Older than one of their Elders, that sentiment brought an amused smile unto her features albeit a reserved one seeing how Spencer called them out on the nature of their whispering. While in truth Flame had been a construct she hadn't lived in the same sense any other human did for more than two decades, her nubile appearance for once matching the age of her mental consciousness though she let that thought slip away in favor of teasing the Fae further by not disclosing to him what words they just exchanged.

At the notion of stripping before him her eyes shifted to their diminutive companion. "It'd have to be a pretty good reason .. Then again, I honestly can't think of any life threatening situation we may resolve by having me undress anywhere or anytime."

She wasn't entirely upset whenever they happened to bring the subject back up but rather found herself profoundly entertained by their recurring comments on the matter as it was nothing more than carefree window dressing given the overall friendliness of their conversations.

Regrettably these fateful circumstances brought them together in the first place although there was no denying the fact that the two of them had grown on the red head, one of them driven by a mindset she couldn't hope to comprehend whereas the dwarf could nearly be seen as his polar opposite and the knowledge that sooner or later they were going to part ways sobered the cheerful experience quite a bit. She was going to miss the little guy, the Fae that is, especially in that moment but until they split up she'd travel alongside him in hopes of restoring her memory.

Before long they were underway. Even from a distance she recognized the distinct descent of vast amounts of water from a height, a waterfall which harbored others of his kin or someplace else in the surrounding area considering that they leaned towards such scenery.

What did manage to set her off, however, had been the inexplicable noise which followed then, alarming the sorceress as a chill swept through her and she centered on the source, at least the direction thereof due to her inability to spy anything through the dense forest.

"What on Earth is that?" Roc provided a swift and simple answer, not that she believed him initially since how were such small creatures supposed to drown any other sound in their proximity unless there'd been an entire legion of them? Flame wasn't about to take any chances and oppose their better judgement thanks to the venerable age of her companion, making a stand then and there as she got into a more desirable pose whilst mentally drawing on any conjurations that wouldn't inevitably burn down the entire forest.

Did goblins sound like that? She could've sworn they weren't nearly as high pitched, not that Flame had much time to regard appearances though Spencer's reaction brought confusion into play.

An elaborate prank, perhaps, set up for the newcomers by Pixies and Faerie Dragons? That seemed more likely than a trap, surely he wouldn't lead them here knowing of such since he'd displayed at least a semblance of a conscience time and time again. Still, whatever was headed their way was coming closer and did so without relent, branches snapping into pieces which urged her on to observe carefully before doing anything rash.

“Don't let him get your guard down because he's small and cute. One of the first things they teach you is to unlearn bad behavior and not assume things. You are a Fire Elementalist which means you can't affect the opposite element. I cannot command the winds, you cannot the water. They live near waterfalls and he's likely to say something like needing to strip down and storing you clothes someplace so you don't catch cold, after you do another one of them steals the clothes ...”

Spencer stuck his tongue out in response. “As if I'd try that old man, with you joining us do you think I'd want to see you naked too?”

“If it set up a good joke as fair as the tastes of the Fairy Dragons or your Pixie neighbors found entertaining, lets not forget about them either.”

Spencer was sullen or acted sullen as he muttered. He did lead the pair through the Shadow, Roc assuring Flame that he could deal with water.

But those were goblins alright! The crashing stopped nearby after a long crashing sound through the forest. Spencer went invisible. “Cone on!”

Roc draped an invisibility spell over them and it was clear that her father had departed for she could no longer see Spencer. In short order though they came across a scene, an obvious path cut it's way through the forest and there was a horde of Goblins out there. Goblin skin color varied from tribe to tribe and specific regions. One born near the coast might be blue though a forest goblin was green, There were more than three dozen goblin warriors out there, probably not affiliate with Tori either for Goblins were fairly numerous.

Against one of the larger trees was a rock which had been engraved with various magical runes of protection. A with doctor was sprinkle some powder and casting some wards against evil spirits.

“She actually did it. I thought that this was it.” Spencer whispered as he watched the Goblins affix ropes and Roc translated as the Goblins were arguing about how to best draw the sacred stone all the way back to their lair and up that damn hill, others questioned the witch doctor making sure that he had successfully warded off the spirit. Others though that they could beseech the Gods.

“Who did this? And why?”

“Cinnamon … she's been talking about it for months. She had said once she learned Telekinesis she was going to do this and the reason? Because it's funny as all hell, the Goblins having to work out how to get the stone back to their cave. Funny that they think that they have angered the spirits and to see what they do about it, they might even leave offerings for the Gods and if they're good enough -”

“You steal the offerings!?” Some of the goblins looked around and Roc lowered his voice though Spencer giggled again as the Goblins bowed on the ground.

