Relief from the Light Part 5

-Shoggoth-

The next morning, Ruddy followed the two lumberjacks out of town, keeping hidden within the shadows, even if it felt like he was taking a step too far in Shoggoth’s territory with every moment he was concealed in the shadows.

The trees on the outside of the forest were thin, young, and small. Not good for chopping. So they had to go into the forest, stepping over raised roots, and through the underbrush and branches everywhere.

Ruddy did wonder why the city had lumberjacks if they haven’t been able to go into the forest in who knows how long.

“They mainly chop down and dissemble old wooden structures, and whatever flotsam and wagons they can get their hands on.” Shoggoth’s voice was, as always, both a whisper and a yell, both inside and out, both everywhere and nowhere.

Even if Ruddy was starting to get the hang of Shoggoth’s way of speaking, Ruddy still nearly jumped in surprise at their voice like a whisper in his ear and a yell in his head and a scream out his throat.

Instead of chastising the strange monster, Ruddy refocused on following the two lumberjacks, in case they needed saving.

Even he could feel the moment that Rose’s control over the forest reached them. The trees began to creak and crack, the wind seemed eerily still, and there was the feeling of being caught in someone else’s house, with your hand on the money pouch. Even the light in the sky began to be covered up by growing tree canopies.

“Do ya think it’ll work, bro?” The second brother said, axe in hand, constantly turning and swiveling his head around, looking for monsters to come up. His gaze repeatedly moved over Ruddy’s position, but never noticed him.

The first brother shrugged. “Well, it don’t hurt nothing to try.” He took a step forward, moving the hand holding his axe to his side as he cupped his left hand around his mouth, and took a deep breath.

“Help us, Shoggoth!”

His brother was quick to copy, dropping his axe to place both hands around his mouth.

“Guide us, Shoggoth!”

The two ‘prayers’ echoed through the forest, and everything went eerily silent. No ominous creaking. No whistling wind. And no overgrowing presence of an entity growing closer to intruders in its domain.

Then, everything inverted. The trees opened up to show the sun. The branches seemed to lift out of the way, and roots dug into the ground. Even the undergrowth no longer looked like brambles, but delicious berry bushes.

“Greetings, visitors. I see Knowledge guides your way.” Rose’s voice spoke up, as she slowly strutted out of the shadows and towards the two lumberjacks, who seemed caught off guard by the whole thing. “For those guided by Knowledge, what do you seek within my domain?”

The two brothers stood, slack-jawed at Rose, their weapons near forgotten. The sweet smell of berries and honey filled the air.

It was the second brother who spoke up first. “Uhm… well… we’re here for some of those trees… Miss… plant lady…” He sounded stupid, but at least he found his voice, unlike his brother.

Rose brought her hand to her mouth, and giggled. “Well, shall I guide you to a tree worthy of your devotion?”

The first brother snapped back to his senses, and took a step between Rose and his brother, axe raised defensively. “W-why should we trust you?! How do we know you won’t lead us into a trap?!”

Rose paused for a moment, her smile seeming a tad strained, but it was fixed in a moment. “Dearest visitors, I too am blessed by Knowledge. Through Shoggoth’s guidance, I have learned that not all mortals are dangerous to my home. But, as a gardener must preserve their garden from weeds, I too must maintain the health of my home. There are many trees that prohibit new growth within this world of mine. I merely wish for you to prune such trees. A fair trade, is it not?”

“C’mon brother, we prayed to that Shoggoth, and this is the response, right?! Let’s make sure we honor Shoggoth’s assistance!” The second brother nudged his sibling a bit forward, closer to the direction Rose was leading them. His axe was already strapped to his back.

The first brother grimaced, but let himself be pushed, his axe still in his hand as he kept an eye on Rose. “Fine, but I’m keeping an eye on you, lady.” He glared at her.

Ruddy followed the group, seemingly unnoticed by Rose as well.

And just as Rose said, there was a large thick tree deeper in the forest. The branches spread high and far, blocking light from reaching many of the nearby trees. The roots were so thick that they were threatening to uproot and tip over the other trees.

Ruddy kept on guard, ready to spring forward to save the lumberjacks if something happened. But despite their clear lack of practice for cutting down trees like this, they still managed to chop off many of the branches, and bring down the tree without harm.

But it was only due to Rose’s help that the tree landed at the perfect angle between two trees.

As the two lumberjacks began carrying their spoils out of the forest, once again being assisted by Rose to ensure an easy escape, she kept speaking.

“Please, tell your friends and neighbors to visit if they are in need. The path of Knowledge guides and aids us all.”

“Uh… will do… Lady…” The first brother said, still awkward, completely vulnerable as their arms were full with the log.

Yet no attack ever came. The two brothers left the forest to return to the city, and nothing bad happened. No threats. No danger. Just a transaction between the forest and the people of the city.

“This can’t keep going on forever.” Ruddy only spoke up when the lumberjacks had left his sight.

