The household of Aiken Briar and Curiel Solali Silverfoot can best be described in one word: domestic. Everything about the couple's house – built inside the still living innards of a massive mangrove tree – speaks of hominess, relaxation, and family. The main entrance at the base of the tree is covered by a large oaken door, carved with primitive but quaint ornamentation depicting various denizens of the treetops. Once inside, the visitor is greeted with a massive spiral staircase that winds upwards through the tree's trunk, going all the way up to the top of the arboreal giant.

The past couple of days seem a blur in Aiken's memory. Today he stands on a threshold of a new life of excitement and adventure. Well, he would be, except that Curiel has been making a fuss all morning. First, she made him triple-check that he had enough underwear packed. Second, that he had enough food. Third, that he promises to return quickly. And if things weren't bad enough, Kiona has been following him around as he darts about by hanging onto his tail. Every time he looks back there is Kiona staring back at him with these huge wet eyes…

Still packing a last small bag full of bathroom items – toothbrush, gnawing stick, tail comb – the Kadie wraps his tail around the youngster. "Now now lil' bit," he says, pulling Kiona close, "I won't be gone long. And just think of the prizes I'll bring back for ya! You'll be the envy of your little friends!"

"No!" Kiona insists and grips Aiken's tail tightly. "Stay!"

From the doorway, Curiel points out, "You had to know she wouldn't like you leaving, even for just a few days. I don't like it either, but… " A wistful sigh follows, then a smile, as she adds, "But I never could refuse you anything, you crazy Kadie."

Aiken sighs, forcing a smile as he lifts the tiny girl into his arms. "There are parts of it I don't like… but if I don't go, I'll never know, you know?" Tying the toiletries bag closed with his free paw, the Kadie walks over to his wife, and plants a kiss on her cheek. "And like I said, it won't be for long, Mister Jack said so."

"And you believe him? You know how Akwavi are … " Curiel warns when Aiken pulls away, "Are you sure about this, I mean … " As she trails off, Kiona tries to grab and hang by Aiken's ears…

Aiken winces as Kiona gets a handful of ear, and passes her off to Curiel. "Yeah, I know – we're surrounded by em, remember?" The squirrel grins, making for the stairs down to the den. "I'm not one hundred percent 'bout Mister Jack, but I'm a big boy, so I can look after myself if everything goes to walnuts. Trust me."

Taking Kiona, Curiel bounces her in her arms. "If they go walnuts? I'm worried about your walnuts, Aiky," she pleads. "What if you get eaten by some huge monster or swarmed by bugs?" After a nuzzle on Kiona's cheek, and with a grumble, she says, "Okay, okay, I won't keep complaining. You had just better come back, Aiken Briar Silverfoot, or I'll send the Blacktails after you to drag you home!"

The brown squirrel spirals down the stairs and into the den, placing the smaller bag with the rest of its companions. "We got bugs out the hiney here in Stonebarrow, so that won't be anything new!" He steps back from his luggage, surveying it with a look of triumph. "And I'll be back, no draggin' needed."

"And that reminds me … if you see any dragons you had better run! We don't need any scale souvenirs!" Curiel chides … though she's hard-pressed to hide her grin. Balancing Kiona on her shoulder, she opens the front door.

And there stands Jack, complete in travel clothing, his worn coat, and wide-brimmed hat. "Right! Ready to leave the weaker sex behind and seek adventure and fame?" Jack declares, arms spread.

That little comment earns Jack a nut to the middle of his forehead and a 'pththtbt!' from Kiona.

Hefting his bags clumsily, Aiken's fur bristles out at Jack's sudden outburst. "Mister Jack, you're early." The squirrel splays his ears at the Akwavi's comment, but stifles a laugh at the repercussions. "Got all my stuff packed, and I'm ready to go." He trundles over to the otter, bags in tow.

"For a bloomin' holiday, looks like," Jack guffaws after taking a moment to rub his forehead. He grabs a couple of Aiken's bags and hauls them towards a nearby wagon. "But no matter, we've got a wagon to haul our find back anyway. Not to mention it doubles as a nice tent should we find anyone along the way to lessen the lonely nights, eh?" The otter's brow waggles.

"Don't you dare corrupt my husband," Curiel warns as she almost shakes Kiona at him. "He's mine and you better remember that. No one touches him but me."

Aiken laughs as he tosses his remaining bags into the cart. "Don't worry chestnut – if Mister Jack starts makin' his move on me, I'll be back here quicker'n buttered lightnin'!"