“They think you must be an angered God, this is too good. First their sacred rock sweeps off by itself and then a disembodied voice … And no, I haven't taken offerings, Syn might though. Say would you like to meet her?”

Within seconds they were shrouded in an invisibility spell before venturing onward, laying their eyes on a scene which unfolded around them though thankfully the noise had stopped at least. Abdul's absence became apparant then but he'd already returned the natural gifts of fire magic to his daughter which was more than enough to provide his offspring with reasonable means of protection, Flame confidently recalled the various conjurations and spells at her disposal although she wouldn't need to draw upon them if they could simply hide in plain sight.

She didn't fully understand what they were looking at, the semantics of things unknown as the sorceress eyed the boulder and the ornaments on its surface that were imbued with magic, her gaze briefly sweeping over the dozens of Goblins all around. With the source of the noise they'd heard prior to arriving here determined, it wasn't an entirely implausible idea that the rock didn't truly belong here.

Listening to their detailed explanation there was no doubt in her mind that another Fae indeed played an elaborate prank on someone, said someone being an entire mob of goblins and not the unusual trio. Certainly it merely served to affirm the belief that they were headed for the Elders of an assortment of pranksters, making it seem as though the dwarf wasn't completely wrong when them being small and cute didn't mean that they were harmless.

Flame cringed once Roc raised his voice seeing how they were in fact invisible, realisation hitting him shortly after with the damage already done as the entirety of the horde bowed at the speech delivered by one of their supposedly incorporeal deities.

Usually these creatures were beneath any concern in reflection of what she had to endure in their presence, but these ones specifically had her sympathy unless she were emotionally detached from it in which case their misery surely made room for amusement. Their sacred rock on the other hand, as crude and uncultured it may seem to admire a lifeless chunk of stone, carried meaning in their eyes and messing with an entire culture for the sake of doing just that wasn't praiseworthy in any way, shape or form.

"Perhaps we should help and bring it back for them.", she suggested although assisting them in their task if not simply carrying it back for them with Telekinesis of her own had been on her mind when she heard that it was nothing but a stroke of genius from one of the Fae, looking for guidance from the wiser of the two travelling companions as to how they should proceed. As much as she despised fueling such superstitious beliefs and despite the odds of Cinnamon repeating it all over, Flame would've preferred to act on these matters of injustice.

She shook her head. "Didn't you say time is of the essence when it comes to whatever is suppressing my memories? We should visit the Elders first before seeing to anything else, we have today and most of tomorrow to spend so there should be plenty of time to introduce us to your friends."

Unfortunately the wiser of the two had no love of Goblins. He would not stop Flame from helping them if she wished though he would not do so himself for the sake of it. Spencer looked in the direction of one then the other, it was amusing given that both spaces were empty to his sight and he could not see either.

“Syn will probably just do it again if we brought the rock back for them seeing that there is no end to how often she could use the spell now. It will be interesting to see what precautions the Goblins put into place.

“But you're right, though by that token we shouldn't be wasting any time on this.”

But Spencer would assist Flame if she felt that this was something she had to do with the pair meeting Roc here afterward.

They pressed on getting to a waterfall that was flowing down a rocky cliff face.

“Now, if you don't want -”

Roc clapped his hands together and slapped them on the ground summoning the Stone Serpent beneath the waterfall so that it ran against the horizon collecting and deflecting most of the matter just a mere splatter of water getting on them.

Fairy Dragons of all colors appeared about them.

“I was going to say if you didn't want an incident ...” He rolled his eyes and spoke to the others in his language before a blue and red Faerie Dragon escorted them to a chamber where a black Faerie Dragon slept and with some prompting Skittles woke.

“I am Skittles, what do I owe this displeasure of being awakened for?”

“Grandmother, you can't possibly be getting more beauty sleep. This dull dwarf is called Roc, how original, but this one here is called Flame and we were sort of hoping you could assist her.”

Skittles, who was called that because she had gone through all the spectrums of visible light mulled it over. She stroked her chin. “No. I do not like her. The dwarf though, why is he a dullard?”

“I am not, your grandson thinks he's being cute.” Spencer grinned at the now visible dwarf for they had drop their invisibility before their final approach.

“Hm. I think he's rather cute in that dwarven bad boy sort of way. And you cannot tell me he isn't sculpted like a rock.”

“So why don't you like Flame?” Spencer asked and the Elder glanced back.

“When did I say that?”

