PART IV - MIDNIGHT HARVEST
Pixyl had grown tired of waiting, quite worried about her new friend, and was trying to stay positive about what might happen to Callie. She had known Lena was pacing nervously outside, and decided to give her space, but now, it had been over an hour since she’d heard Vanis leading Lena off to talk in private, and her worry was starting to get the best of her. Tazrok and Xin had both fallen asleep, the day finally catching up, but Pixyl found herself unable to and was getting quite agitated with worry. Finally, unable to wait any longer, she hopped down from her bunk, slipped her boots on, and tiptoed out into the still night air. She was going to find her friend, and if necessary, break her out of captivity.
WIth her Darkvision active, Pixyl saw no one walking around, but quickly spotted both Vanis and Lena sitting in the garden. As she approached, she saw they were both unmoving, and eventually realized they had both fallen asleep.
“Hey,” Pixyl said quietly, lightly tapping Vanis’s foot with her own. “What happened to Callie?”
With a jolt, Vanis snapped his eyes open, quickly orienting himself. “Pixyl! I’m sorry, did I fall asleep?”
“What happened t-t-to Callie?” the Pixie asked again, this time a little firmer. She glanced over at Lena, who was lightly snoring, and then back to Vanis.
“Um,” Vanis stammered for a moment, his brain still catching up. “She’s going to be staying in training, but went with Healer Tasi for an examination. We’re also supposed to confine any discussions about her background to inside our bunkhouse.”
That made sense. The garden was empty, most of the other recruits likely passed out in exhaustion from the day’s activities, but there was no need to risk someone overhearing what they shouldn’t.
“How long have we been out here?” Vanis mumbled, as much to himself as a question to Pixyl.
“Over an hour. I couldn’t sleep, and got t-t-tired of waiting after you walked off with Lena.”
“Callie hasn’t come back yet? She should be back by now,” Vanis said, rubbing a hand down his face to help wake up.
Pixyl shook her head, and then looked off into the darkness in the vague direction of the part of camp where the medical tent was located. “I’m going to go find her. Are you coming?”
“Uh, sure. Give me a moment,” Vanis groaned, struggling to stand.
While Vanis got oriented, Pixyl walked over and, like she had done with the Warlock, kicked Lena’s foot. With a jerk, her eyes snapped open, taking a moment to focus. “What is it, Pixyl?”
“Callie isn’t b-b-back yet. It’s been over an hour. We’re going to go find her. Get up.” Lena puzzled for a moment, unsure if that was a statement or a Corporal-Major order. Pixyl had a look on her face of thinly masked worry tinged slightly with anger, and Lena decided that following the instructions was probably the best course of action.
Pixyl led the way, Lena and Vanis trailing behind, her wings outstretched and seeming to give off an annoyed energy. All three stopped at the central fountain so the Elves could splash cold water on their faces in an attempt to fully awaken and refresh, before continuing into the darkness. With all of them having some form of enhanced vision, there was no need for the dim, magical lights which seemed to be missing from the various trees along the well-worn paths.
As the three crested a small rise that would lead down towards the Medical tent, they were quickly accosted by a pair of Sprites, ordering them to halt. With quick, chipper instructions, they warned that if the three recruits were to continue, they must use no lights whatsoever, and if they couldn’t agree to that, would need to return to their bunkhouse. Confused by the strange orders, all three agreed, after which they were permitted to pass, the Sprites dashing skywards with a unified pair of ‘goodbyes’ as they continued their apparent patrols.
Approaching their destination, they found a scene of vaguely organized chaos. Two Gnomes or Goblins, hard to tell in the low-light and at distance, were busy casting spells of some kind towards the ground, flanked on either side by a pair of Shaman Totems. A moment later, they saw Callie race out from behind the far side of the tent, setting something on the ground and retrieving something else, before running back out of sight. Next, a Fairy emerged and did the same thing.
“What’s going on?” Lena asked confusedly.
“I have no idea,” Vanis replied, and with wariness the three approached.
----------------------------------------
“No lights!” Master Healer Tasi hissed, returning again from the side of the tent and seeing the three people approaching. She set down what turned out to be a small basket in front of Pama, of all people.
“We were warned,” Vanis responded. “What’s going on?”
“Black Lotus bloom,” Tasi said, slightly winded. “A big one. Light will kill it.”
“Mana!” the male Gnome that Vanis recognized as Fizzlebek called out, looking quite tired.
“Just a moment,” a voice called out, followed a moment later by one of the Totems casting a Rejuvenation spell. As it washed through them, the three new arrivals felt a refreshing sense. As their mana was already full, the additional mana recharge had minimal effect, but the stamina component of the Totem’s Rejuvenation helped to wake them all a little. When the spell completed, the Gnome returned to his focused casting.