"Oh, you won't be lonely with Mr. Briar, Mr. Jack," a bubbly voice says from behind the otter, followed by a bob of blond hair. "I hear he's really cuddly."

"Well, he was wearing that dress," Jack muses…

"Dress?" Curiel asks, then peers at Aiken. Her brow goes up as if to say 'Care to explain?'

"Really?" Midge asks, looking over Aiken. Then she smooths down her own light sun dress and comments, "Not many men can pull off wearing a dress well. Nor many otters for that matter."

Dusting off his paws, Aiken starts back over to his wife, but quickly looks over his shoulder, splaying his tail at the newcomers. "Er, that… I mean, I dunno what yer talkin' about! It was a kilt!"

"And!" Jack says as he spins. Mid-circle he tosses Aiken's bag into the wagon, then flourishes a bow to Midge. "What brings you here, my little ray of Akwavi sunshine and scrumptiousness?"

"I should hope it was kilt," Midge notes. "You wouldn't want to wear something that was alive… wait, I'm having one of those voojee days I think…

The blond otter returns the bow with a curtsy. "Oh, I'm just following you, Mr. Jack," Midge explains.

"Just remember that you wanted this … " Curiel says as she looks terribly amused. She leans over and kisses Aiken, then holds up Kiona so she can do the same. Kiona's version, though, involves making a big 'mwahmwah!' noise as she sort of slobbers on her father's cheek.

"Mind if I return the favor some day?" Jack quips to Midge, "The view behind you is quite, er, a … view." He sidles close to the young otter and slips an arm around her, "So, how far are ya following us? Edge of town?"

Aiken gives a mock wince and a large grin as Kiona plants the wet one. "It's nothing, chestnut. You'll see!" Smiling, he pulls his wife and daughter close, giving them both kisses on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."

"Well, that depends," Midge says, scratching at her chin. "Gunther offered me a turnip chopper if I followed you to wherever you were going. Emmett is giving me a bushel of fish just to find out where you're going, and Curiel offered me a pie to keep an eye on Aiken too."

Jack lets out a snort of amusement. "Well, if you do follow us, you'll have to stay close to me. For your own safety, you know. It's dangerous on the roads for an innocent girl like you," he schmoozes. "Right, anyway! We have a lot of walking to do. May take a couple days to reach the site my research said was to the west of here. Who would have thought someone called the Vermite King – a rather minor Necromancer apparently – had a small lair there?"

"I've been to Trollhaven," Midge says proudly.

"I bet you'll just get lost and come home empty handed with those two leading you," Curiel notes as she nudges Aiken towards the wagon. "Now shoo, off with you. Sooner you leave, the sooner you get back!"

Aiken eyes arches a brow at Curiel, then grins, giving her another kiss. "Bribery, eh?" He laughs as he's nudged off, and returns to the cart. "Shall we be off?"

"Hop in if you want. I'll get the 'rhats moving," Jack says as he heads to the front of the wagon, Midge in firm tow. "Onward to certain death! Untold dismemberment! Amazing tales! Or … maybe just more moldy books."

"Will there be cake?" Midge asks as she bounces on the bench of the wagon.

Giving a disconcerted look at the mention of dismemberment, Aiken hops into the cart. "There… there's no cake."

"You really don't know how to pack for adventure then, Mr. Briar," Midge chides, tapping Aiken on the nose. "You should always bring cake."

"No cake … but there will be much better things. You'll see," Jack quips. With a smack to the rump of one of the rugrhats, they're off to a lurching start. Behind them Aiken's two treasures wave goodbye. Not until the wagon is gone from view do the pair go back inside.

---

Stonebarrow village fades behind the group as their wagon heads off into the wilderness. In a few hours they're not even on cut paths anymore and the wagon trundles though low brush and over roots in the forest. For all his blustering, Jack actually loses some of the bravado and silliness once away from civilization. He slinks ahead of the wagon (leaving Midge to drive it), as he is checking the route, the maps he carries, and occasionally a small device around his neck. "By the rate we're moving, we should reach the point by noon tomorrow," he calls back. "Well, providing we don't hit any sinkholes, fish storms, or random zombie hordes… If you want to take a nap, feel free. The road is often a bit dull."

"Is it okay to sleep on top of the wagon?" Midge asks, sounding a bit bored. "What's a random zombie, anyway? Is it like… like… a lizard zombie? I've never seen a random before."

Aiken's tail twitches with nervous energy. "I'm as awake as a Khatta after an ice bath," the wide-eyed Kadie says. "What's a zombie?"

