Tad, Zanna, and Jack went out to the wagon and to the tables where several people were gathered.

Nico, Lamruil, Beothorn, Marena, and a few of the carnies that still had wagons and tents were gathered around. It wasn't many, perhaps 20 people. Tad recognized most of them, the druid from the insect wagon, the Quartermaster, and a few guards. The rest were laborers who helped set up and take down the big tents and show areas. He figured they were having problems finding jobs in the Bazaar as basic labor was cheaper there, or the guards would make more gold staying here if Samphire ever came back.

Most of the people were staring at Jack, who never left his wagon except to go to his show tent. Many of the laborers had never seen him before as they were not allowed into his show tent without paying.

Beothorn was talking to the guards and Lamruil when Tad approached.

Tad looked at his mother, Marena. A short dwarven woman of unknown age who was pretty but not tall. Tad, as a child, had once asked her how old she was. She had just said, "Aww, honey go play," then had hurried him out the door of the wagon. Marena now had a shawl on over her shoulders and was seated at the table in the center of the group.

"Have you had time to discuss this with everyone? " Tad asked Marena.

"Yes, Tad. We have all been discussing it while you have been inside. You took a while in there. Several have agreed to come with us. There is little doubt from Samphires's message that we need to go. We believe anyone that left the Carnival early after arriving at the Grand Bazaar will be safe inside there. I have written down all those that wish to go with us. Everyone here has agreed to come. Druid Iliphar Valwynn and Quartermaster Bernard have also agreed. The rest have already picked up their belongings and left for the Bazaar. The Samphire's scroll turned to dust after everyone saw it," said Marena.

Tad always knew his mother keeps lists and organized everything and was relieved she had stepped in to help with this. Tad didn't know why Samphire had asked him to do this. He obviously wanted Tad to lead this venture. Tad had faith in Samphire. Who would have thought Tad could have made it back in the first place. Tad has thought about being sent alone after his father many times over the last few months. Now that he is back, he is convinced Samphire is something more than a Carnival owner. Samphire had opened a portal directly to a plane of hell without much more than a few words. Even stationary portals can't cross the line to the chaos planes without first going to an edge plane then jumping from there, and portals take years to create.

"Good. I have no idea what will be needed once we get there, and I'm hoping everyone will assist in this. Did you show the message to everyone? " asked Tad.

"Yes, that is what convinced most to go with us when we leave. The magic gem looks like it will take everyone and everything in a given area that isn't attached to the ground, " said Marena.

Tad nodded. That is much like a regular portal would work.

Tad looked at Beothorn, "Any ideas on what we should be doing? " asked Tad.

Beothorn took a small step forward, "I believe that we should make ready for anything. We have wards still for the wagons, but most are running out of power now that Samphire isn't here according to the Quartermaster, and I'd not trust them to help for much longer. That means guards are geared, and everyone outside is ready to help if something attacks us. Lamruil and Nico know of the Forest of Myrth, " Beothorn nodded to Lamruil.

Lamruil started to speak, "The forests are said to be pleasant, and few hostile creatures exist there. For most Elvin children, it's a fable used to make them happy, and nurseries are painted with pictures of the forests and meadows there to bring happy thoughts. I do not know who controls if anyone the area we would be going to, but if we resist the urge to chop down the forest or set anything on fire, we should find it a pleasant location to find safety. "

"Are you sure you want to come with us Lamruil, you are free to go if you wish? I'm not sure how much pay anyone is going to receive for a while. " Tad looked at the other laborers and guards. They were a mixture of men and women in the crowd. Many of the laborers were women, and Tad thought they might be married to guards that stood behind Beothorn.

"That goes for all of you. If you are here for gold or pay, we do not have much. I do appreciate anyone that would be willing to go with us, but I do not fault you if you leave. " Tad said this while scanning the group of people. He didn't know any of the ladies' names and only a few of the guards. Tad reached out with his empathy to sense what feelings he could from the group. He just felt resolve and excitement, some worry. Even his friend Nico seemed excited. Tad hadn't talked to him yet.

"Nico, are you coming with us? " asked Tad.

