Soft soil, humid air, and the sound of metallic armour filled the Eastern jungle. High above the ground in the thick of the branches a single Denirog looked down at the human invaders. They leant from their spot, and gripped tightly against the bark of the tree, when they felt as if they were far enough away, they leaped from their tree to the next. Watching for a reaction they waited, leaping again once they were certain they would not be caught. Their strong legs had no issue propelling themselves into full air born locomotion. Their light frame made next to no impact whenever they landed, and their spotted brown skin blended effortlessly into each tree, it helped that it shifted like a Rorschach test until it was as close to a perfect match as possible. They bound through the trees above the humans until they could predict their movements, at that point they moved ahead, rising high into the tree line they strayed from the human’s ability to spot them, hiding deep into the thick canopy. “Did you hear that sir?” One of the soldiers asked. The captain looked around the jungle, listening to all the sounds that it had to offer. “I hear a lot, we are in a jungle. You are going to have to be more specific.” The recruit looked up the trees that surrounded them, his eyes squinting as small pieces of leaf and bark fell into his eyes. “I could have sworn that I heard something, like an impact.” “Again, this is a jungle, we are not in the plains anymore. There is a lot of wildlife out here, many species that could probably snap branches, or travel fast enough to, impact a tree loud enough to be heard. So please just walk Kraker.” “Yes, sir.” Kraker answered as he looked around the vibrant greens and browns of the jungle. There were snide remarks made at the back of the marching troupe that were made loud enough for Kraker to hear. He lowered his head in shame as he picked out words, and laughter from the back. The captain took off his helmet to wipe the sweat from his head, starting at his brow he slid his hand back, his short head hairs flung the sweat from him as he wiped the bulk of it to the back of his neck. “I hate this place, far too humid for any smart creature to choose to live here.” The captain stopped marching and turned back to his men. “We are going to make camp here, if we go any further we risk stepping into Denirog territory, and I don’t feel like explaining to them why we are here, they can be… weird about things.” The Captain rolled his eyes at his own words as he looked around. He sloshed his feet in the mud as looked around their surroundings. “We will head just up there.” He said pointing to a small rise only a few metres away. “Hopefully be less mud. We will set up camp, we can continue looking tomorrow.” The group started to spread out and work at setting up the camp. Kraker pulled out a small hatchet and started to walk around the small trees, hacking off thin limbs, and snapping the dead ones off whatever tree had them, he had wandered a short walk from the others but was aware of his space. But the gap felt much larger when he heard a sudden rustle in the woods that stopped when he faced it. “Hello? We should probably head back.” He said with a slight croak in his throat. He squinted at the bush, and was about to step closer to it when the bush behind him started to shake. He spun around, and once again the shaking stopped once he was looking at it. He started to step towards his camp, slowly, and purposeful with each step. While his hands were full of snapped and hacked branches his mind was aware to how long it would take him to draw his sword, or his hatchet. He watched as more of the bushes shook, and for longer. “Guys we have company.” He whispered. The bushes shook violently all at once and he turned tail, dropping the dry branches he had collected into the mud he tripped and ran back to camp. “Company, there is something big coming.” He yelled as he tripped over an arching root, landing face down in the mud. He panicked as he turned and drew his hatchet, wiping the mud from his eyes he watched as a small group of three of the other guards were laughing as they walked towards him. “You are too easy Kraker. Like a babe.” “Attention!” The Captain screamed. The three men stood to attention instantly, Kraker spat the mud from his mouth as he stood to attention. Trying to ignore the slow trickle of water that was rolling into his eyes. “You three, you are on fire wood duty since I see your little stunt has ruined the wood that Kraker has gathered. Then you three will be guard duty tonight.” “Wait, all night? You can’t force us to stay up all night for one prank.” “Listen here Uop, this is not just one prank. This is a mess of annoying behaviour. This is your fellow soldier, pranks are fun at base camp, and when everyone is on board. Kraker is a good soldier, a little skittish bitch, but a good soldier. As are all of you, so you better start treating each other with respect, otherwise you might find the rest of this mission to be rather difficult. “ The Captain was just stepping away, giving Kraker the time to wipe the mud off his eyes before the Captain turned back. “Oh and another thing. You won’t all be on guard together. You will be doing one shift each.” “Alone?” Uop asked “Alone. Now get to work.” Uop spat at the ground and scrunched up his face, he walked over to Kraker and outstretched a hand. “I’m sorry, just stressed, trying to blow steam.” He mumbled under his breath so it was hard to hear. Kraker took his hand and shook it. “Don’t let the captain find out, but your hatchet is missing.” Uop looked down patting down the other parts of his armour. “Take this,” Kraker said as he handed over his own. Uop grabbed it, but Kraker did not let it go. “Now listen here, I respect you are scared, I am too. But if you cause me any shit from here on in, there will be carnage. Got it?” Uop nodded, and Kraker let go of his hatchet and wandered off to clean up. Uop juggled the handle of the hatchet in his hand a few times as he watched Kraker walk away, before turning to find more wood for the fire. Once the party had prepared themselves for the night, they sat down around a fire and took time to rest. They took out their rations and began to eat, finally having the freedom to slouch, and become comfortable. Most were willing to sit on the damp ground and allow their legs and clothes to get wet, and assaulted by bugs. While no one would say it, their bodies ached, and their skin felt slick from the humid atmosphere, promoting people to sweat and drink in excess. Meanwhile overhead they were being watched with keen eyes. A small gathering of Denirog’s stood in the trees, hanging from branches they lowered