Is it morning? Noon? Night? There is no telling, except that considerable time has passed, perhaps even days. Burr was unconscious for a long time, and when he finally started coming to, he was obviously weak, affected adversely by being frozen solid, no doubt.

The green dragon, however, recovered quite quickly from his frozen state, and then proceeded to go on the rampage. It isn't a flier, but it has proven itself to be quite fast and agile on its four legs, and it has also demonstrated its ability to breathe fire, several times over. Presumably, the Schlumph village has been reduced to ashes. The dragon even came up toward the palace … and when the bushes lashed out at it, it proceeded to toast just about everything in sight. (Fortunately, Willow and Burr weren't.)

Grooks popped up, some of them being dealt with by the statue guardians, and the rest having to get dealt with by Willow "the old fashioned way". Some even popped up outside … and gave the dragon more things to roast.

At last, though, the dragon meandered off, after pretty much clearing the "topiary" room of any vegetation to speak of … even the green glowing moss that provides light so conveniently in so many of the underground caverns. Some time has passed with no sign of grook or Schlumph or dragon … and Burr stirs out of his dazed state, finally sitting up on his own for the first time in a good while.

It's very dark here at present, and cold. The air smells of smoke. The only sound to be heard is of water – the occasional drips of water dropping from the ceiling, and the sounds of a distant underground stream. The "crystal chimes" are too far away to be heard even barely from here. What ambient light there is comes from the distant mushroom forest chamber … where at least some of the glowing green moss obviously must remain.

Food supplies are low, but water has been fairly easy to supplement. (The water dripping here tastes downright nasty, but Willow's tests on it have shown it not to contain anything harmful.)

Burr moves his hands to sign. If it weren't for Willow's unusually keen eyesight, she wouldn't be able to do anything but make an educated guess. He signs, "Willow?"

"Welcome back," the rat says softly as she tends to the campfire. "Have any interesting dreams?"

Burr nods, and clumsily signs (in actuality, a great deal of it pantomime), "Little blue men, big mushrooms, big statue, hammer WHAM. Cold." Okay, so the pantomime is a bit on the sloppy side. This is awfully wordy for Burr as it is.

Willow nods. "Nightmares, then. I managed to knife out the bearded one and snitch his wand, then used it to get you out of that shell of ice. I also set the dragon loose, although it might mean trouble when we try to get back to the castle." She holds up a hand and slowly opens and closes her fingers against her palm. "And before you ask, no I don't have it anymore. I hacked it with the blue sword. I'm starting to see why you don't like magic very much."

Burr signs, "Not dream?"

The cheetah fumbles with the cup at first, surprised by the touch, and it's evident that he can't see in the darkness nearly so well as Willow can, even in the flickering light of the campfire.Still, he brings the cup up to his nose, sniffs it, then sips at the water. He's consumed far worse, so he doesn't show any signs of protest. Once he's done, he tries to get up on his feet, leaning against the wall … it's an unsure thing, and it looks like he's not up for any sprinting … but he's definitely improved.

Willow takes Burr's hand to guide him. "You know, I'm not sure if I should be angry at you for scaring twelve years out of me or be happy that you saved my life. It's just… rrrgh."

Burr ducks his head submissively, and follows Willow's lead.

"Think of it this way: you've got a kid back on the ship and you know I'm no mother. I'm not itching to die or anything, but I don't want you to be too free with throwing yourself in the path of arrows shooting towards me. I don't know if I can take care of Little-Reed by myself. Do you understand that?" The Skreek yanks the cheetah's arm down to get him to duck under a low bit of rock and sniffs at the air, nervous at any signs of the dragon moving about.

Burr nods his head again. "Sorry. No want get dead."

Willow glances back at the Savanite. "Don't want me to get dead, you mean?"

Outside of the underground palace, the "topiary" cavern has been practically scrubbed of any foliage. There are no more magical bushes to worry about. The fountain doesn't really look any worse off than before, given its crumbled state.

Burr signs, "You. Me. Either."

The light is slightly better here now, since it's closer to the mushroom forest. Burr isn't on the verge of bumping into things anymore, at least.

From here, it can be seen that the hedge maze has been obliterated. Perhaps one of those purple people eaters tried to make a snack of the dragon. The gazebo, alas, is even more a ruin as well, reduced to burnt timbers that stick up here and there.

The mushroom forest has been greatly defoliated, but there's still enough green moss on the ceiling to see by – apparently that wasn't a target of the dragon's frustration, though several patches got scorched anyway in the general mayhem.

The Schlumph village was most definitely a target … but there are still enough chunks standing to count as ruins.

"At least you're not scruddy suicidal." Willow sighs and pulls out the short sword with her free hand. "I'm not going to tell you what to do and what not to do, but just… oh fires, just don't get yourself killed if you can help it. You're the only thing I have left from when I was Chiria and the only thing that reminds me of any stability I ever had in my life. I'd feel like someone hacked out a big chunk of me if something happened to you." She lets the cheetah's hand go and takes a moment to study the fountain, peering inside of it and around it for anything she might have missed during her initial inspection.

There are some stonework runes set in the fountain, but most of them have been damaged by cracks, or crumbled away entirely. Some of them have bits of moss and other fungus that have grown in the cracks … suggesting that this damage has been this way for a long time, not just a result of the dragon's rampage or some sort of trap.

Willow's keen eyes spy something else, though … in the fountain, lying in a small puddle of stagnant water … is some sort of coin. It doesn't look metal, though, and it doesn't look the right size to be a shekel.

Willow looks back at Burr. "This wasn't all crumbly before, was it?" She blinks at the coin and hauls herself over the side of the fountain, her tail windmilling in the air as she tries to keep from completely falling in as she reaches out to fetch the coin.

The stone is a bit slippery … but Willow manages to grab the coin … and a second one stuck to it.

The Skreek hauls herself out and peers at the coins. "Someone must have made a wish."

Burr nods.