"Oh yea, I wouldn't miss this. The Forests of Myrth are a legend. Also, the Grand Bazaar isn't that exciting once you have been there a while. I've sent my mother and father a note with those that left earlier telling them I'll be back when I can. They should be ok with me leaving. " said Nico.

Tad nodded to his friend, "Good to hear. "

He looked at Zanna, "Your coming also? "

"Of course, I thought we already had this discussion," said Zanna.

Well, she had said she was coming with Tad earlier. He was just confirming nothing had changed. He nodded to Zanna with a small smile.

Tad looked at Skecan and then Jack, "Are you both on board with this? "

Skecan chimed in first, "I will go where my followers go. " Tad nodded to him then looked at Jack.

Jack projected, "You know, Kid. The forest of Myrth might do me some good. I'll come. Just make sure you have a few kegs of ale on that wagon. " Tad nodded, he was hoping to do the opposite, but now that he was asked, he would make sure there was some more on the wagon.

Tad looked across the small group, "Well, if we have all agreed to go, then we just need to pick a time now. Marena, do you have any thoughts on this? "

"Well, if Samphire is said not to linger, I suggest we go right now. He has this way to predict things, and he wouldn't have said that if he didn't mean it," said Marena.

Tad looked at the Quartermaster, whose name was Bernard. The man looked half Elvin or even perhaps another race other than elf. Tad wasn't sure, but he liked the old man. He had grey in his hair and had a short trimmed grey beard. Bernard was always wearing working clothes, and Tad can't remember when he hadn't seen the man chasing something down or organizing some portion of the Carnival's existence. Tad expected keeping track of all the parts and pieces for the big tents alone could be a full-time job for many.

"Bernard, what do you think. You know more about moving the wagons than anyone," asked Tad.

Bernard gave Tad a long look, "Tad, the Carnival is all packed. The main wagon here does not contain the big tents. We have a couple of medium-sized, and we have almost everything else needed to fix, cook and set up for the carnies. It is all in the wagon. All we would need to do is pick up the tents, tables, the remaining wards, hitch the horse, and we can go. We even have extra water barrels for washing. The water wagon was put up for rent collateral last month."

Tad looked around. He could see the small stall for the nightmare ponies nearby, and farther back, there were twelve or so open stalls along the wall of the enclosed area that had several of the large Carnival draft horses. He was glad to see the ponies were ok. He really did like those little things.

"Good, thank you," said Tad, then he turned to the Druid Iliphar.

Tad knew this fellow loves bugs. Tad had talked to him several times and had been in the wagon on more than one occasion. Tad wasn't a big fan of bugs, mainly because Beothorn hated them, and it had rubbed off on him a little. The little man was an elf, not tall like Lamruil, shorter. His long hair and beard were dark brown with a slight tint of green. He wore a huntsman's outfit, dark green with green-colored hide boots.

"Iliphar, what do you think? " asked Tad.

The smaller elf responded with a high-pitched voice, "I only have one type of insect left in the wagon. I think the Forest of Myrth would be a good place for them. I'll go along until they are settled in their new home. We can discuss more after that task is done. "

Tad nodded to the druid then looked at the small crowd, "Ok then now, all I need to know is why Samphire picked me. I have no idea what I'm doing or why he would pick me to lead this effort. "

There were a silent few moments.

Marena cleared her throat a moment, looked at Beothorn, who nodded to her to proceed.

"Thaddius, we have all been discussing this while you were with Jack. We did all come to an agreement that Samphire has his reasons, just like he had his reasons to send you alone through the portal. He is more than just a carnival owner, and he knows much more than we can even comprehend. We as a group, " Marena paused for a moment, standing up on the bench she was sitting on initially and looking around the folks gathered. "believe it is in our best interest to continue with you appointed the head of this group. We also agreed that everyone here would assist you by giving you the advice we believe you should have. With that being said, Beothorn will organize the guards and scouts. The Quartermaster will organize the supplies and the ladies there to make sure the camp is taken care of. I will assist you with all organizational items beyond those two areas. Beothorn will head security and the guards. Lamruil will be the lead scout once we arrive in the forest. We ask in turn, you listen when advice is given. Nobody here knows what's ahead of us, but we trust the information in the message is clear about the urgency. "

Tad didn't know what to say, and he was hoping one of his parents or the Quartermaster would take over the whole thing. He had no idea how to set up a safe area or anything like that.

