Due to the seemingly random durations of local day and night, there's no way for Anisa to tell just how long her group has been on the run from the battle raging between the ancient Observers and the forces of the Society of Cinders. For the Lapi doe, exhaustion is complicated by the intrusion of Observer sensations whenever one strays too close. These incidents are leaving her nerves in a shambles even while providing a means for her friends to navigate around trouble, especially since Gibson isn't fully recovered from his injuries and can't run far or fast yet.

But at least they aren't completely lost in the odd maze, thanks in large part to Wanda having stripped Kakkura the Vartan's body of anything that might be useful. One of the recovered items was a metallic egg covered in strange markings which glowed faintly on one side. It was Royce who quickly figured out that the glow appeared on the side facing back towards the center of the Node, and that the intensity of the glow faded the further they traveled towards the rim. Armed with this "Node Compass", the Lapis and Skeek could at least make sure they chose paths leading away from the conflict. A similarly marked device made of several layers of translucent rotating discs could have been a map of some sort, according to Royce, but he wasn't about to devote the time to studying it just then.

Eventually, time, weather and space start to settle down into an approximation of normality, with only the occasional rain of burning debris from the battle. By the time the group stumble across the clearing where Anisa first met the Observer, both the battle and Anisa's awareness of the Observers seem to be dying down.

Night is falling, and tendrils of ground-hugging mist curl around the feet of the weary Lapis. The last of the sunlight forms a reddish glow on the undersides of the perpetual clouds, although the setting orb is itself hidden by the rim walls. A familiar whickering sound greets the rabbits; Periwinkle, their Dromodon, waits tethered to one of the clearing's posts, with a blue bundle of feathers perched on one of her saddle-packs.

Anisa stumbles along with the rest of the group, her head hurting and dizzy from the intrusion of the Observers, and eyes blurry with tears and sweat. Her ears weakly perk up as she hears Periwinkle, and using them as her guide, she clumsily makes her way towards it. "Are we- are we there?"

At Anisa's approach, the ball of feathers unfolds and chirps, revealing a miniature Kujaku holding an equally small spear. "Ack!" Taer squawks, waking up. "Thou hast survived after all? Mayhaps Lapi feet really are lucky! Thou shalt be wanting thy pack-beast back then?"

The white – and currently red stained – doe trips over a root, and falls down next to the Dromodon. "We want out of here! Now!" The rabbit picks herself up, and steadies herself by leaning against Periwinkle.

Wanda huffs as she pushes through some tangles, supporting Gibson (who has his midsection wrapped in bandages and his wounded leg in a splint). She silently nods ascent to Anisa's demand, too occupied to react to Anisa's fall. (After all, most everyone in the group has been doing more than their fair share of stumbling and tripping in this jungle.)

"Anisa!" Gibson weakly calls, upon seeing Anisa's fall. His face is pained, as he clearly realizes that simply calling out his sister's name is going to do little to help her – but in his present predicament, he's quite unable to lend more practical aid.

"'Out' shall present thee no trouble!" Taer says, and covers his beak with one hand, apparently not pleased by Anisa's smell. "I am here to take thee to a hunting path. Thou shalt not deign to come back to Faed Schrumreng. If monsters follow thee, let the hunters worry about it."

Royce shuffles forward, looking about ready to fall himself, but nonetheless stooping down to try to assist his big sister, ignoring the miniature Kujaku and his less-than-welcoming news.

Anisa wipes her eyes, and turns back to the little Kujaku. "Show us the way out of here, now! We don't want to go back to your shrunken little village any road!" She painfully slings her pack off of her back and onto the Dromodon, leaning on Royce to keep her balance. "You can have your Dagh-cursed Node. Gibson's hurt and we need to get him to a doctor!"

The little Kujaku guide glides down to the ground, and unties Periwinkle's tether from the post. "Can thou walk on thine own feet, or shalt thou need to tie thyselves to the pack-beast?" he asks after flying back up to the Dromodon's head.

