Kopius opened his eyes to find Cici standing over him, the big man giving him increasingly stronger nudges until it was evident that he was awake. Blinking a few times to adjust his sleepy eyes, he looked up at the bard who was wearing his ever present smile.

"Come on lad, the time draws near," Cici said while offering his hand.

A quick look around told Kopius he had dozed off. Dusk loomed in the sky behind Cici and a coolness had fallen to insist the sun was about to set. Wiping off a stream of drool with the hood of his cloak, Kopius noticed his spellbook resting on his chest, still open at roughly the half way mark. He closed the text and placed it back in his inventory before getting assisted to a standing position.

"Had a little nap did we?"

"I guess so," Kopius replied. "I was reading and I… have you ever read one of these; a spellbook?"

"I have," Cici replied. "Felt like I had one too many ale's. Is that why you're drooling?"

"Yea," Kopius answered, this time using his sleeve to double check his chin.

"Takes some getting used to I suppose. Most children are taught how to avoid getting the sleepies but you weren't afforded that luxury."

"Am I going to fall asleep every time I read it?"

"Yea, until you don't."

"Awesome," Kopius groaned. "What's the plan here? We were waiting for dusk right?"

"Of course! Any moment now the way will appear," Cici said with his usual excitement. "It's clever really, but before we go in there are a few items I would like to discuss."

"Is this like the Lydian warning?"

"Lydian, no," Cici said with a dismissive wave. "She is about as brash as they come and as skilled. You'll get a much more appreciative reception here." His smile grew a little with each word. "Besides coming in with me, the Collective love a newbie; fresh blood as you are."

"You're not bringing me in for a sacrifice right?" Kopius asked in all seriousness, remembering how Lydian had looked over him like a piece of meat.

"I don't recall any of them dabbling in blood magic," Cici said laughing. "No, none of that my friend. With your striking good looks and Jinovian heritage, they will likely regard you with a particular fascination."

The vague nature of the bard's comments gave Kopius a mix of emotions. He didn't feel like he was in any danger but that did little to settle his nerves. It was the same apprehension he felt entering his first high school reunion, only a year removed from prison and with little to nothing in the accomplished department. Where most people had finished college or trade school, started careers and/or families, he was still assimilating to freedom. He shouldn't have allowed for their opinions to weigh so heavily on him but also lacked the knowledge or discipline to avoid it.

"Keep that hood of yours on until you feel comfortable," Cici mentioned as if he could see the apprehension in Kopius's eyes. "And when they get a little handsie, just let them know you are a Level 3 Princess and should be treated as such." Cici finished his jest with a laugh and a nudge.

"When?" Kopius asked, chuckling a little bit, appreciating the levity that Cici often created.

"You've been warmed," Cici laughed and clapped Kopius even more on the shoulder.

"Fair enough," Kopius agreed. "Is that it?"

"No. These ladies are shrewd, knowledgeable. The first price is a test," Cici warned.

"Am I buying something?"

"Possibly… probably. They always have this or that; spice and herb, trinkets and bobbles. An emporium of goods and services. Just," Cici looked around conspiratorially, "Just keep your coin private until a price is settled upon."

"I think I can manage that."

"Now as for the witches themselves," Cici continued, "We are late in the cycle so how many will be in attendance is hard to say. But there are a few fixtures that will surely be present. Aradi and Befanna will have the best foods. Be it edibles, morsels, bakes or raw; that's where we eat. They'll have travel rations too; rival those marshromo's of yours. Moko is known for her wearables, she'll certainly be interested in your cloak. Salem is a bit rowdy, supplies a variety of unique weapons and will demonstrate her skill for a cost. Following so far?"

"No, not at all"

"Humor is upon your tongue, lad," Cici laughed. "It's as if your Charisma was given a boost!"

Kopius shrugged with a slight grin.

"Yamabu, or Yama if she's in a generous mood, she'll have the magical goods. Probably help you with your spellbook there for a small fee. At last is the jeweler Parva. She is–she has, she will… um–her works are just as masterful as the woman herself."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Kopius interrupted.

"Bad–no; she's a bit of a seductress," Cici replied with some apprehension.

"Did she seduce you?" Kopius asked, putting extra emphasis on the word 'you.'

"She had me bargaining with Celeste is really all you need to know."

"Damn, ok," Kopius replied in shock. "I'll keep my hood on."

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"That cloak will do little if she is touching you long enough."

"I'll keep my hands to myself."

"We will see," the bard uttered questionably. "She has a way… " The big man trailed off.

"Anything else for me to avoid?"

"There is but nothing of serious consequence. We will seek out Dylana first, lest she seek us out."

"That sounds like a consequence. Who's Dylana?"

"The ancestor of Ashes and Embers, proprietor of this fine establishment; the divine feminine herself."

"You owe her money?"

"I owe her money."

As if the universe had taken a cue from the bard, a stiff wind rushed through the forest creating several dust devils in its wake. Kopius held his hood firm, unwilling to let it slide from his head. The miniature tornados whisked around the open space for several moments before they merged together and the two men were left standing in the middle of its giant vortex; within the eye of the storm all was calm.

