Outside the luxurious mini-palace, where the grandeur of Gloomreach's capital met the wild whims of nature, Ryne was momentarily pulled away by a minor disturbance involving a group of visiting dignitaries. Seizing the opportunity, Kael, still brimming with boundless energy, wandered towards the sunlit gardens, where the laughter of other children floated on the breeze.
Rune saw two people fighting and arguing with a couple of knights, and he dashed over, exclaiming, "Get yourselves together! What's going on?!"
Jorin and Lila looked at Kael, and Jorin smiled, "Thanks for helping us! I'm Jorin, what's your name?"
Kael replied, "…K-Kael."
"Nice to meet you! That name is unique, are you perhaps.."
"A Viking."
"Cool! We haven't heard of those in years!"
"How old are you?"
"13 turning 14, what about you?"
"14 too."
Lila then said to Kael, "The people here don't treat kids nicely, but you showed them who's boss. But Hey, you're the boy staying at the old knight's guesthouse, right? Want to play with us?" Jorin asked, his eyes twinkling with the promise of adventure.
"We're going to play hide and seek in the Leene Canyon where there's only mushrooms that are great to eat as well. It's just outside the town, filled with trees and secret spots!" Lila added, her voice a melodious echo of her brother's excitement.
Kael grinned, thinking, 'Are these what they call friends? I finally have friends…? After 2 years of nothing but fighting and blood, I can play? Marshy told me to basically have fun, and I'll do it! I wish she could see me right now.'
Without a second thought, Kael agreed, and together, the group made their way to the Leene Canyon. The canyon, a natural playground, was so named because of the way the wind whispered through the leaves, carrying secrets from one end to another. Mighty oaks and ancient willows draped their heavy boughs over smaller bushes, creating a labyrinth of green, interspersed with the bright sprays of wildflowers and the deep shadows under the foliage. Some other kids accompanied them, so there were a total of seven out there.
As they reached the canyon, Jorin declared the rules, "No peeking when you're counting and no going beyond the great boulder at the end of the canyon!" Then Jorin went on to explain to Kael how to play. The group agreed to have the twins and Kael hide first. The trio exchanged knowing looks and ventured off as another child, eyes covered, began counting loudly by a gnarled tree trunk, "One... two... three…"
Kael dashed behind a cluster of bushes at lightning fast speeds, crawling between the tight space where the branches thickened. The earth was cool beneath him, the scent of moss and earth filling his senses.
Jorin said, "He's fast!"
Lila added, "And did you see how far he threw those men?"
"I wonder if they're dead."
Lavender and creeper vines draped around Kael, partially concealing his view, but through the leaves, he could spot Lila sneaking into a hollow log nearby. Her red hair was the only splash of color against the brown and green hues of the forest floor. Jorin had clambered up an oak, his legs wrapped around a thick branch as he pulled himself higher. His movements caused a cascade of golden leaves to flutter down, a few landing on Kael's head.
"...nineteen... twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" The seeker's voice rang out, echoing slightly against the stone walls of the canyon.
Kael heard the crunch of leaves and held his breath, trying to make himself as small as possible within the bush. A beetle crawled near his hand, and he carefully adjusted his position to avoid disturbing it. The seeker was getting closer, her steps cautious as she scanned the area. Kael peeked through the leaves, watching her examine a cluster of rocks where another child was poorly concealed. Suddenly, a squirrel darted out from a nearby tree, drawing the seeker's attention away from Kael's hiding spot. He exhaled softly, thankful for the distraction.
Lila was found next, her giggles giving her away as the seeker neared the log. "Found you, Lila! Now help me find your brother and Kael!" The pair began searching together, their voices a blend of excitement and frustration as they tried to locate Jorin and Kael. Jorin, from his high perch, remained silent, a leafy camouflage shielding him.
Kael felt a thrill of victory as the seekers wandered past him again, their eyes scanning the higher branches and missing his lowly hiding spot. The game, a simple one, felt exhilarating in this new world of friendship and forest. But as all games do, this one too progressed toward its inevitable end. Lila, now part of the seeking team, was heading back towards Kael's bush, her steps slow and deliberate.
With a playful shriek, she parted the bushes, her hands reaching in as she declared, "Found you, Kael! Now only Jorin remains."
Kael thought, 'Isn't that cheating? Oh well. I don't want to ruin this moment.'
