Filled With Daobt

I wake early, anxious to be done with the tasks at hand and back to saving Arslan.

My boots thud down the stairs, alerting Samson to my arrival and hopefully waking everyone else so we can get moving. Shen Po is already—or probably still—down here, staring out a window into the grey dawn horizon. I turn from Shen Po, nod to Samson behind the bar and hold up six fingers. Samson nods back and heads out the side door to the stables. I set the requisite money for the horses down on the counter and then reach behind the bar and grab a cup. I walk to Shen Po's table, pour water for myself from the pitcher there, and sit in silence with him until breakfast.

---

We halt on our horses, staring at the amber-hued treeline. Had we miscalculated? It's only noon, five days northwest of Ulaanbaatar. The absolute earliest we should've seen the Archfey's forest would've been tonight, but we haven't been going even that quickly. Has it grown that much larger since we were here last?
We approach slowly, noting the suits of armor lying around in the brush and dirt. Did an even more imposing guardian stop some would-be trespassers? If so, then what happened to the bodies? It's just the armor and weapons lying around; no blood, no skeletons, nothing.
I dismount and investigate a suit of armor near the scraggly brush. This design... it looks awfully close to the armor the rock elemental from Julius's tournament was wearing. Before I can relay this information, a set of armor near me suddenly lifts from the ground, filling with earth, taking a humanoid shape. It points a rocky finger at Mordax. "This is for the tournament! No one embarrasses the Dao's myrmidons!" Oh, that would probably be why the armor looked so familiar. I take a quick leap away from the suit I was investigating as it—and several others around me—takes shape with rock and dirt.
Mordax sprints to me, using his momentum to shove the one in front of me away. A wicked smile spreads across Mordax's face. He plants himself and swings his naginata at the one next to me.
I back up a few more paces to give Mordax space and unsheathe my sabers. "Knuse!" I shout, aiming the tip of my saber just past the two near Mordax. Splinters of stone spray with the reverberation of thunderous sound as my spell impacts both targets.
Luban runs up behind the one Mordax had slashed, and with precision stabs his short sword straight through the gaps of plated armor, piercing the elemental encased within. And then the area behind Mordax and Luban is lit by an inferno that engulfs four the elementals, narrowly missing Mordax and Luban. That certainly wasn't from Shen Po, and it likely wasn't from Mildred, so it must've been Morgan's fireball.
Undeterred by the flames still licking up its limbs, the one Luban stabbed makes its own swipe at him, cutting deep into Luban's arm. I parry a gem-encrusted hammer, just barely able to redirect its momentum with my swords, and then side step as the elemental that had been shoved away from me makes another swing.
"You can do better than that!" I hear Mordax taunt as the remaining three myrmidons swarm him, axes and spears finding purchase in his red skin. Mordax's smile doesn't fade. The three around him then wince, but I doubt it's due to Mordax's words. Likely a psychic spell from Shen Po.
A crossbow bolt whizzes by me, elemental attacking me, and everything. The myrmidon in front of me shifts its attention behind me. I risk a quick glance and catch Alto's head duck into the shrubs—and another myrmidon moving toward him. "Ardenti harenae," I say, and maneuver myself to block them from reaching Alto, drawing in power as I move. "Knuse!" I unleash my spell, hoping I'll only catch the Mordax's three opponents and not Mordax himself. But I don't have time to validate that. The hammer-wielding elemental leaps after me, swinging viciously. I dance to the side, nearly tripping on the stiff shrubbery. It swings again, horizontally, so I duck low.
"You can still return home with your heads held high. You need not fight us," Shen Po pronounces over the din of the fight. The crack of thunder echoes from ahead. That seems like a 'no' on them leaving, then. I roll to the side as the hammer comes down again, but not quick enough. Pain flares from my calf. Yet I still spring to a stand; it must've just grazed me. Lucky.
Another bolt from Alto sails from the bushes, plinking against the hammer myrmidon's breastplate. Its gaze turns back to Alto. Tch, what will it take to keep its attention? I stare it straight on. "Knuse!" I smirk as chunks of earth explode out of the armor. It grinds some of its rocks together in a growl, hefting its hammer. But this time it doesn't swing it. Instead a quick thrust at my chest knocks the air from my lungs. I try to step to the left, but my boot catches a root. The myrmidon's next thrust catches my right arm. I nearly drop my saber and collapse, but I manage to catch myself and scramble back.
