Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn wasn't sure what to do. Small emerald crystals were growing at the base of her ears and the corners of her eyes. At first she just thought it was the usual eye goobers from allergies or perhaps an oncoming respiratory infection but as time went on it became clear that was not the case. In a fit she'd scratched some of the crystals off her left ear only for them to grow back even larger. Jynn was at a loss for what to do and she was uncertain if she'd be able to find a healer that would know what bizarre illness she'd contracted. She very much doubted it, if only because she suspected this was a result of licking that strange crystal around the falls. She glared out at the crystals that continued to grow and sighed mournfully. What was she going to do?

Oh, heck, now she was scared. Avantika's world had been shaken even more than it had been already. The crystals had spread from the old scratch, which had healed long before, and taken their place around her ears and even the corners of her eyes. She wanted them gone. She really wanted them gone. She curled up on the ground and started scratching as carefully as she could at one of her ears. But she couldn't budge any of them. She tried harder and harder, until she almost yelped from the growing pain and had to stop. She was no healer, but she knew they were stuck fast. She could get them off, maybe, but it would hurt like a son of a bitch.

She was considering just that when she saw a woman with the same condition nearby. She'd sparred her once, she thought. Not like she was going to be thinking much at the moment. She felt a drop of something under her eye and swiped a paw over it. She hadn't thought that she was crying, but she was surprised when she saw the drop of liquid blue ooze. She wiped her paw on the ground, making sure she got all of it off. "Hey," she said to the woman.

"Speech"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn's ears swiveled back at the sound of approaching paw steps but she couldn't quite bring herself to move. One look at the crystals growing out of her body and whoever it was would like run in fear. Crap was she contagious? The thought hadn't occurred to her. She'd been hoping to start up a band of like-minded wanders but now was clearly not the time. A voice called out and she turned to see a familiar looking girl who also had crystals growing out of her! Jynn stared in shock. "Whoa, you have it to!" The other woman's crystals were blue where as hers were green but she had a feeling they had the same disease, or whatever it was.

"I can tell from your scent you're a pack wolf. Do your healers… do they know what this is? I'm Jynn by the way. I think we've met before but my mind has been in a haze this whole winter."

Luckily, the woman didn't seem too scared. More fear was not going to help Avantika right now. She mostly just seemed surprised that someone else had the same affliction as her. Avantika wondered if the crystals were affecting the Boreas wolves as well. Maybe if this woman spent a lot of time around there, she wouldn't have been able to see other wolves being attacked by all this. Or maybe she was just a loner who spent a lot of time on her own. She didn't scent a pack on her, so maybe that was it.

The woman introduced herself as Jynn and asked whether the Hallows healers knew anything about the oozy disease. "I'm Avantika. I think we may have sparred once at the battlefield, but I'm not sure." She paused for a moment, thinking. Should she tell the truth? It seemed like the kind of information that could make the Hallows seem open and vulnerable for an attack. But being too vague would let Jynn make her own conclusions, which might end up being worse than just telling the truth. "To be honest, no. I'm not a healer, but I don't think anyone knows what's going on." She cocked her head curiously. "Do you know anything?"

"Speech"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn nodded at the mention of the battlefield. "Yea, that's what I was thinking." She'd fought at least a dozen wolves if not more at the battlefield and alas she'd never been gifted with a great memory when it came to names. Heck, half the time she never even bothered to introduce herself or ask for a name before fighting.

The girl asked if she knew anything and she shook her head. "Not really. Though…. I mean I did lick one of the crystals. I'm sure that's how I got infected. I have no idea how to get better though. I tried breaking one off but it just grew back." She wasn't even sure what minerals made up the crystals and without knowing that she had no idea how to even begin trying to treat herself. "I suppose I should go find a healer… I just don't want to risk infecting a whole pack, ya know?"

Jynn agreed that they'd probably met that way, and somehow that little resolution brightened up Avantika's mood a little. She liked it when her questions had answers. It made the world seem like it made at least a little bit of sense.

But then the conversation was returned to the strange, absolutely senseless matter of the crystal disease. Jynn had apparently licked one of the crystals and thought that that was how she got infected. "I got scratched by one." Audra had picked one up using her mouth, too. So apparently, the disease could be contracted both through blood and orally, although Avantika's leg had shown symptoms only about a few seconds after the scratch while Audra seemed okay for a while. So blood infection was faster. She sighed. "Times like these make me kind of wish I was a healer. At least then I could try to guess at something."

"Speech"

Firefly Shoppe- Jynn

The sickness deepens... You feel something gritty in your eye. As you blink, several crystal shards fall out. You find yourself unable to see for the rest of the day.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. IT feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead." He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


I̵̜̖͎͓͒̑̕n̸͓̗̘̫͉̗̻͐̔̿̊͆̋͝v̵̦̹̠͉̖̼̮̎̌͆ȩ̸͕̦͔̳̩̈́͜n̶͍̝̙̯̣̹̫̩͋t̶̟͈̟̲̜̙̣̋̿̓̆̅͊͝͝ŏ̶̼͊r̶̖͎̙͔̥͎͙͈̊̍͝͠y̴̧͔̭͒͆̉̕͝:

• Opaque Sack of Mushrooms/Crystals- 1 /
  Running out of event currency and not sure what else to spend it on? Gamble on this mysterious pouch and potentially find more mushrooms/crystals within it! Or perhaps something else!
  
