The land of monsters

Spidaract drags Arthur and Asa to a cave after the battle, climbing the trunk of a dead mushroom to avoid the stench of ash and blood that still lingers in the forest air.

Spidaract crouches near the entrance, his back turned toward the sleeping figures of Arthur and Asa. He also brings a part of the burning mushroom in the encounter earlier as a fire source. The smell from it makes Spidaract shiver, even though the fire is warm enough not to feel cold.

Asa lies closest to the fire, still breathes steadily. Arthur rests beside her with bruises on his shoulder and one cheek swollen. Their clothes are damp from spores and sweat, but they are alive and don’t have many wounds.

That’s all that matters.

He picks up a blackened ant corpse with his lower limbs and cracks it open. Its innards steam faintly, bitter and rich in scent. It is one of the best meals Spidaract has ever had, even though it is just raw flesh.

He plans to feed it to Arthur and Asa when they wake.

But then…

Something shifts in the atmosphere.

Suddenly, Spidaract pauses mid-bite. His antennae twitch.

A feeling flows though his body. He smells something in the air, not the intimidation ability like the beetle, but still makes him uncomfortable. It is like he has to follow, or it will become a deadly mistake.

A scent of need.

A scent of someone…he has to save.

He places the ant carcass down, turns toward the cave entrance, and steps out into the glowing forest beyond.

The fire crackles behind him, casting flickers along the cave walls.

Night has fallen by the time Arthur’s eyes flutter open.

He blinks, groans, and pushes himself upright. His body aches and his throat is dry. The first thing he sees is the dying light of the fire, and the second is Asa, still unconscious, but generally still fine.

“Asa?” he calls.

She groans and presses a hand to her forehead. “I feel like Enger has justchit by a bat.”

Arthur crawls over, shakes her shoulder gently, then glances around.

“Where’s Spidaract?”

Asa sits up fully, brushing dust off herself. “I am no more aware than you.”

The fire snaps behind them, casting orange on the stone floor. Arthur stares at it, then grabs Asa’s hand to help her up.

“We need to find him.”

They step out into the glowing mushroom forest, into a soft fog that tastes like ash and sap.

Within seconds, a low hum begins.

Arthur freezes. “Do you hear that?”

Light glimmers between stalks.

Then it flies out.

A giant firefly, nearly one meters long, hovers low. Its light pulses, casting rhythmic flashes like a heartbeat. It doesn't seem to mind them being here and just wants to eat some mushrooms.

The pulsing light draws something out of him. He doesn’t know what it is, and doesn’t have time to figure it out either. But suddenly his hand moves without asking, using his crossbow aiming at the creature.

The bolt hits the underside of the firefly’s belly with a solid thud. A dull crack-pop, followed by a hiss of ruptured fluids.

The firefly jerks in pain. Its light flickers, then stops.

Then the air changes.

Hums rise all around them.

From every side, other fireflies appear, drawn by the call of their wounded kin. Their lights pulse like lanterns on a festival night.

“Run!” Arthur shouts, holding a confused Arthur’s hand and runs away.

They turn back toward the cave, but something’s wrong.

The fire is gone, and something is waiting inside.

Asa had snuffed it with a snap of her fingers the moment they stepped outside, hoping it wouldn’t draw attention.

Now, from the darkness behind them, something moves.

A tremor rolls through the ground.

A sharp hiss cuts through the trees.

Asa freezes.

From the mouth of the cave, a giant centipede slithers out. Its body is covered in overlapping plates, each the size of a shield. Its mandibles clack like the sound of a war drum. Its legs scrape against rock.

“Oh no,” Asa whispers.

The fireflies scatter as the centipede rears up.

Asa throws up a hand. The air around her warps, condensing into a barrier.

The centipede lunges.

The wall of air holds for a second, just a second, then shatters like glass.

Arthur snaps out of hallucination and grabs Asa’s wrist. “Move!”

They run.

The forest becomes a blur of motion and color.

Mushrooms tower above them, glowing with every hue. The fireflies give chase from the sky, lighting the way for the centipede that crashes behind them like a freight train.

Arthur stumbles, catches himself on a mushroom stalk. Asa pulls him upright.

“We can’t outrun it forever!”

“We’re not trying to!” Arthur pants. “We just need to hide!”

They then duck between thick roots and neon-tinted caps, enduring the mud underneath and the coughing from spores.

The sound of the centipede grows fainter.

The fireflies disappear one by one.

For now, they’re safe.

Arthur collapses into the roots of a mushroom, chest heaving. Asa slumps beside him, brushing hair from her eyes.

“What about Spidaract,” she asks.

Arthur looks up at the thick canopy of mushroom gills. He thinks about Spidaract’s quiet strength, his strange grace, and the fact that he always seems to fear hurting someone with his raw power. After all, he is the most capable one in the group when it comes to fighting.

“He should be fine,” Arthur says, already calculating the next steps.