The party all got a full night's sleep, and were awoken early in the morning and taken to a royal carriage. Gewain and Phillipia sat on one side of the carriage next to each other. The others of The Bound all sat crammed together on the other side. Rina was still disguised as the very tall Anastasia, and looked even more out of place between the sleeping Alice and Neely as they rode toward Mt. Luminus.

Rina was writing in her journal while Gewain and Phillipia began talking.
"You remember when we were little, Phillipia? We went on a lot of these long carriage rides. You used to put your legs up on mine all the time. Man, that was annoying."
Phillipia looked him dead in the eyes, then put one leg up on his.
"I meant that I didn't like it."
"I know," she said as she put her other leg up.
He then pulled back to punch her, and she did the same.
"Ahh, you never change, Phillipia. You've always been a lot like your aunt, the queen. I think that's why you're her favorite."
"Yeah, one day I'll be able to take her in a fight."
Gewain laughed, but then Phillipia turned to a more somber topic.
"I... I heard your dad died. What happened?"
"He was a finger of Luminus... He had studied Luminus more than anyone. But... they beheaded him and the rest of the Fingers of Luminus."
Phillipia was silent for a few moments, a tear fell down her face. "He was... a great trainer. I'll never forget Altin Lothian - he helped raise me, after all."
Gewain cried a little, too, but maintained composure.
"Before he died he said something to me. He reminded me of a day we were arguing. I was raised to believe that one's only true purpose is to serve Luminus in the afterlife... that the best thing we can give to anyone is death. And... that the Finger's Weapons were being used to save the souls of the damned and the cursed," he briefly made eye contact with Rina, even in disguise he knew who she was.
Rina thought about Darrian and Sebastian and the Giant Red Devil who plagued all of their nightmares.
Gewain continued, "...But my dad told me one day that it isn't true. That Luminus doesn't want people who are forced to worship and fight for him. And that there's work to do on this side, too. He was working on interpreting scrolls in the Library of Luminus, and now that he's gone, I have to do it."
Rina's ears perked up, "You say you have scrolls that need interpreted?"
Gewain looked Rina in the eye, seeing through her disguise, "No, Rina, I wouldn't let you touch anything from the library of Luminus. I don't even feel qualified, you certainly aren't."
Rina decided to drop her disguise, "Come on! We could switch places: you could jump off a mountain for me, and I'll go look at books!"
Gewain rolled his eyes and protested again.

By this time, Alice and Neely had both woken up and had heard the tail end of the conversation.
"Rina... I think we should tell them what we know," Alice said softly.
Rina agreed, and pulled out the Book of Knowledge from Therius to reiterate everything they had been told by Therius before he died.
"Luminus is... a devil. He is Lord of Hell. He's been at war with the devil Bolgroth for centuries, and they have both been getting souls in different ways," Rina explained.
Gewain and Phillipia both sat in shock, then Alice lit up a joint, "I'm happy to share if you need it - you just got a lot of life changing information there."
"You cannot smoke that in here! This is a royal carriage!" Gewain said as he closed the windows and roof vent, "I cannot let anyone out there see the smoke."
"You know that's just going to get us all high, right?" Rina laughed.
"Phillipia, these are your friends - you tell them to stop!"
Phillipia sat up quickly, "Stop smoking that, Alice Moondance! ...and share some with me," she took the joint from Alice and passed it around to everyone else in the carriage - who were all laughing at poor Gewain, who had no idea what he was getting into.

They had passed an area near a quarry where the snow-white stone of Mt. Luminus was being mined, and a new track was being built nearby. It looked like a race track with bleachers, and many temporary homes had gone up for the workers who were mining and building.
"The Pontifex said there would be a Pilgrimage to Mt Luminus in about a week, this is meant to house the people who show up," Gewain explained.
Everyone they passed stopped and bowed to the carriage, it was not often that a royal carriage came up the mountain anymore. There were many vacation homes and little inns along the path up the mountain. Some were tourist attractions, and some were a rich person's 2nd home. Some buildings were old temples or shrines that had crumbled over time, the mountain had been home to many people over the centuries.
The ride up the mountain took most of the day, and - most of the day - they were hotboxing.