their ears holes to angle toward the camp, listening keenly to the captain in particular. He sat alone, coveting over a map, and a journal with notes. “There is no way we can find our charge out here.” The Captain looked around the dense bush with concern. “I can barely see in front of my own feet in this place. How are we expected to find this temple?” He asked himself rhetorically. Scratching at his head he watched as his short hair flung the sweat from his head, coming down like a fine mist over his work. He grunted and wiped his map when the calls from one of his men caught his ear. “To arms!” The Captain spun on the spot, leaving his map behind he grabbed his helmet and drew his spear that sat next to him. Running the short distance back to his men he joined formation. They stood in a circle with their weapons aimed outwards, creating a small circle of safety. “What do we have men?” “Movement, fast, circling the camp.” “Is it the Tuatran we have been chasing?” “Unknown sir. But it feels too fast to be one of them.” The Captains eye was pulled to part of the jungle as he noticed the sign of sudden movement. “Fast is an understatement. Be ready men, they could strike from anywhere.” Their bodies were poised, and they were ready to strike when suddenly the tree line was breached by slow moving Denirogs, calmly stepping into view of the humans. Not only were they surrounded, they were outnumbered, from high above in the canopy more Denirog dropped to the ground, filling out their ranks. They all had simple wooden staves in their hands, but stood with no intent to cause harm to the humans. The Captain judged the situation and lowered his spear, stepping forward. “Who are we talking with?” He asked, his eyes darting around for a leader. “You, captain Otto, are talking with my tribe.” The Captain turned to see a Denirog holding his map, and going over his journal. “How do you know me?” The Captain asked. “Oh it was simple, your name is written on this note for your orders.” The Denirog holding the map stopped, lowering his hands to his side he bowed slightly. “I am Hyla, it is a pleasure to meet you all.” The Captain dropped his spear and mimicked the same action. “It is good to meet you Hyla, as you know I am Otto, the captain of this platoon. We have been sent into your territory to find a Tuatran temple that has been sending zealots out to harm our towns in the neighbouring region.” Hyla looked over the squad, calmly he walked over to Otto and handed over the map and journal. Towering well over Otto, although his form was not threatening, the size difference was enough to put Otto at unease. “Answer me please Otto, I would like honesty.” “Of course, nothing but.” “Do you intend to destroy our jungle? “No sir.” “Do you intend to hurt my people?” “No, of course not.” Otto looked back to his men and gestured for them to lower their arms. “I apologise, they are not used to the Deni, they are on edge.” “Do you intend to kill animals here for the sake of killing?” “No, no hunting will happen in your jungle, the only killing will be for food, or the Tuatran when we come across them.” Hyla looked around to his people, turning his head from Otto. “If you are being truthful, and I think you are, then this is not our territory.” He said gesturing to his people. “It is all of our land.” He said gesturing to the humans as well as the Denirogs. “We know of the temple you search for, we have had our eyes on it, but had seen no sign of concern. We were unaware of the raids they were committing. We assume in the name of a god?” “Actually, sort of no. The god they worship does not exist, it is Tentra, who we all know was slain by their sisters. So their faith is not only misplaced, but it is hurting our people, we are here to stop it.” “This is very troubling, death for the sake of death is never justified. We will help you to rid these lands of the misguided, we …

Deep into a cave system beneath the planet surface of Dolor, two individuals wandered by the soft, flickering, orange light of their lanterns. It cast shadows across the walls of the caves, they shifted as they moved between the tall stalagmites, ancient, and strong with time. The pale stone was grey, layered and woven with variations of the same colour. The two figures were heavily robed, wrapped from head to toe, their eyes were even protected by strange goggles. “Derio, don’t you think this is far enough?” One asked as they stopped walking. Derio looked around at the stone next to him, running his hand across the grain, and breathing the air in with intention. With a long exhale he answered. “Not yet, but we are so close, patience Tein.” Derio continued walking while Tein stood back staring into space, shaking her head she snapped out of it and chased Derio. “Excuse me sir, but I don’t understand what we are waiting for?” “Too much light would be bad for us, especially if we want to stay alive.” Tein frowned as she looked at the light being cast from the lanterns. “But if light is the issue, wouldn’t these lanterns act as beacons to us? I mean, we are the only source of light down here.” “Currently we are, yes. The reason we are covered in these grey robes is so if anything were to look our way, it would appear as if there were two floating lights, nothing more.” “Surely things down here are not that dumb, but also why wouldn’t they question two floating lights?” Derio stopped and sighed again, turning to Tein. “Listen, if you live in a dark cave with no lights, any form of light is blinding, it is not a question of intelligence, their eyes will not be used to lantern light. Secondly, if you paid attention in your classes, you would know that these caves are where some species of wisp wander through, and wisps are?” “Floating balls of light….” Tein said sheepishly. “Right, now they don’t come through often enough to give the creatures good light vision, so we are safe as long as we appear as a creature that nothing down here wants to eat.” “But why would casting the large light be bad if everything down here has bad light vision?” Derio continued walking with Tein in tow. “Tell me, if you go somewhere, say a cave. In that cave there is a massive orb of light, cast by a nearby mage, then he leaves without warning, and the light disappears. How do you find your way out?” Tein thought for a short moment, using a hand to brush past a large protruding rock formation, she paused for a second, then answered. “I would use my hands to feel my way to familiar objects, then try and trace my way to the exit, providing I have that much information on hand.” “Precisely, now imagine you had finished your basic magic training with me, how would you do it then?” Tein paused for a