"Just a rotting corpse of something or someone that died a long time ago. Sort of like a mother-in-law, only a bit friendlier," Jack offers as his answer. "Feel free to sleep where you want. Believe me, if we get attacked you'll know."

"Whores," Midge whispers to Aiken. "Although I don't see how they can stay in business, what with bits falling off and all… "

Aiken looks back and forth between Midge a Jack, utterly confused. With a shrug, the squirrel dives into the back of the cart, tail peeking up as he rustles through one of his bags. "Don't need no sleep! We can do that later… " The Kadie reemerges from the cart with a leaping bound into the cart seat, a spiced chewing stick stuck childlike between his incisors. "When you sleep, you miss things."

"I see things in my head when I sleep," Midge declares. "Like stories. Only without someone reading them to you."

"We'll have to sleep at some point. We'll camp when it gets around midnight and resume at dawn. We'll need to set torches around the camp at intervals or just sleep high up in a tree. Anyway … back to the road," Jack comments, even though there isn't a road to be seen. So, further into the wilderness they march. After another couple of hours, the land starts to look a little more … twisted? Worn? Not right? Well, it certainly feels off, anyway. "Oh, hey, I forgot," Jack suddenly says and smacks his forehead. "Aiken, can you look in the back of the wagon for my little good luck charm? I think I packed the box. I'm hoping that little statue is a key to the place we're headed."

"Luck charm?" Midge asks. "Will it help us find eggs? I like eggs."

Aiken freezes in mid-gnaw, fur bristled out. "Er… the good luck charm?" The Kadie's ears wilt, and he places the stick on the cart bench. "Sure… lemme see if I can find it… " Much more cautious than before, he slides into the cart, searching for the familiar box. "Why'd you need that for anyway?"

"Because we're going to the Vermite King's lair. It would make sense to bring anything, well, vermite-y," Jack explains.

It takes a few minutes, but Aiken does find the familiar box. It's closed and latched.

"Then why not bring a vermite?" Aiken shudders as he spies the box, timidly reaching out for it. He stops, and squeezing his eyes shut, gives a quick test swipe.

"Honey-mustard sauce is really good with vermites," Midge says, sounding wistful.

The box doesn't bite the Kadie, it just rocks from the swipe. "Why don't you show midge my little friend?" Jack calls back to the pair.

Aiken heaves a sigh of relief, then grabs the box. Holding it out away from himself like an angry spider, he quickly hops into the front seat, and plops the small box in the otter's lap. "Help yerself," he says to her, dusting off his paws.

Opening the box, Midge takes out the little statue and immediately bites it to see if it's made out of hard candy. "It doesn't taste good," she reports.

The statue looks much as Aiken remembers it … and thankfully inanimate. Whatever it is made of doesn't seem to mark from the otter's teeth. "It's not food," Jack calls back. "It's a priceless treasure!"

"S'only priceless 'cause no one wants it," Aiken whispers to Midge, staring at the statue. "Where we at now, Mister Jack? This place seems weird."

Disappointed, Midge puts the ugly little thing back in it's box. Then coos over how pretty the box is.

Aiken could swear the statue is grinning at him. "This place? We're entering an area that was a heavy battleground during the wars. Magic scarred this place and made it all wiggly like old noodles," the Akwavi ahead reports. He's having to cut a path now using an old machete of some sort. "We just head on until camp, then reach our destination tomorrow."

Aiken wraps his tail around himself, as if to protect him from the statue. "What're we gonna find at the Necromancer's place anyways? Heads in jars or something?"

"And if we're lucky, they will be talking heads in jars. Or lots of plundered stuff and odd artifacts," Jack quips, "But really, I expect to find old documents and communications. You see, I'm slowly piecing together a trail that should lead me to one of their ultimate weapons."

"Weapon?" Aiken freezes, "why… would you want that?"

"For research. The Shadow of Amena was rumored to be incredible. I want to learn where it came from and how it was made," Jack answers. "That would be the pinnacle of my career if I could locate and examine that… "

---

And on, and on, and on the trip goes. There are a few moments of minor excitement when the wagon and its occupants have to make a mad dash to escape a stampede of hogs. And then there were the two hours they had to hide under a log when a gigantic bunny (easily seven feet tall) came lumbering through. It paused to sniff at the wagon … but since they didn't bring cake it left them alone and moved on. And then there was the camp … As odd as Jack is, he's thorough in setting up a secure camp. Eventually, Aiken's energy runs out and he joins the others in the land of sleep. But alas, morning comes too quickly and back on the road they go. Hours go by … and then Jack freezes. Slowly, he pushes aside some branches and peers out into what may be a clearing. "Praise be to the slime fish! I found it!" he declares.

