse any toxin that still remains in your system, within reason.” He handed it to Larianne with a small smile. “If you do not feel back to normal in twenty four hours something stronger will do the trick.” He nodded and left the family to resume their reunion. Sure a blood sample would solve any mystery involving what toxin the poor girl had ingested, but now was hardly the time to speak of bloodletting.

The common room was much too loud for his liking, no thanks to his head injury, and the rest of the Fellowship seemed to have dispersed throughout. Quietly he surveyed the room making sure there weren’t any unsavory characters hidden amongst the celebrators. Old habits die hard. When he was quite sure everything was sound he turned and made his way back to his room.

The journey back was longer than Quercus would have liked but she could feel her plants responding as they reached the end of the passageway. They could feel the old forest calling and were glad to hear it again. Quercus reflected that if she ever returned to Crystania she'd take many seeds and leave flowers and sweet smelling plants behind. She felt the city had needed a few more gardens and green spaces.

Larianne, Winton and Ertrude's joy at being back together was touching. Quercus felt hugely relieved that they had managed to save the family and bring them back together. Hopefully Larianne would grow to find someone who loved her and wouldn't be seduced by appearances and hollow promises again. But the sight of the happy family reminded her of Branch. She would never be able to face Chester and Geranium again if she couldn't find Branch or discover his fate. She had sworn an oath to the little chipmunk to find his father and she meant to keep it. But she hadn't found any sign of the slaves anywhere in Crystania. "Of course that could be due to the near constant running for our lives and stopping DeWinter before he could do any more harm." Quercus reflected.

She moved out of the press of people. She'd lost the Fellowship in the crush but she wasn't worried. She'd find them again and right now she wanted a rest. She returned to the piles of boxes and clothes where they had changed, was it only three days ago? And found her clothes where she'd left them. At last she would be able to feel like herself again.

She hoped they'd found Letty's clothes and returned them. Quercus had left a note on them just in case but with all the fighting she hadn't been able to give them back personally. She reflected on this as she headed to her room and some much needed quiet. It was time to clean the smog and gunk of Crystania from her and rest. Pushing open the door to her room she was nearly knocked over by a small bundle of feathers. She dropped her pack of clothes and someone lept into her arms. Even with her eyes open Quercus could no long see thanks to the tears. She sank to the floor and held Tipper and Star as the two of them told her what had been happening and how much they had missed her.

Wolf smiled at the happy farewell between the two girls, and stepped through the portal, excited to finally be seeing her darling Sierra once more. She barely got into the Squirrel when she heard the scrabbling of toenails on the floor and felt a thump on her back. "SIERRA! Oh how I've missed you!" she squealed excitedly as she rolled to her side and let the darling little bunny snuggle into her neck.

"Oh Wolf! I've missed you just as much! I thought I was going to go with you and I was so unhappy when I was told I couldn't! I've become closer to Tipper and Star, but it was just not the same as if I could have gone with you! Would you tell me everything that happened, please?"

Giving Sierra kisses, she looked at the little bunny lovingly. "Oh my dear friend, I would but I'm just exhausted! How about this - we go have a great dinner, a great night's sleep and then we can have a nice, long talk, okay?"

"Sounds good, Wolf. I wouldn't mind that myself."

Jean was glad to be reunited with her little faeling friend. Sihr rubbed against her cheek in a display of thrilled affection. She expressed her dismay at the shortened length of Jean’s hair, which had ended up a bit shorter than the woman had intended, but it was long enough mostly conceal her still, so she didn’t complain too much.

Eden remembered when the Wayward Squirrel felt like somewhere new, but now it felt like home. And there was no place like home. She happily dropped the bag she'd clutched onto throughout their mission, and went from one smiling face to another to give welcomes and hugs. Then she took a nice cold beer and went to sit down, watching all the happy people and feeling the joys of a job well done.

After a delicious dinner and a great night's sleep, Wolf and Sierra awoke refreshed. Waking super early, they enjoyed an equally delicious breakfast the following morning. They then left and went for a walk. It was pretty silent. They were almost the only ones up. Wolf told Sierra everything that had happened -- from getting to Crystania to returning to the Squirrel, and all the adventures in between. Sierra was in total shock when Wolf told her about facing off against the technomancer, but she was so relieved that everyone came back safe and sound.

"So, little one, what happened while I was gone?"

"Well, I was so surprised when I was told I couldn't go with you. I was saddened and a little stunned. I was so looking forward to going with you. When Thorson took us all away, I didn't want to go. Well, we had to go so once we got back here I started getting into conversation with Tipper and Star. They're lovely animals. We played and explored and had a lot of fun. They told me that, like you, they're going to have to be going back home..." She trailed off sadly, and suddenly the sparkle left her eyes and her ears drooped.

