The party had to wait another hour before setting out towards the nature spirit, since they had to wait until Tesilim’s treehouse returned to seed form. However, after an hour of waiting and watching as the tree shrank back down, they quickly made their way over to the nature spirits domain.

  During their initial wait and eventual run through the forest, Jalil had talked to them about his time with the spirit. It turned out that the wood elf had a much more intimate relationship with the nature spirit than they had thought. Now, it was common for druids and wood or nature-related elves to be rather close to nature, but like with anything, there were those who took things further. Usually, wood elves and druids cared for the forest and its animals, and considering many were clerics or followers of Amphis, they had double the incentive to partake in such works.

  Then came those who took things to the next level.

  That was when Tesilim learned that his new world had as many interesting individuals as Earth, if not more. Except that in his new world, things were more accepted. Meaning that a druid could turn into a beast and then go have some fun times with another beast, and no one would bat too much of an eye. After all, if you could summon a succubus or make love to a dragon, something that in fact did happen, no one really cared you were into beasts. To that end, Jalil was such an individual, doubly so considering his curse.

  Of course, Teslim had sadly been curious about how a nature spirit without a body did it with an actual living thing.

  “So is it like a mental thing? Do you guys have mental, magical sex? Cause the spirit doesn’t have a body, right?”

  “No, see the spirit has the ability to possess beasts, so-” The wolf began with his deep growly voice, but was quickly cut off.

  “Nope. Stop. I got it. I really shouldn’t have asked anyway, now I can’t unsee it.”

  So, having learned about the wolf's relationship with the nature spirit, they left him on the outskirts instead of heading deeper into its domain. They had also promised to let his sister know what happened and possibly even bring her over so the two could talk. Then, with a final goodbye to the wolf, the team began their long journey back to the city.

  The party planned to make it back to the city even if they arrived late into the night, which meant they had to run at a good pace. Luckily, the first hours were the worst, since the forest was less hospitable the farther they were from the city. Thus, they ran into many monsters —plenty of which they scared off —but a few that weren't, and those were quickly taken down. The good thing was that even though night quickly came after dropping off the wolf, by the time the sun had set, they had made it close enough to the city that the dangers of the night weren’t too much of a concern.

  In addition to running and fighting, the team did lots of talking. Plenty of jokes were thrown, and a good-hearted general discussion of what they would do during the next few days. This mainly involved everyone planning to rest, train, and experiment. Of course, there were discussions involving the raid into the deeper parts of the island and what the guild and guard would want from them regarding the aberration issue. And as expected, the talk of aberrations brought them to the wolf.

  “Alyx, is it normal for someone like Jalil to be so calm about the whole thing?” Jasmine asked telepathically, still worried about the wolf, considering how the other victims had been.

  “Yes, actually, though it is rare. The thing is, some people take such trauma better than others. It could also be that he is still in shock and will freak out as soon as he feels safe. Who knows, maybe he is losing it right now at the nature spirits domain,” Alyx answered calmly; the gnome was not too worried about it.

  “Hmmm, should we at least tell someone in the Amphis church about him? Maybe Tesilim could tell Jolly, that way there are others on the lookout for him as well,” The twin continued.

  “That sounds like a good idea, even if I honestly think he is fine. What do you think, Lili?” The gnome said, looking for the experienced elf’s opinion.

  “Couldn’t hurt to tell them, more than likely they will keep an eye on him, and make sure there aren’t any future problems with adventurers hunting him down, or they, at the very least, will get him some help if he does end up breaking down. Also, they probably already know, I am pretty sure Jolly has been spying on us for a while now.”

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  “What!?” Rose actually said aloud, obviously not expecting the news.

  “Yeah, she teleported us to the place I usually discharge my chaotic magic when we were doing the contract, which meant she had to have been watching us,” Tesilim finally spoke, having stayed quiet so far, and not seeming worried about the whole thing.

  “And you guys are fine with this!?” The redhead continued via telepathy.

  “Yeah, I don’t see a problem with it. I am pretty sure it is mainly me she is spying on, and the contract plus the World Crystal will stop her from saying anything and keep her spooked, respectively. Also, there is a good chance she stopped after I gave her what she requested,” Tesilim continued, still relaxed about the entire thing.

