Ferris led Caruso away from the river, over a couple of small hills, until they stood before a swath of sidemind caps sitting amongst the trees and megashrooms. Two dead and bloodied boars lay sprawled next to the patch of green caps while another boar with blood tipped tusks feasted on the sidemind. It had yet to notice it was being watched.
‘We found our shroombeast,’ Ferris said in a quiet voice.
‘Why do you call it a shroombeast?’
‘Out here, beyond Zone 2, all animals are reduced to beasts. Without the Zone 1 edibles, its a lot harder to feed themselves, so they feed on the Zone 3 drugshrooms—whatever makes them feel good. They become addicts, caring about nothing other than securing their patch.’
‘So they are more dangerous?’
‘A lot more. Have you ever seen a sidemind addict protecting his last shroom?’
Caruso nodded, remembering how depraved and unstable people in the redcap district could get. ‘So what is it I need to do again?’
‘It’s simple, just walk up to the sidemind patch. The boar will charge you. Hold your ground and visualize all three Abilities: walling, blinking, threading. Whichever class you are will show itself.’
‘But I haven’t seen threading yet,’ Caruso said.
‘I saved that one for last.’
Caruso felt a tightening around his boots. He went to lift his feet but they were somehow bound firmly to the ground. Looking down he noticed a couple of thick mycelium threads coiling around his feet and ankles.
‘Threading is similar to walling,’ Ferris explained. ‘I draw directly from the mycelium network below the ground. But instead of controlling large walls, I manipulate individual threads.’ As he said that a pair of threads grew from the ground and hung before Caruso’s face like snakes before a charmer. Each about as thick as a quill.
‘They can’t pierce through flesh or break bones,’ Ferris continued. One thread poked firmly at Caruso’s chest, proving his point. ‘But that is not always needed.’ The other thread sprung forward, looping around Caruso’s neck, tight enough to make him gasp. Caruso clawed at the thread but was unable to loosen it.
It squeezed a little tighter.
Too tight.
The thread dug into his neck. His breaths came in desperate chokes. He looked at Ferris, trying to communicate this with his eyes.
But Ferris wasn’t finished. The other thread quested closer in to Caruso’s face. ‘I have complete control,’ Ferris said, ignoring Caruso’s struggles. ‘If I wanted to, I could drive this thread up your nose, down your throat, through your ears; I could kill you instantly, or cause you immense pain.’ The thread moved around to Caruso’s ear, tickling around the rim. Caruso grabbed at it before it went any further, but the thread swung deftly away from his hand. Caruso instead grabbed the thread that led to his neck. He could barely suck in enough breath to stay conscious. Holding the thread in both hands he tried yanking it apart, but it was like trying to snap a rope—too strong. Caruso panicked. His feet were still fastened to the ground, he was quickly becoming lightheaded. Did Ferris realize his thread was strangling him this much? A coldness spread down his back.
Ferris pulled a knife from his belt. ‘When dealing with a threader, it always pays to be the one holding the knife.’ Ferris grinned. He flipped the knife around and offered Caruso the handle. Caruso snatched it and quickly slashed at the length of thread between his neck and the ground. It cut through easily. The loop of thread slackened and fell.
Caruso gulped in large lungfuls of air. The other threads all retreated back into the ground.
It was by far his least favourite demonstration. Surely there were less painful ways to show him threading. I guess this way must help with the visualization, Caruso rationalized as he rubbed his neck.
‘I felt a coldness,’ Caruso mentioned. ‘Down my back. Is that something to do with the Zone 4 Ability shrooms?’
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‘Yes. Can you describe it more? Was it a icy drip, or a cold buzzing?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Caruso admitted.
‘We’ll find out soon enough.’ Ferris nodded towards the beast. It was now feasting next to its two slain brethren, bloody tusks looking sharp and savage.
Caruso gulped, ‘It’s safe, right? You’ll protect me?’
‘Don’t worry.’ Ferris cocked the string on his crossbow and loaded in a bolt. ‘There will be no accidents.’
But what if my Ability doesn’t come? What if Ferris misses with the crossbow? Caruso came up with a dozen more possible ways that this could end badly. He found himself breathing heavily and it had nothing to do with being strangled just before. The strangeness of his surroundings took on a more ominous tone, the trees seemed to close in around him. He was no longer excited about his Ability. That excitement had quickly soured into anxiety. There often was an unfairly thin line between the two.
‘You're afraid,’ Ferris said.
