Chapter 6: The Mushroom Forest

The caravanners of Xeuber continued onward the day preceding their encounter with the mutant crab at the Belle River Pass. They felt excited, and as if they'd neared their goal. But the path to the next Myrrh tree wasn't without its own interesting encounters. The four travelers came across another caravan that hailed from the city of Alfitaria, and they were stopped for a chat. The caravan was abuzz with all sorts of chatter concerning a certain Black Knight who apparently was attacking travelers. Nobody knew who he was or why he attacked other people, but his skills were quite formidable, as some said. The caravan leader, Sol, a Lility, spoke of this Black Knight with such enthusiasm, that it seemed he admired the man. Though, Kazuo suspected that deep down, he wanted to fight this mystery man. And really, the young rancher wanted to have a go at him too. He made it a personal goal before his journey was through. Bidding the fellow caravanners a good day, they left.


Year 1

Man, this Black Knight guy sounds very awesome. I mean, I don't approve of him going around and picking on travelers and other caravans, but that gives me all the more reason to kick his butt! I swear, when I see this guy, I'm gonna attack, and ask questions afterwards. There'd be stories told about ME if I did that. That would be so cool…

- Kazuo


Taking note of what they heard, they continued onwards towards the miasma stream. This place, unlike the sunny, grassy fields they were used to, seemed desolate. It was a bundle of trees, a thick forest, but there was a path through right to the other side. Unfortunately though, within that dark, gloomy, gray path, a miasma stream went rushing right through. It was the only thing blocking entry to the other side. And unlike normal miasma, it required a chalice blessed with a specific element. The caravanners stopped in front of the dead forest, gazing out at it. There was a cold, eerie breeze coming from its maw, which would occasionally blast out in stinging gusts at the caravanners. It puzzled them, but they had two experts on the matter, and they turned to them – Kazuo and Snow. They were both very informative.

"As I said before," Kazuo stated. "We can only pass through that thing if we've got the proper element in our chalice."

"But what element is it?" Kaegomé asked.

"You passed through before Snow." Kazuo said. "What is it?"

"Water." Snow responded. "You can tell if you look hard enough. There seems to be a faint blue fog rolling about within it, can you tell? It's lingering around the trees."

"I think I see it…" Kazuo said.

"Sure." Kaegomé said flatly. "But alright, we have water, don't we?"

Senken held up the chalice from the rider's seat of the caravan. It glowed an awkward shade of light blue. He then nodded, obviously showing he had it. But he couldn't keep that up for too long, as he had to make sure the oxen didn't get out of hand. They were restless from the odd feeling that generated from the miasma stream. With a bit of confidence, they got into the caravan then, hoping that it would be able to hold off the strong winds that came through the dead forest. All but the Yuke sat in safety in the back, tying anything they could down so that nothing would be bumped or rattled around. Then, after some hesitation, Senken snapped the reins, and signaled for the oxen to proceed. They hesitated a moment too, but the faithful beasts went onwards into the gloomy surroundings.

At first, it wasn't bad. Only a cold chill flowed through the caravan. Snow held tightly to the chalice, knowing that the worst was yet to come, and grabbed onto one of the wooden supports for good measure. The others, though, were completely oblivious to the dangers the miasma stream held. Senken watched over as the oxen pulled them through the miasma stream with only a bit of fear. As far as he was concerned, everything was going to be fine. But upon that thought, he was hit with a blast of cold air that nearly toppled over his thin form, and spun his helmet around backwards. The oxen reacted by stopping, and flailing a bit in distress. The others in the back were in a fairly bad way when Senken snapped the reins hard and made the oxen take off at a running dash. The wind and shaking from the speed jarred and bounced things around the back of the caravan. Snow had secured himself, so he had no worry, and showed no alarm. Kazuo had grabbed on to a support as well, holding himself up, reaching out with one hand to grab Kaegomé's hand when she fell.

"Thanks!" She shouted so the rancher could hear her.

"Shut up and grab hold of something!" He shouted back.

She had nothing to hold onto, so pulling herself forwards, she held tightly to Kazuo. He gave her a funny look, but she squeezed his ribs hard, putting him in line. He grabbed hold of the support again, letting her do as she pleased as he held tightly and waited out the worst of it. Senken was having the worst time, trying to decide on holding the reins or grabbing hold of the seat. Though, as Snow expected, the worst was to pass. The chalice let off a bright glow in his hands, and a loud chiming sound came, as if a queue. A crystal-like magical barrier surrounded the caravan, and the total effects of the miasma halted. The cold draft came through, but the rough winds had ended. The oxen had calmed, and stopped to look about, as did Senken. Kazuo and Kaegomé had let go of their support, Kazuo brushing himself off, and then went to peek out over Senken's shoulder. The rest of the ride was smooth sailing, the oxen continuing comfortably until they were out into the sunshine again.

