\u201cIt\u2019s uncanny. She\u2019s rather like an enigma wrapped up in a bottle inside an aggravating pot enchanted to annoy you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026I understand what you\u2019re saying, but I\u2019d never have expected that line to come from you, Grand Strategist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMagus Grimalkin. Do you disagree?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at all. I would have simply abbreviated the analogy. Erin Solstice is more like someone with layers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike an onion?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026No.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I was going to say a multi-level shield spell. Why an\u2026onion?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you cook with onions? Either of you two?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not cook. I\u2019ve studied nutrition, but cooking is not a practice I need to or care to study.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can cook, Saliss. How is this germane to the conversation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just saying. Onions. Fry them up and they\u2019re good. You can toss some oil in a pan, some onions, and maybe a bit<\/em> of sauce or salt\u2014that\u2019s a snack.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHm. Nutritional value?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, they\u2019re onions. I use them in one of my cloud-based recipes. So you get a killing cloud of poison that smells like onions.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re being derailed. Be silent, Saliss. My point is simply that she\u2019s clever, intentionally or not. Grimalkin, you have experience with her. Is this\u2026normal?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmf. I\u2019d say it\u2019s partly unconscious. But she obfuscates intentionally. Nevertheless, I\u2019ve experienced this before. Not in this fashion, but a quiet, normal evening in this inn is a rare phenomenon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Why are we whispering?\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin and Chaldion both turned to look at Saliss. The third Drake paused.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean\u2014Chaldion\u2019s using his ring. Why are we whispering?\u201d<\/p>\n The other two Drakes stared at the [Alchemist]. \u2018Annoyed\u2019 was a mild word to describe how they felt about Saliss. Resigned, aggravated\u2014you had to combine descriptors. But the Named Adventurer was the best [Alchemist] in all of Pallass, perhaps the world. He was more useful than he looked. And\u2014well, he was also hard to get rid of.<\/p>\n Moreover, he was among equals, in a sense. Grimalkin, the [Sinew Magus], and Chaldion, [Grand Strategist] in charge of Pallass\u2019 armies, were both famed and influential. If anything, Grimalkin<\/em> was the lesser figure here, if anyone was being a stickler for the exact nuance of rank.<\/p>\n No one was. And the three Drakes outranked and mattered more than anyone else in the inn in which they stood. And yet\u2014they stood in a corner, talking. They were here, having taken time out of their incredibly busy schedules\u2014again, Saliss being a sort of exception\u2014to come here.<\/p>\n Because of a Human. Erin Solstice. And at this moment, Chaldion and Saliss were experiencing a phenomenon Grimalkin, in his personal notes, was dubbing the \u2018Erin-chaos effect\u2019.<\/p>\n Chaldion went on, looking around. He stopped whispering as Saliss, still nude, busily mushed up something in a mortar with a pestle. It was amazing how fast you could get used to a naked Drake. No one in the inn even paused to stare at Saliss. There were more important matters to deal with.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Gnoll child is gone. I\u2019ve scried this entire area. Even with her full name\u2014she\u2019s gone. That should not be possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin nodded. The [Magus] paused, and then extended a claw. Saliss glanced up as the burly Drake murmured.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha Stone Spears. [Scry].\u201d<\/p>\n There was a flash and his eyes glowed blue-white. Grimalkin paused.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing. It could be the scrying spell is struggling with Gnollish naming conventions. Plains Gnolls don\u2019t have last names. [Scry] Mrsha Stonespears.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m used to [Scrying] spells, Magus. I can\u2019t imagine we\u2019d both fail. But yes, it is cumbersome.\u201d<\/p>\n Chaldion sighed. He flipped up his eye patch and his blue pearl fake eye glowed with the same magic.<\/p>\n \u201c[Scry]. Krshia Silverfang.\u201d<\/p>\n This time, something clearly happened. Chaldion\u2019s eye continued to glow. Saliss turned and waved at the ceiling, from where Chaldion\u2019s magical gaze was coming. Grimalkin looked up too. You could actually detect a [Scrying] spell if you knew where to look. Chaldion nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cPerfectly clear.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned and all three Drakes stared at the tall Gnoll woman, the [Shopkeeper] who was one of many people in the inn. Krshia was conferring with Elirr and some other Gnolls, trying to pick up on Mrsha\u2019s scent.<\/p>\n They\u2019d all failed. And after two hours since Mrsha\u2019s disappearance, the not-panic had involved more than just the inn\u2019s guests. Relc had appeared, on-duty, as had Klbkch, two Councilmembers from Liscor\u2014it could be said that even Zevara was taking an interest through her Senior Guardsmen.<\/p>\n No one had found Mrsha. Now, the not-panic was becoming something more than a concern. But Chaldion was cool-headed. He looked at Grimalkin and Saliss.<\/p>\n \u201cThe name is not the issue. Wherever the child is, she either possesses a Skill or artifact that can defeat a [Scrying] spell\u2014and scent\u2014and turn her invisible to Antinium Workers and leave no trail\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr something got her.\u201d<\/p>\n The others nodded. Saliss paused as there was a sound from the doors. Everyone in the inn turned. A Centaur trotted in, breathing hard. He looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cNo news. Sorry. I ran all the way down to the road north. No one\u2019s seen her.\u201d<\/p>\n He was looking around for Lyonette or Erin, but the two were still out looking. Relc was at the Bloodfields, scouting around with Klbkch. They\u2019d checked Pallass already; the guards had denied seeing a white Gnoll. Esthelm was being investigated by Erin herself. Liscor was looking out for Mrsha and Elirr had checked Krshia\u2019s apartment.<\/p>\n And Celum\u2026well, that was another thing. Chaldion paused.<\/p>\n \u201cPut aside the child for now. Let\u2019s focus on what happened. Just as I was attempting to speak with that young woman, this incident happened. As well\u2014Celum has suddenly decided to refuse entry through their magical door.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood summarizing. I ate eggs today for breakfast. With toast.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss murmured. Chaldion ignored him. He looked at Grimalkin.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve said that getting information out of Miss Solstice is difficult, Magus Grimalkin. I assumed it was because you didn\u2019t press<\/em> her. Now I\u2019m beginning to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn fairness, the events with Celum were a long time coming. And Mrsha\u2019s disappearance could just be chance. I doubt Erin Solstice wanted either event. However\u2014I have witnessed her deliberately causing this kind of incident. Did you know, half of her guests assumed Pallass was attacked because she was vacationing there? The rumor is that she has a Skill which attracts trouble\u2014or luck, as the case may be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? <\/em>I\u2019ve met [Gamblers] who can do that. You think if I tag along with her, she can do something really entertaining? Like, say, accidentally knocking down one of Pallass\u2019 walls?\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss\u2019 eyes gleamed. Chaldion turned his head and glared.<\/p>\n \u201cSir <\/em>Saliss, if you have nothing to add, please remove yourself from my presence.\u201d<\/p>\n His voice was icy. And the Grand Strategist of Pallass was normally known for being even-tempered. Cunning, deliberate, ruthless\u2014but seldom just angry or annoyed. Then again, Saliss was Saliss and they had a long history. Grimalkin folded his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cErin Solstice\u2019s place of origin and history are part of her mystery. I personally suspect that she\u2019s hiding something incredibly significant, but as I\u2019ve said, this is only a supposition based on no proof but instinct.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that is why I am here, Grimalkin. I just can\u2019t help but marvel at the timing of her coincidences.\u201d<\/p>\n Chaldion\u2019s eyes narrowed. He, too, sensed something, even if he couldn\u2019t put it into words. Erin Solstice\u2019s ability at chess, her personality, her knowledge of\u2026lifting\u2026all of it spoke to the [Grand Strategist]. Yet, like Grimalkin, he didn\u2019t even have the framework to guess at the truth.<\/p>\n \u201cI just came here for the food. And Xif keeps bragging so I wanted to annoy him. Plus, I wanted to see what Liscor\u2019s prison looks like. No one\u2019s arresting me in Pallass anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss scratched at the scales on his butt. Grimalkin sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cSir Saliss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWow. You say that so unironically. I haven\u2019t heard someone do that in years<\/em>. Do it again!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSir Saliss, have you tried to locate the child?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Alchemist] paused. He sighed as Grimalkin gave him a look devoid of humor. The adventurer grew serious for one reluctant moment.<\/p>\n \u201cNo smells, no unusual sights. I used two good potions, too. It is weird. Kids don\u2019t have Skills that good. Even if she was Level 20 or something\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cImpossible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNah, it\u2019s happened. I think the record is Level 21 at age seven.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChild soldiers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh.\u201d<\/p>\n The three Drakes grew quiet again. They eyed the room. It was full of stillness and motion. People were reacting to the situation as befit their personalities. Some, like Drassi, were rushing about, getting water for the panting Palt, encouraging other people, working to keep themselves from worrying.<\/p>\n Others, like Krshia and Elirr, were still. Waiting for\u2026something. Then they\u2019d move like wildfire.<\/p>\n But what<\/em> were they waiting for? The worst? A miracle? No one could say. But Grimalkin, Chaldion, and Saliss stood together, outsiders to this inn. They didn\u2019t know Mrsha well. Even Grimalkin was a more sporadic visitor. He turned as there was a sound from the hallway.