Roc brought his gaze to Flame. Either Skittles was kidding or there was something wrong with her memory which could be bad ...

Sympathy for the Goblins appeared to be warranted in her eyes and equipped with the proper mindset and a certain finesse that graced her magical prowess, simply leaving them as they were wouldn't make her any better than those they opposed and despite it being temporary relief for the Fae would surely manipulate matters again soon she felt compelled to intervene. "I don't think it'll be wasted when it is spent on good deeds. Besides, what difference could a few minutes make when I've been under the effects of whatever suppresses my memories for approximately two days?"

Incidentally Flame had an eternity to catch up in case these memories retained their nigh impenetrable seal, not all of them were lost seeing to the great many Abdul happened to unlock during his presence within her mind so time spent may not actually sum up to two decades.

She then turned to their playful companion, invisible like the rest but that wouldn't cause many complications if she followed his voice. "Would either of you care to assist me? I'm not exactly gifted in the realm of Air Magic and could use the extra muscle."

Roc refrained from aiding them in their quest, she didn't mind as his help wasn't taken for granted by the red head and thinking back in time she recalled his tattoos, countless Goblins slain only to take on their chief and end them as well in ever growing numbers as his marvellous body art portrayed. Surprise would be the first thing Spencer would notice if he could see her expression in these moments, his amusement prior to moving the rock back to where it belonged could've fooled her into thinking that he would be in favor of leaving it there though she didn't refuse his assistance.

Navigating with the Fae in tow proved simple though at some point she almost lost focus, tripping over a nearby root where Spencer prevented the worst as he held the mighty stone aloft. They had to right a wrong and as such Flame had to disregard whatever reaction the worshippers displayed, nothing about it felt empowering in the least and she was glad to have finished before thanking their smaller ally and returning to the dwarf in continuation of their journey.

As expected the trio happened to come across a waterfall, the prized home of other Fae Dragons which appeared on the scene in a widely spread parade of colors, showing the various stages of their aging process no less when she happened to spy the darker spots amidst their multicolored scales. Quite frankly she was taken aback by Roc's usage of the Stone Serpent in order to keep themselves dry but wasn't going to complain about keeping her clothes on for she feared some would most certainly steal them if not steal glances at their bare bodies.

"Well, that went smoothly.", she noted upon entry of the cave beyond masses of water yet remained silent for the remainder of the guided tour, being taken elsewhere within their home and while Flame entertained the thought of lighting a tiny flame in the palm of her hand she left things as they were.

A pitch black creature akin to Spencer and the others awaited them, only in the sense that it slept at their destination which led her to believe that this was one of the Elders, a certain Skittles as it turned out though at the notion of grandmother she already made some of the calculations within her mind. With an admirable age of roughly twenty years and a grandson of about half of said years it wasn't far fetched to assume that they reached maturity with five years or less, possibly mating at that time considering the logical chain of events in regard of their family's ancestry though Flame had to stay focused here.

Somehow Skittles didn't like her, any assistance rejected off hand for no reason in particular since they didn't even have a chance to explain their matter of concern. Did she do something wrong? It was perplexing, but even with an inflamed temper every now and then the feisty temptress remained calm and reserved.

"He's a monk." She uttered these words without moving a muscle, a challenge considering that it was amusing to hear another species compliment Roc in such a manner.

Now Flame had to weigh possibilities here, chances were that Skittles was messing with their heads as playful as members of her race tended to be by nature or that she'd already forgotten about voicing her reluctance to aid the human newcomer in any way. Crimson eyes settle on Roc briefly who returned her lingering gaze as if he'd taken the very same thought into consideration, that old age meddled with her memory and therefore left the old one with memory issues herself which could potentially wind up being incredibly risky if they chose to pursue their original goals.

"You just said you didn't like me, not one minute ago." Flame then stated in a matter of fact approach, inclined to attempt and regain her memories regardless as she stepped forward, bowing slightly.

"But please, forgive my coarse manners. It truly is an honor to meet a venerable member of your kind face to face." She knew that they were prideful, some of them at least while also being fond of pranks and the like. With time spent alongside Spencer surely there would be ways and means to achieve a compromise of sorts though she had to keep things short for the sake of the Fae before them. "I'm the one known as Flame and came here for your help. My memories have been suppressed and due to the nature of Faerie Dragon breath I suspect I may have been exposed to it. Do you, perchance, know of any cure or antidote that could be of help?"

They lacked Roc for translating though the Goblins were awed and their witch doctor even cast wards to thwart evil spirits to no available. In a cave the rock looks as if it sat in a small dip or basin so just pushing it was difficult. Maybe half a dozen Goblins may have been able to push the stone but it looked as if the rock would roll down hill if rolled to the cave mouth.