• Glittering Concoction- 2 /
  Smells like mushrooms, glitters like crystals.
  
• Glittering Concoction- 2 /
  Smells like mushrooms, glitters like crystals.
  

Firefly Shoppe- Avantika

The sickness deepens... You feel as if there's something in your ear that you need to get out. No matter how you scratch, the item won't budge. You scratch harder, eventually flinging the crystal free. Unfortunately, your ear was damaged in the process, with a half inch notch being torn away from the edge.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. IT feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead." He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


I̵̜̖͎͓͒̑̕n̸͓̗̘̫͉̗̻͐̔̿̊͆̋͝v̵̦̹̠͉̖̼̮̎̌͆ȩ̸͕̦͔̳̩̈́͜n̶͍̝̙̯̣̹̫̩͋t̶̟͈̟̲̜̙̣̋̿̓̆̅͊͝͝ŏ̶̼͊r̶̖͎̙͔̥͎͙͈̊̍͝͠y̴̧͔̭͒͆̉̕͝:

• Opaque Sack of Mushrooms/Crystals- 1 /
  Running out of event currency and not sure what else to spend it on? Gamble on this mysterious pouch and potentially find more mushrooms/crystals within it! Or perhaps something else!
  
• Opaque Sack of Mushrooms/Crystals- 1 /
  Running out of event currency and not sure what else to spend it on? Gamble on this mysterious pouch and potentially find more mushrooms/crystals within it! Or perhaps something else!
  
• Cursed Litter Pass- 2 /
  This looks like it might cause something really weird to happen. The label says, “do not use if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,” but you can’t read… it’s probably dangerous, or really cool.
  

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn nodded in agreement as Avantika stated she wished she was a healer. "I feel the same! I've seen ever land there is to see in Boreas and Auster and I still don't know what to do." She could explore and she could fight. She knew where to find glowing mushrooms and crystals during normal times but after the horror show of this winter she wasn't sure she wanted to explore those particular territories again.

She blinked and rubbed at her eyes where the crystals had bee growing more and more densely, to the point of starting to grow over her eyes. Her vision started to blur and as her focus came back she let out a shriek. She tried to back up and bumped right into a tree, staring at the strange, cloaked figure. It beckoned her to a table of strange objects and noted that she could choose one if she could afford it. Jynn swallowed. There were two glittering potions and a sack of something. She bit her lip but found herself drawn to the potion. If anything looked like it could cure a strange crystal disease this was it. "Ummmm I'll give you two mushrooms for one of the Glittering Concoctions, Mr. Spirit Sir."

Firefly Shoppe- Jynn

The figure pushes the potion toward Jynn. "There may be one place you haven't gone yet. This might help you get there." He doesn't linger long, leaving her with the strange glimmering potion at her paws.


You gain:

• Glittering Concoction- Smells like mushrooms, glitters like crystals.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x2)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...
  
  

Jynn agreed about wanting to be a healer, and she also said that she'd been to every land in Boreas and Auster. An impressive claim if it were true. Avantika could believe it. The woman had no pack and seemingly no reason not to keep wandering all over the continent. She wondered what that life was like. It wasn't one that she'd choose, but she could understand the draws of it. She was a curious sort of wolf herself, even though she'd never dream of leaving her home. Without the Hallows, would she be a lone adventurer like Jynn?

Something itched the inside of Avantika's ear. She raised one paw to scratch, but it stayed stuck. Ugh. She kept scratching, her mind falling into the single goal of getting the crystal out. Finally, it fell out, and she became aware of the pain of her scratching. She rubbed her paw over the notch she'd scratched out of her ear for a moment, before her vision blurred, leaving her alone in the mist.

Avantika stared at the firefly guy, and all her anger at him twisted into fear. She couldn't fight him, even though she did want to. She couldn't win. She couldn't even compete. She couldn't look away from his eyes as they twitched--it felt like her soul was being pulled out from her body through the connection. She finally managed to tear her eyes away and stared at the items on the table, trying to regain her own mind. She'd hate herself for her cowardice later.

There were two identical pouches and a pass. She had enough crystals to buy any of the three items, and the pass drew her eyes. She caught her breath and spoke up, "The pass, please," while handing two crystals over.

"Speech"

Firefly Shoppe- Avantika

The pass is slid over toward Avantika, and the three crystals offered taken in exchange. Though he wasn't sure she quite knew what she was getting into, he has no time to waste before collecting his items and disappearing from sight, leaving her alone with her pass.


You gain:

• Cursed Litter Pass- This looks like it might cause something really weird to happen. The label says, “do not use if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,” but you can’t read… it’s probably dangerous, or really cool.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x3)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...