[Nexus] Harnel's Plots

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel looks the dryad in the eye and quirks an eyebrow, "I'm guessing this dream is your doing?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

The fey suddenly stops and shakes her head, appearing confused. "...no, what was I saying? Or doing for that matter?" She asks while looking around at the cheering goblins, blinking several times. "Geez... no, I was just pulled along with it. Dreams do that. Especially fey dreams."

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel smiles and rolls his eyes, "Well, we still need to get to the winter court, so we'd best keep moving, huh?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

"Yep, put to prove you're worth their attention, you first need to pass the hedge." She says while pointing out the enormous tower of thorns rising to the skies. "If we're lucky we might even get something from it."

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel eyes the thorns curiously, putting the tip of the sword into the ground so it stands upright, "And what can you tell me regarding that? The whole proving thing."

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

The dryad shrugs, "I dunno, they're like us. They like curious things, stuff they haven't seen before. Like you, an fugly half-human." She says with an gesture at the half-dragon as the goblins have started to dance around them in a elaborate manner.

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

"Well, we should have no problem, then," Harnel says, stepping forward. He'll begin moving through the crowd of goblins if he can, since it's not like they matter.

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

The goblins do throw some flowers at them (or rather colorful stones) but do not attempt to stop the two as they wander towards the hedge. While it from the cliff looked like it might take hours to get there, it just feels like it takes one minute or so before standing right of the enormous mass of vines.

As he approaches it though, he might be able to notice that the wisps he saw earlier appears to be stuck in the thorns of the edge. Now that he's closer however, it appears they aren't wisps at all.

In the thorns are the brightly glowing corpses of at least a dozen people hanging from the thorns. There aren't just people though, there are a great deal stranger things stuck in those thorns. A teapot with eyes and horns, a wolf with a human head, a conjoined ogre and human, a book with hands filled with eyes, a gigantic spider with wolf teeth, some sort of ball of human flesh.

"Ah, look, we're in luck. They haven't harvested the kami yet!" The dryad exclaims as she see the things hanging from the thorns.

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel frowns at the brambles. He wants to do something about it, but he's not about to rush into something that could get him killed if he could help it, "Come on. Let's just get to the queen and get this invitation over with."

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

"Oh, but we need to go through there to get to her." The dryad explains as she points at the hedge. "Those things you see there aren't really people anyway, they're parts of people. Like uh, their identities or something. For instance, that could be someones hero." She explains while pointing out the body of a well-build man in a plate armor hanging from a large thorn near the ground.

"What's useful about them is that we could take them and like put them in ourselves or make people out of them. Maybe that guy would make you even stronger eh?" The fey continues with a smile, not letting Harnel argue against as she suddenly runs towards the hedge. "Like this!"

The dryad puts her hand on a beautiful (Beautiful how? That's actually up to Harnel as considering this is an aspect of beauty. Everyone finds her/it beautiful in a different way) woman closest to her who suddenly is reduced to fine mist quickly gathering up in the fey's hand into a white wisp hovering in her outstretched palm. "See? You totally need this by the way. You're appearance could use a lot of improvement." She states with nod while offering the half-dragon the aspect. "Or you could save, but I obviously don't need it." The fey claims with a grin.

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel frowns, "Is this really necessary? I doubt I need to be more beautiful, and I'm plenty strong already." Harnel just crosses his arms, not stepping forward or taking the kami from the dryad.

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

The dryad shrugs, "Not unless you want to, but someone else might will. I'm going to keep it anyway, beats those other guys making fetches out of it." She replies before closing her hand around the wisp.

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

"Fetch... I've heard that word before. What exactly is a fetch, anyways?" Harnel asks.

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

"Oh they're just... things." The dryad replies with a shrug as she closes her palm, the wisp in her hand winks out. "Like what you get if you combine a lot of kami like these." She explains with a gesture at the trapped aspects. "They, um, got bodies you know? Like kami do, so they can leave Arcadia."

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel frowns, "And what do they do with Fetches? that's most of what I was asking."

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

The dryad smiles at Harnel while starting to head back towards the hedge. "What do you think Fetches do? Fetch stuff of course! Like mortals and more kami. Or entertain them in some other way, I dunno." She shrugs again.

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel sighs and spreads his wings, flying up to the different kami. It felt like the dryad was avoiding the question, and that made him feel worried about what fetches really were. He'll start pulling them off the thorns at random if he can, with no real order to which ones he pulls off first.

