Force2reckon

  There. Was a lot to take in. And not just for Temate.

  “So let me get this straight. You toss your elders into pits and let them rot away to use for fertilizer in your Gardens. Those pits, filled with a mass of your dead and dying occasionally just... animate?” Toni gred at Tharoah.

  “Yes." It was a rather perfunctory response, but Tharoah's hooded gre told Temate she didn't appreciate the phrasing much. "The Leshy recycle the husks of forms no longer sustainable. Since a Leshy can’t leave its form until it reaches a certain state of damage or decay, some voluntarily enter the pit themselves. We-”

  “THAT’S INSANE! THAT’S CRUEL AND INSANE WHY THE FU-”

  Sm

  Not for the first time during her expnation Tharoah smmed her nce but into the floor, silencing the room. Another [Power] of some kind. Toni’s mouth shut in an instant.

  “As I was saying, it is important that we do it this way. Leshy who remain trapped in their forms too long will go mad regardless and often become violent and kill others. Rot and decay them from within. It is why they are called the Rot.” Tharoah sighed loudly.

  “It is better they all be in one spot, so we can observe them, and react before they reach a Garden, or worse a Nursery.” Tharoah’s face furrowed with more emotion than Temate had ever seen the woman make.

  “But still, there has to be-”

  “Toni.” Temate spoke firmly. “Enough.”

  Toni looked at Temate with wide eyes. “But it’s cruel! Temate, there has to be a better way.”

  “I can’t think of one, other than letting them Rot alone in a hole, with no one to speak to but themselves.” Temate looked at her, shaking his head slowly at the imagery. “And they’re not human nor do they think like us. I doubt they feel emotion like we do, or at least in the same way. Pipuck?”

  Pipuck’s head popped up from thought. “Aye, I can’t say I know much abou’ Leshy bu’ judgin’ their actions by your own morality is… Foolish. They are creatures of raw ideal, manifeste’ Life. For all you know, they are happy to do this an’ the madness this Ro’ brings is a resul’ of somethin’ we can’t understan’.”

  Temate nodded at that and, seeing Toni hang her head, put his hand on it.

  “I know Firestick, it’s not… Pleasant, but it’s how they do it.” He turned back to Tharoah. “So where do we come in?”

  Tharoah stared at Toni for a little longer, then replied. “The Rot has been growing more… active as of te, we have only 50 Wardens and with Goblin’s becoming more aggressive we’re spread thin.” She stood up and hopped around to stand before them.

  “The Grand Ceil has tasked you with purging the West Fallow. Laurel will guide you there, and you…” She pointed her nce, butt first, at Toni. “With your companions help, will purge it. With fire.”

  “Why us?” Toni asked her.

  “I do not know, what I do know is the Rot has left the Fallow and is affecting the environment. It killed a dozen Warden’s who went to deal with it, though they were fresh recruits. I was about to go with Laurel and a small unit myself but with your fmes and companions you should be more than capable.”

  “You must have some idea why that Fallow specifically, there are others that are problematic right now, correct?” Temate inquired.

  Tharoah nodded at that. “Correct, the West Fallow is one of the worst at the moment, but not by much. I assume the Grand Ceil has a reason, but I would not assume that reason.”

  “A guess though, come on you can do that right?” Toni asked, mimicking Thares big eyes from earlier.

  “Ugh, don’t do that, I get it enough from Thares.” Tharoah grimaced at Toni who continued to pout. Eventually she broke.

  “Fine. I would guess the Grand Ceil believes you will find your answer there, as well as help us in the process. Thus by proving your commitment, you also get your reward.” She gred at Toni who beamed at her.

  “Hmmm, maybe you are a softy.” Toni teased her a little. Tharoah growled and smmed her nce butt into the floor again.

  “Thares is my sister, of course I am kind to her. You are not of my kin or my duty. You are an outsider, do not expect the same treatment.” She gred, but Temate was starting to read the Laegor after watching Thares. There was a slight twitch to Tharoah’s ear that wasn’t purely annoyance, he thought.

  “Right, right. You’re just doing your duty, I get it. I still don’t forgive you about the stuff in the Grand Ceils chamber, but I suppose I get you a bit better now.” Toni remarked. Tharoah’s leg shifted slightly, apologetically? Interesting.

  Temate waited as he watched Tharoah consider something. As she began to speak, a loud chirping tone erupted from behind them.

  “Commandant Tharoah! Warden Laurel reporting as requested.” Laurel stood at the door, wearing a simple tunic and carrying an old acorn.

  “An hour te.” Tharoah remarked, looking up at the interruption.