Tad gave a large sigh, "Fine, what is it you advise? "

"We advise we leave tomorrow after going into the Bazaar to spend some of the gold you and Beothorn brought back on supplies for a new hamlet. We have tools but what we need is seeds, farm animals for plowing, and several other items. Specifically, more items to set up a smithy, granary, nails, and other building tools. Then we will gather the remaining working wards from around this compound and leave. " said Marena.

Tad had no idea all that was needed. Once, he thought for a few moments, it made sense, but he was glad his mother had organized even this part for him. He really needed to learn about this subject.

"If you can make a list, I'll go with the group tomorrow to buy the items when the shops open back up. Thank you," said Tad looking for a place to sit down. He suddenly felt tired and depressed. This wasn't at all going as he expected. The Carnival had dissolved. Apparently, he had to leave all the things he was familiar with again, and this time he needed to take everyone with him. What if he failed? This thought gave him a feeling of dread. He didn't want any of this.

"There is one more thing. I've managed to figure out what some of the items you brought back are. After we are done discussing this, I'd like to go over the items I could identify and our current finances. " said Marena.

Tad took a seat at the table with his back at the fire, it was a short bench made for dwarves, but he was used to that. He watched as Beothorn finished talking to the remaining guards. Tad had seen them earlier walking the palisade wall and at the gate when they came into the compound. There were three humans and one elf. They were all male. If they had them, their wives were probably in the group of ladies that were talking to the Quartermaster away from the fire. Generally, the guards and labor force were made up of people the Carnival would hire on at the last few stops. These folks rarely stayed with the Carnival for more than one full year. They were either going somewhere or left when they found better jobs outside the Carnival. Having worked for the Carnival probably sounded good for new employers when they talked. Occasionally some would stay on in other capacities, but it wasn't very common. Not many folks like being moved around every few months to different cities; it wasn't easy to raise a family if you wanted one.

Most of the others moved away from the tables as Marena brought over a small wrapped bundle and laid it out across the table. As she unrolled it, Tad could see the jewelry, rings, and the crystal dagger.

Tad could cast magic, and as a caster, he could use his sight, which most called magic sight, to see mana and energia around him. This allowed casters to see if an item possessed magic. Tad could see that three rings, an amulet, and the dagger all had the glow of enchanted items.

The first rule of a new unknown magic item was never to try to use it. Just because you know it has magic doesn't mean it would be safe to use. Generally, this rule applied to most items you could pick up. If you tried to interact with some unknown magic of the items, all types of nasty things could happen. Tad would not have picked up his staff Galadinidú if the item hadn't first spoken to him and shown him some of what he was. Even then, he doubted if he would have touched it if he hadn't been given more choices. Same with the crystal dagger.

"These rings, Marena pushed two of the rings, and this one amulet I have identified, this other ring and this dagger I have not. I suggest tomorrow you take them both with you and find a magic shop in the Bazaar that can identify them," said Marena.

Tad looked a the rings and the amulet and waited for her to continue.

"This ring is a ring of summon guide. Once a day, you may us it, and the ring will try to summon a creature to guide you to the destination you hold in your mind when activated. My guess is it will only work where there is something small enough for it to affect in the area, and I doubt it will make a mouse keep up with a horse, so chances are if it's a mouse, for example, it would just point or start in the correct direction before leaving you to your journey. You will have to play with it to figure its limitations. It could be useful, though, where we are going." she handed it to Tad, who palmed it and placed it on the middle finger of his left hand. The ring was large, but the magic in it shrunk it down to fit his finger. He took it off and put it back on a couple of times, then left it.

