《Nature’s Artificer》 Prologue Pierce watched the hills of the Appalachian mountains approach as he looked out the window of the bus the school had rented. It was gorgeous; the hills were covered in trees, and Fall was beginning, giving the eye a pattern of greens, oranges, and golds. He sighed, wondering how much it would cost to live up here. He''d loved nature since he was a little kid. His dad had taken him white water rafting right by here almost ten years ago, but he could still feel the spray on his face. He wondered if the place they were heading to had any whitewater rafting opportunities. It had been forever; maybe he could convince Fiona to go with him. He sighed. Come on, man. You just got out of a relationship. Let it lie for a while. He shook himself and shifted the tweed jacket from on top of his bag. Of course, his mother had bought it for him and said it would keep him warm. He sighed again. He could practically hear his resident class clown Nate say, "Mr Adams, I think you need to join the 21st century, given you dress like a library book." "Thanks, Nate." Pierce said inwardly, "I''m glad a stand-up gentleman like yourself has made many lengthy contributions to society." Pierce sank in his seat and broke out the beef empanadas he had fried last night, with sides of collard greens and a chimichurri dipping sauce. Say what you will, but he could still whip up a solid meal. As Grace once said, it was his leading redeemable quality, although it now had a slightly different meaning. He initially believed she was joking around with him, but given the whole thing about sleeping with his best friend, she meant it more than he had thought. He picked up one of the empanadas and dipped it into the Argentinian sauce, remembering the first time he had one at his childhood friend¡¯s house. Having not eaten since early this morning, he devoured the rest, collected the trash, put it in the ziplock container, and put it back in his bag. A paper was sticking out, and Pierce picked up the brochure the HR rep named Ms.Garcia had handed them as they left. He''d forgotten about this and gave it a quick scan. Horace Overlook is an excellent venue for group bonding and personal development. We welcome individuals from diverse backgrounds to engage in our wide range of activities, such as spa treatments, ropes courses, and the beautiful outdoor trails that traverse our property. You won''t regret choosing Horace, and we look forward to seeing you in the future. He looked through the pages of activities and noted some attractive options: trail hikes, wood craft classes, and maybe the spa as well¡ªit was long overdue for some relaxation. He heard Grace laugh from the front of the bus and saw Dean and her messing around and chatting about some stupid movie or book. He had once laughed along with Grace, talking about upcoming plans, who was coming for Thanksgiving, and so on. Now, it seemed that was their thing. He returned to the brochure and flipped through, trying to find a whitewater rafting section. The place appeared to have none, so Pierce sought another distraction. Looking across the aisle, Pierce saw Fiona reading a book. She was a colleague of Pierce''s, and they had a good working relationship. If Pierce was honest, he found her very intelligent and quite pretty. He whispered across the aisle and said, "Hey, Fiona, do you know how long we have until we get to the retreat?" She looked up at him with her light brown hair slightly askew. She had held it behind her ear as she was reading, and her blue-gray eyes gave him a disgruntled look as she said, " I think about twenty minutes. I just talked to Principal Howard, and he told me thirty minutes ten minutes ago, so yeah. Now, could you leave me alone? I want to finish this chapter; the main character just made friends with a demon while wearing a dress, and I like the look of this book already." If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Alright, fine," Pierce chuckled. That did sound entertaining. The rest of the time on the road flew past, and Pierce occupied himself with daydreaming and admiring the landscape when they finally arrived at the front portico of the hotel. Pierce gathered his belongings and helped Fiona grab her suitcase from the rack above her. She thanked him, and they got into the line, exiting the bus with the two most incredible people ever leading the front, Grace and Dean. He prayed to any god that would listen not to get a room near theirs. Knowing his luck, he would likely share a room with them. The line moved forward, and they all disembarked into the sunlight of a slightly chilled afternoon. Principal Howard gestured for everyone to form a half-moon around him as he spoke, " Hey folks, hope the journey was good, and I hope you are all well this afternoon¡ªjust a couple of housekeeping things to get out of the way. First, room assignments are random, so do not expect to be with anyone except the partner you brought on this journey. Second, if there are any problems with your room or anything going on with amenities, please get in touch with me or the front desk, and we will try to resolve it -- but don''t try to bother me too much." he flashed a crooked smile."Now, let''s all have a little fun, shall we?" Everyone moved into the lobby and admired the modernist touches throughout. It had a delightfully cozy feeling, with some apparent Victorian inspiration. After Principal Howard got the block of rooms and sorted out the keys, the teachers set off for their rooms to settle in. Pierce found his room, numbered 112 in big brass numbers, and unlocked the door to a spacious interior, complete with a bathroom and a queen bed with all the expected amenities. He opened a sliding door onto a little patio and breathed in the fresh air. This beat a classroom''s air conditioning any day of the week. He unpacked and went downstairs to find someone to point him toward the trail hike starting spots. He was desperate to move his legs after sitting for an hour and a half. He was 6''0 and weighed in at about 190 pounds, which didn''t put him in the incredibly muscular category, but he kept up with running and working out occasionally. Pierce wouldn''t say he was fit but had a strong foundation. The front desk worker, a tall young woman in a pantsuit with a name tag that read April, gave a bright smile and pointed him toward a set of stairs outside leading down to a couple of trailheads. He decided he was going to take the trail labeled as the Copperhead Trail, given it was a loop, and he could make it longer if he wanted to. So he started down it, admiring the foliage and sounds of wildlife as he went. At one point, he saw a deer cross the trail and bound up the slope. He felt at home in this environment. He had always talked to his ex-best friend Dean about settling in a forest, building a log cabin in the middle of nowhere, and hopefully bringing a significant other. He shook his head as he realized he had put his then-girlfriend Grace in that position. But he supposed that was just the romantic in him. Now, though, it felt like a part of him had broken off after that relationship had ended. 4 years together and for what? That dream had petered out with the realization that she didn''t love him anymore. Dragging himself out of his melancholy thought process, he wandered deeper along the trail till he came upon a crossroads. The path down the right looked less traveled, but he supposed this was the extended loop you could take if you wanted to. He decided that he did want to and took the sloping path down toward what looked like a bit of a clearing. The afternoon quickly turned to mid-evening as Pierce winded down the hill, less convinced about his chosen path as the light shining through the trees darkened around him. He sighed, thinking he should probably turn around, when he saw something move behind him out of the corner of his eye. "Who''s there? I promise that I know some extraordinary skills to kick your ass if you jump me." He got no response; well, this is just great. He knew nothing extraordinary except for a great recipe for these cheesy potatoes, which the French called au gratin. His mouth watered, and he refocused on the task at hand. It was probably just a squirrel or something, right? There''s no way it would be a giant bobcat that would be too unlucky. Consoling himself, he turned back around to trudge back up the hill, and that''s when the giant scaly head sunk two teeth into his arm. "Oh fuck." Chapter 1: Induction Pierce tried to turn around as the burning hot pain lanced up his arm, but he couldn¡¯t even register what he was seeing. A gigantic snake about the size of a car was eyeing him like the prey that he was. Pierce tried to scream and utter a single phrase but was paralyzed with fear. The pain from his arm spread throughout his body, but he hardened his heart; whatever was happening, he would adapt. The snake went for him again, and his flight response kicked in. He leaped off the path and rolled as the hill came up to meet him. He hit the ground hard and was certain he had injured his leg and ribs in the fall. His whole body was now screaming at him as the bite and whatever it had possessed filtered through his system. He rolled out of the way as another strike from the snake came. It took all his strength to dodge, and his body hit the dirt again. Staggering to his feet, and almost losing his balance, he faced the snake. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Pierce said, ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t the way I thought I¡¯d go out. Now you know almost every snake I¡¯ve met has been a great reptile. You wouldn¡¯t want to ruin that image I have for your kind, do you? Because frankly the way you''ve been treating me has not been kind. In fact I might even go as far as to say it has been unkind.¡± The snake slowly wound its way to him, its thick body leaving a trail in the leaves on the ground as he pushed past them. It seemed diplomacy was lost on this cold blooded animal. He understood where Indiana Jones was coming from. This thing was terrifying. Fuck snakes. His distracted mind wasn¡¯t keeping track of where he was walking and he stepped backwards and found nothing but empty air. Losing his balance, he slipped backward and saw the snake¡¯s head peering over the edge, watching him fall. ¡°I will come back, you hear me, you scaly worm? This isn¡¯t over even remotely.¡± Pierce said with as much confidence as he could muster even though he was falling to his death. The ground below was rushing up to clamp him in its embrace. His thoughts were growing dimmer, his eyes closing as the pain and the overwhelming feeling of fear coursed through him, and his vision faded to blackness. He supposed that this was better than being snake food.
