"What do you reckon they were doing here?" Illaria asked.

"I take it none of you speak infernal?" Alvec asked.

"No, can't say I ever studied how to speak to devils. Considering their evil nature," Illaria stated.

"My grandfather forced me to learn. He said I might find it useful someday. I hate him being proven right." Alvec cursed under his breath.

"So what were they saying, Alvec?" Naya asked.

"They were saying they failed to negotiate with the child of Akrixi further up the path. Something about it not "wanting" anything. I guess it's good to know the devils didn't get what they wanted," Alvec said.

"By Sarosa, I never thought I'd see one of these things. Should we bury the bodies?" Mavec asked.

"Echo, toss them in the swamp," Naya said as she pointed to the two who had died on the pathway. The magically enlarged wolf quickly scooped them up and tossed them unceremoniously into the murky waters. "Nature can clean up after us," Naya insisted before taking the lead. "We have a spirit tree to speak with as soon as possible."

It was about thirty or forty minutes more of walking before they found themselves at the heart of the swamp. The pathway led to what looked like an island of roots, which led to a massive tree. Walking upon it, under its immense canopy, they reached the trunk, where a face grew out of the bark.

"Hello," it said in a dispassionate common, void of inflection or nuance. "What brings you to my home? Are you, by chance, with the devils? Their answers were unsatisfactory."

"A druid told me to seek out the children of Akrixi for help," Naya stated. "My village, Lom-Itoti, everyone there has turned into plants. Do you know anything about this?" Naya asked.

"Right to the point. I understand your haste, but tradition dictates we exchange names or titles before discussing business. I am Tupelo. You all are?"

“Alvec Snaptail, Abjurer.”

"Illaria, Blue Banner army, Coffin Flotilla."

"Bait, cheese ingredient hunter, dis-pie-pal of Ben."

"Mavec, clocksmith."

“Naya, of Lom-Itoti.” She paused a moment before asking again. "So, do you know anything that might help me restore my village?"

"Tell me, child, how would this information help you grow? Adversity can cause growth as much as any knowledge, possibly more so than the knowledge you seek."

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Why should I deny you this excellent fertilizer?" asked the tree.

"Is this why the devil's answers were unsatisfactory?" Alvec asked, cutting in to buy Naya some time and subtly sending a message to her.

"Yes, Abjurer," said the tree. "They sought power; fortified forms, images which magics of lower circles could not dispel. Both would have made them very powerful, but they sought to use me as a tool rather than to better themselves. I offer my aid to help people grow. Were this power for the sake of growth, perhaps I would have given them my blessings."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"That's... that's interesting," Alvec said, reflecting on it momentarily. "So what I'm hearing is that if it were to help one's growth, you might grant a blessing. So... if I were to ask to no longer be a Tiefling, for instance, I present the case that it would allow me to better plant roots in a community. That's the sort of thing you'd help with?"

"Perhaps, but I do not believe you are making that argument."

Alvec smiled at the tree. "No, I think you're right. I wouldn't be the same if everything had come easily to me."

It was starting to come together in Naya's mind. Alvec had done her a favor by taking hold of the conversation for a few moments. "I think I have an answer," she said. "Of how this information will help me grow. You see, I'm both the gardener and the tree. A limb is in distress, and the gardener part of me is still trying to assess it. If it's diseased and damaged beyond repair, pruning it would let the rest of the tree thrive. If it can still be saved, I can try to find a treatment for it, and all of me might thrive one day. I can't grow into either until I know the nature and severity of the distress."

The tree smiled wide. "I see; I do suppose all the fertilizers in the world won't matter if we do not know how to treat it. I deem your answer acceptable. I know the ailment you speak of; human flesh transformed into plants. We call it the Green Sleep. It is meant to protect peoples, to keep them safe from events their flesh would not survive."

"Are those affected by it still alive?" Naya asked.

"Yes, their bodies can be reverted when the danger has passed. Meanwhile, their souls are kept safe within the Green Sleep."

Naya frowned. "How does one go about reversing it?"

"Mortal magics cannot. I would assume only the Child of Akrixi who did this, or perhaps an even older spirit, could break it. One of the new gods perhaps could also break the spell."

"A child of Akrixi did this?"

"Yes," said the tree. "I've heard rumors that one of my kin has uprooted themselves and now wanders the Empire. I do not know which of my kin it is, though. Nor do I know where to find them. Perhaps another of my kin will know more."

"Where can I find more of you?" Naya asked.

"I do not know; my kind does not travel; we are solitary by nature. Thriving wherever the environment can support us. I wish I could provide you with more, as your growth could be quite amazing once you can prune this limb."

"Thank you," Naya said, bowing deeply. "It isn't as much as I had hoped, but it's far more than I knew when I woke up today. My family is alive. They can be saved."

"May your roots reach deep, and your branches kiss the sky Naya of Lom-Itoti." The child of Akrixi said before the face started to fade from the tree.

"WAIT! Bait, have question!" The goblin shouted as he hopped up and down to get the tree's attention.

"Yes, Dis-pie-pal, what do you wish to ask?"

"You know where good cheese ingredients be?"

"How will this information help you grow?"

"Oh, Bait know. It helps Bait make great cheese, Bait make great cheese more people eat cheese. Found CHEESE Empire, benefits everyone. Bait become cheese Baron, and take great satisfaction in making cheese. Best version of Bait."

The tree leaves shifted, and a single flower bud dropped to Bait.

He caught it in his hand and quickly stashed it in his pockets. "Thank you, kid-krixi."

"Well, if that be all we need, I suppose we ought to be on our way," Illaria said. "I can't wait to actually be sleeping in a real bed again. I can almost hear the sound of beer pouring out of a keg. I'll raise the first one to good ol-Daluzi."

"Yeah, maybe we can get the whole thing with the Six Strengths ghost sorted out quickly now that we have the urn," Mavec said. "I'd like to set up a workshop for doing my clocksmithing."

"We'll need to visit the academy first, too. We've got a lot to sell back to them. So long as we leave out that the stuff was likely stolen from them twenty years ago, we should be fine," Alvec said. Naya walked in contemplative silence. There was nothing to discuss, not for the moment. For the first time in a long time, she had hope. Eventually, she'd be reunited with her family. It still felt impossibly out of reach, but she wasn't looking into this alone.