Episode 89 - Promises of Bread Pudding

## Synopsis

As SWI walked back to Serinepth’s dorm, they saw Cyndra Sunfire yelling about golem freedom to a trio of independent researchers. She turned to see them, and handed them a flyer of an imprisoned Ari and Tol, saying “*Golems don’t burn buildings*”. She then told them that Lord Peters had blamed the golems for the recent fires during Underbough’s memorial ceremony.

They left, now encumbered with flyers, to go to their dorms and pack their things.

Back at Artis’ cottage, Mira and Delnys began cleaning up. Delnys asked, “*So what are you going to do, about your arm?*”

“*I don’t know,*” Mira replied, “*yesterday I was just kind of freaking out, and if I sit down and think about it, I guess the next step is to talk to Artis, or Yexim, or they have a prosthetics department, maybe I can talk to them and see what they can do.*”

Delnys offered to help with the cost of the arm, saying she felt responsible for not being able to stop what Neska did. Mira refused, saying she had helped enough by giving Mira some of her life. Delnys started to tear up, suggesting spells that could regrow limbs instead. Mira reassured Delnys that she had done everything she could have, and that it was thanks to her that she had survived.

Delnys dropped the bowls she was cleaning and ran over to hug Mira. They both started to cry and Mira hugged her back tightly.

Back at Wildcliff, Winsler looked at the posters in his hands, remembering the crushing sound of Tol’s head against the stone. Serinepth had cleaned her room, and Integrity had packed her bags and wrote Silvi a letter telling her she was ok.

Thinking back to the massive snake skeleton in the Sunken Hatch, Integrity pulled out her broken wand and headed to Winsler’s room.

She knocked on the door and heard a chair squeak across the floor inside. Kurt opened the door and asked, “*What happened to the bathroom, I tried to take a bath after I woke up, and it’s destroyed. What did you two do in there?*”

Winsler tried to reassure Kurt that no one would be coming to check the bathroom anymore, and maybe he could use the fountain for a bath. After this brief argument, Integrity asked Kurt if he could fix wands, his eyes lit up and he immediately forgot about the bathroom.

Kurt told Integrity he could absolutely fix wands. He not so discreetly *Messaged* Winsler, and asked if Integrity had money. As soon as Winsler started to say that she might, Kurt slammed his hand on the desk and told Integrity he could fix it in a week for 100 gold. Integrity tried to negotiate a lower price as Kurt continued to try and rip her off. Eventually he agreed to fix it for 10 gold, provided he could have it after she used it for one thing. They regrouped in Serinepth’s room, where she immediately went to take a nap.

As Mira and Delnys hugged, Artis entered with Professor Allaro. He told Mira that he had sent a letter to her parents, informing them of the situation, then went to sit on the deck outside.

Professor Allaro asked Mira to sit down so she could take some measurements, then asked Delnys to take Artis into the woods to find some wood. She opened her bag and brought out her tools, asking Mira if she wanted something to replace it. She replied that she definitely did.

Mira asked how accurate the prosthetic could be, and Allaro told her that would depend on how much she could spend on it. She began marking Mira’s shoulder to take measurements, and asked if she was going to be ok with her studies. Mira told her the only reason she came to Wildcliff was music, that she hadn’t been trying to study for her other classes because she had been focusing so much, and that without her arm her future was gone.

Allaro looked at her, saying that if music was all that mattered, she could design the arm specifically with that in mind, though it wouldn’t be useful for much else. Mira confirmed that was ok.

Professor Allaro asked Mira if she had any favourite foods, and Mira told her it was bread pudding. Allaro said that if she ever felt overwhelmed and needed to talk to someone, to find her and they would go to her house and have some bread pudding. Mira hugged and thanked her, after which Allaro reassured her that although this would be a big change, it was something she could get used to.

Professor Allaro finished her measurements and left, leaving Mira alone in the cottage. She finished cleaning the room and started to look around. The portrait of Artis and Fidan in the hallway still looked much more well crafted than anything else, on the ceiling was a partial map of the continent, with arrows and symbols around various towns. Near the cabinets were the framed remains of archeological digs.

As Mira climbed the ladder to the upper floor, she felt her left arm almost overcompensating as she reached the top. There was a small area that looked like where Teb had slept, various books and other artefacts were scattered around. Framed behind the desk was the ripped off cover of a book, titled “*Artistic Resonance Theory, the Effects of Elemental Convergence Zones on the Creative Mind, a Historical Review*”, written by “*A. Artisian*”.

Artis returned and called out for her, asking if everything went ok and if she needed anything from campus. Mira asked for a change of clothes, and asked Delnys if she was ok. Looking defeated, she dropped the sticks she was carrying, and replied that she was fine.

On campus, the students finished resting, and Winsler started preparing for battle. He pulled out his Poji dice, the scales, the *Staff of Fire*, and animated two pebbles. At the top of the staff he saw a note that read, “*Eleven charges, do not break the staff.*”

Serinepth woke from a restless sleep, still worried about Phillip. Integrity had been running around the room like a cooped up dog, practicing her lasso skills and generally causing chaos.

After night fell the students (except Mira), headed into the secret tunnels that lead to the kitchen. Before they could reach it however, they found Allena Hollyfield waiting for them. When she saw them, Allena asked if they knew where Mira was, as she hadn’t come home the night before. When Winsler told her she was safe a Artis’ house, Allena bowed and began apologising for dragging them into this. They all accepted this, and went into the kitchen.

Around them they saw the slime mess had vanished, but all the broken glass, spices, and other foods were still scattered over the floor. The pantry door was swung open, and from within Winsler and Serinepth heard a feverish voice repeatedly whispering, “*Burn, burn, burn, burn…”*

All the students entered the cold pantry, inside which the whispering grew increasingly louder. Whenever any of them spoke, except Integrity, they heard the whispered message underlying their words. After a few moments of standing in awkward silence a voice from Allena’s mouth said, “*He approaches*,” and the door to the pantry opened.

Standing in front of them they saw a man with blond hair and partial stubble in a brown robe, under one of his arms were brown robes for the rest of the students, under his other arm was a small keg of unknown contents. He looked at them, and said, “*Hi I’m Cannon Nathan, and I was told by a pebble to find you all here.*”