Peirce gasped as he awoke. He was alive somehow, though he was sure that he¡¯d died. He glanced around at his surroundings and winced as his body shook with the effort. It was a cave with shining mushrooms on the wall, and moss intermingled with dirt covering the ground. The mushrooms seemed strange, with an unnatural glow that gave off an unearthly aura. To be fair, he wasn''t all-knowing when it came to mushrooms, but these were off. The mushrooms were bright blue with a seeping glow that left shadows dancing across the landscape of the cave. His Mother would¡¯ve loved this; she loved all forms of nature, whether it be her garden or the forest, and she treated all nature equally. She would have loved these mushrooms, scampering about, taking notes on the shapes they formed, and comparing them to other species. He sighed wistfully, ¡°Hope I get to see you again, Mom.¡± Giving a more concerted effort, he looked around, wincing with pain every minute or so. Suddenly, He spotted some movement from a secluded corner, and a giant bug about the size of a coconut with giant pincers waddled towards him. Great, the giant legless reptile couldn¡¯t finish him off, but now he had to deal with this freaky coconut beetle. He was missing his classroom, and the stale atmosphere of hormonal teenagers seemed like a wistful dream. He struggled to a standing position, wincing with every bit of forced motion. Seeing his movement, the beetle scuttled towards him faster, its pincers clamping menacingly. Pierce stumbled to one side as it scampered towards him. Grabbing a rock, Pierce lifted it and dropped it immediately. Cursing, he picked it up again, lifted it over his head, and dropped it soundly on its carapace. The rock made a crunching sound, and the beetle squealed in pain. Lifting his foot, Pierce readied to crush the gargantuan pest once and for all when then the beetle launched a fucking fireball the size of a baseball out of its back at Pierce. Unable to even vaguely react, Pierce gets hit in the same arm where the snake bit him. ¡°Jesus fucking Christ,¡± Pierce yells in pain. Frantically batting at his arm, where the sleeve of his flannel had caught on fire, he gives a cursory glance at his arm. Seeing welts sprouting up where the baseball of flame made contact with his skin, he curses. Severely questioning everything that has ever occurred during his life to get him here, he turns to the beetle with a vengeance in his veins. He limped toward it, which was not very fast, but it looked like that fireball had taken a good amount of its energy out of it. As he approached, the beetle weakly tried to scuttle away from him and his bloodied boot, but Pierce had just enough left in the tank to stomp with all his might. The beetle¡¯s carapace collapsed under the force. Even after that, it still emitted some embers from under his boot, but it was a pitiful effort, and it lay finally still. No longer in danger, Pierce let out all his frustration and anger as he yelled in triumph. That seemed to deliver the final blow to his waking mind because the adrenaline coursing through him left him all at once, and he collapsed to the ground yet again. Pierce had a pounding headache as he opened his eyes. It felt like he hit every muscle in the gym all at once and decided to do a 5-mile run afterward. Groaning inwardly, he slowly raised himself to a sitting position. He blinked rapidly, and his vision cleared. He then saw what looked like a blue screen in his vision. Welcome to the Multiverse This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
What. The. Fuck. Pierce thought he had lost it. What is this video game screen in his vision? He tried to bat it away, punching through it, but nothing. Then, he wished it was gone, and it disappeared to a corner of his vision, nothing but a blinking icon. Pierce wanted to cry. This was insane; this felt like a terrible, really drawn-out joke. Laughing a little manically, he pulled himself together and tried summoning the screen back to his vision. It worked, and he was presented with the same message but with three additional lines below it. Welcome to the Multiverse You are the first of your kind to be inducted and have been granted the title of Forerunner. As you have not become inducted via a tutorial, you have been granted additional boons for your struggle to become a strong forerunner. That screen then disappeared, and another took its place. Congratulations, you have killed a mana-infused creature; seeing as you were not an inducted human when you performed this action, you have gained double XP and double loot. You have leveled up 2 times. Would you like to loot the corpse? Y/N He felt he needed more information regarding all the hallucination messages flashing across his vision; he just mentally selected yes. You have looted the corpse of Elemental Beetle (Fire) lv.1 You have gained 2 Mandibles and 4 Mana Stones (lesser) A small pile of things appeared at his feet, including four blue gems and two of what looked like the beetle¡¯s mandibles. At the exact moment, the items appeared, and the body disappeared in a dissolving cloud of pixels. Pierce looked down and picked up one of the crystals. To his surprise, a small text bubble appeared describing the item. This Mana Stone possesses lesser mana storage. This stone can be used to refill one¡¯s mana pool or as an ingredient in a profession. Current capacity 50/50 mana Mana? Does this mean there is magic now? Pierce massaged his temples and saw the icon flashing frantically at the corner of his vision. He mentally clicked on this one as well, hoping for good news? New Title Gained: Forerunner. You have stepped up as one of the select few to represent your planet. Will you strive for glory or fall in pursuit of your success? Be warned, your path will be a challenging one. You gain +2 stats per stat per level and +2 free stats per level. This title will scale up after you reach a certain milestone level. New Title Gained: Hitting Above Your Weight. You have killed a mana-infused creature without being inducted. You will gain double experience and loot if you kill a monster five levels higher than yourself. Because you encountered a mana-infused creature before the start of the system tutorial, you were teleported to a training realm early. You will leave once the tutorial near where you departed from begins. Time till tutorial: 59 days, 21 hours, and 22 minutes Status Page: Name: Pierce Adams Race: Human(Basic) Gender: Male Lvl:3 Profession: N/A Titles: Forerunner, Hitting Above Your Weight Skills: N/A Stats: Strength: 5(+5) Dexterity:6(+5) Charisma:4(+5) Constitution:3(+5) Intelligence:6(+5) Wisdom:4(+5) You have still not undergone induction. Since you have absorbed mana from a mana-infused Creature, would you like to undergo induction now? Y/N Pierce leaned against the cave wall and slowly slid down it. All that had happened was processing slowly through his mind. He accepted the prompt talking about his induction and felt a warmth spread through his body. The pleasant warmth suddenly turned to spikes of pain coursing through all different parts of his body, and then it finally coalesced into the center of his core and burst, spreading new life through his body. After all of the rigors and already exhausted body and mind, that final burst was too much, and he passed out again. What seemed like only minutes later, he awoke to the smell of a foul stench that rivaled that of every rotted thing he had ever smelled sitting out in the sun for a month. Immediately, he sat up and heaved the minor remains of what he had left in his stomach. He realized he had laid in whatever the black substance was and was disgusted beyond measure. Where did this substance come from? Was it from him? Had he expelled this venom symbiote upon induction? Not wanting to stay in the room filled with the stench any longer, he scooped up the mandibles and the mana stones and limped out of the cave. Holding his nose to avoid retching again, as the gunk was still caked onto him, he limped deeper into the cave system. He entered one cave that looked like a terrarium under the earth, with a waterfall flowing over the edge of a cliff that reached nearly a hundred-foot high ceiling. The trees here looked strange, though. Their bark was stark white with what looked like gems sprouting from them in every direction, giving the impression of leaves. The shrubbery, in contrast, was dark blue, with what looked like berries made of crystal hanging off some of them. The grass looked normal enough, though, which was a relief to his shattered sense of reality. Forcing each step, he finally came upon a river and bent to partake in the cleansing ambrosia that was the fresh, coursing water. Pierce stripped off and hobbled into the freezing water, scrubbing vigorously at his battered and bruised body. Through this scrubbing, he discovered that even though he was injured, he was not nearly as injured as before he had accepted the induction. He had grown more defined in every aspect, especially his physical state. Muscles were present that he had not noticed before, and his thinking felt more explicit and defined. As impaired as he was, he knew instinctively that his body would be better than it ever had been before. Chapter 2 : Surviving As he finished cleaning himself off in the stream, he clambered onto the river bed and examined his remaining possessions. They were pitiful. He had his tattered clothing, hiking boots, socks, smashed phone, and loot from the beetle. Wishing he had brought something more practical, he brought the lot near the river. He cleaned off the garments and only managed to salvage the t-shirt he had worn under his flannel, which was now in tatters, as well as his underwear and socks. The pants were a lost cause, and he put them on the pile of useless fabric. It¡¯s crazy how back on earth he would¡¯ve simply walked to the store and bought a new pair of trousers. But here he was lost, in this crazy ¡°training world" or whatever the message called it. Sighing, he thought he would never feel a pair of Levis 501 original-fit jeans again. His stomach growled and he realized he hadn¡¯t eaten since the bus ride over to the mountains. Standing and stretching, he looked around for some food. He walked over to where one of the shrubs was and harvested some of the berries. He inspected them to determine if it was poisonous or even edible. The fruits were crystalline, with three hanging off a single branch, like a bunch of grapes. They possessed a teal color that looked like the color of the mushrooms covering the walls. Another prompt appeared in his vision. Crystal Berry (Common) x1- a berry possessing a sweet and subtle flavor that provides mild sustenance and a slight boost to mana regeneration. Forgetting he could do this, he was relieved that he had found at least a minor food source. He harvested as many as he could and brought them to the pile of fabric by the bank. Looking over what he had, he tried assembling some sling out of the fragments of his pants and flannel, to carry the berries and the rest of his possessions. He realized he could not bind the pieces of fabric together, so he grabbed one of the fire beetle¡¯s mandibles, stuck it in his underwear, and set out to find some vine to use as string. This underground world was beautiful, with the ambiance of the glow seemingly penetrating every pore of his being. As he was trekking between the trees he ate a handful of the berries. They were surprisingly light in flavor and had a slight pop-rock feeling in the back of the throat. Thinking about potential dishes one could make with this weird berry, he spotted something that caught his eye, hoping that he might have found what he was looking for. A gnarled black vine stuck out of the ground and was looping around one of the pale trees'' lower branches. Looking like it could solve his issue, Pierce grabbed his mandible and started to hack away at the vine wrapped along the tree, as he sawed away he noticed his hand was getting warmer as he was using the mandible. The mandible then emitted a spark which leaped onto the vine he was cutting immediately. Confusion marked Pierce''s face when all of a sudden a series of crackles and pops started emitting from the vine which then started chaining into tiny explosions. Seeing this Pierce immediately backed away as the entire vine exploded with a big wood chunk piercing his arm and smaller ones hitting minor spots along his body. He stumbled back as new blood started leaking out of him. ¡°What the hell was that?!¡± Pierce Yelled ¡°What more is there in this stupid place? Can there at least be a McDonalds or something around here?¡± Nothing but silence greeted his raving. So he sat back on the ground nursing his wounds considering his situation. He had come across gem trees, gem berries, glowing mushrooms, and now exploding sticks. He looked down at the mandible which he was holding. It was still hot in his hand and had a slight red glow around its edge. He imagined that if that beetle had been stronger, it would burn his hand. He trekked back to the shore and grabbed some of the fabric he had sorted out earlier. He then proceeded to take out the long splinter dug into his arm. He slowly pulled it out until it finally came free, bringing fresh blood with it. He looked at the piece of wood that caused him so much pain, and a screen popped up. Spark Root (Uncommon) x1-This root has explosive properties when exposed to a small amount of fire or fire-attuned mana. Can be used as a crafting material for professions and classes. Ah okay so an exploding root, he supposed he knew the root of the problem now. He laughed out loud at his dumb joke and knew his mom would¡¯ve appreciated it. His heart throbbed at the thought of her and brought home his situation. Then and there he decided to thrive. No matter the cost or situation he would adapt and overcome. He needed string first and foremost; it could act as a suture, help construct a shelter, and allow him to repair his clothing or anything else he needed. So he set out with the fire of determination in his belly, along with some more crystal berries. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
