Chapter 205

The platform slowed and came to a shuddering stop just as it reached ground level. The area around them was in a smaller section of ruins that was located a short distance from the main ruins and contained only the platform they stood on, a number of collapsed brick buildings, and a single wide and squat single story stone building that was missing a door and all of its windows.

The fog had gotten thick and the group could barely make out the rest of the ruins.

Aiden went to say something but Norri quickly and almost silently shushed him while Sha'li looked on and watched their interaction. M'redith waved at the group and motioned them to follow her in to the stone building.

The circular platform that they had rode to the surface now looked just like any other part of the street. The circle was ringed by the stone building, four decrepit brick structures that might once have been buildings, and more street that led back to the main ruins.

The group followed M'redith but slowed as she approached the interior of the stone building. M'redith held out her lantern and slowly cleared the interior one room at a time. It turned out that there were only three rooms. There was the main room with the door to the outside and two other rooms off to the left and right.

They cleared the side rooms and found them to be empty as well but with the crumbled remains of what looked like beds and dressers.

With a finger over her mouth to signal silence M'redith drew them all in to a huddle and spoke quietly.

“In case anyone forgot, when we first arrived here there were enemies patrolling outside. Cassowaries. We avoided them at first because I wasn't sure if we could handle them in a fight. Now, with Sha'li, I think we've got a good chance against them. Sha'li, if we get attacked by one I want you to let loose on it, ok?” M'redith said in a calm low voice too quiet to carry any farther than their huddle.

Sha'li raised an eyebrow and the scent of blueberry muffins and prairie grass washed over them before they were replaced with ginger and a sense of excitement. The entire group could feel the mood that Sha'li was releasing with her scents and the group became a bit more animated and fidgety.

“Let loose? Is that a technical Guild term?” Sha'li mumbled quietly.

M'redith grinned, “Just make it go away. The rest of us will work on keeping any attackers off of you, ok?”

Sha'li nodded and although the field of stars around her head followed along, her scarf moved about a bit with the motion. “Ok. I will,” she assured M'redith.

M'redith looked at her group. Jay looked excited with that boyish grin he often wore. Norri's eyes were wide and she seemed eager to move on. Aiden looked hungry and a bit distracted. Thankfully they'd be done soon. Sha'li just looked happy and ready to 'let loose.'

“Follow me. If you see an enemy let everyone know, otherwise stay quiet and don't lose the group. This fog could be a worse enemy for us than the cassowaries if we're not careful,” M'redith explained. “Right then, everybody ready?” she asked as she took out a little device that Jay recognized.

He didn't know how exactly to use it but M'redith did, and using it she would be able to lead the group to their exit and back to the Portal House.

“Follow me,” M'redith said quietly and slipped out of the front door and into the ruins once again. The others followed along behind her and tried not to bunch up too much. Humans tended to want to be near each other in dangerous environments. And while being close to everyone in the group might feel safe it actually did the opposite.

Bunching up just meant that they could all be taken out with one attack, so long as the attack was strong enough – and there were plenty of monsters on Eden who had attacks strong enough.

The group traveled along the street as M'redith tried to get them out of the ruins. Her device said to go north, but the closest edge of the ruins was to the east. M'redith decided to go east instead just to get away from the ruins. The forest would at least provide them with some concealment if not cover.

They weren't the same either. Concealment would keep them hidden whereas cover would momentarily keep them safe – and the presence of one did not automatically confer the benefits of the other.

It took a bit of walking but the group eventually crept out of the ruins and in to the bordering forest. Chirps and other animal noises could be heard in the distance.

Once they had put some distance from the ruins M'redith let her guard down a little and the rest of the group followed her example as they all relaxed their grips on their weapons.

“This should be safer so long as we walk along the edge of the ruins rather than the ruins themselves. Come on, we're almost there!” M'redith said in a low voice with an excited grin, Sha'li's earlier scent mood of excitement still seemed to affect her.

She picked up the pace a bit and the others followed along. Norri, Jay, Aiden, and then Sha'li. It probably wasn't the best order to put them in but Sha'li was no longer an unprotected classless party member. She didn't need to be put in the middle for protection anymore and her damage output was higher than anyone else in the group.

Sha'li felt a little odd being the last person in line but didn't say anything about it – she assumed it was a position of trust whereas earlier her position in line had been more about protecting her. Being moved to tail position was a promotion as far as Sha'li was concerned and she grinned at the thought.

M'redith changed her direction of travel and began to head northwest. “We should be there in ten minutes or so.” She spoke over her shoulder as she marched on, not bothering to stop or even slow down. They were almost there.