The two coins look identical. One side has the "double X" emblem associated with Moltpaa. The other side has a Skreek's head in profile.

An inscription reads "1 Krozmid". The coins are made out of some sort of mineral, but it's not metal, and doesn't look like anything particularly precious. It's a dark ruddy brown, which someone might mistake for copper, except that it doesn't look shiny, nor does it look corroded.

There is no sign on the coins of the signs of Vrixt, Stalto or Naochi, nor is there a name to identify the Skreek. The face doesn't look particularly familiar, either … other than that it can be identified as a Skreek.

Willow smirks and flicks the coins over in her hands a few times. "Stone coins. Heh, maybe a collector might be interested in these, or maybe they'll make a nice little token to remember this place by. I'll polish them up nice when we get back." She pockets the two coins and hesitantly steps towards the remnants of the hedge maze, "I want to see if there's anything hidden under the gazebo. I could be completely off, but it never hurts to look I suppose. You feel up to moving a few planks around, Burr?"

Burr nods, and follows Willow.

Stepping into the mushroom garden allows Willow a better view of the other cavern chamber. It looks like the ledge with the black-faced pedestal has escaped any of the dragon's rampaging, at the very least. Plus, Willow can see that the other cavern entrances haven't been closed off by cave-ins or any such thing.

Getting to the gazebo is a fairly simple matter now, since there is no maze to navigate, and no man-eating plants to avoid.

Burr immediately sets to the business of pulling fallen, burnt timbers aside. Seeing as this was only a gazebo and not a house, the planks aren't very heavy, and Burr pulls them apart easily.

At a glance, it appears that the gazebo was made entirely of wood. There is no stone foundation or any such thing involved in its construction.

The Skreek sneezes a few ashes from her nose and does her best to help the cheetah pick apart the bits of charred wood. "So… er… you weren't able to see or hear anything while you were encased in ice?"

Burr shakes his head.

Willow bites her lip and nods, not adding anything more to that.

Meanwhile, the cheetah keeps hauling burnt and broken wood to the side. The charred remains of a man-eating plant fall apart under the weight of one of the boards thrown aside. Funny. Willow doesn't recall seeing a plant there when she went through the maze with Burr.

A fog horn echoes through the cavern. For a moment thereafter, as the echoes die away, the sounds of the chimes pick up with the same notes of the horn, then slowly die away. The echoes of the chimes make it sound as if they are coming from the northeast as well as the northwest.

The Skreek shakes her head. "What in fires happened here? Burr, did you see anything change when I was in that room beyond the hammers?" She stops in her work, ears perking at the sound of the horn.

Burr shakes his head.

There's a long silence (well, relatively, over the dripping of water and the burbling of the stream) … and then the fog horn echoes again, after perhaps an interval of a minute or so.

"So was the hedge maze overgrown? The statue garden crumbled? Or was it all nice and polished when you saw it the first time?" Willow's tail lashes nervously as she tries to pick up on the direction of the sound.

Burr bounces his head twice, then shakes it.

After a while (about a minute), the fog horn echoes again. It's definitely coming from the direction of the blue crystal chamber … or the forest beyond.

"But I… I saw… it was… " The Skreek growls under her breath and kicks at a bit of burnt wood. "Well, if there's nothing interesting here we might as well see where that horn is coming from."

As Willow kicks the piece of burnt wood aside, it reveals a patch of bare earth … and some black prints – paw-prints – on the ground. They aren't Burr's.

The Skreek quickly drops to one knee and sniffs at the footprints. "Someone's been here."

Burr nods, though whether it's to Willow's suggestion of checking on the horn or to whether someone has been here, it isn't clear.

Alas, Willow is not a tracker, per se … but she doesn't necessarily need to be. As for scent, all she can pick up is the smell of ashes … and given that the dragon's attack was not that long ago, and that these paw-prints were made by someone or something that tracked through ashes, the trail can't be that cold. The paw-prints lead off toward the north, in the direction of the ruined Schlumph village.

Another fog horn blow comes from the northwest.

"C'mon, Burr." The Skreek pulls the sword out again and starts following the trail northwards. "Maybe someone's honking that thing."

The sword, this time, doesn't flash or glow in the least.

As Burr and Willow head northward, the ash trail quickly vanishes, and the ground lacks any mud or soft earth to make visible tracks in. Still, the trail was last headed in the rough direction of the village.

It's only a short jog to the village, and they find the ruins with charred bits of Schlumph bone sticking out here and there.

There are other bones as well, in piles, but perhaps those were of whatever it is that Schlumphs have for lunch.

None of the mushroom houses has escaped damage, though some are more intact than others. Each of them has at least one large hole punched into the roof.

Meanwhile, the fog horn keeps blowing at minute intervals.

Willow pauses for a moment, peering at the damage around her. "Someone was looking for something. I wonder if it might have been that wand? Burr, stay here and poke through the houses and see if you can't find anything that they might have nicked from people. I'm going to check out that horn. I'll shout if I need you."

Burr nods, and starts reaching into mushroom houses.

Meanwhile, Willow's journey toward the source of the horn takes her to the blue crystal chamber … which is intact, and shows no sign of scorch marks. Apparently none of the Schlumphs tried to make a last stand in here.

The Skreek pauses again, sniffing at the air and perking her ears for the source of the fog horn. "Hello?"

There's a bit of smell of burnt mushroom, burnt moss and … burnt Schlumph. There's also a new and different odor, hard to place. It smells animal. Whatever it is, it's back in the forest chamber, and the fog horn sound comes from there as well.

Willow swallows and grips the sword a bit tighter. She spins around in the direction of the horn and starts moving in that direction.

The sword begins to start flashing blue, as soon as Willow gets to the entrance of the forest chamber.

Something green and serpentine lies across the entrance. It looks like a dragon tail. The rest of the dragon can't be far away.

The Skreek slows her pace and starts to sneak forward. She tries to peer over the tail for the source of the horn. ( I wonder if the dragon's the one making the sound? )

As Willow peeks around, she can see the green dragon curled up just inside the entrance to the chamber. It looks to be asleep. When about a minute has passed, its nostrils flare out and …

"BOOOOOO-GAHHHHHHH!"