Lying down, Wolf invited the rabbit to snuggle up next to her. She nuzzled Sierra, saying, "Oh, Sierra. Our worlds aren't that far apart. It won't be good bye. You'll see me again. You'll see me a lot. I promise! I wouldn't be able to stay away from someone who's taken my heart. I love you, Sierra. Friends don't stay away from friends."

That seemed to cheer Sierra up a whole lot. "I'm so happy, Wolf! I didn't think you'd stay away, but I just didn't like the thought that you may not be back for a long, long time. I love you, too, Wolf."

Wolf looked down at her, smiling and giving her a nuzzle. "I wouldn't be able to stay away from you!"

Sierra looked up at Wolf, concerned. "Wolf, there's something that's bugging me. There's a group of escaped prisoners that have been keeping the kobolds at bay but they've still been causing a lot of issues, especially with the mining. Would you and the others be able to help stop them? I'm very concerned about all the animals' well-being."

Getting up, Wolf shook herself and started thinking. "Hmmm...I think we can handle something like that. Let's go back to the Squirrel and talk to the others."

Quercus rose early the next day. Dressed in her old clothes she went for a walk with Tipper and Star. What they had to tell her about the Kobolds was not good. After all the trouble with DeWinter she was not in the mood for Kobolds to be this cruel and selfish. She returned to the Squirrel to find the Fellowship up and eating breakfast together. She joined them, though she had already eaten, and listened to the details of the camp with a frown. "We need to stop these Kobolds before they get any further ideas. I don't want them to start thinking of expanding their territory on top of everything else." Quercus commented grimly.

Shikuyim had loved the adventure and being with these young, full of life, vibrant people but found himself distracted and bothered towards the end. He was surprised how much he missed his little sql companion and how ready he was for time for quiet contemplation. He sniffed the delicious smell of toxic coffee all around him, wandered over to where Quercus was sitting and looking around for Eden and Jean, sat down.

Jean listened to the details of the kobold camp, and looked at her friends. It seemed like they had another mission to complete.

Quercus pulled a small loaf onto her plate and tore into it, making plenty of crumbs for Star and feeding some of the soft bread to Tipper who was curled up in her normal place in Quercus's lap. Quercus began to speak as she divided up the loaf. "As I see it we need to do two things. Firstly we have to find and free the prisoners. I can't stand the thought of them being worked until the drop only to be dragged off and cut up for some twisted market." She glanced around the table. "Problem is, even if we do find them there aren't enough of us to get them out and deal with the kobolds. That means we need to find this band of former slaves that's been dealing with the kobolds and get them to help us. They can help those still in the camp escape to safety while we give those kobolds a headache they are unlikely to forget in a hurry. Plus they can give us an idea of what kind of resistance we're likely to meet with while we deal with the second objective: Stopping the kobolds. They can't carry on like this. There are worse things than us out there and if they manage to annoy any of them, it will be trouble for the Squirrel as well as the kobold camp." Quercus glanced over to Larianne and Ertude. "I think they've had enough trouble already." She shook her head and took a bite of bread while giving Tipper a rub between her ears. "Our friends know the way. They say there's a door of some kind to deal with though. So, do we have a key for it?"

A good night's rest was all well and good but when dawn awoke the Wayward Squirrel, Venom felt as if he could sleep away an entire week. His body ached in ways it hadn’t before though his head felt much better. Pulling himself from the comforts of his bead he took a hot shower and had a good stretch before joining his companions downstairs. At the sight of them he recalled something he had failed to address the night before. “Wolf, how’s your leg?” He recalled a shard of the hourglass cutting her but in their haste to depart the situation was largely overlooked. Venom wasn’t a doctor by any means, but the hourglass glass could have been cursed or soaked in any manner of terrible things. If he could help in any way, well his team had more than earned it.

"My leg? You know, I never even noticed what was going on with it due to all the stuff going on here." Wolf looked down at it. To the untrained eye, one couldn't see what was going on for the fur, but she could. She winced, sick at what she saw, and turned her head away as she saw her beautiful skin black and starting to corrode. The blood was all congealed, too, not flowing like a normal cut would do, due to whatever the sand and glass was made from. She could see the glass still stuck deeply in her leg. For the first time since it happened, she felt pain.