"So... like... I think Luminus is like... crazy..." Gewain said as they were about half way up the mountain.
"I mean, gods are just... crazy..." Phillipia replied, "Like... the Jarl was completely mad."
"Dad said it should change, and I think... now, this may sound blasphemous, but... maybe we are the change."
"But the 4th tenant said 'rebuke unholy change'!" Phillipia retorted.
Gewain gasped, "But does that trump the 8th tennant?"
"The third tenant should be taken into consideration first and foremost!"
Phillipia and Gewain continued deconstructing their religion as they rode up the mountain. Alice and Rina both continually looked at each other and shrugged any time Phillipia and Gewain talked about yet another tenant of their religion.
Looking at the two of them, it was obvious that they were somehow distantly related. Both were well groomed and had similar hair and facial structure.
"Are you two like... cousins or something?" Rina asked.
"Well... I think my great grandfather was her great aunt's brother or something?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"It's nice to see a couple of young people who have been best friends their whole lives," remarked Rina, "it's beautiful to have friendship like that."
They both smiled at each other, then continued talking about the Gods, devils, and Luminus.

Phillipia then got bored of being in the carriage, and sent out BustAMoves for a walk.
Rina and Gewain then talked in the carriage.
"How have you been holding up since our last conversation, Gewain?"
Gewain paused and looked surprised, but answered, "Well, I'm busy... and I'm finding a lot of things out about the afterlife and souls... not to mention what you told me today."
"How are you feeling since your dad's passing? I know how hard it is to lose someone close to you."
Gewain didn't answer, just changed the subject.
"There's one thing I want to ask of you all when you talk to the maker," said Gewain.
"You aren't coming with us?" Rina asked, surprised.
"No, I have a lot of work to do now. But I would ask that you see if Beth can unmake the weapons that trap souls for Luminus."
"Why is that what you want?"
"Because I believe that certain people whose rights are being taken from them - their right to choose their afterlives - should be given that chance. Things aren't light versus dark... according to Luminus, it's more like light versus nothing. But I believe there's something else, and I believe it's wrong to take that choice away. I want the Maker to not only stop the making of those weapons, but also give back the souls they've taken."
Rina knew he meant the Therianthropes, and she nodded in agreement.
"What do you two think?" Rina asked Alice and Neely.
"I'm in," they both said together. Neely left the carriage to let Phillipia know their plan, and she agreed as well.

They eventually arrived at the highest point that a carriage with horses could carry them, and had to walk on foot.
"It's about a 1 hour walk. Once you get there, you will have to magically open it."
"You mean you don't have a key?" Alice yelled.
"No, they didn't give me a key. Frankly, I'm surprised they even gave me the authority to escort you up here."
"Last chance to switch places!" Rina half-joked.
"Not a chance," Gewain said as he got back into the carriage. "Oh, Alice... any more joints for the road?"
Alice smiled and handed him 2 more, one of which he lit up as soon as the carriage rounded the corner.
"Looks like it's just us girls again!" Rina smiled.

The steep, uphill road was not an easy one to walk. But, after about an hour, they reached the final plateau. The center of the plateau had rings of polished stone all around it that stair-stepped up to a center point. Around the outer ring was an iron fence, and a magical protective barrier.
"Well, I guess first we see if we can get rid of the magic..." Alice stepped up and used dispell magic, but it didn't work.
"Hmm... I know it's a long shot, but I wonder if the Red Gem Keys from Mt. Ivatim would work," said Rina as she placed one against the barrier.
"Nothing... Neely, you got anything?" Alice asked.
"Nothing for this... I could sing to you, though!" Neely used a bardic inspiration for Phillipia, who also decided to use Dispell Magic - this time it worked.
"Good! Barrier down! Now we just need to get over this fence..." Phillipia said as she pondered what to do.
"I could use plant growth but there's no plants here..." Alice thought out loud.
"Rina, can you use eldritch blast on the fence?" Neely asked, "It doesn't cost you a spell slot."
Rina tried using eldritch blast on the lock of the fence gate, but it was not breaking.
"I have an idea!" Alice said as she pulled a seed out of her bag, "These are those seeds I got from The web! They can turn into anything made of wood... I'm planting a ladder!" Alice kicked some dirt up from the ground, and planted the little seed there. With a command from Alice, it sprouted into a 15ft tall ladder - just big enough to reach over the fence. Alice picked it like a pumpkin, and propped it up over the fence. Alice went first, falling ungracefully into the fenced-in area. Rina followed, also falling and hurting an ankle. Neely fell on top of them both, and Phillipia landed as gracefully as a cat.
"Come on, BustAMoves, I gotta put you back in your jar to take you with me." Phillipia's elephant gladly went back into it's tiny home.

