The Hedge Wizard

The ground was too steep and rocky to take the horses, and they didn’t want to risk them coming under attack by the dungeon. Instead, a single party of Bud’s company returned to the base of the hill with them, along with Kasper the scout, leaving the rest of them to proceed on foot with Dylan at the head.

It took a full hour to climb to reach the next plateau of the hill. Above, Hump saw tall peaks, and the mountain beyond. In the past, Hump may have lagged behind, but enhanced by dragon blood he didn’t even feel tired. From this height, he took in the great expanse of the Fallen Lands to the north. Sparse woodlands spotted the barren plains in every direction. To the far west, it became thick with mist—that had to be the Dead Marshes. To the north, mountains of black rock smoked fiercely.

There, they would find the Infernal Halls.

Celaine returned from over the crest of a small hill ahead. “I’ve found footprints ahead. I don’t recognise them, so they may be demon.”

“Joric, take a look,” Bud ordered.

The Chosen of Seres proceeded ahead with Celaine, the rest of them following behind. He knelt, breathing deeply. Nisha crept closer, sniffing the footprint too. A sensation flooded Hump’s mind, almost like the memory of a smell—rot, blood, and fire.

Nisha looked at him and he felt her nervousness.

“Stay close,” he told her. “Don’t leave my side.”

She did as instructed, hugging up to his leg.

“There are definitely demons here,” Joric said. He pointed up a rocky slope. A small stream trickled down the centre toward them. “Up there.”

“How many?” Bud asked.

“A few at least.”

“Joric, use Zephyr’s Whisper on the full company. We’ll proceed up the hill and see if we can take them out without alerting anything else inside the dungeon.”

The Chosen of Seres gave his affirmations before gathering his essence. The wind swept past them, white essence carried on it like waves, surrounding each of them.

Bud made a hand signal, indicating them to move. Hump realised then that he couldn’t hear the clink of Bud’s armour.

Now that’s handy, he thought.

They ascended the slope silently, following the stream, not even their voices carrying while under the effects of the blessing. Great stone slabs layered the ground almost like giant steps, tufts of grass and shrubbery growing through the cracks. As they crested the slope, they lay on their stomachs, creeping up until they came to black lake, ringed by jagged, stone peaks as if set in a bowl. Beneath the black surface, Hump caught sight of gleaming fungi, glowing with essence. It seemed they had found the place.

Mushrooms and lichen surrounded the lake, forming a glowing meadow of sickly yellows, purples, and red. They were of all sizes, from giant helmets as thick as a tree and taller than a person, to tiny, hair-thick mushrooms with funny shaped tops.

It seemed Dylan was right about his theory. The strange part was the five small demons harvesting the mushrooms. They were small and skinny humanoid creatures, even compared to imps, with skin closer to brown than red, and no clothes but for a wrap of dirty cloth around their waist. They each carried a woven basket and knife and worked to harvest the mushrooms.

On the far side of the lake there was a small cave opening set into the stone, where the mushrooms seemed concentrated. That had to be their dungeon.

Nisha snuggled up against Hump’s side, the thrill of the hunt radiating from her. He felt her excitement, fear, anticipation all at once. Hump grinned as he placed a reassuring hand on her back.

“Good girl,” he told her. “Steady now.”

She didn’t look at him, her focus intent on the demonic creatures below.

Bud made another signal and the wind shifted, gathering in front of them like a wall.

“It seems Dylan’s fungi theory was correct,” Bud said, not worried about his voice carrying with Joric’s blessing activated. “Those are fellspawn—the weakest of demons, and basically slaves.”

“It’s like some sort of farm,” Dylan said. “Amazing.”

It really was, but that wasn’t the point right now. They were at a dungeon node with a company of soldiers at their sides. A single mistake might cost a life.

“We’ll need to take them out quietly,” Hump said. “You see the dungeon opening over there? If we can kill them without making a sound, this should go easier.”

“It’s always a cave,” Celaine muttered. “Why does it always have to be a cave?”