long time and thought heavily. “This is not a trick question, you are not a master mage, just out of basic training.” “I guess I would cast a small light of my own. I am sorry sir, I don’t understand how this answers my question.” Tein said nervously, trying not to upset her teacher. “Be careful coming through here, it gets a little tight.” Derio said as he turned side face to pass through the next section of the cave. “Tell me.” He continued. “What domain have you studied for your bestial module?” “I studied forest as the broad environment, my focus has been the mystic woods, since there is one not far from your home.” “Perfect, locational awareness is good. Speaking of which.” Derio raised his lantern to a high point on a stone wall, there were three, long, and deep claw marks. “We can talk still, but no more than a whisper, so please stay close.” Tein huddled near Derio, standing ear to ear where the winding cave passage would allow her. “Have you read about…. Psychic spiders?” “No sir.” “How about, the Goblin subspecies the Hasheened?” “I did not realise that was a species on its own. I thought that was a single tribe that had been cursed by the Hasheen deities.” “Clearly not them either. Hmm, surely you have studied the wanderers?” “Yes sir, of course.” “What do you know?” “Well, there origin is unknown, we have done little studies on them as there are not many people who would willing fight one. They, um, appear as a hooded figure in the woods, they request a gold coin, if you don’t you are attacked, and if you do they walk past.” “Okay, that is folklore knowledge though, everyone knows that, give me history.” “Umm, I don’t…” Tein was interrupted before she could finish her thought. “I did not ask for specifics, just any history you know.” “Okay, well, at their earliest mention they were the bogey men in the woods, they were known as guardians of the woods, we later discovered they only appear in the environments we call the mystic woods. They were then confirmed to be from the strange forest, in-fact they are technically a mutated plant.” “Allegedly.” Derio added. “As much as there was ‘confirmed’ sightings of them emerging from large seed pods, there have only been few sightings, and never documented officially. Please keep fact and theory separate.” “yes sir, sorry.” Derio stopped and turned to Tein again. “Tell me, biology, how do they see?” “With eyes, but they have many more than us.” “Exactly, are all those eyes working at once?” “No, some have the ability for low light, while others do daylight, some see scent, and I believe the last set see heat?” “Correct, so why shouldn’t we cast a big ball of light?” “Because… I mean, I would say there might be something with the ability to see in different ways, but, wouldn’t our hand lanterns cause them to switch?” “No, because Wisps come through here, they will see no need to give up ninety percent of their vision, just to make sure we are wisps. But if we do bathe the whole cave in light, they would gain much more from switching vision styles.” “Right sir. Um, can I ask you a question about your teaching sir?” Derio relaxed a little, and shrugged. “Sure.” “Why do you always teach me with long stories?” Derio chuckled a little. “You have been comparing my teaching style with others you know?” “I, well, yes sir, I hope you don’t mind. But the others just get told the answers to things, and I feel like they know so much more than me, because they have so much more knowledge being given to them.” Although Tein could not tell Derio was smiling behind his grey face wraps. “Listen here, if you want to sit down in a classroom and have me lecture you all day, take notes, then spend your home time revising information, I can do that. However, being a mage means you have to be able to explore in the world, do the others get taken on excursions like you?” “No, sir.” “And why is that?” “They get told that it is too dangerous.” “Now why do you get taken on excursions?” “We, don’t go on dangerous trips?” “Think harder, we are in an area where we have to be hush, or we will be carved like a Sunday roast, this is not a picnic.” “Because, I, I am not sure. Isn’t the teaching style more about what you decide, not about me?” “Would I have taken you on this trip if you had a broken leg?” “No, sir.” “Would I have taken you if you were incapable of being quite?” “No, sir.” “I could go on, so why do, you think, I can take you along on these journeys?” Tein thought hard about what Derio said and let out a small laugh under her breath. “Your teaching style makes me think.” “Correct, I will continue to explain something as much as I need until you get it. But I do my best to let you piece as much of it together as I can. It means that if anything goes wrong I can feel safe knowing you will be able to think, and not just act as another obstacle for me.” “Thank you sir, I will do my best.” “I know you will, another reason why I chose to take you along on these journeys. Now come.” The two of them disappeared through a narrow cut in the rock, they had to roll their shoulders and force their way through the gap. Derio grunted as he cut his arms on the sharp rocks. Tein managed to be smaller enough that she only got slight scratches where she could see the fresh blood of Derio dripping off the stone. Once they were out the other side Derio patted himself down and dabbed the blood off of his arms with a rag he kept on his belt. He went to pass the rag to Tein and noticed that she was virtually untouched. “Once you are smarter, I am going to send you to do this chore, no point in adding any more scars to me if you can do it yourself.” Tein laughed and let out a little echo, she immedietly covered her mouth and looked up at Derio with fear in her eyes. Derio took a deep breath in and screamed at the top of his lungs, for as long as he could. Tein stood afraid as Derio laughed to himself. “Drop your hands, we are safe on this side.” Derio cast his spell and threw a small egg sized stone into the air, it started to glow, getting brighter, until it illuminated the whole cavern. On the far side of the crack they crawled through they could hear scratching and low growls. “Is that something that we need to be concerned about?” Derio looked back to crack and smiled. “No, we will not be going back out that way, and they are too big to get through, so it should be fine.” Tein scrunched up her face and looked around the cavern they were in. “I don’t see another way out. Is that supposed to be a joke?” Derio smiled knowingly at Tein and walked away without answering. Tein rolled her eyes and she smiled as she watched where she was stepping. “Is it safe to assume this is the final leg of the journey?” “It