The cart brought us through the tunnel at a steady speed, and we made the trip unbothered by bats, worms, or bacterial monsters. Foggy and Ak took the front seats again as a precaution, while Burquinn sat wedged between Fogdahn and Aeronik in the middle, Bellbane and I bringing up the back. Despite my newfound power, I still was more than relieved that no new enemies came our way.

Truth was that I may have overdid it a bit in the last fight. I’ve rarely had the opportunity to chain my abilities so back-to-back and I wanted to take it to the absolute extent of my limits. By the way I used my healing spores I was running nearly empty on Mana, which left me feeling exhausted and dizzy. My ability evolutions had also increased the Mana cost, which made sense given the higher damage output, and it was definitely going to take some getting used to.

Our ride fell in almost complete silence for most of the trip, other than Foggy resuming what I’ve come to think of as his “Adventuring Hum” that he did every single time he was on a journey and in good spirits. We ran up what I assumed was another intestine, passing by two chambers on either side that were clearly the lungs, then moving to a split path down an even narrower corridor which was most likely a major artery at one time; thanks for the knowledge on anatomy, Ms. Frizzle. Finally, after an inordinate amount of time, we reached the heart and began to climb out in unison.

Alright, in all honesty I didn’t really pay much attention to Ms. Frizzle or her magic school bus, so I didn’t really know the different atriums, ventricles, chambers, or whatever for an anatomically correct heart structure. I’ll spare the details and just say we walked into a wide passage, down a set of squishy stairs to another passage, and then we finally passed into an open corridor that seemed vastly different than the others.

This one had some of the densest, most enchanting flora I had ever seen. Streamers of vines with heavy, vibrant leaves swung down from overhead, low enough that most of us had to bend down to avoid them, and lush grass and moss softened our every step. Thick roots snaked their way through the foliage, and brilliant, blue mushrooms speckled their wooden surfaces. The ceiling seemed to drip glowing orbs of light that briefly clung to leaves and shrubs to offer a steady, ambient glow all around us. At the back of the room stood a single small tree, only a bit taller than my previous body had been, and at its top, gripped within its branches, was a glowing verdant orb of swirling greens.

Whatever was inside of it seemed to shift and move like a lava lamp that housed an eel. With a gasp, Fogdahn slowly moved to approach it.

“This is it…” He said, laying his tendril hands on it and caressing its gleaming surface. “This is the core of the floral colossus. The greatest of all golems, the peak of Vacel Juniperscar’s creative efforts. It is… beautiful.”

Fogdahn pulled it out, the branches seeming to relinquish the orb into his care before curling up and shriveling away into nothing but a husk of what it once was; pun intended. He rolled it in his grasp, admiring it for just a moment longer before tucking it away into his pouch. As if all the magic of the moment rushed away in a blink, Fogdahn turned and began to exit the chamber.

“Hey, hold on a second,” I said, standing completely nude. “Is it done? Is it over? Are you returning to the castle now?”

Fogdahn sighed, shaking his eyeball head as the lid slurped shut over its surface then retracted again. “Yes, I will temporarily return to Mothric and report to my siblings. Just as requested.”

[Quest Complete: The Dead God’s Husk. You have assisted Fogdahn with his ordeal within the Dead God’s Husk, and he has agreed to return to the castle. See Aspenoc for your reward]

Huh. Well that sucks. Was kind of hoping this was one of those quests where I just get the stuff without having to go all the way back. Knowing where I planned to head after this it may actually be a while before I go back to the castle.

“Good, it is about time,” Aeronik grunted, folding his arms over his thorax. “We have spent far too much time on this as it is, and I need to get back to my people.”

“Your people are imprisoned in a dungeon…” I said, but was ultimately ignored.

“Let us head back, I have little time to spare,” Fogdahn added as we walked out of the chamber and headed back to the cart. “I will grant my siblings an audience, though I know what they will ask of me, and I will decline whatever foolish request they send in my direction. I must prepare to nourish the new golem core, and summon my Floral Colossus.”

“And my mudweaver thing?” I asked excitedly.