She looked at Venom with a bit of a sheepish look on her face. "You'd think I'd've noticed the pain, huh? I'm almost immune to pain, but every once in a while I do feel it. Leg's not doing well. Don't know what was in that glass or sand that got in there, but it's not pretty." She showed him. "I'm not looking forward to getting that out. I'd be happier if the blood was flowing. However, it's good in a way. At least I haven't suffered blood loss but who knows what all else is happening in there?"

Listening as the conversation is around the kobolds, it saved Wolf from having to mention anything about recent events. "I'm positive I know what we need to get into their camp - that shining key. The key, well, it speaks for itself. These Kobolds, it seems, don't make anything out of anything that's normal, so I can't see them having a key that'd be normal, either. With the gate being locked, this would be our key to get in, if you'll pardon the expression.

"Shall we be going? I'm excited to finally use my magic for what it is now! No more technomancing!" She gave an excited little dance. "Yes, even with that glass in my leg, I can still dance!"

Quercus reacted to the news of Wolf's injury with concern. She had been so intent on keeping the soldiers away from the door that she hadn't noticed any hurt her fellow adventurers might have gained. Standing up she moved over to Wolf to give her a scratch around the head. "Let's take care of that wound of yours. Then we'll pay a visit to the kobolds."

Wolf wound up calming down some when Quercus came over and started rubbing her head out of concern for the mage. Looking up at her, Wolf lost all her dignity and started pouting. "But, but, Quercus, I'm fine! Really! My leg'll be fine until we get back! No way do I want to have anything done to me now. No, no, no!"

Quercus knelt and wrapped her arms around Wolf, making a purring sound in her chest so the vibrations could be felt. It helped sooth Tipper sometimes and she was hoping it would sooth Wolf. "We want you well. After so much splitting up and fearing for each other's safety, we want to see each other kept safe and healthy. We're going hunting. When we do we need to be at our best and know that you won't make it worse by pushing yourself. Let's fix your leg now so it won't hurt you later. If you like you can have a go at my shoulder. I think the technomage fractured it. It's healing well enough but I wouldn't mind the help. It's still painful and a bit stiffer than I'd like."

Jean's brows drew together. "Don't be ridiculous Wolf. You should have had that seen to at the first opportunity. Leaving it to fester has doubtless made it worse than it would be otherwise."

Venom frowned slightly at Wolf’s refusal of aid. Now was hardly the time to ignore a little cut and let it turn into something much more problematic. He wouldn’t say it aloud, but Venom would not take his team into battle knowing one of them was harboring any injury. While Quercus distracted Wolf, Venom simply bent down and plucked the shard of glass from the back of Wolf’s leg. With his free hand he quickly doused a nearby napkin in some antiseptic fluid. Trusting in Quercus to maintain her hold on Wolf he bent again and held the napkin against Wolf’s wound. With that taken care of he sat back and smirked slightly almost as if daring anyone to object. Carefully he rinsed the shard off with some of the same antiseptic and after wra

The journey back to the Wayward Squirrel is a happy one with the defeated kobolds behind, and only the promise of a feast ahead.

The squirrel archer, a friendly fellow by the name of Bobbin Weave, is explaining how he rescued some of the slaves and formed his little band of helpful brigands to OneToo, who seems mesmerized by the telling.

"This is delightful material!" OneToo exclaims. "I wish my friend Squirrely could hear it in his tavern."

At the mention of the name Squirrely, a rather tall chipmunk breaks from the back ranks and rushes forward, still holding his trusty acorn slingshot.

"You wouldn't happen to mean someone called Squirrely McGee, would you, friend feline?"

"I would," smiles OneToo.

"And would there happen to be a sweetly beautiful chipmunk there, perhaps with a babe who seems eager to adventure?"

One Two pauses in his tracks, studying the chipmunk's earnest and hopeful face. One of his ears is torn and a back paw is bandaged, but otherwise, he seems to have survived.

"Yes," answers OneToo, "Geranium and Chester." He sees tears start in the chipmunk's eyes. "And you would be?" he asks, but feels he already knows the answer.

"I am called Branch," the chipmunk answers simply, and everything that needed to be made right is completed with those words.

Once again, the Protectors have succeeded, and it is time to feast, rest, and depart once more.

(OOC: This concludes Chapter 12. Please join Chapter 13 for celebrations and conclusions.)

((loud cheering))

witchy wipes a tear from her eye, and hurries over to the Wayward Squirrel...

wayward squrrel sounbds like heaven and a gooooood rest after all this!!!! runs headlong towards the building and all its comforts!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woohoo, what an adventure this has been.

Teams you have been awesome! applauds