As the sun rises, so too Fireman and Kathmandu. They find that Rose is already outside, looking solemn as usual, and more than a little lacking for sleep. Vixa lies at the base of a tree trunk, asleep, with a burnt-out candle next to her, and a book resting across her lap.

Fireman, Kathmandu and Rose talk - specifically, about Rose's attempts at holding a séance, and her contact with a spirit that she assumed to belong to Nathan Blake - her "father", so to speak. Rose also makes mention about Vixa, and how she seemed to be displeased with being "cute and fluffy" - and at the same time being expected to fight and slash things up with her claws. This prompts some debate amongst Fireman and Kathmandu, enough to wake up Mikey - and Vixa. Vixa groggily gets up, picks up her book and the burnt-out candle, and pushes past everyone into the entrance to the alchemist's hut. (Rose curiously tries to get a glimpse of what book it is that she's taking back in; it looks like there is an oriental symbol on the cover of some sort, but since Rose knows nothing about such languages - and since Wu Lung has more than a few books fitting such a description - it's not particularly enlightening.) A little while later, Vixa comes back out, while the others are still discussing - but she looks a bit different. She has a new outfit, featuring some vaguely Chinese-looking robes with ornamental trim, and a colorful fan.

Mikey sees the robes of white and immediately makes wild associations: After all, isn't white the color you wear when you're going to commit suicide? Vixa's distant expression and haughty up-turn to her muzzle doesn't do much to persuade the others that all as well - so they file after her.

Vixa reclines by the Magic Pool, snapping out her fan and waving it at herself while she gazes into the water. "Don't jump!" Mikey hysterically cries out, drawing a sour look from Vixa.

Immediately, Fireman, Kathmandu and Mikey start inquiring of Vixa: Where did she get these clothes? (From the alchemist.) Is she doing all right? (Perfectly fine.) Is she going to kill herself? (Not if she can help it, thank you, no.) She folds away her fan while the others talk with her, but at last, after several inquiries as to why she might be acting so strangely, she stands up and melodramatically snaps out her fan, making a high-pitched stage laugh.

"Oh, there's no sense in hiding it any longer," she says, striking a melodramatic pose. "My pride is too much for me to fool you! I am not a cute and harmless fluffy video game character after all; that is just a ruse! I am -" (Dramatic pause and pose change.) "- Jing Li, a Hu Xian Fox Spirit! I knew that once Delilah warned you about my nature, it would not be too long before you would discover the truth!" This is enough to give Mikey pause, as she continues to make dramatic proclamations about her true nature, et cetera, et cetera, but Rose just holds back and, in a low mutter, whispers into Kathmandu's ear that this is obviously just Vixa's attempt to "fill in" her own background before someone else (like Delilah) can do so before her.

Mikey gives Vixa a speech about how, "It's okay to be YOU!" - which prompts Kathmandu to jump in with a vibe of, "This Afterschool Special Moment has been brought to you by-" until he is cut off by an elbow jab from Rose. Kathmandu challenges Vixa's assertions about being a "fox spirit", and then asks if she wants to take part in some sparring practice - all the while getting repeated elbow jabs from Rose, to his annoyance. Vixa just hides her face with the fan, looking off haughtily, shortly declining Kathmandu's various offers.

About then, Mikey overhears a commotion back at the hut. "Pizza's ready!" He can also hear Wu Lung expressing his doubts as to whether this was a suitable food for breakfast - but Mikey is just fine with it; he dashes back to the hut, to discover his brothers cooking something resembling a pizza, on Voltage's new experiment: a self-warming chair. (Evidently, a few "kinks" need to be worked out before it could be used as a comfortable chair - but in the meantime, the Turtles have found other uses for it.)

Rose looks back to Vixa, as she and Kathmandu start to head back to the hut. "It's just fine if you've found yourself," she says, "but I think I liked you the way you were, better. Now, you're rude and haughty."

Vixa (or "Jing Li") snaps her fan in front of her face, and, narrowing her eyes, says, "Oh - are you afraid of having some competition?"

So, Rose and Kathmandu head back to the hut - Rose thoroughly fuming now. They shift their discussion to Rose's own identity crisis - as she is considering holding another séance to try to speak to ... herself. This prompts some incredulous responses from the Turtles, but Kathmandu seems intrigued. Mikey, catching the mood, exclaims, "Well, hopefully we don't find out that you're a tentacle monster - but let's do it!"

This only serves to cause the discussion to swerve to the matter of determining Mikey's "true identity". Mikey is rather of the opinion that he already knows who he is. Nonetheless, Kathmandu tries to perform an experiment to see if Mikey will respond to any of the names Rose had collected from the graveyard. Sadly, none of the names - not even "Pikachu Peters" - prompt any special response from Mikey. Kathmandu explains that he has discovered that anytime someone mentions his real name - Miguel Venezuela - he feels a chill down his spine ... but even as he says it, he notices that nothing happens. He experiments further, but no chills. Rose suggests that the "chill up the spine" phenomenon might be restricted to the creepy confines of the Old Cemetery, in the vicinity of the gravestones. So, Kathmandu resumes trying to psychoanalyze Mikey, determined to prove that he is really "Pikachu Peters", since surely anyone with a name like that would have severe psychological issues, and might be obsessed with video game or cartoon characters. Mikey doesn't buy it.