“You!” Callie called, running out from her side of the tent holding a basket of something and not even greeting her housemates. She set it on the ground in front of the Gnomes, and then picked up two empty baskets from a pile, handing one to Vanis, gesturing towards the right side of the tent. “Bring this to Trainer Maugra, and bring back the full one she gives you.” Callie handed a second basket to Lena. “You! Same thing on the left side. Trainer Cheena is back there.”
Vanis and Lena looked at the baskets in their hands, perplexed. Before they could ask any clarifying questions, though, Callie gave them a harsh, “Go!” coupled with an insistent shooing motion. Quickly, they went, shuttling the empty baskets back to the waiting Shamans.
“How c-c-can I help?” Pixyl asked, deciding not to ask questions of her own, based on how focused everyone was, her Ranger friend in particular..
“Um…” Callie said quickly looking around, and then up. “Tasi, would the roof hold her?”
“She’s light enough. It should,” Tasi responded, working to get her breathing back under control.
“Good!” Pointing towards the herbing supply satchels Maugra and Cheena had brought, she added, “You’re good with knives, so grab a silver one, and then go ask Trainer Cheena to show you how to cut them. The flowers are super-delicate. Someone will help you up once you know how.”
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Pixyl didn’t ask for clarification from her friend, and raced towards the satchels, Callie adding, “and watch out for the vines, they like to grab at you!” as a warning. Looking through one of the kits, Pixyl found what looked like a high-quality silver blade, and rushed towards the side of the tent, barely sidestepping Lena as she ran past with a full basket.
Now with more bodies helping, Tasi excused herself to check on Juniper, while Callie took command of organizing the incoming and freshly Preserved Lotus flowers, helping to further streamline the ad hoc process.
Pama and Callie had, unfortunately, only a few moments to chat when the Culinar had first arrived, greeting Callie with a hug, before everyone set to work harvesting. Callie did manage to thank her for all the delicious food, and indicated she wanted to talk more. In response, while shaking out her arms to loosen up as the work began, Pama promised to find time soon for tea and biscuits.
The Gnomes’ Preservation spells served to seal the flowers, preventing them from wilting for weeks, and protecting them from all but the brightest of lights. Unfortunately, the spell would only hold the magic for a few days, after which you’d be left with only a very pretty, well-preserved flower. Pama’s seal would hold the magic a little longer, as she was a higher tier than her husband, and Callie made sure her work was kept separate, so everyone would know which to use first. Once the Preservation was removed, the flowers would have only a short time before they lost their potency, so timing was crucial.
The arrival of Pixyl, Vanis and Lena was well timed, as the constant pace was obviously starting to tire Tasi, even with the Rejuvenating magic coming from the Totems. Callie got the sense the Healer wasn’t used to such physical activity, and she obviously embraced the chance to sit for a few minutes, partially using the need to check on Juniper as an excuse when she ducked out of view.
The work continued, and soon Pixyl, now properly trained on the correct harvesting technique, was on the roof cutting any blooms that were ready. It was delicate work, and unfortunately a great many were crushed simply due to the position the Pixie had to be in to work the task, plus constantly having to detangle herself from the grabby vine tentacles. Still, a third stream of small baskets added to the constant flow being brought out, and the Gnome couple struggled to keep up. Tasi eventually even had to provide mana potions, when the Preservation castings outpaced the cooldown of the Totems’ spells.
In time, Callie sent a rested Tasi on another quest for baskets. If the pace kept up, they’d quickly run out, and that simply couldn’t be allowed. As a suggestion, Pama directed the Healer to the kitchen, saying her assistants would help gather whatever was needed. The issue was that the flowers, especially once cut, were so delicate that if laid more than a few layers deep, they’d start to be crushed by their own weight. It had taken a few trial and error baskets to learn this, with the errors costing time and ruined cuttings. There were so many flowers, though, that it hardly seemed to matter; as soon as the Shamans worked fully to the back of the tent, they were able to return to the front, as more Lotus had bloomed in their wake.
As the dark early-morning slowly inched forward, Tasi returned with two of Pama’s Goblin assistants. All three were carrying additional baskets, and Calllie set the newcomers to work de-nesting them, getting them ready for Lena and Vanis, who were also keeping Pixyl supplied on the roof. Tasi went to ‘check on Juniper’ again, obviously needing another private breather after running to and from the kitchen.
Callie finally had to force everyone to take a short break after Maugra almost fell off her ladder, only being saved a hard landing by the fast reflexes of Vanis. Everyone was getting tired in a way that the Totems’ stamina boost wasn’t relieving, feeling a mental fatigue that accompanied the prolonged concentration on their tasks. To help, Pama summoned a batch of Culinar cookies with a zesty citrus flavor. Tasi helped by bringing out potions that would help to push back the mental fog, as well as fresh, cold water from a small fountain installed in the tent.
