The wind chimed softly in the trees while the aroma of honeysuckle and lilac tickled Seratha's nose. Sun filtered through the canopy above, painting her pale locks of hair with resplendent golds. Seratha sauntered along the well-worn dirt path with a woven wicker basket draped over one arm as gracefully as in a dance hall. The basket was filled to the brim with vibrant flowers and various plant clippings for her collection. Destined to be tamed and nurtured within her gardens, it reminded her of home and cast some of the world's bleakness away.<br/><br/>Seratha bounded happily over a puddle in the path; She paused to throw her head back and bask in the sun like a lizard absorbing the heat. Behind her, she heard an audible splash and looked over her shoulder to see Fabin. The mud and grit splashed onto the exposed patches of bone along his tibia and trickled down along the webbing of mummified flesh that was once tendons. Within the skeletal arms, he carried a bloated corpse spotted with pustules that wept a black-yellow ooze.<br/><br/>"Come along. We are almost home." Seratha called out in a singsong melodic pitch that echoed around them. Fabin rattled his teeth together in a chattering sound similar to dice in a cup. It had been several moons since his trachea had withered and rotted before falling away before he could produce a series of groans. He was the smartest that Seratha had managed to pull back from death's grasp; when his lungs had failed, she'd taught him how to click and rattle his teeth and bones. Sadly she had a feeling that soon his mandible would fail, and she'd need to figure that out. First-world dead problems.<br/><br/>Seratha began to sing a bawdy song she'd once heard in a tavern in Altenheim many years ago. It had been when her family had cast her out and forbade her to ever return to western Abendland. A dull ache filled her heart that she replaced with louder singing while merrily trotting onward to her cottage. The trail was lined with subtle markers to remind her of her path in the form of scattered bones, servants used to their depletion. The copse of trees began to thin as they progressed, signs of harvesting present in the increasingly dense undergrowth for the observant eyes.<br/><br/>The clinging of chisels against stone and thunks of wood being split began to replace the sounds of the forest. In the distance, Seratha could see the outline of the stone wall that had been present when she found this strange section of the woods. She'd had it repaired, and since the foliage had begun to overtake it. The most prominent was a vine with vibrant blue veins that reached for the skies and were dotted with magenta flowers that dripped a thick sapphire-hued sap. The sap was a neurotoxin to any living creature unfortunate enough to stumble against it.<br/><br/>As Seratha rounded the bend, the slick mud path transitioned to a stone pathway comprised of river rocks carefully laid together. The gates leading into Seratha's compound stood open, two corpses composed of mostly mummified meat and sinew trailed ahead with baskets of stones. "Trudi, Vash, lovely day. Keep up the hard work." Seratha continued humming as she made her way up the path. The forest surrounding her humble abode was rather dark and dreary. Yet within her haven, the trail was lined with vibrant flowers, bushes ripe with berries, and flowers beyond count. Within the wall, a pair of trees stood taller than the wall around them; one had long tendrils for branches dotted with vibrant red and white flowers. The branches swayed in the breeze, and the birds danced in the upper reaches. The other tree stood half the height of a tower at the center of everything. Its branches were heavy with small fruit that appeared almost black.<br/><br/>Behind her, Fabin rattled his teeth in a rapid chattering sound; Seratha paused and contemplated where she should start the new addition to their family. The western gardens still needed help pushing out the bleak gray foliage that lined the west inner wall. It'd be another two moon cycles before she should raise the dwarf. "Where the sun sets, that way." Seratha pointed towards the wall, a cheerful smile spread across her face. "Where the plants are still blah." She made a sad, wilted gesture with slumped shoulders and head. Fabin rattled his teeth once and trudged along in her indicated direction. Seratha smiled and clapped her hands once before she began to hopscotch her way along the path leading to the tower.<br/><br/>To either side of the tower door stood two defaced statues. One clasped a staff, and the other a sword. Time and bad luck had washed away most of the details, but the shimmers of smoky gray hues were still visible on the stone when the sun struck it. Seratha had yet to see or find any stone comparable within the region, but it didn't concern her. The cracks along the outer tower had been sealed, but the rebuilding was crawling along. The stairs that spiraled up were gradually being patched, and she could finally explore the remaining two floors.<br/><br/>The entry-level had been filled with mud, splinted furniture, cobwebs, and rotted tapestries. The second floor had held a small entertaining area and what she assumed had once been a dining area. Soon this tower would house books and knowledge delivered from her patron; In his honor, this tower would be dedicated as a pinnacle of knowledge for the world. Seratha carefully picked over the bits of stone and a stray femur. A halfling knelt over a wooden door on the floor, a bucket with vibrant pink paint sat at his hip, and a gnarled hand grasped a thick brush.<br/><br/>The brush strokes were visible on the door, but the color was drying nicely. The halfing paused, her hair swiveled and held at an awkward angle. Bit of dirt and leaves were visible in her autumn hair; Seratha had bound the woman's hair with a black ribbon, but it wasn't quite enough to counteract the purple veins that crept along her neck or cheeks. Bloat had also begun to set in on the torso, Seratha could slow down the process, but she couldn't stop it. The halflings' eyes glowed like embers in a hearth for a moment before they faded. "Keep up the good work."<br/><br/>"Yeesss," growled the halfling as she slopped the brush into the pail and resumed her slow, steady work. Seratha wrinkled her nose as she turned, she'd never gotten used to the odor, but at least the gardens around her home helped to a degree. Soon she'd need to put Lucille into the ground, let nature do its work, and raise her again to resume the work.<br/><br/>Seratha skipped out of the tower and along the well-worn path to a cottage on the east side of the property. The route was well-worn, and every step towards the cottage was a sensual experience for the eyes. The plants were arranged in vibrant colors, densely packed together, and quickly overtook the eastern portion of the property. Pops of red brick could be seen as the breeze shifted the bushes and vines.<br/><br/>If one stopped long enough to rummage through the foliage, they'd find bits of old fabric and bone dusting the surrounding area hidden within the vibrant gardens. The cottage door was the pop of sky blue that stood in stark contrast to the beige and rust-colored bricks. Seratha sat her basket on the small porch against the wall. Seratha shouldered the door open and propped herself against the door frame as she wrestled her feet from her boots. They thumped onto the wooden floor, where she abandoned them in favor of a pair of delicate black satin slippers with red posies embroidered upon them.<br/><br/>The inside of the cottage wasn't any less vibrant than the outside; herbs and flowers hung from the rafters in tight bundles, and bouquets of fresh flowers were scattered around the room. Various drawings and paintings were plastered on the walls, the subject matter varying from nature to schematics in a rainbow of colors. One corner of the room held an easel and a wooden side table covered from edge to edge with jars of paint.<br/><br/>A simple two-burner cast iron stove sat beneath two windows overlooking another section of gardens and the wispy tree. The tree swayed violently, an omen of an incoming storm; she'd need to halt work early. The storms weren't entirely bad news, they kept some nasty creatures away that stalked away, but the deadliest would still roam the night. 'Best to take care of that now,' she thought. Seratha stepped back onto the porch and picked up a metal triangle that hung on the side of the house with a rod tied to it.<br/><br/>She banged the rod within the triangle in three short bursts, she'd do it again in an hour, and hopefully, everyone would be within the walls by then. The gates would be sealed, and they could commence with a typical evening. Her servants would roam the yard while she read and painted within her cottage. Tomorrow she would harvest the plants they brought back today and adjust the blueprints. She would have to report her progress to her patron in a week. The thought made her roll up her nose; at least she only had to deal with it a couple of times a year. Nod and agree, praise their existence and then get back to the things she really enjoyed.