<\/p>\n \u201cErin! Where\u2019s Erin?\u201d<\/p>\n Every head turned, hopefully, expectantly. Saliss just glanced up and went back to grinding in his little pewter bowl. The door opened and a team of four rushed in.<\/p>\n Adventurers. The Halfseekers. Ulinde, their newest member, followed Seborn, Moore, and Jelaqua. All four were panting.<\/p>\n \u201cI just heard. Has anyone found Mrsha? We\u2019ll help look!\u201d<\/p>\n Jelaqua stared about the room. Krshia hurried over to her. Moore bent over as the Halfseekers listened to the Gnoll woman; Moore\u2019s face was one of anguish and worry.<\/p>\n \u201cLot of strange people around here.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss murmured as he poured the powdered Eir Kelp into one vial for making a healing potion with later. Chaldion glanced up sharply.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, their classes. Which ones?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have no idea what you\u2019re talking about. Isn\u2019t that what all your investigations are supposed to turn up?\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss fluttered his eyes at Chaldion. The [Grand Strategist] turned away. The [Alchemist] did not<\/em> look directly at Krshia. The three Drakes fell silent as Jelaqua took her team upstairs, to look at the spot where Mrsha had been.<\/p>\n They were being logical, and keeping their heads in the panic. Better than Krshia or the others; their veneer of control was just that. But the three Drakes were calm, used to graver crises than this. But it had to be said that they were also\u2026<\/p>\n Embarrassed. Frankly, that was the emotion that unified the three. They were all the most important people in the room. And yet\u2014they\u2019d been just as stumped by Mrsha\u2019s disappearance.<\/p>\n It was like she\u2019d vanished. And between the three Drakes, that was a hard thing to admit. If Mrsha had been teleported, even with [Greater Teleport], there would have been a magical residue. If she\u2019d been attacked, carried off, Saliss would have scented it.<\/p>\n Chaldion had gone through the same logical exercises that Pyrite had, but every avenue revealed no white Gnoll. Not even Celum; the City Watch and Octavia both denied seeing Mrsha and the odds of her being in the city were remote.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has to be a Skill. But whose?\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin growled. Chaldion folded his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cAnother point to investigate. My time was not wasted coming here. However\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Every head turned as Erin Solstice appeared. She walked through the front doors leading to the trapped hallway.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not in Esthelm. I think\u2026I think she\u2019s here. Lyonette. I\u2019m certain of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The [Innkeeper] turned to Lyonette. The [Princess]\u2019s hand was bleeding. The Gnolls smelled it and Saliss\u2019 keen eyes saw the blood from where her fingernails had cut into her skin. But neither one was panicking, or wailing. What good would that do? And Erin Solstice\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s here. I wasn\u2019t sure at first, but I know it, Lyonette. That\u2019s why I\u2019m not panicking. Mrsha\u2019s\u2026here.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin slowly walked into the inn. She looked around, her eyebrows furrowed. Staring around and searching for\u2026something. Lyonette followed her, white-faced.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019ve searched everywhere! She wouldn\u2019t have hidden! Mrsha\u2019s not like that! Once she heard us calling out\u2014did she fall into one of Belgrade\u2019s traps? I told him\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. She\u2019s here. But not\u2026here.\u201d<\/p>\n The young woman cut Lyonette off. She was visibly confused. Erin looked around, and then straight at Saliss.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHi. Yes I am.\u201d<\/p>\n He waved at her. Erin ignored Saliss. Her gaze wandered the room.<\/p>\n \u201cIs Palt here? Or Montressa?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, hello! How can we help?\u201d<\/p>\n Montressa interrupted the exhausted Centaur. The [Aegiscaster] hurried over, staff in hand. Erin nodded to her as Beza hung back.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you do something for me? Turn invisible?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want to do?\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin was curious too. Erin looked at all three [Mages].<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll turn my back. Go invisible and hide.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cErin\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m testing something, Lyonette.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive us ten seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n The three [Mages] exchanged looks. Erin turned around and all three vanished. Saliss and Chaldion both didn\u2019t blink, and their eyes followed patches of air moving across the room.<\/p>\n The others weren\u2019t able to track the [Mages] so well. The Gnolls sniffed the air, getting approximate locations. Drassi noticed a chair moving as Montressa bumped it. Lyonette recoiled from a breeze. But then there was just silence.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026nine\u2026ten\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Erin finished counting. She held still. Her eyes were closed and she faced a wall. She didn\u2019t immediately turn around. Instead, her head rose. And then the [Innkeeper] thoughtfully spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cPalt is upstairs. Somehow. Montressa\u2019s in the kitchen. And Grimalkin\u2019s\u2026not in the inn.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette stared at Erin\u2019s back. There was an exclamation from the kitchen and Montressa reappeared. Someone went to get Palt.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Grimalkin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOutside.\u201d<\/p>\n A number of voices chorused. Drassi went to fetch Grimalkin. He strode back in.<\/p>\n \u201cI walked down the hill. Your findings?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin spun around. Her eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t do this when I was Level 20.\u201d<\/p>\n Chaldion eyed Erin. Saliss just grinned. Erin Solstice looked at Lyonette. The [Princess] was piecing together what Erin had understood.<\/p>\n \u201cSo\u2014so you\u2019re sensing Mrsha? You know she\u2019s here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am. That\u2019s why I wasn\u2019t that worried, Lyonette. I thought it was my imagination. But Mrsha is<\/em> in my inn. Just not\u2026here, here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that<\/em> mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know. She\u2019s in my inn. But she\u2019s not anywhere I know.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone looked as perplexed as Erin. She hadn\u2019t figured it out yet. The Grand Strategist\u2019s eyes narrowed though. He touched his ring and created another space to whisper to the other two Drakes in. Grimalkin walked over and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThe [Princess]?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Perhaps a new facet of her class. A new Skill. Didn\u2019t she mention having two?\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin and Chaldion were beginning to put it together. They exchanged significant looks. Saliss\u2026well, he glanced at Erin as he put another bit of dried Eir Kelp in his bowl to mash up.<\/p>\n It was only a matter of time before she figured it out. She\u2019d fooled even him. For a moment. Then he\u2019d put it together.<\/p>\n Saliss\u2019 eyes were reptilian, a long vertical pupil instead of rounded ones, like Gnolls and Humans had. Like a Dragon\u2019s eyes, although Dragons would balk at being compared to their descendants. Yet, Saliss\u2019 eyes were more like a Dragon\u2019s than most.<\/p>\n They narrowed, now. Watching Erin Solstice. And Saliss saw\u2026all there was to see.<\/p>\n [Eyes of Appraisal]. A Skill for an [Alchemist]. Saliss looked at Erin and he saw her level, her class. Her Skills. He nodded to himself. Unusual Skills for an [Innkeeper], some of them. She had a weird distribution.<\/p>\n An [Innkeeper] who had to fight monsters got Skills like these. One who valued people more than, say, the ability to conjure up free food each day, or who had the ability to boost her staff into working like fiends. But clearly, she didn\u2019t know how at least two of her Skills worked.<\/p>\n Well, well<\/em>. The [Alchemist] busily mashed up the second bit of kelp as Grimalkin and Chaldion walked over to Erin and her head kept turning. He was just a bystander, watching the show. If she or Lyonette had started crying, he\u2019d probably have given her a tip.<\/p>\n But at the moment? Saliss looked into his bowl, with a serious, detached expression on his face. Anyone looking at him would have assumed he was just as grave and concerned as everyone else. But the truth was that Saliss was trying really hard not to laugh.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Mrsha stood in another place, a strange world she\u2019d entered when she\u2019d fled from Lyonette. It was completely foreign to her.<\/p>\n Soft grass covered the ground. Behind her stood a dark brown, wooden wall covered with vines. The door had allowed her in. And then vanished.<\/p>\n It looked like the wood of the inn. But older, weathered. Solid. It stretched up, curving. And it became the sky. Mrsha stared at it. It had taken her fifteen minutes to pry away the creeping vines to expose the sight of the wooden wall. Like ivy, it had subsumed the actual surface.<\/p>\n Now, Mrsha sat back. The wall rose, arching, creating the shadowed dome that she realized encircled this entire place. But it was so tall.<\/em> And there were no supports. It was an unnatural structure, to Mrsha. Perhaps you could make something like this in reality, but where had this<\/em> come from?<\/p>\n She had been in Erin\u2019s inn. And now\u2026Mrsha\u2019s small head went up and up, looking around.<\/p>\n She was lost here. The door was gone. And the wooden wall that was so familiar and different created a domed, circular room.<\/p>\n All but in one place. The dome of wood and twisting vines stopped in the air. And a large, circular center let bright light shine down into this strange area. Mrsha saw the beam of light, illuminating the world ahead.<\/p>\n She wiggled her paws in the grass. It was so soft.<\/em> Not like full-grown, whippy grass with seeds and other plants mixed in. This was pleasant. Soft. You could roll about in it forever.<\/p>\n Mrsha did, for a bit. She felt her anxiety disappearing. She should have been afraid, snatched away to somewhere else. But she wasn\u2019t. Instinctively, Mrsha felt reassured and she couldn\u2019t have said why. Her [Druid] class told her she was safe.