The group startled when a squirrel ran by them and kicked up some dead leaves on the ground which made quite a lot of noise. M'redith went down to one knee and the rest of the group followed suit, even Sha'li. After a brief moment M'redith made sure it had been only a squirrel and stood up. She looked over her shoulder at her group behind her and grinned.

“Just a squirrel!” she said before she resumed her walk. She didn't get far though and kept an eye on her portal device and turned back around. She walked thirty feet or so and stopped. She moved to the left and then two steps to her right. She moved in a circle around the spot she had found but the signal got weaker in every direction.

They were almost home.

M'redith pressed a button and set the device on the ground before she moved away from it. “Find a spot to hide until the portal opens everyone,” she ordered them but not unkindly.

Hiding ended up being just huddling under any large bushes or wide and low trees that they could find. As it was a forest there were plenty of options and soon the group was hunkered down under bushes and in Sha'li's case, a tree with branches that had leaves still on it that reached the ground.

The device blinked a red light on and off and after a few minutes Jay stopped watching it. They could hear the wind through the trees and every now and then all of the plant life around them would lean slightly to the left from the occasional gusts of wind. The air smelled of dirt and plants and the occasional scent of whatever Sha'li was putting out at the moment.

That moment it was charcoal and pine – the pine blended in wonderfully. The charcoal, not so much.

Jay looked over towards where he knew Sha'li was hiding but could only make her out when her hair colors shifted, which they were currently doing, a mix between purple and blonde.

A snap sound was heard but it wasn't the breaking of a twig or branch but instead the sudden existence of a portal forming where nothing but air had been but a moment before. The portal expanded to normal portal size but swirled rapidly and seemed to be only gradually settling down.

After a minute or so the portal went smooth and quiet, its silvery surface almost like a mirror.

“That's us,” M'redith said but made no motion at the group – they wouldn't be able to see her as they were all hiding. “Sha'li, you're up. Through the portal,” M'redith ordered.

Sha'li obeyed and used her arms to help push herself to her feet. She moved quickly up to and through the portal. Thinking of her last portal trip Sha'li immediately moved to the side once through.

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M'redith sent the rest of the team through one at a time until only she remained. She made sure they hadn't left anything on the ground and finally walked through the portal herself. The portal snapped shut with a sharp crack and the tiny device on the ground smoked as it melted in to nothing.

----

“Congratulations Sha'li on your first completed ruins run!” M'redith said with a grin once everyone had been relocated in to the adjoining room. The room had tables and chairs and a tray of wine and glasses – not cups.

A woman wearing a strange blue hat was there – an employee of the K'tharkle Portal House obviously Jay thought to himself as he had never seen the strange blue hats worn anywhere else on Eden. Portal HOUSE meant that it was a family run business. Maybe the hats were a family thing?

The woman waited until everyone had taken a seat at the table before she poured a glass of wine for each of them and placed them on the table in front of each group member.

“Thank you,” Jay said to her as she gave him his glass and she ducked her head in acknowledgment.

“A toast!” M'redith said and raised her glass as the others did as well.

Everyone nodded and Jay raised his glass, “To the Icemaiden!” Jay said with a grin.

“Icemaiden!” the others all repeated with smiles as they held their glasses up a touch higher except for Sha'li who looked incredibly embarrassed. Everyone, including Sha'li, drank and set their glasses carefully back on the table.

“Thank you everyone. I'm truly touched. I can't tell you how much today meant to me,” Sha'li said, her facial expression clearly pleased, as she lost control over her hair and its coloring began to go wild. Waves of bright reds and vibrant blondes. Streaks of purple and black. Sudden lines of white that spread across her hair like lightening bolts searching for ground.

An earthy but still pleasant musk paired with mint filled the room and the woman in the blue hat was clearly taken aback not just by Sha'li's hair but the sudden cloud of scents and emotions. The portal house employee took a step back in shock but did not flee the room.

The feeling just before you cry descended on the room's occupants with just the hint of joy along with the feeling of triumph over impossible odds. An overwhelming euphoria bubbled up in each of them before Sha'li wrestled back control over herself and the feelings, the colors, all faded significantly. They didn't disappear but instead became a part of everyone's subconscious thoughts rather than the focus of everyone in the room.

“I'm sorry!” Sha'li said worriedly and the woman wearing the strange blue hat sniffled as she sobbed once and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. The portal house employee excused herself and stepped out of the room for a moment, closing the door behind her as she did so.

Norri smiled at Sha'li while the others gave her kind looks. “You don't have to apologize. We understand.”

Aiden grinned, “Jay has a loot parrot. Norri turns in to a bear. M'redith can sense things the rest of us miss. You're not that strange to us. Just different. Look at us – we all are.”