His salvation didn''t come from the forest but rather from the river beside it, as he saw a collection of reeds. These reeds as he strode closer seemed to be quite hardy with sinuous stalks and leaves that seemed to shimmer in the light of the cave around him. He harvested one of them with the mandible and examined the qualities of the stalk. A message soon followed from one of the floating screens. River Stalk (Common) x1- A fibrous plant stalk found on the edges of a river, this reed has a multitude of uses regarding crafting. Grinning, Pierce harvested a bundle of the stalks and returned to his ¡°base¡± where he set them down. He took the first one he had gotten and split it down the middle to see how sturdy it was and how well the strands of material could be manipulated. Stripping several strands from the middle of the stalk, Pierce tried to tie two of them together in a knot to make a longer piece of twine, and it kind¡¯ve worked. He then went to a nearby shrub and broke off a smaller branch. Using the mandible he sharpened it to a precise point. He gouged a hole at the back of the stick and then went about threading the makeshift needle and readied his makeshift operation. His wound looked pretty bad still, and he mentally prepared himself for the pain he was going to go through. His dad¡¯s voice spoke to him in his mind as he readied the needle. ¡°Always do things with care, son. Patience is a virtue and will pay off more times than you can count.¡± He was telling younger Pierce while he was doing a precise bit of carving for a customer''s table. Pierce was watching by the sidelines on his shop stool as he completed his task. ¡°If you take your time it¡¯s harder to fuck up¡± His dad smiled ruefully as he said it ¡°And uh don¡¯t tell your mom I said a bad word in front of you, she wouldn¡¯t be pleased.¡± Pierce was brought back to the present as his wound throbbed. That memory brought a lot of pain with it now, given his dad had died about a year ago. He had no idea what he would¡¯ve thought of all this. He probably would¡¯ve taken the best of it and kept going. Pierce wished he had that kind of positivity, but he would have to persevere in his own way. Gritting his teeth he pushed the needle through the skin on his arm and began to stitch up the wound as best as he could. He almost passed out after he was done, the pain and concentration were almost too much, but he did it. He looked down at the stitches and was not pleased by how terrible they looked but decided it was the best he could do at the moment. A blinking icon took his attention and he opened it up. New Skill Gained: Survivalist Doctor lv.1(Common) - Through your grit and determination, you have guaranteed your survival by using what you have around you. Be a proud forerunner because you have shown determination. Whatever means of medicine you apply now has 10% more effectiveness if the method you have used has been made by you. Immediately, he felt the wound on his shoulder bind more tightly together; the lines of the stitching became cleaner, and the pain lessened by a degree. Pierce sighed as the pain subsided, then smiled as it seemed like his new life wasn¡¯t wholly unfair. He got up and decided he wanted to explore more of his surroundings but to keep the dangerous plant life in mind. But first, he wanted to make that bag. He grabbed the pile of cloth and spent a couple of hours trying to piece this bag all together. Finally, it seemed he had a weird patchy dark green and tartan messenger bag. All and all he was pleased with the result, wouldn¡¯t go anywhere in any fashion competition, and he definitely couldn¡¯t put more than a few things in it. But all the same, it worked. He got another blinking Icon in his vision and he opened it. New Skill Gained: Amateur Stitcher lv.1(Common)- Your sewing skill has been noticed, and you have shown versatility in your approach to survival. Your crafts utilizing sewing as well as anything made by you are 10% sturdier. The bag felt better made as Pierce looked it over. The stitches were smoother and cleaner, and the bag didn''t feel like it would immediately fall apart. Maybe in another life, he would be a baller western seamstress. Stuffing his bag with what he thought he needed, that being berries, the mana crystals, both mandibles, his smashed phone, and the rest of the thread and needle. He left behind the additional River stalks and the explosive shards, given that if he needed more, he could find more, and he also did not want his bag to explode. He set out hopefully finding some way to survive this crazy place, and to find his way back to his group. He pulled up the timer he had on his display. 59 days 12 hours and 11 minutes till transfer to tutorial It¡¯ll be a long time till he can get back to his group. He wondered if they thought he was dead, hopefully, his mom wouldn¡¯t take it too hard. What would his students'' reaction be? He was sure that they would relish the opportunity for no homework, but he hoped they would miss him. He thought he made the subject of history pretty interesting. Grace''s reaction when she found out probably wouldn¡¯t be much, saying,¡± Oh no, that''s terrible, I feel so bad for his family.¡± and moving on. He thought of what Dean would say, he definitely would care more but who knows. He would survive. He would show those who had looked down on him. He couldn¡¯t wait to see their faces when the history teacher came back to town. Chapter 3 : Class Fiona was ticked off. She had gotten up this morning and was horrified that she had left her toiletries bag on her dining room table. She hoped this retreat had some store to allow her to repurchase some of her stuff. The first night in the hotel hadn''t been fitful; she had been scared of bed bugs since she was younger when her mother took her on a dire journey to Disney World. There, her conviction in modern amenities had been shaken to its core when she found tiny bites lining her back. Long story short, the trip had ended in tears and lots of ice cream. Even after Fiona checked for bed bugs last night, the affair still left its impression. When she tried to fall asleep, it felt like bugs crawled up and down her back. She sighed, hoping things would not get worse from here. She at least had finished that book last night and was excited for when she could get back and check out the next one in the series. She walked quickly down the wood-paneled hallway as the thought of books put a pep in her step. She rounded the corner and pressed the down button. The doors opened, and she stepped toward the elevator. She then saw the occupants of the elevator. Grace looked up as Fiona approached and said, ¡°Hey Fiona, how''s it going?¡± Dean waved at her with the arm not currently slung around Grace. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m doing alright,¡± Fiona said with a smile. ¡°How about you? How are you two doing?¡± ¡°Good. We just finished doing a little workout in the hotel''s gym and considered going to the spa section. We heard that they do this awesome mud bath.¡± Grace used a flirty, cutesy tone as she said it, which made Fiona cough a couple of times to cover the giggle, but she calmed down. "Well, that sounds like a blast, guys; glad you''re having a good time." "yeah, we are... by the way, have you seen Pierce? We were looking for him yesterday but couldn''t find him anywhere." "Oh, uh, no, I haven''t seen him anywhere. I wouldn''t be confused about why you haven''t seen him. Given the way you guys have treated him. " Grace shifted uncomfortably, and Dean''s hand fell to his side under the tone of Fiona''s statement. "Don''t get me wrong, it''s not my business, but it seems like Pierce got the short end of the stick." She then stepped inside and pushed the button for the lobby. Behind her, Grace looked at Dean with quickly reddening eyes, and Dean spoke up. "That''s not completely fair, you know." He said defensively, "You don''t know the whole story." "Fair enough, but I think he did lose two best friends in one fell swoop." The rest of the elevator ride continued silently, with nothing more to say. When the doors opened for the lobby, Fiona stepped out first and said as she walked away. "Hope you have fun in the mud bath, guys."
Pierce was currently dealing with a giant mushroom monster. So picture this: Pierce was tramping along, minding his own business, when he found a mushroom with a classic fairytale look: red with a white polka-dotted cap and all-white stem. Then the mushroom plopped out of the ground and started running at him with legs. Mushroom legs. The thing had a mouth and started lolling its tongue around as it chased him. Pierce was sprinting as fast as he could away from the thing. Then it had spit what looked like a glob of mucus at his head. He assumed this was not good for his health. Having played The Last of Us, he knew mushroom juices were terrible for humans. He rounded a tree and hid behind it, hoping he had put enough distance between him and the mushroom. Looking over his shoulder around the pale bark of the tree, he spied the mushroom standing about 20 ft away, stalk still. What was it doing? The ground around its stem was slowly covering back up its legs, and it seemed like it was rooting itself. Pierce was lost and unsure what to do when a cloud started coming off the mushroom. It spread in every direction and rapidly closed the distance to where Pierce hid. Cursing, he got up again and began to move when the mushroom¡¯s spores caught up. A weird feeling came over his body as the mushroom¡¯s spores entered his nose. It felt like he was trying to move in slow motion as whatever it was hindered his motor functions. He turned his head to see what the mushroom was doing. He was horrified that it had popped out of the ground again and was sprinting full tilt at him. His mind screamed at his body to move, but all he could manage was to hide behind one of the pale trees and hope for the best. He felt a cataclysmic shake as the tree groaned under the force of the impact of the mushroom. He felt his body loosen up after the mushroom collided with the tree, so he grabbed his mandible and charged the thing. The mushroom seemed to have lodged itself on the gems protruding out of the tree, which was perfect for Pierce as he rammed the mandible repeatedly into the mushroom¡¯s side. Purple gunk spurted out of the wounds left by him, and Pierce gagged at the smell. Finally, a notification on his vision appeared. You have killed Mushroom (Child) Lv. 8. Because this creature was five levels above your own. You gain double experience and loot. You have gone up two levels. Would you like to loot the corpse? Y/N Pierce mentally selected yes, and a pair of red and white overalls and a small pile of mana crystals appeared. He picked up the overalls and was surprised by how soft they felt, and then a prompt appeared.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. You have gained Mushroom overalls (uncommon). These overalls are made from mushroom fibers and are incredibly light and sturdy. Special effect: When these overalls are cut, they release a small cloud of spores on whoever inflicted damage on the wearer. These spores will have a stunning effect when inhaled. Stat Gains: +2 to Dex and +2 to Constitution He pulled them on and loved the feeling of being in pants again. Pierce was very pleased overall with his new pants. He looked ridiculous with the short-cut and not-long cut, but they fit perfectly and comfortably. The stat gains were also excellent, given that he was almost three times better at everything. He tried thinking of the status sheet he had initially seen, and a screen popped up. Status Page: Name: Pierce Adams Race: Human(Basic) Gender: Male Lvl:5 Profession: N/A Titles: Forerunner, Hitting Above Your Weight Skills: Survivalist Doctor, Amateur Stitcher Stats: Strength: 16 Dexterity:17 Charisma:15 Constitution:14 Intelligence:17 Wisdom:15 He could feel those stats hitting his body, and he was more potent and faster than ever. He had no words for the feeling; it was like he had drunk a hundred cups of coffee mixed with Red Bull. He felt like he could do anything. Then, a new screen popped into his vision. New mission: Slay the Mushrooms 1/30 - You have killed one of the many members of a local mushroom village, and now, having felt the death of their newest spore child, they are out for blood. It is kill or be killed. Rewards will be given based on performance. Pierce gaped at the screen in front of him. A mushroom village? What does that even mean? He supposed the child title now made more sense. How would he kill 29 more things that were, based on the title, potentially stronger than what he just faced? A blinking icon in the corner of his vision brought him from his panic, and he opened it. You have met the requirements for class selection. You will now be presented with your choices:
  1. Rogue (common) - One who strikes from the shadows and takes opportunities presented to you. You may be a Jack of all trades or specialize in one. The path is up to you, hooded one.
  2. Druid (common): You embrace the environment around you and utilize its advantages. Nature comes in many forms, and you are there to will them.
  3. Nature¡¯s Artificer (uncommon) - you have taken an unorthodox path of survival and have used your knowledge and the nature around you to come out on top regarding survival or practicality. Carve your path with your ingenuity and the boundless earth beyond.