<\/p>\n And so did something else. This world was familiar.<\/em> If anything, Mrsha just wanted to find the door so she could show Lyonette. But\u2014she was still angry. So Mrsha decided to explore. Maybe she\u2019d find the door when she did.<\/p>\n Shade engulfed this part of the\u2026garden. And Mrsha saw that light would seldom come here. Grass grew in places, like where she\u2019d walked in. But soft, loamy soil was just as frequent. Mrsha stopped as she saw a large stone with huge mushrooms growing next to them. She sniffed cautiously, but she recognized some of them. All edible, according to Urksh.<\/p>\n Mrsha nearly nibbled a few, but she wasn\u2019t hungry. They were big mushrooms, though. She looked around. And blinked.<\/p>\n This space wasn\u2019t one flat place. It was large\u2014large enough to hold a small hill in one section. Mrsha saw the sunlit ground sloping up. But the garden was divided into different spots.<\/p>\n She stood in the shade, here. And Mrsha saw something curious.<\/p>\n A ring of mushrooms. It was a big circle in the middle of the grass. The Gnoll trotted over, fascinated by the way the little, purple shrooms sprang up yet kept to the formation. She put one paw in the center of the circle, and then leapt in.<\/p>\n Mrsha\u2019s hair stood up on her body. She inhaled, and waited. But nothing happened. The Gnoll child laughed silently. She rolled around in the grass, and then hopped up. And she knew, knew,<\/em> that this place had been meant for her. So she began to run.<\/p>\n Soft dirt and shade. A mushroom as large as Mrsha. The soft smell of decay, and life budding again in shadows. A glowing strand of fungus. And under a rock\u2014<\/p>\n Nothing. Mrsha saw no bugs. She should<\/em> have. Bugs loved to live in places like this. But the only living thing besides the plants was her. Mrsha ran ahead, and found there was a little path of flat stones. Who had made it? Why?<\/p>\n She followed it. It ran right, sloping upwards. Mrsha raced up, laughing to run<\/em> freely. She couldn\u2019t run in the inn without hitting something! But this\u2014<\/p>\n The white Gnoll crested a bit of earth and stopped. She beheld more of the garden. And she saw at the center of the area, bathed in sunlight, was a plateau.<\/p>\n Filled with flowers. A meadow sprang to life on the upraised dirt in the middle section. Large enough to play in. Not to play baseball, but throw a ball as far as anyone but Relc could. Mrsha saw big flowers blooming, and stalks of wheat, full-grown grass, and no stones or weeds or anything hurtful in sight.<\/p>\n Her eyes grew round, and then the Gnoll ran joyfully into the meadow. She leapt through the flowers, inhaling a dozen pollens and sneezing gleefully. Mrsha emerged through the other side and looked back. But no butterflies or small animals ran from her rampage.<\/p>\n That gave her a moment\u2019s pause. Not seeing any other life was eerie. But she couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that she was safe.<\/em> It was a certainty. Mrsha saw how every color of flower bloomed. Well, except black. But it was uncanny to see so many different colors, as if someone had intentionally created the diversity.<\/p>\n Mrsha trotted over to a lovely pink flower blooming in the grass. She hesitated, then gathered it up, and a few yellow ones, a white one there\u2014she made a little bouquet. So Lyonette would not be mad. She\u2019d be happy to see this place.<\/p>\n But where was<\/em> she? Again, Mrsha looked around. She raced to one edge of the meadow. There! There was the mushroom-spot. And if you circled the\u2026dome\u2026<\/p>\n Mrsha stared. Then she abandoned the flowers and raced down the hill. She tripped, tumbled, and nearly fell into the pond.<\/p>\n It was most definitely a pond. Mrsha caught herself and gazed into the clear waters. She sniffed, and tasted experimentally. Good water.<\/em> Mrsha cupped her paws and drank some. Then she frowned.<\/p>\n The pond wasn\u2019t being fed by anything. It ran up against the wall, and Mrsha, peering in, could see smooth stones making up the base. And a bit of sand. But\u2014she was no hydrologist, but she understood water had to come from somewhere<\/em>.<\/p>\n The white Gnoll peered at the clear pond, and then at the plants growing around here\u2014now, more suited to a swamp or lakeside biome. She spun, and raced back up to the central meadow. Plants. Which wanted water and sunlight.<\/p>\n Mrsha looked up at the hole in the roof. And she saw the sky. It shone down, a bright ray of sunlight. She saw blue skies. Clouds. It\u2026looked<\/em> like the very same sky as she\u2019d seen from Liscor. Then, Mrsha spotted something through the hole. She ran left. It vanished. No\u2014she ran right, nearly falling down the small incline again. And then she spotted it.<\/p>\n Aha!<\/em> The Gnoll pointed with one paw. There, peeking out if she craned back. A mountain!<\/p>\n The High Passes. Wherever she was, this dome reflected the sky above Liscor. Which meant\u2026Mrsha ran back to the pond and sniffed<\/em>.<\/p>\n Rainwater, probably. Runoff from the sky. Mrsha nodded to herself. That made sense. Contented, Mrsha ran back a few paces, and then leapt.<\/em><\/p>\n The white Gnoll splashed<\/em> into the pond and happily swum around. With a breaststroke, rather than a doggy paddle, thank-you-very-much. Who called it that, anyways?<\/p>\n Erin could be so weird. Mrsha dove, touching the smooth stones at the bottom. She swam around, delighted to do it. No one had let her swim in the rain, and she\u2019d missed<\/em> swimming. Plains Gnolls swam all the time in ponds or lakes or rivers they came across. Some City Gnolls her age didn\u2019t even know how<\/em> to swim, like Ekirra.<\/p>\n After a minute or two, Mrsha surfaced. She clambered out of the pond and shook herself. Okay, like a dog. A bit miffed, Mrsha looked back into the pond.<\/p>\n No fish, either.<\/em> She was beginning to sense a trend. Huffily, Mrsha ran back up the meadow and lay in the sun for a while. It was so pleasant.<\/em><\/p>\n Mrsha might have taken a nap. Just for a bit! Because she woke up when a cloud obstructed the sun for a moment. The white Gnoll got up. And she remembered.<\/p>\n Lyonette was still mad with her. And she was gone from the inn.<\/em> Vaguely alarmed, Mrsha sat up. This place was<\/em> doing something to her. She\u2019d forgotten all about Lyonette!<\/p>\n This time Mrsha ran down the hill and back to where the door had been in the soft soil. The stone path even led right up to\u2026nothing. Mrsha could see where she\u2019d cleared the vines from the wooden wall. But there was no door.<\/p>\n Frowning, Mrsha sat there and stared at the spot. The door was still gone. But perhaps it would come if she wanted it to? Mrsha paused.<\/p>\n Did<\/em> she want it to? She backed up from the spot a bit nervously. She was going to get scolded<\/em>. Maybe\u2014maybe she should explore a bit more. So Lyonette wouldn\u2019t be as angry when she came back. Oh! There were still more spots to see! She should explore this entire place so Lyonette and Erin would know what was what when Mrsha got out.<\/p>\n Mrsha ran off, relieved at this sensible Mrsha-logic. She raced past the pond, doing a circuit rather than climbing higher. She\u2019d spotted a path leading higher, and a large hill running up against the dome\u2019s side, but she wanted to explore the low ground first. Mrsha ran around the wall\u2014<\/p>\n And entered into a sea of fog. One second, Mrsha was leaving the pond, the next\u2014white enshrouded her. Instantly, the Gnoll fled backwards. Wet fog clung to her fur for a second, and then she was back out.<\/p>\n The Gnoll stared ahead. At the base of the hill was a spot enshrouded in fog. Like\u2014well, fog. Cloud, that rolled in when the air was thick with wet. But this was unnatural.<\/p>\n It was moving.<\/em> Mrsha backed up as the fog slowly rolled around her. Her fur became wet with dew. Mrsha inhaled\u2014yes, fog. It was wetting the grass and\u2014Mrsha saw as the fog went past her that this new spot was dense<\/em>. Trees sprang up in profusion. Wild sycamores, tall fronds\u2014<\/p>\n A jungle! Mrsha the [Explorer] needed something to hack at the plants with. She looked around and found a stick. Mrsha fought her way into the first layer of dense vegetation\u2014<\/p>\n And immediately backed out when a burr-bush got her fur. There were<\/em> dangerous plants here! True, this one was just little seeds, but a put-out Mrsha had to yank the sixteen or so burrs that had got her from a swift encounter. She glared at the jungle.<\/p>\n No thank you!<\/em> Mrsha ran the other way.<\/p>\n Through the fog again. It was travelling around the entire place! Mrsha raced through it\u2014went right into the pond.<\/p>\n She clambered out, glowering. Well now! She supposed the fog helped keep the place nice and growing. It went uphill, rather than go near the mushrooms. Because they didn\u2019t need as much water? Mrsha went left, declining to run through the fog and hit something.<\/p>\n The other side of the hill had\u2026dryness. Arid land. Mrsha sensed it was drier here almost immediately; the fog had definitely not done good work. And she stared at a tree blooming in the yellow grass.<\/p>\n Mrsha had never seen an acacia tree before. The tall, broad canopy was foreign to her. A tree, but different in ways of nuance. If a sycamore was one big base with branches all full of leaves, creating a\u2026a\u2026bushy effect, an acacia was more like a mushroom.<\/p>\n It let all its green near the top, creating a hat, an umbrella to create shade, to allow dew to gather in the mornings. Mrsha stared up at it, and then at the yellow, dry grass.<\/p>\n What a strange place! And this tree\u2014Mrsha spotted browning\u2026things hanging off the branches. She peered up at them. They looked a bit like bean pods, but far larger. Seeds? She nearly climbed the tree, but forewarned with the tropical zone, Mrsha spotted the tiny thorns on the tree.<\/p>\n So, this place had some mean plants. Mrsha backed up from the tree. It wasn\u2019t overtly hostile; nothing in this area screamed \u2018Bloodfields\u2019 at Mrsha. Certainly, none of the plants were alive like the biting plants with mouths. Some just had thorns, or stupid seeds.<\/p>\n But it made Mrsha feel like this spot had moods. Dry, shaded, jungle, wet.<\/p>\n Marshlands, arid, tropical, temperate\u2014<\/em>Mrsha turned around. And finally, she got it. She ran back up to the meadow and stared around. This was it.<\/p>\n The [Garden of Sanctuary]. It had taken Mrsha a while to figure out what it was, but there could be no doubt. Erin\u2019s Skill had worked<\/em>. It was just that Mrsha had been the first to find the door in.<\/p>\n Awed, Mrsha looked around. The garden bloomed about her. Wild plants, blooming in profusion. Different spots, which could host different plants. The Gnoll took all of this in. And then she laughed.<\/p>\n Mrsha laughed. Silently, giggling as she fell onto her back. Of course! The garden! And Erin had thought her Skill was bad<\/em>. But this!<\/p>\n This was another world. A safe haven. Mrsha leapt around the meadow, imagining what it could become. You could grow anything<\/em> here! The Faerie Flowers that Lyonette were worried might be stolen could grow here! She could put fish in the pond and Relc could teach her to fish with his spear! Apista would love<\/em> it here. And maybe a few butterflies? Mrsha could see a few rabbits, birds\u2014unless Bird killed them all.