1. To earn the Botany badge,
we need to identify and collect samplesCopy !req
2. of ten local plants.Copy !req
3. Here are your itineraries.Copy !req
4. Item one:
check the weather forecast.Copy !req
5. Hilda?Copy !req
6. Roger that.Copy !req
7. - This is Victoria Van GaleCopy !req
8. of the Greater Trolberg
Meteorological Bureau.Copy !req
9. On the west side of the city,Copy !req
10. expect those showers to continue
for approximately five seconds,Copy !req
11. followed by clear skies
through the weekend.Copy !req
12. Three, two, and one.Copy !req
13. That woman is amazingly accurate.Copy !req
14. Forecast acceptable.
Shall we?Copy !req
15. - Bye, Mum. We're heading to the park.
- Oh, I almost forgot.Copy !req
16. I made cucumber sandwiches
and peppermint iced tea for your trip.Copy !req
17. Oh, thank...Copy !req
18. you.Copy !req
19. Come on!
We're already falling behind schedule.Copy !req
20. I chose this area for maximum efficiency.Copy !req
21. All the plants we need
should be within this half acre.Copy !req
22. I found crab grass... and crab grass.Copy !req
23. And crab grass!Copy !req
24. We only need one, David.Copy !req
25. Dandelions, purple thistle.Copy !req
26. These are all just weeds.Copy !req
27. They fulfill the requirements.
That's what's important.Copy !req
28. Come on, earning these badges
isn't just about filling out paperwork.Copy !req
29. It's about having
new experiences, adventures.Copy !req
30. Why can't we look for a petaled manivore?Copy !req
31. Or a struggling snake vine?
Or...Copy !req
32. Oh! One of these?Copy !req
33. Because none of those are in the city,
especially not the blue nettle.Copy !req
34. - It's very rare.
- That's not true.Copy !req
35. I've seen one.Copy !req
36. What? That's impossible.Copy !req
37. No, seriously.
But Frida's right.Copy !req
38. We should probably leave it alone.Copy !req
39. It's haunted.Copy !req
40. You saw a ghost!Copy !req
41. Yes. Well, no. I heard one.
Several, really.Copy !req
42. They were talking about the weather.Copy !req
43. A rare flower, conversational ghosts.Copy !req
44. We have to investigate!Copy !req
45. Uh, we should really focus
on earning the badge.Copy !req
46. If we find a blue nettle,Copy !req
47. we won't just earn the badge,
we'll earn it with golden wings.Copy !req
48. Hmm.Copy !req
49. All right, I'm in.Copy !req
50. I would have never come here
on my own,Copy !req
51. but I was following
a very interesting rabbit.Copy !req
52. Look.Copy !req
53. And listen.Copy !req
54. - See? I told you.
- Come on.Copy !req
55. I'll wait here.Copy !req
56. That's nothing.Copy !req
57. It's probably just some sort
of weird echo—Copy !req
58. - Wait!Copy !req
59. - What? What is it?
- It isn't an echo or ghosts.Copy !req
60. It's elves.Copy !req
61. I don't see anything.Copy !req
62. That's because you haven't filled out
the proper paperwork.Copy !req
63. We came all this way.Copy !req
64. I'm not going to let
tiny, invisible men stop me.Copy !req
65. Careful! They look wild.Copy !req
66. What was that?Copy !req
67. Attack!Copy !req
68. Ow! I've been hit!Copy !req
69. They're attacking!Copy !req
70. I gathered.Copy !req
71. Defend the clan till your last breath!Copy !req
72. Run!Copy !req
73. Oh.Copy !req
74. Oh, hey. It's the rabbit I saw.Copy !req
75. Charge!Copy !req
76. Those aren't just rabbits.Copy !req
77. Ah!Copy !req
78. Oh, cruddlesticks.Copy !req
79. Uh, guys?Copy !req
80. We should have...
just stuck... to crab grass.Copy !req
81. Wait!Copy !req
82. - Where's David?
- We have to go back for him!Copy !req
83. Ow!Copy !req
84. You can't even see them.
We need to ask for help.Copy !req
85. You may have to fill out some forms.Copy !req
86. - Sign there, and there, and there.
- Oh, smudged it.Copy !req
87. You're sure it was elves?Copy !req
88. Positive.Copy !req
89. That seems impossible.Copy !req
90. I'm the only elf in Trolberg.Copy !req
91. Unless...Copy !req
92. Unless what? Oh, hello.Copy !req
93. There you are.Copy !req
94. That's what kidnapped David?Copy !req
95. S— Sort of. They were hairier.Copy !req
96. Unless you've discovered
the Lost Clan of the Northern Counties!Copy !req
97. Oh, this is fantastic news!Copy !req
98. - Finally, the contracts can be signed!
