Ronald sat atop the Moxxa, eyes attentive to their surroundings, even though he knew that among their current entourage he would likely be the last to spot anything out of the ordinary. Several tier three and four beasts now traveled with them; Anya’s personal selection for the mission.

Information had come to them from a deer – a buck, technically – whose black coat glittered with what appeared to be starlight. Apparently, they were speakers for the forest, or the Great Mother, or some other such. Ronald hadn’t really paid that much attention to that part, because it was what it had told them that attracted the bulk of his attention.

A voice broke him from his focus, “Easy, man, they’ll either be there or they won’t. You’re making me look lazy.”

Ronald turned to the source of the joking tone. As much as Dachna had wanted to try to sound unconcerned, he could tell that the man was just as tense and hopeful as he and Mithel were. Stella, Sasha, and Thokk had all come along as well, and Ronald felt a warmth in his heart that they had people worried for them and their friends. Even their relations with Anya and the regulars of the city had evolved since word of the Memory Thief had gotten out. Given the fact that such creatures tended to be serial menaces for any society and were infamously hard to hunt down, the fact that the Wyldwalkers had managed so early was impressive - and well received. Even with the misadventure it had become, Ronald was eager to see their party reunited, if only so Niko and Skye could see what their reputation had become.

‘Skye probably would pretend to hate it,’ Ronald thought amusedly, ‘Niko would love it to bits, though.’

“I can’t help it,” Ronald shrugged, “If I don’t do this, I’m going to be stir crazy for the whole trip.”

Mithel, not far from them, sat on a pillow while concocting various potions, added in, “That’s why I’m doing this. I’m going to lose it if I’m just standing around all stoically like you.”

Ronald grinned at that, hearing her grumble about some ‘action-hero stance’ under her breath, though he did not quite get what that was supposed to mean. Still, he could tell it was said in good spirits, at the least. Stella walked up then, an amused smile on her face that radiated warmth. He smiled back, taking her offered hand in his and forcing a deep breath. Bit by bit, he focused on relaxing tensed muscles, mediating on his pseudo-bodies connection with his real body, just as Stella had helped to instruct him on. It was a trick that most long-time practitioners mastered, but the elven trick went a little bit further. Mastery of mind and body, or something to that effect. Once more, he understood the words, the theory, but he was muddling through the details of it in his own way.

“Skye’s a tough woman, I’m sure she’ll keep Niko safe,” Stella assured him, her grip tightening slightly at the mention of her cousin. At this point, Ronald thought of them more like sisters to one another, after having heard many stories of the shenanigans they’d gotten up to through the years.

It was then that the ambient essence surged, and the Moxxa stopped in its tracks. Everyone on board immediately moved to be ready for combat, though given what he’d just felt, Ronald couldn’t help but grit his teeth at their chances. Whatever it was, it was stronger than Anya, though he supposed he couldn’t tell for certain if she’d never fully revealed her aura. Still, Orson would lose out to whatever this thing was, as would Camille and Crowe.

Almost automatically, he moved in front of his group, honed battle tactics overriding fear. Behind him, Mithel and Dachna moved into their own positions, with Stella impressively shifting into a position between them only a second later. He knew that it was probably an empty gesture, but if it didn’t matter, then he’d still rather go out fighting.

Adrenaline pumping in his body and senses heightened, Ronald noticed that the Moxxa beneath their feet wasn’t perfectly frozen. It was languidly waiting, rather than bracing for combat, nor was it cowering. Ronald frowned at that before forcing his own senses outwards once more, embracing the aura of power that flowed over them. It felt old, powerful in ways that reached beyond just essence. That said, the essence it held was huge, omnipresent almost, but he could sense that those feelings were born of something peculiar to its source. It was almost like the essence was watching, studying everything it came into contact with, or at least that was what Ronald was interpreting from it. ‘Inquisitiveness’, that helped to describe the sensation behind it all. As he focused harder, he could almost see a Great Eye wandering over them, taking them all in with equal interest.

Or near equal interest, as Ronald felt like it might have stayed upon his group longer than the others. Though surely that was just his imagination.

Then he heard the groaning of wood, and his, along with every other pair of eyes on the Moxxa, landed upon an object that emerged from the canopy floor. The wood parted around it, leaving it with a clear avenue to rise, and the figures that stood upon the stone made Ronald do a double take.