<\/p>\n And it was safe<\/em>. The door had come when Mrsha wanted it. Surely, it would let her out again. A safe place that only Mrsha and her best friends and family could enter. She could run about here forever, with Ekirra, Visma\u2014and no one would ever be able to hurt her.<\/p>\n It was perfect. Now, twice as excited, Mrsha ran about, sniffing everything. Mushrooms for food! Maybe you could eat some of the stuff in the jungle? What\u2014what if Erin grew Blue Fruit trees here? Or\u2014or some of the fruit trees that Mrsha knew about? She\u2019d help! She could grow things because she was a [Druid]!<\/p>\n Excitedly, Mrsha grabbed her wand and began growing magic grass. It wilted after a little bit of course, but she was overjoyed. She had to show Lyonette and Erin! They\u2019d be so excited\u2014<\/p>\n Maybe they\u2019d forgive her for the cake?<\/em><\/p>\n Mrsha paused. Her face fell.<\/p>\n Uh oh. She\u2019d forgotten. And\u2014Mrsha didn\u2019t know how long she\u2019d been asleep after her nap, but she had a sinking feeling she was in more<\/em> trouble. Wasn\u2019t that how it worked? Somehow, if you ran away from trouble with adults, you just got into more.<\/p>\n The Gnoll\u2019s ears flattened. She peered around. But the door wasn\u2019t here. Because Mrsha really<\/em> didn\u2019t want to go back. She knew she had to, but maybe she should wait until it was dark? Pretend she couldn\u2019t come back, that she was lost here? Maybe if Lyonette worried, she\u2019d be nicer.<\/p>\n But she would worry.<\/em> Mrsha knew that too. Guilt squeezed Mrsha\u2019s heart, but it was warring with her desire not to be scolded. Mrsha looked around, unhappy. And then she turned and saw the hill.<\/p>\n It was a tiny hill, but it was the last spot not explored. The central meadow and the stone path sloped up towards it. The last spot Mrsha hadn\u2019t explored. The Gnoll cub paused, but then she padded up the steps.<\/p>\n Just a moment longer before she went to face her punishment. Mrsha walked up the stones neatly set into the earth. And she wondered\u2014who had made all this? Was it just the product of the Skill? Or had someone designed it?<\/p>\n She got her answer as she climbed the hill. It was steeper here, although Mrsha doubted you could break anything even if you leapt from this spot. It was Erin\u2019s [Garden of Sanctuary], after all.<\/p>\n But there was a stillness up here. As Mrsha reached the crest of the hill, she turned her head. She could see the entire garden below her. It was a commanding view, and she would love nothing more than to roll down the hill.<\/p>\n Not yet, though. The air was solemn here. Too quiet. Mrsha\u2019s fur began to stand up. She could tell that the top of the hill could get some light from the hole in the dome. And it felt like a perfect day.<\/p>\n A single tree bloomed in the middle of grass. Just grass. It was a surreal scene. As if someone had cultivated this space. And then Mrsha saw what lay in front of the tree. And her hair rose even more.<\/p>\n A bench.<\/em> It was just a bench. Made of wood and smooth metal. But it was unnatural. Not a plant, not meant to be here<\/em>. Because\u2014Mrsha felt that someone had to have made<\/em> it. You couldn\u2019t just conjure a bench. Right?<\/p>\n To begin with, benches were foreign to Plains Gnolls. Mrsha approached it, slowly. It sat in the grass, waiting for someone to sit. It was an invention of cities. More at home to Erin\u2019s world, the idea that you needed something to sit on rather than the ground.<\/p>\n And indeed, this bench might have come from Erin\u2019s world. It looked worn, not new and shiny. It smelled like that to Mrsha. As if it had always been here. It even looked comfortable, although Mrsha could see putting a pillow there and napping.<\/p>\n She ran her paws over the wood. No splinters. But\u2014what was the point of this hill? The grass? The bench? The tree? It was a serene sight, but Mrsha felt there was something<\/em> here.<\/p>\n Waiting for her. She slowly walked left. And then\u2014it was there. It surely hadn\u2019t been a moment ago. Mrsha had seen the entire hill in a moment. But like the door, it was suddenly present.<\/p>\n A table. Like the bench, it was familiar. Wooden. Worn. But suddenly\u2014here<\/em>. Without explanation. And now the bench was gone. But that wasn\u2019t what held Mrsha\u2019s gaze. It wasn\u2019t what stopped her. Stopped her cold, and made her heart freeze.<\/p>\n The table waited. And something\u2026no, someone sat there. Looking at her. An unblinking face, smiling at the Gnoll, at the world, and nothing at all.<\/p>\n Mrsha was was transfixed by what she had found waiting here, as if it had been there forever, anticipating the moment she climbed this hill.<\/p>\n Then Mrsha knew the truth of what the [Garden of Sanctuary] held. She stared for a second. A minute. Longer. And then the Gnoll child fled.<\/p>\n She ran away, crying. Mrsha tumbled down the hill, raced through the valley of flowers. Down, the little stone walkway. The door was waiting for her. She flung it open, raced through.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014but I don\u2019t know how to activate the garden! I thought I needed a garden\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin Solstice was arguing with Grimalkin and Chaldion in the common room of the inn. Mrsha raced through the door and nearly smacked<\/em> into her legs. The Gnoll stopped herself.<\/p>\n For a moment no one registered Mrsha. Heads turned. Everyone froze. Then someone shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette grabbed for Mrsha. She swung the Gnoll up.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin jumped<\/em>. The [Sinew Magus] looked more spooked by Mrsha\u2019s reappearance than Erin could ever remember seeing him. Mrsha had appeared out of nowhere! But Erin was already hugging Mrsha.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere were you?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The little white Gnoll had tears in her eyes. But she was more confused by the exclamations than anything else. Lyonette squeezed<\/em>, looking frantic.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere in the world\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t see her come in! How did she\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin spun, looking for the point where Mrsha had entered from. But there was only blank wall, next to the bar. He turned back as a crowd engulfed Mrsha.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s alright!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs she hurt? She\u2019s crying\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe smells like\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone back! Give her some room!\u201d<\/p>\n Relc exclaimed, pulling people out of the way. Bewildered, crying for different reasons, Mrsha saw all the adults crowding around her. Lyonette was tearful\u2014and Mrsha, seeing everyone\u2019s worried faces, realized how long she\u2019d been away.<\/p>\n \u201cI was so\u2014so afraid\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette\u2019s eyes were flowing. And Mrsha began to cry again as well, not even knowing fully why<\/em>, only that Lyonette was sad. She hugged Lyonette, trying to apologize silently. Grimalkin looked about, opened his mouth as he reached for Erin\u2019s shoulder, but Saliss nudged him.<\/p>\n The [Sinew Magus] blinked, and fell silent. He let the [Innkeeper] hug Mrsha without interruption. Drassi rushed out of the room to find all the other searchers, and so did Palt and a few more.<\/p>\n It took a long time for everything to settle back down into normalcy. Explanations had to be given. Some people had still been looking, like the Halfseekers, and they had to come back and see Mrsha was well.<\/p>\n The little Gnoll was much chastised. She shrank down as she saw all the worried people who had to hug her. Lyonette nearly scolded her\u2014until she saw how guilty Mrsha was.<\/p>\n And then they finally had to ask where Mrsha had gone.<\/em> Grimalkin was the first to point it out. He looked around the crowded room, filled with all of Erin\u2019s friends and acquaintances who\u2019d come for her. For Mrsha.<\/p>\n Selys, Krshia, Olesm, Klbkch, Relc, Zevara, Elirr, Palt, Montressa, Beza, Chaldion, Saliss, Jelaqua, Moore, Seborn, Bird\u2014and the Antinium were missing since Klbkch had forbidden them from leaving the Hive. Octavia and Numbtongue were presumably in Celum, and people like Rufelt, Lasica, Bevussa\u2019s team, and so on weren\u2019t here. Or the Horns, or\u2026<\/p>\n But there were so many. An [Innkeeper]\u2019s strength was in her friends. And they\u2019d come, at her call. Even him. Grimalkin paused. Then he interrupted Lyonette, still holding Mrsha as if to never let go.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere did she go? And where did she come from?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. Mrsha, honey, where were<\/em> you? We were so worried! Didn\u2019t you hear us? How did you get past the Workers? Did you jump out the window?\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette was caught between being angry and gentle. Mrsha shrank, flinching at all the stares. Apista flew possessively over Mrsha\u2019s head. Erin shielded Mrsha from some of the looks.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one\u2019s angry, Mrsha. We were just worried. You were gone for two<\/em> hours, but we\u2019re all happy you\u2019re back. But we\u2019d like to know. We\u2019re not angry, right?\u201d<\/p>\n She turned her head. Everyone nodded hurriedly. Grimalkin uncrossed his arms as Saliss nudged him again.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are not good with children, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that got to do with my work?\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin glowered at the [Alchemist]. He tried to smile at Mrsha. The Gnoll hid her face in Lyonette\u2019s chest. The [Princess] glowered at Grimalkin.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe turn around.\u201d<\/p>\n The Named Adventurer suggested cheerfully. Grimalkin blew out his cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me try.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt clicked his fingers. Mrsha looked up to see a happy, smiling crowd around her. The [Illusionist]\u2019s spell even turned Grimalkin happy.<\/p>\n Affronted, the [Sinew Magus] immediately dispelled the magic.<\/p>\n \u201cMay we stop with the tricks? Where did she come<\/em> from? I have excellent awareness, but she snuck up on me. Even most [Rogues] can\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded at Seborn. The Drowned Man raised an eyebrow and Jelaqua patted his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can try later, Seborn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha? Can you tell us where you were? We\u2019re not mad.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette whispered to Mrsha. The Gnoll nodded, wiping her eyes on the handkerchief Apista flew towards her. She immediately began signing with her paws.