Chapter 20

Part 1

It all happened in an instant, all my fault! Allowing my guard to become lax, immaturity, foolishness! Years of planning would mean nothing if such a simple blunder were to derail everything I’d worked for! Forgoing all of my precautions, though I felt all of that energy, a folly of great magnitude!

“Anesha!” The voice of Demica; she called for my attention! I nearly chased after Fate, however I was able to remain rational just then. Preparing to cast a spell, Fate launched his friends past me, narrowly escaping the torrent of rubble raining down overhead, and thus, disrupting my chant. I watched as Fate fell into the depths of that opening, barely managing to grab the large one, Teddy and Bramble as he was swallowed up by the floor!

“Ow! Fuck! What happened?” The younger brother of Demica, Perry, whined, but lived. Gazing over to the vagrant looking Chester, buried beneath the others, though seemingly fine, he checked on Demica and Erna. Admittedly, I was impressed with his show of resilience.

Hunger. Faint as it was, the eyes of ravenous beasts washed over my back, far beyond my sight, within that swamp. There was also something else…the energy I’d felt before, almost fading in and out, fleeting. How irksome, more than anything else! “Return to the vehicle!” I called to Chester, as he seemed the most rational at the time.

His confusion lasted for only a second, then quickly, he followed instruction! “You alright, Demica? Here, come on!” He assisted Demica in entering his large vehicle, then turned to help the others as well. Once they had filed in, Chester leaned out of the window. “Anesha, what’s going on?!”

“Silence! I need to focus!” The mana in the air, it was so thick I could feel the particles dancing on my skin. Murky and damp aromas filled my nostrils, not contributing to concentration; neither were the constant thoughts of Fate, Teddy and Bramble!

“What the hell is going on?!” Perry’s voice, I ignored.

“Perry, shush! She said to be quiet.” Demica’s voice, I tried to ignore.

“But Teddy and Fate might have gotten killed!” I failed to ignore that constant prattling!

“I said silence!” Losing control of my emotions, childish! “…focus…” I breathed in and breathed out…

“…Anesha…” A voice so familiar, yet one I was sure I’d never heard before resonated from within the depths of the swamp. The energy was fleeting, but again, that hunger overtook me, as if a being sprung forth from behind!

*Splash*

Noise from the water, a good distance away surprised me! Half submerged in the green, moss caked marsh, and shaded beneath the tree leaves, were two glowing yellow eyes staring at us. “Ignite!” I snapped my fingers, aiming to blast the creature to pieces!

My explosive magic had destroyed not only the area where the creature was, but part of the ground we sat upon, immediately sinking further down! “What was that?!” Chester called, though I had to ignore it. Whatever those eyes belonged to was sniffing around, hungry, and not alone.

Part 2

“Ughh…” I finally came to, with my back and head aching. Surrounded in near total darkness, I briefly had a panic attack until someone called my name.

“Fate! A-Are you o-okay?” Teddy’s face emerged from the black void, illuminated by the light of his phone! He carried Bramble in one arm, sitting down next to me on the cold and hard floor.

“I’m fi…Ow! OW! N-No I’m not!” My back, or my spine, I could tell something was out of place! “Fuck! Fuck! Aghhh!” Some bones and muscles rubbed against each other in places they were not meant to!

“W-What do I do?”

“Calm down, good boy.” Bramble’s face morphed into its old man shape. “The seed should help you recover soon.” The old dogman jumped down and looked off into the nothingness surrounding us. “It seems we’re in an odd situation. We fell for quite some time. Fortunately, we had a soft landing.” That fall was braced by my sturdy body. “The floor caved in and rubble is blocking off the ceiling. This seems like…some kind of tunnel.”

“I think you’re r-right Bramble. I-it’s probably a-a part of the fact-tory above.”

“…” The grimy walls were coated in mold, and rounded like a sewage system. Straining my neck, I peered around the area illuminated by Teddy’s phone light, but there wasn’t an exit in sight. “Once my back heals up, I could probably blast through the roof.” Light wasn’t able to reach the ceiling of rubble, making it seem impossibly high.