would be a safe assumption.” “Is it the correct one?” “Ah, a much better question. But yes, this is the last stop before we go home.” “So what resource are we gathering from here?” Derio bent over and looked back to Tein. “These.” He said holding up a small round stone, roughly the size of an egg. “Is that what you used to cast the light spell?” “It is, this is where we find them, they are very precious, do you know why?” “They hold a natural pool of magic in them, so mages can cast spells without using their own energy. But they only hold enough for small spells, like light.” Tein paused as she furrowed her brow. “Oh and they make some minor spells more effective, usually your light spell would be barely brighter than our lanterns.” “Yes, so we shall be collecting as many as we can, you can usually find them in little piles.” The two of them moved around the cavern searching for the stones, filling their pouches, they eventually met in the middle of the cavern. “Sir, I have a question.” “Good.” “You come down here often to collect these stones?” ‘Yes.” “Since being here I feel as if we have cleared this area out of them, do you go anywhere else?” “No, just this …

A silver haired man shuffled through a forest, his pot belly hiding his toes from sight. He gripped a small thatched basket under his arm as he wondered aimlessly through the woods, admiring the small flowers that grew around the base of the trees. The flowers grew like colourful halos around the base of their trunks, with a variety of shapes that gave them a varied, and satisfying texture. He smiled softly when he saw combinations that he had not seen before, taking the time to admire everything that had changed since he had last been through. Deep in the densest part of the forest he forced himself through the gaps in the trees, a small stone in his free hand illuminated his way with a golden yellow glow. The deep browns of the bark welcomed the light, casting shadows through their crevasses, and highlighting the worn surfaces. His belly tore the loose chunks from the tree as he squeezed his way through any gap that would let him. Eventually he arrived in a tiny clearing, where an enormous tree had fallen, pushing aside others, and creating a wound through the canopy that allowed light to come through where all that surrounded was bathed in darkness.He pocketed his stone and placed his basket on the ground next to the tree, his hand outstretched to the tree, and he very carefully cut a large mushroom from the trunk with a small knife he had in the basket. Giving it a sniff, he hopped from one foot to another with excitement, he hummed to himself as he proceeded along the trunk, cutting, plucking, and gathering the variety of fungus that grew on the tree’s trunk. Unlike the flowers the fungus that grew on the trunk all had grown with strong earthy tones, creating a hue of browns and yellows along the downed tree.Already new life had started to grow from around the tree, saplings took root from where their seeds were dropped to the ground. Small ferns, and grasses had already self-seeded through the massive hole that was left after the colossal tree was uprooted, blending green into the reds of the iron enriched, deep soils.With a full basket of fungus, the old man had a skip to his step as he walked to the base of the tree. The roots towered high into the air, taking with them large chunks of dirt and stone. He slid slowly into the hole where the roots once resided, making a careful effort to avoid as much of the greenery as he could. He stepped delicately through the still disturbed soil until he was standing at face with the base of the root system, he closed his eyes, took three deep breaths, and laid his hand upon the largest root. It curved, and twisted around the other roots, acting like the anchor for the tree, the end snapped where it failed to hold the colossal weight of the tree as it fell. The old man gripped intensely, the tune of his humming changed, and his hand started to pass through the roots as if they were air. He steppe forward once, testing the waters, then another time, this movement was much easier than the last. Taking in one final deep breath he marched for with military certainty, disappearing through the roots of the tree, and straight into the trunk.Where there should have been a solid core of wood was a hollow cavity that allowed the man to walk freely, his eyes opened and before him was the interior of a rustic bedroom. There was a wood-framed bed, with a dark wood side table, along the edge of the room was a small desk and chair, and illuminating the space was a collection of different glowing fungus. The old man let out a sigh of relief, his breath was short, and his eyes fell heavy as he finished fully appearing into the room. His steps were sluggish, and slid across the carved wood floors of the room, he placed down his basket of fungus on the side table before sitting on the edge of the bed. He kicked off his slip-on shoes, and took his coat off, folding it, and resting it on the end of the bed. He then peeled back the silken covers of the bed and climbed in with a yawn, promptly falling asleep.When the man awoke he felt refreshed and rejuvenated, the fungus he had gathered were gone. His skin looked softer, less wrinkled, and his hair had regained some thickness, and even a little colour. Above him he could now see the silk worms nesting snuggly in their small cocoons. Twisting his head side to side his neck gave several satisfying cracks, he then climbed from the bed and walked to the door that was on the opposite side of the room that he entered from. It opened silently, and on the other side he was greeted by a small gnome.The gnomes facial features were round, from his cheeks, to his nose, even he smile seemed to be more rounded than any human that the old man had met. He was greeted as an old friend, despite never seeing this gnome in his life. He was ushered through several rooms quietly, down a set of winding stairs, and finally arriving at an underground pool. Moss covered the surprisingly warm stone, water dripped all the small cave, and the echoes of the water gently filled there air before disappearing. Above the pool small, blue, butterflies flitted about, pausing momentarily on equally vibrant blue flowers before taking off moments later. The air felt as if it were vibrating gently, adding a pleasant tingling sensation to any exposed skin.The man rose his head slightly, he took a long drawn out breath and closed his eyes, cutting off one sense he felt the others intensify ever so slightly. On the out breath he opened his eyes and lowered his head, below him the gnome was cupping a small wooden bowl, a delicate