Yes, it's the source of the sound.

Biting her lip, the Skreek tries to get a look at the dragon's feet. ( So did those tracks belong to you? And I can't say I'd blame you for stomping a hole in the roof of every one of those houses. )

The dragon's feet look far too large to have made the trail of ashen paw-prints. And, furthermore, its claws don't look the least bit feline. No, some other culprit must be responsible for the tracks. However, they do look about the right size for punching big holes in mushroom house rooftops.

Willow bristles slightly and backs away deeper into the crystal chamber. She kneels down and presses her nose against the floor, trying to scent a Khatta that might have been through here recently. ( So did you leave this way and brave the dragon, or did you take the river? And are you Rezhinald, Sebazhan, or Abzhalom? )

No scent of Khatta or Kattha comes to Willow's nose. But then, she didn't pick up a scent earlier, either, back at the gazebo.

The Skreek's eyes dart across the floor just in case there might be any footprints… then an idea suddenly comes to her. She starts to head up the stairs towards the chamber with the black slate.

The pedestal is still there where she left it, quite intact. No cracks, no crumbling, no decay other than how it looked when she first saw it.

Willow puts her hand on the slate. "Let's see if you still work."

An image of an underground sea appears on the black surface.

The Skreek studies the image carefully for any signs of things there besides water. ( Now where could you be? )

Alas, the sea is rather foggy, so it's impossible to see the entirety of it. Also, it's a very large area, viewed at a distance, without benefit of a Vartan's keen eyesight, or a spy-scope to zoom in on details. But it doesn't appear that there are any great sailing vessels or … waitaminute. Something just moved … through the fog. It's … a giant serpent! A sea serpent! No telling whether it's of the Naga or the monster variety, since it's hard to tell scale in this image.

Whatever it is, it disappears beneath the mist-shrouded waters once more, before Willow can get a good look at its shadowy form.

"Well, if you're there I can wager that you're probably dinner, so let's move on." She gives the slate another tap.

The image of the entrance hall to the Naochi palace appears, complete with the giant statues. Unlike the previous time Willow saw it, there are mineral growths on the walls, stalactites hanging to the ceiling, and stalagmites building on the floor. She can also pick out a little white skull in a pile of darkening blue goop, with a floppy red hat on top of it.

The Skreek smirks at the sight and taps the slate again.

The image shifts again, this time showing the forest cavern, complete with snoozing green dragon. A steaming puddle of drool collects next to his snout. Aside from the dragon, and the trickling of the stream, the room appears to be devoid of any other signs of movement. The rowboat and paddles still lie next to the stream, spared from the dragon's rampage.

Meanwhile, Willow also has a good view of the Schlumph village from the ledge – since there's far less intervening foliage – and of Burr systematically rummaging through ruined mushroom houses, and occasionally pulling junk out and piling it aside.

The Skreek gives the slate another tap just to see if there's anywhere else the slate shows.

The image fades, then re-forms again. This time, it shows the interior of some sort of stone building with grand architecture, and multiple floors that overlook a main floor with broken crystal cases that have scattered debris lying about. Some of it looks like it might be interesting … broken pottery, ancient weapons, bones, polished rocks, crystals, treasures of some sort. Most of the items lying about look far more primitive, however, than the architecture of the location that holds it … though the architecture could very well be rather old as well.

Whatever this place is, though, it looks like it has been trashed. As Willow watches, a reptilian creature that looks vaguely humanoid, with ape-like proportions, lumbers about. A second one appears, and they turn toward each other, and start beating their chests. Their throats swell up and they look like they're making a ruckus, but no noise comes from the pedestal. They then start pounding each other senseless.

Willow winces a little and rubs her nose. "Those must be the gorts. I doubt anyone is in there." She taps the black surface another time.

The image fades, then forms again … in a blur of motion! A Drokar rushes past! Then a Dromodon and a … who knows what that thing was!

After a bit, the image resolves itself, especially as the same creatures rush past again, seemingly going in circles … because they are going in circles. The view appears to be that of a great carousel, except that unlike the Chronotopian varieties that Willow has heard of, the mounts don't bob up and down.

The beasts of the carousel look as if they're carved of stone, and most of them have limbs and/or heads and/or tails cracked off, or have fallen down completely.

Glassy stones set into the central pillar of the carousel reflect light from some source that can't be directly seen, creating a colorful, dazzling display … though it looks like quite a few of the pieces are missing.

Willow blinks at the image. ( Who designed this place? It's screaming mad! ) She shakes her head and taps the slate again.

The image fades, and is replaced by another. This time, the view is that of one looking down on a very long and large corridor that stretches as far as the eye can see. There are multiple troughs set into the floor, and platforms to either side. A few bones lie about on the platforms, and bits of broken rock. A large stone structure sits in one of the troughs, next to a platform. It looks like a little building. No, it is a little building. This place is huge! But then … what's an empire without overblown building projects?

While Willow watches, though … a couple of strange little bony creatures walk onto the platform. They look like grooks, only … different.

The Skreek arches an eyebrow and leans closer to study the strange bone things. ( Just my luck they're rat skeletons. )

Instead of having jagged, rib-like shapes making up their bodies, they appear to be made up of rounded, polished segments. They have funny-looking heads with snouts that end in a big "O" shape, and googly eyes. They look to each other, as if conferring, then waddle over to the little building. It's somewhat rectangular in shape, with multiple windows all along its length and at each end, with only one story to it.

( No sign of that stone table yet. Hm. ) She continues studying the scene to see what the pair of odd creatures might be doing.

The odd creatures walk up to the little building, and hop on inside. They are soon followed by several more … some of them have two legs, some four, in various odd combinations of body parts … but they all have those same goofy-looking heads. They clamber into the building. One by one, their absurd faces appear in the windows, peering out at the area they just came from. Then, after a pause … the building starts moving!

