The next morning, Matt emerged from his tent onto a meadow transformed. Matt could barely see three feet in front of him and everything felt damp. The short grass tickled through the holes in his Crocks and he could feel his hair getting poofier by the second.

Matt took off his glasses and rubbed them dry with the bottom of his stick-bird t-shirt. He noticed Kurtis doing the same to his right. He knew there were four other tents nearby, but they were fully hidden by the fog.

It felt like, just minutes ago, the meadow had been clear. He had entered the tent and spent his points, and now this. Matt had chosen to go for the new Earth skill that unlocked, thinking it should help with his damage. It was called ‘Beat Around the Bush’ and increased it by 10% when fighting within two meters of bushes. He’d put his five Stat Points into health; there’d been too many close calls.

“Good morning, travelers,” the nun said, emerging from the fog.

Matt was surprised to see that she was addressing a larger crowd. A pair of travelers and another group of four had joined them, presumably from the neighboring tents. The pair looked Kurtis up and down, exchanging whispers. Matt guessed they were sisters from their shared sharp nose.

The group of four was two men and two women, like Matt’s own. They fidgeted and pulled at their sleeves. One of the men reminded Matt of Burl from Accounts Payable, stout and bald with a short beard. But this man also had a nose ring, distinctly un-corporate.

Matt’s friend, George, had dared to wear a fake nose ring to work once. Their boss had absolutely freaked out. Good times, Matt thought and smiled. This was the first time he’d thought about George since he’d got here. He’d thought they were friends, but then... If nothing else, this place was a good distraction.

“Alright!” Sister Mary got his attention. “It is good that Septimus Flower sent you.” She addressed the full group without the one-on-one blur. “Come with me.” She beckoned and led them to her cottage.

They filed in after her, most having to duck as they stepped down through the sunken entrance. Matt held the teal door open for the next person, as he passed through. Val flashed a smile, taking it from him. She seemed to have gotten back her spark.

It took Matt’s eyes a moment to adjust to the dim cottage interior. The windows didn’t offer much light in the fog. Thick glass globes glowed orange on the ceiling; they were affixed to crossbeams with twine. And as Matt stared at them, he thought he saw movement inside. It wasn’t the flicker of flame, but something alive.

One of the strangers bumped him, then apologized. Then Matt apologized too. He took up a place beside a counter-height rectangular table, hefty dark wood and well-worn over time. It seemed to be the centerpiece of the small room and their crowd of eleven barely fit inside.

Some of the strangers bumped up against shelves, clicking glass jars against books or bones. The amber light glinted in crystals and left odd shadows around the knickknacks. Bird skulls were piled high on a round side table in one corner. Sister Mary bustled past it and reached for a huge frosted jar high above.

She set it on the table with a thud, then began unscrewing the lid. It scraped against the glass as she turned, and then it clinked down on the table, two parts of the lid separating. Finally, Sister Mary stretched onto her tiptoes and reached inside.

“This,” she said, withdrawing a dried plant, “is wolfsbane.”

It had short thick roots and sparse round foliage. Only a few shriveled leaves remained.

“My stores are running low. It is a difficult plant to harvest. You must help me. I need more so that I may continue my work.” She made an open gesture to indicate the room. “I will tell you more about my work when you return. Five should do it. Hurry back.”

Then She turned away from the table and started to hum. ‘Gather wolfsbane: 0/5,’ appeared near the ceiling. Matt and Fallyn exchanged a glance across the table.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“I guess we go?” Matt said.

“Sounds like it,” said the slightly-taller sister.

Matt followed Not-Burl out the door, then waited for the girls with Kurtis. They watched the two sisters depart, fading into the fog. The shorter one raised a peace sign above her head. It reminded Matt of Sharkie.

“So, that was weird,” Val said cheerfully, emerging to join them.

“I don’t like the way they looked at me,” Kurtis grumbled.

Fallyn was last to exit. She tucked her frizzy brown hair behind both ears and gazed up at the white. “Let’s go find these plants.”

###

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Matt dropped the screaming wolfsbane like it was burning his hand. The thing shrieked and writhed on the ground, roots clinging to dirt and looking like a bunch of gnarled parsnips. The noise was like nails on a chalkboard.