The area within the fence had circles that were carefully hand polished. They seemed to have some kind of writing on them, but even Rina could not read it with her magic, "It's barely even a language. It's more like vague concepts." She then spotted a sign near the front of the fence, "This, though... this I can read."
"Keep your arms by your torso. When it flips, spread your limbs for stabilization. Then, scream as loud as you can, and someone may help you. Follow these instructions exactly, or you may die."
"So... what do we do now?" Neely asked.
"Guys, there's a trap door over here," Phillipia yelled, "I think we just stand on it."
She hopped down onto the door, and a ticking sound began.
"Wait... what do I do? Put arms in and... scream?"
Rina then repeated the sign's text.
"But what does that mean? What does flipping mean?"
They all shrugged, then the ticking stopped and the trap door opened.

Phillipia went hurtling downward all alone, yelling the whole way.
"We have to go!" said Neely as she jumped onto the trap door, also. "We can all fit, come on, let's go!"
So Rina and Alice also jumped onto the door, and it eventually opened. They were all now freefalling.
"Keep arms in!" Rina yelled as loud as she could, hoping Phillipia could hear, also.
Phillipia then noticed her speed going faster - faster than gravity, alone, would take her. Some magical force was pulling her. The other girls followed.
It was completely black as they fell, and the fall seemed to take longer than it should.
Small lights began to appear on the cylindrical wall, the outline of which was now able to be seen. The hand-dug tunnel to the center of the world was about 50ft wide. These little lights seemed to be bugs of some kind, lighting things up along the way. Eventually, the entire wall was nearly completely covered in them.
They all fell faster and faster, then even faster still, until... they slowed down - almost to a stop.
"Spread your arms and legs!" Rina yelled.
They all then began to fall backward, Phillipia passing the other three girls on her way back up as they were still falling down.
They all spread out their limbs, and got caught in a giant spider's web.

"I guess this is the part where we yell?" Phillipia asked Rina.
"Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm going to yell!"
All four girls began yelling for help, and soon they felt a movement on the web they were trapped in.
A large Arachnakin - a spider-person similar to Mother Epoigra - approached them and created a human-looking puppet with his feet and spoke with it.
"Welcome," he said in the same monotone voice of Epoigra, "How may I help you today?"
"We want out of this web, please!" Alice yelled.
"Ahh, yes. This web is meant to catch those to jump from the mountain."
"We did that, and we would appreciate you getting us down, please," said Rina.
"Me first! I've been here the longest!" Phillipia chimed in.
"Very well," the man used his other feet to release them from the web and let them down onto the ground beneath.
The bound walked with the Arachnakin man to the edge of a city.
The city of spiders was large and musty. Most buildings were carved out of the rocks, everything on the inside of the mountain seemed to be hand scooped. The Arachnakin people scuttled in and out of holes, ignoring gravity. Parks were sideways on the walls, some people were sleeping upside down. 
Any time one of them passed by, they attempted to form a human looking puppet with their feet and bow, many were not good at making a believable puppet.
"It's almost more creepy then they try and don't do well..." Neely whispered to herself.

“So, how do you all live down here? Do you have jobs and families and everything?” Phillipia asked the man.
The man formed his back two feet into the general shape of a human to be more appealing to their guests, and he used it as a puppet when he spoke, just as Epoigra did. “Yes, many of us have duties and families. But there has been more time to relax since The Maker blessed us with the Lake of Life.” The man gestured upward, where a large sphere of water, glowing like a full moon, hovered in the center of Ta amor. Rivers flowed from many directions into the sphere, and fish poured from them when the gravity of the water’s mass was too great. They had set up many large nets of web to catch the fish that fell, and there was enough to feed every living creature in Ta Amor. 
Rina pulled out the Crystal Sphere from Mother Epoigra, and looked around to determine where they were located, “It’s hard to tell where we are from here. Let's get out from under this rock canopy.” 
The man nodded with his puppet hands and led them out into the open. From there they could see the entirety of the heart of the world. This world had forests of giant mushrooms, and herds of ancient creatures walking through the terra fields. 
They looked out at the land of Ta Amor, and Rina pulled out her crystal sphere to identify their location.
"Looks like we're all the way in the... South? I guess this is the south. Where the four little rivers all stem from one spot."