Kurtis (the dour life mage) struggles into the clearing, supporting his brother Spence – who took a few heavy knocks during the business with the Observers and the Vartan's lackeys, and likewise sports a number of Kurtis's improvised bandages and hasty treatments. (The Vartan, not willing to risk any trouble from a life mage, deprived Kurtis of his spell casting materials, and it has been impossible for him to procure suitable replacements during their flight out.)

The snow colored Lapi glares at Taer. "I hope you meant that as advice and not a jab." Anisa goes over Gibson. "Can you and Spencer walk, or do you need to ride?"

Gibson looks over himself, then Spencer. "If need be, we can walk," he says, "but I'm slowing you all down. Spencer's hurt really bad, though. Let him ride. If need be, we can take turns."

Taer slides down the back of Periwinkle's neck, and stands between her shoulders. Tether in one hand and spear in the other, he warns, "It is drawing nigh to darkness now, and many scuttlers do flee the battle. The whole of Faed Schrumreng hide from them. Any of thee that cannot run or fight should ride."

Wanda hmphs. "Listen, Sugar," she says to the older rabbit, "I know you're trying to be heroic, having Spencer ride and you walk … but keep in mind that you're only walking with my help right now. Think of the lady."

"Come on then, get up and on her." Anisa walks over to Gibson, and helps Wanda carry him over to Periwinkle. "Kurt, how is Spence? Does he need to ride?"

As the last of the glow from the setting sun fades from the clouds, a ratcheting series of sharp clacks can be heard in the near distance … followed by an answering echo somewhere further off.

The doe's ears spring up instinctively, and she looks around for signs of a battle. "Are they this far out, too? Dagh!"

Kurtis's ears flick. "He can walk, if he needs to … but I'd really rather that we fit him on the Dromodon if we can. I just don't have the means of fully examining everyone. First Ones, Anisa – If I had my way, I'd confine you to quarters, and have you bandaged up and in bed, with a few rings of warding around you. None of us is in condition to be walking."

Spencer grunts, looking at his dour brother. "I'll ride, I'll ride," he says. "I won't make a big deal out of it, okay? Plenty of room on Periwinkle."

"Scuttler calls," Taer says, trying to keep his high-pitched voice low. "Likely they smell the blood on thee."

Wanda sighs. "Just great. No time to take baths. Besides, thanks to Kakkura, we're a whole lot lighter in the department of supplies. But then, that means less for poor Periwinkle to carry, huh, Sugar?"

"I'm fine. I'll be okay." Anisa seems almost to be reassuring herself as much as the others. She starts taking packs off of the Dromodon's back, and tossing them to the ground, making room for Spencer and Gibson. "Right, so Gib and Spence take their place." She turns to her brothers, and helps to heft the black Lapi onto the lizard's back. "We'll have to make as good a time as we can. I don't know if I could get the Observers to help us now. Or if I'd want to… "

It takes some group effort, but Spencer and Gibson are on the back of the Dromodon, without having to be slung over it or any other such indignity.

"Keep close; easy to get separated in dark," Taer says, and prods the Dromodon with the butt of his spear to get her moving, once the two bucks are secure on her back. "Follow, follow!"

Anisa follows after the pack animal, herself leaning against it to keep her balance. They may be far away from the battle now, but the Observers' voices still echo in some deep crevice within her brain, making her dizzy. The rabbit looks back to make sure Wanda, Royce and Kurtis are keeping up.

Periwinkle does not set too fast a pace, which may be a mixed blessing. It makes her easier for the weary travelers to keep up with, but doesn't put a lot of distance between them and the sounds of large animals moving through the underbrush.

For what good it would do them, Anisa gets out her machete, fumbling with it to keep it at the ready should it be needed. "Everyone stay close, and don't lag."