“P-Probably not a good i-idea. You could cause a c-cave in.” Point taken. Teddy sat back down next to me along with Bramble. “…S-Should we wait for you to heal…?”

“Yeah. Once my spine…relocates, we’ll try to find another way out. Maybe if we go further down the tunnel…”

“Hmm…young Fate, I’m not too sure Lady Anesha would approve. I’d imagine her instructions would be closer to remaining where we are until she comes along.”

“Wait, can’t you contact her?” A magic rarely used by Anesha and Bramble would allow us to communicate over long distances and would’ve been perfect to bust out in that situation.

“Lady Anesha, as it would seem, is busy in some way. Can you not use your cellular device?”

“N-No signal…” The walls were cavernous and thick. We were already out in the middle of nowhere, so service was crap.

Thus, we sat and waited…

Part 3

Chester, homely as he appeared, proved dependable. We returned to the town via his vehicle which showed an admiral level of reliance. “Sweet Jesus! What happened?!” Upon arriving, the oafish owner of the inn and his wife ran out to check on us. I stormed by, returning to our room, as I needed to prepare! Outside of my mage’s robes and hatless, I was far too vulnerable. Any attempts to contact Bramble while in the room were unable to reach him.

“Anesha…” The voice of my plaything, Erna, whispered from behind. I’d not even noticed her approaching as I was far more occupied with attempting to communicate with that old familiar. Though her voice often lacked emotion, a wavering in her cadence showed all the concern I expected. “Is…Fate alright…?”

“Fate is adequately trained and possesses enough power at this time to…to manage whatever I am sensing.” Slight doubt festered in my mind. Within the swamp lay an unknown threat, one I couldn’t pin down even with hours of scanning. A growing doubt, one which continued to build as I sat cross legged on the floor, attempting to reach Bramble, not proactively rescuing Fate, wracked me with anxiety! “…Listen here, you are not to go near the swamp! Make the others understand this as well. It is an order!” I stripped off all of my clothing, which must’ve embarrassed the rabbit like Erna. Her cheeks turned flush as she hid her face behind her hands; a mildly fascinating reaction, however, there was no time to focus on her. “Come!” I snapped my fingers, exuding mana to draw in my robes. They burst forth from the carrying case I’d acquired and wrapped my form! Mana surged through the stitches as the multiple sectioned pieces innerwove. Once donned, I called for my broom. It was some ways from the inn, however I could feel it approaching!

“…Should I…do anything else?” A dejected face. It was like looking at a small animal being neglected, nostalgic in more ways than one.

“…Retrieve my hat from beside the bed.” Erna did as instructed. The girl’s face lit up with a purple glow, illuminating her as it hummed, absorbing mana, coming to life. “You are to follow my orders. You have medical skills, no? I shall request them, should the need arise. For now, go and relay my message to Chester. Keep the eyes of the others away from this window, as I will be leaving from it.” To my left was the best exit possible. (I’d rather not explain my dress, nor my powers to those bumpkins. The window shall serve as my portal.)

“Right…” Off Erna’s little legs carried her. My broom finally appeared via the window. I stepped upon it and left, rushing toward Fate!

Part 4

“Ughh!” I stretched my back, sides, arms and legs. “Finally! That took way too long…Then again…I think I may have actually slipped a disc.” I chuckled openly, which Teddy and Bramble reacted to with unimpressed scowls. “Let’s move!”

“I would like to state again; I am opposed.” Bramble asserted, still cuddled up in Teddy’s arms, too lazy to walk on his own.

“Well…it’s not exactly your choice, is it?” Even with Teddy and Bramble nearby, my nyctophobia was acting up. “Bramble, do you smell anything or hear anything?”

“…Yes. Further down this shaft I can smell swamp water…but not hear anything of note.”

“Awesome! Come on then!” The tunnel was damp and slick with moss. Every step caused my sneakers to slide on the flooring; not helping that was the curvature of the cylindrical walls. “I guess this was an old sewage system or something.”

