Amidst the reunion, Böðvarr turned to Korloth with a solemn proposition. Guided by the wisdom of Odin, he sought to trade his reclaimed sword for Korloth's own. Recognizing the exchange as one of warrior to warrior, myth to myth, Korloth accepted, and the legendary blades changed hands before the giant bid them farewell.
Enik then commanded the party's attention, launching into a lecture on the ancient history of creation. He spoke of Anthraxus, known then as Abraxus, and his early experiments in creating animal races, with Sleestaks serving as the initial drafts. He recounted the tragic fate of the Saurials, purged by the Afanc for daring to wield arcane magic instead of serving as spiritual batteries. Most significantly, he revealed the nature of the Titan Ryūjin, forged from rare positive energy to create Dragons and the Animal Paragons. These beings, who turned their power inward rather than feeding the Afanc, were exterminated in Alluria, leaving only their descendants, the Seirei-Shō, on the elusive floating continent of Obojima in Mysterra.
During this exposition, Elyndra's sharp gaze detected fresh blood on Enik's claws. Under pressure, the Sleestak confessed to slaughtering two dozen of his primitive kin to harvest their souls for preservation in the Anubis Box. Though horrified by his methods, the party pragmatically extracted a promise for future consultation on such matters before continuing their mission.
To address the unique nature of Ryūjin, whose soul remained intact but trapped in an eternal dream, Enik enacted a daring plan. He needed a diplomat to navigate the Titan's subconscious and coax him awake, a task for which he selected Akemi. Cannibalizing the local Pylon's matrix, Enik stripped it of its glowing Fourth-Dimensional Nodes and arranged them in a circle around the Kitsune. As the crystals hummed, folding reality, Enik warned that Akemi must journey alone to avoid tearing the dream's fabric. With a final instruction to "wake the dragon," Akemi dissolved into a white mist, transcending the physical realm to begin her negotiation in the dreamscape, leaving the rest of the Feinting GOATs to handle the physical husk.
The depletion of local crystals for Akemi's ritual necessitated a journey to a distant Pylon. The two-day trek led them through a canyon infested with Araumycos, which dampened arcane magic and heightened danger. Here, they were ambushed by Krugel Orcs mounted on dinosaurs. The Orc leader, Chief "Iron-Shell," proved a formidable tank, adopting a total defensive stance to absorb damage, while his Wranglers targeted Bao Bao with lassos, attempting to drag the healer away and kill her. The Wranglers also dropped dynamite as they rode, causing several explosions and an avalanche. During the chaos, Enik chose not to participate, using his crystals to surround himself in a sanctuary-like force field that made enemies ignore him. Despite the chaos, the party prevailed, with Korloth claiming the Chief's head with his new blade. After the battle, Enik emerged to heal the wounded using his crystals, a process that accelerated natural regeneration.
Upon activating the Pylon, they arrived at the outskirts of Obojima. A Nokodama spirit barred entry to "Mankinds," identifying Korloth and Adrian as such (Elyndra had already taken the form of a Sleestak). Korloth assumed his Fire Elemental form, convincing the Nokodama he was a fire spirit, while Adrian posed as a Snake Spirit. Lenti and the Dodds were asked if they were there to take the test of adulthood. The mushroom also remarked that Cut-Cut must be a Mantis Spirit, there to reclaim honor for her people, and wished her luck.
Lenti played along, but the Nokodama proclaimed Lenti too complicated to enter, stating a Nokodama must strive for simplicity. However, Dodd qualified if the two combined into one coherent individual. Lenti and Dodd agreed, and Dodd's fused form entered. Inside, Dodd was greeted by a spirit offering The Golden Riddle: "To walk the path, you must first Open your Mind to the Heavens to receive the Benefit." By touching glowing symbols for Open, Mind, Heaven, and Benefit in the correct order in the shrine, Dodd concluded the riddle. He was granted "adulthood" and better spiritual understanding, gaining the ability to see glowing spiritual runes above those declared "adults" in Obojima.