At that time, they all filed out, and decided to check inventory. They all seemed okay, just somewhat rattled. They checked over the state of the caravan, giving the oxen some feed to cope with the experience. The wood showed some slight signs of strain, Senken could see, but nothing too critical. Snow had decided that it would have been a good idea to fortify the wood with some metal bracers. It seemed like a good idea, and they agreed that when they reached Marr's Pass, Snow would ask his father to help. After that decision, they checked their items. Everything seemed to be in order, down to the last striped apple. So, with that, they continued down the sunny, grassy fields once again towards a crossroad. Checking the map, it appeared to them that Marr's Pass was north, and the Mushroom Forest was west. Knowing that there should be a myrrh tree there, they headed in that direction.

It was obvious why the place was named the Mushroom Forest. It was mostly made of mushrooms, some of the fungi being taller than any sort of tree any of them had ever seen. The sunlight came off the orange-ish mushroom tops, and casting a sort of orange glow upon the surrounding "forest" and the ground. Spores seemed to float in the air, dancing like fireflies on a summer's night. Leaving the caravan safely at the entrance, they stepped into the wonderland, and immediately felt small. Each mushroom towered over them as if they were some sorts of insect. They were in awe of the place, but paid little heed to it, getting their weapons and such ready.


Year 1

Fascinating. I never expected mushrooms to be so large. Never in my lifetime had I heard of the Mushroom Forest. It seemed like a great place to study fungi and bacteria! But having said that, it was also germ infested. I feared for my health, entering that place.

- Senken


The Mushroom Forest, much like the Belle River Pass, was filled with dangers spawned from the miasma. While there were some similar monsters, there were of course new ones. Mutant plants and large, grubby worms stood in their path. Luckily, they all had some basic field experience, enough for them to know how to take care of themselves. Senken held the chalice of course, while Snow, Kazuo and Kaegomé took care of the dangers. Though they were all hesitant to touch the mushrooms. They thought that perhaps they'd get sick, lingering in such a place, so they hurried as best they could. They bound off mushrooms, they helped one another, and somewhere in there a small bond of trust was developed between the four of them. It took well into the night, but they gathered the myrrh drop, and cast off the giant plant known as Malboro, who was set to guard the tree. They left the macro-sized forest to their caravan once again, to rest and stash their supplies.

"Where the heck do those things come from?" Kazuo asked while putting away food stores into a crate.

Senken shrugged.

"I didn't ask you." Kazuo said, though he seemed calmer than usual.

"What do you mean, Kazuo?" Snow asked.

"The monsters guarding the trees." Kazuo responded, he turned and sat at the back end of the caravan, facing his two companions. "Really, nobody really knows how they got there. It makes me wonder. I mean they're fun to kill, but that's only because they're in the way. How did they even get there in the first place?"

"Thinking critically for a change?" Kaegomé chimed in from behind him, over his shoulder.

"Shut up, I'm being serious." Kazuo shot at her.

"Another surprise!" The Selkie farmer edged the Clavat rancher on.

"Argh, get lost." Kazuo threw a backhand at her, but she moved out of its path. Angered, he got up, moved to the front of the caravan, and sat in the rider's seat alone.

"Why do you bother him so?" Snow asked after a moment.

"You can't say he doesn't deserve it." Kaegomé responded. "He's a big jerk, he's only getting what he asks for."

"Still Kaegomé…" Snow continued.

"Look at the way he bullies Senken." She responded. "And the way he's always talking about himself. He's a selfish, obnoxious, uncaring jerk. All he wants out of this is to get stronger so he'd have more to brag about."

"But Kaegomé," Snow began. "Going to his level of action to bother him just doesn't seem right. I feel that he cares for us somehow. Nobody in the world can be so heartless as to not care for at least one person. Kazuo holds someone dear to him, just like everyone else."

"Well maybe if he told us who…" Kaegomé began.

"He will not." Snow said. "He may be embarrassed about it, or afraid to voice his feelings. Doesn't he seem that way?"

"But…" Kaegomé was backed into a corner there. Snow was right, and she knew it. Kazuo, who had been her friend early in her life, was definitely not the kind of person who would tell anyone how he feels. He normally covered it up, and hid it away. He'd mask his emotions with jokes and obnoxious behavior, getting a laugh out of it. The Selkie farmer thought back just then, and realized that maybe her friend wasn't trying to hide his feelings from others, but maybe hide them from himself as well. Kazuo was block-headed enough never to admit his weaknesses.