They could see the rest of the world folded over itself, they were on the inside of the sphere, and all rivers flowed to, and from, one central location.
“Woah… this place is a wonder!” Rina said with joy.
“It's a wonder anyone ever wants to come here…” Neely retorted, spiders were her greatest fear. 
“What brings you to visit this place?” he asked them.
“We've come to talk to the maker, Beth,” Phillipia answered. 
“Ah, yes, so you are on a pilgrimage to see her?” 
“Uh… yes, I guess you could say that…” Phillipia was lying, but he seemed to buy it.
“Then it is an honor to help you, I am incredibly happy that you are all here.” 
“Thank you,” the girls said in unison.
“Can I help you with anything else?” the Arachnakin man asked them, insinuating he needed to leave when another person fell from another hole far away.
“We should probably eat something,” said Alice, “any place people like us can go eat?”
“There are many restaurants in this city who cater to bipeds like yourself. Just follow the smell.”
They all sniffed the stuffy air of the heart of the earth, and something that smelled similar to food seemed to be coming from around the corner. 
“This way!” Alice announced as she began to walk away.
“Am I dismissed?” He asked them.
“Oh, yeah of course!” Phillipia responded.
“Thank you,” he scuttled off in the direction of the person who was caught in another web far away.

The smell led them to what seemed to be a restaurant specifically for people from the surface, it was one of the few that had tables on the ground where they could sit and eat. 
Shortly after sitting, a waitress came by to serve them, also making a human-looking puppet with her legs, “It is not often that we see bipeds like you here, I would very much like to serve you something special - on the house. Would you accept this?” 
“Free food? Yeah!” Alice said excitedly. 
“Great, then I will make my specialty. That couple other there has the same dish,” she pointed to two Arachnakins eating the insides of giant beetles. 
“Oh, um… I thought you all had fish,” Phillipia mentioned.
“We do have fish, but fish are common. I would like to make my finest dish for you. But if fish is what you prefer, then I shall oblige you.”
“Yeah, I think I'd like the fish,” said Phillipia.
“Me too, please,” said Neely. 
“Okay, two fish dishes. What would the two of you like?”
“I definitely want your specialty, whatever it is. I love experiencing other cultures, so I want to have what you'd like to share,” said Rina.
“Yeah I want the special thing too!” Smiled Alice. 
“Two fish and two pillbugs coming up! May I be dismissed?”
They all nodded and she scuttled away to the kitchen.

“So what all do we need to do here?” Neely asked.
They all looked at Rina, “Oh, well, I need to find Roscoe Baldwin, which apparently means finding Beth and completing her trials. And your aunt, the queen, wants us to do something, right?” she asked Phillipia. 
“Yeah, but… she wanted us to ask Beth to give her a way to make more of the Finger's Weapons, but Gewain wanted the opposite…”
“What do you want to do, Phillipia? I think that one's up to you. You have more experience with all of this than any of us,” Rina suggested.
“Me? Well…” she paused a moment, “... Gewain knows more about Luminus than my aunt. And, even though I'm not sure of my religion anymore, I think it's best to follow advice from the person who knows it the best. That's Gewain, not Loanna.” 
Rina smiled, “I was hoping you would say that. I would also very much love for those souls to be given back.”
Neely looked at the two of them, now smiling at each other, “So are you two having a nice-off now, or what?”

The waitress came back with their meals, and they all began eating.
“Don't we have another thing to do here? We have to meet someone, right?” Neely asked.
“Yes, I have a message and a gift to give Epoigra's Son, Takashiski.” Rina pulled out the sphere along with the God Compass, which was pointing directly towards the ball of light and water in the center of Ta Amor. 
“Well, we know where we're headed, I guess,” Alice remarked as she glanced at the compass. 
“Alice, I think you should take at least one of the magic compasses,” said Rina. “It doesn't make sense for me to have both.
“Desire compass, please!” Alice held out her hand.
Rina gave it to her and it immediately pointed toward the kitchen of the restaurant.
“What are you wanting the most right now?” Neely asked her.
“Beer!” Alice waved down the waitress and asked for a beer. What she received was more of a mildly alcoholic, very watered down, beer-like substance. 
“I guess this will have to do,” she wined as she drank it. 
“Do you know where we might be able to find Takashiski?” Rina asked the waitress. 
“There are many with that name. Can you be more specific?”
“He's a son of Epoigra, on the surface.” 
“Oh, yes, he works in the guard. You should be able to find him there near the docks.” 
“How do we get there?” 
“Leave from here to the end of the road, then follow the smell of fish.”
They dismissed the waitress, as she would not leave otherwise, and decided to explore the city before going to the docks.