The little Kujaku guides the Dromodon between the trees according to some odd method of navigation, often veering off to take a narrower or more obscure passage between the trees rather than take the clearer and more open paths. Eventually, the underbrush gives way to something resembling an actual path, wide enough for two Dromodons, and even sporting shallow wagon ruts.

The white Lapi looks at Taer. "Where are you going to take us? Back to Rimtown?"

"Just to the path the hunters take," Taer says. "Thou can follow that to the long-strider town on the Rim."

After pointing the Dromodon rim-ward down the path, Taer, with a flutter of wings, flies over to hand off the tether to Gibson. "And this is that path! I return to my village now."

Anisa nods, and trudges along, keeping her ears high to find her way while her eyes are shut in pain, and to listen for any beasts that may come her way. When she hears the little Kujaku, she looks up. "So that's it? Just going back?"

The micro-Kujaku chirps, "I have already gone far out of Faed Schrumreng territory, and I can hardly protect thee from scuttlers." Taer flaps his wings, and zips off into the canopy.

The Lapi girl starts to respond, to at least tell the diminutive bird goodbye, but her chance quickly vanishes. "Okay, you guys, we've got to make it back as quickly as possible, but if anyone needs to rest, say so when we find some cover."

With the mention of Scuttlers, Anisa can once more make out the soft hisses, clicks and rustlings not too far off into the jungle … but her hearing doesn't seem quite as acute as it was before.

A few head-shakes and mumbled negatives come in response to Anisa's offer to find a chance to rest. None of them seem overly eager to remain in these dangerous lands … and with the sole exception of Wanda, all of them are pretty much as capable of hearing the ominous noises of scuttlers (or other creatures) in the woods as Anisa, after all.

"Hopefully we'll come across a hunting camp," Spencer offers to Anisa. "Then we can rest."

Nevertheless, she lets them act as her main guide through the darkness, they're still Lapi ears after all. She helps guide Periwinkle down the hunters trail, her head finally starting to clear. "We might come across more of Vandringar's men too, so we'll have to be careful."

After pushing forward all night, the exhausted group is greeted by the silhouette of buildings in the light of dawn. The sounds of the scuttlers retreat as the sun rises, and the sudden absence of impending doom seems to drain away the last of the party's energy. Still, they make it to the tavern before the rim winds have started blowing in earnest.

The common room with its circular bar is filled with hunters and noise and the smells of breakfast (although not everything being prepared is necessarily appealing to herbivores).

Anisa makes it as far as the front door, then collapses in a ball of emotion and exhaustion. From her eyes stream tears of both joy and pain.

A group of Khattas at a table near the door turn towards the Lapi. "Hey Doc, got another batch for you!" one of them calls towards the bar, where a weary-looking Cervani in a stained surgical gown is trying to drink a steaming mug of mateh.

The Lapi tiredly picks herself up off of the floor, and looks around at the crowd. She looks to the Cervani. "My brother, he and his friend need help!"

"Right, sure," the Cervani says, picking himself up and looking over the doe and her companions with red-rimmed eyes. He points to Gibson and Spencer, and tells a Rhian attendant, "Take these two to the back room." Turning away from Anisa, the doctor calls to the bar, "These others need some Wake Up Juice and some bread."

"Three Morning-After Specials coming up," the Jupani bartender calls back.

"Four," Royce says. "I'm short, but I still count," he says, slightly annoyed.

The bartender eyes Royce, then shrugs. "If you survived last night in the Basin, I guess you'll survive some Wake-Up Juice." He nods towards one of the few empty tables.

Anisa gets back up on her feet, and with Wanda's help, makes her way over to the table, flopping down onto one of the chairs and laying her forehead on the table. "Ugh, I still smell like… like blood… "

"Join the club, missy," groans a poodle at the next table, resting with his arm in a sling. "Dagh-taken scuttlers went crazier than usual last night. Nearly trampled my porter to death!"