It starts sliding along the trough, building up speed … then zooms down the long corridor, disappearing out of sight.

"Now that's odd. Like an underground steam engine, I suppose." She taps the surface of the pedestal again.

The image fades … and is replaced by another large interior … only that this one appears to be flooded, with a river rushing through it, through a fissure in one wall.

Columns supporting the ceiling are carved into Skreek caryatids, but they are of digitigrade Skreeks, not plantigrade Krozite Skreeks like the decorations in King Naochi's hall.

The walls are full of nooks with statues and bas relief of scenes, too small and distant for details to be picked out.

At the far end, there is an island amidst the rushing waters – a raised dais with a big stone table on it, and statues to each side.

The stone table has a large dark stain in its center, and what look like shackles built into its surface.

Willow bites her lip, focusing on that table. She glances at the two statues at either end of it. ( So it's still there. It doesn't look like anyone's been there recently, although it's a bit hard to tell. )

The statues at each end appear to be feline, unlike the rest of those in the chamber. One of them is male, and the other is female. They are both digitigrade. Unlike the rest of the statues, they are carved from dark stone.

( So Dagh had this place, or at least part of it. Naochi gave it to him or made a deal with him or something. No sign of whomever left those footprints though; maybe he skipped out. ) She taps the slate again.

The image fades, then re-forms, this time showing what looks like some sort of arena, capable of seating hundreds of Skreeks at the least. It looks like it wouldn't pass Rephidim safety standards, though, as several supporting columns have collapsed, and some sections have been buried completely under rubble. Due to the scale of the view, not much in the way of detail can be made out, except that it looks like there are many passages leading into and out of this arena – whether built, or formed by fissures.

( Hmp. Burr would find this interesting no doubt, might remind him if his old pit fighting days. Then again, maybe he doesn't want to remember those days. ) She gives the slate another tap.

The image fades and then is replaced with another, this time of what looks like a labyrinth of passages, viewed from above … though there's something a bit unnatural about the perspective … as though the view were somehow through rock. There are odd floating fissures and little burrowing creatures that seem to be floating in space here and there. Far below, it looks like nothing but a maze of little twisty passages, all alike.

( How scruddy big is this place? ) The Skreek takes a moment to rub a sore spot on her arm before tapping the slate again.

The image fades, and then is replaced by … a jumble of rocks. It's not a particularly interesting jumble of rocks. Maybe this place caved in.

The Skreek taps the black surface again. ( That must be the caved in bit that the King mentioned. )

The image fades, then is replaced by a place awash in red fiery glows. Molten lava pours in rivers, carrying floating bits of black rock. The air is full of smoke, making the view hazy. It looks like a not-very-nice place to be.

"Gah! The footprint fellow definitely couldn't be there." She snuffs out her nose and taps the slate again.

The image fades, then is replaced by a chamber filled with crystal formations, some of them looking as if they might be molten, or even liquid. Pulses of energy flow through crystalline "veins".

The next image … is a great cavern that has been carved in a way that suggests the interior of a cathedral, though its floor is made up by a mist-shrouded underground lake. The central island sports what looks like a giant organ, with pipes carved from stalactites, and rising up to the ceiling.

Next is a cavern with flowing rivers of … mud? There are mushrooms all around, and crystal formations, though they don't look like any seen previously in the pedestal. There are strange trees that are shaped like canes, with stripes of red and white … and all sorts of strange growths here and there. Nothing seems to be alive and moving about, though.

Next is … the city of King Vrixt? Yes, it looks just as Willow saw it, in person, the view focused on Vrixt's palace.

Next is the image of what looks like … a theater? There's what might be a stage, and seating, and lots of rubble.

Next is some sort of complex … an underground city? But, if so, it's an odd one. There are fenced-in areas, cages, broken crystal walls … and lots of skeletons. Inside one cage are some withered-looking corpses of strange beasts. And it looks like a few other creatures are prowling around.

Ah. It looks like a pack of wild groks prowling about – bug-dog creatures occasionally used as guard dogs. Not quite docile enough to use as pets.

In the next scene, there is what looks like a roughly hewn-out cavern, with multiple ledges and tables with what looks like tools set out on them. There are blocks and half-formed statues here and there. Some sort of work-shop? Whatever it is, nobody is working there presently.

And … one more touch … and the Underground Sea appears again.

Willow dusts herself off. "Well, this place is bigger than I imagined. Hopefully this means that it might be easy for someone that doesn't know his way around to get lost. Unfortunately, that also includes me." She puts her sword away and quietly tiptoes back down the stairs to rejoin the cheetah.

Burr has a bit of a pile of small furniture and Schlumph-sized crude dishware. It's all very plain, without the least sign of any attempt to decorate or personalize. It likely wouldn't fetch much. There are plenty of little floppy hats, all alike …

There are also lots of bones, set aside … some of which look like Skreek bones.

But last and not least is a wooden chest, too large to be Schlumph-scale, and having too much woodwork on the sides to match their demonstrated disinterest in personalization.

"Good work, Burr. I'd wonder if we couldn't sell the furniture if we ever went to Aelfhem, but I think it might be too small for that… although maybe for children." She shakes her head, "We'll see if we have room. Never hurts to have a novelty item or two for emergencies." She kneels down in front of the chest and tries to fumble it open.

The chest pops open, as it seems that nobody bothered to lock it. Inside is a big pile of coins just like those in the fountain, and apparently of the same denomination.

"Hmph. These would probably be worth more than the furniture. Can you carry this chest without too much difficulty, Burr? The dragon's asleep again and I think we can sneak by without waking it up if we can step over its tail. You feel up to it?" Willow grabs a handful of the coins and sticks them in her pocket for personal keeping.

The cheetah nods and demonstrates by grabbing a handle at each end of the chest and lifting it up.

Yet another fog-horn sound provides reassurance that the dragon is still sound (very sound) asleep.