As they walked, they noticed that none of the stores really had any signs. They did have odd markings carved into the corners of buildings that the Arachnakin could feel as they ran by. They served as signs for those who could understand the markings with the hairs on their legs. Many of the Arachnakin wore a bandana around one leg, it was unclear what these were for, but they seemed to signify that there were groups that they were each a part of. 
The party stopped in the only general store for adventurers. 
"I'm looking for potions," Rina said, "Any healing potion."
"We have one Greater Healing, and three Superior healing."
"You three want to claim any of these? If not, I'll buy whatever is left over."
Neely and Alice shook their heads. Phillipia decided to buy the cheaper potion.
"I'll buy those last three," Rina said as she handed over the gold.

“We also have thread, if you'd like. Some simple thread for 3 gold, and never-ending thread for 4,000 gold.”
“Four THOUSAND!?” Alice protested. 
“What would this be used for that makes it cost so much?” Phillipia asked. 
“It can not be broken just by pulling, so it can carry any weight. If it's used up by cutting, it will regenerate after a long rest.”
“We already have a lot of rope, do we need to spend that kind of money?” Neely mentioned, she was their secretary, after all.
“I have a feeling it would come in handy but…” Phillipia patted her pockets, “...I don't exactly have any money right now.” 
“Why don't we take it from the party fund?” Rina suggested. “We have like 10 thousand gold in there now… we might as well use it.”
“Do you guys use that stash often?” 
“No, this is really the first time since the everbleed bowl. I think it's a good investment. We will always have rope! Plus, I'm getting some regular for myself, just to have. Not often you can buy spider silk directly from the center of the world!” Rina answered excitedly.

“I'd feel bad that I didn't contribute to buying it though… I know, let's haggle! I'll get the price down as a contribution!”
“What is this ‘haggle’? Is it a tradition?” 
Rina and Phillipia looked at each other, “Uh, yes! Yes, it's something we do on the surface,” said Rina.
“What is it?”
“Well you have a price and I want it for less, so I give you a lower price, and then you give a price you'd sell it for that's lower than the original. We do that til we have an agreement,” explained Phillipia.
“A tradition of your people? Then I will try it. The price is 4 thousand gold.”
“Then I offer… 2800 gold,” Phillipia countered.
“3,600 is what I could say next?”
“Sure, then I would say… 3000?”
“So, I now say 3,400, final offer.”
“Final offer? But what if I will only pay 3,200?”
“I would take a trade. I do not wish to take less than 3,400.”

“What's of value to you that we might have?” 
The shop owner thought for a moment and looked around, pondering what he might want. 
“Here we have no trees. Above you do have trees. If you come from above, perhaps you have something from a tree? Anything made of wood is valuable. If you have a trinket or anything made of wood, I would take down the price of the thread.”
Rina remembered the “mushroom” carving she made in everhelm while the guards kept her from leaving Tower 5. It was shaped more like a middle finger than a mushroom.
“I… I do have this…” she pulled it out and handed it to the shop owner. “I carved it while I was waiting on something one day and-”
“3,000…” he interrupted after inspecting the carved wooden finger, “this is worth more than you know. I will lower my cost to 3,000.”
“Deal!” Both Rina and Phillipia said at once. Rina handed the shop owner the money from the party fund, and handed Alice the thread. 
“You already have the endless water, fire, and food - might as well keep our endless rope, too!” Rina said as she handed over the endless thread.
“Cool!” Alice happily shoved it in her backpack.
The shop owner then showed the finger to another spider person, and they both gave each other the middle finger.
"Is this a symbol of friendship?" The shop owner asked.
"Uhh... yeeahhhh....." Phillipia said after the others had walked out the door.
Now other Arachnikin began using the middle finger as a greeting, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

