"Son of a BANSHEE!" Nikolai exclaimed, when he realized the rowing he was doing was useless.

Not only that, but the bubotubers were still squirting and the pus was actually coming quite close to him. Extremely painful yellow boils on his body was not what he wanted. Turning himself around, since he was close enough to dry land, Nik grabbed the stem of the plant, and throwing it javelin style, aimed for the closest bubotuber.

As soon as the stem left his hand, he jumped out of the umbrella plant, hoping to make it back on dry land.

He'd need more stems, if this worked.

After a moment of catching her breath, the woman continued towards the glow. Sandra was defiantly gonna take a long nap after this task was done.

Crossing the water, her eyes fixed on the glow, she realized that it seemed familiar. Was it......it was!!! Her wand. Her precious wand. She could have done a back flip, she was so joyous to see her wand again.

Seriously. She could have done one right in that tree, but something else caught her eye that stopped her. Bowtruckles. Glad that she had thought ahead when entering the cavern, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the fairy eggs. At least she thought them to be fairy eggs.

Carefully she nestled them in the tree she occupied, a short distance from where she was perched. Hopefully they were fairy eggs and would distract the bowtruckles. If not......well, then hopefully they would leave her wand long enough for her to retrieve it.

Eyes flicking between the creatures and her precious wand, her muscles tensed as she waited to see how the creatures would react.

Direct hit! As the umbrella flower stem hit the bubotuber, it caused the slug-like blob to shift, changing the angle of the spray. Now, instead of spurting horizontally across the tunnel opening, it spurted up at an angle.

Now, the pus was raining down.

The bowtruckles became agitated at the appearance of the light from the fireseeds, and began to move toward the source when the fairy eggs caught their attention.

Moving slowly over to the eggs, they abandon guarding your wand, seemingly appeased by the offering.

It's your wand. There. Nestled in the heart of the tree just a short leap over.

It worked?

IT WORKED!

If Nikolai wasn't such a manly man, he would have squealed and clapped his hands in triumph. But, being said manly man, he only smirked in the direction of the shifted bubotuber. A little fist pump might have happened, but, luckily, no one was around to notice.

After watching the pus rain down, instead of spew across the tunnel, Nik quickly spotted another massive umbrella plant. Once again placing the fireseeds out of harms way, he grabbed the plant by the steam and gave a hefty pull.

This time, the plant pulled out of the ground entirely, roots and all. This one was bigger than the last, almost like an oversized lady's parasol.

The opening to the tunnel was still blocked by raining pus.

Danika almost sighed when she got to the nearest tree, or...well, the roots of it. Good thing those weren't in the water. In all honesty, she now wished those 2 fireseeds hadn't been dropped back with the branch, she lost two options of light, and now was down to half the amount she'd managed to get from the bush.

She, however, made good use of the three remaining seeds, or the little light they provided. The darkness was beginning to overwhelm her. Danika only took notice of a tree near this one. It was near enough for another jump, but at the fear of loosing the seeds she tried to remember where she should land if she jumped again, then her eyes were closed, and her hand with the seeds, too.

The girl breathed in and out before jumping once more.

AND...

...she'll never do that again! Awful choice leaving her eyes closed. It felt like jumping to an abyss. Dark. Silent. Luckily enough, she got to the other tree.

For a moment there she pondered whether Hogwarts was built on top of the land of the dead and Hades would join her hoping from one tree to the other.

There was a smile on her face as her hand opened up and she noticed another tree near by. She did the same as before, but with her eyes OPEN! Open at all times, she didn't feel like closing them again. Ever. She wouldn't.

Oh. Once she was on the other tree, the thoughts that came around from Greek mythology didn't make her feel any better when she noticed the familiar shadow over there. A lilypad....water....underworld. Honestly, if Zitnik were to read her current thoughts he'd be far beyond disappointment.

That's why Danika shook her head and jumped to the lilypad again....and then...."Nooooo! Now it's only two!" as soon as she landed on the lilypad she saw a tree nearby, BUT her stupid hand dropped one seed to the water, it didn't matter how fast she reacted...by the time she caught the seed with her other hand...the water had reached it first...and extinguish the life out of the seed.

Knowing that she couldn't stay much longer, and knowing that she HAD to get away from this lake before she got no light at all, and knowing that her arms actually hurt a bit from the trees, and....man! Knowing was EXHAUSTING! Not that she would say it. Danika's eyes were set on the little she saw from the next tree and leaped towards it.

Two seeds....and a faint glow somewhere up in the rocks. That was of no help, no help at all!

As he pulled the plant out of the ground, Nikolai took notice of the size. It was much bigger than the last, and he wondered how he fit inside the first plant. It wasn't important now, though, for that let him know the pus would do no damage to the plant. Exactly the information he needed for what he was about to do.