layer of moss decorated the outside of it, while the insides were filled with water from the pool, the interior of the bowl shone like starlight, it was a calming white with flickers of blue and greens dancing through the beams that rose from it.The old man took the bowl carefully in two hands, he could feel the moss moving under his grip, as if it had a life of its own. He raised the bowl above his head and bowed on one knee to the pool, lowering the bowl back down he took one long drink and emptied it. He returned the bowl to the edge of the pool where the moss from it spread to the stone below nearly instantly.The man sat back on his legs with his eyes closed, he felt the warm water travel though his body, leaving a warm sensation wherever it passed. It started with his mouth and throat, it quickly moved to his stomach where it sat for a short while, then he felt it starting to move through his body in a line, until eventually it reached his heart. In that moment he felt it spread through his whole body, he could feel the individual warmth of each vein until it had travelled through him completely.But as quick as it was there, it soon faded. The mans breathing calmed down, slight aches that were in his body seemed to fade, and his body fell loose. He slowly lowered himself onto the moss-covered stones of the cave and let the relaxation of the moment take him to sleep.He dreamt of the cave, how it sat in the darkness of the planet, contained by walls of dirt and stone. Its pure light, and vibrant energy surrounded him as he watched a singular stalactite above the pool dripped at a calming pace, even though it did not exist in the waking world. His breath seemed to get louder until it was the cave that was breathing, and he was motionless. From his seated position he started to lean forward as if there were no ground beneath him, he body felt as if it were plummeting through an empty void, yet his eyes were still locked onto the drip colliding with the pool of water.The sound of rushing wind quickly consumed the space as an enormous blue butterfly appeared. Its wings spread as wide as they could, occupying the entirety of the young mans vision, after an instance of rest at full extension they closed down upon him and he awoke from his sleep.His eyes flittered open and he remained rested for but a moment before slowly rising to his feet. He grinned, and bowed slightly to the gnome. The gnome mimicked and gestured up the stairs. The young man graciously accepted the invite and bounced up the stairs, back through the large, empty rooms, and out the same way he came in.As he passed through the barrier, he felt the scratch of dirt on unspoiled skin. The air seemed thicker on the other side, as if it had a weight it didn’t have before. He turned to see the downed tree had nearly completely rotted into the ground, it was sunken in, a hollow husk of what laid there when he entered it. All around life seemed to have grown at an exaggerated rate, saplings were already developing their bark, and what was once a scattering of small bushes, and shrubs had become a well-established thicket.Walking back out through the dense set of trees he passed by without ripping bark, or even touching the trees. He moved much quicker, his feet danced over the roots he wants plotted over, and he felt as if his legs had springs, propelling his body upwards with each new step. From the darkness of the thick woods, to the twilight zone in the middle, he eventually found his way back to the edge of the forest.He looked over the rolling hills with a new perspective, the grass seemed greener, the sky bluer, and what used to look like a long trek now seemed like a stroll.The walking stick he had left on the outskirts of the forest seemed superfluous, so he let it rest as he walked back to the small A silver haired man shuffled through a forest, his pot belly hiding his toes from sight. He gripped a small thatched basket under his arm as he wondered aimlessly through the woods, admiring the small flowers that grew around the base of the trees. The flowers grew like colourful halos around the base of their trunks, with a variety of shapes that gave them a varied, and satisfying texture. He smiled softly when he saw combinations that he had not seen before, taking the time to admire everything that had changed since he had last been through. Deep in the densest part of the forest he forced himself through the gaps in the trees, a small stone in his free hand illuminated his way with a golden yellow glow. The deep browns of the bark welcomed the light, casting shadows through their crevasses, and highlighting the worn surfaces. His belly tore the loose chunks from the tree as he squeezed his way through any gap that would let him. Eventually he arrived in a tiny clearing, where an enormous tree had fallen, pushing aside others, and creating a wound through the canopy that allowed light to come through where all that surrounded was bathed in darkness. He pocketed his stone and placed his basket on the ground next to the tree, his hand outstretched to the tree, and he very carefully cut a large mushroom from the trunk with a small knife he had in the basket. Giving it a sniff, he hopped from one foot to another with excitement, he hummed to himself as he proceeded along the trunk, cutting, plucking, and gathering the variety of fungus that grew on …

A man sat in a cave with a heavy beige jacket, pants, and boots. On his head was a wide brimmed hat with a flap at the back to protect his neck, in his hands, an old tome, and behind him was three tall individuals, fully wrapped with bandage sized cloth. The man ran his finger from one line of text, till the next, muttering under his breath as he went. The three individuals stood lazily against the walls as they waited, impatiently fidgeting as they did so. “Stop kicking up sand.” One called out. “Well, you stop chipping stone from the wall, this was all your idea, Vaero.” The other replied, laying emphasis on the name. “I am sorry but I thought you wanted to be paid, Sesewai.” Vaero replied, mimicking Seswai’s emphasis. “But clearly not, so Terra and I can share your share.” Terra rolled her brown eyes, the light of the man’s reading lantern creating a ring of red that glinted in them as she did so. “How about you all remain quiet, I pay you to protect me, and you are paid for getting me in, and out. So the more you talk the less I can focus, the longer we all have to be here. You stay quiet, I get my work done, we go home quickly.” The man’s finger paused while he spoke, then for a moment after he waited for a response. Satisfied he went back to reading. He scrolled his finger across the parchment searching