The ten minute break was certainly welcomed by everyone, but both Maugra and Cheena were eager to get back to work, wanting to maximize the bounty available to them. As the break ended, Pama sent her people back to the kitchen with the morning’s breakfast preparation instructions, adding she would join them as soon as dawn came, and replicate the food for the rest of the camp.
Hours later, or maybe minutes, Callie wasn’t really sure at this point, knowing only that they all had to go until the dawn’s light finally arrived, Commandant Xera approached. They were on her way to the bathhouse for their early-morning shower and saw the commotion surrounding the camp’s medical tent. With barely an apology, Callie physically moved the Fae to the side so that the movements of the harvest could continue unimpeded, while Tasi filled her superior in on all that had transpired. Xera observed Callie, watching her keep everything organized while Pama and Fizzlebek struggled to keep up with the needs for their magic.
“She just sort of took over,” Tasi said quietly.
“Really? And you let her?” Xera replied in a whisper, surprised.
Tasi shrugged. “She didn’t really let any of us say no, even forcing us to take a break when Maugra nearly fell. She’s essentially been in charge from the moment she found the Bloom.”
“Well, that’s quite surprising,” Xera smiled. “Good for her.”
Callie, of course, heard all this with her Gnomish super hearing, and the wink Pama gave her showed that she and Fizzlebek had heard the praise as well. Callie hadn’t meant to take over, or be bossy, she had just seen a way to keep things organized and efficient, and did what was needed to make everything work smoothly. Callie was angry at herself though, now realizing that she should have called a break sooner, so as to never let Maugra get tired enough to actually fall. While Vanis saved the day by catching her, it was a critical people-variable she had lost sight of in the equation, by concentrating so hard on the end results and organization. An important lesson learned.
The first rays of dawn in the horizon sky finally appeared, the sun not yet even visible. It was enough though, and wIthout even so much as a withering, the unharvested Black Lotus buds simply crumbled to dust, the remnants floating off on the breeze. The contents of a half-dozen not-yet-preserved baskets also disintegrated, irritating Pama who was just about finished with the one she was casting on. Vanis and Lena stopped in their tracks, turning to look at the distant light, followed soon by the two Shamans emerging from behind the tent. Pixyl simply sat down on the edge of the roof, her cramped hand still tightly holding the silver knife, not yet able to release her tight grasp on it. The little tendrils of the vine reached for her, but she absently brushed them away, letting out a slow, deep sigh. They all stood, or sat, no one speaking, and simply watched the sun finally rise over the far-distant trees.
Eventually tearing her eyes from the sunrise, Callie looked at the two neat piles of preserved baskets and smiled, pleased with everything they had accomplished. She wasn’t sure how many Black Lotus flowers were needed to make a potion, but there had to be dozens of preserved flower bundles. She didn’t have to be an Alchemist to know that would make a lot, and that somebody had their work cut out for them for the next few days.
Callie looked around at those who had become her ad hoc work detail, all still watching the sun as it slowly rose. “Great job, everyone,” she said quietly. She felt she should say more, but really didn’t know what would make good words here. The hours had been a blur, and she was utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically. She could see in the looks of the others they felt the same way.
“Thank you,” Cheena said, still in her nightgown, as she squeezed Callie’s shoulder. “We owe much of this to you.”
“Ouch!” Pixyl suddenly cried out, interrupting the quiet moment. Everyone turned to look as the Pixie smacked one of the green tentacles away. “Stop that!”
It was now, in the light of a new day, they really saw what had become of the Medical tent. Half-meter thick vines were wrapped around it, encasing it in a protective shell of browns and greens. Offshoot-vines from the main trunks slithered towards the center of the tent’s roof, finally entwining amongst each other into a single, braided, knotty trunk that shot skywards to a height of at least twenty meters. At its peak, a canopy of green spread out from the twisting spire, interspersed with the bright pastel colors of distant flowers just starting to open to the new day. It was simply an awe-inspiring sight to see, and knowing that mere hours before it wasn’t here made it even moreso.
The wowed silence continued for over a minute as everyone took in the sight of the new growth. Access to and from the tent was unimpeded through the front and rear doorways, but several flaps that once could be rolled open to let in light and air, were now well sealed. There was no doubt something wondrous had happened, and knowing Juniper was recovering inside pointed to the obvious cause
Together, they all continued to stare, simply in awe of the tower of twisting vines. Putting words to the thoughts on the minds of everyone, Callie finally said, “Yeah … I’ve got nothin’.”