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? What is she doing?\u201d<\/p>\n Chaldion wasn\u2019t in the know about Mrsha. He stared at the Gnoll child.<\/p>\n \u201cI think she\u2019s mute.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? That cute little Gnoll? I thought she was shy!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Palt stared, nearly dropping his cigar he\u2019d lit up in relief. Beza slapped his side.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be an ass\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know! How\u2019s she supposed to tell us\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut up!\u201d<\/p>\n Across the room, Watch Captain Zevara was standing with Relc and Klbkch. She was a bit out of place, but she\u2019d come when Drassi had told her. The Watch Captain wasn\u2019t a huge friend of the inn, but every instinct told her she should know what new mischief was brewing now. Her eyes, thought, were locked on Grand Strategist Chaldion<\/em> of Pallass and Saliss of Lights. Even the Halfseekers were sneaking looks at them.<\/p>\n \u201cGuardsman Relc?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Captain Z?\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara ignored that.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are three of Pallass\u2019 biggest names in this inn? Klbkch?\u201d<\/p>\n The Antinium shrugged. He was eying Chaldion too. Relc scratched at his neck spines.<\/p>\n \u201cDunno, Captain. They were here when we showed up. We were pursuing the Bearclaw lead\u2014someone\u2019s watching her, right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnother Senior Guard pairing. So are they here to pay\u2026Erin Solstice a visit?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooks like it.\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara gulped. She looked at Erin and Lyonette. The young [Innkeeper] was frowning.<\/p>\n \u201cWait, you were afraid, I got that. Lyonette wasn\u2019t really<\/em> mad, Mrsha. But go back. You did what?\u201d<\/p>\n The little Gnoll\u2019s personal sign language wasn\u2019t by any means complete yet. She mimed moving with her paws, rotating them around. Then pointed at the door.<\/p>\n \u201cYou moved\u2014through a door?\u201d<\/p>\n Nod, nod. Mrsha then pointed at Erin. Everyone looked at Erin. Lyonette frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha, what do you mean? Erin? Erin\u2019s door? You moved through Erin\u2019s door?\u201d<\/p>\n Another nod. Mrsha impatiently waved her paw at Erin. The slow adults took a moment.<\/p>\n \u201cPsst. The [Garden of Sanctuary]. I knew it.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss stage-whispered. Grimalkin\u2019s head turned and Chaldion\u2019s eyes narrowed. Erin started.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was<\/em> that? But how?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha, can you show us? There was no door when I entered the room. Just the window.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette was pointing towards the stairs. She nearly carried Mrsha up there, but the Gnoll began squirming<\/em>. She fought her way out of Lyonette\u2019s grasp and landed on the floor. Then, Mrsha looked around. She seemed to be looking for something.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s the door, Mrsha?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s probably invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt frowned, smoking hard as he peered around the room. Grimalkin and some of the other [Mages] were casting similar spells and looking around. Saliss rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. It\u2019s probably\u2014aha!\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed. Everyone turned. Zevara leapt back with an oath. A door had appeared right behind her! It was set into the wall, next to one of the unlit fireplaces. And it had not<\/em> been there a moment ago.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in the name of scales\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Selys\u2019 jaw dropped. Bird peered excitedly over her shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is a door. It was not there before. I remember it not being.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone clustered around, exclaiming. Mrsha proudly marched up to the door and pointed. Lyonette stared at Erin. The [Innkeeper] was slack-jawed, as taken aback as anyone.<\/p>\n \u201cBut how\u2014?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA magic door! It\u2019s like one of those doors at Wistram. Montressa, Beza, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n Palt dropped his cigar in excitement. Montressa\u2019s eyes were bulging. Beza was aghast.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can\u2019t be! You can\u2019t just\u2014that\u2019s a Skill?<\/em> Wistram Academy is ancient! This [Innkeeper] has two<\/em> magic doors?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not the door. It\u2019s the room. Isn\u2019t it, Saliss? What\u2019s the [Innkeeper]\u2019s Skill?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c[Garden of Sanctuary]. And I didn\u2019t put it together that much earlier, oh, wise and mighty Chaldion. But it was fun waiting for the reveal, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Alchemist] grinned at Chaldion. Erin\u2019s head turned for a second and she looked<\/em> at Saliss. He\u2019d known\u2014? She was going to remember that! But everyone was staring at the door.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just saw it, Mrsha? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n Relc was pulling at the door, and swearing. It wasn\u2019t opening for him. Mrsha was nodding, trying to explain.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were worried? Oh, Mrsha. I wasn\u2019t that<\/em> mad. It was only a cake! Erin can make another! You were only naughty for trying to get some frosting! That was what it was, wasn\u2019t it? You silly little\u2014and this appeared?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Princess] hugged Mrsha again. Abashed, Mrsha nodded. Relc glared at the door.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t get it open! Klb, help me out.\u201d<\/p>\n The Antinium grabbed the door handle. He and Relc both pulled<\/em>, but the door refused to open. They stared at Mrsha. She stared back. That hadn\u2019t happened with her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt must not open unless you\u2019re in trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n Moore delicately pulled at the door as the two Senior Guardsmen stood back. He couldn\u2019t budge it either. Palt was nodding.<\/p>\n \u201cA secret door that only appears with certain conditions. Wistram has a few. Obnoxious. There\u2019s one that only appears when both moons are full\u2014you can get locked inside and that<\/em> is how some students die\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a magic safe room. Handy for this inn. Let me try to get in.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n Seborn appeared by the door. He was inspecting it with some of the [Mages]. Everyone else was looking at Erin.<\/p>\n She\u2019d been quiet in the face of the sudden door. But not still. Erin was\u2026vibrating. Now, it burst out of her. She threw up her hands, startling the heck out of everyone around her.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Room of Requirement! I\u2019m Hogwarts!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n Selys stared at Erin. Chaldion made a little note\u2014he had a quill and ink out. Erin waved her hands, trying to explain.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s awesome! I have a secret garden? How come I didn\u2019t see it? Does it only appear when you want<\/em> it? Or maybe if you\u2019re in danger\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha clearly summoned it because she knew it was there. It must have appeared due to her stress. But it\u2019s not opening. Maybe if Mrsha tries to open it again?\u201d<\/p>\n Montressa\u2019s postulation was correct. The others stood back as Mrsha walked up to the door. She stood on two legs and pulled it open. The door swung open as easily as anything.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? But I pulled<\/em> on it!\u201d<\/p>\n Relc was outraged. He ran for the door as Erin stared inside\u2014<\/p>\n And the door closed. Relc slammed<\/em> into the door. Mrsha, already inside, stared back in alarm. She pushed the door open and saw Relc recoiling and swearing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara instinctively reached for Mrsha through the open door. But as her claw tried to touch the Gnoll, the Gnoll vanished. Solid wood appeared.<\/p>\n \u201cMrsha!\u201d<\/p>\n The door was still there. And as soon as Zevara snatched her claw back, the Gnoll reappeared, looking very alarmed. Lyonette rushed forwards. She<\/em> had no problem opening the door and holding Mrsha.<\/p>\n \u201cAha. Definitely a trick.\u201d<\/p>\n Palt nodded to himself. He stared at Erin. The [Innkeeper] looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat, me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s your door. I think no one gets in except the ones you allow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot even me, Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys, put out, was trying the door, but it wouldn\u2019t budge. She looked at Erin. No one could open the door. Not Drassi, Ishkr, Krshia\u2014the door swung open as Lyonette stared at them.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one can use Erin\u2019s door but you two.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore gave Erin a hurt look. The [Innkeeper] turned red.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I didn\u2019t know it even existed! I didn\u2019t block anyone\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen it must be set to the people you really trust.\u201d<\/p>\n Montressa looked at Mrsha and Lyonette. Erin paused.<\/p>\n \u201cOh. In that case\u2014one second, Lyonette?\u201d<\/p>\n She reached for the door and closed it in Lyonette\u2019s face. Then, Erin turned.<\/p>\n \u201cBird? Open the door.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone turned. Bird, who had been watching with interest, trotted over. He put one hand on the door and swung it open. Very pleased, the Worker waved at Lyonette and Mrsha and then turned.<\/p>\n \u201cYay. I am family.\u201d<\/p>\n Klbkch\u2019s head swiveled. Erin smiled at Bird. Then she looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Numbtongue could do this if he were here. Which reminds me\u2014Celum\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She nearly backed up, but half a dozen hands pulled her back.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s fine! Probably! Can you let us in, Erin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUm\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust wish<\/em> it. I bet you can change who\u2019s allowed in versus who can open the door too.\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss slyly gyrated over to Erin\u2019s left. Zevara and Selys backed up fast. They were also not used to a nude Drake. Erin looked at Saliss.