Their conversation about their friend ended there. They continued well into the night organizing their caravan for the next trip, which they had plotted out on their map. Kazuo didn't even come in to sleep, and it bothered Kaegomé, but only slightly. She knew that maybe, she'd hurt his feelings, maybe just a bit. She thought that she honestly under appreciated him. But then again, this was spawned from his selfish behavior. As nice as he could be, the fact still remained that he was a real inconsiderate person. The thoughts kept her awake, and occasionally she'd gaze out to see Kazuo still sitting outside by himself. She couldn't handle the guilt any longer than that, so she got up, made sure she was properly dressed, and then went out to see him. When she got out, she was surprised to hear him laughing.

"Kazuo?" She spoke up, sitting down beside him, wrapping a blanket about her.

"Oh?" he looked to her.

"What are you laughing about?" She asked.

"Oh just a thought." He responded. "Remember when we were kids? That one time we decided to go outside after it rained for weeks?"

"I faintly remember it, yes." She answered.

"Ha, it was sure surprising for you." He said with a smile. "I came to your house, I knew how deep the mud was. It was so funny when you walked out of your house and fell into the mud!"

"… Yeah, it was." She giggled whilst Kazuo laughed. "I was covered head to toe."

"You were sooo mad." Kazuo grinned. "You blamed it all on me."

"It seems kind of silly now." She said.

"Of course." He laughed. "But that's when we were kids. A lot of stuff has changed since then."

"Yeah…" The farmer answered. "… Kazuo?"

"Hm? What?" Kazuo responded curiously.

"Sorry if I seem mean to you." She said quietly, almost embarrassed to be apologizing to him.

"Mean?" Kazuo chuckled. "Kaegomé, you goof."

"What…?" Kaegomé was confused.

"I've been beat up, criticized, tortured, ridiculed, and yelled at by you." Kazuo said. "That little touch of sarcasm was nothing."

"That still doesn't make it alright." Kaegomé said.

"Hm, yeah." Kazuo answered, not looking at her anymore. His attentions were at the sky. "But… you didn't hurt my feelings any. I'm not some sort of wuss."

Kaegomé remembered what Snow had said only hours before. Kazuo wouldn't tell anyone the truth about his feelings. He didn't want to seem weak or sentimental, that was all. She smiled at him, shaking her head. Kazuo was smiling as he looked to the sky, but his smile faded as he looked over at the Selkie and blinked. He had no clue as to why she was so quiet all of a sudden. But she certainly surprised him when she leaned in and gave him a comforting hug. He responded by trying to push her off.

"What are you doing?" Kazuo shot at her.

"You stupid Clavat." Kaegomé sighed, standing up. "You act all tough, but you have feelings just like everyone else. And besides, you like getting hugs, don't you?"

"Huh…?" Kazuo blinked up at her in confusion.

"You always used to ask for hugs when you were little." She giggled. "You only asked me once though, when you were all sad over your pet dying."

"Hey, hey, that pet was a real good friend of mine." Kazuo stated defensively.

"What about when you scraped your elbow on the rocks that one day?" Kaegomé grinned. "You went and got your Mother to hug you and calm you down."

"Are you making fun of me!" Kazuo shot at her.

"No." She said, reassuring him. "I'm just saying you're nothing but a cuddly bear. All tough and strong on the outside, but real nice on the inside."

"…" Kazuo couldn't say anything back.

"I'm going to bed now." Kaegomé smiled.

"Alright…" Kazuo responded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Kazuo." Kaegomé said back.

She went back into the caravan then, being extra careful not to wake up Senken or Snow. She crept to her bedding and lay down again, closing her eyes and pretending to sleep. After several minutes, she heard Kazuo enter the caravan and get into his sleeping bag. The Selkie farmer had curled up on her own sleeping bag, not bothering to get inside of it, the blanket over her form, but not completely. She smiled to herself, happy that she was able to get Kazuo to go to sleep. Though when she heard him get up and step towards her quietly, she felt a bit defensive. She was tense, knowing he was lurking over her for a moment. But to her surprise, she felt him tug the blanket from her, and drape it over her, warming her up. She then heard him move away from her, and retreat to his bed, and head off to sleep with a sigh.


Year 1

Kazuo is so stupid sometimes. Why can't he just tell us how he feels half the time, instead of being a jerk? I had a talk with him late tonight before I went to sleep. He was laughing about something from our childhood. It's amazing how he can remember those things. Other than monsters and fighting, he seems to talk about him and me when we were kids a lot… He tucked me in while I was pretending to sleep. Maybe he's nicer than he lets on.

- Kaegomé