As I steady myself, I quickly survey the rest of the fight. Mildred has one of the elementals trapped inside her watery sphere. Morgan seems to readying another spell. Luban, now freed of his original target, thrusts forward with his blade, severing the leg of one of the two attacking Mordax. Mordax embeds his naginata into the breastplate of his other attacker, cracking the armor open. Another thunderclap snaps my surveying to Shen Po, who zaps his attacker with his weirdly colored magic. Good, Shen Po must've been able to draw off the second myrmidon after Alto.
Tink. The myrmidon with hammer stops his pursuit of me as a bolt sticks in his side, between the plate of armor. It turns to Alto, who's now to my left instead of behind me. The elemental beelines to Alto, snapping vegetation beneath its heavy stride. I grimace as I raise my right arm, focusing my magic. "Knuse!" I release, shattering bits of the one chasing down Alto. It doesn't slow. Burning sands, I'm not going to be able to interpose myself fast enough.
Thunk! Luban's arrow punches through the center of the plate mail of the myrmidon from behind. Rocks grate together in almost gurgling sound as it crumbles to the ground. I give Luban a quick thankful nod just as he takes a spear thrust to his shoulder. He grunts, jerking away and down into the brush, vanishing from sight. The myrmidon steps forward, ready to strike Luban on the ground, but then stops short. Ha, Luban is quick and silent. Then its gaze meets mine. It bounds to me, hardly hindered by the thick growth beneath us.
I raise my swords, ready to bat the incoming spear out of the way. The myrmidon jabs its spear forward. I knock it aside and begin to step in close. But the spear retracts and springs forward faster than I anticipated, cutting my left arm. I grimace, leaning back to shift my movement away, but the spear catches me again, this time in the leg. I stagger away, trying to not trip in the brush. Its closing in again, think, think. A spell this close would be dangerous. So, I dance forward as best as I can, alternating which saber is stabbing and which one is keeping the spear at bay. The claw cuts across the vambrace as my saber keeps the spear from cutting into my right arm. I drop, slicing my saber down, letting the spear cut horizontally above me, but it doesn't find purchase between the armor. I quickly lift my saber back up to stop the spear coming down onto me as I jab the claw into the gap at its hip.
The myrmidon doubles over, still taking the chance to cut its spear at me but I roll away, just barely dodging the attack. Stiff branches tug at my coat as I roll as far as I can, and though none pierce through, I've no doubt there will be many small bruises. I heft myself up, facing the spear-wielding myrmidon straightening itself out. Moving behind it is Mildred's watery sphere, one myrmidon caught inside and several magic missiles catching to it. I take the opportunity while its in range. "Knuse!" I snap, pointing with a very bruised arm between the myrmidons. Chunks of rock crumble off both, water in the sphere getting a bit cloudy.
The spear-wielder charges toward me, but I don't let it catch up this time. I draw in power, wearily—this might be the last I have in me—and let it go. "Knuse!" I breathe out. More earth dribbles through the watery bubble, and the spear myrmidon's charge is halted as it explodes into chunks of rock. I heave air in and out of my lungs and check what's left to deal with.
Two elemental myrmidons are left on Mordax, though one looks like its missing some filling. The one that had called out Mordax before swings its large hammer, smacking Mordax in the side and giving off a loud crack of thunder. "And here I thought we were playing fair," Mordax snarls with the thunder.
"You wouldn't know anything about playing fair!" the elemental spits.
A crossbow bolt from Alto hits Mordax's other attacker, and though it doesn't seem to do much, the elemental crumbles at the waist where the bolt hit it. No doubt Luban has been helping with that target.
Mordax stabs his dueling partner in the crack in its breastplate, but it pulls away, not letting the naginata bite in deep. The elemental jabs its hammer forward into Mordax's abdomen, and then swings it up, catching Mordax on the chin. Mordax just laughs. He'll be just fine. I make sure Shen Po, Mildred, and Morgan are safe.
Shen Po crosses his arms defensively as an elemental's sword swings down. But instead of the blade biting into his flesh, it stops, making Shen Po grunt, and weirdly colored flames race up the myrmidon consuming it. It crumbles to the ground, and Shen Po wastes no time. He readies another spell, aiming at the foe finally escaping Mildred's sphere. Shen Po throws his hands wide as he utters the spell's words. The escaped elemental goes still, seemingly unsure of what's happening around it. I stride to it. It makes no response. An illusion that only it can see? I make three quick thrusts into its stomach and it falls to the ground, armor emptying out.
Mordax swings his naginata, powerfully and precisely, splitting the seething myrmidon in half at the waist. "You think it's over? I'll have your head yet, Mordax!" the elemental says as it crumbles.
We throw the magically bound armor into a pile, gather our horses, and make our way into the Archfey's forest before the elementals come crawling back.

