Adam was impressed that MacKensie was so willing to jump into action, but he'd be lying to himself if he didn't acknowledge that he was also concerned for her. Yeah, she didn't need him to protect her (and he probably couldn't anyway, considering how he felt he was), but he still cared. Joji and Fenna impressed him as well; the fact that the bird got the cube away from the enemy was one less thing to worry about. Maybe this whole situation could be salvaged!


More optimism arrived with James' healing of Lillianna. Yes, the mage was still in rough shape, but the Druid felt she could make it now. Was the cleric a doctor back on Earth? He was a remarkable person. Even so, the red-eyed man knew he had to stay alert. There were still two dangerous opponents out there and Arthur had just taken damage.


The scene that unfolded next, however, produced very different feelings for the Druid. The ninja's attacks against his teammates were concerning and the centaur was certainly dangerous. The massive source blast from Zigmund against the centaur would have certainly killed them all if it had been aimed at them and whatever the centaur was charging up was probably going to do that anyway. Arthur, though, sacrificed himself to save the group. [i]It should have been me,[/i] Adam thought, [i]he dies and all I can do is grow trees. Pathetic.[/i] The man was lost in his own thoughts of guilt and grief, barely noticing the crystal on his hand turn purple, when Zell inadvertently pulled his mind back to Mytheria with a soft pat on the cheek and a ruffle of the hair on the back of his head.


[b]You okay? You sure?[/b]


The Druid was surprised Zell cared at all, really, considering how he felt responsible for the whole situation. But there wasn't time to dwell on that, only time to do the right thing and own up to his role in all of this. "I'm sorry that I led you all here to this awful place, and them to their deaths. If I could have died instead, I would." Saying this, Adam looked in Clive's direction, his voice and face full of sadness and regret. "You can do whatever you want to me; yell at me, kick me off the team, whatever. But only after we're safe in Valheim. Otherwise, their sacrifice will have been in vain."


After finishing his statement, the man magically pulled down some sturdy branches from the trees he made earlier and offered them as walking sticks to the members of the team that could use them. When he offered one to Zell, the swordsman asked the Druid to carry Lillianna, and he agreed. It would have been awkward to carry her, a map and a compass though. It did seem odd to the red-eyed man that nobody else wanted to navigate after what he just said, but there were a great deal of injuries here, so he supposed it made sense. It wasn't like he minded doing it, anyway.


In that spirit, Adam fashioned a sort of necklace out of wood using his magic, including little holders for his navigational tools so he could use them while lifting Lillianna. It might have looked odd, but helping the woman was more important than appearances. Then he picked her up, intending to carry her all the way to Valheim. The princess carry method he used might have implied a romantic relationship to someone who didn't know them, but really Adam just didn't want to put any more strain on the woman. She had already done enough and deserved to rest.


The rest of the Mazy Hillocks was as strange as the parts before it, but thankfully not as dangerous. Perhaps after their role in killing the centaur, whatever else lurked there thought the team was strong and stayed away. Or maybe the group just got lucky. Whatever the reason, Adam was grateful for the lack of combat. Once the maze was behind them, the vague appearance of the city of Valheim was in front of them, something else the Druid was grateful for. The path there was much less dangerous than the parts they had been on; after what they had gone through today, peaceful nature was just what the man needed. Not that he was in a peaceful state of mind; quite the opposite, really, but every little thing helped.


Once they arrived at Valheim in the late afternoon, Adam let Zell take the lead in guiding them to a hospital. Healing Lillianna was the first priority. The red-eyed man would follow whatever directions the hospital staff gave to ensure she was alright, then stay with the woman while she was healed. Whatever this cube did was certainly important and the Druid did want to ensure their mission was complete, but the safety of the group was more important.