"… and that giant Lapi-thing! Can you believe that?" Aiken chitters excitedly to Midge, still reveling in the previous day's excitement. It's easy to see where Kiona gets it. "It was as big as m' tree! And then we- found it? Found what?" The Kadie springs from the cart seat, and bolts up behind Jack, trying to peer over his shoulder. "What'd we find? Cake?"

"Cake?" Midge asks as well.

Through the parted branches Aiken can see what appears to be a crumbling rock wall. No, a crumbling building. The old door is rotting and hanging loosely from hinges. From this angle the inside is dark; so no telling what may be inside. "No no no," Jack says as he hurriedly checks over his map. "Yes, this should be the main entrance to the Vermite King's underground lair."

Aiken pushes Jack aside, making a stride for the door. "By oaks, look at how old it is!" The Kadie paces forward, eyes wide at the wall. "So this is where th' giant vermite lived?"

"Giant vermite?!" Midge squeals, and hides behind Jack. "You didn't say it was a giant vermite!"

"Oof! Hey! Ahem, anyway, s'what the book has said," Jack says as he recovers himself. To Midge he says, " … is that this was his lair. Nothing about what he was. And he's long dead. Vanquished during the war by a black Khatta supposedly. Well, Khatta do like vermin, I guess." He goes to secure the wagon and fetch his little box.

Aiken tiptoes up to the door, cautiously peering inside. "Gosh, if he was the king of the vermites, you'd think he'd be big. I mean, at least six feet tall and stuff!"

The wall is indeed decayed and covered in moss. The patterns of the moss hint at what might be writing carved into the stone beneath, but unless removed there's no way to be certain. This close to the door, Aiken can feel a cool breeze wafting from somewhere far below. Stone steps lead into darkness.

The Kadie shivers at the breeze, and turns his attention to the writing. He wipes at the wall with his paw, squinting to see if he can make it out.

With some effort, Aiken is able to scrape away some of the moss. The letters look eerily familiar. In fact, they look just like the markings that were on that pebble Aiken swiped from Jack's box at the party.

Aiken nearly bolts back to the wagon thanks to the runes, skidding to a halt right beside Jack. "LETTERS! Er, I mean… " The Kadie tries to catch his breath. "There's writin' on the walls… "

"Really?" Jack says and shoves the vermite-box into Aiken's hands, along with a lantern. The Akwavi pulls two more from the wagon and heads towards the wall now. When he passes Midge, he hands one of the two lanterns to her. "Let's see if it says anything interesting… "

The golden otter clutches the lantern with both hands. After looking between the two men, she seems uncertain as to which would be the safest to stay close to.

The squirrel gives a very visible yet silent look of dismay as the box is pawned off on him, and he drops it to the ground, electing to push it to the wall with his foot rather than carry it. He holds the lantern in between himself and the container, just in case it tries anything funny. "It's prob'ly just old graffiti, like 'Leoticius wereth here' or something… "

The evil box of doom does the worst thing possible: it slides along silently and just looks ominous. Jack is busy scraping away more of the moss. "Hmm," he says and digs in a shirt pocket. He pulls out a notebook and starts flipping through it. "I've never gotten a complete translation of this language. It is very old. Supposedly came from some now dead island empire. The best guess at what this says is something like 'I will return upon the backs of my minions'" He pauses and scratches his chin a bit. "I think anyway. It's really hard to tell. Subtle changes in the lines completely change the meaning."

Aiken nudges the box up next to Jack. "Island Empire? That like the Gigis or something?"

"Or Levitha's Pearl?" Midge asks. It's the only island she's heard about that held dark mysteries.

"Related to the Gigis, I believe," Jack notes and snaps his notebook closed. He whacks the wooden box with his tail and actually kicks it up into his arms. "So, Midge, Aiken … shall we descend into the depths of history and search out its mysteries?"

"Does that mean go inside the door?" Aiken asks, only his tail visible from outside the portal as he shines his light downward.

"Of course it does. Afraid?" Jack asks.

"Yes!" Midge answers.

"Nope!" says the squirrel, his tail disappearing from view as he slips inside.

"Don't rush ahead, Mr. Briar!" Midge calls, following after him a little more cautiously.

"Well, I'll protect you!" Jack declares and slips his arm around Midge. He licks her ear, then heads after the Kadie, Midge in tow.

The stairs descend for a long way and spiral as well. Soon enough, the only light they have emanates from their lanterns. When they finally reach the bottom they find themselves in a circular room with at least five doors leading out of it (and two dozen tiny little vermite holes that circle the whole room… )

"Which way do we go," Aiken asks, darting from door to door… and then down to one of the vermite holes. "D'you gotta map?"

