“I want to explore the inside of the tree more,” Mina said after they had roasted mushrooms for breakfast. “And I want something other than mushrooms to eat too.”
“I guess if we figure out a way to take care of the spore mushrooms, we can try coaxing Chestnut up the stairs. Then we can stay inside longer.” Tanner was surprisingly agreeable. Spark curled up on his lap and nibbled on mushroom tidbits that Tanner fed her.
[Roasted mushrooms are yummy,] Ember said as he licked his chops, a smug look on his narrow face.
“I can make water,” Mina said slowly. “Do you think I can make fire too?”
[It's doable,] Grandma said, [but it will be harder than water.] The atmosphere was full of water, and it took less effort to pull the moisture from the air and solidify it than to create it from scratch. A fire, on the other hand, was a combustion process that had to be catalyzed before it could be used. [Might be easier if you light a fire first, and then use that energy.]
After taking care of Chestnut, the two children and two foxes ascended the stairs once more, their arms full of twigs and logs for building a fire. At the outer perimeter of where the large spore mushrooms would start attacking, they built the fire, then Mina tried to channel the energy. It was hot, uncomfortable to handle, and kept twisting away from her grasp.
Tanner watched Mina struggle, sweat beading on her forehead. “Wow, even you have trouble with things, huh?” he said.
“Sorry,” Mina gasped, hanging her head in exhaustion.
“No, I mean, I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad.” Tanner gazed at the fire, its flickering light mesmerizing him with its unpredictable movements. “Can I try?”
“Of course. Do you remember what Gr– I mean, what I showed you earlier?” Mina winced at the slip but Tanner didn’t seem to notice. “About channeling the magic and feeling the flow?”
“Yeah, sure.” Tanner reached out a hand to the fire, and it flared up, wreathing his fingers in wavering light and heat.
Mina cried out in alarm, but Tanner looked unbothered. He didn’t even flinch as the fire crawled up his arm, spiraling around his torso like a snake before descending his other arm. With a soft grunt of effort, Tanner flicked his hand, sending a tongue of fire shooting toward the mushrooms guarding the root maze.
The flame flickered and died after only a few meters, but it was much better than what Mina had managed. [I’m jealous,] Mina grumbled.
[It’s all right, dear. Feeling jealous is natural. But also not necessary. You have your own strengths, and Tanner has different skills. It’s wonderful for the two of you to have complementary skills that work well together.] Grandma soothed her. [Now, do you remember how I made the filtering bubble?]
[Can you show me again?] Mina switched with Grandma.
[Of course, love.]
Grandma summoned the protective bubble to filter out the spores, then waved to catch Tanner’s attention. “I’ll get us closer, and you can do your fire thing again, okay?”
Tanner gritted his teeth and nodded. They walked closer, each step costing Tanner a lot of effort as he struggled to coordinate walking with keeping the fire alive. Finally, they were in range. The air outside the bubble was thick with spores, and they could barely see out to the mushrooms. Tanner aimed by memory and faith, and sent another tongue of flame licking at the mushrooms.
A high pitched squealing sound filled the air, and suddenly even more spores poured down on them. Tanner threw all the fire he had left at the mushrooms, then fell to his knees in exhaustion.
“Come on, come on!” Grandma wedged a shoulder under Tanner’s arm and hauled him to his feet, half dragging, half carrying him back to safety.
They waited in the bubble for what felt like hours. Beyond, the purple haze slowly cleared, only to reveal roiling black smoke. The guardian mushrooms shrieked as they burned, writhing in place, and slowly crumpled in a heap of char.
“Huh,” Tanner said, as he watched in stunned silence. “I didn’t know mushrooms could scream.”
“Mm, not my favorite experience,” Grandma nodded in agreement.
The foxes also seemed distressed by the noise, and huddled close to Tanner and Mina, their ears pinned back in discomfort as they made little whimpers and whines. Grandma rubbed Ember’s head in long, soothing strokes, alternating with scratches around the base of his ears.
It didn't take long for the screams to fade and the smoke to dissipate. The group roused themselves and cautiously advanced to the charred remains. Grandma kept the bubble filter up, keeping out the spores that drifted up around their feet as they stepped through the moss. The mushrooms were no more, burned away to cinders. Ember pawed through the blackened remains and gave a sharp yip.