You have gained these choices based on your experiences and the primary options available to all inducted. Pierce was lost for thought. His first one, though, was that this was badass. He had noticed the class option but hadn¡¯t thought about when he would get it or what that would even look like. He was excited; it felt like back in high school when he got to choose a class for Dungeons and Dragons. He looked over the options again. He liked the look of the druid and the rogue, but something about nature¡¯s artificer spoke to him. In his eyes, it seemed like a combination of a druid and a crafter, which seemed cool. His dad had always been the person who fixed and created new things around the house. When he was five, his dad made an entire hockey rink for the high school by his house, and they still use it. Because of that influence, Pierce has always wanted to be that person but had yet to give it a chance or a thought. But now he had it on a golden platter, and he could make his fantasy weapons, vehicles, or whatever else this class had in store. This was going to be his moment and no one else''s. On instinct, he selected Nature¡¯s artificer. You have selected WildForge artificer. You will now gain the following per level: Strength: +2 Dexterity:+3 Charisma:+2 Constitution:+2 Intelligence:+4 Wisdom:+3 You have also gained the following abilities: Nature¡¯s Bounty(uncommon)- Harvesting now has a 10% chance to double the item you are harvesting, and you can find rare plants easier with your senses. Wild''s Artificer(uncommon)- Making constructions or tools out of natural materials is more accessible and will last far longer than usual. You have gained a New Title: First in your class- You have surpassed expectations and gained the level required to grant you a class; since you are the first on your planet to do so, your rewards have been doubled. Your rewards have tripled since you have also been given an uncommon class. You have gained these two items as your reward. Pierce didn¡¯t know what to think for the second time that day. He bent to pick up the two things that had appeared. The first was a mottled green cloak that seemed to shimmer on the ground it was placed on. The belt next to it was very elaborate and had so many pockets and things in it he didn¡¯t even know what half of them were. He first picked up the toolbelt and inspected it. Toolbelt of Amaranth(uncommon)- This toolbelt belonged to a unique artificer known for his unorthodox approach to almost everything. This belt will allow you to use any number of essential tools that you can find in its pockets. It will also identify what some tools do for you if you need to know their usage. You will gain +4 in intelligence and wisdom when this is equipped. Pleased, Pierce strapped it on and picked up what looked like a roofing hammer from one of the pockets. Instantly, he knew what it was used for and what uses it could have in any ideas he might have for creations. This was going to be a game-changer. Bob the Builder would have murdered for this so he could stop talking to all those vehicles of his. Pierce worried for Bob, but moving on, he picked up the cloak. Cloak of Nature(uncommon)- this cloak will shield you from those who wish you harm and provide shelter when you most need it. While wearing it you can move faster when amongst nature and blend in almost perfectly with any natural surroundings. When equipped, you gain +5 to dexterity and +3 constitution. Pierce draped the cloak around his shoulders and grinned. It was time to fuck up some mushroom creatures. Chapter 4 : Experimentation The first thing that Pierce thought he needed to work on was a better form of weaponry. As it stood now, he could hardly affect the child mushroom, so he couldn¡¯t imagine that the other mushrooms would go down as quickly under the mandible¡¯s strikes. Pierce experimented with his cloak''s ability to move quicker while amongst trees and found that he was like a ghost darting and weaving through his surroundings. This experience drove home the fact that he was supernatural at this point. He wondered if an Olympic athlete could keep up with him at this pace. As he ran through the underground forest, he gazed about, thinking that the only living thing in this cavern he had encountered so far was that mushroom. He ventured back towards the clearing he had initially found and finally came to a halt as he recognized his surroundings. He was glad he hadn¡¯t gotten completely lost, but it also seemed like he had a deeper connection with his surroundings and knew where to go instinctively. He admired the river flowing nearby and the trees lining his small open patch of grass. He fished into his new toolbelt and found what he sought. Amazed that he actually could, he pulled out the basic wooden-handled hatchet. He apologized for what he was about to do to the trees and struck out into one of the closest trunks. Pierce was surprised that he went into the trunk about an inch on the first strike. He swung repeatedly until the tree creaked ominously, and he scrambled out of the way. As it fell, Pierce called out, ¡°Timber!¡± He then was a bit abashed as he realized no one was around to hear the warning. He hoped he wouldn¡¯t start talking to the local foliage out of loneliness. It may have suited Tom Hanks, but it wasn¡¯t a trait he wanted to pick up on. He approached the felled log, looked at the gems that had cracked off in the fall, and picked one up. Mana Stone(minor)- This Mana Stone possesses Minor mana storage. This stone can be used to refill one¡¯s mana pool or as an ingredient in a profession. Current capacity 100/100 mana Okay, great, bigger battery, now what to use the said battery for? How could he use this power for destructive or constructive means? ¡°Aha!¡± He shouted, ¡°I just have to put shit together.¡± Realizing he was the enemy of the mushroom state currently, he probably shouldn¡¯t have shouted. Disregarding that small matter, he chopped away at the wood again, making a smaller log. He then split the log down the middle to make two halves. Realizing he hadn¡¯t inspected the tree¡¯s wood yet, he picked up one of the halves. White Iron Ash Log (common) - This thick tree log is known for its toughness as an ingredient and its ability to live off of mana alone, which gives it excellent mana circulation possibilities when used as a material. Mana circulation possibilities? He liked the sound of that. It made him think he could imbue some function to release a concentrated blast from the mana stone using this as a base. He put the hatchet back into the tool belt, and it seemed to melt away in his hand. Then he fished around for a knife. It took him almost five minutes of rummaging to find one this time. He clasped his hands around it and pulled it out to reveal a whittling knife. He then peeled the bark off it and started to shape a hole for one of the lesser stones he had gotten off the insect earlier. He set the stone against the wood and gouged a general outline. Then, he started to slowly chip away at it, giving the stone a slight divot in the wood to rest in and carving a channel point to release the energy. He then made more of the twine and tied the stone to the plank. He needed to learn how to make this work. The idea for the channel had come from his skill, but he wasn¡¯t sure how to implement it. He sat on a rock nearby and fiddled with his weird Wii remote, thinking about how to trigger the expulsion of mana from the stone. Mana, being literal magic, was a foreign concept to him, and how to interact with it did not come flooding to him. He had already tried ¡°By the power of a gray skull!¡± but no such luck. Unlike He-man, it seemed he did not have the power. He then tried a few Harry Potter spells, shaking it as if it owed him money and eventually throwing it, but nothing. Running out of ideas, he started tapping the gem he had inlaid and finally got a response. A small beam of light shot from the crystal down the channel he¡¯d carved and into a tree. He whooped and hollered for all the world to hear until he finally got a hold of himself and ran to look at what damage his toy had dealt. It was safe to say it had knocked some of the bark off. Okay, not great, but progress; realizing he had to touch the stone to shoot any form of mana projectile, he started to work on a way to condense the mana stone''s power while also being able to activate it more effectively. He first considered enclosing the mana stone to create a more refined point for releasing energy. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. This did work in a general way, given that it bore into the tree trunk about a quarter of an inch, but it wasn¡¯t enough for Pierce. He thought to widen the channels of both halves of the wood to produce a larger projectile, and when he activated the mana stone through the chiseled-out hole on the sides of the two planks, a bolt of mana shot out, hitting the tree with what seemed like a lot more force. It bore at least an inch into the wood this time. Pierce excitedly tried to activate it again, but there was no response from the gem. Cursing, he took one of the planks off the other by undoing the twine that held them together and took out the gem. Current capacity 0/50 mana Pierce held it in his palm and tried to channel what he felt channeling mana should feel like, and slowly, the stone started to recharge. It was exhausting. The feeling was like pushing a boulder through a crack in a wall. After about half an hour of arduous channeling into the stone, he finally had recharged it. He lay back on the grass and breathed in the underground air. He needed some rest. He got up and looked for a comfortable tree to lie back on. He then drew the hood of his new cloak deep across his eye to cover his eyes. He fell asleep pondering how to address changing the mana crystals.
Pierce awoke to his body bouncing on top of something relatively soft and opened his eyes to see what it was. A mushroom that looked like a shitake mushroom from the top was running along with Pierce strapped to its head. Horrified, Pierce looked around and saw three other mushrooms running along beside it. The difference between these and the one he had fought earlier, or let''s be honest, the tree had fought earlier, was that these had arms. Arms? Arms! Arms. The two running near Jacob looked like they were wearing some kind of tree bark Gambeson. At the same time, the one in the back was carrying a flag that seemed to be sporting a picture of a Morel mushroom on it. All the mushrooms appeared to be different types; the one at the back was a larger version of the blue mushrooms that dotted the ceiling and walls. Another close and to the left of Pierce¡¯s shitake was an acid green color with purple swirls on its dome, and its stem, legs, and arms were a dark brown. The one on Pierce''s right looked like the parent of the one that Pierce had slain. Admiring his ability to fuck up anything and everything, he thought through his options. He could run if he got free from these damned bonds, but if the child one could almost catch up to him, it was practically inevitable that these could as well, even with the cloak''s boost to speed. What were these bonds even made out of anyway? He looked down and tried to discern what material they were. It seemed to be a leather-like substance, but he wasn''t positive. He went back to the drawing board. So, at least, it was a mildly good sign that these mushrooms had captured him instead of killing him outright. It gave him hope that maybe he would avoid death in one of those gross mouths of theirs. He shuddered as he remembered the lolling tongue of the child. He supposed that they were probably taking him to the mushroom village. He didn''t even remotely recognize where in the cavern they were, though he noticed some darker foliage colors here. The mushrooms on the walls and ceiling seemed to shine light through a fog as it came through dim and distorted. He accepted whatever fate was upon him and waited to see some sign of Mushroomtopia. The constant bobbing of his vision while looking up at the ceiling gave him a headache, so he closed his eyes. Almost half an hour later, the worst ride he had ever taken was finally over. The shiitake he was on lowered itself, and he felt mushroom hands untying him. He opened his eyes and saw the adult fairytale mushroom grabbing him. He then had the weirdest experience of his life, especially given what was happening right now, but a voice with a very neutral tone spoke in his mind. "Ah, so you have awakened child murderer." Pierce wanted to scream. It felt like a spike had entered his mind due to whatever this creature was doing to him, and his headache just worsened. "Do you think I would not know my own child''s spores on you? We always know of every one of our kin, but especially those of the same spore." Pierce screamed as though his mind was splitting open. He didn''t even look around as he was hoisted into the mushroom''s arms and carried through what seemed like the Smurf''s town come to life, except with mushroom inhabitants. The pain in his head was excruciating; it felt as though someone had taken a dozen hammers and