Chapter 6: Withered Roots

Leoric and Nadeshiko looked on, amazed as the Colossus stomped into the clearing. The large machine-like dream creature had a long cylindrical container attached to its back, and into it went the contents of each wagon. The emptied wagons where cast into the Weave while most of their owners slumbered in their bonds.

Once the dream creature had gathered up all of the remaining moss the pair, along with the wagon crews were scooped up into a cage the hung from the side of the pack. Once they were all imprisoned, the raiders were placed onto the observation platform on top of its head and it then began the slow ponderous journey back to its master's camp.

Ardriss was wandering amongst a thick grove of oddly shaped plants as magi bustled about him pouring thick grey ooze on to their roots which pulsed as the fluid within the plants large bulbous bodies bubbled and fizzed. Within the depths of each pod, an indistinct shape was slowly forming.

At the sound of the Colossus's approach he left the grove and watched as the dream creature slid the silo from its shoulders and placed it next to the others. Shazeen approached.

'The grove is spreading, as you predicted it would,' she said, ' the lava pools the Calders left in their wake when they invaded our realm to hunt for shadow magi have proven themselves to be most useful in hastening the gestation process.'

Ardriss nodded and gave the near pod an affectionate pat.

'Once this lot has ripened we shall have enough to begin the second phase of our mistresses' plan,' he replied.

Leoric watched as the bandits began to herd the wagon crews from the cage, the wagon master caught his eye and winked as he and his staff suddenly surged forward jostling the guards, diverting their attention away from the pair who quickly made their escape.

They took shelter behind a small cluster of huts. The bandits in the area were far too busy dumping coal in the fire pits to notice them.

Nadeshiko looked at him in disbelief.

'I did not believe that that would work,' she said, 'won't some of them think that we have abandoned them?'

The Arderian shrugged, ' they know why we were traveling with them, ' he said, ' and while they won't like it, they also know that it wouldn't make sense for us to be captured along with them, their captors are not shadow magi, so there is little risk of them being turned.'

Nadeshiko turned her gaze to the vista before them.

'This isn't what I expected,' she mused, 'I thought they were shipping off somewhere else, not taking it for their own use.'

'Is it a normal practice to boil it up like this?' he asked.

'No, generally only the seeds are used in brewing of healing potions, boiling the whole plant is how they create fertilizer.' she replied, watching the procedure with great fascination, ' a very potent one too, which I heard was used to aid in the restoration of Naroom after the shadow magi were driven out.'

Leoric regarded the cauldron and is boiling contents, 'so a potion that either help cure the land or its populace,' he said, 'but what do these guys want with it?'

Shazeen watched the two intruders leave the storage huts and make their way towards the grove. As she left her own hiding place to follow them she alerted her fellow bandits as she past them by until she had a reasonably large mob encircling the area.

Leoric stared up at the massive narrow pod whose base was hidden beneath a mound of thorny roots.

'Is this species native to the Weave?' he asked eyeing the network of pulsating veins that laced the surface.

Nadeshiko shook her head, ' No, they're not plants, they are a type dream creature called Dream Forges,' she replied, ' they could be grown and nurtured like normal plants and magi of the Weave, Naroom and Paradwyn did so because under certain conditions they could spawn entirely new species of dream creatures. However, the practice of breeding them ceased decades ago.'

'Why?' Leoric asked

'Because the other realms feared that the balance of power would shift in the favor of those realms,' Ardriss said, emerging from the shadows, 'or truth be told, they feared that the Core would corrupt and use the Dream Forges to spawn an army.'

Both magi glared at the Weaver warily. Behind him they could see some of his fellow bandits follow him, while others gathered around the edges of the grove.

'Who might you be?' Leoric asked.

The bandit smirked, 'I am Ardriss, 'he said and spread his arm wide, 'we are the Withered Roots, and you are now our guests.

At that Leoric tensed glanced around at Ardriss followers and mentally kicked himself, not only had he allowed himself to walk straight into an ambush, he gotten Nadeshiko trapped as well.

Seeing no choice for the moment, both magi raised their hands, the bandits surging forth to strip them of their rings.

Shazeen watched as the pair were shackled together, and then turned to Ardriss.

'What do you want done with them, throw them in with the others? She asked.

'No, put them with our other guest. The last thing we need is for them to forment rebellion amongst the prisoners, not that they'd have any success anyway.' He said turning his attention back to the pods, 'it is almost time for them to bloom, have the men bring out the final dose of our special mixture.'