for the right instructions, tapping down on a rune at the end of the script he grinned. “I know where we are going.” He said, drawing the attention of the other three. “It says here that we need to reach the obelisk in the sand.” “That seems far too vague to be an actual direction.” Terra groaned from the back of the cave. “It would seem that way.” The man looked up from his book. “If you are not educated in the history of this desert, I would say that is a near nonsense statement.” The man stood up packing the book into his satchel, the name H.R Greiss. “We head back out into the winds, we have a mountain to climb.” Greiss said turning towards the entrance of the cave. The three-woman looked to one another with a hint of satisfaction of the idea of moving. Greiss waited at the entrance of the cave as the three-woman surrounded him, raising their arms they chanted until a blue shimmer surrounded all four of them. They wandered out into the chaotic winds that tossed the sand of the desert through the air. But despite the chaos that they walked into, none of the sands, nor the winds touched them. They collided with the blue shimmer and rolled over the top. The impacts flared with a variety of greens and blues as the energy of the shield, leaving behind small shards of coloured glass wherever they walked. “What is the likelihood an Ure-wurm will find us?” Greiss asked as he treaded as lightly as he could. “Ure-wurm’s won’t come up during a storm.” Sesawai answered. “They search for movement through vibrations, and something a lot of people don’t consider is the fact that it takes a lot of energy to breach the sand and burrow. They won’t expend the energy during a storm. Without magic these storms will kill you, but if you can do what we can do, then this is the safest time to wander the desert.” “It is hard to see still, I am struggling to navigate without being able to see landmarks.” Greiss said as he plotted their path with a compass and map. “Would you like to get an aerial view?” Vaero asked. “I would love to, but that isn’t an option really is it?” Greiss said. Vaero grabbed the map, and the compass from the man, handing it over to the others, she then dropped his satchel onto the sand. “What are you doing?” He asked with a little fear in his eyes. “Put your goggles of professor, we are going for a ride.” He swallowed hard and dropped his goggles from his head onto his eyes and swallowed heavily. Vaero dropped her portion of the shield, its radius reduced as she wrapped her arms around him and grounded her feet. She focused on the words she spoke and she leaped high into the air, taking Greiss with her. They left the protective energies of their shield and were instantly battered by the intense winds of the storm, Greiss naturally squinted as he was preparing to have the sand get into his eyes. The roar of the winds made it nearly impossible for them to talk to one another despite their heads being right next to one another. Their momentum started to slow, and Greiss finally got the courage to open his eyes. The storm was much thinner the higher they got, and Greiss was able to see into the distance. His vision was still obscured by the heavy layers of sand that was being thrown around, but this time he was able to see over the thick of the sand. Out from the desert rose many mountains that that could be called the obelisk of the desert, but his eye knew what he was looking for. A simple mountain with only one spire,  nearly perfectly straight, even though it was shorter than most around them, he knew that this was the one that he was looking for. The two of them lowered once the spell had ran out of momentum, Greiss stared at the onelisk with a determination in his eyes, even falling beneath the thick cover of the sandstorm his eyes were fixed to where the mountain stood. Out of sight, but not out of his eye’s perception. The two of them landed back down into the blue sphere, Vaero re-spoke the words needed and the shield returned to its former size. “Did you see anything of value?” Terra asked. “There was a littering of mountains, I hope Greiss knows as much as he claims to know.” Vaero answered. “I saw what we needed, we were slightly off course, I knew I hired you three for something.” “You can always count on the Bound Sisters.” The three of them raised their fists into the air and let out a single cheer. “That is, lovely.” Greiss groaned. “Not like that hasn’t been cheered every time I give the slightest compliment.” He continued as he corrected their course and moved forward with no regard to the others. By the time the four of them arrived at the base of the mountain the storm had started to slow down, what was once an intense howling had become a mild buffering. “Drop the shield, it is not needed, nor will it be practical as we climb the mountain.” Greiss called out as he put his goggles on and stored everything in his satchel. The Bound sisters looked to one another and shrugged, the shield dropped, and the winds started to press against them. Their clothes started to flicker about and sand was already starting to sift its way through their clothes. Greiss stared up at the mountain fir a long while in silence before moving on. The bound sisters stepped close to one another to speak in hushed tones. “Do we know what he is looking for up here?” Sesewai asked. “Whatever it is, whatever reason he has, there is determination in his eyes.” Vaero replied. “You think that is determination?” Terra asked as she directed her gaze to Greiss. “That is hatred.” The three of them look up to Greiss as he climbed without regard for his life. It didn’t matter how often he slipped or was battered by the winds he continued to climb. The sisters caught up to Greiss and assisted him in his climb, the three of them work together to ensure that Greiss was able to traverse the parts of the mountain that he desired to travel. The made him leap impossible heights and walk paths barely wide enough for a mouse, all to get him to an opening that was about half the way up. It was hidden behind rubble and dense thick weeds, if it was not for Greiss the sisters would have missed it. It was dark, and only a few feet tall. Greiss paused before entering, looking back at the woman. “This is where all my research has been leading to, if you loose this from my grasp before I can grab it, there will be severe consequences. Do you understand?” The three sisters nodded, they did not hear every part of every word, but they knew what he was talking about. He was the first to crawl through the gap, lead by his lantern he slowly disappeared into the black. Vaero was the next to follow, Sesewai stood aside to let Terra through, but Terra stood