  “That means she also knows about our little problem?” Jasmine asked, now worried about the dryad, her words impacting Rose and Alyx as they connected what the twins hadn’t said aloud.

  “Probably, though that also means she knows about me, and considering everything, I think it's best she keeps her mouth shut,” Lili spoke calmly, like she hadn’t revealed more about herself, but ignored the glances the team threw in her direction.

  “I am with Lili on that. If Jolly isn’t careful with what she says, there can be some very real repercussions coming her way. Let me remind you guys of who I am,” Alyx stated solemnly, his words appeasing Rose and Jasmine a little.

  “By the way, Alyx, I have been thinking about Jalil, and there is a good chance that the reason he is seemingly okay with the new status quo is due to his curse,” Lili started, trying to change the topic.

  “Yeah, I can see that. The curse was mixed in with the soul. And further adding to the whole thing, he experienced everything while transformed, which definitely altered how he experienced and deals with everything. After all, I imagine a beast or monster is better at adapting after experiencing heavy trauma, at least to some degree.”

  “So, you guys think the curse was actually a blessing for him in the end?” Jasmine asked curiously, comparing her own situation to Jalil’s.

  “That’s what it seems like. It does make me curious as to how the thinman was able to deal with the curse,” Alyx responded, saying the last bit to himself more than anyone else.

  “By the way, guys, just to be sure she does know, do I tell Jolly or not?” Tesilim asked, making sure they were all in agreement.

  Ultimately, the party decided to go ahead and tell Jolly since that was likely the best course of action, considering they didn’t want to tell the guard or the guild. Not that it ended up being a problem to deal with the guard or the guild. After arriving at the city a couple of hours before midnight, and even though they were rather tired, the party went to the guild. Whereupon they were told that the issue had been resolved and that no further questioning was needed, at least not on behalf of the guild.

  With the guild side of things taken care of, the party then approached the city hall. Thankfully, unlike many government buildings on Earth, the government buildings of Tesilim’s new world were always open. Heading inside the large structure, they spoke briefly with the relevant people regarding the aberration issue and were quickly dismissed. In the end, everyone had gotten back to the city safely, and considering that the city and the guild had looked into the party. Finding out who was part of the party in the process, they decided they had done a good job and that no further questioning was needed. So, with those two very important things taken care of, the party finally split, everyone tired and ready to get some rest.

  Arriving back at the inn with Lili in tow, the elf having decided to spend the night with him, the two of them headed into Jolly’s forest. Inside, they found the beautiful dryad wearing a long green leafy dress and brushing what they assumed was one of her daughters' hair.

  “Finally come to have some fun?” Jolly asked playfully.

  “No, too tired for that right now,” Tesilim answered.

  “I figured, from the sound of things, you guys had quite an adventure,” The dryad said, looking both of them up and down, her gaze lingering on Lili’s body, who still wore her tight black leather armor.

  “So, you have been watching us then?” Lili said disapprovingly.

  “Oh no, I decided to stop that after our little encounter with that entity. After all, I got what I wanted, so it's best I don’t meddle. The only reason I know of your recent endeavor is because I had a little visit from the guild.”

  “That makes sense, which means you don’t know everything then,” Lili continued, her voice much calmer but implying she had some news. Of course, her words had the intended effect, and the dryad’s gaze once again switched from the hair she was brushing to Lili.

  “Oooo, do tell,” Jolly added, obviously interested in any possible gossip.

  “Is she okay to hear all of this?” Lili asked, clearly talking about the other dryad

  “Yes, it's fine, she’s a good girl, and she won’t say anything,” Jolly answered, slapping the other dryad's butt, and obviously showing that she was not in fact her daughter.

  That was good enough for both of them, since the news about the wolf wasn’t that big a deal, Lili and Tesilim explained Jalil’s situation to Jolly. Hearing everything, the dryad told them she would talk to the right people to deal with the matter, promising to help the wolf as much as possible. So, with that out of the way, Lili and Tesilim headed to their suite, ready to shower and get some well-deserved sleep.