I was almost instantly deflated as Fogdahn sighed, retrieving the core for the mudweaver and handing it back. “I am afraid I simply will not have the time and resources required to summon and unbind another golem at the moment. I am sorry, Barry. As it is I must unbind Bellbane prior to summoning the Floral Colossus, and the ceremony will take a great deal of strain and effort to complete. Here, take this core. There are many others in this world who possess the Golemancer class, and it may make a fine addition for another’s team. Now, Bellbane, Ak-Lok, let us go.”

I did a double take and stopped in my tracks. “Wait, Ak? You’re going with him?”

Our party had just crossed over into the artery tunnel with the cart in it, and we stopped walking right before some were entering the Fehicle. For a brief moment it was cold and silent, until Ak-Lok finally answered.

“I… must…” Ak-Lok said, turning back with its somber expression. “We golems follow the will of our creator… bound or unbound.”

Shit…

I had planned to ask Ak-Lok to join me in my quest to find Presley. I wanted Foggy to come, but he was the prince of a war-torn kingdom that was currently in disrepair. I couldn’t ask him to leave his people behind. But, Ak? Ak had been with me nearly as long, and we still made a good team. With Ix-Lok gone and few ties remaining with Mothric, I had thought there was a chance that the golem would accompany me from here. I felt like a popped birthday balloon for a moment.

“Oh, I see… Well… I guess this is it then.”

The entire contingent turned to me, every eye locking on me as I gulped in preparation. Burquinn, Aeronik, Ak, and Fogdahn said nothing, and the silence grew awkwardly long. Bellbance had also said nothing, but I didn’t take it to heart too bad. I kicked absently at the ground, not allowing my eyes to lock with Fogwarth, and as I looked down I just desperately wanted clothes.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“What is it, sir berry?” Foggy said. I didn’t answer; nobody did. He looked around. “What… What is my companion saying? Is there something that I, Fogwarth, am somehow missing on this exchange? It would be quite difficult, as I am known throughout the orchards as Fogwarth the Unmissable!”

I sighed, wishing I didn’t have to answer this. “I’m leaving, Foggy. I’m… I’m not going back to Mothric.”

“What? Why? When?” He asked in rapid succession. “Sir berry, this cannot be. We must go back! Together!”

“I know, Foggy. I know. I just… I need to see if Presley really exists. There’s still so much I don’t know about this world, and I need to at least speak to people like me to figure it all out. It isn’t goodbye forever, Foggy. I promise.” I glanced between each of my teammates. “I promise all of you that it isn’t goodbye forever.”

“Good riddance,” Aeronik said, hopping in the cart with Burquinn in tow. “I only wish that this were goodbye forever.”

“Eat shit,” I answered. “Enjoy the dungeon.”

Fogdahn approached, tentacle hand held out for me to grasp. I did, feeling its oily, cold flesh in my palm. “Farewell, blueberry. I hope that we cross paths again, for I owe you for the assistance with this arduous task. For now please accept this as a show of gratitude. May we someday find ourselves fighting side-by-side again.”

Something appeared in my hand as he pulled his back, and my eyes lit up in excitement.

“Oh, yes! Fuck yes!” I said, throwing on the charcoal colored robe immediately and finally covering up my naked body. The robe didn’t have any special qualities and was nothing more than an average piece of clothing, but I was still beyond grateful. To my surprise, the thorned belt suddenly appeared outside of the robe on full display, but I decided not to question it for now; it was far more comfortable not stabbing me relentlessly.

With that out of the way I approached Ak-Lok, taking in the sorrowful face of the etched woman on its stone features. I put out my hand and felt Ak-Lok slide its thin, stone hand in mine. I smirked, gave a nod, then wrapped it in a one-armed embrace.

“Take care of yourself, Ak-Lok. Thank you for everything,” I whispered, fighting back dormant emotions as we disengaged.

“There is no need for thanks, Barry,” it groaned. Then, as if using every force of its will, it gave a large, genuine smile. “When I have fulfilled the wishes of my creator, I will search for you. This is my promise to you.”

Ak-Lok climbed in, leaving just Foggy and I standing outside of the cart.