---

Despite my exhaustion and injuries, I take the lead into the forest. Despite the beautiful glow of autumnal colors, I'm not at ease. The path is easier to walk on as well, but the last time we came through here the forest was in a hostile mood. And I can feel we're not alone. I strain to listen beyond the crunching of leaves beneath us, constantly scanning through the trees for any movement, any shape that breaks through the painterl—there. I halt my horse. A woman, very camouflaged among the shorter trees. "Hello," I say, more like a question than I intended.
Everyone looks at me and each other curiously. They haven't noticed her yet. And then she moves, huge eyes alight with excitement, and at least a couple people jump in surprise. The bow on her back and scimitar on her hip bounce with her bubbly steps to us. "Hi," she says. Her ears are longer than an elf's, and her skin is the same auburn hue as the forest.
"Who are you?" I ask, trying to sound more polite than cautious.
"Clair," she responds with a gentle smile. "I was sent here by the Archfey."
"I assume he sent you here for a specific reason?"
"To tend to his forest and to see that it grows." She keeps her smile eerily consistent. "Did you meet your friends outside?"
"Ah," I put on a polite smile. It's not worth explaining the situation. "Yes, we did." I continue before she can ask anymore questions. "We've been to this forest before, though it's been some time. We're hoping that we can have safe passage through this forest again."
"Of course! Can I also interest you in something to eat?"
"Yes, that would be lovely." Hopefully.
Her expression brightens even further, and she nearly skips the entire hour to a pond. Not just a pond, I realize as the temperature warms and the clearing comes into view; a small steaming lake next to an enormous tree.
"You can stay here as long you like," Clair says. "Do you need anything else?"
"We'll be alright." Keep being polite, keep the Archfey on your side. "But would you like to join us for a late lunch?" I add.
Her smile dims a little. "Food has already been delivered to the rooms, so take some time to eat and get settled." Rooms? I look at the oversized tree. There's a door in the trunk, and several holes for windows winding around it. "But I would love to join you for dinner." She smiles warmly, spins around and vanishes into the forest.
We enter the tree. The main door opens to a landing and circular staircase. Mordax, Luban, Morgan, and Alto begin selecting and playfully fighting over who's getting which room. I walk up the stairs a bit, picking one near the top. Despite the friendly atmosphere, I enter cautiously. This just seems too good to be true. No trouble? Nothing waiting the shadows? The room is mundane; a simple bed formed from the floor of the tree itself with a simple thick blanket and a soft feather pillow. A small window looks out over the large hot springs. It's... cozy.
I grab the leaf full of fruit on the bed and bring it outside. I eat, keeping an eye on the forest, still wary of the peace. Why? This is a reprieve from all the absurdity. Why can't I relax? Because the last time you were here, you let Arslan get turned to stone. You let Wen die. And you learned nothing from those mistakes. You continued to fail. Arslan is trapped now. Wander is dead. And you're still broken because you refuse to take the right actions. Why would you deserve peace when you're still letting me down? I scoot to the springs and splash water on my face, hiding the tears.

---

Clair returns near sunset, depositing a very large vegetable pot pie on a stump. We engage her in conversation, hoping to learn more about the other factions around here, but she doesn't really know anything. Only which factions are nice and which aren't—and her opinions are no surprise to us. The "horse people" are fine, the illithids are not. Nothing we don't disagree with.
Clair departs as the sunlight disappears. I head to bed, but catch Shen Po speaking with Luban. "... to him through his dreams," Shen Po says.
Luban considers for a moment. "It's worth the risk. Let's do it."
I narrow my eyes. Communicating through dreams to someone caught in the Shadowfell is too dangerous, but doing it to someone controlled by mind flayers isn't? I don't blame Luban or Shen Po for trying, but bitterness keeps me from falling asleep for some time.