– Era of the Wastes, Cycle 219, Season of the Setting Moon, Day 29 –

Terry allowed Tiana to speak. He ignored the interjections from Vess, because he didn't trust himself to reply without letting his emotions seep into his voice.

He felt sorry for Vess. She didn't deserve this.

He felt angry at himself. Vess was here because of him. He had failed her.

But it didn't change anything. Terry refused to surrender Shroomling to the moon elves. Terry knew that Vess's pleading came from desperation. The prospect of slowly turning into a funghoul was horrifying.

But it didn't change anything. That was why Vess's pleading was nothing but grating to Terry's ears. It reminded him of his own weakness, but it didn't change his mind.

"They targeted us specifically," finished Tiana. "They're trying to force your hand."

"Terry, please," pleaded Vess.

Terry forced his eyes away from Vess. He was so used to looking at the person speaking to him, that it continued out of reflex. He clenched his teeth while giving Tiana time in case she had anything more to add.

Tiana's face looked as conflicted as Terry felt himself.

It doesn't change anything.

I still don't know the right answer.

"Can we just wrap this nonsense up already?!" Yorgos patted the last remnants of dirt from his pants.

"If you mean, can I hand over Shroomling into your murderous care, then no," replied Terry firmly. "I'm not going to stand by while you murder folk."

"'Shroomling'?" Tiana raised an eyebrow. For a moment, she studied Terry's face before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Something in her posture settled as if her mind was clearing up.

"Come on, boy," protested Yorgos. "How is that a folk?" He gestured towards Shroomling, who was held by Bugsby safely behind Deekin's large legs.

"They're a proper folk," growled Terry. "I'm the one that has actually spent time among them. They are. I don't care what you believe."

"I've never heard of a plant-like folk," scoffed Yorgos.

Fungi are neither plants nor animals.

Terry ignored the strange intrusive thoughts that sounded like Siling. He glared at Yorgos. "I've never heard of newfolk before leaving Arcana, either." He glanced at Rafael. "They're folks all the same. Just like the shroomans."

"Terry, I understand where you're coming from, but…" Vess grimaced and shook her head. "Folks are dying. I am dying. You're letting all of us die! For one—?"

"I'm not letting you die!" snapped Terry. "You're dying because of the moon elves that deliberately infected you. If I could stop the dying, I would."

"But you can!" protested Vess. "You're just refusing to—"

"I'm refusing to help kill an innocent sapient folk," growled Terry. "When we arrived here, I kind of assumed that was a given. That such options would not be considered. Otherwise, we might as well join the Lich Kingdoms. What you're asking of me barely differs from the persuasion of the Hounds."

From what the monster would call doing what's necessary.

"That's not fair!" Tears rolled down Vess's cheeks.

Nothing here is fair.

Terry took a deep breath.

"The girl is right." Yorgos looked at Terry with contempt. "Your unwillingness to act is dooming many more folks. It doesn't matter that you're not personally killing them. They're dying because of your choices all the same."

"They're dying because of the curse," hissed Terry.

"Which you could help cure, but you refuse to," stressed Yorgos. "Action or inaction. It's still your choice."

"Words that might as well come straight from the mouth of the Lich Kingdoms' prince," sneered Terry with contempt.

Monster.

"Say what you want, but for me there's a difference between those I'm too weak to save and those I help kill with my own damned hands." Terry's voice was weary. "I won't kill an innocent sapient folk, nor will I stand idly by while others are trying."

Terry was relieved to feel the slightest nod from Tiana in his mana detection field.

"You've killed Harrison!" protested Vess. "Maximilian said—"

"Because I was too weak to get past him and protect my whaka otherwise!" roared Terry. He himself was surprised at the level of frustration and pain in his voice. "Harrison chose to stand with someone far from innocent. Someone that threatened Whaka Matteo. Someone that had already killed Whaka Sigille."

"Always an answer," sneered Yorgos.

Terry moved his glare from Vess to Yorgos. "Speaking of standing with the guilty and inaction. What did you do to the people that infected her with the curse? I assume you killed them?"

"What?" Yorgos stared at him. "No, of course not. The situation is tense as it is."

"Are you telling me that no one did anything to make them pay for their attack on the expedition?!" roared Terry incredulously.

"Wimpy fools," scoffed Rafael.

"I killed five when I noticed what they were doing, but there were too many," interjected Tiana.

Rafael nodded at her with approval.

"I believe if it wasn't for Matteo's pendant protecting me from mind influence, I might have really lost myself to the elementals in my anger." Tiana clenched her teeth and shook her head.