They all decided to head to the docks. They first followed the smell of fish, but then they could finally see the fish falling from the sky and into the large web nets.
One of the fish fell somewhat close to Rina, and she recognized it immediately.
"This is... a Kandaroo. This is one of those little fish that infested Lightwash Lake."
"Holy crap, you're right!" Alice yelled, "Did you two just eat these things?!"
Phillipia and Neely looked at each other.
"I feel fine, why what's the deal?"
"Uh, yeah... I... I feel fine, too," Neely said, now having flashbacks to the giant Electric Catfish.
Rina explained the fish and the spliced souls they had seen on the surface.
"The first time we encountered it, there was the soul of an elemental inside of the Golem, which is now Alice's pet."
"Yeah, he's awesome! He lives on our porch!"
"You guys have a house?"
"Yeah, we got a house in Castle Frey - which you're more than welcome to stay at whenever you want. We have an extra bedroom," Rina answered.
"No we don't!" Neely accidentally said much too loudly, "We, um... well... we will have to share a bedroom."
"Aw, like roommates?" Phillipia said sweetly.
"Yes... or not! Whatever you're comfortable with. I mean the bed is kind of small, and-"
"Phillipia, we would love to have you," Rina interrupted the stammering Neely.
"That would be awesome, thanks you guys!"
"Yeah, I can't wait to be in my own bed again!" sighed Alice.
"I kinda want to be in someone else's bed, if you know what I mean..."
"Woah, you got someone back home, Rina?"

Rine blushed, then continued, "Back on topic. We then felt the same thing going on with a giant catfish at the bottom of the lake, and we had to kill it up on our boat so that the fish didn't destroy the ecosystem."
"Wow... I had no idea that any of this happened."
"The queen probably either didn't know, didn't care, or just is hiding the news on purpose. That's what I imagine, anyway," commented Alice.
"She's not that bad once you get to know her. Crazy? Yes. But not that bad."
"You think she'll take it well if we don't ask Beth to give her the power of the weapons?"
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Phillipia said casually.
"Anyway," Rina continued, "based on what Kin told us, and Alice's connection with nature, we learned the splicing power was coming from here... a place that is a reverse of our world."

"So... we should visit Takashiski before it gets too late," Neely yawned, "We have been up like... all day."
They got to the guard area behind the docks, and asked a few people along the way where they could find him. They were lead to an office, which was just a room carved out of the wall.
"Hello, who do I have the pleasure of speaking to," Takashiski said, shortly after forming a very realistic-looking human puppet.
Alice answered, "We're an adventuring group who knows your mom. See? She made this," she pulled out the rock with the googly eyes on it. He took it and felt the eyes with his mandibles, "Yes, this is indeed her work. Thank you for bringing this to me, it has brought me great joy," he said in a completely monotone voice. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"She had something she wanted us to tell you," Neely said as they all looked at Rina.
"Me? Ok, hold on..." she shuffled through her papers and in her bag, and pulled out two things: a journal, and a ball of thread from Mother Epoigra.
"She says, 'Though you may choose to spin your thread alone, a mother never forgets her favorite hatchling' - still makes me cry," Rina smiled as she handed him the fall of spider silk.
He began to shake a little, and gently took the silk ball to begin to unravel it. Inside was a small wooden statuette of a creature. He began to shake again, "I am sorry, I do not mean to cry in front of you."
"Shaking is crying?" Alice asked.
"It is all we can do, we do not have tear ducts. Please, follow me."

He then scuttled into the back of his office into a separate room, separated by a very thin hole carved into a cave.
"I don't know if I can shimmy through here with this armor," Phillipia said, "The boob part keeps getting stuck on rocks!"
Neely squeaked.
"Here, I'll help you," said Rina as she lifted Phillipia's armor over the hump in the rock that she was stuck on.
Neely squeaked again.
They all made it to the other side to find Takashiski placing the little figurine on a shelf with just one spot left - he had been collecting one of each, and now he had them all.
He began shaking again, "Forgive me, I miss her very much."
"It's okay, Takashiski. She misses you, too," Rina consoled him.

After he composed himself, he spoke again, "What is your purpose in Ta Amor?"
"We need to see the Maker... Beth," Phillipia answered.
"The maker, sustains us, praise her. Please, allow me to help you on your pilgrimage. And tell her that we are grateful for the food - we will always worship."
Phillipia nodded, "So, do you know where she is?"
"Yes, there," he pointed to a red mist that hung heavy behind the sphere of water. "Within the mist is the Evergrub, it is kept asleep by the lightning of the mist."
Just then, a lightning storm could be seen rippling across the red mist.
He continued, "The Maker needs the grub to survive, but only while it sleeps. If it were to wake, the world as we know it would end."
"So, we have to go to the grub to find her?" asked Alice.
"Yes, but you should be careful - walking would take a long time, and it would be dangerous. Many creatures roam the lands. The best way to go is to fly. Come with me."