“What the hell is this?” Matt exclaimed, regretting taking the lead.

Kurtis shook his head and made an ‘I don’t know’ gesture.

“Maybe that’s its happy noise?” Val suggested.

Fallyn gave her an incredulous stare.

Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. It had been a strange hike through solid cloud, but it had generally been straightforward. Without the fog, Matt was sure he wouldn’t have walked into the tree or had that close call with the stone monument.

The white was just so disorienting. He’d had to keep checking his map to make sure they weren’t going in circles. And then the tree had attacked him. That was the story he was sticking with.

Matt eyed the wolfsbane at his feet. It was finally still and silent. A neat row of it was planted along the rock face, with a little hole where the screaming one had been. He couldn’t tell how high up the rock went up; it just disappeared into mist.

Fallyn knelt to inspect the picked plant and Matt cautiously joined her. It certainly looked like the dried one from Sister Mary’s jar. Matt cleaned the condensation from his glasses with the bottom of his shirt. Then he reached out to try again. It began screeching on contact. He jerked his hand away.

“Just loot it,” Fallyn encouraged, “and see if the quest updates.”

Matt cringed.

Val huffed and grabbed the plant. “It’s okay little buddy,” she baby-talked over its scream. “Princess Valkyrie’s got you. It’s gonna be okay little guy.” The appalling noise did not stop until it zoomed into her inventory.

‘Gather wolfsbane: 1/5’ appeared.

Well, that’s handy, Matt thought.

They braved the screams four more times then headed back through the fog to Sister Mary. By the time they returned, it was finally beginning to thin. Matt still couldn’t see the mountains, but more of the meadow was visible around them. He swung open the rough teal door and ducked into the dim light of the cottage.

“Welcome, traveler,” Sister Mary greeted. “Have you returned with my supplies?”

“Yes, we have,” Matt responded.

This time, the house and its contents blurred. Sister Mary spoke, “Thank you, traveler. This will allow me to continue my important work. And to keep you all safe. Hand me the mortar and pestle?”

She gestured behind Matt, and an area on the shelf there unblurred. Matt reached up and passed her the stone bowl. She set it on the table with a dull thud.

“Now the wolfsbane?” she requested.

Matt hesitated. Quests had previously just taken the items, and the plants had counted for the whole group. He opened his inventory and was relieved to wolfsbane in the Ws, its icon overlaid with a number five. He pulled the image to the table and the plant appeared.

“Thank you,” she said. They screeched as she lined them up in front of her. “There, there, my darlings.” She plucked a leaf from each and deposited them in the bowl. The plants continued to scream as the nun ground the pestle and hummed.

When they finally settled, Sister Mary made another request. “Now fetch me water, that pail.” She pointed to reveal a silver bucket on the side table with the bird skulls.

It sloshed as Matt carried it to the table.

“Thank you,” Sister Mary acknowledged. She added liquid by cupping her hands. “Hm… Pass me that jar up there?” She pointed above Matt.

He retrieved the small, brown glass vessel.

“It’s maple syrup,” she explained. “This will be quite bitter.” She poured golden liquid into the green mush, then ground and stirred. She cleaned off the edge of the jar with her finger, popping it into her mouth. Then, she leaned down and sniffed the concoction.

She wriggled her nose. “I’ll let that sit for a time. Thank you for your assistance, traveler. I will need one more item before we speak of the lake.”

Sister Mary stared at Matt. Matt waited. Nothing happened. She didn’t even blink.

“Uh… What is the item?” Matt tried.

Sister Mary unfroze. “I will need you to fetch my chain. It’s at the far end of the meadow, beyond the tents. Retrieve it for me?”

“Okay.”

Then the room returned to normal and Matt got a notification for ‘187,500 XP.’ He could hear Val speaking outside.

“We better not have to drink that leaf-water,” she was saying. “It smelled horrible!”

“There’s no way I’m drinking it.” Kurtis laughed.

Matt pushed open the door, joining them. The mist had thinned even more and he could almost see the boundaries of the meadow.

“Today is day three,” Fallyn said, gazing out into the fog. “People can only survive three days without water. We should be desperate to drink it.”