“Hey, everybody!” He heard Niko’s voice through the air, “Fancy meeting you all here!”

For a few seconds, no one seemed to know how to respond, up until Dachna began laughing beside Ronald. After a step, Ronald and Mithel followed, a mixture of relief at seeing their friends safe, and at the sheer ridiculousness of their emergence from the forest below.

“Well, get up here!” Ronald called out, feeling the tension of the last few days wane as he gestured them over, “We’ll give you a lift, but you’ll have to tell us what happened on the way!”

Skye scoffed, though her grin betrayed that the gesture was done in jest, “You drive a hard bargain; does a well cooked meal come with the trip?”

The big man barked a laugh at that, “Sure, just give me back my cooking equipment and I’ll get started.”

The two – three, Ronald corrected upon noting the large spider that seemed content to follow them – quickly approached, with Niko saying something too quiet for Ronald to hear. A moment later, there was a low rumble in the air, and the platform they’d come in on flowed downwards like water, with the tree branches moving once more as though a gap had never existed.

Ronald definitely wanted to know more about that, but that could wait its due time. The important thing was that they were back. He turned to Stella, seeing the relief clear on her face, and shared a smile with her.

And then Dachna asked, the slightest bit of nervousness at the sight of the huge arachnid next to Niko and Skye, “So, who's your new friend?”

The spider perked up, many limbs shuffling embarrassedly, and a sensation oddly similar to what he felt when Niko spoke. However, after a few seconds of no words being formed, the spider simply sat up more, and then waved its pedipalps in the air, “Friends!”

Niko chuckled, “This is Charlotte, she’s a friendly spider who likes having friends.”

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Charlotte bobbed her head up and down, declaring once more, “Friends!”