Rose turns her attentions to wondering about what book it was that Vixa was looking at. She checks the shelves and finds that several of them have oriental-looking symbols - making it impossible to pick one out on just one such clue. So, Fireman comes along, to lend what deductive skills he has. He goes through a long and verbose explanation of the clues that might suggest that this or that book has been disturbed recently, and, at the end of it ... finally concludes that there is only one book on the shelf that he can, beyond all shadow of a doubt, be certain hasn't been disturbed recently. So that is not the book Vixa was looking at. "So, I've reduced your choices by one. Every little bit counts!" Fireman cheerily reports as he strides away.

Rose glowers.

Finally, there's a visitor - a raven swoops in, cawing to Wu Lung that he's dropped off a "delivery" - some planks of wood over near the Magic Pool. He helps himself to a bit of the pizza, despite the protests of the Turtle Ninjas. Rose is fascinated, and inquires as to whether this might be the same raven she saw near the Old Cemetery. "Why, hello there, you dreadful little girl!" Rose doesn't take this well, so the crow caws and suggests, "How many ravens have you called 'you dreadful little thing' lately?" Finally Rose pieces it together, and reckons that this would be the crow's answer.

Rose wonders aloud whether the raven has seen a man in black who was walking near the cemetery. The crow laughs and says, "Tell me, have you seen your own nose recently?" Rose crosses her eyes, looking at her own nose. Mikey, fearing that the raven is about to maim Rose, panics, throwing his big green hand over Rose's nose (and smearing some pizza sauce on it in the process), as he protests, "Don't eat her nose!" Rose shoves him away, and then the raven dives in, pecking at her nose ... and picks off a bit of pizza sauce.

While Rose recovers from this, the raven hops back away, then his form shimmers and stretches - and a young man in black clothes and a flowing robe stands before her. He bows. Rose, without thinking, curtseys in return, and blushes. (Mikey feigns disinterest, proclaiming that while it's all well and good to be able to turn into either a raven or a man, "I'm turtle and man - all at the same time!")

Wu Lung shuffles by, carrying several planks of wood, and he chortles. "Aha, so you are all acquainted now with Poe!" He then runs on about Poe, and how he likes to play pranks and tricks, and how he flies all over the Known World to find interesting things - such as planks of wood and the like, for Wu Lung to build and expand upon his house. Poe proudly reveals that he knows a spot where there is always a plank of wood laying around - and even when he fetches it, he knows that if he waits long enough and goes back, there will be another just like it.

So, once the surprise has worn off, the discussion swerves back to the matter of Rose trying to contact her "true self". Kathmandu starts play-acting running a séance - "Speak to me! Speak to me! (I'm right here - shut up!)" Rose just looks even more sour than usual at being the butt of various jokes cracked by Kathmandu and Mikey, so she wanders back to check on Vixa, by the pool.

She's not there.

Rose fumes for a moment, then rushes back to the other, announcing that Vixa has gone through the Magic Pool - and that she has thus ended up who-knows-where-else. Poe suggests that if they are eager to follow Vixa, they will have to be quick about it: the destination of the pool changes every so often. So, there's a mad scramble as Fireman, Rose, Kathmandu and the Turtle Ninjas rush out by the Magic Pool, followed by Poe (back to being a raven again). Fireman tries to check the surrounding area for signs of disturbance, but the immutable woods are frustratingly free of any sign of passage; Fireman doesn't even leave footprints or mash the grass as he makes his way through the foliage. The others begin to experiment with the pool, tossing things into it, and then, with some reservations, they decide to leap in, before the pool's destination changes. (Poe declares that, presently, it points to the Edgewood.)

Through the pool they go - and they find themselves leaping back out of the pool just as quickly ... though this time they find that their surroundings have changed. The Magic Pool is located in an orchard filled with curiously gnarled trees. Immediately, Mikey leaps for one of the trees, to climb up it ... and, too late, Poe caws, "Don't touch the trees!"

The trees start to move. One of them bellows, "How dare you defile the sacred grove!" The trees close in, and it's soon apparent that there's going to be a fight. Rose pulls out her Tome of Roses, and invokes an enchantment: vines sprout from the ground, hiding her form, and then they shrink back into the ground. Across the grove, the vines sprout out again, and then pull away to reveal Rose once more - somewhat away from the center of the trees' attention, at least momentarily.

The trees prove their hostile intent as they begin to attack the Turtle Ninjas. Mikey flings a barrage of throwing stars at the most intimidating-looking of the trees - one who happens to be holding a spellbook, and looks like he's about to use it to unknown effect. Amazingly, the tree is taken out - and, magically, several silver coins appear in Mikey's belt pouch, and the spellbook finds its way alongside the rest of his ninja gear.

The rest of the Turtle Ninjas don't fare so well, as they get battered by a whole line of animated trees. Fireman unleashes water with the fire hose to try to hold off at least a stand of hostile trees, while Kathmandu transforms into his large werecat form. Poe transforms into a hybrid raven-man form, and takes wing to fly over the melee - to the disdain of his fellows, who suppose that the raven has simply abandoned them. Rose, meanwhile, flips through the pages of her book, and, even as several "thorn maidens" are closing in her, she finds the right spell, and levitates herself into the air, where she can gain a better vantage-point on the battlefield. Fireman warns Rose to be careful, supposing that the trees might start stacking themselves like firewood to reach her. Alas, that's not quite necessary, as the nymphs shoot thorns at her, harrying her in her attempts to find her next spell, and by the time she finds another enchantment to try casting, the levitation spell has prematurely worn off, and she settles back to the ground - right before the waiting nymphs.