- Finally!Copy !req
99. - Wait. What's he talking about?
- I'm not actually sure.Copy !req
100. Alfur, what contract?Copy !req
101. Oh, it is a thrilling tale.Copy !req
102. Is it also a short tale?
They have our friend.Copy !req
103. Oh, right, yes. Of course.Copy !req
104. Well, I don't want
to deprive you of the drama,Copy !req
105. so I'll tell you on the way.Copy !req
106. - What do we do now?
- I don't know.Copy !req
107. We've never taken a human prisoner before.Copy !req
108. Do you think he knows
there's a bug in his hair?Copy !req
109. Hilda? Frida?Copy !req
110. Anybody?Copy !req
111. Our tale begins
in the time of the first elves.Copy !req
112. Two elf families met at dawn
on an ancient plot of land.Copy !req
113. Their purpose:
to execute a real estate contract.Copy !req
114. Wait, is this a story about paperwork?Copy !req
115. Oh, yes. Most elf legends are.Copy !req
116. The Aldric family
wished to buy a parcel of their land.Copy !req
117. And the Bragga family,
well, they wished to sell it.Copy !req
118. This was one of the oldest
and most valuable plots of landCopy !req
119. in all of elf-dom.Copy !req
120. The revisions were fierce.Copy !req
121. Clauses were included,
terms were terminated.Copy !req
122. The amendments alone took an entire day.Copy !req
123. Finally, many drafts later,
it was finished.Copy !req
124. A masterwork of mutual obligation.Copy !req
125. Both families signed in triplicate
and took it to the king for his approval.Copy !req
126. Then disaster struck.Copy !req
127. The king realized the Bragga, the sellers,
had only signed twice!Copy !req
128. - You're supposed to gasp now.Copy !req
129. Really? That's all?Copy !req
130. You don't understand!Copy !req
131. In those ancient days,Copy !req
132. it was treason to bring
an unfinished contract before the king.Copy !req
133. He exiled the Bragga family on the spot.Copy !req
134. With the contract technically unfinished,
the king declared the plot...Copy !req
135. No Elf's Land!Copy !req
136. It remains untouched,
neither bought nor sold, to this very day.Copy !req
137. The laws are much fairer now,
of course.Copy !req
138. If a Bragga signs this contract,
their exile will be over.Copy !req
139. But, unfortunately, nobody's been able
to find them for generations.Copy !req
140. And it's going to stay that way.Copy !req
141. - You were right. They are hairier.
- Let me talk to them.Copy !req
142. Hello!
I am Alfur of the Northern Counties.Copy !req
143. Are you the Lost Clan?Copy !req
144. - Hmm.Copy !req
145. Some call us that, yes.Copy !req
146. I am Bartell, leader of the Bragga family.Copy !req
147. - It's all right, Twig.Copy !req
148. Really? Oh, then I have fantastic news.Copy !req
149. Your exile is over!Copy !req
150. Oh, that's great.Copy !req
151. - That's great!
- Yes!Copy !req
152. - All you need to do is sign this contract.
No!Copy !req
153. After being exiled,
our family swore off paperwork forever.Copy !req
154. A Bragga will never sign another document,
not even a receipt.Copy !req
155. No paperwork?Copy !req
156. But... but how do you
keep track of everything?Copy !req
157. Of offers, of acceptance, of, of terms?Copy !req
158. Well, it's simple.Copy !req
159. We keep our word.
And when we don't, we enter combat!Copy !req
160. Yeah, come on!Copy !req
161. - Combat! Yeah!Copy !req
162. Aw! Adorable, yet fearsome.Copy !req
163. Please, it, it's just one signature.Copy !req
164. Hmm.Copy !req
165. What's your interest here?Copy !req
166. Oh, I'm just a good Samaritan,
trying to help where I can.Copy !req
167. No.Copy !req
168. It's more than that.Copy !req
169. You...Copy !req
170. You're an Aldric, aren't you?Copy !req
171. Uh... yes. Yes, I am.Copy !req
172. Alfur, your family
tried to buy No Elf's Land?Copy !req
173. They did, and thereby
are responsible for our exile.Copy !req
174. Well, that's hardly a fair interpretation.Copy !req
175. You must suffer for your family's crimes.Copy !req
176. There must be combat!Copy !req
177. You will not leave this land until you
take on all ten of our rabbit warriors,Copy !req
178. including Agnes.Copy !req
179. But I don't even know
how to ride a rabbit.Copy !req
180. - Hi, Agnes.