The white Lapi looks up from the table, brushing her ear out of the way as she looks at the poodle. "They did?" She looks to Wanda nervously, then back at the dog. "What happened?"

With a heavy THUNK, a platter of bread is dropped onto the table. It doesn't look like anything a decent bakery would produce, with large grains and bits of corn-meal and whole nuts giving it a chunky look … but it's warm and smells good. "Some fool flew an airship down into the basin," the bartender says as he drops the platter. "The fireworks must have spooked the scutties."

"I thought the old volcano wasss erupting," adds a burly looking reptilian Rokuga. "Not a good thought to have when you're in the crater."

Anisa eyes the platter with mixed emotions. Her stomach is empty, but with the constant smell of blood and the memories of what transpired still fresh in her mind, she feels nauseated. "An airship? What did it look like?"

"I just saw the fireball," the poodle says wearily. "Who looks up when you're in the Basin, except to see if a tree is about to strangle you? Must have caused a fire down in the bottom – the clouds were lit up."

Royce doesn't seem to have any problem with the bread, and quickly tears off a chunk and starts to stuff his face.

Anisa frowns, and looks to the others at the table. "Vandringar?" she whispers. "Or was it the Observers you think?"

Wanda struggles with a large "pot" made from an irregularly shaped chitinous shell (up-ended, with handles bolted on), and sets it on the table next to Anisa. Steam rises from the hot water, and Wanda fishes out a clean rag. "Here, Sugar," she says, offering the cloth to Anisa. "See if this will help you clean off some of the Basin from your fur."

His mouth full, Royce just shrugs, while Kurtis mutters, "Hopefully it was his bunch getting blown out of the sky."

The Lapi takes the cloth gratefully, and after dipping it into the water, tries to work the red stains out of her fur. She grimaces at Kurtis's sentiment: while part of her agrees with it, another part causes her to shudder at the thought. "Well, either way, perhaps we're rid of them." She sighs, going silent as she works at the stains in her fur.

The bartender returns with another platter, this time full of glasses and mugs. He passes out steaming mugs of something that makes Anisa's eyes start to tear up, along with a glasses of cold water. "Take my advice, and don't gulp."

Wanda nods to Anisa, and mutters, "That's a sure bet, Sugar. You saw what those … monsters were able to do. Just one of them can terrorize the Basin. But a whole swarm of them? I predict there won't be anything moving in the center of the Basin for some years to come."

Needing something to help him swallow the chunky bread, Royce grabs up his mug and takes a long sip … which ends with his sitting up rigid in shock, with his eyes clenched shut and his whiskers vibrating. "Whew! That's … that's … " The rest of his words are drowned out as he gulps from the glass of water.

More cautious, Kurtis just dips a finger into his mug and has a lick off of it. "Hmmm, at least a quarter of this is pure kyootcumber juice. Lots of vegetables thrown in though, must be a local hangover cure. Should have plenty of iron and vitamins then."

Anisa stops washing briefly to watch her brother's reaction, cracking a small smile for the first time in a long while. "Well, if it gets that kind of reaction out of him, it must not be all bad." The Lapi puts her washrag aside, glancing down to see how much of the blood she's worked away before tasting the concoction herself.

The spicy drink burns Anisa's dry throat, but doesn't taste bad. And it does seem to clear her head (and sinuses) and chase away some of the fatigue.

The healer-bunny hands chunks of bread to Wanda and Anisa. "The bread's okay, and is pretty filling. Just dip it in the mug if you don't care for the taste."

The doe winces as the liquid burns its way down, but luckily is better prepared than Royce thanks to the few times she snuck out with her friends during her teenage years. "No too bad … not too good, either, but not bad." She puts the mug down, and takes a swig of water, followed by a morsel of the bread. "I guess we should get a room for the night. There's no way we're getting back tonight."

"I could sleep for a week," Royce says, then leans forward to whisper, "Uh … all our stuff got taken by that Vartan. Do you have any money, Anisa?"