Kathmandu, at least, makes an impressive start to the battle as a tree attacks him but misses - and then Kathmandu grabs the tree and flings it into the Magic Pool. Upon hitting the waters, the tree vanishes, and the silver coins appearing in Kathmandu's pouch hint to him that the tree won't be coming back anytime soon. Mikey continues to make an impressive show against the encroaching trees, while Fireman does his best to at least hold off some of the attackers. Mikey's brothers, however, have a much rougher time of it, as, one by one, they fall to blows from the trees.

Poe, from his vantage point above, works some sort of magic that confuses the tree-men, and causes them to stumble into the Magic Pool - and to disappear from the battlefield. Fireman wonders aloud what fate might befall them all if they should lose to these trees: Might the trees simply toss them through the Magic Pool, only to encounter the trees on the other side - who would then hit them all and send them back - resulting in an endless game of Woodlands Pong?

Rose manages, with a significant handicap, to bat off the thorn maidens, and then, once she's clear, to call forth an invocation to grant a small measure of luck to her fellows in combat. Here and there, an attack that would have been a miss suddenly becomes a solid hit. Kathmandu continues to claw up bark, cutting a sizeable route through the hostile trees, but they still relentlessly press in. Fireman calls out a rallying cry to give his friends at least a modicum of renewed strength - but then Mikey gets a crazy idea; he tries to use a spell from the spellbook he picked up from the tree mage! He succeeds in invoking the spell's power ... but inflicts its magical damage upon himself and Fireman. Mikey is deft enough to avoid damage from his own misfired spell, but Fireman is a bit distracted at the moment. Fireman cries out, and falls down; the trees that he was holding off are now free to march in and continue to close around Kathmandu.

Mikey wonders aloud why Kathmandu can't just use his "leap away quickly" ability as a cat to get out of harm's way. Kathmandu, somewhat less than capable of speaking at the moment, just makes an anguished yowl, which roughly translates as, "I don't have the leap-away-quickly ability in this form. In this form, it's more like the lumber-away-slowly ability!"

Still, Rose is no longer harassed by thorn-maidens, and most of the heavy-hitting trees have either been dunked into the Magic Pool or wounded enough to be inaccurate in their blows. The tide of the battle begins to turn - and high time, too! Rose snipes at some of the remaining tree-men that try to make a run for Mikey. Several tree-men batter at Kathmandu, but they've been weakened enough that they can't overcome his Invulnerability, and they begin to wear themselves down by their consistent attempts to push themselves to hit again and again. Finally, there's just one tree-man left, and he's weak enough that he can't even move; he can just lash threateningly at anything that seems to be remotely within reach.

So ... there's a race as the remaining heroes rush to try to take out this remaining tree for the silver! Rose rushes to get within range, and then pushes herself to fling a barrage of deadly roses - prompting an accusation of "Tree Hogger!" from Mikey - but she trips over one of the fallen trees, and her aim is off. So, Mikey flings several shuriken, and he would have missed ... but, in a twist of irony, Rose's luck spell averts his aim just so, and he scores a critical hit! The remaining animated tree is reduced to kindling, and Mikey starts dancing around, whooping and celebrating his own victory.

Rose glowers.

So, our heroes spend some time tending to their fallen comrades, bandaging wounds, and recovering from their own over-exertion. Now that the battle is over, Poe reverts to raven form, and flies down to report to the others that there are several places nearby that they might try searching. In one direction, there is the edge of the world - and a monastery built into the cliffs, where a waterfall cascades off into the endless expanse. He notes that the monastery there keeps the Scroll of the Black Tortoise, one of the Four Celestial Scrolls of the Secret Martial Arts. Mikey, at the sound of this, immediately declares that this is where Vixa must have gone, and that they should go there right now.

Poe indicates that there is also a Druid's Circle nearby, and then in another direction, there is the Troll Bridge and the way back to Silverbirch - or else the way into a forest filled with hostile faeries and woodland folk, beyond which is the Diamond Tower and then the Foulstench Swamp, and past that the lands of the Orc Tribes.

Kathmandu changes to cat form and tries to sniff out the area to find any trace of Vixa's passing. He finds scents of the Turtle Ninjas and Rose, but not a hint of anything fox-like, despite several circuits around the area. He reverts to his regular form, as the others deliberate over where to search next.

Mikey proposes that they vote. All four Turtle Ninjas vote on going to the Monastery, prompting protests from the others, and suggestions that the Turtle votes should only count for a single vote. Finally, after much more arguing, they set out toward the edge of the world - in the direction that Poe claims was once "north", before DungeonWorld was broken away from the rest of the world.

They reach the edge of the world by late morning, with Rose waving her wand every now and then to dissuade any "wandering encounters" from pestering them. At the edge, they can see the falls cascading off the edge, the water eventually dispersing into the distance below. Below the falls, they can see the ruins of an ancient structure jutting out from the cliffs, and a narrow, winding, broken walkway leading down to it. The sky darkens down toward the horizon, and turns to blackness and an endless starry expanse below. Strange and unholy creatures circle about - including another winged "nightmare", and a banshee screaming as she rides on the back of an undead fell wyvern.

