The Journey for Paper (Cleansing the Earth)

[Jams Bolero]

Jams' vision, once filled with colorful and natural wonder, had been replaced by a drab wasteland.  Gray ashes blanketed about half of a mile of former forestry, the charred remains of trees scattered about the area as they rested on their sides.  The sky, now finally in clear view, was a light overcast with the clouds poking out the bottom like hilly terrain.  This made Jams feel slightly better as he always loved overcast, though it did make the scene feel all the more depressing.  Some of the embers had been carried into the air, clouding the area in a sort of black fog that made seeing more of a challenge.  Eventually, the dust settled, some of which onto the leaves of bordering trees.  It's likely that this stunted their growth, as the trees along the edges of the scorched surroundings were quite shorter than those behind them, and they less than those behind them.  It was as if someone had reenacted the great Pompeii disaster in miniature.  He inhaled the airborne soot and coughed violently; the air in tasted and smelled like rotten eggs, the pungent stench of sulfur making this burnt patch of the woods feel like he was standing atop the brimstone of Satan's realm itself.

"Eugh!" Jams shouted in disgust, his tongue sticking out as he yelled, "This is simply appalling.  Whoever did this should be ashamed.  A.  SHAMED.  For this blatant waste of life."  Jams never really got as offended as he showed, even when it was warranted, and certainly not now.  Upon reflecting, Jams realized that he wasn't really as angry as he thought he was, in fact he didn't feel anything.  This bothered him, as it felt like he used to do this kind of thing where he faked his fury, but he wondered why that was.  His thoughts transferred to Have I ever actually gotten offended or mad before?, his right hand pointing left as it rested on his chin while he thought.  Well, there was that one time-

Huh?  Where'd it go?  The memory was right there a second ago-  *sniff* *COUGH WHEEZE*

Whatever it was, Jams lost whatever train of thought he had.  No matter, the ashen terrain forced another memory to resurface.  A memory of him and some companions in a volcano, preparing to engage in a battle.  The opponent was a dragon, obviously, but there was something unique, something sly, something... unnatural that they could not have realistically prepared for or anticipated.  Unfortunately, Jams couldn't remember it for the life of him, nor could he remember the names of two of the companions.  He did notice that the "K" girl from earlier was a part of the team... Kelly, that was her name!  Physical details were forgotten, but she really liked pigs apparently.  Whatever the case, Jams and those three companions had teamed up to battle a dragon in what he was absolutely positive was their first major fight with anyone or anything.

The boy broke out his clamshell and flicked it open with a push of the thumb and the jerk of his arm.  Chances are he habitually did this before the Omniverse, seeing as he realized that there was literally no reason for him to open his phone at the moment.  He did notice that the time looked like it ate a few AWAKE bars, the equivalent of 3-4 average cups o' joe.  It was set to automatically adjust to the local timezone, but considering the weird Omnitime mechanics that Jams didn't know of at the time, it was spinning so fast it looked like it was counting milliseconds instead of minutes. Quite disconcerted, Jams smacked his phone on its side out of schadenfreude rather than trying to do anything.  It did do something, however, and Jams swore to Omni that he's decipher the secrets to Omnispacetime just so he could get his phone's clock to stop reading "∞∞:∞∞".

[Soldier 75]

"This is terrible." Eric growled. "So much destruction... What could have caused it?" Where once vegetation thrived and animals scurried, only burnt ashes and faint mounds where trees might have grown remained. Dark, smoldering ashes filled the air. "It is a waste of life, Jams." Eric said between fits of coughing. "But we shouldn't be so sure this was caused by a WHO. Remember, this place is completely crazy. Things could just spontaneously catch fire here for all we know." A dozen possibilities raced through Eric's mind as he surveyed the landscape. Jay apparently believed someone had made barbeque, whatever that might be.

Abruptly, a splash of color appeared in the distance. A tall woman with storm-gray hair ambled over the landscape, stopping to inspect the former foliage frequently. "Maybe she might be able to tell is what happened." Eric said, pointing to the lady. Before either Jams or J could respond, Eric strode out over the desolate waste. He began to call out, trying to catch the woman's attention.

[Jams Bolero]

A soothing wind blew by as the elderly woman became visible.  She had wrinkles on her forehead, but her tan skin was relatively smooth for the most part.  The lady's hair was the gray of storm clouds amongst a hurricane, however her roots were a calmer white, something akin to the overcast currently present.  As for garments, a formal, off-white trench coat with fifty bajillion pockets found itself around her figure, almost making her look like a burrito.  The sleeves faded to black at the ends, and seemed to fit her arms perfectly.  Wrapped around her neck was a green scarf that, although tacky and overly detailed in design, probably had some sentimental value to her.  Her pair of dark tan khakis stopped just above her ankles, showing off some simple black dress shoes, albeit none a woman would wear with a dress, as well as some white socks.  He seemed to notice Eric and began talking to him, but considering Jams didn't bother getting close immediately and would feel awkward coming in late, he figured he would talk to Jay-

Wait, where is he?  Jay seems to have left spontaneously.  Perhaps they were boring him?  Or maybe the scenery was traumatizing?  One way or the other, Jay certainly was not there, so Jams figured he would instead make a broom to use as a weapon and to perhaps sweep the dust off of him rather silly and violently.

Sitting down, he decides to make the ideal design for a broom.  After about five or ten minutes, a broom appears in front of him.  It originally must have had yellow paint, but most of it has chipped off, revealing the heavily dark brown iron underneath.  The head of the broom was screwed on, the base black and the bristles yellow, fading at the tips from constant use along with exposure to the sun.  On the opposite end was a hole for hanging the broom onto a hook.  It was rather rough looking, and Jams wasn't quite sure why he thought about this design, as old as it is.  However, to him, it just felt right.  Actually, perhaps this could be used to sweep dust into enemy's eyes?  I'll have to try that later, Jams thinks in his mind.

As soon as he has the broom in hand, Jams realizes that he should really be standing by Eric right now so as to not be so rude to the elder. He stands by Eric and waits for his conversation to be finished so as to ask the lady if she needs any help.  In the meantime, he decided to break out his recorder and play some possibly copyrighted elevator music, quiet enough so as to not disturb the ongoing conversation.