“P-Probably. The company that was here was a drug development c-company.” I was reminded of the research we’d conducted and pulled out my phone.

“I hope there aren’t residual chemicals down here.” An acidic stench permeated the air, making my skin crawl; heat, once again, boiled up in my chest too. It was like my heart was starting to catch fire! “Guh…h-hang on…I need a minute.” The burning sensation was one I’d felt before. Occasionally, the seed would produce heat so intense I’d break into a sweat, but at that moment it was overwhelming, the warmth may as well have been hot coal embedded in my collarbone! “Fuck…it’s so fucking hot…Bramble…can you do something?”

“The seed’s power? Sadly no. To believe that it would grow so powerful…my goodness. Young Teddy?”

“…It…so c-close now…Fate, you hear it now, r-right?!”

“…Dude…I can’t hear shit…right now…” The all-consuming pain drowned out Teddy. “Gi…guh…” Sweat rolled down my face, drenching my shirt as I doubled over, clawing at my chest for relief. Not since Anesha had cut into my neck had I felt such a searing heat! Bramble and Teddy spoke, but I was so absorbed in my own suffering that I hadn’t noticed until Bramble called out to me…

“Young Fate! Fate!” That Teddy, he had limped off down into the depths of the tunnel! “Young Teddy has taken leave of us! I fear something may be wrong…something very much magical!”

“What? What?!” The heat was subsiding, allowing me to stagger back up to my feet. “Teddy! Teddy!!” My voice reverberated off the thick, gunk plastered walls of the sewer, fading into the dark. “…Come on, Bramble. We need to find Teddy…”

“I do not believe that’s for-”

“You said something magical is going on, right? Anesha said she felt something was here…so…what if Teddy gets hurt? I won’t let that happen! Come on!”

Even with Bramble walking by my side, I couldn’t stave off the silence. My humming and talking to myself did little to help. Bramble’s claws scraping against grime on the floor was bringing me a bit of comfort, though the echoing pushed that relief away.

Cold, unending, silent, and desolate…even if it wasn’t, my mind dug itself into the deepest and most intensely preposterous hole of self-isolation and delusion. My own personal aura withered at the point of my fingertips, failing to pierce the nothingness secluding me. The seed, however, it burned. The sensation quickly went from an excruciating annoyance to my most powerful tether to reality, one I appreciated as Bramble and I trailed down the cavernous way.

“…Young Fate, this aria…?” It was low, but a sound…it crept into my ears from far beyond my view. “I’ve not heard such a melody before. This is very dangerous. Sound based magic…”

That was enough to knock me out of the slump! I grabbed the old dogman in my arms and darted down the sewer! I could feel the seed’s power begin kicking in once again, causing my skin to burn, my hair to grow gray and eyes to flare fiercely yellow! As the sound grew, so did my anxiety. Fire in my chest, sweat beads dripping down my skin, my nyctophobia, and fearing for Teddy’s safety; if not for the wind being forced into my face while sprinting, I would have vomited!

Finally, different scenery, but it was absolutely not the exit I had hoped for. I placed Bramble down and scanned the void-like chamber. Nothing but broken pillars running up to a mold-covered ceiling and a vast emptiness was before us. “Bramble, do you hear the singing anymore?” My chest began to constrict again, folding me over, forcing out strained breaths.

“Allow me, Young Fate.” A purple aura began to engulf the pudgy body of Bramble! He smiled warmly back at me, which was a surprise. “I may be nothing more than a familiar, but I pay enough attention to notice you weren’t faring well within this darkness. Once we retrieve Teddy, remind me to show you this technique.” His glow illuminated more of the room, pushing back the shadows considerably. “Hmm…I hear something else…footsteps. Directly ahead of us!” Bramble trotted into the dark, carried by his tiny legs moving roughly the speed of a brisk jog! I wandered behind, feeling some relief, until he suddenly stopped, which I missed why he did.

“Wahh!” Before I knew it, I was sliding down an incline on slick moss caking the stone ground! Just before hitting the floor, I leapt off and landed in the middle of a huge bowl like area. The walls curved up and expanded outward into a pit. “Holy crap, I could’ve got seriously hurt.”