Sha'li smiled and took another sip of her wine to give herself a chance to recover. “I'll try to apologize less.”

Norri chuckled, “I think you were spot on apologizing to the portal house woman though – she was not prepared for that.”

Sha'li's face fell a little, “Oh. Do you think she'll be upset?”

Jay shook his head, “She just needed a moment and you already apologized.”

Sha'li folded her hands in front of her before she changed her mind and instead reached out for her wine glass and drained the remainder.

“What now?” Aiden asked as everyone else sipped at their wine.

M'redith smiled, “Well, I think we need to get Jay a seal.”

Sha'li looked surprised, “You don't have a seal?” she asked as she turned her head to face him.

Jay shook his head, “No. I was supposed to get one but I haven't. I mean, I do need one, but why the sudden urgency M'redith?”

M'redith smiled, “You know how I sometimes 'know' things? This is one of them. I think I know what you are going to do sometime today. More specifically, I think I know where that will lead you. You're going to need a seal I think, if I'm right.”

Jay grinned, “You're usually right. Fine then, keep your secrets. It has to be today?”

M'redith nodded with a sly smile and Jay shrugged as if he gave up.

“Can't argue with that. Looks like we're going seal shopping. Anyone want to come along?” Jay asked the others with a warm smile as he ran his fingers through his hair before he smoothed the hair back down in to a more proper arrangement.

Before anyone could answer M'redith interrupted, “After the seal we'll all need to visit the Guild.”

“How come?” Aiden asked.

“A few reasons, but the only one I'm going to tell you about is that we should visit Glenda and the library with Sha'li. And after all of that, or sometime during even, we will need to eat. I'm not Aiden by any means, but I'm starving.” M'redith explained as she pointed at Aiden who grinned as his stomach rumbled on cue.

Sha'li pursed her lips. “Wait. So you think you know what everyone is going to do today without even asking them?”

Norri laughed, “Or she knows what Jay is going to do. She's really good at that.”

“Why won't you tell them?” Sha'li asked carefully, not wanting to get involved in anything too personal.

“Oh. Because then it might change what they're going to do. This way they do what they mean to instead of doing something just to avoid what I'd predicted,” M'redith said as she smiled over at Jay.

“Can you tell me? Or is it about me too?” Sha'li said with a conspiratorial smile.

M'redith sat back for a moment before she leaned in again. “Oh it's all about you!” she said with a chuckle. “I'll tell you but just you,” she began as Aiden groaned and Norri said “No fair!”

Sha'li and M'redith leaned close to each other and M'redith whispered a few sentences to her before they both leaned back and M'redith said, “No telling!”

Sha'li nodded with a serious face.

“You ok? You look spooked,” Aiden asked.

Norri nodded, “You look nervous.”

M'redith answered for her, “She's not going to give you any hints so stop asking.”

“I'm not!” Aiden exclaimed with a grin that let everyone know he was.

Norri huffed and sighed theatrically. “Fine, but she looks a little upset.”

Sha'li answered Aiden anyway however. “I'm good. Just...surprised.” Sha'li seemed a bit subdued after that and went quiet.

M'redith clapped her hands once loudly. “Well that is enough of that. Everyone ready to go seal shopping? And I've changed my mind – we're getting street vendor food along the way. I can't wait until later.”

“Yes!” Aiden said as he did a fist pump in the air that Norri watched with a critical eye.

Everyone got up and in to their standard line before M'redith opened the door to the hallway. Their attendant was standing right next to the door and smiled with slightly red eyes.

“Please forgive me for earlier, I don't know what happened,” the woman said with downcast eyes.

Sha'li turned to her and beamed a bright smile as her hair turned a dark shade of red in its entirety. The scent of a crisp snowy day and the sharp scent of raspberry wafted around them. “It was my fault. Thank you for all your help, and again, I'm sorry – you did nothing wrong.”

The woman looked confused but didn't comment further and flashed Sha'li a satisfied smile. It would have to be enough.

With the woman's assistance M'redith led her group out of the K'tharkle Portal House and into an awaiting cart that a portal house employee had flagged down for the group.

Everyone loaded in to the cart – M'redith last. Before she did so she shook hands with the woman who had been their attendant and thanked her one last time.

The group watched the woman in the blue hat watch them go until they turned a corner and lost view of her.

“You still have to change in to that dress you won – you haven't yet and I'm going to keep bugging you until you do,” Norri pointed out as their cart rolled further away from the Portal House.

“Don't worry. You'll see me in it before the night is through. It's all part of the plan!” M'redith said with a grin as the others settled in to the cart and got comfortable.