[Soldier 75]

 Soon, Eric neared the mysterious woman, who was picking her way along the black landscape. Approaching, he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted before he could form a single word. "Now who are you, boy?" the lady questioned, not bothering to look up from her inspection of the ground. Holding a dead stem in her hand, she slid her knife along its length, opening it up for examination. "And what business do you have in the Tangled Green, hmm?" Apparently satisfied with her inspection, she deftly severed it from its origin, and deposited it among one of her many pockets. The lady straightened, brushed ash off her coat, and waited for a response.In response, Eric answered, "My name is Eric. We haven't been in the Omniverse long, so we are a clueless as to what all this is. We entered the first portal we saw, and ended up here." Tousling his already untidy hair, Eric quizzically gazed around the desolate landscape, then turned back to the woman. "And who may you be? And what happened here?"

Ignoring Eric's confused questions, she turned to Jams, who had approached while the two talked. "Before I answer your questions, I would like to know more about both of you. So what is your name, lad, and why are you here?"

[Jams Bolero]

"Gasp!  Spontaneous questions?!" Jams thought in false surprise, although he actually didn't expect to be conversed with as soon as he was.  He put away his recorder to... wherever he had it originally, and turned to the lady to answer her question in a polite yet casual manner.  "Heey, mah name's Jams, but you can call me Jams.  I second what Eric said."  He stared at her with a goofy face that made a smile crawl slightly across her face.  She replied with a kind-spoken tone, "Well, it is nice to meet you both, Eric and Jams.  You both look quite lost, do you know where you are, exactly?"
"Why yes, we are in a forest."  Both Eric and the lady look at him with a glare that just says 'Oh really?'.  He looks skyward in thought with a puzzled look on his face.  "Er, we WERE in a forest, anyway."
"No, not exactly.  Is there a name for this forest?"
"Yes, these are the Tangled Greens, the most heavily forested verse in the Omniverse, including this area.  At least, before a few buffoons from the Blight Brigade came by and ruined it all."
"Verse?"
"Blight?"  They both seemed perplexed by the lady's terminology.
"Hmm, it seems I have some explaining to do."

---

Over the course of a few minutes, she informed Jams and Eric about the Tangled Greens, including the specific areas, the various populace in it and how certain parts of the forest were denser than the rest.  She also told them about the blight, a disease which had a corrupting effect on creatures and caused trees to wither away.

---

"DANG IT!  I was wrong about the 'who'!"  Jams held his right fist in front of his right shoulder, shaking with determination.

"Well, do you figure the blight has something to do with the grove?"

"Of course, in fact I actually theorized that trace amounts of blight in the soil are preventing trees from growing.  I have a few methods that I want to test out to remove the blight, and that is why I am here to begin with."  

"How well is that going?"

"How well do you THINK it's going, lad?"  Melody holds both of her arms out to her left, displaying all of the ash and corpses around them.

"Oh..."  Jams slouched slightly, likely just minimally upset from being yelled at.

"What are you waiting for?  Are you not able to perform these methods now?"

"Normally, I would, but I'm missing some of the items I need to continue with my attempts to restore the grove."

"Hey, we can help with that!  Right Eric?"  Jams bumped the magician's arm with his elbow.

"We certainly can!  After all, we were only exploring.  This could help us get used to the area a bit better as well as commit to a noble cause.  What can we get for you, mam?"

"Oh, I nearly forgot to mention my name!  I am the enchantress Melody, it was a pleasure to meat you.  I thank you for helping me, let me go get a slip of paper to write down the items I need."

Melody took out a slip of paper, borrowed one of Jams' fifty bazillion pencils and walked over to a short tree to write down her notes.  In the meantime, Jams and Eric began to converce about the different areas, though Jams had trouble remembering but a few of them.

"...Ya know, I literally just noticed that giant tree over there," Jams acknowledged, "I guess that's the so called 'World Tree' she was talking about?"

"Seems likely, I don't see any other large trees standing out from the top of the forest.  It certainly is immense, though."

"I could buy that people live in it.  How about that Ambrosia place?  That sounds kinda tasty."

"The way Melody described it makes it sound par for the course here.  This place is strange enough as is, and Ambrosia seems like a condensed area of oddity."

"hhh-HOO boy, I hope we go there!  Sounds like good ol' time over dere!"

The elderly woman returned to the travellers and handed Eric a slip of paper with fancy handwriting on it.  The slip has several items on it as well as locations as to where to find them.  "I would prefer that you only get one item for now," she said calmly. "You gentlemen have much to learn about the Omniverse, and I do not want to hold you up longer than I must!"

"Thanks, Ms. Melody!  We will be back soon enough with one of these doomaflaches!"

"Have a nice day, enchantress Melody!"

As the two walk away from the enchantress and eventually the Scorched Grove, Jams asks "I don't want to do acorns because they seem too... simple, perhaps we could get some parchment?"

"We can get that at Mokugakure, the ninja village-" Eric replied, getting cut off by an excited Jams whose face was simply beaming.

"NINJA VILLAGE?  WHAT THE FLIM FLAM ARE WE WAITING FOR?!"  The boy in red runs off through the forest, with his new friend in the green hoodie chasing to catch up.

[Soldier 75]

"Nothing, I believe," Eric chuckled to himself, racing off to join Jams. The duo quickly left the devastated forest behind, trudging through the thick carpet of entangling foilage.

"Blast it Jams, let me catch up." Panting heavily, the two drew to a halt underneath the shade of a gigantic, old tree. "We've only just begun. There's no sense in hurrying, we are still a good distance away." Mosquitoes buzzed through the air, and Eric idly swatted at the closest. His bag dropped to the forest floor as he leaned against the tree. "Besides, Jams, we'll miss all the scenery. I've been wanting to draw one of these odd flowers that we passed." Eric indicated the various extravagantly-colored blooms, which grew up to his waist. "Okay! But let's try to arrive before sunset," Jams conceded. A quick glance to the sky showed the sun at its zenith, beating down upon the forest. 