<\/p>\n \u201cJust\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t take too long. Let me in. You know<\/em> who\u2019s allowed in already, and who can open the door.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin closed her eyes. When she opened them, Saliss reached for the door. It was still ajar, but the Drake still put his hand on the doorknob. He pulled<\/em>, and nothing happened. He sighed, giving Erin a betrayed look. Then he sauntered on through the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, at least you trust me enough to let me in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette backed up from Saliss, covering Mrsha\u2019s eyes. She glared as the Drake, delighted, leapt about.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a wonderful place! What\u2019s that<\/em>? Mushrooms! Don\u2019t mind if I do!\u201d<\/p>\n He ran off. The others in the inn immediately tried to copy Saliss. Zevara, grunting, found she couldn\u2019t move the door an inch. She gave Erin a cool, unsurprised look, and marched through.<\/p>\n It was going to be a test of friendship. Erin hadn\u2019t concentrated on individual faces. Like Saliss had said, she knew<\/em>. Palt, Montressa, and Beza all couldn\u2019t move the door. Only Palt was disappointed, but they could all go through.<\/p>\n Actually\u2014Montressa and Beza slammed<\/em> into the wall, but Erin let them in after they looked truly hurt. And most of the others could enter.<\/p>\n Selys, Krshia, Elirr, the Halfseekers but for Ulinde\u2014all of them could enter and use the door. The Selphid was allowed in, but not with access to the door. Neither was Grimalkin or Chaldion.<\/p>\n The true surprise was Klbkch, Olesm, and Relc. Olesm and Klbkch couldn\u2019t open the door. They looked at Erin. And Klbkch\u2019s face was blank. But Olesm\u2019s was\u2014Erin looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n Was it Bird? And for Olesm, was it\u2014Lism? His distrust of the Antinium? Erin had no answer. Silently, the Drake [Strategist] walked through the door, head bowed. Erin studied the door of the [Garden of Sanctuary]. It was telling her more about herself than even she knew.<\/p>\n Relc was last, of all people. He\u2019d hung back. And now, he put one claw on the door\u2019s edge. He hesitated. And pulled.<\/p>\n The door swung open easily. Relc turned to look at Erin. She blinked at him, and then smiled. The Drake\u2019s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to crow at Klbkch and Olesm\u2019s backs\u2014<\/p>\n And then he stopped. Relc closed his mouth, and looked at Erin. He ducked his head and entered the garden silently. But he looked happier than Erin could remember seeing him in a while. Erin Solstice stared at the door to the [Garden of Sanctuary]. She heard voices from within, exclamations. But she herself hadn\u2019t stepped into the doorway.<\/p>\n Mrsha had been afraid. In tears. There was something in the garden. She hadn\u2019t been able to tell the others what. It was hers, but Erin\u2014hesitated. Then she put her hand on the door, opened it, and walked forwards.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s friends and acquaintances stood in the [Garden of Sanctuary] and stared. They stared at the plants, the different sections of the garden. And at Erin.<\/p>\n The [Innkeeper] stared around as well. The [Garden of Sanctuary] wasn\u2019t a massive place, but it easily held everyone who\u2019d come through. Indeed, it was bigger than the [Grand Theatre] which a few visitors had entered, bemused by the total absence of anyone in the inn.<\/p>\n Sunlight shone down from above. And the meadow was large enough for Mrsha, Jelaqua, and Relc to run about in. Selys had given up and was lying in the bed of flowers, staring up at the sky.<\/p>\n \u201cIncredible. Magical fog. I\u2019ve seen similar effects. But this is a lesser [Gardener]\u2019s Skill, right here.\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin and the Wistram [Mages] were stalking the fog rolling across one section of the garden. Krshia and Elirr were sniffing the acacia tree.<\/p>\n \u201cChandrarian.\u201d<\/p>\n Chaldion poked at the grass with his walking stick. He looked up, narrowing his eyes at the center of the dome.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s Liscor\u2019s skies. Does that mean this place is<\/em> in the inn? Could that be a weak point?\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara frowned up at the opening in the ceiling. Olesm shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. It\u2019s high up, but\u2014hello? <\/em>Can I get some help climbing up there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore walked over. He and Seborn had been inspecting the pond. The [Green Mage] tapped the ground.<\/p>\n \u201c[Earthen Spire].\u201d<\/p>\n A spire of stone rose under Zevara and Olesm\u2019s feet. They slowly rose upwards, towards the hole in the ceiling.<\/p>\n \u201cHey! <\/em>Don\u2019t ruin my new garden!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Erin shouted at Moore. The half-Giant looked abashed.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Miss Solstice. I\u2019ll return it to normal. But they wanted\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone looked up as Zevara and Olesm, perching carefully on the stone spire, reached the top of the dome. Zevara waved at Moore and bellowed.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep it steady!\u201d<\/p>\n She pulled herself over the edge as Olesm held her steady, reaching up to see what lay beyond the dome\u2014<\/p>\n And vanished<\/em>. Moore\u2019s eyes widened with alarm. Erin shouted in panic\u2014and then paused.<\/p>\n \u201cWait a second! They\u2019re on\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Zevara and Olesm blinked as they found themselves on the roof of the inn. Olesm was clutching Zevara\u2019s legs and she blinked about. A group of Antinium Workers peered curiously at the two Drakes, who\u2019d appeared out of nowhere.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWell, that settles that. It\u2019s a secret room. Lets in sunlight, probably rain\u2014but you can\u2019t enter it any other way. It would be silly to have a weak spot like that.\u201d<\/p>\n When Zevara and Olesm returned, Palt nodded wisely. Some of the others had come back too. Lyonette had pursued Saliss about the garden and Klbkch was covered in plant matter.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tropical area contains a number of plants indigenous to Baleros, but nothing harmful. Some thorns in plants, but nothing magical or dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n The Antinium Revalantor sheathed his blades. Saliss had a basket.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019ve found a lot of mundane plants! I suppose it was too much to ask for something crazy<\/em>. But this is nearly as good as a smaller garden in Oteslia! Lots of good stuff to eat!\u201d<\/p>\n He was chewing on a mushroom. Grimalkin slowly nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cA useful Skill. I\u2019ve checked the entirety of the garden. Let\u2019s appraise how strong that door is, shall we? The garden is clearly a secondary effect to the sanctuary aspect for now. It has potential, as a sealed room\u2014I\u2019d have preferred a training area, but perhaps it can be converted\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n He marched out. Erin, bemused, saw the others leaving too, having had their fill for the moment. She stared at Mrsha and Lyonette, Bird, Relc, and a few others.<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t he see it?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin pointed up at the hill. Grimalkin and the others had never gone up there. But Relc, Selys, Krshia\u2014those who remained could see it. Mrsha clung to Lyonette\u2019s legs. She pointed up at the hill, remembering. And her paw shook.<\/p>\n The others looked at each other. Bird, Selys, Relc, Erin, Lyonette, Mrsha, Krshia, Elirr\u2014the Halfseekers had gone with Ulinde, keeping up the ruse. Slowly, Erin nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cShow us, Mrsha.\u201d<\/p>\n They walked up to the meadow, and higher. Erin saw the hill, and the tree. A lovely tree, sitting in the grass. But she didn\u2019t see the bench, as Mrsha had at first.<\/p>\n There he was, just as Mrsha had seen him. A smile on his lips, unchanged from the moment the Gnoll had climbed the hill and run, in tears and recognition.<\/p>\n Erin froze. Lyonette inhaled and dropped Mrsha. The Gnoll slid down and covered her eyes\u2014then looked up at that familiar visage, tears in her eyes. Elirr recoiled, struck, and Bird and Relc stopped.<\/p>\n Krshia had stopped completely. Even her breath had caught in a moment that did not seem to end. Slowly, Erin looked at her. And then Mrsha. And then she saw the rest. Not just him; the others appeared at a thought. Waiting.<\/p>\n They had all<\/em> been waiting for her to arrive. To greet her. The [Garden of Sanctuary]\u2019s true occupants. The actual purpose and reason behind this place, this Skill.<\/p>\n Mrsha had seen one. But now, with the presence of others, with Erin, more were there. On that hill, waiting.<\/p>\n Erin Solstice had been amazed at her garden. She had taken in the wonder of this separate world, been excited and awed at the possibilities. Grateful, relieved at what her Skill might mean. Impressed at the power she had been given.<\/p>\n Only now did the [Innkeeper] took in the true meaning of her [Garden of Sanctuary].<\/p>\n It was just a room. Grimalkin had been impressed, up to a point. But he had regarded the garden as no more impressive than a miniature world, like the ones he could make. The strength of it might have been beyond him, as he was finding, but he had not been impressed with the basic nature of it.<\/p>\n And yet\u2014this Skill, this garden had been built of her. Erin. Shyly, Mrsha looked up at Erin. Shyly, with a bit of wonder. For the first time, she sensed something of what Erin hid. More than simple power.<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s legs gave way as she sat at the table, that stone smile, the perfectly carved lips, the hint of a fanged tooth, even his fur just as she remembered. A face carved out of memories, so perfect that but for the grey stone\u2013he could have stood up and hugged her.<\/p>\n This was what this place was for. What she had longed for, in her heart.<\/p>\n The garden\u2019s secret. A reflection of her guilt and memory.<\/p>\n Proof that she had never truly forgotten.<\/p>\n Statues.<\/em><\/p>\n A wooden table and some chairs sat in the grass. It was a round table, like an exact replica of the ones that Erin\u2019s old inn had held. But it was not unoccupied.<\/p>\n Someone sat at the table. A Gnoll. He was young, but strong. His fur seemed to move in the wind, but it was just a statue. Solid stone, but capturing every detail of him as he had lived. The little Gnoll approached him.<\/p>\n Brunkr stared down at Mrsha with a pleased smile on his face.<\/em> He sat, on a seat made of wood, captured forever as he experienced his first bite of cake. Mrsha remembered that moment. She reached for him, touched his paw.