It had to be said that Michael acutely felt the lack of a Bob in their group. The big guy had always been a comforting presence. Mihli, not so much. But if you needed someone to augment your magic or give you that extra oomph, she was your girl. Fox. Volpix. Whatever.

The corridor they were walking down was more of a slow ramp, going straight ahead. Which should have been impossible, but seeing as how this was Gnosis, this easy way down led them from the first floor, all the way down to the third.

Never change, Gnosis.

A sweet, flowery scent reached his nostrils, and given that there were no flowers in sight, Michael resolved to think about less weird things. Like the fact that he was going to see if he would help a member of an insular and deeply strange faction, joined by another member of said faction and Alex and Erea. Alex who was too quiet and Erea who was too serious.

Or what I call a Gnosian Friday.

“Why are you smiling?” Pipo asked.

“What?”

“You were smiling. Why?”

Nosy little shit, aren’t you.

“Just thinking about things. Don’t you ever smile without a clear reason?”

“No. We smile when there is reason to smile.”

“Right. And before you were we. Did you smile then?”

“Before the ritual… yes. I did. I do not wish to think of such things.”

Behind Pipo, Michael spotted Alex desperately shaking his head at him.

Don’t antagonize the one hobbit faction. Got it.

“Can I ask about your race, Pipo?”

“My race.”

“Yes. Uhm, you called yourself a Halfling. I confess I do not know much about your race.”

“Others usually inquire about our faction.”

“Yes. Well… not me. I’m more interested in Halflings.”

“I see. What is it you wish to know?”

“Uhm, whatever you deem fit to tell me. Are magic users prevalent among Halflings? Do they all look like you? Are there any special advantages that you all have? I’ve noticed you don’t wear any shoes, for example. Is there any reason for that?”

A few seconds in excruciating, non-blinking eye contact later, Pipo responded.

“There are less reported magic users among Halflings than humans, but not by much. We are lighter than we look and we tire harder. Yet our constitutions are built for stamina, not strength, and thus we are frailer than others. We have natural inclinations towards earthwork, though less than certain other races. This does not usually manifest as an advantage in magic or combat. We wear no shoes, usually, because our feet are both larger than normal, for human proportions, and also offer greater dexterity. This makes Halflings run longer, faster and quieter than should be possible.”

Magic feet. Sounds like a fetish.

“I see. Thank you, mage Pipo.”

“You are welcome. Might I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Are you an elf in disguise?”

“Wh- what?” Michael stammered, as he heard Erea choking behind him. “No. Not at all.”

“I see. We thought as much. Thank you for your answer.”

“Yeah. Don’t mention it.”

They walked in silence for a couple more minutes, until Pipo announced they had arrived. Michael barely even got to glance at the closed doors, before ‘Frodo’ yanked them open. Inside there was a circular room, wide and tall, but not exactly impressible. Plain marble. Yawn. What was impressive was the cover of web-like white fungus, spread across the entire floor and halfway up the walls. There were lumps across the floor, looking like large mounds. And from the ones that were yet to be completely covered by the fungus, Michael saw what they contained.

Desiccated corpses.

Each mound must have contained one. And given how hollowed out they all looked, Michael realized they must have been looking at an old graveyard. An old battle scene. All here looked long dead. All except one. Close to the center, towards their entrance, a single body stood out. It was a young dwarf woman, close to Michael’s age. She was firmly rooted to the ground, with the mold only covering part of her body. From a distance, she looked to be sleeping.

“Do not worry. The mold will not spread outside this room.”

“Got it.” Michael said. “Out of curiosity, what was your friend doing here?”

“Friend is not a word we use to define ourselves. And she was recovering clues about this room. This is a place where many of us died. A long time ago. Battling an enemy that should not have been battled.”

“Clues.” Erea said, giving Michael a knowing look.

So many of them died, yet they send more.

“Yes. To recover the bodies of those who had fallen. They yet possess artifacts that may help the Bloodlinked. In exchange for a portion of them, we ask for your help.”

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“What can you tell us about this room?” Alex asked.

“Almost nothing.”

“You’re kidding.” Erea said and Alex coughed loudly.

“We do not kid. The memories of this place lie with the main group. They are out of contact at the moment. I cannot tell you what this room is. I can only negotiate a share of its… ‘loot’. In exchange for your help. I do know that she is dying. I feel her. She will not last until help arrives.”

Michael got a look at his friend’s face and immediately understood that the dwarf would die. He couldn’t say he blamed him. They knew next to nothing about this room. To put their own lives at risk for ‘loot’… Alex wouldn’t go for that. Erea looked interested, but was stopping herself from undermining Alex’s authority in front of the other faction?

Michael? Michael thought this was dumb. The ask was dumb, the scene was dumb. The only thing he cared for was… well, ok, the dwarf was probably less a dwarf and more a part of the hive-mind. But from what he saw with Pipo, there was still a remnant of the old self inside. Would he risk it for only that? If he was to be honest, he guessed the answer would be-

Michael.

Michael mentally flinched. Mentally. Since he noticed that his body wasn’t moving. No, he was moving! And so were the others. They were just all moving really, really slowly.

A moment of decision has come, Michael. You are to help my children.

…Kelunad? How… How are you doing this?

By magic that you do not yet possess.

Michael got the mental impression of Kelunad also thinking ‘obviously’.

I think only what I wish to think. Now. You have promised me to help my children. To guide them in their moments of doubt. To rekindle their fire. Such a time is now.

You want me to help them decide?

Or guide them down a path. To lead or be led, it matters less than you think. What matters is to embrace the path wholeheartedly.

Right. And if that path is to turn back and walk away?