Jorin, realizing his remaining options were slim, finally called out from his tree, "Alright, you got me! I'm coming down! Shit!"
Lila chuckled, "Oooh! You said a curse word!"
"So what?! Don't tell mother."
The game paused as everyone gathered around the gnarled tree trunk again. Kael was chosen as the next seeker. The excitement of being the hunter rather than the hunted sparked in his eyes.
"Cover your eyes, and no peeking!" Jorin instructed as he handed over Kael's blindfold, a strip of cloth that smelled faintly of pine and earth.
Kael asked, "Do you guys…play games all the time?"
"All the time! You're our new friend, so you'll be joining us, right?"
"I-maybe."
'I don't know if Marshy is planning on staying, I hope we do. If I can just tell her we can use this as a home base and hunt the gods from here….that'll be good.'
Kael tied the cloth over his eyes, his heart pounding with the responsibility of the role. "One... two... three..." he started, his voice steady but filled with anticipation. The children scattered, their laughter and the rustling of leaves filling the air as Kael counted. The whispers of the canyon seemed to murmur secrets to him, secrets of hiding places yet to be discovered.
"...Nineteen... twenty! Ready or not, here I come!" Kael declared, removing the blindfold. His eyes sparkled with determination as the game resumed, a fresh round of hide and seek in the heart of Leene Canyon.
As he stepped forward, the game resumed with a playful intensity, the canyon alive with the echoes of laughter and the thrill of the chase. He had just found Jorin and Lila with ease, their laughter punctuating the dense foliage. But the other children were better at concealing themselves, and Kael delved deeper into the canyon, where the trees thinned and a peculiar field of oversized mushroom tops sprouted from the earth.
Jorin and Lila asked Kael, "Do you want us to help you find them?"
"It's okay, I'm going to do good." Kael gave a thumbs up.
Kael carefully navigated through this strange botanical maze, the cap of each mushroom large as a straw hat, their surfaces smooth and oddly luminescent. The shadows cast by their broad tops created a patchwork of light and dark on the ground. Suddenly, a shift occurred in Kael. The air around him thickened as if heating from an unseen fire. A dark red aura flared around him like silent flames, licking the edges of his vision. His breath grew heavy, each exhale more laborious than the last.
'Something's here. Something's watching me. There's a reason why I don't want them helping. I can hear footsteps, breathing, the breathing is ragged, uncomfortable even.'
It was silent, the footsteps around him moving quicker and quicker, his heart beat fast, sweat racing down his forehead.
"I see you," Kael's voice dropped, a menacing timbre to his words, echoing slightly off the mushroom caps.
KATHOOM!
The sound was like thunder cracking the sky. Kael was flung backward violently as if struck by an invisible force. He landed with a jarring thud, a gory, gaping hole in his chest oozing crimson blood against his tattered clothes.
He coughed out blood, wiping his mouth, gritting his teeth, saying, "Found you."
But the wound began to close, the edges of the flesh knitting together in a grotesque yet fascinating dance of regeneration. Blood and sinew merged as Kael pushed himself to his knees, his eyes scanning for his unseen assailant.
'What are these things…? The wounds are healing slower than usual…and what's this feeling…is it really fear?!'
That's when he really saw them—creatures of nightmare. Emerging from behind the mushroom stalks were beings made of layered mushroom skin, pale white with bright red dots scattered across their bodies. Each had a mushroom cap atop their head, grotesquely fused with their flesh, with large circle red dots on them.
"Oh….? He survived?" One said with a croaking voice.
Another one added, "To think..this kingdom had people like this on their side…what's your name, boy?"
Kael didn't say anything.
"He has sharp teeth too. And from what I'm sending…he's not human."
Kael's heart pounded, his anxiety rising, thinking, 'Why am I scared?! As many beings I've fought, I've never felt this feeling before! Marshy…'
They moved with eerie silence toward Kael, their presence suffocating. Some vanished into thin air, their forms fading as if they were never there, only to reappear inches away, throwing punches that exploded against Kael's body, reopening wounds that had just healed.
'They can disappear then reappear again…'
Each strike from the creatures was targeted and precise, forcing Kael back with the intensity of their blows. The field echoed with the wet sound of flesh being torn and reformed. Yet Kael, undeterred and fueled by some primal force, rose to meet them. His fists glowed with ancient runes, words of power in the old Viking script that pulsed with a deep red light, a stone horn grew from the corner of his head, and his eyes glowed a bright white color.