  “I do beg your apology Commandant, I found the most delightful acorn, look see!” Laurel held the acorn up, proudly dispying it as if it were a grand relic. Tharoah raised an eye.

  “I do see. I’ll forgive it as it will aid in your [Powers], but remember promptness is priority.” Tharoah remarked. Laurel’s face fell and his tail twitched in disappointment.

  “Ah, thank you Commandant.” He acknowledged her reprimand.

  “I’ve just finished expining the situation to these four, who will be assisting you.” Tharoah motioned towards the party, Toni waved and smiled politely at the Squarel knight.

  “Ah! Indeed!? I do look forward to fighting alongside you- ah assuming we are fighting, yes?” Laurel looked to Tharoah who nodded.

  “West Fallow needs purging, it’s overflowing as well. You’ll be… In charge. You understand what that means, correct Warden Laurel?”

  Laurel saluted excitedly. “Yes ma’am! I will take full responsibility for their safety and the completion of our mission!”

  An hour ter, their bags retrieved – having been stowed in the Grand Ceils waiting chamber and forgotten in the flurry of activity – the group set off. Laurel took the lead, guiding them almost too quickly through the mangal. They had to shout to him more than once to slow down so they could catch their breath.

  Toni even seemed impressed by the Squarels speed and endurance. Almost offsetting her annoyance at his habit of disappearing into the boughs above. Though that only happened when he found some fascinating thing to add to his trove. Which actually happened fairly often.

  When they finally broke free of the mangal and back into the overgrown, mycelium burdened forest, it happened. Toni yawned loudly.

  “Oh god, what time is it?” Toni asked. “How… long have we been awake today? It’s been such a chaotic mess I lost track of time.”

  “Oh, the sun set a good while ago miss Toni.” Laurel answered brightly.

  “Really?!” She said, then yawned again. Temate stifled his own yawn.

  “I suppose sleep is in order. Laurel, is there a safe pce to camp here?” Temate asked the knight. Laurel looked around, then motioned.

  “Anywhere you feel comfortable, I am here to watch over you, so have no fear! I apologize for forgetting your people need rest!”

  “You not rest?” Surrender asked, slumping across Temate's head.

  “No? Why would I, I was empowered as a Warden, it wouldn’t do to be asleep if I’m needed would it?” Laurel replied confused.

  “Wait, so Warden’s don’t need sleep?” Toni yawned.

  Laurel perked up. “Well in fact, I am the only one who does not require it, other than the Leshy Wardens.”

  Toni’s brows furrowed. “But then...” She trailed off, visibly confused.

  “Drop it Toni, let’s set up and sleep.” Temate filled the silence. She just nodded at that, having stopped moving they all clearly felt the weight of the night on them. So they set up camp.

  The first thing Toni saw when she woke was a small white feathered form sitting on her chest. It tilted its head and hooted. Toni blinked, then screamed.

  “SNOWBALL! There you are, I was so worried!” She wrapped her arms around the owl which hooted indignantly. “Where did you go? You just vanished when we were running from the spores, I thought you’d been eaten!”

  The only response she got was a series of hoots she couldn’t interpret. Temate sleeping next to her woke and simply gred at the owl who gred right back at him. Ren cmbered up from beneath the bnkets, down by Temate’s waist.

  She’d taken to sleeping there every night, and seeing that, knowing how she slept at night, Toni blushed. She tried not to look at them as she examined the owl for injury. He was pristine as always, and seemed to enjoy her examination.

  Of course, she couldn’t ignore them forever, especially when a ‘good morning’ from Temate reminded her of her morning duties. Not that she was compining.

  Then they were on the road again… the trail? The trek? They weren’t really following anything but Laurel, the annoying Squarel - a proper noun she hadn't even caught but that Temate mentioned to her when she wondered about it out loud - who darted every which way. She didn’t see why Temate liked him so much, he was so… So… Y’know?

  But that quickly shot to the back of her mind when they arrived at their destination. Or rather the outskirts of their destination. Even Laurel stopped, looking devastated at the sight.

  The trees here were dead.

  As in all their needles fallen, rotting on the ground into a muddy mush. Their branches sagged, broken in pces and burdened with thick, bck ichor. The te morning sky shone through. Or it would, but a dark... cloud hung over the area. It was… eerie wasn’t half appropriate but it was the only word Toni could think of.

  Toni stared at the bck cloud. It looked less like a cloud and more like smoke, roiling and moving almost constantly. Not normal smoke either, bck toxic smoke, like what you'd get from burning pstic. Like what she got when smoking the spiders out. She didn't like it at all... Especially when she saw it did not spread naturally, it just hung over the space.

