Sora and Vaz carried an unconscious Cass back to camp. She had a cold sweat, she was pale and clammy. Her breathing was rapid and shallow. And none of them had any idea what was happening to her. If it was poison, then Theo had to wonder why it hadn't killed her already.

  Sora had her charcoal eye liner creating black streaks on her face from the tears. And Vaz was besides himself in worry, and Theo was in shock. He's acclimated to having to fight from time to time, ever since his time in the dungeon at Malton estate- he'd be scared shitless, but he'd manage in a fight. Having faced death before.

  But he's never seen someone he's known die in front of him. He didn't know what to feel, and it was as if a wave of sadness was about to come crashing over him- but it never came. He still couldn't believe it was real. Would she die?

  They laid her near the furnace and Sora produced a vial with a shaky hand from one of the large travel bags.

  "It's an antidote for poisons and some types of venom... I got it from some apothecary in a port city, do you think it would work?" she asked the two of them.

  "I don't know.", Theo said, and Vaz shook his head. He had began to pace around worriedly.

  She swallowed hard and looked to her unconscious sister, convulsing slightly and taking raspy breaths. Sora uncorked the vial and brought it to Cass's lips, and the yellow mucus like fluid flowed into her mouth.

  To their relief, they could see Cass swallow it.

  Her eyes flitted open and she groaned. There was a collective gasp- but they couldn't relax yet. It seemed like she was still very sick. She was covered in sweat and her lips were cracked. All in the course of a few minutes.

  "Cass! How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere?" Sora asked, holding her in her lap.

  Cass looked up to her weakly. "M-my shoulder.... Somethings-", there was an audible 'pop' sound and her shoulder jerked out of place. "EAH!" she yelped suddenly launching up into the sitting position.

  "It's out of place! Hold on, I've had to reset these a few times before-", Vaz grabbed her shoulder with one hand and placed the other on her lower back. "Some greenhorns would get their arms pulled out of their sockets fighting with the masts- just hold it out like this-" he pulled her arm out and popped it back into place.

  There was a hauntingly familiar shrieking sound coming from within her shoulder. It faded, but then her shoulder immediately began to turn a bruised color. "What the fuck?" Cass said, in a croaking voice. Her face turned even whiter as green veins began to stretch out from the bruise and travel down the length of her arm. "Whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuc-"

  "Calm down!" Vaz shouted, mostly towards himself. "I think I have a rune for this."

  They all looked towards him as if to say 'what are you waiting for?'

  "...Please. Whatever could help..." Sora asked, pleadingly.

  He took a few forcefully slow breaths and brought his hands up in a calculated and surgical motion. "1, 2... 3, 1, 2... 3" he began to count rhythmically, his hand motions following along with the cadence.

  A golden energy began to be left behind by his fingers. He quickly drew symbols that sort of looked like a 'fleur-de-lis'. His hands were robotic, but also graceful at times.

  Once the image became solid, just above her shoulder, he flicked a finger forward. The image vibrated like a bell, sending rippling energy towards the shoulder. "Take her shirt off!" Vaz commanded. Sora didn't hesitate and began to unfasten her leather corset and Theo set to work on her vambraces.

  Luckily, she was wearing a breastband beneath.

  "It's the same rune for 'join', but reversed, so the effect should be..." Vaz watched his hand movements like a mad scientist experimenting with something for the first time- as desperate as they were mad.

  The veins slowed their growth, and shuddered as if straining to continue. It was a physical restraint, not a medicine.

  Cass groaned in pain. "It burns!"

  "It's all I can do!", "Then keep doing it!" Sora called out. "No!" Cass protested.

  "Hold her down!" Vaz said. Theo grabbed her legs and Sora her shoulders. Normally, Cass would throw the both of them like basketballs but in her weakened state they managed to hold her somewhat still as Vaz concentrated.

  He flicked the rune again. The golden energy shook from the symbol like pollen.