With the sun nearing the horizon, Jams and Eric crossed yet another flowing stream, this one more violent than the last. As they found a shallow path to walk, Eric scribbled onto his open journal, noting their progress. "This should be the last stream, if Melody's directions are sound. We should have only a little while left, and just in time. The sun is getting ready to set, and I doubt we could easily navigate at night." A branch snapped to their right, and Eric whirled towards the sound. Seeing nothing, he hurriedly resumed walking, catching up to Jams. "This part of the jungle makes me nervous, for some odd reason. Strange." The mage jotted another note in his book, then stowed it within the confines of his backpack. The two continued their chatter, discussing the numerous animals and plants living in the Green.

Figures emerged from the shadows and dropped from the trees overhead, and before they could even react, they were surrounded. Drawing inward, the two startled Primes eyed the circle of ninjas clad entirely in black. "Hello, are you Mokugakure ninjas, perhaps?" Eric anxiously questioned. Eliciting no response, Jams stepped up, introducing themselves. "My name is Jams, but you can call me Jams, and my friend here is Eric!"

[Jams Bolero]

"My name is Jams, but you can call me Jams, and my friend here is Eric!" Jams stated gleefully to the ninjas.  Yeah, they ambushed them, but perhaps they were simply border patrol?  If so, this was the most violent border control he had ever seen because *SURPRISE* he suddenly finds himself bagged and carried off by one of the Ninjas.  "Hey, where 're you taking me?!"  It wasn't clear, but he thought he heard Eric being bagged as well.  This was certainly unfortunate; go to ask the ninjas for paper, you get kidnapped.  Who'd have thought ninjas were so unfriendly?  Anyways, there wasn't much to do on the way.  He tried to ask them if it was far away or not, but they ignored the question.  Jams quietly slipped on his earbuds and drifted off to the tune of "Elevatorstuck."

...

Jams couldn't get a very good dream unfortunately, likely due to the fact that he was in a rough bag that was shaking around along the back of a ninja.

...

Jams opened his eyes and saw the entire planet turned on its head.  Wait, no, that doesn't make sense.  Actually, through simple deduction, Jams found himself upside down rather than of literally everything else in the Omniverse.  The room was simple with light yellow walls that had dark wooden beams evenly spaced along them.  The floor was a rich mahogany, very clean despite this looking like a practice room.  Perhaps it provided ninja training where one must leave no marks on the floor?  Just an idea.  Two ninjas stood by him, presumably standing guard so that he wouldn't escape.  He looked down (up?) at his body and noticed he was encased in a cocoon of rope, hanging from the ceiling by a single strand that looked sturdy enough to support his weight.  However, it didn't seem strong enough to survive the swipe of a blade, and as soon as this thought popped in his mind Jams proceeded to look updownward.  Immediately he came face to face with a boiling, firey pot of lava.  Oddly enough, his first thought wasn't AAUGH OH GOD WHY?! but rather Why would anyone set a pot of lava on fire?

Upon further examination, it turned out that a cut pile of rope was laid just beside the pot.  Eric was somewhere within the crowd of ninjas, presumably dealing with them as he was the older of the two.  It was difficult to hear from a distance, but Jams did his best and could make out what the two were saying.

"I am Tsunade," the head of the ninjas declared.  "This is the village Mokugakure, and you are both trespassers.  Save the formalities, state your business or we will kill you both."
Well dang!  A little extreme there, sir?!  Jams decided not to speak his thoughts like usual, considering that he was hanging over a POT OF LAVA.
"We've come from the Scorched Grove to get some parchment for the enchantress, Melody," Eric replied, clearly unsettled by the hostility that permeated the entire room.  "We do not mean to be bothersome, if you could give us some, we will be on our way with no troubles."
"We do have parchment native to our village, but if you want some, you must prove your innocence and worthiness with a series of tests."  A couple of ninjas appeared by the man's sides, the one on the left with a glowing ball akin to Omnilium, and the other with a large, flat stone slab.  "First, the test of innocence.  The ninja to my right holds an orb with the potential to give you much reward.  Primes are particularly in search of a substance like this, and this object is particularly high in concentration.  Even a high prime could kill for how this much Omnilium.  The ninja to my left holds a slab large enough to completely cover the pot of lava and allow your accomplace to fall safely.  However, you will lose the orb, and thus personal gain, in the process.  Which will you choose?"

Jams, in the distance, decides to stop listening because he fears that Eric will choose the orb instead.  Probably isn't anything more than a red herring, and besides that he would likely die as he would instantly fail the test of innocence.  Combined with the fact that Eric didn't appear to be the greedy type, it was overall unlkely that he wouldn't go for the slab.  Key word 'unlikely,' he nonetheless felt fairly unsure and worried about how his friend would respond to the potential greed in this test, so he tried to lighten the mood a bit by talking to the guards beside him.

"So, what's it like to be a ninja?" the boy asked.
The man standing to his right said "Zip it."
"Is it pretty fun, or really difficult and strict?  I might consider it if it's the form-"
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
"Fine, jeez!  I'll talk to the other guy instead-"
The other guard yelled "He said SHUT YOUR MOUTH, kid!!"
Jams shut it.  He didn't feel much better.

[Soldier 75]

As Tsunade finished his ultimatum, a small portion of Eric's conscious, deep within, urged him to take the Omnilium, to take it and leave Jams for dead. Ignoring the voice, Eric shoved it down, furious at himself that he had even thought about the decision. There is only one conclusion that he would ever accept.

All this raced through Eric's mind in the span of a second. Determined, Eric stepped forward, and gestured to the gray slab. "I choose the slab, unless-" the mage turned to face Jams, an amused expression appearing, "my companion disagrees?" 

"Nope." Jams squeaked, relieved. "I have no objections." Tsunade signaled to the guard in possession of the slab. As silent as a shadow, and bearing the same appearance, the ninja moved to the pot below Eric's companion, and slid the stone into place. With blinding speed, the guard to Jams' right severed the taut rope, and he fell unto the slab. "Ow! Geeze, couldn't you have just lowered me down or something?" Still encased in rope, Jams rolled off the pot, landing with a muffled thud. "I knew we should have brought the duct tape," the guard muttered to his fellow ninja.