“F-Fate?” I turned and noted Teddy, seated in the darkness.

“Teddy, holy shit! Thank God you’re alright!” I didn’t notice until I approached, but at Teddy’s back was a flower the size of a water jug! White fungi riddled the plant sprouting forth from a crack in the ground with a ghastly air surrounding it. “What’s that thing?” A long, winding root ran from the crack up to the ceiling. It was dark but I followed it with my eyes until…

“Young Fate, back away from there!” Bramble hollered, his voice just reaching us from on high!

An abrupt feeling of unease descended on my back like a cloak of dread, causing the hairs on my neck to stand on end! From the void above, a colossal creature fell, destroying the earth beneath its massive and imposing frame! If not for my sharpened senses and heightened physique, both Teddy and I would’ve been squashed! In the split second before it made contact with us, I’d grabbed Teddy and tugged him to the side, landing both of us a mere ten feet away!

As the dust faded, I readied myself. The visage of some enormous centaur like, disfigured monster loomed over us from within the dirt cloud. “Te-” Without a chance to even finish my warning, I was blasted off my feet and sent flying!

It felt like a car slid into my right side! A shock so devastating; I didn’t have a chance to right myself in the air and landed on the ground with a thud! My shoulder, ribs and hip had been jarred by the hit, but the unforgiving ground added my back and head to the list of things that immediately felt like shit. My mind cleared up after a momentary haze overtook me; once lucid, I realized I had already climbed back to my feet! Standing was painful, but then I noticed that Teddy was cowering in a corner of the pit as Bramble tumbled his chunky self down to my friend’s defense; with the monster closing in!

With all the strength in my damaged body, I dashed toward the gigantic, three fingered, vibrantly red hand, piercing the shadows cast over it, as it was poised to grab my friend! Just short of making contact with him, I stopped the hand in front of Teddy! Not until I’d wrapped my arms around the spongy appendage did I get a proper look at what I was about to fight!

A faceless monstrosity, at least three times more gargantuan than any elephant I’d seen, tilted a crimson, featureless, mushroom shaped head down toward me. Though I say featureless, it did have one disturbingly human part of its body; long black human hair sprouting from beneath the mushroom cap atop its head, like vines dangling from a tree! My feet once again left the ground, as I was lifted atop the tomato red arm of the monster! A mushroom stalk with roots turned into fingers, that was the squishy appendage I held onto tightly!

“Teddy, run!” Finally got out what I was trying to say! I jumped up, landing on the arm and ran toward the head, across its thick grass covered shoulders. My sneakers nearly slipped on the moist and rubbery skin, but I dug my heels in and pulled back, loaded up my fist and clenched as hard as possible! (Whatever this thing is…I’d better kill it with this!) I could feel the seed’s strength backing me, as much as I had ever felt before and punched that monster as if my life depended on it, because it did.

Only once my body had finished shaking from the force of my own attack, and my ears had recovered from the boom of the air exploding; did I realize the hadn’t flinched! Not even a modicum of damage could be seen on the creature.

Part 5

Putrid air rushed by my face, gliding above the swamp water with urgency! I could feel Fate’s mana building up, it was at such a degree, he was clearly in distress! I further straddled my broomstick, laying my chest down and grasping it, quickening my pace.

“…Anesha…” Again. The voice, so small, but strong even over rushing winds. “…Anesha…” More. “Anesha…” Clearer. “Anesha…Kyteler!”

“…” It was obvious by then. I recognize the voice, taking time to slow my broom to a stop. (…Hells…God, why have you forsaken me?) The mana surged again! Rapidly, the energy thickened and grew even more erratic. (Fate…) With my eyes closed, and heightening my senses, I attempted to trace the source of the voice calling my name. As my broom hovered above vile swamp water, the vivid stench mildly distracted me. (…I’m a fool. An utter fool. Allowing myself to be so distracted, being so lackadaisical!) My worst-case scenario, at that point, was likely realized. (I need to prioritize.)

