The forest thinned as it gradually gave way to a clearing. At the heart of the clearing was a giant redwood surrounded by downed and rotting trees. Whoever had downed the trees hadn’t just down so to clear the land but had been dragging trunks from elsewhere into it.
The reason became evident as they stepped closer. Hundreds of mushrooms took root, climbing from the rotting trunks. The mushrooms' flesh was transparent, with a dim, ethereal blue glow emanating from their center. On closer inspection, veins could be seen beneath the transparent mushroom skin, illuminated by the blue glow, and the gills beneath their caps were an iridescent rainbow of greens and blues that looked more like they belonged to a fabulous sea creature than a mushroom.
“Those are grimcaps?” Ellie muttered in amazement, her eyes full and brightly captivated.
“Don’t let their pretty appearances fool you. They can be absolutely lethal if threatened. It requires a true master healer to save someone poisoned by their spores.”
“How can these things be part of the exam?” Kal questioned. “If they’re so toxic, they’re going to end up killing somebody.”
“While the list doesn’t actually mention anything like it did with the botflies and their wings being clipped, the examiners have done something to make these grimcaps safer. Remember, grimcaps aren’t a threat to civilization as demonic botflies are. Mentioning the proviso that the botflies had their wings clipped was likely to dim any potential panic that could arise from a threat to Morington. Grimcaps, on the other hand, are a semi-domesticated species. That doesn’t mean they’re any less dangerous, just that they aren’t about to go laying their larvae in the brains of unlucky peasants.”
Semi-domesticated probably wasn’t the right word to describe grimcaps. The creatures were as wild as could be and would undoubtedly kill a witless human wandering into their grove. They were, however, farmed via a combination of magic and great care.
“So, you think we should risk it then?” Arix said.
“We need to be cautious, but we didn’t come all this way to let another team snag the objective, did we?” Kal said. “First, we need to figure out where the lantern is and then come up with a plan to take it.”
“Kal’s right,” Vae said. “It’d be beyond reckless to pick a fight with these grimcaps before figuring out where that lantern is, even if the exam administrators have handicapped them somehow. Not only that, but with another team nearby, the last thing we want to do is accidentally draw the mushrooms away from their prize and give the other team an easy win.”
“What about your seeing spell, or whatever it is?” Ellie said.
“You mean my Farsight spell?” Vae said. “Yes, moody, I can employ it to see further into the grove. But it doesn’t help if I don’t have a line of sight.”
From where they stood, they could see plenty of mushrooms, but the rotting trunks obscured the base of the redwood and, presumably, the lantern.
Will-o’-the-Wisp Lanterns worked a little differently from most magical items. Instead of using glyphs to cast or enhance a spell, they used glyphs to imprison a magical creature called a Will-o’-the-Wisp, from which it drew its powers.
“Ugh—well, can’t we, like, get a better view?” Ellie said.
“We can,” Vae agreed. “What do you think, Kal?”
“Arix and Ellie, keep a keen eye on our surroundings and let us know if you spot anybody. Me and Vae will circle around the grove to see if we can spot the lantern. Ellie–”
“Yes?” Ellie crooked her head.
“Take the pouch,” Kal said, untying it from his belt. “If I get an opportunity to take the lantern, I’ll take it. But there’s always a chance the other team nearby will try to capitalize on it and attack me. Safer, you hold onto this.”
“Right,” Ellie nodded and secured the pouch to herself.
“Should we use a code word?” Arix said.
“Not a bad idea,” Vae agreed. “How about danger if you see the mushrooms moving toward us and magic if you spot another mage team?”
“You could have picked something less boring,” Arix grumbled.
“Come on, Arix,” Ellie said, turning toward a nearby tree planted among thick shrubbery. “Let’s find somewhere to hide.”
“Yeah,” Arix said with a disappointed slump.
“Alright, let’s do this,” Kal nodded at Vae. We’ll keep to the treeline and try to remain hidden as we circle around. Keep an eye out for the lantern. If we spot it, I’ll use my Swift Step. With any luck, we can be in and out before the mushrooms even realize what happened.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Vae said. “But I should remind you that it isn’t wise to underestimate those grimcaps. They might look like mindless monsters from here, but they can be quite relentless if they lock onto you.”
Kal still had the summoned leaf rolled up. It slowly drained his mana as he walked around with it, but since the drain was so light, he could just stop to meditate occasionally to top up whatever mana was lost.
“Well, luckily, I have this thing,” Kal said, tapping the leaf he had rolled up and shoved into his belt. “If they chase me, I’ll grab this bad boy and hop onto the river, making a stylish escape.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“You’re lucky they don’t swim, or at least I haven’t read of them doing so,” Vae said, tilting his head as he searched his memories. “I’ve never been the best at paying attention during botany lessons.”
Kal raised a brow. He remembered reading one of Daedrik’s monster manuals that had mentioned grimcaps, but it had been annoyingly short on details.
“Err—good enough,” Kal said.
Vae shrugged, “Alright.”
“What are you two waiting for?” Ellie called from behind the tree.
“We better not disappoint,” Kal grinned.
***
It took a good half hour to skirt around the grove without being seen by the grimcaps. The grove was hardly uniform, and the two of them constantly had to detour deeper into the surrounding woods to avoid grimcap sentries, causing further delays.
As they rounded the trunks and came into view of the redwood’s base, they realized that Vae’s assistance wasn’t really required. Kal could see the azure glow of the lantern as clear as day once at the base of the tree.