So, our heroes carefully make their way along. Every single one of them has stealth, and the ability to either leap nimbly about - or to fly ... with the exception of Fireman. In his bright neon-yellow-green fireman's outfit, he stands out rather prominently, and it's all Rose can do but to keep waving her wand vigorously in the hope that they won't attract the attention of any flying beasts that might try to push them off the edge and play "catch" with them in the endless expanse. Poe urges them all to be quiet, as they start to argue and complain. Kathmandu looks to Fireman, goading him, "C'mon - just start quoting OSHA regulations! You know you want to!" The others start to offer all sorts of "violations", starting with the fact that there are no railings, that this route isn't handicapped-accessible, and so forth. Fortunately, thanks to the wand, the monsters don't investigate, as they're certainly being far from quiet.

They make it to a point where there's a break in the path. Everyone is capable of leaping or flying over ... except for Fireman. So, Poe reverts to his hybrid form, and carries Fireman across, all the while fretting that he's "just not quite sure" if he'll be able to carry Fireman all the way. Fortunately, it was all talk: he carries Fireman across just fine. It's not much further, as they can make out the details of the temple now - so they move along.

Finally, they reach the last approach. Suddenly, figures pull out from the shadows - assassins! There is a puff of smoke, and a woman in flowing robes appears behind them, warning them that if they are to approach the monastery at the edge of the world, their worthiness will be tested; if they wish to leave peacefully, they must turn back now. Smoke obscures the sight of most of the assassins, making it nearly impossible to target them with projectiles - and Fireman feels distinctly useless. So, he declares, "Best of luck to you!" and then he starts to head off - though then he turns around and tries to give them a rousing rallying cry to encourage their spirits. Unfortunately, that seems to be interpreted by the assassins as meaning that he's with them, as they oppose the monks ... so shuriken rain down on him. He lets out a surprised gasp - and slumps to the ground.

The assassins begin to leap from various broken platforms, coming up to the narrow walkway to spar with the Turtle Ninjas and their companions. Rose leaps away, to make it clear that she's not part of the battle ... but once enough of the assassins line up, she re-enters the fray, flinging several roses and knocking a couple of the monks off the edge.

One of the more experienced monks leaps down and knocks Leonardo off the edge, prompting cries from his brothers - and they fight on with renewed determination for vengeance. Poe uses his mesmerizing power to persuade some of the monks to wander off the edge themselves; Kathmandu draws several of the monks away, and takes a few of them out, but he's still weak from his previous battle, and at last he falls.

Raph falls next, and Don, overwhelmed by the superior numbers, stands behind Mikey in an awkward moment ... but then Mikey shows what he's made of, sending several of the monks reeling off the edge. The tide of the battle turns, with Rose's continued "fire support", and at last the battle ends. Poe promptly folds his wings and dives down into the endless expanse, chasing after Leonardo, and catching him in mid-air. The other monks have, somehow, managed to avoid falling to their doom, it seems.

The battle is over, and the mysterious woman reappears to congratulate the heroes, and to declare that they are free to travel about the monastery, and to return here at any time they wish. Mikey mentions the scroll - and she asks him if he is there to challenge the champion for the scroll. He answers in the affirmative - and he's instantly transported, in a puff of smoke. He finds himself on a suspended platform, out above the expanse, under the spray of the cascading waterfall. On another platform is a reptilian woman who have some turtle-like and serpent-like features in her form. She bows, Mikey returns the bow, and they fight. She makes a martial arts move that results in a blast of energy leaping from her palm to smite Mikey, and then she leaps behind a pillar. He moves to try to attack her, but just leaves himself in the opening, as she pops back out to make another attack. He wavers - and then passes out. There is a puff of smoke, and he reappears, barely conscious, back with the others. The challenge is over.

Right now, our heroes are most interested in rest - so they ask, and are shown a room where they can bandage themselves up and recuperate.

When they wake up after resting, it is nearly noon. Our heroes ask whether a yellow fox-girl might have arrived, and the woman, in somewhat awkward speech, says that she has seen no such thing. As our heroes question her further, they find that she has a very limited vocabulary, and seems to respond to certain patterns of speech or "key words" to prompt her answers. Apparently, she is not so intelligent or self-aware as Poe or Wu Lung. Poe just seems to take this behavior in stride, thinking nothing of it.

Mikey wonders whether he can try the challenge again - and, as it turns out, yes, he can. He fights again, and this time he lasts a little longer - but the tortoise warrior still bests him. Dejected and battered, he reappears with the others. Kathmandu decides to try his luck, and he puts up an impressive fight ... but even as he manages to get in a few hits on the tortoise warrior, she just becomes more determined and more dangerous. He is defeated in turn. Fireman decides to give it a shot, wondering if his fire hose might grant him some special edge ... but, alas, she gets the jump on him, and it's not long at all before he's back with the others.

Rose begins to get more than a little impatient, but the others insist on staying and resting up before they go anywhere ... and then, once rested, they declare that they'll try again. More challenges, more defeats - until Mikey gives it another shot. He notices that, at least initially, his opponent follows through with the same tactics each time - until the actions of her opponent force her to make decisions to react. So, he exploits that, and anticipates her moves: he gets the jump on her, hitting her with a barrage of shuriken, then, before she can seek cover, hitting her relentlessly again, pushing himself to exploit this opening in an all-or-nothing gambit. It pays off! She falls unconscious - and then, in a puff of smoke, Mikey returns to the others. His friends look disappointed at seeing him back so soon - until they see that he is carrying a scroll - the Scroll of the Black Tortoise!

