Hovering above the chasm, Auranta can see the horde of mushroom infected Gemma converging on their location. They number in the thousands already, with that number increasing every second. For the moment, her two companions are holding out remarkably well. But, that won’t last forever.

Using her vantage, she flicks her staff and casts her favorite spell Wind Cutter. With her exceptional mana control and the available wind currents produced from her wings, the spell forms, condenses, and releases near instantly. The blade slices through several of the monsters with discernible ease. This creates a lull in the fighting.

She quickly flies closer to them.

“I will descend to the bottom of the chasm and create a cushion of air for both of you to jump down to in a minute.” She quickly explains.

Quasi growls in acknowledgement and then returns his focus on the horde.

With the plan set, she descends down to the bottom of the chasm where this radiation is quite potent. So far, her body is unaffected, but external mana is more difficult to manipulate.

Once at the bottom, she raises her staff and uses Materialization to extend mana outside her body. She then starts using Destruction to layer dozens of runes of air compression. Finally, she uses Transfiguration to rapidly spin in place.

Within a minute, a localized twister forms fully under her control and creates a constant upward current.

Once the minute she asks for is up, she watches as both Nepenthes and Quasi hop off the cliff. She shifts the vortex under them, catching the two and slowing their fall. Unfortunately, she doesn't take into account the weight of them both as they hit the ground with a noticeable crack.

Thankfully, both stand back up after a moment. Nepenthes has cracks all across her armor and Quasi’s left arm hangs limp. With a growl, he lifts the arm and pushes it back into the socket. At the same time, Nepenthes produces a coagulating liquid from her mouth and smothers it over her cracks before turning to her.

“Auranta, your cushion is inadequate. I request you to produce a more effective solution in the future.”

“I did not expect both of you to weigh so much.” She answers truthfully. The twister could easily support twice her weight, but both Quasi and Nepenthes are significantly heavier than expected.

“A miscalculation of your allies' structural integrity is understandable and forgiven. You are a foreign entity that I have purposely kept my capability hidden away from you until such time the Matriarch fully trusts you.” Nepenthes explains.

Auranta blinks underneath her hood in surprise.

Quasi growls to get their attention. He points at the sewage pipe and then points at where the flaming tornado anomaly was located. Already, she can tell that the anomaly is starting to reform.

With the warning made, they rush into the sewage pipe a minute before the anomaly fully reforms. A good thing for it will keep the infected Gemma from following them inside.

Once safely inside, Quasi transforms back into a cat.

He stops, turns around, and then sits down. “Auranta, mind sharing what you are?”

It takes a moment for Auranta to realize the question, and then sigh. She’d hoped the question would be asked much much later. Regardless, she’d shown far too much. Using her arms, she unlocks the latches on her mask. Then, slowly, she removes the mask, allowing her antennae to straighten a foot above her head. Immediately, she feels a better connection to her ability to sense mana.

“I am an Insectoid princess of Queen Tinea.”

Quasi nods, seemingly unbothered by the revelation. Nepenthes though, the Phytonid stares adamantly at her face.

“Why do you have hair that mimics humans? Is it for warmth? No- your structural body has significant human qualities that evolution would not normally support.” Nepenthes tilts her head to the side. “You are either created or changed to have such a physical bodily structure.”

“You can assess that from a single look at my face?” Auranta asks, surprised.

“Yes. Ever since I was first birthed by the great tree, I have trained to manipulate the fabric of my body and can note any irregularities in your form. You have a weight that is much heavier than would normally be expressed by a human with your body structure. You also do not smell perfectly human and do not move with inefficiencies common in the human species.”

“What Nepenthes is trying to say is that we already figured you’re not of any species we’d met. Maybe a Buxon, but I hear the females are just as burly as the men.” Quasi adds.

Auranta steps back and tilts her staff forward. “Why call me out now? Why wait? What do you want from me?”

Quasi rolls his eyes at the woman. “Really? Your first reaction against us telling you we knew you were most likely from the Insectoid race is to get defensive? Like come on, we just saw you hovering with insect wings and then you went to try and save us. I figured that at that point you trust us knowing your secret.”

She relaxes with her guard still up. “That seems logical.”

“I’m glad you understand. Now, would you be willing to share why exactly you are so interested in the towers?”

Auranta frowns. Her mother spoke to her to keep such information hidden, but it may be best to reveal it now.