Marena waited till Tad was done, "This ring is a ring of minor regeneration. It will slowly heal you over time. I do not think it will grow back any missing body parts nor will it save the wearer if they are decapitated. As long as you have food and water, it will enhance your body to heal itself faster than normal. How much so, you will have to discover. You could find out more if you ask tomorrow when you get the other items identified. Last we have this amulet. This amulet is a disguise charm. It allows the wearer to appear as something else and can negate the magical identification of that person. I tested this one. " Marena put the amulet around her neck, touched it, and a moment later, she appeared as a tall Elvin woman. Tad reached out with his soulmancy and tried to decern Marena's feelings. He felt very little, it was like looking through frosted glass, and if he didn't know she was right in front of him, he might not have even noticed her. That is an interesting item, thought Tad.

"It won't let you change your sex, but you can change your race. The changes are superficial. Also, your body doesn't change. I didn't actually get taller. It's an illusion. I tried just altering my features and staying myself, and it wouldn't do that. Perhaps with some practice, that can be done. Without an active appearance change, the identification portion doesn't work. It's all or nothing, but it could be very useful for those trying to keep a low profile. " she looked right at Zanna while saying this.

Tad nodded. He was thinking that might be a good idea considering how many people showed interest in her at the Bazaar. It might be dangerous for her to walk around the way she is right now. "You were saying something about gold? Do we have enough to buy what we need, and should we be saving some for when we get to our destination? " Tad asked. He had already placed the second ring on his right hand's middle finger. It again adjusted for a snug fit, and the small green gem on it sparkled as it had grown to let his finger fit.

"We have enough for wages for the group and to buy most of the items. We should have enough for three months after that, but then we will have to solve the gold issue also, " she said. Tad thought about that, everyone works, and everyone gets paid. That was the Carnival way.

"The Quartermaster is going to complete a list of items you will need to find and purchase tomorrow before noon. We will-" Marena stopped talking. There was shouting near the gate of the compound. One of the guards was shouting down at something on the other side, and then there was a loud noise as if a trumpet was being blasted. Tad felt someone projecting a message from outside the gate via soulmancy.

The message was projected then a booming voice repeated the exact same request through the gate, "Bring the fugitive Thaddius Rockgrip and Kettle 01 to the gate. You have five minutes to comply. If they try to flee, everyone inside this compound will be under arrest for aiding and abetting a fugitive. "

Tad heard Kettle blast a projection at him, "They are here. I didn't feel them. There is a Bismuth deligation outside. Three of them, one of them is a negotiator. I think they have come for me, Tad. "

Tad had heard the broadcasted message the Automatrons wanted both of them.

"Kettle, why didn't they just come in the gate? They hit it hard enough," asked Tad.

"They will not do that. Initially, they will ask you to come willingly. If we refuse the deligation outside will call others to come to arrest us. Those will be an enforcer or military class. We won't survive those. Some of the military automatrons are bigger than this compound. " projected Kettle to Tad.

"Can we talk to them? I'm sure it won't come to that," replied Tad.

Tad looked around and saw his father coming towards him from the Gate area.

"Beothorn, any ideas? " said Tad loudly.

"No, let's get up on the wall and talk to them," said Beothorn, who was turning to go up the stairs to the walkway along the top of the gate.

Tad and Beothorn arrived up top above the gate. "Why didn't the wards keep these automatrons away from the compound?" asked Tad.

"The wards are low on energia, some of them stopped working yesterday, but nobody had checked them. I also think these three are not hostile. If they go hostile, perhaps the wards will start working on them. If they do, these creatures are already inside them, so I do not know how that will work. " replied Beothorn.

Tad looked down. Below he saw three automatrons. Two larger automatrons that looked like they might be related to large garbage buckets with legs stood on both sides of a larger one that looked like a humanoid wearing a tricornered hat and a metal jacket.

This one must be the Negotiator.

"Tad, that one is the negotiator projected Kettle from behind. " he was coming towards the stairs.

"Kettle, get back to the wagons. I don't know what these guys can do, but let's not wave bacon in front of the bear," said Tad.

Tad looked down, "What do you want, and why would you be trying to arrest someone here. "

"Thaddius Rockgrip, you are charged with altering the primary directive of a resident of Bismuth and enslaving a resident of Bismuth. You are to be arrested and held till your day in court, at which point you may make your defense against these charges. " said the metallic Negotiator in the center of the small group.