Hump chuckled, earning an annoyed glare.

“Celaine, how many can you take out at once?” Bud asked.

“Two without using essence,” Celaine said. “Any more and I’ll risk alerting the demons inside.”

“I can take out two as well,” Beatrix said, the woman stringing her bow.

“I’ll handle the last one,” Joric offered.

“Take them out,” Bud said.

The display that followed was one of three expert archers. Both Celaine and Beatrix loosed two arrows from their bows at once, while Joric killed the one farthest from them. Every arrow found its target, killing the fellspawn before they could even scream. Simple, efficient, and perfectly executed.

“Well done,” Bud said. “Dylan, Emilia, Henrietta, with me at the front. The rest of you remain spread out as we advance. I don’t want anyone getting hurt today.”

There was a round of “Yes sirs” and then they were advancing, descending toward the lake, circling around it toward the cave.

Nishari stopped, looking at the water. At the same time, Celaine tugged Hump away from it.

“Watch the lake!” Celaine spoke quietly, but the urgency was clear in her voice.

Ripples stirred the water. A shadow flickered beneath the surface, obscuring the glowing mushrooms. Then it sprang from the lake in a spray of water, shooting at Bud. His sword was out of its sheath in an instant, carving through the tentacle in one swing of his sword.

The lake churned, dark waters stirring as if it were boiling, the fungi within completely obscured now. Then all at once dozens of tentacles exploded from the lake, whipping out in all directions. Water sprayed across the shores as they writhed out over the land. Others slammed the stone, sending a tremor through the ground as the creature lashed out at anything nearby.

One found the body of a fellspawn and snatched it back to the lake. A massive, plump head poked out from the water, its circular mouth visible for just long enough to see the hundreds of razor-sharp teeth within. It swallowed the body whole.

All around Hump, soldiers backed away from the lake. The pale, fleshy tendrils lashed out at them, flailing everywhere. One snagged a man around his ankle, and he dropped to the floor, screaming as he was dragged toward the lake. He clawed at the ground, but the creature was too strong. Emilia raced in, red essence shimmering beneath her skin as she channelled the Transcending Blade internal essence technique of the Rike family. She reached it just in time, her rapier carving a red line through the air as she lopped off the tentacle just below the man’s ankle.

The water rumbled, a screeching scream reverberating from within. The tentacles flailed even more wildly—they were hurting it. She helped the man to his feet and pushed him back toward the now forming line of heavy infantry behind Hump, then she went back to cutting at anything that came close. Behind the infantry, archers made ready with their arrows, waiting for orders.

The Chosen did not back away so quickly. Hump readied his staff, a shield spell on his lips in case one of the tendrils targeted him. He’d hold back his spells for now though. The creature was noisy, but there was still a chance that the occupants of the dungeon hadn’t been alerted to their presence. Bud and Dylan stood before Hump and Celaine, cutting and smashing away any that came close.

“Emilia, can you kill it?” Bud asked.

“What do you think I’m trying to do?”

Suddenly, Celaine took aim at something to the left. Hump followed the arrow to see two imps standing in the cave entrance, one collapsing to the ground with an arrow through its eye while the other screamed an alarm, disappearing back into the cave.

“Damn it,” Celaine said.

“There goes our chance of sneaking inside,” Hump said.

“Then we might as well handle this beast quickly,” Bud said, stepping forward and approaching the lake. “I’ll handle this one.”

Frostfire erupted from his shoulder blades, forming two streams of blue flame. They raged fiercely, forming wings. A radiant aura of shimmering blue and silver flames spread through the air. It wasn’t hot or cold, but Hump could feel the powerful essence against his skin, enhancing his body. Strength surged through him, pushing back any doubts, clearing his mind, and making him feel ready for battle.

Bud strode toward the tentacle beast, longsword hanging loosely to the side in one hand. A dozen tentacles rose into the air then whipped out at him with a boom. Frostfire erupted before him, forming a barrier of essence.