From there they could easily see the path of destruction that the sacred stone had left.

Skittles chuckled and looked to the sorceress. “A minute for you perhaps. Ironic of all of the Fae we experience time at an accelerated rate. Other Fae experience the passage of time quiet slowly decades may pass but they only feel the passage of two or three.”

Once this had been explained Skittles frown and swung her gaze to her grand son. They exchanged a few quick words in the Draconic tongue, pretty much asking how Flame came up with such an assine idea.

“I'm sorry. Our memory loss is temporary for a few minutes, longer as we attain new colors. Even mine lasts half an hour at best. But you know who have mastered such Enchantments?”

“Pixies?” Roc groaned hoping he was wrong but wasn't.

They were directed to the nearby Pixies, an individual by the name Willow who was a Boyer and made the magical arrows that the species used.

They lived in the trees, there were pulley elevators that moved them to a treetop village that the Elves shared with them, bridges spanning the trees to connect buildings with one another. Soon they had found their way into one after enduring many Pixie pranks one that had them one the run around for a bit. They would probably be still looking if not for the fact that they had Spencer with them.

The building they found Willow in had been quite large with bows large and small hanging on the wall along with numerous arrows. Some of the bows were sized for Pixies and the others for larger species, all of remarkable craftsman ship.

Willow, while visible, wore green clothes and appeared quite young to which Roc reckoned that she was younger than he was but you could never tell with the Fae. After the situation had been explained to her she rubbed her chin.

“Enchantments are my specialty. These arrows ar3 traditional Pixie arrows, careful that you do not prick yourself. Half cause sleep, half temporary memory loss. We can assist each other … the risen that I use is from a tree that a Dryad lived in. She was cursed by a Nymph when the Nymph was raped by a Satyr near the tree since she did not assist the Nymph.

“The tree is now animate, and well, prone to certain activities now … a Dryad is bond to their tree so she is, well, yeah … she cannot stay away for long and since the curse on the tree I dark not approach it.

“But if you could some how brake the curse on it or get sap from the Valley of the Lost I could use it to restore your lost memories, whether suppressed, erased or what have you.”

Flame eyed them in a mildy flustered manner as they indulged in a conversation in their native tongue, Draconic being one of the few languages she'd studied before losing her memory and as such couldn't recognize more than bits and pieces but it was enough to comprehend the gist of things. "My apologies for rousing you from sleep, madam. I was unaware that the effect was temporary as I've been told that it worked like a persistent poison that lingers."

"Thank you for your time." Out of common courtesy she hadn't mentioned Spencer as the source of information before departing to seek their newfound hope. Pixies mastered such Enchantments, so naturally they were headed for them next even if Roc didn't seem to approve of their company in the slightest. While initially the red head refused to share that sentiment, she soon became an open target as one of the new faces in the area, avidly taught the countless bothersome ways of Pixie pranks where it almost appeared to be a contest among the many cute flying bands of rascals as to who could pull off the most daring trick.

The sights on the other hand were marvellous, a village in the trees and while Flame experienced wobbly feet and recurring feelings of dizziness at their altitude given the fear of heights she'd inherited, the young sorceress found a lot of enjoyment in observing the everyday life here. Regrettably they were walking around for a bit until reaching their destination, but by the sounds of it their efforts wouldn't go unrewarded.

She listened intently, cautiously drifting away from the nearby arrows in the meantime. An animate tree, stirred to life by the one who was raped in front of the Dryad who merely watched on but didn't take action, somehow filling in the blanks wasn't terribly difficult and it left little doubt as to what happened in the aftermaths of those events. An eye for an eye, many eyes for one eye rather seeing how eternal damnation in forced sexual intercourse was the fate of a self centered Dryad although Flame wasn't one to judge prematurely, maybe she froze and unable to take action had been bound to observe, perhaps the Satyr could overpower the Dryad or so the Dryad feared .. the elementalist wasn't exactly versed in terms of species.

"Valley of the Lost doesn't really sound all that inviting .." She muttered in thought, contemplating the options presented to her. Retrieving sap in exchange for the return of her memories was beyond fair, generous even although one could've guessed they wouldn't bestow aid unto anyone without asking for a favor. "Hm .. Alright Willow, you've got yourself a deal."

They had time to spend and while they weren't obligated to resolve the problems of others, Flame was determined to help those in need. "I'd like to take my chances with breaking the curse first. I'm new to these parts so if my Fae companion doesn't know his way around we could use some directions to the tree you speak of, that is if you were kind enough to provide them."

