The world seemed to shake. All the roots and walls shifted, pulsing, growing, moving, flailing.

Eva’s face stayed neutral, but the orange lights blinked out one by one.

There was silence as the room almost faded to darkness. Theo realised her eyes were glowing. It reminded him of the sparkle of mana.

There were also glowing veins on the surface of her skin, but he was hesitant to call them veins. Those reminded him more of the whorls and grain in a piece of wood.

Kevin murmured a prayer, and Theo had the feeling that this one was not a spell. Chrys’ armour stayed as it was, but her hands hovered in place, ready to activate defences if needed. Sparrow was completely nonchalant, and didn’t even move from where they stood (although, that could have just been because they were rooted to the spot from fear, which was what Theo was doing).

Theo held the chest in his hands, praying to Gilth that this was still precious enough to protect him.

Esther yelled a battle-cry and charged at Eva, only to be whipped to the side by a waving branch. She hit the wall of the room, and the trees immediately began to encase her body.

Eva closed her eyes, and Theo thought that this was it. He closed his eyes, steeling himself and trying not to shake. He waited for the inevitable.

The lights blinked back on. All at once.

The room was calm, and the trees and branches had frozen. Esther was still stuck in the wall, but the wood stopped encroaching on her at least.

Eva’s eyes were still closed, and Theo could see that her skin was a lot tanner than he remembered.

Before his eyes, her skin returned to its normal complexion as she exhaled, shoulders sagging.

Eva scrunched up her eyes, blinking a few times before returning her focus to the four of them (and not even glancing once at Esther, who was fighting the wall but unable to loosen its grip). The glow seemed to lessen, before disappearing entirely, leaving eyes that would be unremarkable to Theo if he hadn’t just seen what he had seen.

“Apologies.” The wall let go of Esther, and she was unceremoniously (and uncomfortably) dropped on the floor. To her credit, she didn’t grunt or yelp, just stayed silent and glared at Eva.

Eva ignored her.

“The powder is still quite potent, but this may affect the growth of The Woods. The ambient mana and nutrients coming off of the herbs have been the driving force behind our strength since we grew sentient.” Eva kept looking at the box while talking, unable to take her eyes off of it (as if searching through sand for a buried treasure).

“They need to be preserved, and kept in such a way to allow them to still foster growth. Even better, as the chest is now open, if they could somehow be planted and allowed to grown in The Woods. But we will need a way to preserve them at the very least.” Eva held up a hand, as Kevin prepared to speak.

“That is the first condition we will need to have met. Secondly, we will need payment as compensation for damages, mana used, and for damaging the herbs.” With that, everyone winced. Theo looked through his pockets, and didn’t find much besides the special coins. No matter what, he wasn’t parting with those, even if they seemed to be inert at the moment.

Glancing around, it seemed that the others didn’t have much luck either. Esther’s eyes widened, and she shrunk in on herself a little as she seemed to realise the magnitude of what had happened tonight.

Lowering her eyes to the ground for a moment, she mulled some things over. Esther’s arms were crossed, but it was clear that her muscles were taut, almost fighting herself as she thought.

Eventually, her eyes flickered up, filled with determination as she puffed her chest out and looked straight at Eva before she-

“I think I have an answer for the first condition,” Kevin raised.

-deflated. Esther flushed (which was not a look that Theo, or anyone frankly, associated with her), and looked between them all.

Eva quirked an eyebrow at Kevin.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“We have a large group of Natureborn at the College of Prayer, and I believe that there are more than a few who could help with preserving the herbs.” Kevin explained. “However,” tension drained from his face, and confidence returned to his words. “There is one specific person who I know can grow anything.”

Eva nodded. “Would we be familiar with this particular Natureborn? Have they come here to become enlightened?”

Kevin almost laughed, but recovered and stopped before any sound could come out. He settled for smiling calmly, the picture of poise.

“No, and I believe they said to me ‘unless there’s something to grow there, I don’t care’. So I don’t think they’ve come here on a pilgrimage, but I’m not entirely sure. Do you know of Francis?”

Eva paused for a moment. “The one who gives out vegetables?” She asked with incredulity. Kevin nodded, smiling as he chuckled quietly to himself.

Eva’s eyes widened slightly as she understood, before returning to normal. She stayed unnaturally still, which made Theo want to fidget and move more than normal.

“You are to bring them here next Fesday, and every future Fesday, until the job is done.” Kevin, bowed slowly in acknowledgement.