It didn’t block the attack. Instead, the tentacles pierced the barrier and then slowed, like a body falling in water. They floated there, slowed down to the point of hardly moving, as if time had ceased for them. Then, with a wave of his hand, the barrier hardened into ice, trapping them in place.

Now the monster writhed, trying to break free. The lake churned, more tentacles came for him but they couldn’t breach his defences.

Bud stepped out onto the lake, water crystallising where he stepped, ice blooming around his feet and spreading outward like glistening blue glass. He strode closer, not rushing, until he stood before the exposed head of the creature.

With two hands, he raised his sword overhead. Frostfire erupted in another great blaze before dwindling, the power concentrating in the blade until there was no flame left. What remained was a blade of pure blue.

“You have been judged,” Bud said, his voice like thunder.

His blade became blindingly bright. He swept it down, the movement swift and elegant, plunging it into the creature’s head just as a streak of piercing blue essence descended from the heavens, empowering his blow.

Flesh and blood erupted at the point of impact, then froze before it could spray over Bud. The creature’s body went limp—dead in a single blow.

Bud knelt and reached into the hole in its head, wriggling his hand until he stood again, a pulsing heartstone in his fist. He returned to them, a smile on his face.

“So, what do you think?”

“It suits you,” Hump said. “Very flashy. The wings of frostfire make you look extra righteous.”

One of the soldiers approached, taking a sack from his back where Bud put the heartstone—some sort of storage space from the look of things.

“Shame they know we’re coming now,” Emilia said. “We should probably clear the way before moving in with our full force. No point risking casualties.”

Bud nodded. “Agreed. Henrietta, could you remain out here with the company until we call?”

“Of course, Bud.”

“You stay here too,” Hump told Nisha.

She whined, slumping. He felt the thrill still in her, but she’d need to wait. It was better for her to be calm anyway.

As they approached the cave entrance, Dylan inspected one of the larger mushrooms. “I’m fairly sure these are poisonous, yet the demons must be able to eat them. I wonder if that’s an anatomical difference or due to a method of preparation.”

“Anatomical or not, you can eat the poisonous dungeon mushrooms on your own,” Celaine said.

He chuckled. “I’m a little too fond of myself for that risk.”

The five of them reached the cave entrance, the small opening partially blocked by the dead imp. Inside, the stone sloped downward into darkness. Hump heard the distant stirrings of creatures within—they definitely knew they were there now.

Not that it matters, Hump thought. They’d have known soon enough anyway.

“I want—” Bud started.

“I’ll create—” Hump said as well. The two of them looked at each other. In fact, Hump felt all eyes on them. “Sorry, go ahead, Bud.”

“Hump, can you light up the cave?”

“No problem,” Hump said, grinning. He stepped up to the front, standing before the cave and peering down into the darkness as he gathered his essence. A slow drip echoed from within. “Burning Wisps.”

Three flames appeared around him, and he directed them inside, their flickering light illuminating the large cavern within. The walls inside were coated in mycelium. The white growths reared back at the presence of Hump’s fire, vanishing back into the rock. There was a steep path inside, curving downward.

Just as he was about to continue inside, he sensed Nisha up to something behind him. He turned in time to find her approaching the remains of an amputated tentacle, sniffing it tentatively. It twitched in its death throes, blood oozing from where it had been sliced off. The underside was red where pale suckers were attached.

Hump knew that expression immediately. “Don’t you dare eat it!”

Nisha glanced at him, tilting her head, a naughty look in her eyes. Before he could move to stop her, she clamped her jaws down on the tentacle and tore into it.

Her eyes widened in instant regret. She tried to release it, but the sucker clung to her mouth. She shook her head frantically, tossing it aside and gagging with her jaw wide open. A droopy tongue hung out as she choked and coughed up drool, before turning to Hump with a face of unmatched disappointment and betrayal.

Hump tried not to laugh. “I did warn you. Don’t eat the tentacles and listen to Henrietta until I’m back.”