She stroked her chin briefly. Possibly the easiest way to take care of it would be to find the Nymph responsible though it wouldn't hurt to ask for alternatives. "Do you have any idea how we might be able to dispel the curse?"

Skittles gave at her grandson as if she were considering what tall tales he was spinning. It could have been that he was trying to keep the woman's spirits up for whatever reason.

“It only lingers when certain Enchantments are applied, curses but only malignant Faerie Dragons would use them … some of the younger ones might use similar effects to extend the duration of a drugging for a prolonged joke … a miser who suddenly forgets who he is and has his loss of memory extended a bit causing him to become less greedy for instance but never are the effects permanent.

“I am sorry that my grandson mislead you here though all is not lost given that our neighbors are pretty versed in these realms, Enchantments are more the realm of the Elves and Pixies but the Pixies are somewhat specialized at those Enchantments.”

She seemed to suspect it had been Spencer that mislead her but if that was the case then why would he bring her here unless it was to merely show her off … but the Pixies were right here as well and that was something that he did know.

Unless it was for Roc's sake … Roc didn't seem enthused about Pixies before and to get him to venture off to see them opposed to Faery Dragons might have been a tough sell. Of course, the two species were practically identical for all intents and purposes even if Spencer did not see it this way.

“Breaking the curse is probably the safest seeing that here is a dragon in that alley.”

“Dragon!” Roc's eyes lit up and Willow nodded.

“Yes. It is a small one though that recently moved in less than a decade ago. The Princess says it's a small one, she mentioned that she was going to get rid of it just to keep the path clear for the pilgrims going to her temple out there but she vanished a few days ago before dealing with it.

“It's smaller than a pony, still dangerous for most folk.”

“But not her?”

Willow laughed. “Nope, though that's why no one can understand what happened to her.”

Roc looked to Flame, almost asking permission silently. It was a juvenile from the sounds of it. “Our odds are better if we try to get sap from both sources, right? I can check out the valley and you and Spencer can deal with the tree, sound good?”

Spencer, while incapable of blushing (though he did change color as he aged) looked somewhat embarrassed that he could not find this place. “I know where the tree is, the one in the North fits the description.”

Willow nodded. “That's the one. You can probably break the curse by finding the Nymph who pronounce it in the first place or there is the possibility that the Abjurer to the West might be persuaded to do it, or hired to. The Dryad probably has no knowldge of him or if she does cannot reach him seeing she has to stay close to the tree that she is bound too. With it being dangerous there no one approaches so she cannot ask a faor I'm guessing, I've always thought the tale to be funny, and not funny as in ha ha funny but something's not right funny ...”

"I'll just have to keep asking around for help, I suppose. It's not a big deal.", she responded with a warm smile. "Thank you for the advice."

It was surprising to find Roc as ecstatic as he was then, the notion of a dragon left a sparkle in his eyes birthed from magic otherwise reserved for children that were enthralled by a certain marvel they'd seen, be it nature itself or a toy though in this case it was both alive and dangerous. Surely he could handle it without problem, he'd slain Kale after all which was a far more dire situation given the casualties and damage caused on that fateful day, but somehow she failed to suppress a mild smile as she thought things through and picked up on his true intent when asking to see to the Valley of the Lost.

She nodded. "I agree, we should split up. Just don't grow careless and get yourself hurt when you're out there having too much fun."

Chances were they couldn't persuade the Nymph and were left without sap in the long run, perhaps she even checked up on the Dryad regularly as to assure her everlasting imprisonment and humiliation which complicated matters if Flame sought to fulfill the desire of her heart to leave everyone satisfied with the solution rather than hire someone to break the curse only to find that a certain vengeful individual simply renewed it there or elsewhere. Some people went to great lengths to see such measures in place.

A vanished princess on the other hand, could that be Gale? While the timeframe may match and they were in a village shared among Elves and Pixies, surely she was used to more luxurious surroundings than a treetop village although they weren't truly out here to search for missing royalty. Perhaps if they chanced upon clues, but it wasn't their foremost concern. Come to think of it, ridding oneself of a dragon for the sole purpose of allowing access to her own temple might match the personality of the one she shared a cell with.

"Is that so?" She cast a prying sidelong glance unto Spencer when he admitted to knowing where the supposedly cursed tree would be found, not quite shocking seeing that he lived here for several years although it had the sorceress wonder why he'd recognize that one particular tree among many.