Don't worry, Alfur.Copy !req
181. Nobody takes our friend without a fight.Copy !req
182. Bring it on, you bunnies.Copy !req
183. Hold on!
Everybody calm down.Copy !req
184. Contracts always have loopholes.
There must be another solution.Copy !req
185. Give us a day.Copy !req
186. Let us see if we can find a solution
that makes everybody happy.Copy !req
187. Hmm...Copy !req
188. Your offer is acceptable.Copy !req
189. Also, if we succeed,
we want the blue nettle.Copy !req
190. Just, just a clipping.Copy !req
191. Fine.Copy !req
192. But we're holding on to the boy
to make sure you all come back.Copy !req
193. That's all right with me.Copy !req
194. I imagine it will be safer
than whatever you end up getting into.Copy !req
195. I'll just stay here
with the invisible ant men.Copy !req
196. We are not ant men!Copy !req
197. Um, if you want,
I could make you visible to him.Copy !req
198. - It just takes a bit of paperwork.
No!Copy !req
199. Never mind.Copy !req
200. You elves are thorough, aren't you?Copy !req
201. Mm.Copy !req
202. What are you all doing?
I thought you were out looking for plants.Copy !req
203. We were.Copy !req
204. But now it seems we're reviewing
a miniature contract for loopholes.Copy !req
205. Ah, I see.Copy !req
206. Oh! How about this?Copy !req
207. "An elf contract is null and void
if destroyed by the fire of a lindworm."Copy !req
208. So we need to find a lindworm.Copy !req
209. - Now that's an adventure!
- Mm-mm.Copy !req
210. They put that clause in every contract.Copy !req
211. It doesn't actually mean anything.Copy !req
212. Lindworms are very rare
and very paperwork averse.Copy !req
213. - Heh, it's like saying, "When cows fly."
- You mean pigs.Copy !req
214. Oh, no. That happens
with some regularity.Copy !req
215. Do we have any better ideas?Copy !req
216. So, where do we start looking
for a lindworm?Copy !req
217. I kind of hoped we'd be setting out
into a deep, dark forest.Copy !req
218. The library
is a forest for the imagination.Copy !req
219. And research,
the greatest adventure of them all.Copy !req
220. I like him.Copy !req
221. Found it!Copy !req
222. Habitats and Hideouts,
volume 27, section 3.Copy !req
223. I love a good subject-based
classification system.Copy !req
224. "Lindworms are notoriously
antisocial creaturesCopy !req
225. and most fled
during the construction of the city.Copy !req
226. At last report, only one lair remained
in all of Trolberg."Copy !req
227. Well, where is it?Copy !req
228. According to the key,
the lair should be right here.Copy !req
229. - The lindworm lives under water?
- Uh, well, not exactly.Copy !req
230. We could swim it.Copy !req
231. Wait. I may have a solution.Copy !req
232. - I need a conch shell and a tide chart.
Here.Copy !req
233. There's one in the Sparrow Scout's Guide.Copy !req
234. All right, let's see.Copy !req
235. High tide at dusk. Very good!Copy !req
236. Would, would you mind?
Sorry. Tiny lungs.Copy !req
237. Give it kind of a "ooo-eee-whah."Copy !req
238. What exactly am I looking for?Copy !req
239. - Ah!Copy !req
240. Whoa!Copy !req
241. It's a water spirit!Copy !req
242. We were hoping you could give us a ride
to that island out there.Copy !req
243. It's okay, Twig.Copy !req
244. - We'll be back soon.Copy !req
245. So, tell me, what do you...Copy !req
246. What do— What do you usually do
when you're a hostage, eh?Copy !req
247. - This is actually my first time.
- Oh, ours, too. Ours, too.Copy !req
248. Also, I'm over here.Copy !req
249. Eh, did you know there's a bug
in your hair?Copy !req
250. All right, according to the book,
signs of a lindworm lairCopy !req
251. include disturbed foliage,
overturned earth...Copy !req
252. And high plumes of smoke?Copy !req
253. Yes, exactly.
How did you...?Copy !req
254. Oh.Copy !req
255. It's a garden.Copy !req
256. Come on.Copy !req
257. Whoa! Look at the flora!Copy !req
258. Whoa, I think this might be
a petaled manivore.Copy !req
259. - What?Copy !req
260. Whoa!Copy !req
261. That's a lindworm?Copy !req
262. Yes. What were you expecting?Copy !req
263. - A worm.