Terry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Another risk he had allowed his friend to suffer.

"Khaled and others abandoned the camp at the Moon when they learned what had happened and after making sure we're leaving with Yorgos," continued Tiana. "Mercedes and most of the researchers stayed."

Terry's eyes moved back to Yorgos with unbridled fury raging in them. "And you? Mighty dimensional mage that you are? What happened to the dimensional mages that razed Tiv to the ground for daring to attack Arcana? What happened to paying back blood with blood?"

Yorgos rolled his eyes. "Hardly comparable. Besides, that was my uncle's vendetta. I was just following—"

"Orders?" Terry snarled with boundless contempt. "My bad for comparing you to the Lich Kingdoms. Good follower that you are? You really belong in the Tiv Empire!"

"You dare compare me to those dogs, I'll—!"

"You'll what?!" Terry flared his mana and stepped forward.

Rafael and Deekin moved at the same time and surrounded Yorgos.

"Terry, please, I don't think this is helping," intervened Tiana. "Yorgos brought us here and I'm grateful for that. They let us go without a problem in part because they wanted us to meet you and confront you with what they've done, but without Yorgos, it would have taken us way longer to get here and we don't have time." She glanced at Vess before shaking her head. "We shouldn't be around the Moon anymore."

"You're just a brat," spat Yorgos with a hateful glare at Terry. "You can't have everything. You don't understand anything. We might be individually stronger than the locals, but they're hundreds of thousands of them. Are you really stupid enough to believe it wise to antagonize them further and further?"

No, of course not. The ant queen should let the shit beetle eat all her eggs batch by batch before ever risking a confrontation.

Terry sneered inwardly but quickly pushed away Damian's fable illustrating the Warlord's insights. He took a deep breath to calm himself and asked Tiana. "Are there any more at risk in the moon camp?"

Tiana shook her head. "Not if they limit themselves to target the ones closest to you. Patricia already returned to the Sun. I would be worried for Khaled, since they suspect he was feeding you information before, but he has already left the camp and I doubt they manage to sneak up on him."

"Am I to understand that this nonsense isn't going to get resolved today?" interjected Yorgos tiredly. "If so, then I'm heading back."

"You're getting Shroomling over my dead body," hissed Terry.

Fresh tears emerged from Vess's eyes. "Terry, please, just—"

"Vess, remember that both of us are alive, in large part, thanks to Terry," interjected Tiana while placing a hand on Vess's shoulder. "Give him a chance."

"A chance for what?" Vess grimaced with despair. "I don't want to die like this. Not like this."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Terry clenched his fists when he heard a talisman transmission in Tiana's voice.

[I'd like to stay here, but I'd understand if you have reservations,] said Tiana. [We can make our way to the Sun, although I'm not sure how they would react to Vess being infected. If it's okay for us to stay, I promise I'll keep an eye on Vess to prevent her from doing something stupid.]

After the silence confirmed his suspicion that the Guardian wouldn't change his mind, Yorgos shook his head. "Good riddance." He teleported away.

***

Terry glowered at his notebook. He had given up trying to instruct Deekin further in burst techniques.

He just couldn't concentrate anymore after Vess and Tiana had joined their camp.

Terry moved his eyes from Rafael sparring with Deekin over to Tiana and Vess, who were further away and chatting with Bugsby from a distance.

Vess's presence unsettled Terry, and it wasn't the risk of the curse spreading, even though they were taking precautions against that as well. Vess and Tiana had set up camp at a distance and didn't get close.

Tiana with her elemental possession appeared to have considerable immunity to the curse, even beyond the expedition's precautions, but she still limited her exposure to the rest of the camp. Terry understood Tiana well enough to know that had less to do with the curse and more to do with wanting to be there for Vess.

Tiana probably blames herself no less than I blame myself.

Terry averted his eyes from Vess. Every time he sensed the curse in her mana signature, he winced from shame and anger.

Terry tried hard to not let it show that he knew what Vess had tried to do in the night. He had sensed her approaching Shroomling, only to be caught by Tiana, who had evidently talked her down.

Terry had seen Tiana sleep during the day so that she would be awake during the night and could watch over her friend. He was glad he could rely on and trust Tiana, but it still felt bad that she was forced to watch the cursed woman.

Terry had barely been sleeping since their arrival himself. He hoped that Vess chatting with Bugsby would help Vess understand his position better. Their chats naturally touched on the shroomans as well.