“Well, this is it, Foggy. We’ve had a good run,” I said, holding out my hand. “I’ll miss you more than I ever thought I would.”

“Yes. Yes, we have had a good run, sir berry…” He answered, approaching me for our final moment together. “And that is why…”

Fogwarth, like a Goddamn mother fucking ninja, swiftly spun on his heel and launch an enormous, powerful kick to the back of the cart, sending it flying off down the tunnel and into the dim darkness. The kick was so hard that each of the party members nearly fell out, with Aeronik only remaining inside due to a quick grab of his tunic by Ak.The Fehicle raced at a crazy speed down the tunnel, into the darkness, and around the fork in the tunnels that would bring them back to the start of it all.

“Foggy?! What the Hell, man? What are you doing?!” I shouted, poking the inch worm in his armored chest. “How are you supposed to get back now?”

He just laughed and laughed as the cart completely vanished. “And that is why it is imperative that we remain with one another! Why, what should happen if we face down a pack of Brush Tigers?”

I smiled, shaking my head. “Or Flesh Cursed maniac beasts?”

He placed a hand on my shoulder. “A neighboring empire seeking genocide and slavery?”

“A trigger-happy former Briar Lord with a vengeance complex?”

“An entire dungeon dedicated to the memory of our dear former God of Growth and Harvest that is absolutely full of deadly, horrid critters?”

We shared a laugh then let our feet take us on our merry little way out of this shit hole.

The walk was peaceful, and we reminisced, laughed, and even told one another brief stories from our lives before meeting. All the while my smile remained, as I could not believe the luck I had with getting Foggy to stay with me. I should have known all along that the big oaf wouldn’t leave me stranded. For all of his bravado and harping on us being best friends, I was beginning to actually believe it. The guy really did care, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t as well.

It was about another two or so hours before we finally had the light of the morning sun pressing down on us. We had made our way up the throat and finally were ready to climb up the palette and get out of this place for good. The warm rays of the sunshine felt incredible, nourishing away my debuff and comforting me in its familiar brilliant warmth. We moved our way up and over the boulders of teeth that were covered in a slick moss, then we stood on real earth for the first time in what felt like a long time.

“Freedom!” I shouted, drinking in the rays and sighing into the morning air. “Finally!”

“Yes! Good forn! Take the warmth upon you, and I shall do the same. Let us embrace it wholeheartedly, sir berry!”

For whatever reason, Foggy had started doing the T-pose as well despite not really needing the sunlight. So, there we were. A couple of idiots posing for the warm air that the sun cooked up for us; it felt kind of dumb.

“Who are you? Why are you on our land?” A sour voice called out from seemingly nowhere at all. “State your business!”

“Huh?!” I answered, shooting around to find the voice.

Foggy did the same, and soon we were both ready to kick a little ass if it was needed. At first I could not find the source of the voices, as if they were coming from nowhere at all. Then I finally caught a glimpse of the hiding creature with its long trident weapon trained on me. As I looked closer I saw four more were in its ranks, and then suddenly lowered their minor stealth trick and decided to address us directly. The platoon were all very odd, very ugly creatures. Slick gray skin, completely hairless from what I could tell, with bulgy eyes, The one at the lead eyed me, searching me up and down and fixating on my sword for a little longer than was comfortable. Actually, it was downright uncomfortable. Who were these damn people and why were they preparing to attack us? My brow furrowed as I thought of the question, and soon all of them were looking at my sword and the bottom of my robe with odd expressions.

Wait. The bottom of my robe… That didn’t make any sense. Oh… shit. I know who these people are now…

“Wait, old on. You guys wouldn’t happen to be Uuranaki or whatever, would you?”

They paused, but their eyes never left my gauntlets. Fuck.

I raised my hands in submission. “Easy now! Easy! These aren’t mine. They were a gift! I swear!”

The gray-skinned, oily bastards moved closer and closer, their eyes glued to the gloves and boots. Before I could say anything or talk this down, the Uuranki charged us, tridents at the ready and anger in their eyes. As they approached, ready to impale us or worse, the lead one shouted one simple word in defiance of my gloves and boots.

“JEREMY!!”