Really Big Tree

Leia

You walk through the portal and step out onto a branch the size of a small street, hundreds of feet up into the air. It's as warm as a spring day. Natsumi hops around and stretches. "Ah, that's so much better! So, ready to meet Fionn?"

Floyd, Nora

You find yourselves in a large, circular field of grass.  At the edge, it immediately gives way to grey, empty wastes.  A tree as large as the biggest skyscrapers in the city casts its shade over a warm spring day.  Dozens of birds line branches the size of streets, staring down at you.  A cavernous entrance stretches open, daring you to come inside.  Mareena stands halfway between the portal and the hole, staring up at the flock of monsters with a smile.  She quickly turns to face you as you enter, offering a small curtsy.

"Whoa," Freya says quietly.  "You don't really get a sense of scale from up above, huh..."


Leia

"Yay!" Natsumi hops. "Um, one thing, though. We're ki-i-i-i-inda gonna have to get through a monster nest to get there but it should be fine with my new spider-y armor!"  She heads into a giant hole in the side of the tree, where you find a huge, empty room with sets of stairs wrapping around the massive trunk in either direction.  You hear a buzzing sound coming from the stairs heading up.  "...Are you ready?" Natsumi asks.  "We're gonna run past them as fast as we can!  They won't chase us too far."

Nora returns the curtsy with all the practiced grace of a noblewoman, grinning. She then flexes her wings, already transformed, her dress shining in the light. She casually floats up into the air.

"Hmmmmm... How pretty... Something tells me being able to fly here will be useful."

She flies around Mareena, just above her, in a fast, elegant loop. "I haven't gotten to test just how fast I can fly yet. This should be fun."

Floyd, Nora

"Hmmmm, what's this about another portal?" Mareena asks.

"Oh, yeah, there's one that's like... halfway up?" Freya says.  She covers her eyes and scans the treeline.  "Up on that branch I think?"

"Oh, good to know..." Mareena says.  She reaches up and tugs Nora's ankle.  "Come back down here, Malatyne.  That's much too high to fly up, the outside anyway.  We're heading inside."  Mareena clings on like a kid holding a balloon as your group heads inside.

You find a giant chamber.  Huge stairs wind along the outside, going up the equivalent of several stories until they disappear onto another floor above you, half a turn away.  Another set in the opposite direction disappear under the store.  The room itself is full of large mushrooms.  One seems to be dancing, with humanoid arms and legs, while the others are half-buried in the ground.

"Uh...?" Freya says.  "That's, uh..."

"Not what we're here for!" Mareena says.  "Fionn should be at the top.  Bu-u-u-u-ut, if we're here to investigate things..."

"You... think the bears might have come up from down below?" Freya asks.

"Who-o-o-o-o knows."


Leia

"OK!" Natsumi grabs your hand and starts jogging up the stairs.  When you get near the top, the buzzing sounds get louder.  "Don't slow down!" Natsumi yells, picking up the pace and breaking into a run.  As you break onto the next floor, you find the roof covered in a massive network of beehives.  Bees easily as large as yourself are floating about.  As they spot you running, they begin to take off and fly after you.  Their slow response is the only reason you manage to make it most of the way to the next set of stairs without problems.  The bees start divebombing towards you as you start up the stairs.  Natsumi pushes you forward and shifts behind you, changing into that more revealing outfit.  A stinger fired from one of the bees almost seems to bounce off of her as you keep running.

As you make it to the next floor, only a trio of them chase after you as the rest stick around to protect the nest.

LEIA AND NATSUMI
        VS
    FLYING ASSHOLES

Nora bursts into giggles at the sight of the dancing mushroom. "This is what happens when God does acid, hm? Sooo... Are we heading up top? We're here to make sure the Guardian is still alive and kicking, and Mercia hasn't ripped his heart out of his chest, yes?"

Nora, Floyd

"Oh, Fionn doesn't have a heart.  Not the way you think of a heart, anyway.  And Mercia's not interested in the heart, she only wants his soul.  Which I'm pretty sure he still has, yep." Mareena nods.  "Probably, anyway."

"How can you tell?" Freya asks.

Mareena spreads her arms.  "This area isn't in utter disarray, for one."

"Well, that's good.  Alright...  Let's get climbing."  Freya starts heading up the stairs.

"Hm..." Mareena glances back around, then shrugs dramatically and follows after her.  Large windows line the walls as you ascend, keeping the huge room lit brightly.  When you reach the next floor, Mareena grabs Freya by the collar and jerks her back slightly.  "Watch your step."

The room is full of human-sized holes in the floor, surrounded by giant petals and lined with stakes.  Green vines snake across the floor, forming a slowly shifting web between you and the next staircase.


Leia

A giant rock flies through one of the windows and Leia kicks it at one of the bees.  It bounces off, seemingly with little effect.  The annoyed bee comes flying in at Leia, stabbing her in the arm.  Another swoops down at her, but she dodges out of the way.  Natsumi claps her hands together, her new extra arms mimicking the motion.  A shadowy, feminine figure crawls off of her.  The last bee dives at her and stabs into her chest.  Natsumi shoves the bee back, without much trouble.

"Why would that not crush it? The rules of this world are so confusing sometimes... Are you okay, Natsumi?!

I'll try zapping one of them!"

Leia takes out a camera and photographs the flying assholes.

Thunder Cam: Deal Electric damage to the tallest unit. [Jimmy 3]