The bearer of the orb of Omnilium came up behind Tsunade. "Where should I put the rock, sir?" Alarmed, Eric took a closer look at the so-called Omnilium. What had at first appeared to be a large sum of Omnilium, upon closer inspection, becomes a polished, multicolored rock, fashioned into a spherical shape. Hmm. Even if someone chose what I did not, they would not receive actual Omnilium. The ninjas probably would kill them as well...

Satisfied that his friend was out of harm's way for the moment, Eric returned his gaze to the leader of the ninjas. "What is the next challenge?" Tsunade beckoned, and headed for the exit. "Come, we have prepared the second trial." With the duo in tow, the ninjas escorted them toward the door, keeping a close eye on them.

[Jams Bolero]

The two adventurers followed Tsunade through a corridor just beyond the door.   It seemed to be some kind of suspended breezeway.  Though seeing as it wasn't simply over a river, but rather several feet above the ground, there was likely a more proper name for the term that Jams hadn't yet heard of.    The floors were made of a dark wood, perhaps mahogany, and the walls were decorated precisely like the room earlier, sans the use of glass windows rather than yellow paint or plaster.  Looking out, Jams could pick out some of the buildings in the village through the trees that obscured his view.  They looked oddly modern, yet retained a rustic charm at the same time.  Flat roofs that slanted at a mild angle at the edges, boards elegantly cut and painted that circled their buildings' exteriors, this generally simple design had a sort of charm that he felt could bridge the generational gap quite well.  In the distance, he noticed what appeared to be a wall composing of live trees planted quite close together.  Seems like either these ninjas were inspired by the portal, he reasoned in his mind, or supreme coincidence strikes again.  Perhaps I should ask them if and when I get more friendly with them?

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to have gone very well.  In just trying to chat with one of the ninjas, Jams was yelled at and told to stop talking.  Combined with the fact that they bagged them on their way to meet these very people, there wasn't any good reason to befriend the ninjas in the first place.  However, Jams wasn't one to give up or judge people for singular actions, at least not without knowing their intentions.  After all, they saw them as potential threats, and the color red is kind of a suspicious color.  At the least, it made them easy targets.  Perhaps they weren't so bad after all?    But even if there was still a chance, it seems just communicating will not do anything to gain their favor.  Wait a second, he realized, what if I drew something for them?  Yeah, that'll do it!  Setting a mental note in his mind, Jams continues to follow Tsunade through the corridor.

When they left the hall, they were in some sort of arena with various shades of wood depicting a squareish circlular shape on the floor.  The walls were made of dark wood akin to the mahogony floor earlier, but they didn't reach up to a ceiling and were occasionally broken up by trees asserting their prescense along the edge.  They seemed to be holding up the floor like a treehouse.  Where the canopy stopped between the trees, an averagely sized hole allowed light to cast its dominance over part of the platform's right side.  Two doors lined by trees and simple overhangs were at the other side of the arena, about 90 degrees apart along the circumference of the floor.  A few ninjas were honing their skills here.  One seemed to be dodging the attacks of the other two and failing miserably.  Jams wanted to help, but he only knew to dodge naturally and probably couldn't even compare to the skill of an inexperienced ninja. Oh, and there's also the fact that they hated him.

The three ninjas looked toward Tsunade, presumably awaiting orders, but instead Tsunade told them "Continue, we're just passing by for now."  She held her hand out in front of her, and the trainees returned to their practice.  They were instead walking toward the leftmost door across the arena.  The head ninja said "for now," does that mean another test will take place in this arena?  Whatever the case, they continued through the left door and entered the setting for the second challenge.

[Soldier 75]

The group strode through the arching doorway and stopped where solid ground met mud. Before them lay a rough, uneven path, filled with an assortment of peculiar objects. Two parallel rows of smooth, squat trees bordered the mud, hemming it in. Beams of wood extended over the muddy ravine. Sprinkled among them were thick ropes, and several gradual slopes rose above the mud, all of which ended in a straight drop. A few indecipherable signs hinted at the possibility of additional contraptions lying in wait among the trees. The entire course had a continuous curve to it, twisting to the right.

What could possibly be the purpose of this? Puzzled, Eric turned, seeking answers from Tsunade. But, with a quick glance through the gathered crowd, he realized Tsunade appeared to not be present. The confused mage looked towards the nearest ninja. "Where has Tsunade gone?" He replied, obviously annoyed, "Our leader has no time to be dealing with someone as insignificant as you. She left to conduct other business." Well, that makes sense. But I wonder what all this is for? Another ninja approached Jams, and handed him a single white sheet of paper. "This is the second trial, the trial of worthiness. The objective is simple: escort this paper to the end of the course, intact and unsoiled. You may begin."

[Jams Bolero]

The corridor curved around rightwards enough so that only two obstacles were clearly visible.  Beyond the wooden plank platform of which the group was standing on, mud covered the entire floor like an incredibly slippery carpet.  It almost seemed like the substance was threatening the duo, just waiting for them to slip, fall, and soil their precious off-white parchment.  Jams held the paper close to his chest in overprotective worry.  Several logs aligned in a zig-zag pattern led to the first obstacle, propped up vertically in the mud to act as stepping stones of a sort.  The first obstacle was simple enough, a series of ropes that one had to swing across in order to land on the platform ahead.  The second, however, was suspiciously innocent.  The platform was odd in shape, sort of like a demented letter "s", but beyond that nothing seemed too dangerous.  The stepping logs were more intimidating than that.  Jams began to fold the slip of paper into his pocket as he further analyzed the obsta-

"Stop folding that paper, kid," one of the ninjas stated, "or you'll have lost before you even started."
"Oh.." Jams replied disappointingly, "Well, you said unsoiled, so I thought it meant just don't get it filthy..."
"...Escort the paper to the end of the course unaltered."
"By the way, is there a time limit?"
"No, there is no time limit, though we won't stand around all day for you to finish the course."
"Cool!  I just wanted to make sure, since-"
"Come ooon, just start already or get a game plan going!  For GOD'S SAKE!!"  Another ninja, the one Jams accidentally ticked off, seemed tired of his mere existance.
"Get to your post, please.  The sooner you do the sooner they'll be out of your hair."