firm and pushed Sesewai in first before she followed through. By the time Terra managed to crawl through the tunnel everyone was already searching around the chamber that the small tunnel opened into. Terra got to her feet and stretched her back, enjoying every click that ran up her spine. “What are we looking for?” She asked. Her sisters were busy on the far side of the chamber, but her question caught the ear of Greiss. “We are looking for a way forward. The book does not describe how to move from this room into the real kingdom of the Void. But that is typical for the void books, they are incredibly detailed when they are, but when they’re not, they’re not.” “Profound.” Terra muttered. “What can you tell us about the Void? Any information that might help us with understanding how they may hide.” Greiss continued to run his hand against the rough stone walls, meticulously observing every crack for potential runes carved into the stone. “They are the oldest race that has any written history. They lived before the elves, but disappeared before the Elves reached a civilised, well, civilisation.” “Boring, be more specific,” Terra interrupted. “Ugh, they were profound magic users, using magics that we have yet to replicate, they speak of abilities that are near god like that they used daily” “Nope, everyone knows that, more specific.” Greiss was silent as he thought. “Come on, you are supposed to be a wealth of knowledge on these creatures.” “Not creatures, they were the most prominent race, before ours even had a foot hold on language. They were half giants, averaging eight feet tall on the low end, with magic that could divide mountains. The could jump between worlds, which is currently the popular theory for why they are gone. But I know there is more to it, there is still so much history not known.” “Okay, so why are we looking for a trigger down here?” “What do you mean down here? This is the cave, the caves higher than this are not the ones we are looking for, this is the one in the scripts.” “No, not down here on the mountain. Down here, at five foot whatever, if these creatures are…” “Taller than us, we are looking at the wrong height.” Greiss interjected. Everyone looked up to where the Voids eyeline would rest. The Bound sisters muttered more words, and Greiss rose to eight feet. They moved him slowly around the room until he called out to stop. “Right here, this is what we are looking for. It is the key, or rather, a lock.” “Do you have a key?” Vaero asked as they lowered Greiss to the ground. “The key is complicated, it is why I have you three here.” “Us, how are we a key?” Vaero aked. “Please sit down, we have a lot to talk about. You are not a key, you are a lock pick, I can give you all …

A young woman walked slowly from the angled stones that towered into the sky, creating the eastern side of the Thrummed Mountains. Her clothes were torn, and she was covered in blood. Her short hair stuck to itself as the blood in it congealed under the relentless beating of the sun. She grabbed fistfuls of the viscous goop and tossed it to the ground as she walked, creating a small trail, leading directly to her village. Upon entering the leaning walls of her town, she collapsed on the main thoroughfare. When she awoke, she found herself cleaned and re-dressed with bandages covering the worst of her wounds. Slowly she climbed to a sitting position, groaning with every movement as she went. With each shift of her body, her muscles and bones ached and screamed until her face contorted, not to settle until a short while after she had stopped moving. She looked over herself and counted the wounds she could see, she then made note of the number of bandages that covered her arms and legs. Her skin was a stark contrast against the white bandages that had been woven around her. Before she could even think about trying to walk, an elderly man shuffled in, his right leg was missing but he made do with a wooden crutch, one that did not appear to be too comfortable while it was wedged under his arm. “You know you will get a belting if you don’t lay back down.” He said as he made his way to a small stool near her. “You will get an even bigger one for not being in your cottage Mr. Parigate.” “Now listen young miss, we have discussed this. I am Sam, you may simply call me Sam, and in return I shall call you Charell.” Charell turned her head painfully to view Sam from a better angle. “I think you suit the name limp-y much better, or maybe one leg.” “One leg? Feels a bit on the nose, and here I was thinking you were intelligent.” “Oh, sorry. First name One Leg, second name, In the Grave.” Sam grinned as much as his scowled face would allow. Looking over Charell he tapped her on the leg with his crutch, watching her face as he did so. “Think you got any venom in ya?” Charell pushed away Sam’s crutch with a limp hand. “If I did, I wouldn’t be here.” “True.” He replied simply. The two of them sat quietly in each other’s company. Neither of them concerned about one another, they just sat as old friends. Charell tried on multiple occasions to rise from her bed, but each time she moved she was caught by the crutch of Sam, and a stern look, but no words. Echoing stamps of heavy falling feet started to be heard in the small cabin the two resided in. “You better run, or, hop.” “You think I can out-hop her? It is already over.” The mass behind the footsteps squeezed through the doorway into the medical tent, looming behind Sam. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as the feet came to stop, two large hands fell heavy onto his shoulders with a tight grip. “Why are you out of your cottage Sam? I told you, that leg needs to settle, or you will get an infection and die, and I don’t let my patients die.” The nurse growled as she slowly brought her hands up, dragging Sam with them. Sam propped himself up with his crutch and was led out of the room, the nurse turned around at the last minute to look at Charell. “I will return to put you down, no more sitting up, and no lying down without me. If you move too much on your own you will die.” The nurse turned out the door and started to usher Sam back to his housing as Charell sat in her silent room once more. She contemplated shifting down, but feared the stifling grip of the nurse, and the boom of her voice when she is angry. Charell tapped her hands on the coarse blanket to distract herself, but found that it only made her more conscious of time not passing by, so she stopped. “urgh god, what is taking her so long to get Sam away? He isn’t this much trouble.” Charell muttered as she tried to peer out the entrance of her tent. Suddenly the loud footsteps started to thump again and Charell