Anisa frowns, and looks to Wanda. "Do we?"

Wanda frowns, then digs through folds in her garments. "Not money, per se, Sugar," Wanda says, "but we might be able to barter with this." She pulls out a small silvery horse-head pendant – the one that Anisa saw earlier on the Rhian-Berserker before the Vartan ripped it off, and he underwent his bizarre transformation. "Looks like a pretty trinket. I would have hoped to have held onto this for examination, but if need be, we might be able to barter it off – or offer it in trust until we can come up with actual hard shekels."

"We've got the compass too," Royce adds. "I bet a hunter or guide would pay for something like that."

The doe grimaces, eyeing the strange pendant. "I'm not sure that I trust it. What if it does something to the person we give it to?" The Lapi takes the washrag and begins to work at her fur again. "The compass might be more usable, but that's risky too. We don't want anyone to go into that place and get slaughtered."

Kurtis winces at the mention of slaughter, but eyes the pendant. "Can I see that for a moment, Wanda?" he asks the Skeek.

"Well," Wanda says, "we've got one slightly-used sword from your Vartan 'friend'. Assuming that we don't need it between here and civilization." She then blinks and nods to the life mage, and pushes the pendant across the table, though keeping her hand close to it until it reaches Kurtis, so as not to make too flashy of a show to any onlookers.

Taking the pendant in his hands, Kurtis holds it below the level of the tabletop and begins chanting quietly.

Anisa sighs, and nods. "That may have to work. The sooner we get rid of that thing, the better." The rabbit swallows, looking back down to her red stained fur, and trying to keep the fight from her mind. Her glum reflecting is broken by Kurtis, however. "What's he doing?"

"Probably trying to figure out how it turned that Rhian into a monster," Royce whispers, edging his seat a little further away from the Life Mage.

Focused on his spell, Kurtis ignores the others. It doesn't look like he's going to be finished anytime soon, either.

Anisa takes another nibble at the bread, then looks to the Skeek. "So what are you going to do now, when we get back to Rephidim?"

"With all these people coming in hurt, maybe Kurtis can do some work for the doctor," Royce suggests. "Then we might be able to afford the ferry back to Half Valley. How much will it cost us for tickets back home, Anisa? I'm not riding as luggage this time, either!"

"Settle down," the doe tells her brother, almost annoyed. "We'll find a way back across, one way or another. We have to worry about just staying well for now, let alone getting home." The Lapi sighs, shaking her head. "We should just be glad we all got out of there alive."

Wanda listens to the exchange, then says quietly to Anisa, "Well, I'll get back to work. Unfortunately, I don't have that book, thanks to Kakkura and Company. I'll have a fine time writing up the report for this one." She sighs. "But don't worry over it, Sugar. You're absolutely right. I think we were lucky to get out of this with our hides intact."

Anisa almost hits herself, suddenly remembering the book. "Well … maybe you could take something else back? Like the pendant … or the crystal?"

"No, Sugar, that's quite all right," Wanda says, smiling as she shakes her head. "Fair's fair. Eventually, maybe a few years, maybe more, an expedition can be mounted into the Basin, and we can see what's left of Vanny and see if the book's lying around … or any other, more interesting artifacts. For right now, though … I think it's best just to leave this behind us. Who knows how long it'll take for those monsters to go back to wherever they came from?"

"This pendant was definitely enchanted," Kurtis whispers after his chanting has stopped. "Life Magic, and something else. It's pretty faded now, but from what I saw, I'd guess it was a Transformation enchantment that kept that Rhian … well … looking like a normal Rhian. The monster form was its normal shape."

Anisa touches the crystal around her neck, and grimaces. "Not as long as you might think." She then looks to Kurtis. "So it was to keep the monsters in check? It's safe to get rid of?"

"It's just a chunk of silver now," the brown Lapi says, passing the pendant back across the table to Wanda. "Could be worth a lot, but I don't know what we'd get for it here in Rimtown if we tried to sell it."