“Anesha…Kyteler!” It called for me again. “Yggdrasil…” It called for the seed! Finding Fate was important, but what was more important?

(Fate comes first!) I resolved! I dropped back onto my broom and rocketed toward him! Retrieving Fate was my number one priority, not just to protect the seed, and him, but because that foreseen danger was inbound.

Part 6

For a minute, I thought I was mistaken. My fist made contact with the spongy surface of the monster’s stalk head, but there wasn’t any damage! (Shit! What now?!) Time moved slowly, my mind dragged out that second for minutes before I could to make another move! (Block? Block!) I put up my guard and prepared to intercept a hit from either side, but the creature simply shook its massive body, launching me airborne! I fell to the ground, just barely avoiding being crushed under the tree stump like hooves, and rolled away! (One punch didn’t work, how about…?) I laced my fingers, took the strongest stance possible, and made like I was swinging an axe, slamming both fists into the thick rubbery leg of the mushroom monster!

My hands sunk into its leg, feeling like cold spongy elastic, until exploding out of the other side, sending chunks everywhere! As the beast collapsed to one of its knees, I jumped away, thinking I’d escaped, but its surprisingly fast hand grasped me! I wasn’t even able to slide out before it suddenly squeezed me!

“Ah-guhaa!!” Words wouldn’t leave my mouth! Arms pinned against my ribs, and lifted off the ground, I couldn’t break free! (This is bad! This is bad!) That intense heat built up again, unlike before, I could pinpoint exactly where it was coming from, right beneath my collarbone. (I need to get out!) Squirming yielded no results, and my hands were totally trapped! Blood rushed to my head like a balloon, as the force closed in around my body. My bones must’ve been on the verge of breaking as the pain went from severe to near insufferable! Just as my consciousness started to fade, the grip suddenly lessened.

“Young Teddy, stop!” Bramble called, which my friend ignored. That warning was intended to stop Teddy who was down on one knee, running his fingers through the twisted white bud's bulbous petals, scraping off thick spores and damp clumps of black hair. A noticeable quiver radiated in the spongy palm surrounding me, loosening further.

Before I knew it, my back was breaking my fall! My eyes were graced with long reaching blackness, clinging to the numerous pillars, as what little light Bramble produced couldn’t reach the ceiling. (…Maybe I should just lay here…) Creeping into my mind were the usual self-doubt laced thoughts, but once again, my body was standing. (Guess I actually don’t want to die.) A hollow aria started, so low, yet growing in intensity. The origin was finally known, the bud!

Each fat petal slowly billowed as a tune followed the encroaching hymn. From beneath its white folds, twisted, mangy hair was puked out, sparkling with pollen glittering the strands. With Teddy’s gaze transfixed onto the singing plant, I turned mine back to the massive creature, that slowly reached for my friend! Every muscle in my calf exploded propelling me into a sprint toward the path of its hand! I blocked the rubbery flesh, the muscle fibers in my shoulders beginning to tear immediately, the earth cracking beneath my feet! Teddy intently watched the flower without breaking eye contact despite the looming danger overhead!

“Teddy…move, man! Bramble, get him out of here!” With all his might, Bramble attempted, and failed at dragging Teddy away! (What do I do?) The weight was beyond me by then already, with next to no strength left in my burning, heavy, legs and arms, the floor further buckled! (This was a mistake! I…shouldn’t have brought the others here!) I turned my eyes back to Bramble and pleaded with the old dogman. “Bramble…no matter what, get Teddy out of here! Even…if it kills me, move him!” Once again, with all he could muster, the familiar tried his best and failed at pulling my friend to safety! (…Damnit! Fine then…I need to use the seed! My body…what can I do? I need to rip this hand apart! I need to dig my fingers into its palm, tear it asunder!) That yielded nothing but pain! My nails quickly splintered and peeled away, pulling at the soft skin surrounding my fingertips; blood began to roll down my forearms, as the breaks in flesh continued to creep down each individual digit! (Come on! Dig deeper!) I finally managed to plunge my fingers deep into the palm of the monstrosity, then with every last ounce of remaining strength, tore the hand apart!