Her gaze switched to Willow once more. "We'll seek out the Nymph herself then, that may be more prudent for everyone involved unless she doesn't take kindly to our request. Have there been any sightings of Nymphs in the area or do you know where we might find the one we're looking for?"

For a moment she hesitated, another question on her mind. "If I may ask, has anyone ever agreed or tried to free the Dryad aside from, well .. us?"

(nice pic)

“You know me too well,” Roc grinned. “I'll be fine.” He figured that he wouldn't have to convince her to much seeing that he had already told her about Kale and this was no challenge at all for someone with the power to call upon the Stone Serpent if thinks got sketchy for whatever reason.

His objective was two fold, he got to rid the valley of the Dragon (and have fun doing so) and retrieve sap from the tree there in the event that they could not get rid of the curse.

Spencer nodded. “Yeah, from the time we are hatchlings were are told to stay clear of the North part of the forest particularly the region known as the Dark Wood, I don't know precisely where it is and the place is off limits while we are juveniles or younger, even young adults shun the place.

“There is nothing for us there, no mirth, nothing that enjoys a good joke so there is no reason for us to go there, well, until now ...” he grinned at her with that.

“The Glade of Orm … Nymphs are often found around there. I am uncertain as to where the Nymph is since the story does not mention names. It is an old fable, the Dark Woods were once normal and there is a chance that this is just a fable, unlikely since we Fae are immortal.”

Spencer had to clear her thought given that Faerie Dragons were that exception since they were prone to sickness then.

“My apologies,” she began. “To my knowledge no one in living memory has tried.”

Spencer looked a little confused. “If this happened a long time ago how were you getting sap before this?”

“From the valley until the Dragon and well, I do have other sources or had I should say ...” She turned his attention from that quickly though. “Do you know where the Glade of Orm is?” Spencer nodded and unless there was anything further Spencer would lead her there though they were barely out of the village back on the forest floor.

“We have a problem … Orm is a Satyr and you, well … do you have any magic that can disguise yourself of communicate with me so I can do the talking. When we met you were a male Goblin but given the collar being on that was not your doing. I have some Illusions but they don't last longer than ten minutes or so except my invisibility which is indefinite.

And Willow ... she seems sketchy though it may not be anything ...”

(Thanks, Ryu looked more mature that way)

"I see .." Flame smirked given the ill mannered insinuations their diminutive companion brought forward to the light of day, rather amused by the idea of voyeurism within their ranks despite his continuous emphasis on his lack of attraction toward different species when clearly they were keen observers of the events taking place within that region. It was inappropriate of course which urged the young sorceress to contain herself, guiding her focus back to Willow before long.

Naturally they lacked details, but sooner or later they might come across an entity which had been aware of the Dryad's misery and knew the cause. "Some of them are bound to know which one of their kind laid the curse on that tree. We have the time to ascertain who is responsible, we'll just have to improvise once we found her which is something we're quite good at."

No one has tried, a mild surprise that reflected poorly on the inhabitants of the forest. Did they not have a heart or simply felt that it wasn't their responsibility to assist those in need without a worthwhile reward in sight? Did they not desire to live in a better world where selfless acts were committed? Flame couldn't explain it, perhaps didn't want to anyway and let the matter rest, at least she had the spirit to venture out into the wild and take care of the issue, finally putting the mind of those involved at peace.

She bid the female goodbye before departing with Spencer by her side, leaving the village and getting underway to the Glade of Orm although the Faerie Dragon gathers her attention.

"Why, do Satyrs pose any threat to us?", she asked, a genuine inquiery which in reflection of the story they were told wasn't entirely warranted, turning the thought of the one rapist aside as Flame commenced. "They have characteristics of humans and .. equines, don't they? I don't recall ever seeing one face to face before, least of all spending a single day in Brindel throughout my lifetime so my knowledge on them is fairly limited if not false or based on vague imagery from various scriptures."

In response to a disguise she shook her head no. "I don't possess any sort of spells from which I could derive a disguise, unfortunately. Nicodemus placed the illusion of a Goblin on me so we're narrowed down to your abilities." She considered matters for a moment, on one hand she didn't wish to burn the forest down, but on the other she didn't exactly invite others to ravish her voluptuous body and couldn't do nearly as much with elements other than fire. "If it doesn't work out as expected I could always try and scare him off with magic unless there's some sort of immunity Orm has that I don't know about."

Willow provided another worrisome encounter, the way she refrained from stating the truth whenever she happened to explain things she didn't mean to indulge in. Flame did the same except she never withheld the entire truth, speaking of partial truth mostly though something about the other woman seemed off. "Well .. nobody in the village seems to think along those lines or at least everyone tolerates her actions as long as she provides them with bows and arrows. Or they know as much as we do about her, which is almost nothing. But you're right, I don't really trust that everything is the way it seems."