- Look.Copy !req
264. Its nostrils.Copy !req
265. This is perfect.
We don't even have to wake it up.Copy !req
266. We can just hold the contract
in front of its nose and, poof,Copy !req
267. problem solved.Copy !req
268. Do you really think this is a good idea?Copy !req
269. It feels a tad dangerous.Copy !req
270. It won't take a second. Just watch.Copy !req
271. For No Elf's Land.Copy !req
272. Come on.Copy !req
273. Why are you sneaking up on me
in my sleep?Copy !req
274. Uh, sorry.
We were just—Copy !req
275. Oh, of course, another elf
looking to get out of a contract.Copy !req
276. What is it this time?Copy !req
277. Short-term lease?Copy !req
278. Non-disclosure agreement?Copy !req
279. We just wanted a puff of fire.Copy !req
280. Well, I'm tired of giving away
my drake-given talents for free.Copy !req
281. Maybe if I devour you lot,
everyone will finally get the message.Copy !req
282. Um...Copy !req
283. Who said anything about free?Copy !req
284. Excuse me?Copy !req
285. We're not here to mooch.Copy !req
286. In fact, we're very eager
to draw up an arrangementCopy !req
287. that would be acceptable to both parties.Copy !req
288. What could you possibly have
that would be of interest to me?Copy !req
289. Uh, well, um...Copy !req
290. Hilda?Copy !req
291. Oh. Um...Copy !req
292. Plants!Copy !req
293. I'm sorry?Copy !req
294. I gather you have a bit
of a, excuse the joke, green thumb.Copy !req
295. It's true.
I'm not interested in the googawsCopy !req
296. the younger, flashier dragon crowd
goes in for.Copy !req
297. I prefer the real treasures of the earth.Copy !req
298. So do we.Copy !req
299. In fact, we spent the entire morningCopy !req
300. collecting
some unique, very exciting samples.Copy !req
301. Isn't that right?Copy !req
302. "Exciting" is a strong word.Copy !req
303. Frida, show her.Copy !req
304. Crab grass? Dandelions?
Purple thistle?Copy !req
305. I've been trying to get my hands
on some good urban flora for years now.Copy !req
306. I haven't been able to muster up
the energy to go back into the city.Copy !req
307. My social anxiety is just awful.Copy !req
308. Would you part
with these exquisite specimens?Copy !req
309. I'd be more than willing
to burn your contract in return.Copy !req
310. And not devour us?Copy !req
311. Oh... I suppose.Copy !req
312. Can we get that in writing?Copy !req
313. Sign here, and here, and here.Copy !req
314. Very nice. Thank you.Copy !req
315. Right! We're all set.Copy !req
316. See? All the best legends
involve paperwork.Copy !req
317. David, we're back!Copy !req
318. I'm so sorry it took so long.Copy !req
319. Are you okay?Copy !req
320. Bartell did it.Copy !req
321. It's to keep the bugs out.Copy !req
322. You know, David is quite the young man.Copy !req
323. He has set the bar very high
for future hostages.Copy !req
324. Now, let me guess.Copy !req
325. You have failed to break the contract
and have returned for combat!Copy !req
326. No! Very much the opposite.Copy !req
327. That glow.Copy !req
328. Lindworm flame?Copy !req
329. Mm-hmm. The contract is broken.Copy !req
330. Your exile is over!Copy !req
331. You can finally leave this place
and move into No Elf's Land.Copy !req
332. Oh.Copy !req
333. "Oh"?
What do you mean, "Oh"?Copy !req
334. Well, uh, we were so angry
about being exiled,Copy !req
335. we never thought about
actually leaving this place.Copy !req
336. - The wall is our home.
- But what about No Elf's Land?Copy !req
337. I don't know.Copy !req
338. Do you still want it?Copy !req
339. Really? You'd cede
your ownership rights just like that?Copy !req
340. No contract, no lease, no anything?Copy !req
341. Well, we have our own way
of sealing deals.Copy !req
342. Oh.Copy !req
343. Good.Copy !req
344. You're right, Bartell.
This is way better than paperwork.Copy !req
345. It is quite the spectacle.Copy !req
346. Is it okay if I have seconds?Copy !req
347. We'll have to recollect
all new samples tomorrow.Copy !req
348. But wasn't that worth it today?Copy !req
349. A day in which we were attacked by elves,Copy !req
350. carried by a water spirit,
and almost eaten by a dragon?Copy !req
351. Yeah, I guess it was.Copy !req
352. Oh, oh, Agnes is up.Copy !req
353. Whoa! Ow!Copy !req
354. Alfur, a toast.Copy !req
355. To contracts!Copy !req
356. To contracts!Copy !req
357. To contracts!Copy !req
358. Yeah!Copy !req