Terry would like to trust Vess, but he couldn't. Not in her current situation. Last night had just proved it again.

Terry trusted Tiana to watch Vess. He trusted Rafael, and Bugsby to watch Shroomling. Still, he wanted to watch them all himself. Sleep was out of the question.

Terry could feel it. The time for gathering his thoughts was coming to an end. He would have to act again soon.

Actions.

He would have to make a choice.

Terry closed his eyes. He focused on the multitude of sensations from his mana sense. From his mana touch. From his link with Oz. From the linked mana pockets that Oz was pumping into and out of the shadows.

This time, he wasn't trying to lose himself in his training, but the sensation from his mana still helped Terry calm down.

Terry opened his eyes and picked up his pen and notebook again. Tiana had talked to him about what they had encountered in the Deadlands. It was strange.

Most of the funghouls they encountered did not appear coordinated. More like the cursed army after I eradicated the channeling anchor.

It wasn't a question of Tiana missing something. The few well-coordinated groups they encountered were hard to miss, because their appearance would naturally lead to considerably more casualties on the side of the moon elves.

Only they didn't detect any channeler activity.

"Would they have been able to if there was?" Terry clicked his tongue. He remembered the first time he had discovered the location of a channeling anchor. It was the first time he had met Cadence, the follower of the Bright Lady who had joined Matteo and Sigille as a companion.

Cadence had been shocked when Terry casually mentioned the location of her channeling anchor, which made it clear that this was a feat that required an extremely sensitive mana sense.

Terry absentmindedly underlined his note that most infected fought uncoordinated. He clicked his tongue and focused on another fact that had stood out to Tiana.

Most of the elven funghouls they had encountered in the Deadlands had once been moon elves. Not exclusively, but most.

Could be that it's because that's just the front with the Moon. Naturally, most of the infected closer to the Moon would be moon elves.

Could also be that the moon elves disproportionately invite the Wrath because they're still actively hunting the shroomans. The Sun at some point stopped the hunt for shroomans.

"Could be…" Terry tilted his head from side to side. "Could also be something else entirely."

Terry's eyes wandered back and forth over his notes when a new question entered his head. His finger runes manifested near Tiana and interjected into their current conversation.

[How many giants did you see in the Deadlands? Did the corpses seem old or new? Was there any difference between the coordinated and uncoordinated groups of funghouls?]

***

Terry was trying to clear his mind with mana compression training. While the training proved to be a rather limited success for that purpose, all the drops of liquified mana weren't wasted.

Oz gleefully wobbled at every drop of liquid delight that Terry fed him.

Well, at least one of us has the time of their life.

Terry crouched down and petted Oz. He involuntarily recalled petting the dogs with Devon in Syn City.

Or what was left of the city…

Terry took deep breaths and tried not to think about anything.

Unfortunately, his attempt at peacefulness was interrupted by the sensation of a mana distortion.

What now?!

Terry briefly considered if he should throw another punch before he registered that this wasn't the dimensional mage he had been expecting.

His heart clamped up when he sensed the other two signatures until he verified that there was no curse infecting them.

Mia, Jorg, and Patricia appeared out of thin air.

"Oh? Hello?" Mia looked surprised at being face-to-face with Terry already. She had no time to wonder how that had happened, because the human raised by dwarves was already staring wide-eyed at his brother.

Terry's lip trembled and he swallowed a mouthful of wrath when his eyes followed his mana touch and confirmed the bloody bandage covering Jorg's eyes.

He could feel the bloody holes with his mana. Burning and festering with magic.

That's not the curse.

"What happened…?" Terry's voice escaped him as a dried up whisper.

"It looks worse than it is," said Jorg with a wry smile.

Then why are you leaning on Patricia to walk?

Terry clenched his fists until his fingers couldn't get any paler.

"He's kind of right," said Patricia. "With continuous healing, he should recover, but it will take a long time."

"Remember when I said I could go wherever I want to do my practice?" Jorg cleared his throat. "I hadn't considered that sneaking into the wrong place could take away my eyes. Eyes are kind of essential to my practice. Guess, I'll fall further behind after all. My bad."

Terry took a deep breath. His brother was trying to lighten the mood and he shouldn't let his own feelings overshadow whatever Jorg needed to feel better. After another sharp exhalation, he slapped Jorg on the shoulder. "Time to hone your mana sense then. You don't need eyes for that. Now you have the perfect chance to practice casting without active mana sight."

"Oh… great." Jorg didn't sound excited at all.