slammed them into his brain all at once. He writhed as he was brought through the streets of this weird little town, and eventually, they stopped in front of a building with a giant black toadstool on top. Two guards, or what seemed to be guards, opened the doors and let them pass. They entered into a hall of wood and a living vine. Thousands of roots, plants, and vines covered the walls and ceiling, and a dark wood trunk cut through it all, with branches leading down and making branching pathways and corridors. Pierce would''ve thought he was dreaming if he hadn''t been in such excruciating pain. He could not believe what he was seeing. "Man, earth mushrooms are losers," he slurred out. " They need to take a few pointers from you guys." They went down to the end of the hallway and stopped in front of a doorway with two golden handles that had morels engraved onto them. The shiitake twisted the knobs, and Pierce''s world was filled with light as a bright sun, or what seemed like a sun, hung suspended by a single branch in the center of the room. The light from it revealed the rising platforms and seats that made a crescent moon shape on the room''s far end. And a giant Morel mushroom man was on a dais high above the others. Pierce sighed as the doors closed behind him. Chapter 5 : Work Pierce got thrown to the center of the room. His body skittered for a few paces, then stopped. He slowly lifted his head to look at the monstrous visage before him¡ªthis creature of any nightmare. The Morel mushroom stared back, or at least it felt like it did. Unlike its brethren, it was utterly humanoid, except for its head and partially its torso, which remained related to its roots. It had holes throughout its body from what Pierce could see on the floor. The graying color of its mushroom flesh and the way it seemed to breathe sent a shiver down Pierce''s spine, making him realize how alien this all was. ¡°Hello, my name is Pierce. It¡¯s great to meet you, uh, sir. Whatever it is, this has all been a great misunderstanding.¡± Silence met Pierce''s statement as all of the mushrooms seemingly just looked on at him. Then the morel opened one of the slits in its head and spoke with a gravely earthy tone. ¡°Hello, human. We will address the crimes you have committed against the whole. We are the Unified Head of my brethren.¡± ¡°That''s great, um, I¡¯m sorry for what I¡¯ve done, but the Child came after me. I was simply defending myself.¡± The overwhelming guilt was slowly growing in Pierce''s chest. Why had he had to kill the child mushroom? He had gotten caught up, but maybe that wasn¡¯t an excuse. He shook himself; it would attack him, and that was his only rational response to protect himself. The morel stood along with its brethren and raised a pale four-fingered hand. ¡°We have decided.¡± Pierce blinked as if he hadn¡¯t heard the discussion amongst the mushroom kin. He then remembered the voice in his head from earlier. They possessed some sort of ability relating to telepathy. ¡°Given your crimes and their severity, as well as a chance of usefulness, you will be our slave for the remainder of your life. Serve the Unified head well.¡± A single stomp from every mushroom in the room echoed through the hall, and Pierce got dragged to his feet. He was dumbfounded. ¡°Enslaved?¡± he yelled as the mushroom pushed him towards the big doors the mushrooms had led him through earlier. ¡° Your kind attacked me first; it was a reaction. What was I supposed to do?¡± The Morel said nothing, and Pierce felt hands at his back. As the doors closed, he was pushed into the hallway. The voice returned to Pierce¡¯s mind as they turned down one of the many branching pathways. ¡°A fate suiting one against the unified head.¡± The Mushroom said, a faint chuckle following the words. A spike of pain entered Pierce¡¯s mind, but he forced himself to ignore it. He hardened his mind, and it felt like the words met resistance. He obtained spared that, at least. Stumbling along, he tried to figure out what to do, but nothing came. He was a slave to this hivemind, much more potent than him. He couldn¡¯t fight his way out, and he didn¡¯t have anything to escape from the freakish sprinting of these creatures. With each step, his mind sunk deeper into despair. He had no clue if he would get out of whatever was happening. He had been rash and stupid to think the mushrooms wouldn¡¯t come looking for him after killing a child of their colony; a child. Pierce felt the bile rise in his throat. He had killed a child, and based on the interactions with the colony he had so far, it was a conscious being. The vomit escaped him before he could stop himself, and one of the captors in front of him gained a covering of the remnant blue mushrooms he had left in his stomach. The shitake whipped around and swung a hand across Pierce¡¯s face, and with a crunch against his jaw, he sprawled against the wooded pathway. How did things get like this? The hands of the mushroom kin brought him to his feet and forced him back on his feet. Why him? Why was this all happening to him? For some reason, he guessed that all his bad luck had to be redeemed in this month. Like a giant fucked up lottery ticket. He felt the walls close in on his mind''s eye as the light left the hallway with each step they took; they were deep beneath the earth now. Pierce¡¯s hope left as he saw their destination. A lava lake greeted his vision as they rounded a bend in the path, almost blinding him, as they had been wandering in the dark for half an hour. How did the Mushrooms know where to go, he suddenly thought. Something to do with their telepathic ability? Maybe they are told by other mushrooms down here. Indications on how to turn and in which ways to go. He supposed it didn¡¯t matter now, as a dark black staircase jutted out from rock further along the pathway. The lava lake¡¯s massive scale made Lake Superior look like a splash pool. It occupied the bottom of an enormous cavern spanning further than Pierce could see. The pathway they had entered from was sticking from the wall, with one side open to the lava lake below. As the group descended, every sore muscle fiber ached. The wound on his upper arm seeped fresh blood from the rigorous treatment. He cursed everything that had gotten him to this point.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. That damn snake, as well as the fucking system. It could all go fuck itself. Pierce was no leader of the Human race. He was pitiful. His head felt underwater as Pierce¡¯s thinking got replaced by self-deprecation and doubt. The staircase was as long as a football stadium¡¯s field. It was a dangerous descent with no railings. He had a flash of humor as he thought of Grace trying to get down this stairway. She hated heights, and every camping trip Pierce had ever tried had ended in disaster. Yet another thing he couldn¡¯t get right. But he supposed that didn¡¯t matter now, given the stakes he was dealing with. As they reached about halfway down the staircase, a jutting rock tower appeared in their vision. It was roughly hewn, with jagged edges and deep cut lines made from primitive tools. But that suited its look just fine, as the rock was set directly into the lava lake. It encouraged anyone to discard the thought of this being a tourist destination. Hours passed as they slowly descended. The only gauge for how long it had been was the timer on the prompt of when the system would transport him back. They finally reached the bottom, and Pierce was a sweating mess. Pierce''s clothes were covered in it and soaked through. They approached a gate that stood as a seal to trap anything in or out. The gate sat at the bottom of the staircase. The one leading the party pressed a slight sigil that looked like a mix of an A and K, the twisting pattern reminding him of the Lambda Greek symbol with a line through the bottom half. The mushroom¡¯s hand was sliced off at the wrist and sucked into the gate console, and the door slowly opened. The mushroom didn¡¯t even wince as it lost its entire hand. It deemed it part of whatever this was and moved onward, with the red and white-spotted one prodding Pierce to move. Pierce was stunned at the mushroom''s indifference at losing a literal limb, but he guessed there was something more to the process that he didn¡¯t understand. The rough black stone gave Pierce chills as they passed through the gate. This was an evil lair that Sauron would be proud of. They entered a black hallway, and the temperature immediately spiked. The sweat on his body started to heat up and then evaporate, only to leave behind more sweat in its place. ¡°What am I going to be doing here exactly?¡± The Mushrooms said nothing but just pushed him forward. ¡°That good, huh?¡± The growing tension he felt was exposed in the quaver he spoke with. Each step made the air hotter and hotter until. Finally, the group stopped in front of a pair of doors. Feeling like he had run a triathlon, Pierce desperately hoped some respite was on the other side of these doors. The sweat on his face dripped into a great pool at his feet as another one of the mushrooms stepped forward and pushed a button on the wall. The cooling wind from this room almost knocked Pierce out from the drastic temperature change. He thanked every god he could think of as he hobbled through the doorway with the other two following behind him. The door hissed shut, and they stood before a desk hewn from the same black stone as everything else. A Mushroom with moss growing on almost every part of it stood up from behind the desk and stood there as they were having a telepathic discussion. Pierce didn¡¯t like how they talked. Mainly because he couldn¡¯t even read their body language, and he had no clue how the conversation could go. For example, Pierce would love to know if he would get treated well or with disdain and hatred. It seemed the conversation had ended as Pierce got pushed toward the desk, and the moss-covered mushroom pulled a writhing vine from a cabinet behind it. The vine wrapped around Pierce¡¯s wrists and held there firmly intertwined. The Moss-covered one then led the way down a side corridor off of the room where the desk was. What were cells lined the hallway, and he saw only a few occupants. One was huddled in the back corner, away from the light passively emitted from the hallway ceiling. Another was up against his rock cage with his hands outstretched. He was short and stout, with a long beard that had braids running through it. He had a crazy look in his eyes, and he yowled like a wounded animal. Moving past the cell, they came to the second to last of fourteen total cells. Part of the rock was shaped like a door with hinges, and the moss-covered mushroom opened it. Pierce was then unceremoniously shoved inside. He fell as he was pushed over and hit the hard ground. ¡°Enjoy.¡± The voice said in his mind with a cackle as the group returned from the cell hallway. Pierce didn¡¯t bother to get up and just curled into a ball. His body racked with sobs as he lay there, but he didn¡¯t have the energy. He just coughed and shuddered as his dry heaving wracked his body until the exhaustion drove him into unconsciousness.
He awoke to clatter outside his cell. A pitch-black mushroom stood there, holding a wooden bowl and a set of keys. It leaned down and unlocked a grate at the bottom of the door. The food bowl was then kicked into Pierce''s cell. ¡°Eat it. Work soon.¡± Even among a nontalkative race, this was a new standard . His Head throbbed from the Telepathic message, but he focused on the bowl before him. The bowl contained grey matter that looked like brains of some sort. Against Piercee¡¯s better judgment, he scooped a small handful of the slop. He then took an experimental taste and was pleased to find it was like eating mushy peas with hardly any flavor. He finished whatever it was and felt a minor release of one of the many knots his stomach had accumulated from his hunger. He lay back against the far wall of his cell and waited for whatever this work was. Pierce started doing push-ups but stopped as the wound on his arm that had healed back over as he was resting reopened. He lay back, and despair¡¯s tendrils slowly closed around the edges of his vision. This was his life now, to be a slave to a race of telepathic mushrooms. His cage door rattled as it opened, and the pitch-black mushroom beckoned for him to follow. He slowly got to his feet and followed after the mushroom¡¯s receding figure. The other prisoners followed along behind Pierce, all with a look of complete dejection. They went down one corridor and then another until they entered through a doorway that exploded with heat and light. Shielding his eyes, Pierce saw they were on a massive platform floating above the lava with Giant gems dotting the ceiling above. Scaffolding covered the walls, and various workers dotted along it. ¡°Get to work, scum.