Eliam and trickster had been winding their way across the Barrens for days on end. The pair had stopped here and there, checking out interesting rock features, and had over nighted in a cave or two. But their real goal was beyond the scorching sands - they were looking for Mistfruit Forest. It's recent discovery had much of Homewood chattering about it. Eliam had acquired a map from a navigator, and had decided to make the trip their next journey. Who knew what interesting objects could be found out there? He'd heard there was a huge dam blocking up the river created by the Others. Who knew what sort of materials lurked inside such a place. Certainly at least a few interesting things he could turn into new art. It had been some time since he'd last handled other made materials for a project, but he had all sorts of ideas. He's also heard about an armor maker in Homewood, and wondered if perhaps his art could be combined with their practical creations ... Perhaps something to consider. Trickster dashed ahead of him, scouting and keeping an eye out for shiny things. The Three-Tail had a true love of shiny trinkets, and Eliam certainly didn't object. His bond had already turned up several pieces that were useful for art installations he had in mind. Their partnership was working out quite nicely, really. Suddenly the Three-Tail was back at his feet, practically vibrating with excitement. "It's right over that next hill!" Trickster whipped his tail, and yipped with joy. "No more wandering in the desert!" Eliam couldn't help but smile. He, too, would be glad to be out of the desert at last. He extended a leg to his bond, who easily scrambled up it to enjoy a ride for the last little ways.
Just as Trickster has said just over the hill, there was Mistfruit. It was a smudge of brown-grey, quite unlike the swath of brilliant green Homewood was against the Barrens. It wasn't unexpected though. The others had done what they did best to this place too, just like the rest. Eliam picked up his pace, eager to explore. Who knew what they could find in this mostly unexplored place?
Before Eliam knew it they were there, among the dead trees. Immediately there was another hill to climb, too. This place was a lot hillier than Homewood. He wondered if there were places in the world even steeper than this ... Eliam spent a few moments checking out the dead trees and plants. It all looked pretty pathetic. Just shades of grey and brown, long since dead and decaying. He frowned. It seemed wrong to leave the place like this. It needed something to give it a little more life. Some beauty. He touched his nose to the tree he was inspecting, and drew upon his gift. It tingled all the way up his throat, and then colour blossomed beneath his muzzle. He left a bright pink stain on the tree that before can been an unappealing dry brown. The colour blushed outward, and drew the eye. Eliam smile, and gave a quick nod.
"I like the look of that. Much less boring." Trickster hopped off his back, and stared up at the tinted tree, taking in the new colour. "We'd have to stay here a long time for you to tint the whole forest though. That's not the plan, right?" Trickster seemed a little concerned, and Eliam could feel it through the bond. He just shook his head. He didn't plan on staying here all that long. He just wanted to check it out, see what could be found.
"Well good. This isn't as nice as Homewood. And I don't think there's as much shiny stuff here as the Ruins. But maybe I'll be wrong. Haven't seen the dam after all!" Trickster trotted off, deeper into the dead woods. He'd been carefully perusing the map for much of the journey, so Eliam was decently confident his bond could lead them to the dam. And if not, it was just one more adventure.
Eliam breathed hard as they hiked up yet another hill. The adventure was proving to be a lot of up and down, and a lot of dead trees. He hadn't seen a single relic from the others yet. But that changed as soon as the pair crested the latest hill. Down in the valley below was the huge hyrdo electric dam. Eliam sucked in his breath. How could anything have created something that large? It was hard to conceptualize.
"If there's nothing in there to make art of, there's nothing to make art of in the whole rest of the world."Trickster trashed his tail, anxious to be getting to the dam. Eliam only nodded, imaging what this next phase of their adventure would bring them.
"Onward."