Picking the fireseeds up, he held the umbrella plant over his head like one of those muggle umbrellas. He had a feeling Zitnik would not approve of him using something in a muggle sense, but what other option did he have? He did not want boils.

Standing right before the raining bubotuber pus, Nik heaved a sigh before practically running towards the tunnel opening.

Perhaps you'll want to take a breath in this next tree. You're close enough now that you can see that the glow is tree level. In fact, you can see what the glow is around.

After working your way across most of the width of the lake, you can now tell that the faint glow you’ve been seeing this whole time is extremely familiar—it’s your wand! It’s nestled safely in a tree, but don't celebrate yet! A number of sticks seem to be standing guard within the branches of the tree. The sticks are moving around and look like tiny little stick figures with very long fingers…they’re clearly Bowtruckles. It’s very obvious that the only way you’re going to get your wand back is to make it past this little army of tree men…but how?


The pus on the floor is slippery, but has no effect on your shoes. Don't slip!

As the pus rains down, it cascades down the umbrella flower's petals. Did you keep everything tucked under its protection? Boils are extremely uncomfortable.

Well, boils or not, you're still alive and if you've still got fireseed for light, the next turn in the cave should be visible. The passage narrows somewhat, the light bouncing off what look like fairy eggs nestled in the crevices. But as soon as they're noticed, the passage opens into a huge cavern, the light reflecting upward, if not outward. The gentle sounds of water lapping at the shore can be heard, but not yet seen. Along the back wall of the cavern, near where you stand, plant life of all sorts presses up against the stone. Nascent trees crawling with wood lice. Alihotsy plants mingling with angel's trumpet. Slimy bundles of what look like green rat tails nestle against gurdyroots. Deathcaps press up against their muggle counterparts. All ignorable, so long as you aren't anxious for a snack.

When you finally come to the shore, you can see what appears to be a lake - though the far side if obscured from view by the dark. What is apparent, however, is that the other two sides have no shores - just sheer rock faces. There is nowhere to go but across the lake. Giant lilypads float on the surface, some appearing close enough to leap one to the other. Gravity resistant trees hover above the surface, again appearing to, at least at the start, be close enough to travel one to the other. As for the water, it seems calm if one simply wanted to swim. There's no telling what lies beyond the limit of your sight, but you have to start somewhere.

You have got to be kidding!

There was her wand! Up there! Glowing! Such a beautiful glow...and such an awful sighting!

She knew those things, eyes narrowing to get a better look, Danika shook her head...Bowtruckles. Like the kind who attacked you if you wanted to invade their territory? And their territory was the tree her wand was in.

Challenging. Interesting.

Though, this was all a personal attack towards the girl, because those sharp fingers loved to get close to one's eyes. Blindness again. See?

It was all too personal.

Danika sighed, there had been some fairy eggs back there, before she even got the first shore. If she'd only known better she'd gotten a couple of those! But there was no going back.

What else could be distracting to Bowtruckles? Right. Her eyes landed on the tree she was in. "Oh, my dearest pretty tree, vould you happen to have woodlice on you? Or just a woodlouse?" it was a bit louder than a whisper, but maybe the Bowtruckles would sense that she was being nice to this particular tree...therefore be nicer to her? And get her wand back?

The girl tried her best with those 2 seeds and get a better glimpse at the tree she was at...perhaps she'll find something that may be able to help her in there?

How many Bowtruckles are there? Never mind, her eyes were on this tree for now.

Only if she'd gotten those fairy eggs before!

The bowtruckles scurry more hurriedly at the introduction of your dim light. The tree you are in, however, is devoid of wood lice.

The way you came carries on as it did before you disturbed it. Submerged lilypads have come back to the surface, trees float near one another, and waves lap on the shore.

Only, do you have the strength to go back and then come back here, again?

Note: Do not run on slippery bubotuber pus.

With a little slipping here and a little sliding there, Nikolai continued through the raining pus. It was a very good thing he did not melt his shoe completely with the fireseed bush or his foot would have been stinging. Stinging more than his hand was at the moment.

Worrying not about the few boils sprouting on his hand, Nikolai did not stop running until he could no longer hear the pus droplets on the top of the umbrella plant. As soon as he was out of the pus' way and in the narrow passageway, he threw the umbrella plant off to the side and sat himself down on the ground to examine his hand. "Bloody bubotubers." he said, and placing the fireseeds down next to himself, he ripped a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around his hand to, hopefully, ease the uncomfortableness of the few boils.

Still sitting on the ground, he let his eyes flicker around, immediately spotting some light. Standing abruptly, he followed the light, running a hand over the wall and pocketing some of the look-a-like fairy eggs. He wasn't sure if that's what they really were, but they could prove useful later on, he did not know.