“Yes. My mothe-”

“Later!” Quasi interrupts. “I asked if you are willing, not if you will do so now. We’re still inside a tower with more enemies that need killing. When we’re safe, tell me the whole story. For now, don’t be afraid to use those wings in my presence. Now let's go.”

He stands back up and begins walking deeper inside. Nepenthes follows right behind.

After a moment, Auranta puts her mask back on and catches up to the two.

When she does, she creates a ball of fire, illuminating the dark tunnel they are walking through.

“Can you see in the dark?” Quasi asks.

“I cannot.”

“How is your mana looking?”

“It is slightly below half.”

“Too low. I’ll provide the light.”

Quasi raises his tail above his head. Then the tail burst into flames, illuminating the tunnel significantly.

Auranta blinks, surprised at the flames. “I thought you can’t use Materialization.”

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“This is just Destruction at the very tip of my fur.

“Impossible. You can't learn Destruction without Materialization.”

“What do you mean? You’re the one that mentioned monks specializing in Destruction without Materialization.”

“Yes, but they must learn Destruction after Materialization. If they try to manifest runes within their body without training, they’d most likely be causing their flesh to explode.”

“Ohhhh. Yea, that would explain a lot. A hell of a lot. Wait, if they can use Materialization, why the fuck arent they just throwing spells?”

“Internal formation of runes are significantly more potent and efficient compared to external ones.” She explains, and then remembers that Quasi can’t do Materialization.

“How did you learn to form runes without hurting yourself?” She probes.

Quasi grimaces. “It’s… complicated. I’ll explain later. For now, let's pick up the pace.

_________________________________________________________

Plumbing is something even more advanced civilizations tend to struggle with. The gemma though, they’ve got the plumbing system down perfectly. Exiting the long pipe, the group arrives in a far more open space, this one filled with not only mushrooms, but glowing mushrooms. Yes, radioactive glowing mushrooms.

“The poison here is concentrated.” Nepenthes says. A hand plucks a glowing mushroom and then she consumes it. Then she frowns. “Neural connections are significantly stronger and faster.”

A nearby gargle attracts everyone's attention. They turn to the sound and watch as a car-sized snake covered in mushrooms slithers out of a pipe. The snake, lacking eyes, turns towards the three. Then its mouth opens to release a high pitched squeal.

“Fuck me. Fight it and rush towards the tower. The sooner we get there, the sooner we leave.”

Quasi is the first to move. He transforms into a Fenrimorph and yeets himself at the snake. The snake, to his surprise, dodges- something none of the zombies above have even attempted to do. It attempts to bite him immediately after, but Quasi dodges to the side and punch the snake. Mushrooms, stone, and flesh shatter from the snake's side to reveal several Gejan bodies smooshed together. The snake, undeterred by the attack, moves to wrap around Quasi, only for Nepenthes to rip and tear the snake's body apart.

Even severed into multiple pieces, the body still attempts to move- even tries to rejoin together. All up until a jet of fire from Auranta sets the thing aflame.

As it burns, the sound of more movement sends a warning to the group. Realizing they’re on a time-limit, they leave the burning corpse and rush in the direction of the tower. More conjoined monstrosities of Gemma flesh bar their paths, but the three take as little time to deal with them before continuing on their way.

Eventually, they arrive at what looks like a central chamber to the city's sewer system: A massive cavernous area filled with pipes of various sizes, including ones large enough to fit vehicles through. The place is smothered in glowing mushrooms that cover nearly every inch of the cavern except for the central tower in the center. The tower is remarkably absent of mushrooms, none daring to cling to its black metal.

Wary, the group looks around for enemies, but finds nothing out of the ordinary. The place is relatively silent until they hear the rustling sound behind them. The monsters they’d rush past are now catching up.

Auranta glances behind her. “Should we move?”

Quasi growls and makes his way to the tower. The two follow closely behind. Somehow, they arrive at the tower unmolested. Then they find the tower's closed entrance with a singular keyhole.

“It's locked,” Auranta exclaims. “Where is the key?”

A proper question that is answered by the rumbling of the cavernous area. All eyes shift up as the entire ceiling shifts to reveal thousands of Gemma mushroomed bodies compressed together. It is here where the group realizes that the cavern is far more vertical than expected.

From above, the mass of bodies shifts and moves, turning into what appears to be a Millipede hydra mushroom. The monstrosity walks across the wall on thousands of legs with numerous toothed snakelike mushroom appendages rising from where its head should be at.