Mikey excitedly looks through the scroll, and finds that it details all sorts of long-lost martial arts. There's evidently some sort of magic in the scroll, because he finds that once he parts with it, the memories of its contents fade from his mind. This frustrates him, but he nonetheless finds some value in the artifact - and, after passing it around, takes possession of it once again. The mistress informs him that there are four scrolls that correspond to the Four Celestial Beasts. The Black Tortoise is the way of water, of the north wind, and of the winter. The Red Phoenix is the way of fire, of the south wind, and of the summer. The White Tiger is the way of metal, of the west wind, and of the autumn. The Blue Dragon is the way of wood, of the east wind, and of the spring. She declares that any one warrior can carry but one of the scrolls, but if four warriors with the four scrolls should unite their power, then the way to the fifth scroll - the Gold Qi'Ling of earth, of the center - would be revealed.

Poe interjects here, suggesting that if there's a pattern to how the scrolls are located, he's pretty sure that the Scroll of the White Tiger would be near the Diamond Tower, the Scroll of the Blue Dragon would be near the Haunted Wood, and the Scroll of the Red Phoenix would be near the Flaming Abyss.

Rose, by now, has lost all patience with the treasure-hunting, as she's intent upon finding Vixa - so she has already headed up the cliff, and Poe apparently flew after her. Kathmandu wonders at her absence, and Mikey proclaims that Rose had stormed off in a fuss and said various things about the others (even though he actually wasn't even around during her departure, and no words were exchanged). Kathmandu takes insult at Mikey's report, but Rose isn't there to hear him share a piece of his mind - so he gathers up the others, and they make their way back up the cliff face, along the winding route.

Fireman laments that he won't have any way to get out now - because Poe isn't there to carry him! Sure enough, they get to the break in the path, with no clue as to how to get Fireman across, while the others can simply use their amazing skills to leap across. A disembodied (and suspiciously crow-like) voice calls out from somewhere below, "Take a leap of faith, Fireman!" Fireman calls out, "Uhm ... okay!" And he steps out into open space.

"Caw! I didn't expect you to do so, quite so QUICKLY!" Poe protests, as he dives after Fireman, transforms into his hybrid form, and at last catches the plummeting and howling Fireman. He wings him back up and deposits him on the other side, and then reports to the others that Rose has already made it up the cliff face, and is heading into the Edgewood.

When they at last get to the top of the cliff, they find that Rose isn't waiting for them. Rather than playing games at guessing where she might have gone - or, say, calling out in hopes that she might hear them - they elect to head to the next major landmark in the area - the Druid Circle. This time, however, they don't have Rose's magic wand to wave away "random wandering encounters" - and they can't very well sneak past everything, with a bright yellow Fireman in their number.

They make their way along, and then see a pool of water, where a beautiful unicorn dips its head for a drink. Mikey's eyes go wide - "Oooo!" He starts to head toward the unicorn, but Kathmandu grabs him.

"Unicorns are for girls!" Kathmandu says.

"They're for VIRGINS," Mikey counters.

Fireman comes in on Mikey's side, "If it was only for young maidens, that would be a case of gender discrimination."

They bicker back and forth about this ("Unicorns are for GIRLS. Guys get succubi, dryads and wood nymphs!") - until the unicorn, startled, bounds away. Then, it becomes evident that they've caught the attention of more than the unicorn: three huge bears lumber out of the woods, looking hostile and hungry. Mikey cries out, and our heroes circle about in a fighting formation.

The bears don't stand a chance. Between all the throwing stars, fire hose blasts, and slashes from a giant werecat, they hardly last long enough for everyone to even get in a fair swipe. Mikey cheers and whoops. "Finally, somebody that's easy to defeat!"

About then, Vixa (or, that is, Jing-Li) and Rose show up. Jing-Li has a package that smells of food. "We heard the commotion," Rose declares. "And I brought lunch," Jing-Li adds. Kathmandu and Fireman start to ask Jing-Li where she's been, and what she was thinking by heading off on her own, but Mikey and his brothers are more interested in digging into the food.

"I went for a stroll," Jing-Li says, "and when I came back to the hut, Wu Lung said that you'd all gone through the Magic Pool. So, since I said that I'd go that way myself, he suggested I take along some lunch for you." Sure enough, it's about time for lunch.

While the others eat, Kathmandu begins to berate Jing-Li for leaving the others without letting anyone know where she was going. Jing-Li counters that if they were so concerned, they could have simply called out her name, rather than jumping to conclusions (literally). This doesn't impress Kathmandu, and he keeps at it. "Really, do you want to eat, or not?" Jing-Li says. Rose takes Kathmandu aside, and tries to relate more of what Vixa/Jing-Li had told her; Rose indicates that Jing-Li might not be so interested in sparring, because she's trying to find her own identity, and she's afraid that others might impose one on her if she's not careful. This does nothing to improve Kathmandu, as it seems to suggest that he might be guilty of imposing upon Vixa/Jing-Li by his association with her.

Finally, after some more food, they begin to discuss the matter of where to go next. Kathmandu declares that they've found what they're looking for, that Rose should be happy, and that now they should head back to the hut. Rose is of the opinion that since they've come this far and that they're right next to the Druid Circle, they could at least pay a visit, so she can use some of the spells that Mikey acquired. (Mikey, for his part, argues that, given a bit of practice, he can cast spells just fine on his own.)

Kathmandu is in a sour mood, so he storms back to the Magic Pool, with the others rushing to catch up with him. He declares that Rose should just head off on her own to visit the Druid Circle, since that seems to be what she's inclined to do anyway - and "Vixa" can leave as well, since she doesn't want to be Kathmandu's "pet". This prompts several exchanged looks and confused noises from the others - and Kathmandu simply leaps into the pool.

