The Battle of Bihara
From the safety of the Waterfall Grotto, the Nuonians and Irving led an overnight scouting expedition to see what state Bihara was in, since it had been a couple weeks since the party had briefly passed through. The phantom hunger continued to menace the town, and whatever it was doing that was sapping color itself from the world had started to spread into the water around the town. They were already set to head there the next day, but at this point, it was crystal clear: retaking the town was a must.
The following morning, the entire small warband set out for Bihara, safely guided into port by the water sprites that had been found living in the Waterfall Grotto. From there, the group split into multiple parts: Irving, Serafina, and Cynthia would retake each strategic location, spread out and whittle down resistance, and finally make an opportunity for the Nuonians, led by Ysildea, to literally pin down the hunger’s tentacles and keep them from joining the fight against the main body. One-by-one, the group retook the Harbourmaster’s Office, a greenhouse northwest of town in the Silver Ward, a stables west of town in the Northern Outskirts, and Reza and Ando’s alchemy shop, enabling them to provide support at a later time.
Finally, the assault was started on the phantom hunger, which crouched like a vulture atop the open-topped building housing the blackened World Tree Sapling that once protected Bihara. However, the hunger had kept back some of its strongest defensive tentacles to keep itself safe, sensing impending danger. The party fought valiantly, including calling in some… questionably effective help from Reza and Ando, but both Irving and Cynthia fell to the beast and were seemingly eaten, tossed into the hunger’s maw. Left to her own devices, Serafina prayed to the universe for help…
…and someone responded, but not who anyone expected.
Elsewhere…
Rather than simply being in the belly of the beast, Cynthia and Irving found themselves, battered and bruised, atop a great circular stone plinth, under a sky of brilliant azure, in a field of most verdant green, and set eyes upon - for the first time ever - the World Tree. However, it was obvious at a glance that something was wrong with it; it felt, in some way, corrupted, visible at a glance. Before they had time to investigate, a jet-black warp portal opened nearby, and both of them found themselves collared by Jeanne, who was - believe it or not - just passing through.
“Come on,” she said, “you’re not supposed to be here.” The three of them passed through the portal, reappearing in Bihara at the fight against the hunger. Channeling a type of magic unfamiliar to the three, Jeanne summoned what appeared to be a cloaked humanoid phantasm of brilliant blue, who healed the entire group’s wounds to full and restored their mana before vanishing. After a snarky one-liner about how they can’t let this thing defeat them, Jeanne herself disappeared through another portal, as well.
Ysildea joined the party, Reza and Ando passed by again with a more high-quality supply of potions, and with the foursome together again and the battle renewed, they dispatched the tentacles persistently guarding the body of the beast; finally, with much effort, slew the phantom hunger itself, freeing Bihara.
And when it was closely inspected, it could be seen that color had started to return, bit by bit, to the World Tree sapling of Bihara. A safety and sealing ritual afterwards to protect it from attack from below by Cynthia sealed the deal, clearing the way for the town of Bihara to perhaps begin to thrive again.