A Job Offer From a Goddess

A single ray of golden sun beamed down through the thick canopy of the forest, landing gently on the face of a young sleeping woman. Her soft features looked almost angelic as the halo of sunlight illuminated them. At a passing glance, she looked human, but that was far from the case. Her skin was now a light shade of coral, her hair, midnight blue and as she finally opened her eyes, they were glowing golden pools of amber. She was a spirit, a being made to embody part of this world, deeply intertwined with its nature. Of course, she had just arrived in this world and was still unaware of this fact.

The girl sat up, rubbing their eyes, putting a hand up to block the sunbeam. As her vision adjusted, she let out a small gasp.

What the hell? What’s going on with my hand?

She thought as she examined her dainty pink fingers, flexing and stretching them. To the best of her recollection, her hand hadn’t looked like this just a few minutes ago. She hadn't been in a forest either for that matter.

The last thing I remember was getting fired then going over to Kevin’s. He gave me that crazy looking shroom. Am I tripping? It feels different though…

The girl looked around at the lush, primeval forest that surrounded her as more beams of sunlight poured through the canopy. It was thick with ferns, and the trees went so high into the sky, she couldn't see where they ended. The smell of soil and vegetation filled her nostrils with every breath. She could hear the distant calls of woodland creatures and the hammering of woodpecker beaks. The place was absolutely teeming with life.

It looks like some kind of rain forest..

The girl scratched her head in confusion and was surprised to find her hair much longer now as well. She touched her arms, her legs, her chest.

Wait a sec.. Am I a chick?!

This form was quite different from their original body in more ways than one. She stumbled to her feet in a panic and tried to lean against a moss covered tree, but it was too slick. Her hand slipped and she went sprawling back into the dirt face first.

“Son of a b****!”

As she picked herself back up, she came face to face with something she hadn’t seen in a very long time. A chanterelle mushroom. She hadn't seen one in the wild since she was a child. The golden yellow morsels had a rich buttery flavor that she used to enjoy quite a bit.

“Ooo, Score! I’ll save these for later!”

Easily distracted by her find, the young girl plucked a few of the mushrooms and scrambled back to her feet. She took a few steps and then noticed something very odd. Looking down at her hand, the mushrooms were no longer there and she could see the last yellow head being absorbed into her skin. She shrieked at the sight as she tried to wipe away the mushrooms but they’d already merged with her body.

“I must be having a bad trip!” She cried out in fear.

She gripped her trembling hand tightly as it tingled. A warm sensation began to wash over her and she felt the panic slowly subside as it was replaced with a sensation of fullness and vigor. The girl was surprised that she felt so good, like she’d just finished a very hearty meal. It was a very strange situation, but she chalked it up to some vivid hallucination.

The girl continued to walk through the forest at a slow meandering pace, admiring the splendor of the forest around her. There was beauty and life everywhere she looked. Small rabbits ran along the roots, as an eagle flew through the branches up above. She had to stop for a moment when she noticed an interesting creature. It looked like an elk, but it had thick armored skin like a pangolin and black antlers. She had never seen anything like it before. The creature examined her for a moment before lazily walking away. The girl waved goodbye and continued on her way as well.

A strange feeling began to permeate her body with each step. The more she walked, the more she felt it, in the soil, in the air. It felt like tiny little voices calling out, or maybe, tiny little threads sticking to her body all over, connecting her to her surroundings. It was a very hard thing for her to describe.

As she continued on, she came to a grove of trees that were all bowed, forming a tunnel of bark and moss that went on for quite a ways. The feeling seemed to pull her there and beckoned her to walk deeper in. She followed the instinct into the grove. The sunlight grew dimmer as she traveled but that didn't mean she was in darkness. She found herself surrounded by softly glowing lichen that grew all along the bent trees. The pale blue light it gave off reminded her of the moon. She was so caught up in the beauty of the sight that she didn't even notice the woman standing just a few feet away from her. The girl was startled when she finally did see the tall, radiant figure. Her skin was umber, the color of the night sky laden with stars and her hair looked like a storm cloud. Strips of gossamer silk covered her body but left much of her curvaceous form exposed. Everything about her screamed grace, elegance and power. The girl felt the pulling sensation moving her strongly toward the woman, as its source.

“I am glad you could make it. I’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.” The woman’s voice was like cool river water, soothing to the soul.

