"I said RED toothroot, not this green stuff. Don't you know that the green isn't fully potent!? a bandaged rat in a cot growls as she chews on some stringy green things, her tail thumping irritably against the sides of her bed. "And someone get me some cloudweed; my head's killing me!"

A familiar smell begins growing nearby. Acidic, biting. It's the smell of death, but of death prepared for, and rest seen to. Not pleasant by any means, but it could be worse.

A cowed-looking cheetah stands near the bed … a very large and muscular cowed-looking cheetah, that is … while Acolytes tend to the sick and wounded – including the Skreek.

The Skreek swats at the Savanite. "You, go get me a decent cup of muscle tea, or a hot toddy, or something! Your master is dying here!"

The cheetah bows and departs.

Sniffing the air, the rat raises her head up towards the door. "I didn't mean that literally… "

One of the infirmary doors cycles open, and the smell grows five-fold. A pallid Rokuga pours through it, arms folded behind his back, as if his slithering were the equivalent of a biped's stroll.

The Rokuga gets several odd looks, and more odd sniffles and nose-wiggles as he – and his scent – enter the room.

The rat pulls herself up a little, biting down on the sharp twinge of each and every muscle needed for the act reminding her in turn of her damage. A choked down grunt escapes her lips.

Qing ignores the stares, winding his way toward where the Skreek is bunked. "Willow," he hisses. "I heard you were recovering from the Gating Staff's effects."

"Twice that blasted thing's zapped me now. Ow." Willow rubs the back of her neck. "I'm glad to see you're not dead, Mage Qing."

"Not yet," replies the witchdoctor, coiling the base of his body next to the cot to prop himself up. "You needn't fear the staff anymore. The Collegia has locked it away, under ward and guard, until they can come up with a way of neutralizing it."

"Did your spell work? All I can remember is lots and lots of red." The rat picks up a class of lukewarm water with a few herbs swirling inside and takes a sip, wincing at the taste.

A pale arm withdraws itself from Qing's mantle, a fist-sized chunk of amber held between index and thumb claws. The light of the infirmary causes it to glisten, as if it were still liquid. "The spell was cast, meant to capture Amaranth with this piece of amber as the prison." The hand flips, to toss the chunk onto Willow's stomach.

Willow gaaaaks and zips out her arms, trying to catch the rock.

The rat bites down on a few choice curses and grasps the stone in her fingers, rolling it back and forth. "After the past few days I've had, don't throw evil artifacts at me. Please?"

"The amber is harmless. The spell seemed to destroy Amaranth's hold on Francisco, but the entity itself was not captured. It appears not to have even been there, instead using Francisco as some kind of pawn to communicate to us through." The snake folds his arms back under his robe again. "Francisco's corporeal form dispersed… As I had surmised, he had been slain long ago."

Willow offers the chunk of amber back to the Spirit Mage, "So the fox is gone?"

The door cycles open again. A white Skeek, a bat with dyed fur, and a grizzled old wolf with a patch over one eye enter the Infirmary.

"Yes. Whatever fate has in store for him beyond our plane, I don't know." Qing waves the piece of amber off. "Keep it. I appreciate competency wherever I find it, and cultivate it when I can. Consider it a memento."

A big cheetah comes up, setting down a cup of steaming tea on a tray beside the Skreek's bed.

"Hi guys! Come to pay your respects to the poor wounded rat?" The Skreek waves to the newcomers and then blinks back at the mage. "Competency? I blow myself up twice and you call me competent? I'm flattered." She winks and cups the amber chunk in her hand. Then, surprisingly, she reaches out and grasps one of the Rokuga's hands with her other one. "Thank YOU, Mage Qing. You did all of Rephidim a service."

The Skeek wrinkles his nose in the presence of the mage, and the old Jupani looks a bit disturbed, too, but they still flash smiles, along with the multi-colored bat. "Yee seev Reefeedeem!" squeaks the mouse, though his smile shifts to a frown. "Eet ees a sheem Yosah neet see deengeer sooneer."

The Rokuga adjusts his dark glasses carefully, as if not to notice one of his other hands being held. "I did what the Great Serpent has decreed I spend my life doing. Not for Rephidim, not for the Collegia. Whatever came of the ordeal, it's over now. My only regret is that Amaranth couldn't be captured for study. I will continue my hunt, and I don't know where it will take me." He glances at the Skeek oddly, then looks back at Willow. "What of your situation? Where will you go now? Has the Collegia made reparations to you, for your tent?"