"All right. Get your stuff together." Willow pulls off her pack and sets it down. "If there's room in here, put some of the dishes and little knickknacks you find in my pack. We can treat them like toys for the kiddies that don't go for Chronotopian windie-ups. I just want to check on one last thing – I've yet to check out the spot to the northeast of here.""

Burr nods and starts packing things up.

The Skreek gives the cheetah a pat on the head and then wanders to the northeast; she quietly draws the little sword out again just in case.

The cavern narrows to a short tunnel, then widens again into another chamber. The mushrooms are taller here – tall enough that Burr would be able to walk under the heads without brushing his ears.

This area appears to have escaped the rampaging of the dragon, though it appears that the tunnel is no more narrow than the one leading through the blue crystal chamber.

A stream winds its way through the chamber, coming in from the northwest portion, and going out through a fissure to the east.

The ground is soft and spongy, and there are smaller fungi growing underneath their larger cousins.

( I hope this doesn't mean there's big versions of the blue things living here. ) The Skreek makes her way towards the river, peering up at the large mushrooms.

As the Skreek walks along, looking up, she occasionally crushes a mushroom underfoot. One explodes in a quiet poof … but there's no ill effect. Another crushes wetly … and a strange sweet aroma reaches Willow's nose. It smells like sweetened xocholatl, with just a hint of pala-fruit. Well, maybe. That's just the first thing to come to mind.

There's a feline sound from somewhere above. "Mrowp?"

Willow's fur bristles out again. She peers upwards. "Er… hello?"

Whatever it is, isn't visible. Just a bunch of mushrooms. Really big mushrooms.

One of them sways slightly for a moment … and then Willow can hear what sounds like a heavy footfall on another mushroom, which sways slightly as well, then stills. But all the while, she sees nothing that could be causing the sounds.

The Skreek jogs alongside the moving mushrooms. She chitters softly in Krozite and repeats herself in Bosch just for good measure, "Hey! Wait a second. I'm not going to hurt you… er… unless you have intentions for hurting me that is. Hello?" Her nose sniffs at the air again.

Nothing reaches Willow's nose that would suggest any creature present here … though that smell from the crushed mushroom is still fairly pungent.

There's another heavy footfall, and the large mushroom right next to Willow sways a bit. A dim silhouette appears of a feline head peering over the edge. It has big cheekruffs, tufted ears, and big paws.

Willow looks around for a mushroom low enough to climb up upon, although when the creature starts to form itself she pauses, slowly turning around to look up at it. "I hope you understood one of the languages I used. Then again you might just be another critter. Do you understand me?" Again she speaks first in Krozite and repeats herself in Bosch.

First, the creature's teeth appear, then its eyes … then the face … and then the rest of it, including a long, fluffy tail that drapes over the edge of the mushroom. It peers curiously down at Willow. It doesn't look humanoid, but rather like a wild beast bearing a faint resemblance to a Kattha. Perhaps it's one of those Sylvanian beasts? But nobody ever said anything about them turning invisible. In any case, it looks large enough to have Willow for lunch, but it seems to be perfectly content to just sit there lazily and look down at her.

The Skreek puts a hand to her hip. "Well, maybe you are just a critter then. I'll make a point of not pestering you too much." She smirks at the feline and starts to slowly back away.

As the Skreek backs away, the feline abruptly gets up, and leaps down, landing lightly on the soft ground. It pads up toward the rat.

Even this close, Willow can't pick up the scent of the feline.

Willow knows enough about animals that it's usually a good idea to keep from making yourself look like you're easy to eat or something fun to play with. She freezes, keeps her sword at the ready, but holds her empty hand out for the big cat to sniff.

The feline pauses, then tilts its head and leans in. Breath from the cat's nostrils tickles Willow's hand, and then the feline sniffs deeply. "Mrowp?" It then licks at Willow's fingers with its raspy tongue.

The Skreek lets her breath out as quietly as she cat and reaches out to give the big cat a gentle scratch on the nose. ( That's right, even if I taste good, you wouldn't get petted by me if you ate me. Gooood… er… kitty. )

The big cat makes a rumbling purr, and moves past Willow, nearly knocking her over as it rubs against her.

"Well, looks like I just made a new friend. Never had an invisible friend before, not even when I was a pup." She pat's the cat's flank as it walks past and starts to back out of the mushroom forest.

The cat seems to be done playing for now, and lightly bounds up on top of a mushroom. It peers down, then slowly fades away … first the body … then the face … then the eyes … then, lastly, the teeth. And then there's no more big cat to be seen.

Nothing stops Willow from backing out of the cavern into the larger chamber, where Burr patiently waits, pack filled to capacity, and trunk in front of him, ready to be picked up.

The Skreek grins to herself and wanders over to her pack. "Ready to go back, Burr? There's ages more to explore, but I can see what they mean about getting lost in here for awhile, and I have the feeling that this was one of the safer areas. Besides, I'm hungry enough to eat a whole Dromodon right now."

Burr nods several times, picks up the chest … and starts back toward the entry chamber.

"Now be quiet. If we fumble, make a dash for the river." She secures her own pack and sneaks after Burr.

Nothing happens in the blue crystal chamber, other than that the crystals are chiming variations on the "Boooo-gah" sounds of the sleeping dragon. Willow manages to keep Burr from accidentally stepping on the tail, which he has a harder time seeing, since he's carrying a chest.

Fortunately, they make it into the chamber without arousing the big reptile. Even when a sudden "BOOOOOO-GAHHHHHH!" blasts through the room and startles the cheetah.

Willow hastily makes her way towards the staircase and waves the cheetah ahead of her. He's probably the one strong enough to open the hatch after all, and she feels a little better watching after his back.

Burr keeps nervously peeking over his shoulder the whole way … but they make it back up the spiraling staircase without any movement from the dragon. And when they get back to the trap-door … well, Burr gets it open easily enough. The Trophy Room is pretty much as they left it … except that there is a snoozing young rat in ill-fitting armor sprawled on the couch, a pole-arm resting across his body.