The song stopped as chucks of flesh were sent flying out across the dark arena! All that was left was a stump of red where the hand used to be. The mushroom monster stopped, as if its battery died, but then began moving again! My body was beaten and exhausted, but I prepared again for another attack, until an all too familiar aura overwhelmed me from behind…

“Welcome to the carnage…My Lady.” Bramble said humbly to the freshly arrived Anesha!

Part 7

“Now…vanquish those who oppose me! Vanguard, rise!” From atop her broom, Anesha stood with a fierce glare as sparks of light formed her chess piece familiars! The wireframes took up their energy spears, readying to unleash a torrent of magic, but Teddy suddenly got up and shouted!

“W-Wait, Anesha!” He started, surprising us all! “Sh-he doesn’t want to f-fight!”

“She?” Anesha responded quizzically, still with her fingers posed to snap and command her familiars to attack. “Explain yourself!”

“S-She was s-scared of Fate!” Teddy turned back around to the bud and stroked its petals softly. “She speaks r-really slow.”

“Teddy, are you saying you can talk with that thing?” With Anesha nearby, I could slowly begin to relax, knowing she’d likely be able to handle whatever we’d fight against. “Anesha…I was fighting this…mushroom thing.” I wanted to point but my arms were so heavy.

“…A Sporusis? Bramble, am I right to assume that’s what this is?” Oddly, Anesha didn’t seem fully confident in her knowledge of the creature.

“Hmm…now that you have brought that to light, My Lady, it may be! A Sporusis, in this day and age, to think I’d lay eyes on one!” Bramble spoke with an elated smiled across his mustached face. “Young Teddy, you can converse with this creature?”

“Y-Yes…no…I don’t know. I-It’s like I can understand it w-when I’m really close by. I-I can feel it.”

“…” Anesha’s face remained frozen.

I took the initiative and spoke up, hoping I wouldn’t be reprimanded by the clearly unamused witch. “You said it didn’t want to fight, then it attacked because it was afraid of me?” With that, my legs gave out and I fell back to the ground. I sat in the crater my feet had made, catching my breath.

Anesha waved her hand, dispelling the chess familiars. She descended to me, looking down, disappointed, I assumed. “Can you not stand?”

“Barely…” I reached out my hand and finally noticed my fingers had changed. Where there was once skin, and fingernails were hardened, white tree bark with roots running back into my skin! Like a set of talons, each finger had sharp sickle blades growing outward. I pushed up off of the ground back to an upright stance, wavering as I was. “So, does it just want us to leave?”

“N-No. S-She says she wants u-us to follow her.” With that, the massive body sprung to life again! The shredded stump was used to bring the monster as upright as possible, with its also destroyed leg.

“Sorry…Teddy, can you tell it I said sorry?” A bit of sympathy overcame me, despite the fact that I was also in pain from our battle.

“I-I don’t think she really feels pain.” The bud tail became uprooted from the concrete floor, showing a lengthy tail leading up the spine of the mushroom monstrosity. The Sporusis weakly climbed the side of the bowl, awaiting us at the top.

Teddy slowly followed suit, as I looked to Anesha who gathered Bramble’s fat body onto the broom and followed behind without losing eye contact, an air of caution about her. With my battered body, I ambled along with them.

Part 8

As we followed the Sporusis further into the dark depths of the caverns, it became apparent we were in an underground factory. Remnants of furniture lay strewn about and broken-down machinery, coated in either chemicals or mold, sat undisturbed. “Why do you endeavor to walk beside me?” Anesha asked. Obvious to me, but with Bramble being one of the only light sources, I needed him to stay calm.

“It’s hard to see is all…” That wasn’t totally a lie, but seeing as Teddy just followed the massive red body of the Sporusis without missing a step, I felt more pitiable. “Where exactly are we going, Teddy?”