The irritated man stomped off, hopefully to grab some ice cubes and chill for a while.  In the meantime, Jams pulled Eric over for a team meeting.
"(Alright Eric, since we don't have a time limit, I don't think we have to rush this.  We'll start out nice and simple, taking our time to assess the situation and not fall in the mud.  If we get attacked, though, we might ruin the paper, so one of us can hold them off while the other makes a mad dash to the exit or protects the paper.  Is that good?  Any other ideas?)"

[Soldier 75]

"That's fine with me," Eric calmly replied. "I'll lead, you follow with the paper. Keep a bit of a distance between us, we have no idea what to expect." Nodding, Jams joined him at the start of the course. With the sheet securely held by Jams, the duo surveyed the route ahead. Peppering the dark mud stood upright logs, creating a precarious means of crossing the chasm between platforms. Beyond, several hanging ropes lay in the space separating the two platforms, and even farther, a curved walkway supported by long poles extending above the mud. this platform seemed odd, seemingly an easy stroll across a wide board. The board curved twice, and to Eric resembled a snake. He shuddered, apparently recalling the ghost of a memory, something related to snakes.

Well, this seems easy enough. Eric crossed to the first pole, and continued on to the other side. Satisfied that the first obstacle was easy enough, he waved Jams forward. the latter hopped between the pillars, and laughed upon reaching the platform. "Well that was easy. What next?" Eric called over his shoulder, adopting a cautious tone. "Not so fast Jams. I have a feeling that there is much more in store for us." He set his gaze on the ropes dangling above the ravine of mud, and backed up a few steps. I wonder what happens if I fall Eric wondered as he sprinted at full speed along the platform. As he neared the edge, he bunched his legs, and soared high above the wide gap.Wind tore at his shirt as he wildly grabbed for a rope. Snagging the last rope, his momentum caused it to swing violently, almost throwing Eric into the mud. After a few moments of uncontrollable swaying, he finally managed to point his trajectory towards the target platform. Mid-swing he released the rope, rolling roughly to a stop on the wood. 

Unwilling to rise, Eric lay upon his back, panting like a dog, until a voice reached him. "Are you alright Eric?!" Jams frantically questioned. With a groan he rose, assessing himself. Nothing appears broken or injured, thank goodness. "I'm uninjured," Eric yelled to Jams. "I forgot that I still have these." He indicated the faint aura encompassing his boots, which slowly faded until it disappeared. "My own invention, if my imperfect memories recall. A magic that allows me to leap great distances."

Shuffling over to the curving walkway, Eric once again surveyed the obstacle. Looks easy enough. Maybe too easy... The magick user startled when he heard a thump behind him, and turned to see Jams. "Wow, I didn't know you could do that!" he exclaimed. "There is much you do not know about me," Eric replied as Requiem formed from mist, settling into his palm. "Such as this." Jams took a step back in alarm. "Where did that come from?" Inspecting Requiem, Eric said, "I'm not quite sure. It simply appears when I call for it, and disappears when I release it." 

Returning to the edge of the platform, he started across the walkway, wary of surprises. Approaching the first curve, Eric called back to Jams. "I have a sneaking suspicion th-" A bright flash of silver blurred past Eric, missing his chest by less than an inch. The mage stumbled backwards, dropping his sword and nearly careening off into the mud below. After a few excruciating moments, he regained his balance. "Well, it appears that my suspicions were correct." 

Following what he thought to be the direction the object had flew towards, a shuriken halfway buried into the wooden walls caught his glance. The wall on the other side appeared to be rough, but nothing presented any revelations as to the source of the deadly projectile. "It seems as though they have concealed shuriken launchers within the walls." A plan formed in Eric's mind, and he began to concentrate. Within a few moments, he had summoned a form-fitting shield surrounding his entire body. Looking at him, a person would see a slightly distorted view of his form. 

Advancing along the obstacle, Eric once again approached where the shuriken had crossed. He gathered himself, and dashed forward, narrowly avoiding being hit by the shuriken. A scattered amount of projectiles crossed his path. Several collided with the shield, and Eric barely kept himself on the obstacle. Rounding the last corner, he threw himself past the last few shurikens, and yet again found himself lying upon his back, panting for breath. Quicker this time, Eric picked himself up and turned to watch Jams. Wait, how is he going to cross? 

[Jams Bolero]

Suddenly, Jams was off across the deformed pathway with silver gleams locked onto the path ahead of him.  While he was watching Eric, he noticed a sort of pattern in how the stars were shot, and found a few safe points here or there until his companion had reached the other side.  Jams kept the paper close to his chest while he dodged the shurikens.  As the path curved upward to a slope, he got a running start and kick-jumped off the unstable walkway.  Just a few more rows of shurikens to go, and the end would be there to greet another adventurer- "WOAH!!"

Upon kicking his foot in an attempt to make the final leap to the platform, Jams tripped and nearly dived headfirst into the mud, narrowly grabbing the paper as it gently floated downward.  He was hanging by his feet on the path and his hands on the safe ledge.  Eric snatched the paper in worry that it might fall with the boy if he loses his grip, then proceeded to help his friend up.  Jams tried to pick out the splinters from his ankles as he noticed something moving in the distance.  Something swift that appeared to be chasing them oh goodness it's ninjas.
"Eric!" the boy in red exclaimed.  "We've got COMPANY!!"
The mage was visibly stunned as he, too, seemed to notice the unfriendly visitors.  Three ninjas had decided to follow them, one of which being the jerk who wants Jams' head on a silver platter.  "This must be what they meant when they said they would not wait for us to finish.  We must hurry!  They most likely know this course like the back of their-"
"SHUT UP AND RUN!!"