He doesn't stay snoozing for long. "Wha? Halt! Who!" The young rat jumps up, his upended helmet crashing to the floor and rolling. "Oh! You've returned!" Kiri chitters.

The Skreek blinks at the firelight and grins up at the rat, "That I have. How long were we gone? And what's with the armor?"

"Three days," answers the young Skreek. "And the armor is in case what came up wasn't you."

Burr sets down his chest and pack, then shuts the trap door behind Willow.

"Mrowp?"

Willow puts a hand over her face and holds her other arm out.

A silhouette of a big feline materializes near Willow … and she soon feels a furry head pushing against her hand, almost knocking her back.

Kiri's eyes go wide and he says, "WhatinthesevenfiresisthatIcan'tbelieveithurryrunawayit'sgoingtoeatusallI'llholditoffcallforreinforcements!" He grabs for his pole-arm, then promptly trips over the edge of the rolled-up Himaatian rug, and falls flat on his face.

Burr looks up from setting down the gear, and blinks several times in confusion.

"Oomph! Well, I made a friend, I think. But nothing else down there was very friendly." She pats the cat's head. "Whoa! Prince Naochi… it's all right. It's just a big… er… furry kitty thing."

The feline, fully materialized, pads over toward Kiri, and sniffs at him. The rat, meanwhile, flails about. "Getaway! Shoo! Shoo!"

Burr takes a tentative step toward the big cat … but when he does, the tufted-ear creature turns and hisses at him. Burr steps back, looking askance to Willow.

"Easy there, your highness! It's okay!" Willow tries to jam herself in between the big cat and the prince. "It's very friendly. I know it's big and mean looking but… er… it seems to be favored towards Naoc – er… Skreeks."

Kiri stumbles to his feet. "It likes to eat Skreeks? Ohblastin'loveofallthat's – What's it doing here?"

The big cat sits on its haunches … then starts to clean its paw with its raspy tongue.

"I didn't say that!" Willow boldly steps forward and begins digging her blunt fingernails through the big cat's head-fur, giving the thing an easy chance to bite her in two or chomp an arm off. "It won't hurt you because you're a Skreek. I don't know if it's inclined to be that way to all Skreeks or just certain ones, but I know it won't hurt you, so just calm down."

Kiri just gawks at the cat. "Really? Amazing … I … oh … wait … Rezhinald! He would know about this! No, I don't want to bug him … STAY RIGHT HERE!" He dashes out of the room, heading up the stairs.

Curiously, the gray Skreek's eyes follow Kiri until he vanishes and then dart back to the big cat. She starts to pet lower to search the cat's neck for a collar or any sign of ownership… and then she falls flat on her face as the thing she was petting is no longer there.

Burr looks around in confusion, vainly searching for the invisible cat, then helps Willow back up to her feet, looking sheepish, as if he somehow should have been able to keep the cat from vanishing.

The Skreek just shrugs and pulls the lantern off from her pack, setting it down on the trophy case where she left it. She pulls the sword out from her belt and rubs the scabbard with her thumb. "I'm itching to keep this sword, but I get the feeling that it was made for the caverns specifically. No reason why I should keep it from its purpose, I suppose."

A shout comes down the stairs. "Do they like milk?"

Willow's ears perk at the shout, "They might! Bring a big bowl of it down and maybe we'll find out. It faded out again."

There's another delay, and then Kiri comes back down, minus a few pieces of leg armor. He carries a bowl of milk in one hand, with a book tucked under one arm, and carries a candle in the other. "Eheh. Well … uhm … " He sets down the candle, grabs the book with his newly freed hand, and then sets the bowl of milk down on the floor … and steps back from it as if it might explode.

"Screamer of a pet if you ask me. Nobody would dare rob this castle if they hear there was a giant cat-thing here that can become invisible." She eases herself down on the bench. "Burr, go put our gear away. Get yourself some food from the kitchen and then go rest. You're still not in top shape."

Burr gives Willow a worried look, but bows in obedience, and hauls the gear up the stairs.

As Burr leaves, a shadow appears behind him … which resolves itself slowly into a feline shape that slinks up to the bowl, crouches down … and then begins lapping up the milk noisily.

Kiri laughs as he sees the big cat, and he flips through the book that he brought down the stairs. "Aha! I found it! This is amazing!"

The gray Skreek pulls her pipe out, "Mind if I smoke?" Her eyes widen as she tries to crane her neck to look over the prince's shoulder. "Found what?"

Kiri nods. "Oh … uh … sure, sure." He points at a page that bears an image of the cat that stands before them. "It's a Blynx. A magically-transformed creature … It says here that the Blynxes were created to serve my ancestors long, long ago … but they died off."

Kiri continues, "They can turn invisible for a limited duration each day, and have no scent, plus they're very quiet when they move. Furthermore, they have been magically bred to be friendly to the royal line of Naochi, and none other. Hmm." He blinks a few times.

"Apparently there's one left." Willow tamps a wad of tobacco into her pips and lights a match, sucking on the stem a few times until the leaves smolder.

The hairs on the back of Kiri's neck stand up.

Willow takes a deep drag from her pipe and looks away. She scoots further down the bench. "Scruddy books. What do they know… "

Kiri glances over at Willow. "Uh … Huh?"

The gray Skreek blows a stream of smoke from her nostrils. She looks back to the cat and holds her hand out to it again. "Nevermind."

The cat doesn't look up immediately, intent on downing as much milk as it can … but it then looks up at Willow, licking a milk mustache off of its muzzle. It pads over to Willow and bumps her hand with its head, purring.

Kiri timidly reaches out, scratching the neck of the large feline.

Kiri says, "Ah … I think it likes you."

"I don't know what to tell you, Kiri. I really don't. There's a lot that I can say, but I don't know how to say it." Her head drops as she quietly rub's the big cat's nose.

Kiri looks for a moment like he might protest at being called "Kiri", but he swallows it, watching the cat contentedly accept Willow's attentions, purring loudly enough to fill the room.