After entering the town, they found that only adults were allowed to participate in most functions, including commerce. Elyndra stole what she thought was money, only to find the notes were vouchers for goods. She and Phillip enjoyed a massive platter of delicious noodles. Many locals stopped to gawk at Cut-Cut, noting that a Mantis Spirit hadn't been seen in generations and wishing her luck on her challenge against Daimyo Ōmukade. They learned the Daimyo was the only one capable of defeating Ryūjin.
However, to issue the challenge, one had to be an adult Animal Spirit. Dodd did not qualify (and was classified as a “nature spirit.” Fortunately, they found a large Panda Shrine. The guardian admitted Bao Bao, saying she was ready. Inside, a panda spirit gave her a bamboo puzzle box containing a spirit apple. Bao Bao solved the box and ate the apple, gaining the Avatar of the Panda form and the status of adulthood.
Not long after, a Cricket Spirit approached the party. He told Cut-Cut that while she could challenge the Daimyo with Bao Bao's blessing, it would be best to do so as an adult. He revealed the existence of an abandoned Mantis Shrine in the old quarter. Cut-Cut ventured in and was greeted by an ancient, incorporeal Mantis Spirit. The spirit recognized her alien nature immediately but offered a deal: training in a timeless spirit realm in exchange for being carried with her. Cut-Cut agreed, gaining the Way of the Mantis. Although he couldn't grant her true adulthood, he manifested a symbol above her to let her pass. Crucially, he informed her that the Daimyo’s weakness was human saliva. This led to a humorous moment where Cut-Cut asked Adrian to spit on her knuckles before the fight, causing much confusion.
Cut-Cut issued a verbal challenge to Daimyo Ōmukade, who appeared in a red whirlwind as a large centipede spirit. The Daimyo accepted and nearly killed Cut-Cut in the first round. She managed a few hits but would have fallen if not for Bao Bao's stealthy psionic healing. The Daimyo was visibly confused by her resilience and doubly shocked when the "human venom" set in, leading to his defeat. Being an immortal legend, he promised to reappear in the morning. The party was taken to his palace by centipede spirits, where they were treated like royalty, given food, sake, and soft beds.
At sunrise, the Daimyo appeared, declaring the Mantis people's honor restored. He owed Cut-Cut a favor and agreed to help defeat Ryūjin. The party ascended the mountain to confront the Dragon Titan, initiating a battle that would rage on two planes of existence simultaneously. On the physical plane, the combat was cataclysmic. Ryūjin’s husk unleashed a breath weapon of pure sonic force that shattered the very stones of the mountain, while his claws and tail struck with the weight of an avalanche. Enik, true to his nature, immediately encased himself in his sanctuary field, observing the chaos with clinical detachment while the Daimyo and the GOATs weathered the storm.
Realizing that brute force against a Titan would take much longer than they could endure, the party shifted tactics to target the beast's agility. Elyndra unleashed a potent Wracking Ray, stripping away the dragon's grace, while Korloth utilized his own magical arsenal to further sap the creature's Dexterity. It was a race against time as the Titan’s physical might threatened to overwhelm them, but the debilitating magic took hold. Slowly, the titanic movements grew sluggish, the deadly strikes lost their precision, and finally, the great beast froze, paralyzed not by damage, but by the total erosion of its ability to move.
At that precise moment, the air shimmered next to the immobilized husk. Akemi emerged from her meditative state, her mission in the Dream World complete. She had guided the soul to the surface just as the body was rendered helpless. Seizing the opportunity, the party opened the Anubis Box. A vortex of spiritual energy erupted, pulling the reunited essence of the Dragon Titan into the magic vessel. Enik, lowering his barrier, stepped forward and released the stored souls of the Sleestaks from his crystals, allowing them to follow Ryūjin into the safety of the box.
As the magical energies dissipated and the dust settled, the party turned to thank their ally, only to find empty air. Daimyo Ōmukade had mysteriously vanished, leaving no trace of his departure. Enik, finally making himself useful, moved among the battered victors. He utilized his crystals to initiate a slow, intricate healing procedure, accelerating their natural regeneration as the session drew to a close.