“Do we have to pay in money?” Sparrow asked, currently lying on the floor on their back. Eva’s eyes darted over to their frame, as they considered the appropriate answer.

“No.” Sparrow nodded, fingers on both of their crossed arms tapping as he paused for a moment (which, knowing Sparrow, was more likely for dramatics than any real political or practical purpose). Their eyes nonchalantly drifted over to Theo, until they were making eye contact.

“How about mana?” Theo had a feeling knew what their plan was.

“Yes, that would be acceptable.” Eva replied almost immediately. Sparrow nodded, eyes relaxing and returning to the ceiling made of branches.

“Then Theo here might be able to help. He’s got the deepest reserves I’ve ever seen. As payment, would it be possible for him to infuse his mana into you?”

Eva considered it, taking a few moments to stare deeply into Theo in such a way that left him feeling naked and vulnerable. He coughed, patting down his clothes and trying to surreptitiously fix them to be more presentable.

She nodded, satisfied at what she found. “If his mana reserves truly are that large, then that is acceptable. He is to come every week to infuse mana, and if we are not happy with his output, then we shall revisit this issue.”

“Fesday okay? Noon onwards?” Sparrow was half asking Eva, half asking Theo. It took Theo a moment to realise that meant around this time of the week.

Theo pondered the pros and cons. While it was a commitment, he felt that it was only right to do what he could to help fix it. And it would be an environment he could more freely practice the absorption side of Meditation.

By the time he decided to nod in confirmation, Eva had already done so and they were both waiting for his response.

“Well, glad we got that sorted.” Sparrow stood up from where they had been lying. “Does that mean we’re free to go?”

The trees around them, which had been thinning for a while, fell away, and they were once again in the woods, surrounded by a reasonable density of trees, with dirt and grass and undergrowth beneath their feet.

Theo had never been so happy to feel grass beneath his soles once more.

“Come back next Fesday. And grab a drink at the Guild while you’re at it.” Eva waved them off, before disappearing into the earth.

They walked together in comfortable silence, Theo still cradling the chest in his arms, back in the direction of Union City. It was night, but even so it was still bright enough to see where they were going, especially as the trees parted to let moonlight through.

“Drinks at the Guild?” Sparrow asked, just before they’d pass it. They looked at each other, shrugged, and changed direction. Frankly, Theo just wanted to sit on something that wasn’t wood.

He didn’t get his wish.

---

Eva waved as they came in. Theo was unsure how to respond, but Sparrow waved back so they all half-heartedly joined in. In the back of his mind, he wondered just how she got back to the bar so quickly, but decided against asking.

It was jarring to Theo to see all this wood, and the lighting, and everything else create such a cozy atmosphere, when almost all the same elements literally created a prison not an hour earlier. Askavel was sleeping on a pillow, slightly snoring (which, for a drake, was still rather loud).

They ended up sitting in a corner booth, made entirely of more wood (but it was definitely more comfortable). Theo and Esther had beers, while Sparrow and Chrysanthus had glasses of wine. Kevin politely declined the alcohol, content to sit there with his eyes closed.

Chrysanthus stayed subdued and quiet, occasionally glaring daggers at Esther as she inspected her armour and examined the runes. Esther, meanwhile fidgeted, not meeting anyone’s eye as her leg bounced up and down.

“I’m sorry.” Everyone turned their attention to Esther, who was now playing with her fingers (looking more like a young noble girl in trouble than a battle-hardened warrior capable of crushing skulls with one hand).

“It was my mistake, my impatience, and my stubbornness, so it is my debt to pay.” She finally forced her eyes up to meet everyone’s gazes. “And while you, especially you Theo and Kevin, managed to resolve it in ways that I could not, I still owe you. If it is something within my power, I will help you.”

Theo felt a bit bewildered, looking frantically at everyone else to see how they were reacting. “Yo-you don’t have to-“

“I do.” There was conviction in her voice. As if weaving her oath into the fabric of reality. “I apologise, for everything.” Sparrow motioned at Theo with their eyebrows, as if to say ‘let it be’.

There was an uncomfortable silence, as Esther continued staring at him.

“Thank you.” Theo said, floundering for words. He almost sighed in relief as her focus lost its intensity.

Sparrow clapped their hands. “Now, shall we look at the paper that we worked so hard to get in the first place?”

Theo looked around, at Esther’s relieved-yet-still-guilty face, at the more charitable looks Chrys sent Esther’s way, at Kevin’s alert and inquisitive eyes, and then to Sparrow, unflappable as always.

He unlocked the chest.

“Let’s.”