¡± The Mushroom thrust a Pickaxe into Pierce¡¯s hands. Chapter 6 : New friends The pickaxe slammed into the wall again and again. With his enhanced stats, Pierce thought this would be a breeze, but every swing left fresh throbbing pain shooting up his arms. He wiped his brow, noticing the fresh sweat stained his rapidly deteriorating tee shirt. He returned to it; he quickly learned not to be too sluggish, or one of the pitch-black mushrooms would be around shortly. They favor heavy whips that cut through the air as they slammed into the back of one prisoner or another. The crystal he had been trying to gouge out for the past five minutes finally came loose. The thick teal crystal thudded to the wood Pierce was standing on. He leaned down, grasped the crystal with two hands, and shuffled back toward the ramp. He released the crystal onto a weighing platform that one of the Mushrooms was operating. This one had at least been cordial to Pierce, which was more than some other guards around here had done. The guard nodded as the weigh-in was completed. Pierce grabbed it and felt his back creak as he lifted it. He cursed as he forgot to lift with his legs again. He took it towards the stack of crystals on the corner of the rock platform. This was miserable work. Sweat was streaming into Pierce''s eyes and flowing down his arms, making his grip slip occasionally. He stumbled 20 paces away from the stack, and the crystal almost fell on his foot. His heart thumped in his ears as the relief that it hadn¡¯t flowed through him. He stepped up to the pile, dropped it near the middle, and started to trudge away. His mind was filled with unanswered questions. What was he going to do? Would the system even transport him back at this rate? And if it did, then what was he to do? He couldn¡¯t lead a dung beetle to a pile of shit. He was lost in his misery and didn¡¯t even notice as he slammed head-first into a tree-man. ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Pierce mumbled out. Was this the moment that he pissed off the top guy in the prison and was pitched headfirst into the Lava? He looked up, realized the tree man was talking, and forced himself to listen. In a thick accent of indeterminate origin, the tree-man said, ¡° Are you okay, little guy? Do you need a hug?¡± Honestly? Yes, Pierce would appreciate it more than anything else right now. He nodded, and the tree guy wrapped his bark- and moss-covered arms around him. It was definitely uncomfortable, but he could relate to a tree hugger right now, as there was something to it. He could feel his muscles relax under the grip he was held in. Finally, he was released, and the tree man grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him back to face Pierce. ¡°It seems like you needed that buddy. The name¡¯s Borag. What should I call you, stranger?¡± ¡°Oh, um, I¡¯m Pierce.¡± He said, slightly abashed, ¡°Do you always go around hugging strangers?¡± Borag laughed. ¡°Most of the time, they tell me to fuck off, but, on a rare occasion, they let me. I love hugging people, though. Gotta spread the love.¡± He let go of Pierce and gave him a good-natured slap. ¡°Don¡¯t be so serious kid, it¡¯ll be alright. Come on, let¡¯s go meet my friends.¡± Borag strode off, and Pierce stumbled after him. Now that he had a better look at Borag, his strangeness was amplified. He was humanoid, with bark and moss covering parts of his skin, like natural armor. His skin was dark green, and his hair was made of vines in an elaborate pattern braided down his back. He was only clothed in a loin cloth wrapped around his waist. They continued toward two other miners working on some gems in the wall. As they approached, Borag shouted, ¡°Hey guys, I found the new guy! He seems down in the dumps, so I thought we could cheer him up!¡± The shorter one turned around at the sound of Borag¡¯s voice, grumbled something, and turned back around. The other faced them and greeted Pierce as they stopped near their workspot. ¡°Hi, the name is Skeamish. What¡¯s yours? Pierce was dumbstruck for the second time that day. All the way toward them, he couldn¡¯t quite make out the man¡¯s features, if that was what he even was. But now that he was closer, the man before him was a lizard. He looked like he was straight out of New York City sewers. Green scales covered his face, and his tongue flicked in and out of a razor-sharp, teeth-filled mouth. The eyes were set on either side of an elongated snout and were bright yellow. Pierce didn¡¯t respond as the lizard man gave him what looked like a questioning look. ¡°Is he okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say just give him a second. He¡¯s probably just sad about something.¡± Skeamish shrugged and turned back to his gem. Borag said he would do the same and found a crystal nearby. Pierce was half convinced to turn and run back to his previous spot, but this spot was much nearer to the pile. He hoisted his pickaxe and tried to get the freakish image of the lizard man out of his mind. He decided to step up beside the shorter man and work beside him. He nodded to him and started to swing his pick against one of the nearby gems. Hours passed before the next break finally came, and Pierce collapsed where he stood, leaning against the wall. The others near him did the same, and Borag and Skeamish started exchanging barbs and good-natured jokes. He looked next to him and saw the bearded man lean against the wall similarly, but he didn¡¯t seem to be the talking type. As Pierce gave him an assessing look, he realized the man might only reach up to Pierce¡¯s waist, which was very uncommon. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Are you a dwarf?¡± The man glanced at him with a look that felt like he had just eaten a lemon and said, ¡° So what if I am?¡± ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never met a dwarf before, and given that this seems to be a magical creature land, I assumed you were one.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never met a dwarf before, eh?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, I mean, where I¡¯m from, it¡¯s only humans and animals.¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re not part of integrated space yet.¡± ¡°Intergrated space?¡± ¡°Ask Skeamish to explain it later. I¡¯m not in the mood.¡± That was the end of the conversation, and Pierce was amazed by his situation. I at least got to meet these guys, he thought. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: a tree man, a lizard man, and a dwarf walk into a bar. He gave a hoarse chuckle, which led to a coughing fit. The lack of water was getting to him. He hoped he would be able to secure some in his cell. He sighed and leaned back. A prompt started to flash in his vision, and he opened it without having anything else to do. Mission Updated: Since you have failed to eliminate 30 mushrooms, your new task shall be escaping their bondage. New Mission: Escape! Rewards will be determined upon completion. Notice: you will not be teleported out of the training world until the completion of this mission. Another screen followed that one: New Skill Gained: Mining(common) Lv.1- Your persistent hitting of stone has led to you now hitting rocks like an art form. Mining is 10% faster. Well, shit in the back of his mind, he had been hoping just to stick it out till he got back to earth, but it looked like it would have to be the hard way yet again. He cursed; he wanted to curl into a ball again. Borag approached him and the dwarf, his lumbering footsteps shaking the ground slightly. ¡°Aw man, what did you say to him, Eldrin?¡± Looking toward Pierce, he said, ¡°Look, he didn¡¯t mean it, whatever it was.¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t his fault, just reflecting on some bad news I got recently.¡± ¡°Aw, well, don¡¯t worry about it, ey, it¡¯ll be alright. Sit with us. We¡¯ll share some of our food with ya.¡± Eldrin, the dwarf, spoke up, ¡°Why do we need to share with him? We don¡¯t even know him, and I don¡¯t see why we need to share food with strangers.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Eldrin, don¡¯t worthy there¡¯s plenty to go around, it¡¯ll come out of my half.¡± Modified by this, the dwarf grunted and walked toward where Skeamish was sitting. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him too much; he¡¯s just grumpy, but he¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Hey, listen, thanks for letting me have some of your food.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, no problem.¡± Borag smiled and turned toward where the other two were sitting. Pierce hurried after them and formed a square on the ground. They all had bowls that they grabbed from a sack that Skeamish carried. They each took their portion and passed it along. At Borag, he took a little less and passed the last of it to Pierce. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He asked, his mouth watering slightly at the dried meats and nuts. Borag waved him off, and they all dived into it with gusto. Pierce Finished in about a minute, and he never thought food could taste this good. He sat back on his hands, savoring the last bite before it was sucked in by what felt like the black hole in his stomach. ¡°So Pierce, how¡¯d the Mushrooms drag you down to this hellhole?¡± Skeamish asked good-naturedly. ¡°Ah, well, I killed one of their children.¡± The food that just entered his stomach threatened to come out at that thought. Skeamish whistled, which had a weird feel with his elongated tongue. ¡°Man, that¡¯s pretty bad; I got captured as a part of a deal that my clan made with the Unified Head. Now I get to work here in this shithole.¡± Pierce still had difficulty looking at the Lizardman and returned his gaze to the ceiling. ¡° I was captured by the mushrooms because they were interested in my biology. I wasn¡¯t exciting enough to cut me open, so they just sent me here.¡± Pierce looked toward the dwarf, but he was silent, looking at his hands. The mood was dampened, but Skeamish told an anecdote about his sister eating the wrong type of frog, which seemed to cheer everyone up. Pierce was glad that he wasn¡¯t alone in this place. Break time drew to a close, so they all returned to work. As he moved to his spot, a giant man shoved his way in front of him. ¡°Go find a new spot, pissant. Don¡¯t want to have to take a dip in the lava now, do we?¡± All the rage and sadness gathered into a pit in Pierce¡¯s stomach, and he launched off his feet and slammed his palm into the man¡¯s jaw. The force surprised Pierce as the man¡¯s jaw crunched under his strike. The man backed away, clutching his face. He looked at Pierce with anger burning in his eyes and charged him. The anger burned away after that strike, and Pierce backed away from what he had started. The man raised his fist to strike, and Pierce stumbled back on a stone, narrowly avoiding the man¡¯s blow. Pierce resolved that he couldn¡¯t lose, given that the lava didn¡¯t sound like an empty threat. He pulled his fist back and aimed for the man¡¯s temple. He no longer had the element of surprise, but the pain from the previous blow allowed Pierce to strike a glancing blow against the man¡¯s temple. It seemed like that was all that was needed, and the man fell to the ground in a slump. Eldrin, Borag, and Skeamish all looked at him slack-jawed. ¡°Remind me not to steal anything from you,¡± said Skeamish. ¡°Seems like that would be a poor mistake indeed.¡± Pierce was more than a little chagrined at his success. Borag slapped him on the back and ¡°looked down on the sprawled man and said, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll need to find a new spot, pissant.¡± Pierce smiled at that. Chapter 7 : Missing The overlook spanned along the backside of the hotel, its view cast upon the manmade lake below. It was early morning as Fiona admired her surroundings, her interest resting on the sloping hills making up the sides of the valley in which the lake resided. She sighed; it had been too long since she had been so lost in nature''s embrace. It made her sad to think of the impending destruction that climate change had for places like these. She stepped from the railing and returned up the pathway, which wound its way to the front of the hotel. It was littered with flat stones and bushes lining the sides, which were made up of dark greens, oranges, and browns. It was beautiful here. Far away from any bustling city, the honks of cars and the ocean of concrete covering every part of the landscape. Maybe she needed to do this more often. The constant weight that teaching often left upon her shoulders had lifted throughout this trip. She was thinking about asking about the cost of this place during the summer when one of her fellow teachers, Derrick, rushed up to her. ¡°There you are; I finally found you, ¡° he panted. Principal Howard is gathering everyone for a meeting in the conference room; apparently, one of the teachers is missing.¡± A pit of worry wormed into Fiona¡¯s stomach, but she wasn¡¯t sure where it was coming from. ¡°Thanks, Derrick.¡± She started back up the path. Derrick went past her. ¡°I¡¯ve got to find two others. Do you know where Dean and Grace might be? She thought for a moment but then shook her head. ¡°Well, they will have to be around here somewhere.¡± He took off again, and she heard him quieter as the distance from her grew. ¡°Couldn¡¯t pick someone who likes running?¡± She chuckled at that and took off up the path at a brisker pace.