<\/p>\n Cool stone. It was just a statue. A memory. But it existed. It was\u2026hers. Erin cried. And Krshia looked down at her nephew.<\/p>\n \u201cBrunkr.\u201d<\/p>\n She slowly sat, pulling out a chair. Speechless. Looking at him. Mrsha wiped at her eyes. She was crying again. But Brunkr was smiling.<\/p>\n Then, Mrsha looked around and stopped. There were other things in the grass. A ring of statues. More statues, more faces of\u2014of the dead.<\/p>\n They had not been there when she left. <\/em>Mrsha tried to tell Erin and the others that. The Antinium statues were new. But no one was listening.<\/p>\n They were all lost. Lost, in a memory. Relc leaned on his spear as he watched Bird walk forwards. The Antinium beheld the statues, nearly two-dozen in total.<\/p>\n They stood in a circle, facing outwards. The chess club. Workers who had died against the undead, fighting Skinner. Erin sniffled.<\/p>\n \u201cKnight.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no difference in their figures. No difference at all, but they were different. Erin went over to one. She stared at him, at the stone which made up his body. As true to her memory as\u2026<\/p>\n There were only four gaps in the circle. Bird stood in one of them. He turned his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n That was all he said. The Worker stood still, looking left and right. The Workers stood, their backs to the empty center. Erin belonged in that center, on a night from hell.<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n Selys was sitting in the grass. She stared at a group laughing at a different table. A large group of adventurers, laughing, sitting in a circle with two gaps among them.<\/p>\n Most of the Horns of Hammerad were looking at their leader. But he was gone. Gerial was busy trying to drink from a mug as he looked sideways. But Ceria Springwalker was missing. Yet, it was them.<\/p>\n Memory<\/em>. But unlike fire, the statues were still. And Erin\u2019s head was blank. She watched Krshia. The Gnoll was leaning against her nephew.<\/p>\n Relc and Elirr had left. They knew no one among the statues. Not as well as the others. Bird just stood with the other Workers, staring ahead. The hilltop was silent.<\/p>\n Ulrien stood alone, greatsword in hand.<\/em> Mrsha looked up at him and then hid in Lyonette\u2019s arms. The [Princess] gazed at another statue. A Drake, who stood in the silence. A [General] who had broken the tide itself.<\/p>\n Zel Shivertail.<\/em> Lyonette wept. Selys stopped, as still as time. Erin looked at him. She turned her head.<\/p>\n She saw so many statues. Her friends had only a few they could name. But Erin Solstice saw them all. Goblins, Antinium. People. Each one in vivid detail.<\/p>\n It hurt. More than anything. But it was also a relief. Because it was proof that she had known them. That they had mattered. Lyonette gathered up Mrsha and hugged her.<\/p>\n Krshia hadn\u2019t moved. Neither had Bird. He stood, as still as the statues. When Erin came over to him, he shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI will stay here, please. Just for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n He stared at the others. Bishop, Emanuel, Milner-Barry<\/em>\u2014all the others, who had named themselves after chess players from Erin\u2019s world, or pieces. Bird spoke slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cPawn should see this. And Anand, and Garry, and Belgrade. They must see it, I think. It will make them sad. And happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin couldn\u2019t bear it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She hugged him, tears running down her face. One of Bird\u2019s arms gently touched Erin\u2019s back.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will protect you until the end. Did you not hear us the first time?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked up at him. Bird stood with his friends. And he seemed taller than they were. Time had stopped for them. This was but a memory. But from them he had come, and all that Bird was came from this moment. He turned his head up.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a nice place for them to sleep. Better than Pawn\u2019s heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin Solstice left. She walked across the hill.<\/p>\n A nameless Worker sat at a chess table, waiting for her to play. She sat by his table, and remembered. And when she left, in time, with all the others, he remained.<\/p>\n Safe. In a place without harm. A promise as strong as her Skill.<\/p>\n Mrsha left Brunkr behind. Krshia was just sitting there. Elirr murmured to Mrsha as Relc watched from the base of the hill.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll stay. You go.\u201d<\/p>\n The little Gnoll went down the hill and lay in the meadow with flowers. In time, the others came down. Some had cried. Some, like Bird, had no tears. But they were not broken by what they had seen. If anything\u2014Mrsha thought Erin looked stronger. As if you could throw a mountain at her and it wouldn\u2019t crush her, because she\u2019d lived through worse.<\/p>\n \u201cEven my Skills are jerks to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled and wiped her eyes, but she was smiling.<\/p>\n There it was. A hilltop, waiting for anyone who wanted to rest there a while. Mrsha didn\u2019t know if she could bear seeing Brunkr again. Perhaps, the next time she went up there, it would just be the bench. But he\u2019d be waiting, for whenever she wanted to see him.<\/p>\n Mrsha had not seen the other faces precious to her. She longed for just a picture of Urksh\u2019s face. Of the faces of all the others in the Stone Spears tribe. But this was Erin\u2019s place. Despite her tears, Mrsha was jealous of her. Just a tiny bit.<\/p>\n For the proof of her feelings. That was the power of her Skill, and the kind of person Erin was.<\/p>\n Mrsha wanted to level up.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The others hadn\u2019t noticed the interlude with Erin and the others. Perhaps they guessed, on seeing red eyes. But no one would talk about it, and the others had been busy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat have you done to my inn?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked wide-eyed down at the scorched wood around the door. Montressa blushed.<\/p>\n \u201cJust some unlocking spells\u2014sorry, it\u2019s not permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe door vanishes if we don\u2019t look at it. Only someone who can open the door can bring it back. And it can appear wherever there\u2019s space.\u201d<\/p>\n Olesm was making his own set of notes. Palt and Grimalkin were still trying to magically unlock the door.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not going to work. It\u2019s a Skill<\/em>. You\u2019re using magic on something that doesn\u2019t answer to you. You can\u2019t force it!\u201d<\/p>\n Saliss danced around the two. Grimalkin looked sourly at the shut door.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s find out if that\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n He put one hand on the doorknob. Erin blinked at him. The [Sinew Magus] heaved<\/em>, but the door didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n \u201cTold you. I couldn\u2019t get it open with Klbkch. You\u2019re not gonna get it open, Grimalkin.\u201d<\/p>\n Relc advised the Drake. Grimalkin ignored him. The [Sinew Magus] changed his leverage, put both hands on the doorknob and heaved.<\/em><\/p>\n Grimalkin\u2019s muscles bulged<\/em>. His eyes opened wide.<\/em> Mrsha saw the magic burning bright in him. Brighter than anyone, even Pisces, or Moore.<\/p>\n The door refused to budge. Grimalkin growled<\/em>. And then he gave up. Panting a bit, he stared at the door. After a second, Mrsha padded over. The door was actually slightly ajar. She nudged it open with her head.<\/p>\n No one else spoke. Laughter would have been a bit cruel. Grimalkin turned around.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it won\u2019t open. How sturdy is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me try.\u201d<\/p>\n Relc rubbed his claws. He could open the door, but as Mrsha scampered back, he took a run up and leapt.<\/p>\n \u201c[Relc Kick]! Ow!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He hit the door like an avalanche, but nothing happened. Rubbing his foot and swearing, Relc motioned.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone else want a try? Hold on\u2014my spear! I\u2019ll poke it!\u201d<\/p>\n He raced off. Saliss brightened.<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, we can take turns trying to destroy the door? Is there a prize if we succeed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo need. I\u2019m going to test the limits on this Skill.\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin stepped up again. He looked annoyed<\/em>. Relc halted as the [Sinew Magus] lowered his center of gravity and glared at the door. He made one fist at his waist.<\/p>\n \u201c[Bound Spell: Siege Fireball]. [Salamander\u2019s Skin]. [Lion\u2019s Strength]. [Dual Binding: Valmira\u2019s Comet]. [Haste]. [Thunder Step].\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhoa! Whoa, whoa whoa\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Relc backed up fast.<\/em> Everyone else did likewise. Erin shouted at Grimalkin.<\/p>\n \u201cHey! That\u2019s my door you\u2019re punching!<\/em> What if you go through a wall?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe just renovated! Magus Grimalkin\u2014the wall\u2019s not that strong!\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette was also shouting at Grimalkin from a safe distance. The Drake spoke over his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll compensate you for all damages. Put up a barrier, Mage Montressa.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Too late. Grimalkin was very<\/em> angry. Mrsha hid behind Moore as the Drake took one breath. He narrowed his eyes, stepped in, and punched<\/em> the center of the door.<\/p>\n Multiple spells activated at once. Mrsha saw Grimalkin zoom<\/em> forwards, and heard an explosion as his kick-off actually cracked the floorboards. She saw a bloom of fire<\/em>, blocked by one of Montressa\u2019s shields. At the same time, the force of the fireball and the other spell created a shockwave that tore up the floorboards around the door.<\/p>\n And the door itself? Grimalkin hit it with a blow stronger than the one that had made the Wyvern Lord back up.<\/p>\n The entire inn shook.<\/em> Erin staggered\u2014everyone stumbled, but she reeled for one moment. She fell down as Klbkch and Olesm caught her.<\/p>\n \u201cOoh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe floor!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette cried out. Grimalkin appeared in a cloud of smoke. He stepped back\u2014and his face was beyond sour.<\/p>\n The door had vanished sometime after the punch and the cloud of smoke. And beyond it\u2014<\/p>\n The wall wasn\u2019t even damaged. Grimalkin stared down at the knuckles of his fist. He\u2019d split and burned his scales from the impact. He\u2019d done more damage to the floorboards. The [Sinew Magus] stomped away from the spot he\u2019d hit.