The whirlwind continued to occupy and obscure the boundaries of the circled trees until they could no longer be seen. Leaves, dirt and other forest debris whipped around the area in a frenzy the likes that Kopius had never experienced. Yet, just as quickly and the storm had gathered it dissipated like someone had cut off their magic spell. Left behind, wedged between every vapor oak that created the large circle, was a colored door that blocked any path out.

For a moment Kopius had anxious pangs of his first arrival in the circular room of mirrors with no visible exit. He steadied his breathing, comforted by the fact that Cici was unbothered. Instead of picking a random door to break through he looked around at each in a sense of awe. Every door was a different color, adorned with a variety of different symbols, latches, handles and knockers. It all gave off the vibes of a circus maze, the start of a choose your own adventure.

Every color of the rainbow was present along with many of the in-between shades. The patterns etched upon each stood in contrast to the doors base color, allowing the art to stand out and be seen. All matters of symbols, hieroglyphs, emblems or ideograms were present. Circles, squares, lines, loopy flair, animals, plants, the sun, moon and stars; every door was different, unique and beautiful. The color appeared in a stark disparity to the bark and leaves of the vapor oak forest.

"Care to guess?" Cici asked as he presented the doors like a game show host.

"For what?"

"Which one leads us to the market of course."

"How many lead there?"

"Just one."

"And the others?"

"Hmm–death I would wager."

"There's more than twenty doors here."

"Twenty-six in total."

"That seems excessive."

"Security my friend."

Kopius gave an audible harrumph before surveying the glen of doors. He assumed Cici knew the right answer, so whichever he picked was just a matter of entertainment for the bard. It wasn't like whichever color he chose was a glimpse into his soul so he pushed aside his impatience and humored the big guy.

"The black one," Kopius finally answered, for some reason needing to point at the only black door present.

Cici nodded in approval.

"Am I right?" Kopius asked as if he had chosen wisely.

"Nah," Cici chuckled, "we'll be going through the purple one."

"Oh… okay."

"If it helps, I picked red," Cici gestured at the red door which had musical like artistry in yellow and violet swirls. "What drew your eye to the black one?"

Kopius regarded the door for a moment before replying. Initially he had fallen back to Earthly lore and all the darkness that was associated with witches. Wednesday, Elvira, black cats and black hats. He was also drawn to the silver and gold flair that was present on the door itself. The straight lines and triangular nature of the art looked like a cosmic equation wanting to be solved. Throw in what looked like a crescent moon and a multi-starred compass, the whole thing called to him in.

"All of it really," Kopius admitted. "I like the geometry of it. It reminds me of old fantasy maps and my own doodles when I would be bored in school."

On an after thought to his reply Kopius pulled up his map interface to see how the area was rendered. Due to his gaming experience there was little shock when he saw that the whole thing had changed. Instead of the world he had unveiled through his traveling, the entirety of the map was covered in the Blur with the exception of a cleared out circle where the two men stood. It was the same experience on his video games when his avatar would enter an unexplored dungeon or an underground lair.

He was about to ask Cici to confirm his thoughts when he saw something that did catch him off guard. He rubbed his eyes to ensure he wasn't seeing things. When the symbol remained, Kopius took his bearing to pinpoint where the icon was located relative to his position. It took him a few moments of wandering about the glen and when he looked up he wasn't sure if he was more confused or surprised, so he laughed to himself with a shake of his head. Just beyond the the purple door was the yellow goggle icon to return to Oh-jin's lab.

"What has grabbed your amusement?" Cici asked, breaking Kopius from his wonder.

"Oh-jin," Kopius answered, pointing at the purple door.

"Is he in there?" The bard asked with some excitement.

"He's not, but there is a way we can get to him."

"Facinating," Cici remarked. "How can you see it?"

"He gave me a chart that I uploaded to my map."

"Upload?"

"I added his doorways to my map. Remember how we entered his shop back in Kickshaw?"

"How could I forget! A fortunate stroke of luck."

"For sure," Kopius agreed. "Well, he gave me the other locations and this is the first one I have come across. But… "

"But what?"

"But, where are we?"

"The forest, lad."

"I get that, but my map is one giant Blur except for the glen," he clarified, motioning to the circular space.

"Really?"

"Yeah really, don't you ever pull up your map?"

"Nah, I mean, I do but I usually know where I'm headed–where I've been."

Cici's eyes darted around in the same fashion they had when looking over his profile. The big man nodded and smirked as he confirmed the changed settings.

"I have more than just a circle," Cici added, pointing past the purple door. "The whole place is rendered past the door."

"Cause you've been there."

"Well of course, that's how our maps work."

"It functions the same as the video games I used to play," Kopius explained. "We should go see him once we are inside."

"Certainly, right after Dylana."

"Fair enough. How much time do we have once we get in?"

"Until the next full moon if we want or they kick us out. I am due at the estate at some point," Cici replied reluctantly.

"Okay, let's do this," Kopius said with his own apprehension. He reaffirmed the hood about his head, cracked his neck as if he were about to get into a fight and motioned at the door in a 'lead the way' fashion.

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