Most notable of all is that in between all those heads is a key embedded into its flesh.

Quasi raises a claw towards the key and growls.

In reply, the monstrosity opens all its mouth and screeches- starting the boss fight in earnest.

The first to engage is Auranta. The Insectoid takes to the sky and calls up her mana. With a single swing of her staff, a blade of air accelerates at the monster. The monster reacts quickly by having a single head intercept. Instead of severing through the Gemma mushroom bodies as before, the attack explodes on impact, revealing that the heads are mostly comprised of dozens of layers of Gemma stony skin.

A single spell that should have severed a dozen heads is halted by one.

Not to be outdone by the [Air Mage], Nepenthes and Quasi rush into the fray. The heads react in the same way, sending a single appendage at each. Seeing how the spell affected a head, both close ranged combatants choose not to hold back. Quasi punches by adding the force of his hips while Nepenthes layers her scythes. One head shatters into stone and gore while another is cut clean through the middle.

Seeing the threat, the monstrosity stops holding back and sends out multiple heads. It is here where the two are forced to dodge. They swerve, block, and attack as much as they can, but the attacks are far too numerous. Nepenthes takes a hit to her hardened bark armor, causing more and more crack to form while glancing strikes rip flesh from Quasi’s body.

They are losing, albeit slowly if it was only the two of them. But it’s not, for there is a mage.

Hovering near the ceiling with staff extended, Auranta pours more and more mana into a far more difficult spell- one of the highest layered wind spells she can cast. A swirling orb with dozens of Wind Cutters rapidly circling, twisting and turning within the enclosed space. The thing about Wind Cutter is that the spell rapidly reduces in potency the farther it travels. To maximize its effect, one needs to be dangerously close or have a way to transport the spell.

Auranta prefers the latter.

“Get away!” She yells in warning. She then applies Transfiguration to the orb. The moment she does, she can already feel the orb struggling to contain the Wind Cutters housed within. The orb only has seconds before the boundaries shatter- seconds enough for the payload to reach the destination. Quasi and Nepenthes react to the warning by retreating away just in time for the orb to make contact against an intercepting head.

Upon contact, the head explodes, followed by the rapid stream and rain of numerous Wind Cutters blasting onto the monster's form. For the next three seconds, the sound of shattering stone and squelching flesh resound through the cavern.

Eventually, the spell finishes, revealing the remains of the monster. Every head is crushed and its body lies unmoving. Atop the body is the key, undamaged by the maelstrom of attack.

It is also at this point where things get exponentially dangerous. From every hole around the cavern, numerous monsters emerge and stream towards the group.

Quasi points at the tower and growls an order. He then rushes to the monster's corpse and rips out the key while Nepenthes and Auranta make their way to the tower's entrance.

The moment he grabs the key, the first swarm of monsters reach him. He dodges away, only to have another to intercept his patch. Like a swarm, they converge on his location, grappling at his flesh like leeches. Roaring, he manages to throw the key towards the tower before the monsters pile over his body.

Auranta catches the key midair and rushes to the door, inserts, and twists. Nepenthes arrives to push the door open. The two quickly enter inside.

“Close it!” Auranta warns.

“The Matriarch!”

“We can’t save him. There are too many.”

“I am no coward!” Nepenthes moves to leave the tower, but Auranta stops her. “He threw the key to make sure we escape alive.”

Nepenthes pauses, staring at the growing pile where Quasi’s body is at. Indeed, what can she actually do? Maybe another of Aurantas spells? But those need time to prepare, something they do not have.

Auranta places a hand on Nepenthes. “Don’t let his sacrifice be in vai-.”

Her words are interrupted by a fiery explosion that sends numerous monsters flying away. In the center of the explosion stands Quasi Eludo. His skin is completely gone, revealing only burning flesh that coats his entire body. Unbound by the bodies restricting his movement, Quasi bends his legs, leans forward, and shatters the stone beneath his feet as he yeets himself towards the tower.

Not to be outdone, the more intelligent and larger monsters jump into the air to intercept his path. The moment before he is intercepted, his form changes into a bird where-in he flaps and weaves between monsters.

As he nears the tower, what he finds is the door closed and monsters swarming at the entrance.

Realizing he may need to fight further, Quasi prepares to transform back into a Fenrimorph.

Only for the door to rapidly open, followed by an explosion of wind that sends the monsters flying. With the path clear, Quasi dives into the tower where Nepenthes quickly shuts the door.