Now standing in the opening of a large cavern of some sort, he turned his head this way and that spotting and recognizing all the plant life. No time to admire, Nikolai. he scolded himself, and with one last glance at the very unappetizing gurdyroots, he pressed on.

There was water somewhere.

And all to soon he was standing in front of a lake.

His first instinct was to swim across, but there would be no possible way to swim and have the light from the fireseeds. Swimming was out of the question. His second instinct was to climb a tree, but that would mean putting the fireseeds in his pocket and not having any light until he reached the top.

He needed his light, so with a little leap, he was on top of one of the lily pads.

The boils were warm and uncomfortably so. If you ever get out of this cave, the healers will have a good time taking care of those.

The lilypad held you for only a moment, before it began to sink into the water, sinking you with it. The longer you stay on the pad, the higher on your legs the water rises.

Back to shore? Time for a swim? Or up that tree that is hovering near you?

That was not a good sign. No answer from this tree, and the speedy movement in the other.

Not a good sign at all.

Danika eyed the way she came from. However strong her mind could be she wasn't sure she could go through it again, not with only 2 seeds left. The girl had a good sense of direction, but if the 2 seeds managed to get away from her hand while she was going back, then there will be no way to know where she'll be. Water disorients you.

Risking the little light she had now didn't amuse her, either. Though, she was certain that if she got the eggs (she'll have to find them first, by the way) then there will be more light on the way back.

What was it going to be?

Risking the little light? Or risking her own eyes?

It was all too terrifying if she hadn't been anxious by seeing her wand so close by.

Zitnik would approve of reasoning. And, reason told her to go towards certainty. The fairy eggs would work for sure. But will she be in a working state by the time she got to the Bowtruckles again? Probably not.

Do you reckon she could distract them with the 2 seeds in her hand?

Sigh.

She's never gone back in her life. Now it seemed like her heart was having a discussion with her mind.

The hell with it. Impulses again. She wouldn't be fast enough for the Bowtruckles when returned, right? Danika's eyes went to the branches in the tree she was in and tried to maybe break it? Will it break?

The smaller branches, about the diameter of a thumb, snap off easily. Some are short and some long. All swishy.

The bowtruckles began to circle the wand methodically, watching for any sign of aggression.

The agitation of the bowtruckles caused her to take a step back, moving the light in front of her for protection. The thought crossed her mind that it was fireseeds that was bothering them, but it was her only weapon she had in hand.

When the bowtruckles began moving over to the eggs, however, the torch was moved back over to her side.

Bowtruckles in her perifial vision, she quickly leapt towards her wand, hand outstretched to retrieve it.

What Nikolai hoped would not happen, started to happen.

It felt like he was standing on the lily pad for only a second before it started to sink, taking him down with it. First his shoes disappearing in the water, then his ankles. He really didn't want to swim, or climb, but what he really, really did not want to do was go back to shore. A better swimmer than climber, Nikolai slid off the lily pad and into the water. Raising the hand with the fireseeds, so the water wouldn't douse the light, he used his boiled hand to paddle.

At least the water soothed the boils a little bit.

Oh, man.

She was going to be attacked in no time. She could tell. Wasn't that...dangerous?

And...didn't she like dangerous situations?

Reckless, was it? How her mother had called her choice of entering the Tournament? Yes, reckless. And...why was she doing this instead of the most obvious choice? Being the most obvious one to go back?

Punishment. She was silly enough let the darkness blind her mind.

How awesome it would be to fight the Bowtruckles without a wand? Yes, exactly. Doesn't she even value her life? Hadn't that been the most important thing at the beginning of the task? To get out alive, wandless, because magic seemed unimportant compared to light?

Right now, the most light that was reflected came from the wand. If light was important, then the important thing would be to get her wand. NOW.

She took three little branches into her hand, two long ones and one short. The short one was thrown towards the wand tree, aimed more at the base of it than at the Bowtruckles gathering place.

They were gathering around her wand!

She. Was. Doomed.

The bowtruckles, much appeased by the offering of fairy eggs, leave you alone as you reach for your wand. You did it! You found it!

Wand now in hand, you might want to see to some better lighting, and a quick look around will tell you that you are halfway across the lake, with the far shore in front of you. That is your destination. That is where you must go.

The lilypads below seem to bob in and out of the water as it churns and the trees spread further apart. Skittering among the leaves suggests that the bowtruckles in neighboring trees are anxious to be appeased, as well.

As you swim, larger waves meet you, bouncing you into lilypads and knocking your raised arm against the roots of the floating trees.

The water churns more, resisting your efforts to push against it.