She entered the lobby, and the unrest immediately drew her attention. A group of teachers gathered around one of the entrances to a meeting room off the main hallway. Seeing the familiar figures, she strode toward them, trying to discover what was happening and who was missing. The first figure closest to the edge of the group, with whom Fiona had a previous acquaintance, was Malcolm. He was the biology and physics teacher. As he turned to greet her, he slipped and almost fell over before regaining his balance and adjusting his glasses. He once did that while holding a bunsen burner, setting a child¡¯s eyebrows alight. That phone call was highly unpleasant, or so he had said. But he was brilliant at the subject, so the school kept him around. ¡°Oh, good, you¡¯re here. Based on how many I¡¯ve counted thus far, we are only missing two others besides the missing teacher. Do you know who it is?¡± he said in his reedy voice. Fiona shook her head. They both turned back toward the meeting room entrance and listened to the discourse of who it might be and why they might be missing. Throughout it all, as Fiona looked around, she had a sneaking suspicion of who it was. She didn¡¯t see Pierce anywhere. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably at that. He had been a good friend to her several times during the school year. They might have been closer if Pierce¡¯s life hadn¡¯t been dominated by Grace 99% at the time. The thought saddened her a great deal. She hoped that he would be alright. While she was deep in thought, Principal made his way to the front of the clump and addressed the small crowd. ¡°Come on in, everyone; we have a grave matter to discuss.¡± The group shuffled forward, and everyone entered the meeting room. The room was decidedly too small for this group of people, with only one long table in the center and seven chairs set along the outside of it. Everyone crammed in as best they could and made space at the front of the room for Principal Howard, and who Fiona recognized as April, the front desk worker. ¡°Thank you all for coming; let¡¯s get straight to it. Our¨C¡± At that moment, Derrick, Dean, and Grace opened the door and squeezed into the cramped space. They muttered apologies as they got in, and the door closed again. ¡°As I was saying, our history teacher, Pierce Adams, is missing.¡± The gathered people gasped collectively, and Grace was among them. Fiona noticed Dean caressing her shoulder comfortingly. His face was also grey and ashy. He genuinely meant a lot to them. Fiona turned back to Principal Howard as he spoke again. ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of information on his whereabouts, but this representative from the hotel will be helping our efforts to locate him using the hotel¡¯s resources. We will also contact the local authorities to have as many people as possible to help find him and alert his family. If anyone knows anything about his whereabouts, now would be the time to say so.¡± Nobody said anything; they all wore expressions of concern and worry, but it seemed no one had any information.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well, please talk to either Miss April here or me, and she will pass anything said to her onto me and the authorities. I will now take some questions if people are unclear.¡± A rush of questions met that statement, and soon, you could not see either the slight woman April nor the portly principal. Fiona was in shock; it was a strange feeling not to know the fate of someone close to you. They hadn¡¯t been close relationship-wise, but they had been on the same floor, and their classrooms had only been a few doors down from each other. She was pressed against the wall as more teachers pushed past her to ask the principal questions. She needed some air. She went past the other groups of teachers, making their way to the front and going out to the lobby. She decided she needed a cup of coffee and made her way to the restaurant inside the hotel. She was shown to a table and ordered a coffee and an omelet. The time alone with her thoughts was excruciating. The thought of Pierce missing only reminded her of her childhood¡ªthe screams, the car, the men. She shook herself; she couldn¡¯t think about that right now. Having a mental breakdown in a restaurant wasn¡¯t a great idea. The coffee came, and she sipped it while calming down and thinking about how to help. She wondered how long Pierce had been missing. She cursed at not sticking around to ask some more questions, but there you are. She could always go back. The sound of a dish breaking drew Fiona out of her thoughts. A waiter was cleaning up a dropped plate, which looked like it had been her omelet, and the hostesses stood nearby, giving him an earful. She turned back to her coffee when she overheard something strange in their conversation. ¡°You really are useless. First thing tomorrow, you¡¯re going back through the portal.¡± The server then seemed to have done something, and the conversation dropped a tone. Fiona itched to turn around to see what was happening, but she felt like she had heard something she shouldn¡¯t have, so she pretended not to be listening in. Portal? Had she heard that right? What was going on here? She was going to find out. This shit had gone far enough. She finished her coffee and went over to where the hostess and server were. The mess had mostly been cleaned up, and they both looked at her as she approached. ¡°Is there anything else we can help you with, ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Nah, just wanted to take the omelet off the bill and pay for this coffee,¡± She smiled congenially. ¡°Of course, let me just get the bill for you. It will take a second, so why don¡¯t you go sit back down?¡± Fiona nodded and made her way back to her seat. Walking back, she looked around and noticed she was the only one in the restaurant besides the staff. There must be enough seating for almost 100 people, and she was the only one. She checked her phone. It was still before noon. There should still be some breakfast stragglers and others coming in for lunch. She sat back down and waited for the bill. Now that she thought about it, she hadn¡¯t seen any other guests besides their group of teachers for a couple of days. There¡¯s no way the school could afford to rent out the entire place for a week. The hostess approached her with the bill and set it down before Fiona. As she began to leave, Fiona called after her, ¡°Man, that coffee made me feel portal.¡± The hostess froze and turned back to Fiona. ¡°Sorry, what did you say?¡± ¡°Oh, just that the coffee made me feel immortal,¡± Fiona shrugged. A broad smile broke the hostess''s face,¡± Oh yes, of course, yes, we have a lovely French roast here.¡± Fiona matched her smile. ¡°It was delicious, thank you.¡± The Hostess turned back around and quickly left toward the kitchen doors. Fiona had heard correctly. Now what the fuck was this about a portal.
She was sitting in the lobby, casually flipping through a magazine. Several people had approached her while lounging, talking about Pierce and where he could be. She nodded and engaged politely through it until they left her alone. She kept a keen eye on what the staff was doing around her during every conversation. She flipped to a page with a full spread of some tennis player¡¯s latest win in Wimbledon. She spied April out of the corner of her eye. She had been looking at her for the past five minutes every minute. She got up and put the magazine from which she had retrieved it on the table on which she had retrieved it. She stretched and headed toward the elevators. She had to be quick. Every ten minutes, one of the staff, no matter who it was, whether a maid or a chef, had gone down this hallway past the elevators. Which door was it? ¡°Can I help you, ma¡¯am?¡± Fiona almost jumped out of her skin as she turned to face April. She had a nearly painful smile on her face. ¡°Oh, uh, I was just looking for the maintenance offices. My shower wasn¡¯t working, so I wondered where to find someone to help me.¡± ¡°I will send someone to check in on your room soon. Do not worry, ma¡¯am. Oh, and my condolences for your co-worker Pierce, as the staff must take some blame.¡± April then gestured toward the elevators. Fiona gritted her teeth as she made her way toward them; the way April had said it made her hair stand up and her blood boil. She pushed the button and waited for the elevator. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw April getting pulled into the room behind the front desk. An employee was frantically discussing something as she led April into the room. With a jolt, Fiona realized she had just been presented with a chance of a lifetime. Without wasting any time, she ran back down the hallway and started jiggling the knobs on each of the five doors. One was likely because it did not budge under Fiona''s attempts to open it. She pressed her ear to the door to see if she could hear anything, but nothing. She cursed and started to pace. She then heard an audible click from the door in front of her. She ran into one of the closest doors and slammed into it. It burst open. She winced, hoping no one heard that, and slowly closed it behind her as the door she had been in front of moments before opened slowly. She heard two men outside talking as they wandered back down the hallway. She cracked the door open and saw that the door the men had come through was closing slowly. She sprinted inside the room beyond and gasped at what she saw. Her gaze met a massive warehouse with perhaps 70 people moving around and completing the tasks. What had she been caught up in now? Chapter 8 : The Will to Survive The air was burning his lungs as Pierce drew each shuddering breath¡ªthe victory of hitting the other slave was not long-lived. He honestly didn¡¯t know what came over him, which scared him. The raw anger and frustration that boiled up frightened him. The pick crunched into the wall again as the gem finally came free and crashed to the ground. The remote thought of even picking that stone up made his muscles tighten. But the thorny vines were fresh on his mind as a miner close by had deep gouges across his back. Pierce shuddered as he lifted the stone, and as he fully stood, he almost blacked out. Regardless of any strength-enhancing or vitality stat, this was shit. This was the worst part of Pierce¡¯s life thus far, and honestly, it might just be the rest of it. He hadn¡¯t the foggiest idea of how the fuck he was going to get out of here. He took a step forward, and one of his muscles tensed awkwardly. The stone slipped out of his grasp, and Borag swiftly caught it. ¡°You alright there, little man?¡± Pierce just gloomily nodded, and the tree man hoisted it and moved toward the pile. Pierce stumbled after him, trying to reclaim his burden, but Borag was hearing none of it. Pierce sighed and thanked Borag for the respite. The three days down here had been torture. The only bright spots were Skeamish and Borag. Despite the extended time that Pierce had hung out in Eldrin¡¯s presence, he had spoken to Pierce since the first day. Pierce wanted to discover this integrated space thing, but he couldn¡¯t face the lizard man yet. Lizards had always freaked him out since he was little. One had lept out of his childhood friend¡¯s cage and bit and scratched him, with its cold, dead eyes staring down at him. He shivered, not relishing those thoughts, and blundered into Borag¡¯s back. Pierce toppled over and skinned his knee. Cursing, he stood back up and saw why the tree man stopped. Two men were standing in front of Borag with arms crossed. Not feeling nearly as confident as his anger made him feel three days ago, Pierce took a step back. Coward. He thought, always making others pick up his shit. A new depth of self-loathing bloomed in his chest. Borag stood off with the two other slaves. One was a big, dark-skinned man who was shirtless and had gold rings in almost every part of his body. The other was a shorter, stouter bald man with a braided beard that met the center of his chest. Pierce recognized this man as the one yowling one from before. It looked like he had calmed down after their previous encounter. Pierce saw a look he didn¡¯t like in the man¡¯s eye. It was hard as a rock, no assessment, just pure will. He wondered what people saw in his eyes. Maybe sadness or brokenness, perhaps even his self-loathing. He slumped a little further into his depression. Pierce heard footsteps behind him and saw Eldrin and Skeamish sidle up to the group. ¡°The fuck do you want, ey?¡± said Eldrin ¡°Oh, nothing but that little human rat you¡¯ve got with you fucked over our boss, so we¡¯d like this stone.¡± Said the short one in a wheedling tone. Pierce sucked in a breath; if he didn¡¯t get this stone turned in, it wouldn¡¯t count towards his quota. There wasn¡¯t much time left before the shift ended, and he knew he couldn¡¯t mine another stone before then. He would have to, though; he didn¡¯t want this feud to continue. The only thing that awaited a missed quota was a lashing. ¡°Hah, you must be out of yer fuckin minds, the pair of you.¡± Snorted Eldrin. ¡°We can always call our boys if you don¡¯t hand it over. ¡° The short one said with a sneer, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Borag give it to them,¡± Pierce said, with some confidence, he didn¡¯t know he had. Borag started to shake his head, but Pierce put a hand on the stone. ¡°Just give it to them. I¡¯ll be alright.¡± Borag looked worried but handed it over to the two men. ¡°Pleasure to do business with you,¡± the short one spat. The man covered in rings lifted the stone, and they walked off, the short one cackling. ¡°I hope you know what you just did, boy¡± Eldrin shook his head. ¡°They never go easy on the newcomers.¡± Eldrin turned away and returned to his spot, and Skeamish followed suit. Pierce felt mounting anxiety in his chest but held it down. They wouldn¡¯t have left him alone; otherwise, he needed to appease them. But they wouldn¡¯t find any here if they returned looking for more handouts. The next time they came asking, they would receive violence.
A grim certainty took Pierce through the next couple of hours. The anticipation and worry built, followed by a healthy dose of doubt, but he worked relentlessly for the next couple of hours and managed to get one more stone before the end of the shift. His muscles screamed and wailed as he wobbled toward the collected gems pile. He brought it to the pile for it to be weighed and inspected. The mushroom looked at the gem and then nodded. He had done it. Finally, he could rest. As he turned to return to his group, a telepathic thought reached his mind. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°This one is underweight by .03 Nerkal¡¯s stand to the side, please.¡± A mushroom guard had come over and inspected the weighing machine while the crystal had remained on it. Pierce recognized him as the guard that had first brought him to the mine and cursed his luck. This spore sucker hated him. Pierce obediently stood to the side as the older miner behind him stepped forward. Overwhelming dread took hold as the mushroom approached. It grabbed hold of Pierce and dragged him to the center of the mining area. It then stripped Pierce of his cloak and ripped off the back of his ragged tee shirt. The first lash tore deep into his back, the trailing barbs of the vine leaving deep furrows in his skin. The second was the same, going in the opposite direction and making an X on his back. Pierce screamed until there was nothing left in him. The pain drove him to the edge, but he dragged himself back. He felt deep inside himself and drew on the will found there. He would survive. He would survive. He would survive. The third stroke came down. Pierce fought against the wail that rose. He would survive. He would survive. He would survive. That was all that got him through the next twenty minutes before he passed out. It was 15 lashes total, and his back would never be the same. But his will remained strong through it all. He knew now why the short bearded man looked as he did. We all had to achieve that in one way or another¡ªthe will to survive.