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly the Skill is tied to the structure of the inn. In theory, I could break it. I\u2019ll pay for the floorboards. Grand Strategist, your thoughts?\u201d<\/p>\n He deferred to Chaldion. The old Drake was rubbing at his earholes.<\/p>\n \u201cMy eardrums hurt. Magus, a silencing spell would have not gone amiss.\u201d<\/p>\n The old [Strategist] sighed. Then he looked at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cThat defense is\u2026Saliss, what level is she?\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone looked at the Named Adventurer. Saliss paused innocently.<\/p>\n \u201cWho, me? Why would I know something like that?\u201d<\/p>\n Chaldion\u2019s eyes narrowed. Saliss looked at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you know you can use a spell called [Appraisal] and read someone\u2019s level and Skills?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh? But wait\u2014hey! Hold on, isn\u2019t that private?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s eyes went round. Beza, Grimalkin, and Palt all stared at Erin. All three [Mages] began muttering\u2014Bezale went for a scroll. Chaldion was reaching for another eye.<\/p>\n Saliss was faster. He already had something in his claws. Now, he threw it at Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s dangerous to walk around with clothes. Take this!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin caught a ring. It was the color of a ruby mixed with what looked like gold\u2014or what people thought gold should look like. A black, faintly luminescent sigil had been traced in the center, where a gemstone might go. It looked like a crossed-out eye, stylized. Erin saw the other [Mages] casting and slipped it on her finger, next to Ilvriss\u2019 ring.<\/p>\n \u201cAncestors damn it, Saliss!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin roared in outrage. Chaldion stared at Erin, his fake eye shining, and then rounded on the [Alchemist].<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Solstice, if you\u2019d take off that ring for one moment. Or tell us\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey! My Skills are mine! Don\u2019t peek!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin protectively covered her body, as if that was what Palt and the others were looking at. Chaldion had stepped over to Saliss. He poked his cane at Saliss.<\/p>\n \u201cTell us what you read. This is not a game, you insubordinate child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeat me in a dance-off and I\u2019ll tell you. Anyways, why didn\u2019t any of you try that earlier? Seems like you underestimated Miss Erin. What a blunder for Pallass\u2019 Grand Strategist!\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake\u2019s face was incredibly smug. Erin was staring at her ring.<\/p>\n \u201cWait. Is this expensive?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNah, nah. Wait, I mean, a bit. Truegold and ruby. Now I<\/em> don\u2019t have one!\u201d<\/p>\n Chaldion immediately focused on Saliss. The Drake put on a duplicate of the ring he\u2019d given Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cJust kidding! Spares!\u201d<\/p>\n The [Grand Strategist] tapped his cane twice, and then slashed<\/em> at Saliss\u2019 legs. Erin saw the glowing magical spear at the tip of the cane, but Saliss dodged it.<\/p>\n \u201cViolence against a citizen of Pallass! Help! Where\u2019s the Watch?\u201d<\/p>\n He fled, laughing his tail off. Chaldion glared after him. He turned to Erin.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t care to tell us what Skills you have, Miss Solstice? Or what level?\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone was looking at Erin now. She blushed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Nah, it\u2019s nothing big\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Chaldion gestured pointedly at the wall Grimalkin had failed to damage. Erin hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my Skills. Hey, Saliss! I don\u2019t owe you anything for the ring, do I?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Alchemist] poked his head out from behind Moore. The half-Giant was gently swatting, trying to make Saliss stop circling him, but the Drake was too nimble. Saliss eyed Erin.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Can I have one of the flowers Xif keeps bragging about?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n She expected Saliss to haggle or use a Skill, but the Named Adventurer just shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cFine. We\u2019ll call it even for the magic fire. It\u2019s still burning, by the way. Bit expensive to upkeep, but it\u2019s worth it. Can I have some blue fire too?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait, you still have that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure do. About the depressing flames? No?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked around. Grimalkin was shaking his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard rumors, but this is incredible. Has he always been like that?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Chaldion. The [Grand Strategist] looked like he was going to have a heart attack.<\/p>\n \u201cHe revels in it. Ignore him and he\u2019ll leave. Liscor may well have to suffer him, come to that.\u201d<\/p>\n The look he gave Zevara was sympathetic. The Watch Captain paled as Saliss walked over and grinned at her.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, what\u2019s the law on nudity in Liscor?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin Solstice decided to ignore Saliss. She looked around\u2014<\/p>\n And the door to the [Garden of Sanctuary] was there. Closer to her, next to the kitchen\u2019s door. It could appear anywhere.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s powerful, but localized to your inn. And what good is a door in a sudden attack? Against the Crelers it would have helped, but it\u2019s situational. For the durability, I\u2019ll give it close to a perfect grade. For your level\u2026perhaps not. There are other Skills.\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin folded his arms. He\u2019d cooled down a bit. Erin blinked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are better Skills?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor a capstone level? Yes. If you\u2019d care to furnish me with a list of your Skills and your exact class and level\u2014which is probably Level 40\u2014I\u2019d be able to evaluate your efficiency. You have a mixed bag of Skills, owing to your own interests and focuses. However, as an [Innkeeper] you lack a lot of more widely applicable Skills in favor of unique ones.\u201d<\/p>\n The muscular Drake sighed. He looked at the magic door.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard of people gaining one powerful Skill at a capstone level\u2014or as many as six <\/em>more mundane ones. It does depend on chance, as much as intent. But I think there\u2019s someone you should meet to understand what you lack in your class.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPallass\u2019 best [Innkeeper]. He runs The Noble\u2019s Fancy. 2nd Floor, so you\u2019ve likely never seen him. I\u2019ll write you a letter of introduction. He might inform your weaknesses.\u201d<\/p>\n Grimalkin nodded at the door again. Erin frowned at him.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a great Skill. It\u2019s the one I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut can it protect anyone? If you need to open it, if you need to be conscious of the danger\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Olesm was frowning, seeing the same problem. Erin looked at him. And then at her door. And she had a thought.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe there\u2019s more you don\u2019t know. More that no one knows. Maybe it\u2019ll get stronger. I didn\u2019t use to be able to find people with my other Skill\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She saw Chaldion poised to take a note and sighed.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014But I think it\u2019s more than just a door. Look.\u201d<\/p>\n She walked backwards towards a wall. The door had vanished. Erin spread her arms. And the room watched. Erin smiled. She concentrated. Took a step backwards.<\/p>\n And the garden was there. The door swung closed as the others stared. Erin looked around the grassy hill. She turned.<\/p>\n \u201cKitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n The door swung open, and Erin Solstice walked out of her kitchen. Seborn jumped<\/em> as he leaned against the doorframe. He stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s based off my magical door. Maybe\u2014if I didn\u2019t have the magic door, I\u2019d never have gotten this Skill.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked back at the garden\u2019s door as it swung closed, then faced everyone.<\/p>\n Grimalkin and Olesm had gone speechless for a moment. Mrsha looked delighted<\/em> at the possibilities. But everyone else was stunned silent. And Erin realized she might have overplayed her hand. She\u2019d shown them what Mrsha had seen. A glimpse of power. The [Innkeeper] hesitated. She spread her arms again.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know what this means? I can go to the bathroom <\/em>without having to walk downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled. No one laughed. They looked at her, and Erin let her arms hang loose. She sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cLyonette? Mrsha? Those jerks are still boycotting us in Celum. I\u2019m gonna go shout at them. Let\u2019s go find Numbtongue. He\u2019ll be safer here.\u201d<\/p>\n She reached out. Mrsha ran over and grabbed Erin\u2019s hand. The [Innkeeper] smiled as she held Mrsha\u2019s paw and the little Gnoll knew she\u2019d be safe here. From the Raskghar, from Facestealer. From anyone.<\/p>\n It was a small, but blessed thing. As the guests of Erin\u2019s inn marveled, or wondered, a little bee flew through an open doorway upstairs. Into a garden. And she was happy.<\/p>\n Because there were lots of flowers.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n This was what happened to Numbtongue. At the same time as Erin and Lyonette were searching for Mrsha, he\u2019d gone to Octavia\u2019s shop in Celum. His conclusion, founded off Pyrite\u2019s intellect, had told him it was a likely place for Mrsha to be.<\/p>\n He was, of course, wrong. At that moment, the Watch had surrounded the [Alchemist]\u2019s shop to confiscate the magical door. That was a separate matter, but the Hobgoblin did not, as a rule of thumb, like Humans with weapons.<\/p>\n So he\u2019d fled. Octavia\u2019s shop had a backdoor, because what self-respecting [Alchemist] didn\u2019t have a second bolt-hole to flee an explosion\u2014or a mob angry about said explosion? The Hobgoblin had raced out into the street ahead of Celum\u2019s Watch surrounding the shop.<\/p>\n Humans had screamed or fled, of course, but they\u2019d heard of a Hobgoblin so he didn\u2019t get too<\/em> much of a stir after his initial appearance. The [Bard] had hurried away for a place to hide, or at least figure out what was going on before making a move\u2014<\/p>\n