"No, wait!" Poe cries out, but it's too late: Fireman leaps into the pool after Kathmandu.

Rose anticipates what Poe is going to say next: "When you leap into the pool ... you don't necessarily come back out the same place you'd expect." Poe nods, and flies over the pool.

"So what do we do?" Mikey asks. "What if they jump right back into the pool again? Will they come back out here?" So, rather than diving in after the others, they gather around, peering into the pool, looking for some sort of clue.

Meanwhile, in another part of DungeonWorld, Kathmandu splashes out of the pool, followed shortly after by Fireman. They are in a forest, but a different one. There are giant mushrooms all around, and brightly colored flowers aplenty. It is a place that seems full of magic - and, most likely, a bit of trouble.

Fireman tries to talk to Kathmandu, but Kathmandu is distracted: he hears a rustling in the bushes, and when he looks, he sees a couple of yellow eyes blinking out at him. A little black cat with bells hanging around its neck looks out at him. "Mew?"

Kathmandu promptly transforms into a little white cat, and meows back. The black cat blinks at him cutely, then disappears into the underbrush. Kathmandu chases after - while Fireman cries out, "No, wait! It might be a trap!"

Kathmandu pays him no heed. He sees the little black cat (a little black she-cat, more specifically) stop ahead of him, and turn back to mew at him. He hears the jingle-jingle of her bells, as she disappears underneath the exposed roots of a gnarled old tree. He crawls underneath, after her ... and then catches a flash of her shadow as she disappears out the other side.

Then - too late - he realizes that there are puffballs growing underneath the roots - and they quiver from being disturbed.

The puffballs explode, sending spores into the air. He tries to avoid it, but he catches a lung-full of spores, and nearly swoons.

"What a nice little kitty-cat!" comes a purring voice from the other side. A feline head stoops down to look at him - much larger now - and some locks of long black hair fall over one eye. The "little black cat" has transformed into a fairy-creature, a black cat-girl with a tattered dress and long black feathery wings. "I think I'll keep you!"

Kathmandu struggles to escape, but he can't leap away while he's caught under the tree, and the cat-fairy won't let him get out! Then, he hears a call from Fireman - "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty! You can do it! Here kitty!" Snapping out of the magical despair that has fallen over him, he squirms backwards - despite the unpleasantness of having his own fur brushed the wrong way by the tight squeeze - and he bounds away!

"Not so fast!" the cat-fairy squeals, as she leaps to the air, flying after him. She giggles, gesturing and sending streams of sparkles at him that explode and fill his head with enticing dreams - trying to woo him into unconsciousness. Fireman sees the cat rush past, but he can't see the cat-fairy; her form is too indistinct and shadowy, blending into the thick canopy overhead. Over next to the Magic Pool, Kathmandu is about to leap in, but he turns back, glancing in concern to Fireman; unfortunately, it costs him his escape, as the Cat-Fairy catches up to him, and lets loose with another burst of "fairy-dust". Kathmandu, overwhelmed, swoons and falls asleep.

Fireman sees Kathmandu pass out, and fears for the worst. He rushes back, scoops up Kathmandu - and then dives into the pool!

It is fortunate for them both that they come back out right into the midst of the Turtle Ninjas and the others, curiously peering into the pool for some sign of their friends.

Fireman proudly proclaims, "I just rescued a cat. He was in a tree!"

Kathmandu meows, recovering consciousness. Jing-Li walks over to him, and hesitantly reaches out to try to pet the little white cat - but he is rigid and unyielding to the touch. Frowning, she pulls her hand back, and goes back to stand on the far side of the pool.

Kathmandu returns to his original form, and grumbles that they might as well go to the Druid Circle now. There's a lot of excited buzz from the Turtle Ninjas, as they want to know what happened, but Kathmandu keeps his account to himself; Fireman instead gives his incomplete account of what transpired.

So, they move along. This time, Rose repeatedly waves the rose wand to keep wandering monsters at bay. They see evidence of various beasts - and even something that looks like a dragon - but none of them approach, and none of our heroes are so foolish as to leap into an unnecessary fray. At last, they make it to the hill, and atop it, a circle of stone menhirs. In the center of the circle of stones, at the summit of the hill, there is a clear pool of water ringed by stones, and there are flowers and other plants of all sorts of odd varieties growing around the bases of the stones. A lone woman stands there on the hilltop, looking exactly like Lady Rowan ... but there's something different about her. When she welcomes the heroes, congratulating them on coming here despite all the perils they have faced, it sounds like she is doing nothing more than reciting a speech. She invites them to drink of the Healing Pool atop the hilltop, so that they may recover any wounds they have sustained. (Incidentally, they aren't wounded at all; all of Kathmandu's "injuries" from the cat-fairy encounter were merely a matter of momentary fatigue from magic.)

Rose asks her about what needs to be done to join the Circle of Druids. The Druidess points to a spot of disturbed earth, and says that all you need to do is to make this seed to sprout.

Mikey immediately leaps to the task, declaring that he has two green thumbs. (And, literally, he does.) He scoops up some water from the healing pool and roughly dumps it on the earth around the seedling. The earth trembles, and - with an audible Pop! - a dandelion sprouts. Mikey cheers and does a victory dance, nearly trampling the dandelion in the process. The Druidess welcomes him to the Circle of Druids, and bids him to do his utmost to maintain the balance of nature, to defend the cycle of life, to always recycle, and so forth. (The others grumble that this character must have been programmed by an "eco-wacko-vironmentalist".)