"Really? That doesn't sound too bad. When is my day in court? " asked Tad. He had no intention of turning himself over to these creatures nor Kettle. They might be creatures of Law, but that doesn't mean he supported their system.

The creature paused for a moment. Tad waited. He remembered when he had cast the companion spell on Kettle that these creatures had some sort of direct communication back to their home plane of Bismuth. They might even be controllable by a higher being from there.

"Your day in court is scheduled for ninety-two cycles from now at the courthouse prime, in district one of Bismuth. " replied the Negotiator.

Tad looked at Beothorn, who had found a low spot in the wall that allowed him to get a better view of the creatures below in front of the gate.

Beothorn gave him a negative shake of his head.

"I do not think I can wait three months for my day in court," replied Tad.

"I'm sorry, there must be some confusion. That would be ninety-two years in your language, not days. You may hire lawyers to help push your case up. With the right argument, I'm sure we could shorten that down by several decades. " replied the Negotiator.

"I'm sorry, so you want me to waste away my entire life in your jail waiting for my court date? That sounds insane. That's not justice or reasonable," replied Tad.

"The rules of Law of Bismuth are the best in the known universes. There is nothing so perfect or fair found in any other plane. You have two minutes left to give yourself up. I have added the time we have just spent explaining to you the contexts for your arrest. You may not bring that up as a defense when you see the magistrate. " said the Negotiator.

Tad looked out into the dawn. The sun was just starting to make itself known over the wooded hills in the east. What he saw shocked him. There were several large formations of automatrons about half a mile away. Hundreds of smaller ones and several hulking bulky creatures in the centers of the formations all sitting still. Tad had originally thought they were part of the forest, but no, they just stood there waiting along the road between the compound and the city.

Beothorn had also seen the shapes.

"Give us a minute to get our stuff packed," Tad said back down to the negotiator.

Beothorn and Tad rushed away down the stairs waiving to the guards on the gate to follow.

Tad rushed back over to the tables, "We have to go now. Where is the portal device? "

"In the Wagon, I'll go get it," said Marena.

"No, I'll get it. You round everyone up and get someone to hitch those horses. We have to leave now. There is a horde of Bismuth automatrons outside, and I don't think they are going to take no as an answer to their demands, " said Tad hurridly.

Tad noticed that only Marena, Nico, and Zanna still remained around the fire. "Nico and Zanna help get everything into the big wagons. We only a couple of minutes."

He ran to his family's wagon and burst inside. Then he stopped.

Sitting at the table, his family used when it was rainy outside was an Elvin man. He looked older somewhere past the youthful appearance of high elves but not yet ancient. He was holding the portal sphere Samphire had left for Tad.

Tad looked at him then back outside. Everyone had stopped moving out there, not standing still but mid-motion. Tad looked back at the elf. This obviously wasn't just an elf.

The elf looked up at him and motioned to the other side of the table, "Have a seat, Thaddius, do not worry, you will have time. As you can see, I've slowed the progression of time outside this wagon. I wish to talk to you before you leave. "

Tad paused. He tried to reach out and feel the creature and looked at him with his magic sight. He could neither sense the elf nor see him. In magic sight, the elf didn't even exist, which wasn't possible. Well, it's obviously possible, he thought, but Tad had never seen or heard of that being possible.

Tad had learned long ago being polite was your best choice when given choices. He walked around the table and took a seat on the low dwarven benches barely fitting under the table with his legs.

"You seem to know me, but I do not believe we have met, " said Tad trying to keep calm as his brain rolled around the information, trying to figure out what was going on here. Tad wondered how much time the small army of Bismuth enforcers would need to close in on the compound and break down the gate. Those creatures looked so large they could probably just bullrush.

"Yes, pleasantries, my name is Breamas. I wish to meet you and thank you for rescuing my daughter from her plight. Also, there are several things I wish you to know before you leave. " said Breamas.

Tad just looked at the elf. This was Breamas, the god of mischief? That's not good, he has never heard a story that ended with, and the god of mischief saved them all. Nope, usually, it was the other way around. Perhaps Tad should get Zanna. She probably had more questions for the being than Tad did.