The two made a mad dash away from their chasers and toward the end of the course.  More obstacles laid ahead, but that didn't matter.  If they stopped for anything, then the parchment would be at the whim of some fancy paper cutters called Katanas.  The path was narrow with ample space to fall into the mud below on either side, but as long as they didn't fall then it would be fine.  Well, as long as Eric didn't fall it would be fine, Jams technically could fall and only need to worry about not getting the mud on him onto the-

"FRICK JEEZ DANG IT AGH!!!"  Before he had noticed, the boy had swiftly climbed atop the log and was jumping between the wooden death traps.  The sheer momentum of these oaken columns kept him from falling as his feet struck the bark with a mild stomp.  Each amputated tree was held by a singular sturdy rope which wrapped around the beams in the ceiling.  Looking ahead, he noticed Eric had already gotten to the end, and was shooting fireballs past Jams and toward the ninjas.  "Hey, that's a good idea!  They didn't tell us we couldn't fight back, did they?"  Assuring his idea, Jams located the end of this obstacle.  It was only about twenty meters away.  "Marvelous!"  Within a few leaps and bounds, he landed on the endmost log with particularly more force, knocking it backward in momentum.

As Jams caught his balance on the other side, he looked behind himself at the swinging logs.  Eric must have shot at the ropes, as some of the columns had been severed off from the ceiling.  Combined with his shifting of momentum, an entire line of wooden steamrollers was sent heading toward their followers and effectively crushed one of them as they lost balance and tripped.  Jams couldn't help but cringe as he watched him get flattened into a floor mat.  Another ninja was caught off guard but quickly regained his balance, and the jerk was completely unfazed by Jams' trick.  The two adventurers ran away toward the end of the course, where another empty area with some sort of hidden trap laid ahead.

"Here," Eric stated as he took the parchment out of his shirt and handed it to Jams.  "I require both of my hands to summon my fireballs and slow them down, and I do not wish to drop the paper or set it aflame."
"Alright then!" Jams replied, a determined look drawn on his face.  "Let's keep going, the next obstacle is up ahead."

[Soldier 75]

Fireball after fireball flew from the mage’s hands, flying down the course towards the two remaining ninjas. However, not a single fiery ball of death had managed to connect with a ninja, and Eric meant to keep it that way. A few of his fireballs came close, occasionally throwing them off balance. Every once in a while, he would target an obstacle, shattering it into pieces in order to slow the ninjas down, but he intended to keep his overall destruction to a minimum as well. Glancing behind him, Eric noticed Jams drawing ahead of him, on the verge of disappearing around the bend. Lobbing one last fireball at the nearest obstacle, Eric sprinted to the next as bits of charred wood flew past his head. Logs hidden within the walls bore down upon Eric, making the once open space a swinging deathtrap of wood. Without hesitation he flung himself onto the first log, and wasted no time as he leaped across each in rapid succession. Landing hard, he saw the two ninjas already drawing near, only one obstacle between them and the logs. Drat. These ninjas are becoming quite the nuisance. The tall mage straightened up and held out his hands. Wisps of fire gathered within his palms, quickly growing in size and intensity. Now holding a white-hot inferno, his hands pushed forward, sending the projectile hurtling towards the two figures farther down the course. Within moments it impacted, incinerating the wooden platform underneath. One of the two was thrown back by the blast, tumbling off into the mud below. The other, who had been close behind, leapt over the destroyed path, sparing no glance for his fallen comrade. I REALLY hope that I didn’t singe him too much. Speeding along the course, Eric dodged, dipped, ducked, dove, and dodged his way through the rest of the course, catching up to Jams at the end of the course. As he landed Jams wheeled around, clearly startled by his sudden approach, but calmed when he saw Eric. “Jeez, what took so long?” he joked. Eric replied, brushing off chips of wood. “One pursuer remains, and I intended to slow his progress. Unfortunately, he is not too far behind, so we must hurry.” The duo both turned to face the final obstacle separating them from the finish.

[Jams Bolero]

SHING

Jams leapt backward as a row of sharp spears shot out in front of the doorway out.  Looking behind him and Eric, the way back was also blocked with the same method.  And as to be expected, in front of the spears was the angry ninja.  His hands, hanging tensely beside his legs, were clenched so tight that it felt as if his fingers would rip through the palms of his hands.  Not to mention that the lad's face looked like a tomato, it was so red.  In other words, he was a steamed vegetable.

"Finally!", the man growled between deep breaths of rage, "I've reached you!  This day has been terrible since the beginning, and the last thing I needed was for some punk outsider to start riling me up!"
Jams tried to reply in a cool, collected manner.  "Dude, I spoke calmly for like five seco-"
"SHUT UP!  I've had enough atrocity for one day.  I'M TAKING YOU DOWN A PEG.  RIGHT HERE.  RIGHT NOW!!"

The man dashed toward the duo with speed comparable to that of, say, a jaguar or the likes.  As he screamed, his voice boomed against the back of the course and resonated throughout the entire hallway.  His arms flew gracelessly behind his figure while his legs took him many feet in a single bound.  Jams looked at Eric, and both had less than an enthusiastic expression about themselves.  From about 15 yards away, he grabbed a small knife out of his pocket and prepared to attack.  Everything was riding on this moment.  He would highlight himself as a wonderful ninja again by proving himself against these masters of the obstacle course.  Plus, bonus points for shutting up that annoying brat!  He readied and steadied his knife behind him, and-

Eric flung a fireball behind the man, getting him to look backward,and Jams promptly smacked him all the way off the platform and into the mud using his broom.  The duo walked over to the side, and noticed that the ninja was staring upward, completely dumbfounded.  "Well that was underwhelming," Jams remarked.  "Let's get out of here."

---

"We are sorry about the ambush, however it is important to be prepared for anything.  You never know what might jump out at you in the woods."  Tsunade's intern attempted to hand wave the whole "trying to kill them" thing, but it didn't make Jams feel too much friendlier toward them.  Eric, however, either was or pretended to be fine with it.
"That is alright."
"No it's not."  Eric ignored the boy.
"So we are permitted to leave now, correct?"
"Yes, you are free to go with the parchment."


Without further hesitation, the two adventurers left the village immediately.  In all honesty, the leaves of the trees created a gorgeous shifting shadow that filled Jams with all kind of nostalgic emotions, but the place tried to kill them both twice in a time period of... well, who knows?  Time is relative, and relatively confusing at that.  In any case, Jams and Eric were glad to get back to Melody after having been kidnapped and put into trials in order to live, let alone get a single piece of presumably magical paper.  It had been a long day, and the boy in red was more than ready to hand it off to the elder and find a good place to set up camp and hibernate for a good... rest of eternity, probably.