was waiting for the nurse to come barrelling in again, but she didn’t. Charell listened closer and the footsteps sounded fast, and numerous. Much faster than any one person could run, especially the nurse. Her eyes widened for a single moment before she laid down in her bed, despite the agony she pushed herself through she did not groan. Grabbing the nearest bottle of medicine she dowsed herself with the contents, forcing her to stifle a gagging reactions as she pulled the sheets up, and over her head. He heart pounded as she listened to the stomping feet of the thing that was outside her tent. Peering through the poorly crafted sheets she watched the door with obscured vision and a knot in her stomach. She shifted the sheet periodically to change which part of the entrance she could see, until eventually the curtain of the tent started to lift. Charell watched as the large, clicking mandibles of a bull sized Hornet walked in. Its antenna tapped around the room as its head clicked from side to side. The Antenna slowly danced their way over to Charell’s bed, seeming to take a long pause on her legs. Panic set in as she realised that she had not covered her legs with the medication. She held her breath on hoped for a miracle, watching the as the hornet slowly made its way up her body, but recoiling as the smell of the medicine. It furiously rubbed its antenna and spat a blob of mucus out as it had run its antenna through its jaws. Shaking its head it slowly turned around and stomped out of the tent. Charell felt light headed for a moment, then with sudden exasperation she took a deep inhalation of air. Her breathing intense for the next few moments as she recovered herself. “How did it survive?” She called out in hushed tones as she clambered to her feet. She kept one hand firmly placed under her ribs as she struggled to the edge of the tent. Peering out cautiously she watched as the gigantic wasp would stomp around, sniffing into the air and its surroundings. The wasp found a fresh carcass that was being worked on by the butcher and started to feast with a ravenous hunger. Looking around she spied several others doing the same as her, cowering in the safety of their homes, peering out of windows and cracks in doors. After eating its fill of meat its wings started to thrum as it took flight, displacing all the dirt and dust, sending it flying into the air under the intense power of its wings. It flew back to the mountains, leaving the town in eventual silence. Everyone started to sheepishly step out of their hiding places to gather in the main courtyard, all staring towards the wasp as it disappeared into the distance. Everyone slowly turned to face Charell as she stood leant to one side with her hand wrapped around her ribs for support. She looked panic as her mouth opened slightly to give answers that failed come forth. The leader of the town stepped forward from the crowd and stood before her with an ornate spear that was topped with the stinger of a giant wasp. “You were given a choice, the same one as all the others that left the town to enter those mountains. Exile, or redemption.” The leader slowly started to walk to Charell as she continued to speak. “The charge was to rid the mountains of the nest that raids this area, one small nest of four, and your prize was the ability to return to our village, to live among those you love, to receive the medical care that would otherwise be denied to you.” The leader loomed over Charell with a terrible scowl. “So tell me, if the nest is still active, why have we treated you? If your charge is incomplete that means that you are still a criminal, and we do not treat criminals as we treat our own.” He growled as he grabbed one of the wounded parts of Charell’s shoulders and pressed his thumb into it, causing her to scream and fall to her knees. She looked back up with a hatred in her eyes as tears slowly fell from the corners of her eyes. “Do you think we went in there to kill those wasps?” The leader turned his head slowly as he waited for Charell to continue. “We started our journey into the mountains with the idea of retaining our place here. But after very little conversation between one another we managed to peace together information that was too spread out to be seen before. We know, everything.” Charell slowly stood to one knee, then pushing against her knee she groaned as she stood to her feet, staring up at the leaders face as this face of rage had a veil of fear hiding behind his eyes. “We figured out what has been happening with the local towns and how you are responsible for…” With a loud crack Charell was struck down to the ground by the Leader. “Silence your mouth criminal, we wont believe your lies here.” He screamed, spitting on nearly every word. “What’s wrong? Thought you liked it when your girls defied you. Doesn’t it make it more fun?” “You are going to die a no one, no one will miss you and our lives will go on. You have done nothing with your life.” The leader rose his spear above his head and was prepared to lung, but stopped as the air started to come to life with vibrations. Charell smiled as those behind the Leader started to look around in confusion. “What is wrong? Never heard the sound of a hundred hives all coming out at once?” “What, did, you, do?” The leader said as he lowered his stance and aimed his spear towards the mountains. Charell coughed blood to the ground with a grin. “Turns out, the workers may seem like dumb insects, but their queen is beautiful, we found her inner sanctum. We met her, and she spoke with the soft words of a mother, she told us about her struggles, and we listened. We heard her words vibrate in our skulls and could not help but help. The All Queen has ruled for too long, the Hive Queen shall rise, and she shall take the throne that she is owed.” Charell stood tall with her arms raised high into the air as the townsfolk started to run. But before they could even reach the walls of the town a roar of wings resonated above the town, hundreds of gigantic wasps descended upon the town and started to consume everyone. Those who evaded being grabbed were quickly stung and carried away as limp bodies, while those still alive were carted off wriggling and screaming. “Can you not feel her glory Leader? Her voice, I can still hear it in my mind, it is soft and caring.” “Caring? You have killed us all. Do you think she will let you live, you are nothing but feed you fool.” Charell started to laugh and cry, a forced smile as she was lifted from the ground by one of the wasps. She watched as her Leader was struck down by two wasps and carried away as a corpse. Charell looked up to the wasp carrying her, she felt it curl her up …