If you come up to look around, however, you'll notice a faint glow far to your right, above the water level and presumably in a tree. It is near the rock wall that edges part of the lake.

The far shore is in another direction, still hidden from view by the dark.

As the short stick flew toward the base of the tree, the bowtruckles continued to circle. When it hit, they scurried even faster, several breaking off to go toward the thrown object, while others quickly advanced toward the Champion.

They were angry now, and they were coming.

There it is. She was in a heap of trouble right now.



And was she afraid? Very, but she wanted her wand much more.

Danika will be keeping her eyes away from those sharp fingers. She WILL. She wouldn't mind her arm to get injured by the Bowtruckles, but she will do the best to keep her eyes unharmed.

They were coming, and she was going. Going towards the tree to meet the awful creatures that will most likely leave her tired as she ever could be.

"I'm so sorry" whatever that meant or whoever that was meant for, she had no idea.

In case the worst happened, she'll be meeting her sister soon....or not?

Her wand. She needed it. And she didn't care if she had to go into the water to get it. For now, she was only going off to the wand tree to fight the Bowtruckles and possibly get her wand without injuring her eyes or losing her life?

The bowtruckles come in waves, clawing at your hands, your arms, your face, even into your hair. They dig in first and then drag across your skin. It is a sharp, stinging pain. There are dozens and dozens, some attacking now, some waiting.

Another group keep tight guard of your wand.

A warm sensation spread from her hand throughout her body as she wrapped her fingers around her wand, a smile creeping on her lips. She had her wand back. Merlin, it felt wonderful to have the light wood twirl between her fingers.

Briefly her eyes flicked to the blowtruckles that were eating the fairy eggs. Good. They were out of the way. A quick flick of her wand illuminated the area and she scanned the area, realizing she was almost there. Closer than she had believed.

She decided against taking the lilypads to the shore, not willing to lose her light source just yet. Which also eliminated swimming as well. Guess the trees it was. Trees full of more bowtruckles. And she was out of fairy eggs. Great.

At least she had her wand though.

With a leap the woman began to cross to the other trees, unsure of how she was gonna get past the other blowtruckles.

Getting to the wand tree was no problem. The problem was...the Bowtruckles!

It felt like ice, ice cutting through you, like when you fall into the coldest water ever imaginable. There was only one way she could make it, and that was only if her mind managed to fight the pain.

Her arm protected her sight, even thought she still could see the place where her wand was. The seeds were being held in that same hand. Her other arm held a tight hold of those two long swishy branches that seemed to behave more like leaves than branches as she defensively tried to smack some Bowtruckles away.

"Stop it! I mean no harm!"

Yes, she knew that smacking them would make them more angry.

And the pain she was feeling will get worst. But she made a choice, now was the time to stick to it.

She was trying to get closer to her wand. That was all that mattered now. That, and ignoring the fact that she was bleeding from the stupid cuts she now had.

Fighting was better when the opposing side didn't have this kind of advantage.

Nikolai did not remember the water having waves. If he did, he would not have slid on in. He was sure, while he stood on the shore, the water was rather calm.

Being bounced against the lilypads was annoying, yet he would have rather been bounced than have his arm knocked into the tree roots. A few fireseeds flew out of his hand as it was knocked against the tree, but he could tell he still had quite a few left. And he could tell his arm had a few scratches on it as well.

If he would only get out of the water..

After a trip under the water, thanks to a wave, Nikolai came up sputtering. Was the water HEALTHY? Probably not, seeing as he was in a cave. Flopping his upper body onto a nearby lilypad for support, he took the opportunity to look around. Was that a glow to the right of him? It could have just been the water droplets clouding his vision, but he chose to be optimistic and think it had nothing to do with the water.

Wanting to get out of the water even more, Nikolai reached up with his boiled hand and grabbed a hold of one of the tree roots.

That. Was. Painful.

The trees swayed, and the bowtruckles skittered, approaching the Champion, threatening to scratch. They'd seen the eggs in the neighboring trees and though they guarded no wand, were upset at the stranger in their tree.

The approached slowly, as if sizing up the competition.

Each swish of the branch sent at least one bowtruckle spiraling into the water below, but more continued to come, clawing, pawing, scratching, grabbing, pulling at the champion.

Each inch of advancement would be a struggle and the wand was still so far away.

Not just satisfied with clawing at exposed skin, the bowtruckles began to rip at her clothes, as well.

She should have grabbed all the eggs. That's what she should have done. Then the bowtruckles approaching her wouldn't have seemed so threatening. Who'd idea was it to put bowtruckles in every tree anyway? Was a group of them in one not enough?

Moving faster through the trees, the woman sent a gust of air at the creatures in hopes of knocking them back deeper into the trees.