Rose hopped backwards with a squeal, trees already bending with sharp branches to strike the threat. “Oh! Ruddy, my apologies. I didn’t sense you, so far from my grove.” The trees snapped back into place with the cracking of wood. “What br-”

Ruddy took a few steps towards her, staring at her right in the eyes. “What happens when they just keep taking? One tree won’t last forever with how they’re planning on rebuilding. Can this forest support a city that just keeps taking and taking and taking wood? Now, it’s trees that are harming the growth of the forest? But what about next year? Or the year after that? As the city grows, so too will its needs. And this forest will be cut down slowly but steadily to build countless more houses. What will you do when this forest is at risk?”

She just stared at him, confused at this sudden outburst. But it was Shoggoth that spoke, in a tone that sounded perhaps a bit worried. “Ruddy…” There was a cold pressure on his shoulder, but he didn’t dare look. “They make their buildings out of clay and stone.”

Walking back to the city, embarrassed, Ruddy felt like he wanted to curl up into his cloak and hide. It was such an obvious statement, he felt like an idiot for not considering it.

But still, he didn’t like the idea of the abundant forest being taken advantage of.

He hated Shoggoth’s manipulation of the city.

He hated how they had to rely on Shoggoth.

“Oi! Priest! We could use some help over here!” A man called out to Ruddy as he walked back to the city.

Ruddy turned to face the man, a fisherman who had been struggling lately. He had put on some muscle thanks to the abundance of food, but fish have been extremely poor for years.

It wasn’t hard to see why. The water was nasty, yellow and brown and sometimes black with death. Whatever fish they caught was sickly, slimy, and unhealthy.

Fits with the legends. Of the Goddess of Water and her followers being the first to leave this city, in favor of the desert. A pure life with purer water. Scarce too. All to keep them loyal and obedient. Ruddy never understood how the other nations allowed such a thing.

But that kingdom wouldn’t help the people here now. The local fish had been devastated by over eager fishers centuries ago, and the population was either gone or ever struggling to return while starving farmers tried to feed their families.

Pollution too, filled the once great river that the city thrived on, and poured into the ocean.

“Perhaps, a prayer to Shoggoth will guide your rod.” Ruddy wasn’t told to say this, but he was feeling a mix of disbelief that anything could fix this ocean, and the desire to see Shoggoth fail at something for once.

To that end, Ruddy walked to the end of the longest pier, where many fishermen stood watching. He raised his staff up in the air, and made up some prayer. “Oh Shoggoth, please guide the rods of these hardworking folk. Please guide the fish to the nets. Please show your blessings to this community.”

It was just some words, said almost half-heartedly. Shoggoth wasn’t even speaking to him at the moment. It was all Ruddy. Perhaps Shoggoth wasn’t even here right now?

The fishermen just watched, one even praying softly to himself. It’s clear they didn’t expect much, but they were running out of options.

With the abundance of crops, a greater demand for meat was growing. And there were very few animals still around. Those that were would need a while to plump up, and that still didn’t account for how long it’ll take to get farm animals reproducing at a level that would allow regular meat harvesting.

So getting a good supply of meat was vital. Some tried hunting in the bushes outside the town. And some tried fishing the filthy ocean.

A few moments passed. There was no sign of anything coming. Ruddy felt… relieved, in a way. Even if it did ruin Shoggoth’s plans for followers, at least he got to feel like he got one-up on the entity.

It was only as Ruddy turned around, facing the farmers that were still waiting for something to happen, did some splashing sound from the water.

Followed by more splashing.

And more splashing.

Ruddy looked up, expecting rain. But the farmers yelled as they ran to the water, tossing aside their rods in favor of nets.

“Look at that, boys! We’s eating good tonight!” A farmer cried out with a laugh, going ankle deep in the disgusting water to pull in a net full of flopping fish.

The entire water around the pier was full of fish flopping. Many found themselves landing on the beach, or the docks. One landed right on Ruddy’s foot. A big fat tuna, thwacking its tail against him before trying to hop back into the ocean.

It wasn’t sick. It was only covered in the slightest layer of slime from just going through the dirty water.

“I think a fish stir fry tonight will be well-received.” Shoggoth finally spoke, its silver slit pupils sliding back into Ruddy’s shadow. It had no smile, but sounded proud, not smug.

“Way to go, mister Priest!” Fishermen cried out at him, many slapping his back with a laugh before hauling their catches back towards the city.

“That Shoggoth knows how to help!”

“To think I doubted Shoggoth. This is a miracle, plain and true!”

“Praise Shoggoth!”

“No other god would have done somethin’ like this for us!”

“If a prayer gets me eating like this every night, then consider me a religious man!”

That night, as the city gathered at tables, cheering and enjoying the taste of Shoggoth’s cooking, the smell of fish filled everyone’s noses.

Old recipes were dusted off, long since forgotten in the time it’s been since such a great haul.

Recipes passed around tables along with dishes accompanied by laughs and smiles. Everyone shared what they made with each other.

When the meal was done, several people stayed to help clean up.

And when it came time to thank Shoggoth, a lot more voices, many drunk from drink and atmosphere, cheered loudly for the god that was bringing them such prosperity.

The quiet minority was beginning to grow in numbers and voices.