[Shiny rock!] he cried excitedly.
Grandma crunched over the burnt mushroom bits until she could see what Ember was nosing at. It was a dull orange stone, cut and faceted with smooth faces marred by black smudges.
[Ember, do you know what it is?] Grandma asked.
[Shiny!] he repeated.
Grandma sighed and shook her head. Perhaps it was too much to expect an animal to be able to explain a magical artifact to her. Because that was clearly what it was. She could feel the knot of magic tangled up inside it, the currents of mana flowing in a tight swirl.
[It has a lot of mana inside,] Mina mused. [I wonder what you could do with it.]
For lack of any better ideas, Grandma picked up the rock, rubbed off the smudges staining its cut facets, and put it in the dress pocket.
“Are there any other, uh, shiny rocks?” Grandma asked Ember.
The foxes dug up two more shiny rocks. Grandma shared one with Tanner, and kept the third. They had all been a dull orange yellowish color, about the size of a pebble, and cut so that each facet was a perfect triangle. Grandma snorted in amusement. It was a shape she recognized, like a twenty-sided die from her own world.
“Do you think Chestnut will be fine climbing up the stairs now?” Grandma waved at the wreckage that had previously been a trio of giant mushrooms. “It doesn’t smell great, but the mushrooms are gone, and the spores are mostly concentrated near the remains, so as long as you tether her far enough away, it should be safe?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Tanner headed back down the stairs with Spark.
While Tanner was away, Grandma scoured her memory for any recollection of magic rocks from her Mina’s story. She was sure that many things could be done with the help of mana infused stones, but the details of the what and the how escaped her.
[Can we try just putting some mana inside it?] Mina asked.
[Sure, go ahead.] Grandma swapped out, letting Mina take charge.
Mina pulled out one of the rocks and placed it on a soft patch of moss. Settling down cross legged before it, she tapped it gently with her right index finger, letting a trickle of power flow through her into the stone. It started to glow and jitter about on the ground. A rustling nearby drew Mina’s attention. The unburned sticks that they had brought to build their fire were jiggling on the ground, almost as if they were trying to crawl toward the stone.
[Weird.] Grandma was fascinated. [What if we brought those sticks over?]
Mina rolled the stone and the twigs closer together, then tried again. The sticks wiggled and jumped until they stuck to the rock, and formed a very crude creature, with the stone as the torso, four limbs, and no head. Then, it stood up.
Blinking in surprise, Mina let the flow of mana go, and the little stick figure immediately fell apart again.
[What was that?!] Mina boggled at the rock and pile of fallen twigs.
[Not food,] Ember sniffed dismissively, and turned away.
[A golem, maybe? Like a magic doll that can move around.] Grandma suddenly had an idea. [Can I try something too?]
Mina switched with Grandma again. This time, instead of simply pouring the magic into the rock, Grandma tried to envision her “self” flowing along the current into the rock. There was a dizzying rush, as if she had fallen into a turbulent river, and then suddenly everything was calm again.
[Grandma?] Mina’s voice sounded a little fainter, as if it came from farther away. [Where did you go?]
[I’m right here!] Grandma laughed. Using the mana pooled inside the magic stone, Grandma tapped into the magic flowing all around them to power the little doll. Experimentally, she stood up and waved. [This is quite fun,] she said with a twirl. The golem body was hard to control though, so she lost her balance and fell over.
[Grandma, please come back!] Mina reached out with her power, trying to scoop Grandma back.
[Whoa!] Another disorienting tumble through the mana current, and Grandma was back inside Mina’s head. [Well, that’s useful to know!]
[Can I go into the golem too?] Mina asked.
Grandma explained how she had done it, sharing her visualizations and even the sensation of being pulled along, but no matter how Mina tried, she couldn’t leave her own body. [Well, that does make a certain amount of sense,] Grandma conceded. [After all, I’m an extra in your head.]
[I’ll work hard and make you a better golem, Grandma!] Mina promised.
[I look forward to it, my dear.]
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