Rose gives it a try, but the seed doesn't sprout when she dumps some healing water on it. Perhaps the trick only works once? Or maybe it's a random thing? At last, she opts to try using her wand and to use a little magic to foist her will upon the seed. She carefully visualizes the sort of plant she would like, and casts a spell. A rose bush bursts forth from the ground - and the roses bloom ... then immediately wither and fade to black. Rose is at first impressed, then mixed between a feeling of pride at the black roses - and shame at, well, a not-entirely-planned result. She starts to mutter an apology that the roses are black, but the Druidess repeats the same initiation speech to Rose and welcomes her to the Circle of Druids. She gives Rose a miniature silver sickle and a sprig of mistletoe. Fireman starts joking, warning Rose to be careful with the mistletoe - but nobody laughs, so he has to explain, in detail, the whole business about mistletoe and kissing and all that. He gets a bunch of strange looks.

Fireman diverts the awkward silence by giving Druid Membership a try. He uses the firehose. Amazingly, it works: a cactus sprouts up, in a squat cylinder-like shape that looks remarkably like a fire hydrant.

Rose then turns her attention to the business of trying to interrogate the Druidess to find out more about ... well, anything. She ends up setting off a big long speech as the Druidess gives the "lesson for the day" - a half-hour recitation about planting techniques, the importance of recycling, and a grab-bag of other useful educational tidbits. Rose looks like she's about to doze off, halfway through. Then, Mikey asks, and sets off the same speech again.

Poe pipes up, suggesting that while they're here waiting for the Druidess to finish her speech, they could take a little detour and visit his special grove - so long as they promise to keep its existence a secret. Curious (or just anxious to get out of earshot of the Druidess's repeated monologue), our heroes follow along.

They pass through some nondescript woods, until they reach a slight drop in the ground - and the clearing beyond looks distinctly different from the surrounding woods. Their passage actually leaves footprints in the earth beneath their feet. The grass grows unevenly, in tight weedy clumps here, or leaving barren patches there. The ground is uneven - and the dirt can be moved around. Statues, wooden planks, acorns, coins, junk and detritus of all sorts lie scattered about, some half-buried. The trees and plants that grow here look as real as anything they might have seen in Superior City. Poe proudly lands atop one of the statues and declares that he built this grove himself. Originally, it was a large depression in the ground, but he found places where he could pick up a clump of dirt - apparently an important component in some sort of spell - and carry it back here. He found that there are various places in DungeonWorld where objects can be found that can actually be picked up - and things can be done with them. If you go back where you found them, you'll find a duplicate of the same object. If you drop such an object in any random place, there's a good chance that it will be gone by the next day ... but he found that if you leave it somewhere "special" (and he doesn't give a clear definition on just what constitutes "special"), it just might stick around for a while.

Over years, he has gone back and picked up that same little clump of dirt - and a seed here, or a seedling there, or a shiny coin, or a plank of wood, or some bones, or any number of things he finds lying about. And, he's carried these things back here, and piled them up, and let the rain fall, and then, things started growing. Eventually, he filled up the depression, and, before he knew it, he had his own "garden" growing. (By the disarray of the "garden", however, it's evident that he possesses no particular talent for gardening.)

He has a request of the heroes who have followed him here: He would really love to have a hut to call his own, and to have some shelter from the rain, so that he doesn't have to flee his garden every time it rains. Fireman smiles at this; he actually has some skill in this area!

So, Fireman starts calling out directions, going through all the debris and finding suitable building materials. They find planks of wood, nails, and even some large logs (which, presumably, Poe didn't carry back in his small raven form). They work into the evening, setting posts, nailing boards, laying thatch, and so forth, and at last, late in the evening, Poe is the proud owner of his very own cottage.

He celebrates by inviting them all inside, and they start a fire on the stones of his new hearth. He rummages around for mushrooms and other (mostly) edible foodstuffs, and they manage to make a passable soup from the offerings. They sit around, and the Turtle Ninjas share lame jokes, and various tales of their adventures. Poe decides to show his gratitude by sharing out a few pieces of "junk" from his collection.

To Kathmandu, he gives a scroll that he says looks like him - since it has a picture of a white tiger on it. (It's the Scroll of the White Tiger, which Poe found near the Diamond Tower. He insists that Kathmandu had best not set it down anywhere for long, or it might disappear and then mysteriously go back from whence it came.) To Fireman, he gives a magical war horn and a glittering axe. To the Turtle Ninjas, he gives three sets of rogues' tools - and also a "Seal" to Mikey. (The Seal bears the secret codes to unlock one of the Secret Arts of Water - just the thing that Mikey wanted!) To Rose, he grants her choice of a few spells he picked up from the Tree Mages. To Jing-Li ... well, he's somewhat short on what to offer her. Jing-Li at first defers, asking him to just give something extra to someone else (and Mikey quickly volunteers to take another gift), but Fireman protests. Jing-Li had been looking at a couple of the spells that Poe had, but couldn't decide between them - so Fireman offers back his war horn in the hopes that Poe will grant Jing-Li both of her choices. Poe is quite happy to grant Fireman such a boon, so he agrees.

Jing-Li is happy with her acquisitions: a spell of Transformation that lets her take on another form, and a spell of Beast Summons to call up a beast that will serve her faithfully.