I have chosen you to guide them. If that is your choice, I will not gainsay it. I only ask you to choose true.

Time resumed and Michael did a slight lurch forward, not that anyone noticed. He turned his sight towards Alex again and saw him open his mouth. But he got beat to the punch.

“Alex!” Michael said, louder than he intended.

Which got them all looking.

Great.

“Uhm, as part of your team, I wondered if I could offer you my counsel? Alone?”

“You desire privacy.” Pipo said, before walking away. “I will offer it to you. Please be quick.”

Pipo barely got out of listening distance, before Erea burst out.

“You want to do this too, right?”

“Uh, maybe.”

“Great.” She grinned, before turning to a shocked Alex. “What? I’ve never fought a mushroom before.”

“Not the same thing. But… Michael, you’re actually entertaining the idea?”

The betrayed look he sent him made him rally up his argument.

“Look, I just want to outline the facts. And I’m not saying this because I want to fight whatever that is.”

“Spoilsport.” Erea grinned.

“This scene looks ancient. And there are a lot of mounds out there. So, not only is there an increased chance of artifacts, but there’s also an increased chance of old artifacts. Maybe good ones. And you could hammer out a better deal, by getting him to promise us a minimum number of coins to be supplied, in surplus of whatever percent we get to keep. The deal could be worked out, that’s what I’m saying.”

“I thought about that too. I’m sure that between the two of us, no offense Erea, we could work out something profitable. But that’s not what concerns me.”

“You’re thinking about them not honoring their deal.” He said and Alex nodded. “If we act fast, we can end this and get the loot before the main part of their faction becomes active again. But also, between the three of us, we represent two factions. And Regitris was the one that called them to heel the last time.”

Alex still looked undecided, so Michael told him his final argument. His true argument.

“Look, I would do this only because there is a dwarf woman there that needs help, else she dies. Even without the loot. But that’s just me. In your case… You’re Martials. And this is an obstacle. A wall. I guess what I’m trying to say is: What would a Martial do in this case? Not because this is a possible battle and not because there is coin to be made. What does a Martial do when they see a wall?”

Erea laughed and Alex winced, but answered.

“We tear it down. Damn, but I hate my faction sometimes.”

“You picked it!” Erea quipped.

They called Pipo back and the two agreed to a quick deal. Twenty percent of everything they found that had even the tiniest bit of magic, plus three hundred gold coins would be received by them, should they manage to save the dwarf. Half that if they tried, but failed in their attempt to save her and yet retrieved the artifacts. They were ready to shake on it, when Erea spoke up.

“And a favor from your faction. Regardless of the ask. One for each.”

The Halfling stared at her, in his usual way, before responding.

“One favor for all three. You must all agree before it can be claimed. And it cannot be against our own faction.”

“Deal!” She grinned, before Alex and Pipo shook hands.

“Who’s a good negotiator now?” She whispered in Michael’s ear.

Always good to know that Erea could get even more frightening.

They talked out a quick strategy after that. They all had at least one fire-based Spell and were debating using them to clear out the mold, when Michael had an idea.

“But… wait. Couldn’t we use the toxic ward we were supposed to use on the plants? I mean… it’s basically poison. It should kill it too, right?”

“Maybe.” Alex said, looking at the scroll.

“What?” Erea pouted. “But that’s not a fight.”

“No, but it’s a win. Silver linings. Is it expensive?” Michael asked Alex.

“My faction will cover the costs. Please hurry. She is weakening.”

That got them serious again. Alex armed the scroll and tossed it in. Nothing happened for a few seconds. But quickly enough, the mold started to wilt away. It blackened and shriveled up, transforming into dust. The other mold gave out a small sound, like a shriek, which made Michael’s hair stand on its end. But it was just the sound of it dying. Soon, a wide circle was cleared around the dwarf. Perhaps a quarter of the room had been cleared. A couple of |Fire Slashes| and a |Wind| Spell later, the group had an easy way towards their target.

They entered cautiously, but nothing moved. The mold was regrowing, trying to cover up lost space, but it wasn’t fast enough to catch them. Not nearly.

“She is starting to recover.” Pipo said. “I can feel our bond strengthening.”

“Can you start to pull out information about this room?” Alex asked.

“A few more moments.” The Halfling responded after a moment of concentration.

They reached the dwarf and Pipo knelt by her side, touching her forehead with his hand and closing his eyes. Michael spent that time watching the room. The mold clearly knew they were there. It was trying to reach them, preferring to grow towards them instead of just covering the room. But it was still too slow. He didn’t feel any different and the others didn’t either. Which must have meant that they would only be affected if they made contact. He hoped.

Pipo suddenly gave out a loud gasp and pulled his hand away from the dwarf. They turned to him in alarm, but the Halfling simply met their gazes, looked at them seriously, and spoke.

“This is a trap.”

What?!

Michael turned around, fearing an enemy, and saw… mold.

Everywhere. Even on the parts that should have been cleared. Even under their feet. There was no sign of blackened parts of fire damage anywhere.

…when?

As if to answer him, a form started to emerge from the mold. Like from a pool. A head, followed by a torso, followed by legs. In seconds, a naked woman stood before them. Her skin was like white paint. Not resembling the fuzziness of mold, but almost like a liquid. Only her long white hair resembled the mold and even that only in part. She took one step forwards and opened her eyes, smiling.

Her eyes also looked made of liquid, but were jet black, from corner to corner.

She flicked her hand and the entire room was covered in mold. The walls too, from floor to ceiling. And the ceiling was filled with it too.

“Who- who are you?” Michael managed to stammer out.

The woman laughed, but no sound came out.

“She is a Dryad.” Pipo said.