With a roar, bloody Kael lunged forward, his fist connecting with the nearest mushroom creature. The impact was catastrophic, the creature's body bursting into a shower of gore as the rune's power obliterated it from existence, blood and pieces of its body raining down gently.
One of them said, "Runic stonecraft magic…that's not any stage magic. Not first, through 9th gate magic…what is he…? Well. Doesn't matter, his regeneration is slowly down. Our power can potentially kill him."
Kael slowly over, had steam coming from his mouth, and he said, "Who are you….?"
They just smiled, and continued to attack.
But where one fell, two more took its place, another one leaped from the body of them, their numbers seemingly unending. They circled Kael, a macabre dance of death as they struck, each blow landing with the force of a hammer. Kael dodged and weaved, his movements a series of calculated risks. He spun, ducking under a swipe that would have decapitated a lesser being, and retaliated with a devastating uppercut to another assailant, its body exploding in an eruption of blood and flesh.
Suddenly, from their mouths and hands, the creatures conjured orbs of destructive red flame. The orbs hurtled towards Kael, detonating upon impact and sending him reeling through the air.
Crashing landings became routine as Kael's body was thrown from one end of the field to the other. Yet, each time, he rose, his body healing, his determination steeling, blood dripping from his healing wounds.
'Regeneration is getting slower and slower each time! What about Jorin and Lila, are they okay? I don't hear them or the others! Are they dead?!'
At one point, his back against a giant mushroom stalk, Kael unleashed a barrage of punches, each blow causing his attackers to burst apart, only for their remnants to shift and regenerate, coming back to life as if driven by some unholy force.
'They're regenerating also?! No way…they're adapting..?'
The battle raged, a blur of red and white, the sound of flesh and fire intermingling with the heavy breaths of a wounded yet unbeatable warrior. Kael, his aura flaming brighter with each passing second, seemed to draw strength from his regeneration. The creatures, relentless in their assault, managed to corner Kael against a particularly large mushroom cap. There was a brief moment of calm as they regrouped, preparing for a collective strike.
Kael, sensing the impending attack, leaped high into the air, his legs kicking off the spongy surface of the mushroom, propelling him over his foes. In mid-air, he spun, landing behind the creatures, and without hesitation, thrust his rune-imbued fists into the nearest two, rupturing them in a gory spectacle. As his feet hit the ground, Kael didn't pause. He sprinted forward, a whirlwind of motion as he sought to break the line of his encircling enemies. Each step was punctuated with the squelch of mushroom caps beneath his feet, each breath a fog of red in the chilling air.
The beings responded, their attacks becoming more frantic. They seemed to sense their control slipping as this lone boy defied their every move. Their invisible strikes, once sure and deadly, now met air more often than not as Kael's movements became anticipatory, almost precognitive.
'If I can't see them, I'll use my other senses. Each time one gets near me, the smell of grass surrounds me in a slight wind, I just have to react quick enough to predict where the attack is about to land on me so I can dodge!'
Kael's onslaught continued, a symphony of destruction that left the mushroom field littered with the remains of his foes. Yet each time he thought the battle won, the creatures would reform, their bodies pulling together from the scattered remains, driven by a dark magic that Kael could not fathom.
Breathing heavily, his body a canvas of scars quickly fading, Kael prepared for another charge. This time, his eyes caught sight of a particular being, standing apart from the rest. This one seemed different—its cap adorned elaborately, more detailed, it's eyes glowing a fiercer shade of red. As Kael advanced, the creature raised its hands, and the fallen beings began to stir, their bodies reassembling from the detritus of the battlefield. This one, it seemed, held the power to revive its fallen comrades.
The creature said, "What is your name?"
Kael, kneeling and bleeding everywhere, responded, "Kael. A Viking."
"Ah. Of course you're able to keep up with us. And you form possess magic through the 1st and 9th gate, so that makes you unique. Your heart is pounding, you're scared. You've never met a challenge, have you? You've never faced beings like us, the Myconids. You'll be seeing a lot more of us if you're tied in with Gloomhaven, it'll be a delight."
"Marshy…"
"Hm? Who…?"
Kael thought, 'Fighting them…..is risky. Why did they ambush me?'
Kael had asked them that question, alongside, "Is it because I stepped in your area..?"