"We'll try our luck with the sword first," says Anisa, "and then try that if it doesn't work. We may need to get a room for the night. I don't want to chance going back out tonight."

"Might need it to pay the doctor," Royce says. "Could you go talk to him and see if he's done anything for Gib and Spencer yet, Kurtis?"

Wanda nods. "I'd feel more comfortable parting with the sword. In any case, it's a lot closer to what ought to pay for our drinks, and maybe rooms for the night. A silver trinket would be overkill – and I'd really rather hold onto this in case some Inquisitor comes calling. Might be some clues on it as to where and how it was made, to tell us more about Vanny and his friends."

Nodding, Kurtis gets up from his chair. "I'll go check on the others," he says, and makes his way across the tavern to the back room.

Anisa drops the rag back into its bowl, and flops backwards into her chair. "I never thought I'd say it, but I miss home." The rabbit rubs her tired looking eyes. "We came all this way… and mostly for nothing!"

After taking a sip of hot kyootcumber brew, Royce says, "You think Charm School would have been better? Oh! Maybe we can sell Periwinkle. Have to ask Spencer later."

"And we did sort of stop Vandringar from taking over the world, or turning everyone into vermites, or something," the splotchy Lapi adds.

Anisa gives a weak smile. "I guess not. And we kept Vandringar away from the Center." She leans forwards, propping her elbows on the table. "Just wish we could have found a better way to do it, and saw the Center ourselves."

Wanda smiles. "Tell you what, Sugar – If I ever get funding and permission to mount a proper expedition to the Center, I'll look you up, I promise. Vanny and his pals may be little spots of grease now, but ancient sites have a habit of staying around a long time."

The mouse winks at Anisa, as she sips her own wake-up brew – then suddenly gasps. "Whew! This is strong!"

"I'm not ready to trade in my ears for antennae anyway," the younger Snowshoe says, then grins and teases, "Although it might an improvement on you, 'Nisa. Then you'd just have to worry about Zelaks hitting on you."

The doe nods in agreement, and nibbles some more of the bread, tossing what's left at the younger rabbit. "And it'd be an improvement on you if you couldn't talk." She grins. "You sure are in a better mood lately."

"A full stomach and not being eaten by bugs does that for you," Royce says, leaning back in his chair. "I wish I could have finished reading that book … but I don't miss having to lug the heavy thing around anymore."

"Instead, I'm giving you the job of making up our cover stories for Mom and Dad," Anisa tells her brother. "We have to use that oversized head of yours for something, and I'm sure they'll be curious."

"Me?" Royce squeaks, his good mood fading. "They always know when I'm lying, though."

Kurtis returns, and actually seems to be grinning … but it could be a trick of the light. "The others are okay. Doc just changed their bandages and cleaned em up. They're sucking down mush right now, nothing expensive. I'll fill in for the doctor in a bit so he can get some sleep, and that'll cover the treatment. Poor guy hasn't slept in over a day."

"I said to come up with the story; I'll be the one to tell them." The doe looks to Kurtis, her eyes a bit happier. "Thank the First Ones! How bad were they hurt?"

"Gibson's got one broken rib and a cut in his leg, but he'll be okay," Kurtis reports. "A minor infection, and the doc stitched him up. Spencer is just battered, but the bruises will go away. I can at least treat those without a big ritual." The rabbit yawns as he finishes, and asks, "How about getting a room? I'd like to catch a nap at least before I take over for the doc."

Anisa stifles a yawn herself, and nods to the other rabbit. "That sounds like a good idea to me. Let's see if they'll take the sword, or maybe give us a favor since you're helping the doc."

"Maybe you could arm-wrestle that Rokuga for his room, Sis?" Royce suggests, not entirely joking.

"Maybe you can shut up," retorts the sister, getting up from her chair and heading outside to get the sword.