“She said t-that she w-wants us to speak in person.” Again, Anesha noticeably frowned. Slowly overtaking the mixture of chemicals and damp smells was a sweet scent, distinctly familiar once it hit my nose.

After trudging through increasingly slick terrain, the monster stopped and left us to look upon a white wall. It suddenly collapsed like a puppet with its strings suddenly severed! The silence was discomforting. “So…Teddy, what’s next?” Everything began to rumble! My body vibrated as my sixth sense began to alert me. Not since meeting that warlock had a feeling of danger overtaken me to such a level! The ground ebbed as the wall before our eyes split open, or that’s what I thought, but in truth it was the maw of a fungus covered being!

White spores began to fill the room as a warm purple glow pushed away the shadows. Around us were mushroom stalks, taller than me, red as blood, and thinner than a pencil, reaching up as if trying to touch the ceiling. The mushroom monster began to move again, crawling its way into the maw, which slammed shut, squishing it into a greasy paste between its gnarly lips! “Ah!” Teddy exasperatedly gasped, but quickly calmed down. “I c-can still hear her…o-oh…ok.” Teddy turned to face us. “S-She says t-this is her true form.”

“What?” Taking in everything was difficult, even with what I’d experienced! To say I was confused wouldn’t have been an understatement!

“My knowledge of Sporusis is tenuous at best, however, I am to believe they exist as one when living within a colony.” Anesha elaborated, meaning that every one of the fungi around us were a hivemind of sorts. “…also meaning this is where I need end this.” Snapping her fingers, Anesha ignited a swirling fireball within her hand! “Ignite, purest flames!” As she reared back, ready to incinerate the wall and everything around us Teddy jumped into the line of fire! “Step aside, you fool! Sporusis do not think in the same way we do. This is a primal being that should’ve been eliminated millennia ago!”

“B-But she d-doesn’t want to hurt us!”

“It doesn’t think the same way you and I do; you fool! It’s a being that only knows of assimilation! If it’s allowed to continue existing, likely, the creature will consume the sum of the nearby town and become a thorn in my side in the future! Stomping out primal beings should be a duty of all those in this world.”

“Hang on you guys!” I couldn’t let any of that continue. “Anesha, could you please explain what’s going on? I’m so lost!”

“Honestly…I will make this quick, so listen attentively! Primal beings are creatures that have existed long before proper human record keeping. Our only knowledge is relegated to legends and what little documentation have been written of them from encounters throughout our time. As to why your friend can communicate with this Sporusis, is that somewhere within his bloodline someone was likely assimilated into a Sporusis, then went on to father children.”

“…You mean…Teddy has mushrooms in his blood?”

“That wouldn’t be the most absurd explanation, simpleminded as it is. It’s not uncommon to come across humans with primal being ancestry.”

“What?! You mean that some people…had sex with monsters?”

“Yes. Humans are a disgusting bunch. We magekin do not share such a taste for bestiality. Regardless, Teddy, you’re being fooled…moved aside so I ca-”

“S-She says there’s something else i-in the swamp you want, rig-ght!”

“…” Anesha stopped cold as the fire swirled in her palm.

“I-If you h-help her…stop her n-natural predator, th-then she’ll h-help you find what you’re looking for!”

“He…hehe…hahahah!” To mine and Teddy’s surprise Anesha threw back her head and cackled! “A-A monster, wishing to bargain, wishing to form a deal with me?! Laughable – no inconceivable! Do you honestly believe I cannot easily burn this filth alive and then scour the swamp to find it myself?”

“Uh…s-she says t-that’s true, but y-you probably w-want to f-find i-it as soon a-as possible before it finds you!”

“…” The flame faded slowly as Anesha lowered her hand. “Bramble.”

“Yes, My Lady. If I am to assume what you’re thinking, then yes. I can also sense it, very faintly, but it’s there. I am also to assume it cannot tell it’s us either.”

“What’s going on you two?!” All the riddles and half-speak was leaving me annoyed and confused, which had admittedly been my life for the last few months anyway.

“The Grand Witch’s Cabinet may have found us.”

End of chapter 20