Kiri stammers, "W-why were … why were you wanting to get that big boring book about … about my family's history?"

"I wanted to prove myself wrong," Willow replies. She chews on the end of her pipe while she studies her reflection in the big cat's eyes.

Kiri says, "Y-you … you came here on Reckoning Day. Are … are you … are you a ghost of someone? Are you one of my ancestors, come here to kill me for ruining the land?" He unsteadily gets to his feet.

Kiri backs up against the wall. "Or … or it's because … " His ears pale.

"No Kiri. I'm as alive as you are." She pulls her hand from the cat's fur to carefully grip the sheathed shortsword next to her and slide it towards the Skreek. "I'm not here to take your castle, I'm not here to get revenge, and I'm not here to do any other number of horrible things. I came here to find out if I was what everyone was claiming I was, that's all."

"Who – " stammers the young prince, "Who are you, then?"

The big cat "mrowps?" at Kiri, and slips away from Willow, padding toward the younger rat. Kiri, despite himself, stoops down and holds the cat like an oversized clutch-toy, scratching its fur.

"I was born twenty-eight years ago on Midsummer's Eve. I never knew my parents, and after a life of things I'd rather not tell you about, I changed my name and my appearance." Willow's pipe has long since gone cold, and the tobacco tastes bitter in her mouth. "If I tell you who I am, you'll think I'm a liar or a scruddy gold digger, and I don't want you to think that. I didn't even want to TELL you about any of this, but I didn't know I'd run into things like Blynx here who might give me away."

"But – " Kiri seems utterly lost, but there are at least a few things he catches on to quickly enough once given the facts. "You're … Chiria? My sister? Alive? But my father murdered you … and all the others. How … ?"

"I don't know the whole story, and the pieces I've put together are from people I don't know if I can believe completely." Willow rips the pipe from her mouth and throws it against the floor. "But there were apparently twins when Chiria was born, and one of them was smuggled away before Tachiri could find out. The maid that smuggled the baby off was murdered, so I don't know how in fires I ended up in Himar, but I did. I never even knew about the royal family in Kroz until a few months ago when my airship crashed in the Diamante lands and I was attacked by Snicjers. Mother Diamante's daughter had a set of china dolls representing the royal family, and there was the scruddy Naochi doll staring at me one morning."

Kiri says, "Twins? … So … you're alive … but … Father must not have known." He laughs awkwardly. "He didn't have it all worked out after all!"

Willow looks up, "All worked out?"

Kiri nods. "Yeah. The scruddy hasher thought he was such a know-it-all. He was so scruddy smart, and I was just dirt-clod stupid. He had everything all planned out. All figured out. But he didn't! Ha!" He looks up. "You hear THAT? HUH? How you like them kyootcumbers?"

Kiri looks back to Willow, and his eyes seem to glaze, as he shakes. "He died screaming, you know. Screaming like a bloody Bromthen forest-hog. Right in a monster trap. Stuck. And I didn't get him out." He shakes his head fervently.

"What plans did he talk about?" The gray Skreek shrinks down and puts her hands over her head. "I think I'm going to be sick… "

"What plans?!" Kiri squeaks, his eyes wide. "What plans he had? Yeah! What plans he had… I'll tell you. He told me. It's not like everyone doesn't know anyway… I mean … just look at me. I'm a freak… I'm … He killed them all. He killed them because they were girls. If they got married off, then the lands wouldn't be Naochi anymore. And they'd always been Naochi."

Willow stands bolt upright, bristling mad, "You're not a freak! Just because that monster told you you were doesn't make you one. Here I've spent my entire life thinking I was a freak because I had straight legs and a mop of hair on my head. Don't you ever think of yourself as a freak. If you do, you're just letting that… that animal rule over you. Do you understand?"

"But," protests Kiri, shrinking back, "you don't know the whole story. I … the only reason I was born Kiri instead of … Kiria … was because of Mad Uncle Abzhalom. And … even if I was supposed to be born a girl … I … I like being a guy! I … " He shudders. "Blast it. I hate this land. I hate my father. Even though he's dead, that's not good enough! I … I wish he'd just tried to kill me, instead of telling me all that! Either I would have killed him fair and square … or I'd be dead."

Kiri hugs the big cat tightly. The cat squirms a bit, shifting a foreleg caught awkwardly in Kiri's grasp, but it doesn't make any protest.

"Am I half a person because I was born a twin?" Willow's fists clench so tightly they shake. "You should be scruddy proud of yourself for being born a man. It means that you pulled yourself away from Tachiri's curse, and you lived to avenge the rest of us. I read the books about the process in the library; it all happens before the baby is even conceived! There was never a time when you weren't a boy, no matter what Tachiri told you."

Kiri raises his eyebrows, looking up from the big cat to stare at Willow. "Huh? But … he said … he … "

"Was he a howling fountain of truth? Never a moment in his life when he didn't think to say something that wasn't true, for the sole purpose of hurting someone? I've scruddy never met the guy, but I've seen enough of his legacy to only regret the fact that he didn't die sooner." Willow takes a moment to calm her breathing.

Kiri just quietly runs his fingers through the big cat's fur, rolling this over in his mind.

The gray Skreek stoops down and picks up her pipe. "I know you hate these lands, but if you don't do something soon, they're going to fall into Dack's hands. That means that the table will end up in Dack's hands, and Abzhalom can use that table to finish the work he started."

Kiri laughs. "Aw, no! They've been bought up by a bunch of Olympians! I wouldn't sell land to Dack!" There's a nervous tint to Kiri's "laugh", though, as he turns to Willow with a "You know something I don't know, don't you?" look.

"Dack's been buying the lands back, or tricking you. Who knows which. Either way, Sebazhan has them, and you can't let him have any more." Willow sinks back down onto the bench and refills her pipe. "I wish I could help you, but I don't have much of value myself, unless a box of Krozite coins is worth anything."