He scuttled away again toward the docks, and they followed.
He took them to a dock where another Arachnakin was herding a flock of beetles.
"These are bubblebugs, we hold onto them and fly with them to get to the far end of Ta Amor. But you need to be able to tie yourself to the beetles."
"The new spider silk!" Alice pulled out the infinite rope, and cut enough for all four of them to tie themselves to a beetle.
Rina paid for the beetle rentals out of the party fund, and made a little swing on her beetle, "Look at meee!" she said with a smile, "I'm swinging!"
Phillipia made a loop to stand in and held onto the rest of the rope.
Both Neely and Alice just tied the rope around their midsection and dangled.
"Just be careful of gravity near the water sphere, if you get too close then it will pull you in. Stay at least 100ft away."
"That only leaves like 30ft above ground when we're dangling! That's barely enough to escape tall monsters!" Alice complained.
"Yes, it is unfortunate. However, if you do find any bug monsters out there, we would appreciate any that you can defeat. They have made things difficult for us."

They all agreed, and set off with their beetles. Phillipia noticed a herd of large, bipedal creatures half way around the sphere - too far away to determine what they were.
They then saw some large moths heading toward them,
"Aww!" said Alice, "Those are cute! Maybe we can make friends!"
"Yeah! Let's make friends!" Phillipia repeated.
The moths then continued toward them at full speed from the ground.
"Guys... I don't think they're friendly! Didn't Takashiski say they were difficult?" Neely remembered.
Rina readied an eldritch blast, and they surrounded the party in a threatening way.
The largest moth began to gesture for them to land on the ground, seemingly making demands, but the girls all refused.
"Rina, can you understand them?" Phillipia asked.
"I can't get the ritual spell up that fast, but I can tell you that they aren't animals... they're sentient. This is a language, not just animals grunting."
They began swarming the party, and swooping down to hit them.
Rina let her eldritch blasts go, hitting three of them - her magic was cold, once again.
Phillipia lit a torch and threw it downward, distracting half of the moths who followed them down.
Alice whipped one, and Neely used shatter.
The moth pulled out a horn and blew into it like it was calling something toward it.
"We have to stop him! Alice, you have control water - and you have the decanter!" Rina reminded.
Alice pulled out the decanter and released 30 gallons of water - controlling it to drown the leader in the air.
It dropped to the ground, and the others were scared away enough to follow.

They had won the battle, but not the war. The horn, now on the ground, began to bounce. But it wasn't the horn - it was a shaking of the earth.
Phillipia looked up to see that herd of bipedal creatures running right toward them.
"Fly!" she yelled, "We have to outrun it! We can't kill that thing!"
Alice looked back and was the only one to recognize the creatures, "Tarrasques! Go!"
The beetles were flying as fast as possible, but still losing ground against the largest Tarrasque who had made it ahead of the herd.
Rina cast Wall of Fire in front of it, hoping to trip it and slow it down, but that did nothing.
"What?! What do we do?" Rina yelled.
Rina tried an eldritch blast, but it repelled off of the monster and hit her instead.
"Alice? Can you summon anything or change into anything?" Neely asked in a panic.
Alice used some primal nature energy and poured it into the beetles, making them grow to double their size. This increased their speed to the point of them being able to outrun the creature.
They landed on the edge of a small cavern, too small for the beetles to go in with them.
"We need to return these on the way back," said Neely.
"We need sleep," said Alice, "It has to be like 2 am or something."
"I'll get the Tiny Hut going," Rina then walked to a larger, open area and did her ritual spell.
"Let's eat and get some sleep... tomorrow we meet our maker," Phillipia said as she laid down in the igloo of a hut.

All of them had fallen to sleep except Rina, who continued to journal or a couple of hours after.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see a tall, thin, incredibly pale man staring down at her.
"So... you're it, huh? You're the one that Enoch chose?"
She turned to face him, "Yes. I'm Rina. And you are?"
He only nodded.
"I'm assuming you're another brother."
He nodded again, "I see why he chose you now."
"And why is that in your eyes?"
"Because... you're stubborn."
"Well, that is true."
He moved his hand from her shoulder to her face - the moment he touched her skin, she blacked out.

End session

Next: Day 73 (S55-56)