Pierce awoke in his cell. The pain flared immediately as he shifted even a little from the position on the ground he was lying in. His throat was hoarse from screaming. He didn¡¯t even know when he would talk again because of how raw it felt. He stretched to regain feeling in his limbs and slowly worked himself into a sitting position. He picked up the slop and pushed a handful into his mouth. The pain flared with every movement of his arm until he was finished. He tossed the bowl to the ground. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he was in this much pain. The worst he had been through was breaking his arm back in second grade. He seemed so alien from where he was and what was happening to him now that he chuckled at the irony. He missed music the most, he thought. He hadn¡¯t played guitar nor listened to anything since the bus ride to that hotel. He hummed tunelessly as he shuffled his butt across the floor toward the back wall. The second his back made contact, it burned like he¡¯d dipped it in lava. He gasped and gurgled, but no sound came. The silent screaming ended after about thirty seconds, and he was back wrestling with the aftermath. He lay back on the floor and decided to sleep as best he could. It was difficult as he¡¯d been a back sleeper his entire life, and sleeping on his side did not come naturally. He stared at the wall as he had done for the past 30 minutes. Sleep had not come, even with the exhaustion he felt in his bones. The rattle drew him from his stupor, and he looked to see the black mushroom opening the door. ¡°Work,¡± It said simply. Pierce was aghast at the prospect of working but got up anyway, wincing with each step. He had half his quota to reach today as he was injured. They at least spared him that much of a breakthrough, which was the least of it. It meant more breaks for him and more plotting. He needed to escape. He would not survive here, and he knew it. Fuck dying in this godforsaken pit. He would talk to the group the next break and see if they were with him. Pierce sat on the floor with Eldrin, Skeamish, and Borag. They looked at him as he spoke. ¡°We need to get the fuck out of here,¡± he said with teeth gritted, his back spasming with pain.¡±If I don¡¯t leave, I¡¯m going to die here.¡± Eldrin laughed. ¡°It¡¯s Fukin impossible, lad; there¡¯s no way out of here.¡± He started counting on his fingers. ¡°Firstly, there is how guarded we are. Do you even know why they have this fucking place?¡± Pierce shrugged. ¡°Rare gems?¡± Eldrin laughed again. ¡°All this for a few gems? I don¡¯t think you know what¡¯s going on here. These are racial evolution stones. It¡¯s the rarest commodity you¡¯ll ever find in the multiverse.¡± Pierce¡¯s thoughts reeled. Multiverse? Racial evolution stones? ¡°So you can best believe I¡¯m not chancing it with the guards and layers of security they¡¯ve got here. Secondly, we cannot find a way out of here, so that¡¯s a lost cause. Finally, there¡¯s nothing left for me anyway, so why would I return? Not even if Frienden came down here and licked my shoes begging me to,¡± ¡°Frienden?¡± Borag answered for him, ¡°It¡¯s his god.¡± PIences made an o with his mouth and nodded. ¡° I get all that and agree it¡¯s improbable, but I think I might know how to navigate out of here. That still leaves the guards and the security systems. I need to check out that clerk¡¯s desk at the front of the prison, the moss-covered one¡¯s desk. But I think He¡¯s got something to guide him out of here. But to be fair, that is about all I¡¯ve got.¡± No one spoke. Pierce sighed inwardly; these guys wouldn¡¯t come with him. What reason would they have to do so? Well, if that were how it would be, he would have to do it himself or die in the attempt. Borag spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll come with ya. I¡¯m tired of this place, and I¡¯ve seen too many live and die here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired of it here, too, and I feel this will be a good laugh after it¡¯s all said and done,¡± Squeamish said. Eldrin shook his head. ¡°Yer damn fools the lot of ya, but might as well go with given I won¡¯t have anyone left after you lot go.¡± Pierce grinned at them; they had been gracious to him since he came here. Now they were risking it all and putting their faith in him, whom they had met 3 days ago and honestly hadn¡¯t said much to. But they¡¯d looked out for him and were doing it again. True friends, every one of them. He looked each one in the eye and thanked them each in turn. Even Skeamish, though his gaze made Pierce freeze up a little. This was going to be a big fucking task, and he hoped it would turn out alright. Chapter 9 : Grace Grace awoke with a pounding sensation behind her lids. They had really drunk a lot more than they should¡¯ve last night. She pushed the comforter and Dean¡¯s lunk of an arm off of her and swung her legs out and onto the floor. The room was dark, with light streaming in through one of the bay windows on the left wall. She wobbled into the bathroom and turned the shower on. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror while waiting for the water to heat up. The frizziness of her hair and the dark bags under her eyes greeted her. She stripped out of her shorts and Dean¡¯s shirt and stepped under the water. It washed away any blemish of the previous day, the tears were gone for good now. The streaks they had left on her face last night disappeared under the water, leaving her hollow and empty. She pressed her forehead onto the tiled wall. The tiles cool touch spread across her forehead. It had been 4 days since they had been told. The search parties had stopped after the last time they had went to look. Three members had found what looked like the remains of Pierce¡¯s flannel. It had been covered in blood. ¡°Pierce¡± The hoarse whisper met nothing but the sound of rushing water and the silent sobs that wracked her body.
Breakfast here was as good as usual, and Dean felt better than she, evident by his continued wolfing down of waffles and bacon. She admired her plate and picked at it before tossing her silverware down and standing. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Dean said, his mouth half full of bacon. ¡°Just out; I¡¯m gonna go walk around.¡± "Okay, have fun, sweetie, and be careful.¡± Dean¡¯s face dropped. ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you too.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course, don¡¯t even worry about it.¡± She forced a smile, hoping he couldn¡¯t tell. She stepped away, heading for the front hall. The adornments along the edge of the hallway really made this place beautiful. She was always a sucker for post-modern Victorian, and this place was full of it. Pierce probably liked it here, too. He always sought the Log Cabin aesthetic though. She stopped staring at one of the paintings in the hallway. It was of a man staring at a pot of flowers with a broad smile on his face. A dog was looking up at his master with a face full of curiosity. She could see Pierce in the painting. Same type of smile. She choked back a sob. He died only knowing of the betrayal by the prominent people in his life. It was the truth, but if she had explained, it would have made him understand why it had happened. She stumbled away from the painting towards the looby and slumped in a chair. She stared at the ceiling. Why was she feeling so bad? He hadn¡¯t been putting in the effort, and she wasn¡¯t happy, and that¡¯s why she did what she did. So why did she feel so bad? She closed her eyes, seeing felt like too much activity for her brain right now.
She awoke to the sound of yelling coming from behind her. Her eyes snapped open and she blinked through the blue film and dark that had covered her vision from sleeping in the bright sunlight. There was one of the staff restraining who looked to be Fiona. She was yelling and kicking and struggling to escape from his grasp. The man had a grim look of determination on his face and was dragging her toward the front desk. Fiona, in her struggle, alighted upon Grace¡¯s face and yelled for her to help. Grace stood up and strode toward them, but another employee dressed in what looked like tactical armor, like a cop, stood in her way with a hand out. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Sorry Ma¡¯am this situation is currently between the hotel and Miss Martell over there.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well she was found having a breakdown of sorts in the hallway over there.¡± He pointed down the way she had come. ¡°And when a staff member offered assistance she lashed out and struck the staff member hard in the throat.¡± He sighed heavily ¡°So we are detaining her till the proper authorities can come and deal with this.¡± Suddenly she heard Fiona yell ¡°Don¡¯t listen to them, they are lying, they are doing something here, I think Pierce got involved¨C¡± The employee escorting her tripped and fell on top of Fiona as he hit the ground with a loud thud. ¡°Oh god dammit, Darryl I said too make sure to tie your shoes.¡± He shook his head as if this were a common occurrence. He lowered his tone, ¡°I can¡¯t believe they hired that guy, he¡¯s a fucking idiot¡± He chuckled and headed toward the collapsed pair. Grace just stood for a second and absorbed everything. What the hell is going on? She had never seen Fiona act like this ever. Their interactions had always been minor over the last couple years but she was always straightforward and cordial. So much so that between the cold confidence she exuded and her evident beauty, she always worried that Pierce would leave her for Fiona. That''s why she had said she didn¡¯t like her, and made Pierce choose between the two of them. Turns out though she had been the one to do something like that all along. But this was so unlike the fiona she had in her mind that it scared her. Something bad was happening, She did not think that trip was an accident. She watched as The big man named Darryl got to his feet with the help of the other man. Fiona was still on the ground, moaning in pain. ¡°Come on get up¡± she could hear the man who had been talking to her say. Then, both of them bent and grabbed Fiona under her armpits. Fiona held her shoulder and gasped with each step they took toward the desk. They then disappeared into the back room. Grace knew she needed to do something but she couldn''t rush in and help Fiona right now. Just then Dean ran into the room face pale and drawn. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a deep embrace. ¡°Thank god, I don''t know what I was thinking letting you run off by yourself. Are you okay? Was that you who was screaming?¡± ¡°No.¡± She was surprised how flat her tone was. ¡°Good¡­ I¡¯m glad¡± His voiced choked on the last syllable. ¡°I wont allow you to leave me alone here. I shouldn''t have let you leave me at breakfast.¡± He steered her towards the elevators. ¡°Come on lets get out of here.¡±
She stared up at the ceiling, the darkness in the room encompassing her. She couldn¡¯t sleep, her thoughts were churning around her head, replaying what had happened today. Fiona was in trouble. It felt like a conspiracy, like there was more to the story. It itched at the back of her mind, like all those years ago. She was sixteen, and her father had dropped her off at ballet practice. It had been a rough day, and she was looking forward to dancing and breaking loose. The girls in her class were nice enough and had occasionally hung out with her after school. Which is why when she entered the studio and was met with a deafening sense of tension she was confused. No one looked up as she entered the room. The all looked at her with a single minded glance. She opened her loker and there it was, a single object that changed her entire perception on life. Sweat streamed down her face as she opened her eyes. The light stream lazlily along the ceiling as her vision adjusted to it¡¯s presence. She rolled out of bed and frantically clambered her way to the toilet. She retched, the overwhelming anxious feeling leaving her as the acid left her stomach. She wiped her mouth and brushed her teeth.
Breakfast was lousy as usual. Or maybe it was just the risudial disgust. She pushed her heaped plate away and started to think. What she should do? What was going on at this hotel. Nothing was adding up. Pierce¡¯s death, Fiona getting taken. She needed information. ¡°I¡¯m going to go look around¡± She stood to leave. ¡°Then I¡¯m coming with you.¡± She opened her mouth to argue but he expression didn¡¯t leave any room for argument. She closed her mouth. ¡°Ok.¡± They stood, and Dean grasped her hand. As they walked out Dean spoke up. ¡°So I¡¯m gathering this has something to do with yesterday.¡± She nodded ¡°It did sound shady from what you said.You gunna be okay with all of this?¡± The memory of this morning flashed to her mind. ¡°Yeah I¡¯ll be fine¡± He squeezed her hand reassuringly. ¡°Just tell me if you can feel it coming over you.¡± She nodded. ¡°So where to first?¡± ¡°I think we need to find more evidence of what happened to Pierce.¡± ¡°So to the trails we go.¡±