  This time, the audible 'shriek' sounded again. The roots pulled back towards their source at the shoulder. And something began to emerge from the skin. Blood started to drip onto the ground as sapling emerged. A bark texture had leaves sprouting out of it. Wetted by blood.

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  "Again!" Sora demanded. Vaz took a deep, controlled breath and flicked the image again. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his tanned face.

  Thicker roots started to pull up with the seed that had grown into her shoulder. Opening the wound wider, to about the size of a baseball.

  It was like a bonsai tree had grown out of her shoulder- and it had grown rapidly. The roots were only visible towards the elbow and around her clavicle now. Before they had managed to travel towards her neck and fingers.

  "AH! Stop, stop! It's wrapped up in me!" she protested.

  "I might be able to do one more..." Vaz breathed hard, his hands beginning to shake with exhaustion.

  "Do it." Sora said. "No!", Sora pressed her forehead against her sisters. "Just one more, you can get through this Cass."

  Vaz flicked the symbol again, with more force than before-

  It thrummed with power and shattered, the entirety of the remaining energy raining down onto the sapling.

  A flower grew from one of the leafy stems and opened- revealing a maw of teeth instead of a pit- it screamed.

  Cass looked at it and feinted.

  Theo almost did as well. The thing was horrific. The yellow flower petals surrounded a tiny mouth with rows of miniature teeth. The plant was uprooted and now only a portion of the roots remained in her arm.

  But it did not leave her shoulder. There were unseen roots still deep within her. But the plant seemed to of slowed it's growth now. Finally, as the flower had emerged. And Cass was breathing normally.

  "D-do we pull it out?" Theo asked.

  "I'd only attempt it with my rune magic, but... It's put such a strain on her body already. Look." he nodded towards Cass, who now had a bit of blood coming from the corner of her lips.

  "Crap...", Theo murmured.

  Sora sniffled, holding Cass in her lap. She brushed her longer hair from her face. "I need to get her back, we have doctors in Orrerya... Or maybe a druid.."

  "My grandmother should be here any day now! She could probably help, she's a healer! Err.. Sort of." Vaz looked at him hopefully, but Sora wore a familiar expression but this time lined with fury. She was about to say some unkind words. Theo spoke first.

  "I know, I haven't told you two much about myself, and to be fair it's not like I know your lives story either- we just met a few days ago. But, this is probably a good time. No secrets, there's nothing to hide here. I'm not really a [Changeling]."

  And Theo told his story, Vaz had already heard some variation of it, with some new bits mixed in. Cass wasn't in a state to listen to it- but Sora did. Her eyes grew wide when he mentioned the true nature of their world, and his. He spoke about his grandmother, how she was a witch, and how and why she was heading where they were now. By some sheer coincidence- or conspiracy- the sailors had gone to the very island his guild had planned to go.

  They watched Cass warily as he spoke, to see if her condition worsened. But fortunately, after the final use of Vaz's magic- the seedling had stopped growing. Or at least visibly.

  "It's such an impossible story..." Sora said. But why would Theo lie- and lie so badly- at that moment? There must be at least some truth to it, at least that's the thought process that seemed to play out behind her eyes as Theo watched her.

  "It explains why you know nothing of magic, as it doesn't exist in your world. You do not know things a child would know, but I assumed that was because you are a changeling, not some being from another world. Like an angel or demon. Or fae."

  "We have stories of all that stuff too, but none of it is real where I come from.", "As far as you know, who knows- maybe some being would drop from the sky and tell you your world is a game for them." she said bitterly, lowering Cass down to the ground. She laid beneath their lean-to.

  Theo blinked a few times. Shit. That was a real possibility now, wasn't it?

  "Your grandmother, can she save my sister?", Sora asked. "I-I think so. Her healing brought both me and Vaz back from the brink of death- he can attest to that.", Vaz harrumphed and nodded; "Ay, it's some potent stuff."