"You didn't think you would get out of spellwork practice this easily, did you?" Terry tried to keep his voice in a teasing tone, but he couldn't prevent his real feelings from leaking out.

"Just for the record," interjected Mia. "And by that I mean please tell your aunt, we performed every imaginable treatment we could think of and then I immediately brought him here to you."

"What happened?" asked Terry while controlling his breathing.

"I told you that Jorg was using his assistance with the Sun's crafting projects as a means to research the historical records in their library," said Patricia. "We were trying to gather more information."

"After Patricia returned from her 'pathfinding' mission to the Moon, we continued looking around the settlements of the Sun," said Jorg.

"An endeavor I had no knowledge of," interjected Mia.

Terry glared at her, which shut her up. He didn't care about her trying to stay in the good graces of his aunt Brynn. He wanted to hear what had happened.

"Did you get caught?" asked Terry. He knew that Jorg was not as good a scout as Patricia. Covert infiltration had never been Jorg's focus, after all. He was not the best sensor, either.

Jorg frowned. "Not really. If anything, I was too successful. I stumbled into an area that was… protected. I didn't even have the time to understand what I was seeing when the magic activated and… well, this." He gestured at the bloody bandage covering his eyes.

"A trap?" Terry looked at Patricia for confirmation.

"The sun elves really don't want us in that area," said Patricia. "They said it's their ancestral ground or something. Only a select few of their high elves are allowed entry."

Terry frowned at Jorg. "And you tried sneaking in there of all places?"

Jorg shrugged. "I figured if anything was worth investigating, it would be the place they don't want us to see."

Which is actually not a bad idea, but…

Terry wished Jorg had shared that idea with him before. He could have investigated with his mana touch. Detecting traps and nullifying anything targeting eyesight to begin with.

Can hardly blame him for that. They didn't know the nature of the traps and I was busy getting myself into my own messes.

Perhaps I can—

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking you're thinking, then don't," warned Patricia. "I paid attention to their response time when Jorg triggered the trap. I've also scouted the shadows around. It's a huge compound. Even with your mana reach, it would take too long to investigate before they're coming for you."

"And they will come with numbers," added Mia. "Your brother's actions caused quite the stir. He's lucky he was in good standing with the Sun, so he could play it off as an accident."

"The place is not just trapped, but riddled with wards," said Patricia. "No way anyone gets through undetected. Even teleportation triggers something."

"And we're not looking for a fight," said Mia half-heartedly.

Her tone caught Terry's attention. "You seem a lot calmer about everything than Yorgos."

Mia shrugged. "This isn't my mess to sort out. It's their realm. The curse is their problem, not mine. I didn't come here out of the goodness of my heart. This is a mission. I'm not used to relying on locals to perform my missions, so I don't care what they're doing. If the locals want my help or want me to do things a certain way, then they have to behave. I'm not going to start a fight and make my mission harder, unless they piss me off too much."

Terry stopped himself from pointing out that he was already beyond pissed off with the locals. He exhaled slowly. "The injury was caused by their trap, but they can't undo the damage?"

"So they claim, and I'm inclined to believe them," said Mia. "Even our best healers couldn't do something and our magic is superior to theirs."

"The elves in this realm have been at war for most of their history," said Jorg. "They're a lot better at causing damage than at fixing it."

On some level, Terry found it difficult to get angry at the sun elves for what happened to his brother. Most of all, he was angry at the situation and for having dragged his friends into it.

On another level, however, Terry was not just angry, but furious with the locals. They had originally come to this cursed realm to help.

To help cure whatever curse there was.

Even if Terry understood the locals' actions up to a point, he still wrestled with the fact that they had come to help, only to have the locals be secretive at their best and outright monstrous at their worst.

"We can practice your sensing." Terry knelt down and hugged his brother. "We can start with you reading finger runes through mana sense instead of mana sight."

Perhaps Bugsby can help?

"Alright, then I'll take my departure," announced Mia. "These two wanted to be with you and now they're here. They're your responsibility now."

"Wait…" Terry spoke up before knowing exactly what to say. After another deep breath, he forced himself. "Can you come back here in two weeks?"

"What for?" Mia narrowed her eyes.

If only I knew…

Terry clenched his fists. He didn't know yet. He knew he had to do something, but he didn't know what.

"Can you?" asked Terry without providing further explanations.

He knew he wanted to help Jorg adjust to his injury for a time.

He also knew the curse in Vess was getting worse with time.

Two weeks.

Actions.

***

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