"There sure are a lot of doors," Midge notes, counting them three times. "Umm… at least five."

"Well, not so much of a map, no," Jack admits as he checks his notes again "More like a poem. 'Though the four winds rule the sky, beneath the soil they hold no sway. Find the path that goes between … and in there you shall find the Vermite King.'" The Akwavi then shrugs a bit, noting, "Bad poem if you ask me."

"Wait… wait… you'll find the Vermite King?" Aiken's tail twitches as he looks at Jack with a squinty eye. "I thought we was looking for treasure, not a giant vermite!"

"For goodness sake, Aiken. He's dead. Dead. Gone, kaput. Wearing the robes of rot!" Jack says with a sigh and shakes his head. "It probably means to find his lair we have to pick the right door."

Midge mutters the poem to herself. "Uh, does that mean four of the doors are full of wind?" she asks.

Aiken crosses his arms. "But you said he was some kind Necromancer. Isn't that like a living-dead kind of guy or something?" The squirrel looks to Midge, and shrugs. "I guess we gotta find the one that doesn't have a draft'r something."

"Eh. Well, I think it has to do with the four winds … you know, the compass directions? North, south, east, and west?" Jack observes. "Now, if we had a compass we could figure out which doors line up and which one doesn't."

"What about that thing you wear that you were looking at during the trip?" Midge asks.

"Yeah, what about that," Aiken chimes in. "Wasn't thatta compass?"

"Er. Oh yeah," Jack admits. Again he pawns the box off to Aiken as he digs in his shirt for the compass.

Aiken dodges the box, and lets it crash to the ground.

And down the box goes with a bang. The lid pops open and the little stone statue inside it goes sliding across the floor … then through one of the doorways. "What the Dagh was that for?" Jack growls.

"Er, butterfingers me," Aiken says. Reluctantly, he walks to the offending door, and shines his light inside. "I guess I'll get it back."

"Did that just move by itself?" Midge asks nervously.

"Please," Jack notes. To Midge, he says, "Don't be silly. It's a statue." He starts tapping at his compass and tries to figure out which way is north…

Nervously, Aiken steps inside the doorway, pausing to shine his light inside.

A smooth stone corridor looms ahead. About ten feet in Aiken can see the odd little statue lying on its back in the middle of the hallway.

Taking a deep breath, Aiken bolts for the statue, pulling his shirt sleeve around his paw in case he has to pick it up.

As Aiken darts into the passage, he can feel one of the stones he steps on sink. Quickly following is a very ominous rumbling sound. A moment later, part of the ceiling gives way and lands on the Kadie, slamming him to the floor. It's hard to tell how long he lays there, stunned, but eventually he comes to. The passage behind him has caved in, blocking his way back to the others. His lantern lies on its side, glowing feebly. And to make matters worse his nose is about five inches from the little statue. There's a light scratching sound … so perhaps Jack and Midge are trying to dig to him…

As the world slowly stops spinning, Aiken pulls himself painfully into a sitting position, his back aching badly. Blinking a few times, he picks up the lantern and rights it. "Mister Jack?" he calls out, wrapping his tail around himself, "can you hear me?"

"Yes! Are you okay?" comes the faint reply from somewhere on the other side of the rubble. "I think you triggered an old trap. But … there is some good news!"

Scooting along the floor, Aiken reaches the wall, and leans back on it to rest. He stares at the statue – it's not going anywhere just yet… hopefully. "What's the good news?"

"You found the right passageway!" Jack calls back, "I think anyway. This door was northeast, so it's not one of the cardinal directions. You're on the path to the Vermite King! Feel free to explore while we dig the door out. Won't take more than half a day. Well, maybe a day… "

"My claws will be dulled," Midge complains.

Aiken ears droop. "A day?!" The squirrel wraps his tail around himself like a nervous cloak. "Can't you get some Eeps and blast it or somethin'?"

"We do have shovels in the cart," Jack comments to Midge somewhere on the other side.

click click click echoes in the hallway.

Aiken walks over to the statuette, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to pick it up with. At the sound of the clicks, he freezing in mid-bend, and shines his lantern down the hallway.

Good thing, because the clicking seems to be coming from the statue. Its legs stretch, then snap and the little thing rights itself. It bobs up and down a few times in some sort of odd vermite aerobics. "So good to move again," it rasps in the unfortunately all too familiar voice. "So, Master, you have finally taken my generous offer and sought out the place of true power… "