  Sora looked between them and nodded. She wiped her face, "Good. Tomorrow, I want to go back there and make sure no trace of it remains. We'll pile it up and burn it.", "Sounds like a good plan..." Theo said.

  Sora stood up. "Make sure you pray to that god of yours, and let them know that my sister is meant to help them. And that you have more help on the way."

  Theo nodded. "Of course." he said sheepishly.

  She walked towards the edge of the camp where a cliff sat, overlooking much of the island towards the sea. She wiped some sweat from her face and spoke; "Well I can't very well sleep now..." she chuckled shakily. "I'll take first watch. The two of you can get some sleep."

  Theo and Vaz both wanted to offer some sort of words of encouragement, to reassure her that everything would be fine. But she knew they had no idea- it would be patronizing. So they wordlessly went to their 'beds' and tried to sleep. Not for their sakes- but for Cass's, they needed to be well rested to do what they need to do the following day.

  But Theos heart beat fast, and he wished he could use assimilation about now, if only to sleep. He hated that urge, he was like some drug addict now. Was this what it was like? Relying on it until it was all that mattered?

  He got up.

  Sora glanced at him but he smiled apologetically; "Just going to use the bathroom really quick." he said and ducked out of the camps clearing.

  He walked a time through the quiet jungle. It was quite a different place than earlier. When they were stomping about in a frenzy. Now it was peaceful, and serene.

  Theo spoke in a quiet voice- not quite a whisper but close.

  "Metatekai... If you're listening, we could use your help. I-I know we sort of messed up with enlisting the sailors help- but I got other help coming! My grandmother, she's at least level 50. That should be enough to do your quest, right?"

  He stopped and listened, but only heard the chirping of nocturnal birds and insects. The breeze rustling the leaves around him.

  "My friend is hurt. Some plant thing has latched onto her- and we have no idea if she's going to live or not. She's easily the strongest out of us, and if she dies the odds of us helping you- well to be frank- they plummet. So if you had some fancy bracelet that could expel plants, let thy will be known." he asked splaying out his arms as if waiting for a response.

  Nothing. If anything the night had become colder since he first started his prayer.

  He swallowed and blinked a few times. Then he put his hands on his hips and began nodding.

  "That's fair." he turned to head back to camp but stopped himself.

  He stomped back over to where he was speaking, as if it somehow mattered symbolically. No one was there.

  "You know what? That's crap. You gods trap us all in here, presumably because you need us... Why else? For some sick joy? 'Cause I'm beginning to wonder... You throw us to the wolves, like sheep to slaughter. Listen, all I'm asking for is a bit of support. That's all I'm asking. A bit of a reciprocal relationship. But what do we get? We get fucked."

  That showed him. Theo thought.

  "And you know what else? Your whole indiana jones thing with the ruins and the mayan shit? It's tacky. Yeah, that's right. It fucking sucks. Fuck you and your support cause guess what? We don't need you. And when I do get out of here- I'm hitting the fucking power switch bitch."

  He pointed at the ground firmly, and turned to leave.

  ---

  Unbeknownst to Theo, Metatekai had not heard him. He was distracted by a certain fate who had come to him with a strange proposition. No, he was quite occupied.

  But another god had heard his prayer. As uncouth as it was, they found themselves admiring the amusing mortal. They wore heavy dark furs- an armored mantel. The brutish attire betrayed the way in which they acted, regal and refined.

  They were nursing a wound on the side of his chest, though you couldn't tell it by their pleased expression. Half of their torso was gone. Black smoldering smoke was billowing out as they lounged in a lavish chair of black velvet and silver.

  Observing the boy speak as if he was in the jungle with him. He chuckled at bits of his little speech.

  His shrewd eyes narrowed at the boy. He lowered the tea cup he had been sipping from.

  "Fascinating... Perhaps I do have my champion, I simply hope my darling new rose won't mind."