"I … oh … flaming pits," mumbles Kiri. "I've blown it so badly. I … Krozite coins?"

She pulls one of the coins from her pocket and flicks it towards the younger rat. "No grumbling about the past when you can still make things right. Have a look."

Willow takes a moment to re-light her pipe and resume her smoke. The tobacco slowly starts to calm her nerves and distract her.

Kiri fumbles to catch the coin, but ends up plucking it out of the Blynx's fur. He looks at it. "It's … wow. These … these are really really old. They date back to … way back. I mean … way way back. It's … " He turns the coin around, pointing at it. "It has this symbol, see? That's Moltpaa, I think. Rezhinald just showed me it yesterday, said it would be important someday. And this side… " He turns the coin around. "It says it's a 'Krozmid'. Well, Moltpaa wouldn't know anything about Kroz, let alone naming their coins after us. So … well, anyway, it's legal tender." He pauses. "I wonder if Rezhinald knew I was going to find one of these?"

Smirking, Willow lets another plume of smoke escape through her nose. "How much are they worth?"

Kiri says, "In the big wide world? Less than squee-doo! But … did you find a lot of these? Rezhinald says that we still have laws on the books where these are legal tender for certain things. Like land."

"I've got a whole chest of them. I found them on your property, so they belong to you." Willow's expression falls. "Although there's something I'd like to ask in return if you can spare it."

Kiri turns the coin over in his hand. "And land that is part of the ancestral home … well, the Prince always must be allowed to buy it back, as long as he pays a fair price. So … if Dack has all those lands like you say … he has to sell it back … for Krozmids." His face breaks into a grin. "A whole chest of Krozmids… " He snaps out of it. "Huh? Ask? I … if you're Chiria … then … how could I say 'no'? You could just up and swipe the crown from me if you wanted."

"I don't want it. Besides, I can't scruddy prove I'm Chiria." Willow lets the smoke from her pipe ooze out slowly between her teeth. "I don't have anything from my family or my childhood. Tachiri can burn for all I care, but despite the fact that Ria didn't fight off or run like I think she should have… she at least managed to spare me my life. I'd like something, however small, to remember her by, if such a thing exists."

"I … " Kiri's face drops, and he considers the Blynx, stroking its fur some more. He at last lets out a heavy breath. "I'll show you her jewelry box. You can have the whole thing if you want. I … I've had everything long enough. And blew most of it."

Kiri stands up, and pats the big cat. "I keep it in a secret place. Even Rezhinald … no, he probably has some way of figuring that out, too. Anyway, almost nobody knows about it. I'll show you."

"Something small that I can keep with me will be fine. I'm an airship hand, remember? Anything bigger and it'll probably end up getting nicked by Whitehead or some bandit on the street that turns out to be a hair faster than I'm used to." Willow takes a final drag from her pipe and then snuffs the tobacco inside. "I'm still going to need to take a few things with me for trade, otherwise the captain will tan my hide for coming back with nothing, but I plan to be fair." She puts her pipe away and starts to shuffle after the younger rat. "Rezhinald is going to love your new pet."

Out in the courtyard, Burr finishes double-checking the cargo … and lets Willow do her own checking as well. Copy and Testament-Blaze are already on board, and the Kavi driver is chattering away aimlessly as he checks his n'gyah team.

Prince Kiri comes out, nodding to Willow. "Please … feel free to return any time. You'll always be welcome here." He tries to put on a formal face.

The older Skreek holds her hand out for the younger to shake. "I'll try. The winds travel in circles, and so do airships. It may be a bit before I come back, but I will come back." On her finger is a thin band of a ring made of silver that's so tarnished it looks almost like iron. Designs have been etched into its surface, but they're mostly obscured by the blackness. "I'll still try to write now and again, and I'm sure that your butler can tell you if I'm doing all right."

Kiri laughs as he shakes Willow's hand. "Rezhinald can do an awful lot, but … " He nods. "Sure. With a bit of prodding, he can do most anything." Kiri winks, then takes a deep breath. "Next time … I'll have it cleaned up for you, okay? And I can show you the good places. There are a few of those." He pauses again, then says, "Thanks … for everything."

Next to Kiri, some teeth appear … then a pair of eyes … then a feline head with tufted ears and large cheekruffs … then a feline body with a big fluffy tail.

Willow swallows. The words of thanks sink in, but for some reason they don't seem to settle very well. "Take care of yourself, Prince Naochi. I… I can't wait to see it all." She takes a few steps back and quietly begins to board the wagon.

The big cat bumps up against Willow, purring as it rubs against the rat.

The Kavi driver gets up into his seat. "Whatabeautifuldaytheskyisnotcompletelyovercast,anditmightnotevenrainverymuch,andit'snotcoldenoughtosnow!Ahit'sagreatdaytotravel… " And he continues on in that sort of vein, as per usual.

"You take care of yourself too, Blynx. Don't cause a milk shortage or anything like that." She ruffles the cat's fur and then eases herself inside the carriage.

Kiri draws Blynx back, and he walks along, following the carriage around the circle drive as the n'gyahs pick up a leisurely pace for the gate. This time, the guards promptly get the gate rolled open to let the carriage through, and it picks up speed as it zigzags down the hill toward the city. Kiri stands at the gate the whole while, accompanied by a big cat … and a black Khatta that walks out to join him.

Burr stoops down to peek out the window at the prince, the butler, and the guard animal, then peers back at the interior of the carriage.

Copy seems content, just staring off into empty space, while Testament-Blaze – his face obscured by his helmet – is hard to judge. Burr's gaze passes over to Willow.

Willow looks back after the three as well until her neck begins to ache, and then she slowly pulls her head inside the carriage. She stares at the floor for a long moment and then scoots down the bench until she's bumping up against Burr. Wordlessly she leans against the cheetah's arm, staring at nothing in particular. Her eyes are slightly red for some reason, but before anyone can get too good of a look at them, her eyes close as she pretends to go to sleep. Or maybe she's trying to wake up. Deep down, she's still not sure.