  There was no natural border, no gradient of life into death or vice versa. It just was alive, and then it wasn’t alive. Jarring and discordant amongst the vibrant ndscape as it was, Toni felt strangely excited.

  It felt like an adventure, one with moralistic concerns for her, but an adventure nonetheless. Traveling through magical woodnds, at the behest of an ancient magical being. Seeking out and destroying a festering wound in the world, it was exciting, even if it maybe shouldn’t be.

  But shouldn’t it?

  She really didn’t know, it was true that the Leshy were an entirely alien species, but it still didn’t sit right with her. Yet looking at this, she couldn’t deny the fact that something needed to be done. This Rot was killing the ndscape, and likely would do so unhindered until dealt with.

  “Hrmmm, this is indeed troubling.” Laurel muttered.

  “This is bad then?” Toni asked.

  Laurel nodded. “Yes, the Fallows are checked every couple months, as that’s about how long it takes for the Rot to become harmful, and we’ll see signs if it’ll be happening soon.”

  Toni nodded, Laurel seemed to be focused, serious about this. That was until he bolted up the nearest tree, abandoning them.

  “Laurel?!” Toni shouted after him. “Where the… Where is he going?”

  Temate sighed as she looked over at him then shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Toni grumbled and looked to Pipuck who was digging through their pack. She was about to ask what they were doing when-

  Thud

  Something heavy hit the ground at the edge of the Rot. She whirled, gun drawn and nearly fired before she saw who it was. There, in gleaming ruddy armor, with a floral crown as a helmet, was Laurel. In one hand he held the stem of a squash of some kind which shaped into a brutal looking hammer.

  The hammer was huge, a two hander of some kind, at least for Laurel. He sniffed the air and pnted the head of the hammer on the ground.

  “Alright aides! We go to battle, this will be brutal the Rot is seeping into the nd and we will be in danger from the moment we cross this boundary!” He smmed his hammers head into the ground for emphasis.

  “I recommend brutal, heavy strikes if you can manage it! If you see masses, aim for anything glowing as that is likely the driving spirit! Separate that and the mass will become inert, understood?!"

  Toni blinked, looking at the stern appearing knight before her. Was this… Laurel, really? She was about to comment when the Squarel turned to her, pointing a paw in her direction.

  “You! Restrict your fmes for absolute necessity or the heart understood? We don’t want a wild fire on hand!” He shouted and Toni snapped to attention despite herself.

  “Stick together, you see anything move, you kill it, anything still alive in there isn’t alive. Understand?” Laurel looked between each of them. Toni unholstered her gun and looked to Temate. His machete was in hand, she watched as he examined it, and focused. White bone grew carefully out from the handle and bde, extending it.

  She knew how his [Power] worked but it was still a marvel to see. Over the course of a second or two the machete became the core of a rger, heavier looking bde. A hand and a half sword of some kind, she didn't really know old fashioned weapons beyond things like the old chinese fire-nces and hand cannons. It looked vicious though, heavy and strong.

  Surrender sat on his shoulders, readying her cws. Ears twitching each direction as she examined the bckened dead forest before them. Pipuck took a swig from a… a waterskin? Where were they getting these things?! Pipuck saw her eyeing them and handed the skin to her.

  “Everyone shoul’ take a swig. You too Sir Laurel. Fairy concoction, made from some of those flowers we foun’.”

  Toni took it and eyed it suspiciously for only a second, then took a swig. In an instant her body filled with fire. She felt her muscles ripple and felt good. As in wrestle a bear good, she felt that strong right now. Though that was probably an overestimation of the effect.

  She handed the waterskin to Temate and commented. “Not sure it’s entirely useful for me, since I… ya know, shoot.”

  “And do magic.” Temate added as he passed the waterskin on.

  “Oh… yeah I guess I do that too huh?” Toni grinned abashedly, she honestly hadn’t thought about it, but it was what all her conjuring and throwing fire and metal was, wasn’t it?

  “Aye, it’s the same for me, bu’ strength does more than le’ you hi’ har’. Strength affects ‘ow quick you can move, an’ other things.” Pipuck took the fsk back from Laurel who beamed as he clenched his paws. Then to Toni’s surprise, Pipuck tipped some of the drink into Snowball’s mouth. The owl hooted gratefully.

  “Deep Roots! That’s pretty good stuff there!” Laurel remarked, ughing as he hefted his hammer easily off the ground. “Well, let’s move, and stay close together!”

  As they stepped forward towards the marsh, Toni had a thought.

  "Wait, hold up!"

  Force2reckon