[Soldier 75]

Sweating profusely, Jams and Eric moved out of the dense forest, once again treading over the dense ashes of the blighted area. “Melody should still be nearby. Hopefully we can find her before these irritating pests drain me of my blood.” For what felt like the thousandth time Eric swatted at the swarm of insects gathering around the duo, but only succeeded in knocking his hood off his head. Halfway back the mage had donned his cloak in an attempt to ward off the blood-sucking fiends. Another application of his bug repelling goo had discouraged the horde for a while, but its effects had worn off by now.

The two began their search, and were soon rewarded when Jams spotted Melody’s storm-gray hair in the distance. The duo set off, strolling through the desolate wasteland. “All that effort for a such a small amount of paper. It must really be quite valuable.” Jams replied in his usual chipper way. “All that effort... for a slip of paper. Must be quite valuable! I wonder what Melody would use it for?"

Eventually, the two approached the elderly woman, calling out to her. “Well, I am glad to see you returned safely.” A wide smile appeared on her face when Jams pulled the paper out. “Thank you very much. You have done me a great service. I am indebted to you.” Jams handed over the paper, returning her smile. “You are welcome, Melody.” A small grin flashed across the mage’s face, and he gave Melody a short bow. “It was our pleasure to assist you ma’am. We wish you the best of luck with your work here.” After exchanging several goodbyes, Jams and Eric left melody to her labor, and began to amble across the burned section.

[Jams Bolero]

Jams and Eric walked across the larger expanse of the Scorched Grove, seeing as Melody’s set-up was a field away from the portal.  Now that they had finished their quest, the thought of a new journey in another realm was rather enticing.  So many places to go in the forest, perhaps even more than what the kind enchantress disclosed to them.  There were certainly other portals in the distance of the Nexus, this much Jams had noticed earlier.  Where did they lead?  Perhaps to other verses vastly different to the Tangled Greens?  Well, that much was a given, but what were they like?  What wondrous escapades and marvelous adventures lie beyond what they have just witnessed?  These thoughts and the likes swarmed around inside the boy’s mind like a hive of bees.

Jams took it upon himself to ask first.  “‘K!  So!  Where should we go next?”
“I do believe,” Eric observed, ”that the parchment for which we nearly were killed just crashed into the back of your head.”

Looking behind him, the boy noticed a paper airplane behind him, the tip crumpled from smashing into his skull.  He retrieved and unfolded the parchment.  "Actually, no, it's a note from Melody.  It says 'This parchment is a fraud.  One could recreate it with a simple internet instruction video.  Find something you bozos are competent enough to get right.'”

Jams read it out to Eric upon request, to which he inquired “What should we aim to-”
“Acorns.”
“What?”
“Acorns are on the list, seems pretty easy.  I don’t want to go back and fight a bunch of ninjas, or do any kind of lengthy adventure that might result in our kidnapping again.  So let’s just keep it simple so Melody doesn’t crucify us, and so we don’t end up doing everything on the list because we know so little about any of it.”
Eric, seeming as if he were contemplating the consequences of choosing acorns over the more obviously dangerous items on the list, eventually agreed and continued across the grove as they set out to find an acorn.

[Soldier 75]

Hours passed as the duo wandered through the forest, finding not a single acorn. The shadows lengthened into pillars of darkness, enveloping everything. “It might be time to make camp for the night,” Eric wearily said, “can you search for firewood while I clear a location for our camp?” Jams clicked his tongue twice in assent and gave a thumbs up, before disappearing into the thick undergrowth. After summoning Requiem, Eric set it to good use, cleaving apart bushes and clearing logs. He let all the day’s frustration channel into his swings, and battered an unfortunate bush into pieces. Blow after blow the mage struck, until the only sign that a bush had ever stood there was the mangled stump. Much calmer now, Eric finished clearing the debris. He had set aside two smaller logs, and dragged them towards the middle of the open space. Too tired to go searching, Eric settled for summoning the rocks needed for a fire pit.

Jams eventually returned, bearing a massive bundle of sticks. Night had engulfed the forest, leaving the two to set up a fire in the dark. Deciding on a base of upright logs with a small pile of kindling within, Eric threw a weak fireball into the core of the firewood; although it lacked the energy of a fully charged fireball, it still easily engulfed the logs in an instant inferno. The duo wordlessly summoned their respective dinners, and wolfed them down. The bread and cheese filled Eric’s empty stomach, slightly improving his sullen mood. He lay down on a relatively clear patch of ground, and pulled his cloak around his shoulders. “Where the hell could this blasted acorn be?” Eric muttered to himself, drifting off into the soft embrace of sleep.

[Jams Bolero]

As Eric drifted off into dreamland, Jams decided to walk around for a bit.  The Tangled Greens looked much less… well, “green” in the dark.  What were once bright and vibrant colors in  the scenery now blended into bright whites and greys in the face of the moonlight.  Patches of land were lit in between the holes in the canopy.  Leaves shifted subtly in the wind, the rustling near inaudible.  Though that might have been because of water flowing from a short waterfall, which continued feeding a nearby river.


Jams dropped to the ground and picked up a small object, only to find that it was just a small rock.  He tossed it into the river with an exasperated sigh.  Eric and Jams had spent the rest of the day looking for acorns, the likes of which Jams was sure should be common.  For goodness sakes, it’s a forest.  Even if parts of the Greens were vastly different, this area has the right kind of trees for the nut to form from.  In a fit of irritation, he walked up to one of the trees and shook it violently, though not enough to actually harm it.


Suddenly, he heard a bunch of clicking noises.  It was as if many small, hard objects were falling on some rocks.  Jams looked away from the tree and saw a shower of acorns falling onto the rocks!  “I should be really angry we haven’t tried this yet,” Jams acknowledged, “but who cares!  Look at all these acorns!”  He summoned a sleeping bag to carry the nuts in, as well as to sleep in when he got back.  Jams was so busy picking up the acorns that he kept dropping them onto the rocks.  The noise made kept him from hearing a low grumble that came from within the waterfall.