Ronald smiled at that, taking Stella’s hand with his own. He could roll with being friends with a spider. The Wyldwalkers were whole once more.

`````````````````

Niko let Skye tell the story, after they introduced Charlotte to the group anyway. At this point, Niko was beginning to wonder if they were going to just keep collecting people, given that Sasha and Thokk were eagerly sitting in on the conversation as well. Crowe and Camille hadn’t come, but only because they were apparently in the middle of hammering out some detailed arrangements for what had been a successful negotiation. The words of the Glade Guardian, were trusted and treated as reliable, given that their oracles tended to be at least a good guideline, if not wholly accurate. The two, more experienced adventurers appeared to have some experience with their kin, and so when it had informed those concerned that the Wyldwalkers would be reunited safely, Crowe and Camille were immediately put at ease.

Still, he was very interested in telling them what had happened in the underground. The fact that their bio-eco-hazardous weapon had spread this far alarmed Niko greatly. He knew nothing about the stuff, and the vermillion growth had done nothing but set off alarm bells in his head when he’d been near it.

Skye didn’t dance over the subject, although there were those that they didn’t personally know in present company. It wouldn’t do any good for future relations if they weren’t up front about it, and in the first place Sasha and Thokk had been present. They were aware of the vermillion’s existence, so if anyone found it and described it, they’d have been able to rapidly pinpoint the source. Better to get in front of it and be transparent, in Niko’s opinion.

As she went on with the topic of their forest floor adventures, describing how they met Charlotte, the flood that happened, the Dawr hunting parties, mushroom biome, powerful creatures, and finally the impending invasion and their subsequent evacuation from the umbral layer of the forest, the group had grown more and more pulled into the retelling of events. Niko popped in with his own embellishments from time to time, though they kept everything strictly factual. Their adventure was one that did not need exaggeration to be fantastical.

“This is big news,” Sasha said worriedly, “A Dawr invasion of this scale, with a God’s backing… This is not good.”

“How bad is it, really?” Mithel asked with a frown, “I mean, I’ve seen all of you, and Riizen is a very defensible city with many powerful combatants. What can Dawr really do against that?”

Niko didn’t know if she realized she’d done it, but the slight way in which their entourage stood a little taller at the praise of their city showed their pride in how they operated.

Sasha smiled a little at that, but Niko thought that it looked a little forced, “Against Dawr, even as many Champions and possible Warlords, I would say that we wouldn’t have anything to fear. It’s exceedingly rare for Dawr to group up like this, but we’ve fought off other tribal creatures before. I will need to report to my mother about this, though, she’ll know better what to expect…”

Niko nodded to that, “Well, it seems we’re almost to the city. As much as I’d like to go relax, getting the maps and documents we have to your mother is a priority.”

The others agreed with that, albeit he and Skye both shared in confidence a distinct need to take a long soak in a hot bath. Living off of the land was something that both of them were comfortable with doing, but that didn’t mean they wanted to forsake all of the creature comforts that came with civilization all the time.

The Moxxa arrived at Riizen quickly, the city looking much as it had previously. After what had felt like such a long time, he was ready to take a short break and relax.

What he didn’t expect, though, was the smattering of beasts that seemed to be waiting around the platform. He wondered where they were going, considering that he didn’t think that groups as large as this one tended to travel together. Then again, perhaps they’d be dropped off at different locations.

As the Moxxa came to a rest upon the platform, though, the beasts let out short cheers and shouted greetings, many of which seemed directed at Ronald. Niko blinked at the attention, alongside the similarly daunted Skye and Charlotte.

“Uhhh… What’s all this?” Niko voiced the question on his companion’s tongue, gesturing with his head out to the gathered beasts as they disembarked.

“Well, we did get rid of the Memory Thief, and that’s made us a little popular,” Ronald scratched his neck awkwardly, “Word must have gotten out that we were going to get you guys.”

Dachna strode up, slinging an arm around Niko’s – the latter of which was leaning down slightly so he didn’t have to stand on his tip toes to do so – and said, “It’s a welcoming party! I may or may not have embellished the story involving you two heroically saving the day, so expect a lot of attention.”

“Thanks a lot, I love attention.” Skye commented dryly, but the half-elf couldn’t manage to hide the smugness in her expression.

Niko chortled at that, “Well, I actually do love attention! I’m a very pretty bird, after all. I don’t mind showing off a little.”

Mithel laughed at that, shaking her head and mumbling something under her breath. The only part Niko caught was “like a peacock…” before the noise around them grew. The Phorus stood up and looked around them more, before inhaling a deep breath.

With essence coursing in his lungs, Niko infused his Clarion Call with sensations of triumph, gratitude, and of homesickness relieved. He let loose his call, reverberating through the air and sending powerful ripples of essence through the air. For a moment, the crowd quieted, before joining in, carried away in the moment.

Between being the recipient of many greetings and, amusingly, a few vendors who had brought food stuff that Niko definitely didn’t immediately consume, extricating themselves took some time. All the while, Niko noticed that their guards waited patiently, a few were clearly amused at the situation.

But after some promises were made to visit the local Watering Hole – the actual name of a tavern, Niko had come to realize later – they finally broke away from the huddle. As they continued, others came around, several of whom were pointed out to Niko covertly.

“A lot of these people are friends and family of those attacked by the Memory Thief,” Ronald said quietly to them, “So I hope both of you are ready to be offered a lot of drinks.”

Dachna snorted, “And us. We never did get a proper celebration, what with two of our members so rudely vanishing on us.”

Skye gave him the stink eye, “Oh, I’m so sorry, maybe next time I’ll make sure you’re the one sucked into a teleportation, not me.”

“On the other hand, some things just are outside of anyone's control, and who really cares, right?” Dachna changed his tune, whistling theatrically at the end of it.

Niko let out a low cawing laugh at that, before turning to Charlotte. The spider had surprised him in being more at ease with these numbers than he’d thought she would be. Then again, being fed abundant fruit certainly helped, given her frequent use of the word, “Friends!” and their many inflections. It was adorable, though he did hope she kept trying to learn more words.

When they finally made it back to Sasha’s home, Ottowan, the Head Steward, was waiting to receive them with a mild smile on his feline face, “Welcome back. Anya has been made aware that you all have information for her. If it pleases you, you may debrief and then retire to the spa and have a meal. Astold is cooking up something special for you all.”

“That sounds lovely,” Skye said yearningly, “I don’t think I’ll be leaving the water for hours, though.”

“Poolside dinner is arrangeable,” Ottowan smirked before rising and turning on his heels, “Please, follow me.”