Quoted By:
The foolish might claim that, with your eyes shut, swayed back and forth by Earth's weird loping gait, next to a considerable amount of body heat, what you did was "doze off." The foolish really ought to note the time of day you Earl crashed into the outer Fen, that being mid-afternoon, i.e. hardly any time after you begun! If the foolish then claim that 'you didn't actually know when you started,' or 'maybe there's just a tunnel that leads straight here from Cult HQ', you say that they can't prove those things at all. While you, being a certified expert in magyck, can identify it instantly.
The good news is that nobody foolish has stepped forth to debate you yet, so you can enjoy a leisurely ride through the Fen. How nice it is to be aboveground! During the daytime! If there were birds, they would be singing— instead you mostly get Earl clomping along, stamping on sticks and old bones and things, but that's okay too. He's doing a good job. (Should you tell him he did a good job later? Would that be weird?) Oh!
You pat Earl until he comes to a halt— that's the edge of the Fen! And that's <span class="mu-i">camp,</span> in the far-off distance! You're back! Well, practically speaking. You still need to clear the last hundred yards or so, but...
...there's Earl, whom nobody will be expecting. You have to do something about that, don't you?
>[A] Sorry, Earl, but you need to go real quick— you can't bring him into *camp.* What will people think of you? Or of him? You'll bring a helper back with you instead.
>>[1] Dash and go find Gil. Not only do you need to reassure him that you're still kicking, but this is a perfect use for his magyckal powers! Surely he'll agree!
>>[2] Dash and go find (fake) Ellery. You dimly recall that he had all sorts of blood-type concoctions stashed away somewhere— couldn't at least one be used to turn Earl back to normal? Plus, you need to go inform him that you rescued Madrigal for him. He's welcome.
>>[3] Dash and go find Branwen, whom you're pretty sure you saw in camp recently. Not only is she a bona-fide beast expert, but she's also Earl's actual friend/heist partner, so she should know exactly how to handle him. Maybe she'll even stay with him for you?
>>[4] Write-in.
> What? You can't just leave Earl on the edge of the Fen! What if some unsavory types find him while you're gone? What if the *Court* does? It might be a slim chance, but you can't risk it— you have to bring him into camp as discreetly as possible.
>>[1] Go find Gil.
>>[2] Go find Fake Ellery.
>>[3] Go find Branwen.
>>[4] Write-in.
>[C] Write-in.