…


Jams went back to the camp to tell Eric about his discovery, though the young mage was still asleep.  The boy worried if it was worthwhile to interrupt his friend’s sleep for some nuts, but eventually considered this news more valuable than a few minutes extra sleep.


“Eric!” Jams said. “Wake up!”
Eric awoke somewhat groggily.  “Jams?  What is it?”
“I found us some acorns!”
“Some?”
Jams took his sleeping bag and dumped out thirty or more acorns on the ground.
Eric’s jaw dropped.  “How in the world did you find these? A whole day of dedicated searching left us empty-handed, but you managed to discover not just one, but a whole pile of acorns after a few minutes of exploring? You must be the luckiest man on the planet, assuming that this is a planet.”
“Nah, I just shook a tree out of rage.  I’m surprised we hadn’t thought of that earlier…”
“This is excellent!  In the morning, we shall return to Melody with acorns in hand.  For now, however, it would be best to get some rest.”
“Sounds like a-”

The earth beneath the duo shook a bit.
“Did you feel that?”  Jams asked.
Another quake hit, this one a little stronger.  Then another, even louder.  Jams and Eric looked in the direction Jams walked off to earlier with anxious gazes.  The quakes kept getting stronger.  It sounded as if something was pushing aside the trees as it tracked down the two adventurers, and eventually they could see a shadowy figure actively bending the trees out of the way without knocking them over or snapping them in half.


When it walked into their clear vision, the creature turned out to be a large rock monster.  The beast stood at about seven feet tall, with a very large build and a big jaw.  It seemed especially furious, as if someone disturbed it from its precious slumber.  Jams took out his broom while Eric readied his magic.  It seemed as if they were not going to get out of this like they did with the clumsy ninja from before.  Indeed, this looked like it would be a

FIGHT!

[Soldier 75]

Eric called to Jams, but kept his gaze fixed upon the stony monstrosity before them. “Whatever you do, don’t panic. We’ll fall back and hit it with ranged attacks.” Beginning to circle the goliath, the mage was cut short by Jams. “Hold on, maybe it isn’t as bad as it looks.” Jams strode up to the monster, stopping just outside of its immense shadow. “Hey there, my name is Jams and th-“ the youth was cut off as the beast, with an almost unnatural swiftness, casually swatted him into the trees.

With a roar, Eric flung himself into the fray, jumping up and over the monster to land between it and Jams’ general direction. Requiem dropped into his hand, dripping with water vapor. The usual light blue aura enveloped it, staining the mage the color of the sea. Without uttering a word, the mage fell into a destructive rhythm, the calm fury of combat taking over. Blow after blow he rained upon the colossus’ body, only pausing to dodge the its clumsy swings. Above Eric a red figure flew past, colliding with the monster’s head; it toppled over, shaking the ground with its impact. Jams began to bash the opponent’s head with his broom, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Eric had spotted a green glow coming from a crack in the giant’s chest. The heart, perhaps? “Jams, do you see that light coming from its chest? Quite possibly that might be its core.” Jams, flipping off the behemoth, narrowly avoided being smashed by a stony fist. The duo regrouped, and surveyed the rising monster. “Yeah, I see it.”

Suddenly the clearing was plunged into darkness. Whirling around, Eric noticed several burning logs flying in their direction. Fire washed over them as they rolled out of the way, but a hefty piece clipped Eric’s shoulder. Pain spiked down his arm, causing him to groan. The mage looked around. Jams was nowhere to be seen, but so was the rock giant.

His first mistake was summoning Requiem. Within moments of the cold blade falling into his hands, a swift stony punch sent him flying. His sword vanished as he tumbled across the ground, slamming into a tree. Jams, somewhere within the darkness called out. “Eric, are you okay?” The kid’s question was rewarded with the sound of an enormous fish smashing into the ground. “Keep moving and it won’t be able to track you!” Eric yelled, already sprinting across the edge of the clearing. Well, at least that’s what he hoped would happen; if the monster had night-vision, they would likely not fare well. But from what he’d gathered, the monster could only track sound.

A plan started to form in the back of Eric’s mind. Not a very good plan, mind you, but it would have to work for the time being. Coming to a stop, Eric began to launch low-strength fireballs at in random directions. They formed flying spheres of light, illuminating small swaths of ground, before slamming into the ground. One sailed past Jams, and judging by the look on his face, scared the hell out of him. About to cease firing, he caught a glimpse of something rapidly approaching. Eric whirled to the side, blasting a fireball into the beast’s backside. The plan in the back of his mind finally solidified. Keeping the blasted thing lit up for long enough would be the key element, so continued his assault on the monster, backing up as he did so. “Jams, wherever you are, I need you to topple it onto its back.” Backpedaling, he led it towards the last place he had seen his comrade. The forest drew closer, and Eric started to worry if his friend would come through. This train of thought was quickly derailed, right after Jams performed his flying takedown to the monster’s face yet again. The sweet sound of the colossus’ heavy bulk meeting the ground rang through the clearing.

Bunching his legs, he flew into the air, slowing to a momentary halt above the battle. In that instant Eric surveyed his surroundings. A path of destruction led up to the clearing. Down below, the rocky monster had begun to stir, and was about to rise. Gravity returned, and the mage began to descend. With Requiem held tightly between his sweating hands, he aimed for the glowing crack. The ground rushed up to meet him, but his aim proved true. The blade sank into the thing’s chest, releasing an ear-splitting howl from the beast. Within moments it had crumbled into a fine powder, no longer a threat.
Eric checked on his friend, and noticed a broad grin spreading across his pale face. “What the hell are you smiling about?” Eric asked. Jams opened his mouth to respond, but the exhausted mage interrupted him. “Never mind, let’s just catch some rest before it’s daylight.” He shuffled over to his bedroll, and collapsed unceremoniously onto it.

I hope I didn’t make him mad, Jams thought with a slight frown on his face. He ambled over to his own resting place, laid down, and soon was fast asleep.