"When we return we should have a look around before handing over the sap. I wouldn't want to have someone meddle with my mind when I can't turn my back on them without suspicion."

Well, he had been slow in considering it but Spencer did entertain a thought. Fae used tricks and silver tongues a lot. Heaven knew he did his fair share of lying too but those were little whit lies for the most part. He observed her for a moment, surely she was the equal of any Nymph, her breasts were much bigger though the Fae creatures were much smaller too.

His suggestions had been practical but Spencer began thinking a little outside the box here.

“Satyrs? Umh … well there idea of a handshake with a pretty woman is probably a bit easier though to someone like me they've fairly pleasant. They love strong drink like Centaurs and have a magical gift when it comes to the playing o their Pan pipes.”

It was rather unfortunate about a disguise, he could do so only for a few minutes without his magic ring and he had considered loaning it to here though the trouble with that ring was it only let him take the Goblin male disguise so he was unlikely to get close at all.

“I think he has a magical device that protects him from Enchantments but there is nothing further I have heard other than the tales of debauchery … I think I have an idea but more on that later …

“I do get the sense that Willow is up to something, perhaps not life threatening to her community but something she shouldn't be doing. It is just a hunch though and I have been wrong before though what struck me was that she was all business, no jokes or pranks, no taking advantage of us and trying to get us to play a game ...”

He contemplated a bit further. It had not taken them long to reach the glade but as they approached they only heard the haunting but sweet melody of the pipes being played and no frolicking Nymphs.

“Really, pick you up at Brindel, bring you to Sirocco and back. That was all I signed up for. I didn't even get to see you naked either, tell me how I got wrapped up in this? Stay still, watch at first,” he touched her shoulder with a diminutive claw turning her invisible then did the same himself.

A moment later there was a rustle in the brush up ahead.

“We can chase down Nymphs, which happen to be good at running and hiding it occurred to me,” he whispered to her. “Or ...”

And from the brush ahead Flame could see herself emerge from the brush. “Hello! I-I need help!”

It wasn't as if the voice was loud. It was more the fact it was feminine, those pipes halting at once and a moment later a speedy, man appeared, curled horns jutted from his skull and his lower torso was goat-like. He held a set of pipes in his hand, gazed at the fake Flame and paused for the moment.

“Me and my friends were waylaid by bandits -”

“And here I thought it was going to be a slow day!” The Satyr grinned and bounded after the illusion with incredible haste that it was hardly a chase at all, Flame could see her double chest down, the Satyr shredding unnecessary clothing as she struggled for freedom beneath it, the illusion might not last long but was potent, tactile, auditory, olfactory, she got a whiff of the perfume from where she stood, no wonder the Satyr was so engrossed in this …

Any alcoholic beverage didn't fare well with the sorceress and knowing the outcome of its consumption led her to believe that Satyrs weren't quite reserved in the company of women, speaking of debauchery Flame lacked the physical strength to withstand an assailant and with his protection from Enchantments there was little to nothing she was capable of doing in case things went sour and Orm made a move on her. While fairly temperate in display of her charms that would come as no surprise seeing how she possessed a certain natural talent for seducing men, not even lacking the slightest bit if one were to successfully guide her to the bedroom given the gifts of her mother.

Little did she know about the plans of the Fae beside her, but he'd gained enough of her trust where she didn't have to be aware of every single detail surrounding the strategy made up in his mind. Whenever Spencer happened to approach matters in a serious manner his reasoning had been sound, after all, and she wasn't going to question him for the time being.

"I'll look into it, you may join me if you want but I promise you that I won't do anything rash or prohibited if you choose not to." Mere curiosity or in the search of evil, Flame decided it'd be best to pluck forbidden or dangerous machinations the moment they sprout before they happen to flourish lest someone gets themselves hurt in the process, one way or another.

Soon, however, a pleasant tune rang through the air as they marched on, their arrival unnoticed by whoever inhabited these parts though it was clear from the get go that there weren't any Nymphs nearby. Perhaps the fact that music played to begin with had been somehow related to their absence, she was uncertain as to why none were around.

"I like to think it's because I appreciate your humor." But stay still and watch Flame did as they turned invisible, keen crimson eyes observing the scenery in search for something, anything that they were waiting for.