‘Maybe a little.’
‘You doubt yourself, and you don’t trust I will protect you,’ Ferris was frowning now, staring him in the eyes.
‘It’s not that I don’t trust—’
Ferris cut him off with a raised hand. ‘It’s in your nature to worry and be afraid. Tell me, do you enjoy living like that?’
The question caught Caruso off guard. ‘No. I mean, It’s not like I have a choice.’
‘Well I’m giving you one. I’m taking you in as a Forester. You will be one of mine. But only if you surrender yourself to me. Do you ever wonder what it’s like to not live in fear? To be the one with power? To be in control?’
Caruso had given up that fantasy long ago. He just stared back at Ferris, not knowing what to say.
‘You carry a lot of weight,’ Ferris said. ‘Unburden yourself. Surrender it all to me. Your worries, your fears, your uncertainties. Be free of it all. Be free of yourself. Be a Forester.’
He made it sound like it was as simple as slipping off a backpack. It can’t be that easy. But there was an undeniable strength to Ferris. What if that strength could be Caruso’s aswell? What if it was that easy? It was a seductive idea.
‘Go, Caruso,’ Ferris raised his crossbow and gestured it towards the boar.
Caruso nodded and stepped slowly towards the sidemind patch. He held his head up and walked tall but it felt like an act. Maybe it doesn’t have to be.
The boar froze as Caruso approached, maybe twenty or so strides away. It let out a deep growl. Caruso winced but kept putting one foot in front of the other. He knew Ferris was right behind him and watching. This was no time to show weakness.
The beast dashed to the edge of the patch sending a jolt of adrenaline through Caruso. It padded the ground, growling deeper. Its message was clear, “This is my sidemind. Take another step and I will charge.”
Caruso remembered to visualize the Abilities. He imagined a nice thick wall emerging between him and the beast. He pictured blinking away from the danger. He took another step, imagining threads sprouting up from the ground and holding the beast in place.
The boar, as good as its word, lowered its head and charged. Every fibre of Caruso’s being screamed at him to turn and flee. But Ferris would be right there judging him. He could almost picture Ferris’s disapproving look as Caruso cowered up in a tree.
The boar lumbered towards him, picking up speed, bloody tusks bared.
‘Fuck!’ There was nothing else to say. He tried again to visualize the Abilities, but could only see himself getting run through by those tusks. He clamped his eyes shut—as if that would help somehow. The boars stampeding footfalls got closer and closer. Caruso’s legs shook with terror. He wanted to be anywhere else right now. Anywhere safe. Anywhere but here.
He felt that ice cold feeling drip down his back. It gathered and built and built until it had nowhere to go. Then it released. He sensed it flowing down into the ground below him, then back up in a different place.
A quick scrunching sound. A thud. Some muted growling and huffing.
Caruso waited. Then slowly unclenched his eyes. Everything was still dark. He was staring at a tall mycelium wall. It surrounded him on all sides. He realized he had been holding his breath and let it out.
The boar was still growling, but a quick snap of a string and he heard it collapse.
‘Not bad for your first time!’ Ferris said from outside. ‘These are some nice thick walls,’ he slapped one.
Caruso took a moment to realise what had happened. ‘I made these?’ He stared in awe at the walls surrounding him. He felt them, all around him, they were just as solid as the ones Mile’s had produced. How could I have done this? I don’t remember making these.
‘The beast is dead, Caruso, you can lower your walls now.’
‘How? I don’t know how I even made them.’
‘Just calm yourself and think of somewhere safe.’
That was easy to do. He was already somewhere safe. Nothing could hurt him in here. A smile crept on to his face. I actually did it. I walled. I’m a waller.
Slowly the walls lowered, letting in the light and Ferris’s grinning face. Caruso tried to summon another wall. But he couldn’t; he had lost that icy feeling down his spine. He tried to imagine a wall appearing, tried to will it up into existence, tried scrunching his face with effort: but couldn’t produce anything.
‘It’ll take practice,’ Ferris said. ‘A lot of practice. But don’t worry, tomorrow you’ll begin your training with Miles. He’s the best we have.’
Caruso was excited to learn, but not so thrilled with being paired with Miles. He would’ve much rather learnt blinking with Kumiko, or threading with Ferris.
‘Now, let's get this beast back to the compound. Time to introduce everyone to our new waller.’
Ferris threaded the dead boar’s legs to a length of deadwood, and Caruso helped him haul it back to camp.