And they replied, "No. This isn't our area. There's a war brewing, right? We won't miss it. We just wanted to harvest power from the nature of this kingdom, which was very supplemental. We adapt to whoever we're fighting, and if we fight long enough, we'll be on or with them."
'They're gaining power from harvesting natural energy from this kingdom…no wonder they were in the ground. If what they're saying is true…then I'll lose..I don't want to lose or be taken away from my friends…I'm actually…happy.'
Kael created a runic stone scythe, with the glowing red ancient runes all over it, and he stood up, saying, "I won't have this day ruined." Then Kael smiled maliciously, "Come then."
"Hmph. Have it your way. It'll be a nuisance to have you around during the battle."
FWOOSH!
Kael flipped his scythe behind him without looking, and he cut the heads off of two Myconids, blood spraying in the air.
That amazed the other Myconids, and their smiles stretched menacingly, their teeth sharp and made of mushroom flesh, and they all said together, "More…more! Give us more!"
They charged at him, and Kael vanished as fast as a teleport, and he was above them, and he spun, slinging his scythe towards them, and as the Myconids were ready to evade, Kael bursted from underground, punching through it, a bright red explosion went off, destroying many Myconids in explosions of blood. But more regenerated, and each time, they came back ten times stronger. They all attacked at once, at light speed, they pressed the orbs from their hands onto
Kael, making him blast away.
Many holes were blasted in his body, brutally messing him up again. Kael got up slowly, and he said to himself, "They die, they come back stronger…how do I kill them?"
'I'm scared. My breathing is jagged…my heart won't stop pounding against my chest…as long as the others are safe, I'll worry less. Is that what's holding me back..?'
Kael stood up, not wanting to cause so much chaos, because he believed Jorin and Lila weren't too far away.
As the Myconids got closer, smiling, "We win."
At that moment, Ryne appeared. Twisting past them, holding a sword made of bright white light, his eyes glowed the same color, alongside the colored aura around his body, and he was saying, "Fourth gate: Luminary crafting."
The Myconids said, "Fourth gate magic…?!"
Ryne slashed his sword ahead, slashing many in half, and they fell to the ground, and they were dead. But one grew out of the dead bodies, and Kael thought, 'That magic…light magic…it kills them! But it doesn't stop the others from growing out if it..what is gate magic…?'
Ryne exclaimed, "I don't know what you beings are, but Fourth gate magic consumed all darkness."
A Myconid laughed, "Hehe…they have someone else good in this kingdom. Even so…we have already adapted to it. We will meet again, and when we do, even light won't be able to stop us."
"Tch! Don't run!
Ryne ran after them, but Kael stopped him, grabbing his arm, and Ryne couldn't move an inch.
"Wait! Don't chase them…we'll lose."
"Hmm…what were you doing all the way out here?"
"Playing…"
"It's my fault I got distracted, I should've kept an eye on you. I have to inform Marshy about this—."
"—No!"
Kael's wounds were healing slowly, stitching together.
Kael explained with a tear in his eye, "Please….i had fun today..for the first time in a long time. Jorin and Lila and the others, they're my new friends…if Marshy knows about my involvement with this…she won't let me come outside to play anymore."
Ryne thought, 'This kid..he's strong indeed, mentally and physically for a 14 year old. He does care about Marshy, I believe he fears he'll grow resentment towards her if she keeps him from going outside. He doesn't want to be alone. My duty is to keep the tranquility within this kingdom, leading knights and people to happiness, what I was destined to do, and if I don't do that, then I'm nothing but worthless, I'll be a failure. And based on what those mushroom creatures said about having another strong warrior in this kingdom, is it possible they are allied with the enemy kingdom we are going to war with? If that's the case, then this is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed.'
Ryne rubbed Kael's head, saying, "Don't cry, runt. I won't inform Marshy. But I will tell The King and Queen and the 3 captains of the army what happened here, who we were dealing with, and everything else. Just tell me what you found out about these beings, and I'll tell them I encountered them."
"Thank you, crazy man."
"I'm NOT CRAZY! Just because I was talking to myself earlier!"
"Crazy…"
"Tch, whatever. But the banquet will start 2 hours from now, and the king and queen and princess are already back at the palace getting ready. And I heard the princess kept asking about you."
"Elara..?"
"Yes. She's never shown this much interest in anyone. She's kind of like you in a way. Now then, I have tailor made outfits for you and Marshy, they're back at the house, let's go see if you can fit them."
Kael wiped his tears, smiling, "Okay!"