There was movement up ahead, the source hidden somewhere within the lush shrubbery which caused her focus to center roughly near the same spot, vaguely mimicking the angle it was coming from whilst she perked up only to witness a picture perfect copy of herself to arise, nearly stumbling into the open for the replicated red head seemed rather agitated. Her appearance delivered the breath of Flame at a slightly faster pace, heart pounding against her chest in anticipation of what was to occur next.

It must've been an illusion, she concluded, albeit an entertaing yet teasing choice given the vast number of species and looks of females in the world, surely something she'd lose sleep over if Spencer could summon an image of her anyplace and anytime, a vivid one no less though she watched on as the distressed woman called out for help.

"I'm not entirely comfortable with me playing the bait.", she whispered. The music ground to a halt, logically the musician picked up on the sweet, soft voice which had an irresistable tenderness to it that not even misery could wash away and as if on cue the Satyr appeared on the scene. He was incredibly fast, faster than the human whose plea he'd interrupted only to rush toward the red haired lady, catching her in the blink of an eye and forcing her to the forest floor. "He's also good at running, now I think I see what you meant. Are we going to ask him to catch Nymphs for us?"

Large, squishy breasts molding against the hard surface given their generous expanse, an outcome Flame refused to witness for long as she watched on for the moment, hands clenched into fists as she even inhaled the enticing fragrance of perfume she used to wear before showering in the prison, the same scent but only stronger.

Was it really rape if it was an illusion? The red head didn't truly care, essentially she was forced to pay attention to herself being forcibly undressed and whatever would follow next though she didn't dare think along those lines.

"We've watched enough.", she declared, briefly glancing toward the invisible Fae or rather where she felt the claw on her shoulder. "You either do something now or I'll get him off of her myself, even with his immunity I'll deliver a kick to his groin like no other."

“Technically you're not the bait,” he whispered as the scene played out before them. “It is a bait-less trap ...”

There was no substance to the illusion of course, no real intelligence for it did as Spencer indicated though he knew it was hard for Flame to watch this and she made that clear.

He nodded, though he was invisible as he did so. “I lack any true offensive magic but we are invisible, he is engrossed in what he's doing and before he does I'm quite sure he will be sorely disappointed in more ways than one.

“Catching the Nymph had not occurred to me, I wouldn't have a Satyr do that. But he is a man, I'm sure he boasts to other Satyrs and he them, I'm sure the results of a curse such as this is famous enough where we can get names; the Satyr, Nymph and Dryad in question. OK, this has gone one long enough let's move into position ...”

A swift groin kick later had dismissed the glamor of invisibility one Flame.

“Move and your dead, keep you gaze straight ahead,” the illusion faded as if not there. “The sad part is I could have warned you a week ago about this trap and you'd still have taken the bait now, the cursed tree, the Dryad, tell me what you know of her.”

Spencer became visible. Faerie Dragons were tricksters after all and what better way to lure a Satyr than with sex? He did not wish to waste time though he glanced at Flame, regarded her reaction and would talk care of the matter her rather than bringing light to the fact that she was even here.

Currently Orm was clutching his sack growling in immense pain from that kick to such a tender area ...

"So we're here to interrogate him .. I hadn't thought of it that way." Flame realised there might've been little point in letting a Satyr loose on innocent Nymphs, as far as she was concerned he'd probably entertain himself with any given captive he claimed before even considering the fact he had to bring them back to them at which point they certainly wouldn't be willing or even capable of answering any inquieries depending on the libido and stamina of Orm.

But with silent permission granted by the Fae as he suggested moving into position she was acting on impulse, the sheer anger and outrage at the sight of what could've been her accumulated within a single action as she delivered a foot to his groin, athletic legs granting her the added strength and prowess necessary whereas an ordinary fist might've failed. One could almost feel the soft tissue beneath the assailing force, Flame striking her target with utmost perfection as he remained stunned and pained throughout the ordeal that followed.

She stepped back, behind her companion for she was wary of their visibility while Spencer commanded him to stay put in a never before seen display of authority, something that would no doubt have convinced the sorceress herself if she hadn't known the one speaking up.

When he looked back crimson eyes were upon him, somewhat narrowed in reserved fury as she regarded the works of a well placed blow, crossing her arms in front of her chest with a nod toward the Fae. For the moment she remained a simple bystander, at least for as long as she couldn't inflict damage and wasn't much more than an object of desire for the Satyr. The situation seemed tense and yet under control thus far with Orm incapable of moving, her focus diverting momentarily as to spy upon any other approaching individuals that may be nearby in order to prevent any surprises, eagle eyes scanning the treelines just in case.

Spencer would do the talking, she acknowledged that without complaint although how they'd get away afterwards without fearing retaliation bestowed even more questions unto the nubile woman.