"That is a lot of ideas for just a few seconds, good. Perhaps you will do. Tad, you are going to get a rare once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a few minutes. You might curse me for a while, but between you and me, I'm kind of used to that. We both have a problem. You see, Samphire has conspired with you to alter a fundamental of existence. You're probably wondering what that is, " the god of mischief looked out the door a moment, then back at Tad. "As our time is short and even I will not be able to do this very long without causing major issues here, I'll explain. Samphire showed you how to redirect a spell from its intended purpose. In doing so, he changed and added a new defining rule to the universe system that we all live in. I know why he did it, and I have decided to help. You see, we are in a restore loop. The universes have been destroyed 12,035,838 times. It has been restored every time. This has happened only once before long, long ago, and that time also required changes for the universe to continue forward. The other option is the deletion of all known existence. All of it, this isn't an empty space as in the void, but it all will stop existing. I think we can both agree nobody wants that to happen. " said Breamas.

What the in the hells was this guy talking about, thought Tad. He didn't understand most of what this god had just said, but that last sentence seemed simple enough. "I understood less than half of what you just said, but this deletion doesn't sound good. What do you want me to do? I'm just some guy from a Carnival."

"Yes, you are Thaddius, but I think you and I can both also agree you have been given an excessive amount of training, abilities, and opportunities. In many of the iterations, you have turned out vastly different, in most of them really, especially in the ones where you were not rescued from the temple as a child. Samphire saw something in you, just as he always sees potential in all of those around him. He spends most of his existence protecting and guiding the lives around him—more than most realize. I won't spoil it for you, sometimes the journey is more interesting than the destination, and perhaps someday you will know more about it. What you do need to know, though, is if you go to the Forest of Mirth or if Kettle is captured by Bismuth, everything will again iterate and restore. Those are dead ends. This is the turning point for the universe as you know it, really. Which is why I've decided to cheat, don't blame me. It's what I do, after all. And reliving this all again would be very boring, so what I see is an opportunity. As a reward for the continued help to my daughter Zanna, I am going to, how would you say it, Juke the system. This one time, in this one place, I've decided to step on the butterfly, as some have theorized. I am changing the past and the future. This might all turn out horribly, or perhaps it won't. " said Breamas.

Tad was bewildered at all of this information. He knew he would be replaying all these many times in his soulmancy tent, trying to figure out what he was hearing.

"Zanna is your daughter then? How does she fix her soul? " asked Tad in a hurry hoping to get an answer before the god was done doing whatever he did. Tad had met gods before, most rarely even notice a lesser being, and if they did interact, it was not very long.

"Oh, she will have to make choices soon. You will need to make those choices available to her. I do not think she will find them on her own. Free will and chance are inherent in the system. Make sure to keep her with you, or you will miss them. Now let's see, this device is pointed at the Forest of Mirth. That is very unexciting, really, all those elves and meadows. Ahh, there we go, " Breamas looked up at Tad after doing something to the portal sphere. "Here, you won't have much time after I release the spell on the area. The forces of Bismuth are already moving towards the compound. The sphere no longer works on beings above a certain magical order. Do not worry, though. Anyone left behind will be safe from Bismuth as none knew what you're about to do. They also do not know where you are going, so nobody should be going after them. " said Breamas as he started to fade from view. In a moment, Tad could see through the elf.

"Oh, and Thaddius, if you break her heart, there is no place you will be able to hide from me," said Breamas in a faded, wispy voice. Then he was gone.

Time sped back up. Tad could feel the rumbling of the automatrons as they came close to the compound. He stood up and dumped the table over as he tried to get outside. The gate a hundred feet away groned, then flew off its hinges as a giant metallic creature rolled through on wide wheels looking like a giant angry wagon wielding a battering ram for a face. The two pieces of the gate were still chained together as they flew into the compound.

There was no time left. Tad triggered the sphere. He saw the wagons, people, tents, and ponies all go white and start to fade, much like Breamas had done when he left. Jack and Scekan were both solid though, Tad could see them through their wagon walls, smaller.

"Jack, Breamas altered the spell," projected Tad as everything went white.

***