Jagmeet stood with the other Deities in a small area of the Astral Realm, as they discussed the sudden appearance of multiple trees in their regions.
"It is too much of a coincidence," Aberfa was saying. "I have these strange dreams during the Equinox, then these trees show up and have strange dark objects embedded within them?"
Aberfa used her magic to share the image of the object that had been in her Mountains Region tree.
"Yes, that is very much how mine looked," Jagmeet agreed, the stoic Plains Deity seeming more concerned than he normally was. One by one the other Deities agreed.
Zahavah, who had been watching over all from a distance, appeared before them.
"I, too, have pondered this," she said, and the Deities turned to her. "But I have an idea. Not about the objects, per say, but about the trees."
So Zahavah led the other deities to see what she surmised.
Jagmeet, admittedly, took the long route to get back to his helpers. Hen had much on his mind, and walking alone tended to help steady his thoughts.
He had his suspicions, and Zahavah had confirmed them. Now, they just had to find the root of the problem... the deity might have chuckled at his own pun if he hadn't been so concerned.
But as luck would have it, his helpers had succeeded! And already started on what he had wanted to ask them to do next. Jagmeet smiled slightly at the sight, and called out a greeting as he approached.
The object was left to the side, and Jagmeet placed himself between the object and the Quirlicorns, both for their safety and for his own peace of mind.
"You have done more than well," Jagmeet complimented, as he surveyed the scene.
Loraphine grinned. "We all worked together to get the object out, and have been trying to help the tree!" she happily reported, glad to have been able to do more with this task.
Damien nodded, standing shyly toward the back, and Namyli murmured her agreement.
"Damien used his Gem Growth to help move the object, and I used my Telekinesis to pull it out! Then we worked together to create and melt ice to help the tree get some water, as well as some weeding!" Loraphine continued, before looking back to her companions with a grin.
Jagmeet smiled at her excitement, definitely the most talkative of the group.
"What... What is the object?" Damien piped up, before quickly looking away.
"A Dark Artifact," Jagmeet said, his dislike of the object clear in his tone. "Unlike the Artifacts that give magic when crafted, this one seems to do the opposite. It steals magic away."
"What could it steal from a tree?" Namyli asked, doubt clear in her tone.
Jagmeet looked between the three of them before revealing what he had learned.
"These are not mere saplings as we previously thought," Jagmeet explained. "They are saplings born from The Sacred Dew Tree. The other deities spoke of similar occurrences in their regions as well, so it leads us to believe that Sacred Dew Trees are sprouting in every region."
"This was an attack on magic itself?!" Loraphine gasped, her mind jumping to the conclusion.
"We cannot say for certain. But while I take this Artifact away, I need you to continue what you have been doing. Nourish this tree, help it recover. Hopefully, with the Artifact far away the magic will begin to strengthen it, but it could use your continued help," Jagmeet replied, as he gingerly placed the object within a bag.
"Thank you for your hard work," Jagmeet said, as he turned to make his way across the Plains once more.
Prompt: You are tasked with helping the young Sacred Dew Tree recover from the influence of the Dark Artifact
(637 Words) +3 Chimes (500 Words Lit =+2, Event = +1)
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