Kathmandu is crestfallen at this development, and at first he protests, suggesting that Jing-Li shouldn't be ashamed of her form. Rose interjects that the spell of Transformation isn't permanent, after all - and isn't Kathmandu a shapeshifter, too? After careful consideration, Kathmandu turns about, and encourages Jing-Li to get the spell, after all - so that she can be a shapeshifter like he is.

After getting their fill, Rose brings up the possibility of calling up a séance again. The others seem amenable to this ... but then Kathmandu worries aloud that it may not be the greatest idea to hold this in Poe's hut. After all, bad things have happened when the séances have gone wrong before. What if this results in Poe's new hut getting trashed? So, after some deliberation, our heroes decide to go back to the Druid Circle; besides, there's a magic pool that might be of some use. (And, Jing-Li has plenty of candles she bought from the alchemist, to pass around.)

By this time, it's pressing on toward midnight. Our heroes get back to the Druid Circle, and gather around the Healing Pool. The Druidess seems to have retired to somewhere for the night - or perhaps she's hunting for mistletoe under the waxing moon, who knows? They gather around the pool, their number working out just about perfectly to completely surround the pool while being able to hold hands. Jing-Li tries out her new Beast Summon spell to conjure up a huge flightless bird - one that happens to possess a protective aura - in the hopes that it might give them a little extra insurance, should summoned spirits prove hostile.

So, Rose directs everyone to take a lit candle, and to hold it, "charging it up", and so forth. The Turtle Ninjas play around, keeping their joking to a minimum, as the candles are passed around. At last, Rose has them all set down their candles, and join hands. At last, she tries to invoke ... herself. "Speak to me!" Mikey calls back, in an odd voice, "What am I supposed to say?"

Rose and Mikey go back and forth like this, until Rose opens her eyes and gives Mikey a terrible look. "You aren't taking this seriously, are you?" Rose accuses. Mikey tries to look innocent, and fails.

Kathmandu tries to help, by using his skills as a psychoanalyst to talk to Rose and encourage her to bring forth repressed memories - and, for a touch of the supernatural, to focus them on the magic pool in front of her. At first, things seem to go rather badly. For one thing, there's the way that Rose starts floating off of the ground, breaking from the circle. And then, there is the strange apparition that seems to change her appearance, making her skin seem to turn read, horns to sprout from her head, and wings from her back. The screaming isn't terribly encouraging, either. But, once she settles down, it looks as if something might come of it: A strange vision forms in the pool, of a very artificial-looking, polygon-formed "hell", the walls of which seem to be alive with distorted screaming faces and writhing spirits who have all but lost any sense of their identity, crushed into the "stone". A demonic-looking creature, his form constantly shifting and uncontrolled (whom Rose recognizes as the apparition the conjured before), is thrashing about, nearly dancing around a stone statue of a woman - one that looks a lot like a less "punk" version of "Mad Molly". Behind him - and he seems to pay no heed to it - there is a fire that seems to be fed somehow by all the screams and anger of the tormented spirits of the walls. Rising from the flames, a form emerges - a little girl who takes on a hateful appearance. It looks a lot like one of the little "Mollies" ... or, more specifically, Rose. No narrative comes with the vision, and those watching try to make various interpretations - but with all the chatter, the image fades. Rose cries out in frustration, wishing to ask some sort of question of the vision - but too late.

So, they focus their attention on Mikey. He doesn't seem to be too keen on discovering his "true self". In fact, he's certain that he already knows who he is. "What does it matter?" Fireman asks. "He's stuck in the circle. He has no choice - just ask the questions!" Mikey protests, but Rose continues the ritual, with Kathmandu's psychoanalytical narrative. An image appears in the pool, shifting, of various incarnations of the Turtle Ninjas - from their pencil scrawl origins to their black-and-white independent comic days, from wearing red facemasks to wearing four different colors ... from the cheesy Saturday morning cartoon versions to more modern cartoons, to pixilated video game versions to polygons ... and finally to a very realistic image of Mikey that fades into view - a living, breathing Mikey, with a beating heart. And then the image fades.

"See?" Mikey proclaims triumphantly, "I'm real!" The others are somewhat confused as to what to make of the image, but Kathmandu quickly concedes, suggesting that perhaps somehow all the beliefs of all the people who ever saw the Turtle Ninjas coalesced to make Mikey into a real person.

They try to focus next on Fireman, to get him to reveal his real name. He concentrates intensely ... and comes to the not-quite-so-remarkable conclusion that his real name is ... Fireman! (Formerly known as Fire-Rookie, he claims, before he was on the force.)

Fireman, however, has other interests. His question for the magic pool is, "Is there a God Mode to this game?" Rose leads the ritual, as they try to focus on the pool, and an image emerges ... of one of the Guardians - or, that is, the DungeonWorld version of one. They all (at least, everyone but the warbird and a couple of the Turtle Ninjas) experience a persistent ringing in their ears. Kathmandu looks up with horror; he knows that sensation all too well. Somehow, they must have attracted the attention of the Guardians!

So, the ritual is quickly abandoned. Jing-Li quickly gathers up the candles, dousing them in the pool and tucking them away, while the others grab up loose belongings and scramble down the hill. With Rose waving her wand to ward off any opportunistic night-time predators, they all charge off into the woods, intent upon getting back to the Magic Pool before something nasty comes to "reset" them all. (And, wouldn't you know it? They left the Hourglass of Temporality back at the hut with Voltage!)

So, will our heroes be reset by the Guardian Muses (or the equivalent)? Check back in later to find out, in the next session of ... Superior City!