Chapter 2 - Independent Learning

"I have picked up a few magics over my time. But really, the magic of nature is already there. Around us. In the trees. In the earth. All I do is harness it."

"It is the same magic that created the grove, and which maintains it."

"Where we are here, we are near the outer edge here of the Ballater woods. We will leave that protection tomorrow as we travel. But tonight, rest easy, we are safe here."

With that, he tilts his head backward, and the mossy armchair reshapes, gently lowering Passer to the horizontal, whilst at the same time raising his feet. The vegetation grows up, forming a thick canopy above his body. Tannis can still see in from the side, but it's clear that Passer would be entirely protected from rainfall.

Tilting his head back, Tannis feels the earth to be in tune with his wishes. It lowers his head and body gently like a mother laying a newborn down to sleep. His legs are raised in tandem. With a soft rustling sound the foliage forms a dense canopy above his head.

"Sleep well" Tannis hears Passer calling from his nearby cocoon. The sound is muffled by the dense foliage around them.

Turning on his side to get comfortable Tannis's mossy mattress responds in kind, rising up to form a pillow that lightly cups his head. He detects the heavy scent of lavender in the air, and notices that the temperature is neither too hot or nor too cold. Before long, the day's exertions catch up to him, and Tannis drifts off to sleep.

Tannis is standing ankle-deep in a pool of dark colored blood that stretches in every direction into cloudy darkness. The pool of blood is punctuated by bodies. Bodies of his classmates. Contorted. Defiled. Sullied. Ruined. Destroyed. Tannis feels a stab of pain in his heart as he looks at each body in turn. He tries to close his eyes to block out the sight, but he can't. The pain is growing in him, almost unbearable, all-consuming. Tannis feels warmth on the back of his neck, and turns to see the sun rising over rolling hills. The blood at his feet drains away, leaving earth. Earth that Tannis knows to be fertile. Around the bodies, Tannis sees plants growing at a fantastic rate. A moment later the bodies are almost hidden from view. A moment after that, the plants burst with color as flowers of all shapes and shades open in unison. Tannis feels the presence of his classmates in the plants as if they are somehow reborn.

"Good morning young Tannis. Did you sleep well? Help yourself to breakfast. We should break camp soon. The day waits for no man."

"Don't fear Tannis, I have no use for your trinkets" says Passer noticing Tannis checking his ruck. "All I own is this here staff, and this pouch of berries. And even if I were to lose them, nature would find a way to make me right. Don't put too much stead in what you own young man. It is what you are that counts."

Passer begins making his way across the clearing, the plants making way and bowing to him like doting courtiers.

"What are these nightmares that haunt you?"

Leaving the clearing, Tannis glances back over his shoulder and sees that it is again as it was when they arrived, an overgrown clearing in the wood. All hint of magic has faded.

"I am sorry to hear about these nightmares." says Passer pushing ahead "It seems this battle has left a deep wound upon you."

"I do hope that it heals with time."

"Your classmates will have found peace in death. It is your path to find the same peace in life."

The pair continue their trek along the edge of the woods, the Soverbot valley to their left noticeably narrowing as they ascend into the hills. The sky has turned an overcast grey, and a chill autumn wind grips the air. After a couple of hours of walking, Passer stops and turns to Tannis.

"Did you notice that?" he says with a slight smile.

Passer smiles again. "We passed through the edge of the Ballater Woods. Notice the decay attacking the trees. Ahead of us is the Hallgerd Forest, which appears unscathed by the blight"

"To you it might seem one continuous forest, but beneath the ground the roots of trees touch, forming great networks. Networks that do not interconnect from one area to the next. The whole of Balleter benefits from the presence of the grove. But it's protection does not extend into Hallgerd. And the blight seems targeted at Ballater alone."

"We must be a little more cautious now. Hallgerd is truly wild, and plays host to not just nature, but aberrations thereof."

"Yes, the grove acts in a couple of different ways. Firstly the magical aura of the grove acts like a magical push, repelling such creatures, whilst allowing natural fauna to pass freely. Have you ever held two lodestones next to each other and felt the force as they push apart?"

He continues "And then there are also the more active parts of the groves defences. The active parts that gave Hadud a little scare." he smiles "They also keep away the aberrations."

"I hope one day to establish a new grove in Hallgerd, and bring its nature into balance. I have always wondered if there is some specific corrupting force at work in Hallgerd." Passes pauses, as if pondering something "But for now there is enough for me to do to look after Ballater."

The travellers continue on, Passer maintaining a path just at the edge of the Hallgerd Forest allowing the pair to see down into the Soverbot valley, whilst not being seen in return. Tannis notices the farms become more sparse, and arable farmland giving way to herds of sheep and goats. The land becomes more broken, the Soverbot shows several stretches of turbulent rapids, but would still be navigable by a skilled waterman.

As the day stretches on, the overcast skies grow darker, eventually giving way to rain. Passer pushes onwards, the splashing of mud from the path making dark stains on his white robes, his unkempt hair plastered to his face.

"What's it to be, young Tannis?" says Passer as the afternoon begins to dwindle into evening "Are you ready for another night under the stars? I can't promise quite the same level of comfort away from Ballater"

"The strangeness of Hallgerd has been here as long as I have known, we can't lay the blame of that at Hadud's feet. But perhaps he was drawn to it. As are monster hunters from time-to-time. Although they tend to frequent the Hawley Mountains in their vainglorious pursuit of treasure and fame."

Passer continues walking and soon finds a suitable clearing, where a tributary of the Soverbot has made a small pool before continuing its journey into the valley below. Again he makes arcing paths across the clearing, hopping with unexpected nimbleness around the edge of the pool. Passer stops by the pool as he completes the ritual, and Tannis sees tree roots emerging from the water and knotting together to make a bridge. The old man walks slowly over the bridge, looking down into the water, before beckoning Tannis to follow.

Tannis notices that Passer's ritual has yielded an abode of lesser brilliance than the previous night. The vegetation again makes way for Tannis to walk, but underfoot is hard earth, rather than soft moss. Passer is sat on a stool of roots that looks less comfortable than the moss-covered armchair from before.

"This forest will not give up it's fruits so easily I'm afraid" says Passer, "but I can offer you a berry if you are hungry" With that Passer holds his left hand outstretched and waves his right back and forth over the left. A second or two later, his left hand is near overflowing with dark-skinned berries.

"Tell me Tannis, what is it that drives you in your study of magic? There are many that display a magical inkling, but few who attend Alnerwick."

Passer lays back as he asks the question, the roots adapting to form a chaise longue. With a wave of his hand, a roaring fire springs to life in the space between the two travellers. Tannis immediately feels the warmth against his face.

"If you want to help your family, why not pursue the druidic arts? There are many spells that can help those that toil in the fields: enriching the land; or molding the earth. The magics of those at Alnerwick are made for ivory towers, not field and forest"

"He sounds like an honorable man. I must admit I hold myself to a less stringent code in taking care of the woods"

"You know there are many powerful healing magicks amongst the druidic arts..." he appears to stop himself from that line of discussion "I was wondering what capabilities you might have to defend yourself in the event Hadud proves unreceptive"