The rat coughs, gives the snake's hand a squeeze, and then lets it go to instead cradle her cup of tea. "Dunno what I'll do. I'm not broke, but my days as a businesswoman in Rephidim are probably over. I'm free of a lot of things though." She smiles. "Maybe I'll travel." Her eyes drop down to Yosah, "And YOU should have warned us of your plan, Mister Smarty-Skeek!" She gives the mouse a friendly poke with her foot.

Yosah shrugs, and says, "Eet was yeer idee, Mees Weelee!"

"Yes, Yosah. You should have. The creature was dangerous. It could have easily killed you at any time." The Rokuga looks over the tops of his dark glasses. "I saw the traps the apprentices had set. This could have been disastrous. … But I suppose the end results are satisfactory." He pushes his glasses back up his nose, hiding his red eyes again. "The reason I ask, Willow, is that as promised, you are due compensation by the Imperial Department of Mortality for your time as my assistant, as agreed beforehand."

"It wasn't my idea to chunk him in a cart and ride him into the middle of the College! I just wanted him found and stopped… maybe slurped by a couple of Gooshurms." Willow smiles wistfully and then shakes her head, sipping her tea. "It worked. He's gone. It's all I care about. You did a good job, Yosah." Her brow pitches together as she considers Qing's words.

Yosah shrugs. "Yosah ees told spleesh beeg-veel on feex, and weetch feer feex. Eet ees deengerees, yees? Fahnceesko keel me freend, Avreem. Deengerees for heem, too."

"I'll have to think about that, Mage Qing," Willow says, grunting a bit as she adjusts her seat in the bed. "As far as I'm cincerned, the college paid me back with their little 'treatment'. I got back something I was missing for a long time. I'll think about it, but I don't feel owed by anyone."

"Yosah geev yee beeg feest at Yosah's home, owe or neet!" proudly boasts the Skeek.

"If all is attended to, then… I shall move on." The pale reptile gathers his coils beneath him, and rises up again. "Your due can be obtained by mailing the Empire under the appropriate bureau, and sending a form I will have forwarded to you when you are discharged from the infirmary."

The rat grins. "I never turn down free food. Is Spotty and his cub here invited as well?" She jerks a thumb in the Savanite's direction.

The Skeek raises an eyebrow, then shrugs and smiles. "Yees!"

"Honest" Makah pats the Rokuga on the shoulder. "You're a brave one, mage. That pretender hit us hard … and we couldn't hit back without your help!"

"I'll be seeing you, Mage Qing. It's been an adventure. If I'm ever in the Empire, I'll look you up." Willow scratches at her nose. "What do you intend to do now?"

"It was my job," hisses the Rokuga dismissively, readjusting his spectacles as they're set slightly off kilter by the wolf's pat. "I'd expect nothing less of anyone else in my position." The mage looks at the Savanite cub for a few moments, and reaches into the neck of his mantle, drawing out a tiny wood-carved pendant. He fingers the pendant thoughtfully, directing his attention back at Willow. "I'll advise Dean Faust of Amaranth's possible continued presence, then I'll return to the Empire and file my report. From there… wherever my studies lead."

The cub looks at the pendant with wide, curious eyes.

"Do you think Rephidim's troubles are over? If you didn't catch Amaranth… " Willow bites her lip and takes a long deep gulp of her tea.

Astaro says, "Ah, never fear! We merchants shall pitch together and put together a fund to hire a ghost-hunter! We hear there's a very proficient one who runs a Shiny Shoppe over in the Merchants' Quarter, who's in good with the Knights Templar."

Qing places his pendant back under the neck of his mantle. "Now that the Collegia is aware of this possible precense, I assume they'll take steps to deal with it. It's none of my business after this."

The rat gives the cub's head a pat to shake him out of his reverie. "Have a safe trip home then, Mage Qing. If you ever need the services of a genuine exploding rat, give me a call." She winks.

"Mm." With a curt nod, the Rokuga slides in a tight circle, and slithers out of the infirmary, leaving the lingering scent of formaldehyde behind.