The girl spoke for the first time and was shocked at the sound of her new voice. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure where I am exactly. Do you know where I can find a road? I’m trying to get back into town.”

The woman’s expression changed to an inquisitive look. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “It took a considerable amount of mana to bring you to my world. Are you saying you’d like to leave?”

The girl tried to process what the woman had just said but was at a loss.

“You said ‘my world’? What do you mean by that exactly?” She asked.

“Well, I am the Goddess of this plane. I thought that was obvious but perhaps not.” The woman gestured to herself to indicate that she was clearly the standard for godhood.

“It’s quite different from your own world of course, but I feel like you’ll adjust quickly. People from your dimension tend to love magical worlds like this, isn't that right?”

“Magic?! Are you serious?!” The girl exclaimed. She couldn't hide the excitement in her voice. With all the fantasy novels she’d read, she’d always dreamed of leaving her mundane life behind and diving into a world of magical knights, wizards and adventure. This was the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Goddess chuckled and nodded. “You were hand picked by yours truly for a very important task.”

“No way! Am I the chosen hero, foretold by prophecy to slay the demon king and save the world? Or am I a plucky adventurer with an overpowered ability that will help me defeat the evil dragon that plagues the kingdom? How about an all powerful mage that must rule the world as the all powerful wizard emperor!” She practically foamed at the mouth as she thought of the possibilities.

I’m not sure what’s going on but who cares?! The details aren’t important! Magical adventure awaits!

The Goddess shook her head, her face serene and very serious. “I have given you the title of forest guardian. Your job is to protect and maintain the Seishin forest which we are currently standing in. There are many mortals that would love to strip this place of its resources and harm its creatures. You will act as their shield.”

The pink skinned girl wrinkled her nose slightly. It wasn’t the grand prophecy she’d been hoping for. She was hoping more so for a legendary hero role, not that of a park ranger.

“Ohh… Okay.” She muttered.

“Is something the matter? This is a great honor, I’ll have you know. I could always just send you back.” The Goddess threatened, a slight edge in her voice.

The girl threw out her hands hastily in protest. “No no not at all! This is great! I’m in a magical world and I don’t have to work my desk job anymore so no complaints here!” She paused for a moment.

“But umm, can you tell me what’s going on with my body? I look… very different.”

“Oh of course! As a forest guardian, you’ll need to be able to connect with the forest obviously. I gave you the form of a spirit to facilitate that connection, a mushroom spirit to be specific to match your skillset. Your magic should be fairly intuitive for you to use. As for the shape of your body, that I’m not entirely sure about. Your subconscious helped rebuild you into something you would like. That’s the most I can say confidently.”

“A mushroom spirit? I guess that makes sense. I was a mycology major after all. I probably know more about fungus than anyone I know, and they’re probably the closest thing to a ‘forest guardian’ back in my world. They help regulate all kinds of things.” The little spirit girl rubbed her chin thoughtfully, contemplating how her abilities might be put to use. The possibilities were truly endless.

“There’s just a couple of things we need to finalize before you can get started. First, you’ll need to choose a new name to suit your new life. What do you think would be best?” The Goddess asked.

The girl thought for a bit, searching for the perfect name. Something fancy but not too regal, and a name that meant something to her. She looked down once again at her hand. The vibrant pink skin reminded her of the color of coral fungus. She searched her memory for the latin name for it.

“Ramaria. That’s my new name.”

The Goddess smiled, pleased with the choice.

“Alright then Ramaria. The last thing is a little gift I have for you. Hold out your hand.”

Ramaria obeyed and the Goddess tapped her finger gently on the girl’s palm. A single bulbous blue mushroom sprouted instantly from the spot. It grew to about the size of a plum then suddenly popped. Ramaria yelped in surprise as a little blue tree frog burst forth and landed in her hand with a sticky splat. She was even more surprised when the creature spoke to her.

“Hi there! I’m Mogu! Ready for work, boss!”

“This little one is your familiar. He’ll help you tackle your new duties.” The goddess said as she turned to leave. She slowly began to fade away as she walked deeper into the grove.

“Wait! Can I call you if I need help?” Ramaria asked.

“Sorry, but I’ll be out of touch for a while, but Mogu will be able to answer any questions in my stead. Trust in your power and take care of each other!”

And with that, she was gone, leaving Ramaria, the new forest guardian alone with her new tree frog.