Fallen Leaf: Part 88: Oasis Garden

In the Oasis Garden, a lush and mystical area of the Dreadlands, Thorn and her companions encounter a community of gnomes, each with distinct personalities and roles. Shoko proudly displays his hat, while Devexa seeks deeper conversation. Rubi, oddly fond of the Steely Scavengers, hints at a hidden Key Fragment #8 on a nearby platform. Notaris, the local shopkeeper, recognizes Thorn and offers a begrudging trade, while Trio defies the peaceful stereotype of gnomes, ready to confront any threat. Nara, fascinated by fragrances, is distracted by a mysterious shooting star, and Vepris, the mushroom expert, can share detailed lore about the garden’s anti-evil fungi. Beneath the garden lies a dark cave where Cesati, an older gnome, remembers Thorn as a “Child of the Sky” and invites her to honor the fallen. Among the graves is Alni, whose restless spirit longs for a Golden Mushroom from Ambrosia Forest. Cesati provides Thorn with a map leading to this forest, revealing it as the second hidden stage of the Dreadlands, and Thorn resolves to seek the mythical mushroom to appease Alni’s ghost.