The lantern itself sat on a small podium at the camp's rear, pressed against the redwood like some kind of holy relic. A mountain of bones and skulls was scattered around the podium, and spiked poles were arranged around it, with animal corpses hanging from them.
“Do you think the grimcaps are praying to it or something?” Kal questioned.
“Perhaps. This specifically—certainly wasn’t mentioned in any of my lectures; however, I do remember one professor mentioning that many shroomanoid species worship decomposition. It could be something along those lines.”
“Decomposition?” Kal crooked his head in disgust.
“Yes. As simple as they are, shroomanoids seem to have some kind of understanding of how decomposing matter adds nutrients to the soil. That only explains the collection of corpses, though. I have no idea what it has to do with the lantern.”
“Maybe they like the light? Or perhaps they figured out how the magic works,” Kal mused.
“Doubtful. The hivemind might appear to have some degree of intelligence, but I believe it's singlemindedly bent on feeding itself. It’s more likely the government mages used a spell to subdue the grimcaps and place the lantern there. It may even have some kind of spell to hide its presence from the grimcaps that we can’t pick up on.”
“I don’t sense any mana coming from the lantern besides the Will-o’-the-Wisp itself. Wouldn’t we sense a spell like that?”
“Mage clerks get a bad rap for being mindless government bureaucrats. But there are plenty of powerful enough mages working for the government. Casting a spell kids can’t detect would be well within their capabilities.”
Kal realized that despite his best efforts to learn as much as he could, there was a gulf between what he could self-teach using Daedrik’s library and what a noble house provided its young scions.
Hmm, maybe I got a little overconfident with my knowledge of the world.
Vae was a constant harsh reminder that Daedrik’s library was missing a lot. Daedrik was neither a wealthy mage nor a noble. Kal would have to aim higher if he wanted to learn all the secrets this world possessed.
Even Vae, who was undoubtedly wealthy and from an influential family, wasn’t at the height of nobility. The few scions of Lyssia were people like that Astral Prince guy and were on a completely different level.
At that moment, Kal realized that his demonic core and Bloodline Traits might not be enough to set him apart from someone like that alone. He couldn’t rely on gifts. He would have to work harder if he wanted to reach the top.
“Well, we found it. You may as well head back to the others now—no need to risk being close to this place. Gather them up and create some distance. I’ll be able to find you.”
“Will do, Kal. And good luck. Remember what I said. Don’t underestimate these things.”
Kal nodded, and Vae turned to run off back to where Ellie and Arix were waiting.
Vae moved fast, but there was no point in taking unnecessary risks. Kal lowered himself and meditated. He figured he might as well ensure he had full mana while waiting. After about half an hour, he rose to his feet.
Okay, it’s go time—in and out without a second to spare.
Cracking his neck, Kal dashed foward. Engaging his core stats, Kal ran as fast as he could. He was no expert on grimcaps, but he was fairly certain he could outrun them with Swift Step. However, there was no need for draining mana until he was forced to.
The first grimcaps he passed were slow to react, their glowing gazes trailing behind Kal well after he had run by them.
Kal had already run past dozens of the walking mushrooms before they took chase and covered half the ground between him and the lantern.
A swarm of grimcaps was gathering, increasing in number every second it chased after Kal.
The grimcaps had been chasing him rather intelligently, just adding to the swarm, but a few had managed to figure out his trajectory and had moved to intercept before the lantern.
Reaching within a half-dozen yards of the lantern, Kal shot forward with Swift Step, dodging the lunging grimcaps like a seasoned running back and grabbing the lantern as he rolled into it. Two grimcaps turned to catch him, but another cast of Swift Step sent him shooting away and back into a sprint.
The swarm of mushrooms swung around with grimcaps that had failed to stop Kal from getting past, turning to join the mob as they charged after him.
More of the glowing mushrooms charged from his left and right, attempting to trap him in the swarm, but Kal simply cast Swift Step again as they neared, hurling himself past their flailing limbs as they dove for him.
A glance over his shoulder confirmed they hadn’t given up, but at least he was fairly confident they were all behind him now.
Kal let out a sigh of relief but didn’t ease up. It seemed that he was faster than them, relying on just his core stats. However, he didn’t know how persistent they were, and while his mana drain was manageable, he would run out eventually.
Nearing the river, he pulled the rolled-up leaf from his belt and waved it through the air as he ran, forcing it to unravel. Mid-sprint, he snatched up a decent stick and charged straight into the water, dropping the leaf down as if it were a board to surf and casting Swift Step once more to send him and the leaf skidding across the river’s surface.
That’s got to be enough distance. Kal turned his head and eyed the shoreline as the swarm of grimcaps reached it.
Dozens stopped by the water, glaring out across it at Kal, but a second later, several of the mushrooms began to ball themselves up into their caps. The grimcaps who didn’t ball themselves up picked up their comrades and hurled them into the river, sending them sailing across the water toward Kal.
At first, the little balled-up caps began to float harmlessly away as the river’s current pulled them.
Kal felt like scoffing at the futile attempt. His stick was no paddle, but at least it kept him sailing away from them as he rowed.
Then his jaw dropped. The mushrooms poked out their arms to their sides and began to paddle.
Okaaay, now that’s innovative.
Still, he had distance on them, and even though they were surprisingly fast, he still had mana remaining.
“Nice try, but that’s not gonna cut it,” Kal waved to the mushrooms with a confident grin. “Better luck next time—”
His words were cut short, and his gaze fell to the water around him. It had started to bubble.
“Ahh, that doesn’t look good,” he muttered and shook his head.
The bubbles were growing larger.