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

As he flies up to the kami stuck on the thorns he will hear a tiny voice behind him which he will recognize as the messenger pixie from earlier. "Hey, listen ! Stop that! We need those!"

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel continues to pluck away at the Kami, "Tell me why I should."

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

"Since I can lead you through the hedge without falling offer for it's thorns." He offers while buzzing from side to side, unable to stand completely still apparently.

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

"Deal," Harnel says, turning toface the pixie, "Well, let's get underway then."

Harnel is very conspicuously not giving back the kami he took. Which kami did he get his hands on, anyways?

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

He got the ball of flesh which from what he can tell represents flesh (human flesh to be precise) and the hero person. The pixie came pretty early after all.

"Follow my lead then!" The pixie exclaims before disappearing into the brambles, the dryad following his lead. "Finally some action." Yes, they have been without action for 10 whole minutes. Truly this journey is made out of boring.

If Harnel follows along however he will find that they are on the other end of the hedge in just a few seconds. Something which should be impossible considering all things.

The other side is a wast deep green field filled with red flowers which glimmers with morning dew, the sky perfectly clear and completely blue. The colors are so intense though that they really are out of this world. Deep emerald green, crystal blue and ruby red can't really accurately describe what Harnel is seeing her but there are no better words. There is a road leading through the field into the distance however which seem to have been laid with actual gold plates.

Along the road is what appears to be a booth of some sort with a large sign reading "EXTRA SALES!"

The pixie turns around and smiles at Harnel and the dryad before saying, "My part is done." And then he disappears in a blue blink of light.

"Hey, we made it! Without even losing ourselves, man we're good." The dryad says with a smile.

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel looks at the dryad curiously, "Yes, yes we are. Come on, let's keep going."

Harnel will have pocketed the two kami essences, and is now continuing to walk along the road, "What kami did you pick up?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

"Oh, a few, the beauty one, the teapot, that book and the hands." She replies with a smile as they go along the road, towards the shop which now curiously enough seem to be even closer then before.

All of sudden there is a woman at the previously unmanned booth. Her skin is extremely pale and sickly with fingers that probably never had been cared for longer then most people live. She have no blemishes however and while she wouldn't be called beautiful, she have the body of a doll. Perfect in every way, framed by a purple robe which like her unnaturally long hair flows down over her body and down to the ground like a waterfall.

As the two come closer she smiles, a gesture which would a great deal more friendly if not for the fact she have no eyes. Instead there are two pieces of coal where her eye-sockets should be.

"Hello, desire to know what I can bestow? Trade your maid for some aid?" She asks, speaking in a rhyming tongue.

"Pffh, maid, yeah right." The dryad says while rolling her eyes.

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

"What exactly do you have to trade?" He's certainly not going to trade the dryad, as she isn't his to do so with, "I've no interest in something I can't make use of."

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

"Things like your wings, meaning that you're seeking in a manner of speaking. Dreams of extremes, all can be yours in my stores. All I need is a deed of yours." The fey replies, her mouth moving to other words then what are said.

The dryad peers at the strange lady, "Think she's a kami trader or something."

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

"That very much depends on what the deed is and what I'd be getting in exchange," Harnel says, "I'm not about to agree to anything I don't know the terms of." He crosses his arms and shifts his weight to one leg.

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

"One for one, surely you can not shun? I can make all your problems undone." The fey woman replies.

"Man, I hate people that speak in riddles. Can't she like, just say what she wants?" Harnel might have figured it out though.

[Halae]

[Arcadia]

Harnel just sighs and turns to the dryad, "Let's move on. If she's not actually going to tell me what I'm going to get or what I'll have to do, then I'm not agreeing to anything."

and then he'll attempt to step past, moving along the road.

[Shadowcaller]

[Arcadia]

"Farewell and do well, shall you return you will earn a lot!" The woman claims before waving them off if they decide to leave.

"I think they're are all going to be like that..." The dryad comments with a shake of her head.
As soon as they moved past the woman however, they find themselves standing in front of a gigantic fairy-tale castle (which could have been taken from the Disney logo) which they somehow walked right into. If Harnel should look back, he will no longer see the hedge or the saleswoman, it's if they have walked several miles already without noticing.

At the portcullis of the gate two imposing suits of armor stands guard, holding one large halberd each which they have crossed over the gate. "Halt! Who goes there?" One of the suits shouts while raising it's hand.