I can’t believe I didn’t think of trying this before!
After going through his stats screen and the new skills he’d learned for the third time, Julien looks away. His eyes fall on the dead moths, and he is surprised to see a screen with words appearing while the voice of the Fool speaks in his head.
“Blood Moth – huge moths. Produce a powdery substance on their fine-haired wings that has strong hallucinogenic properties and makes the target’s mind susceptible to suggestion. Particularly strong mist can render one catatonic. Once they get their victim high, they proceed to suck them dry.”
Are you kidding me? Vampire moths that produce roofies? Ugh, my head is still throbbing. Still, that gives me an idea.
Being very careful, Julien inspects the now motionless wings of the moths and discovers that they all still contain traces of silvery powder.
Now, how do I carry and weaponize this without endangering myself?
There are not many options around. Julien immediately discards ripping his shirt into pieces to carry the substance around in pieces of cloth. Eventually, he decides on trying to fold small portions into the large leaves that the tree sports, instead.
While Julien collects a street dealer’s amount of…Moth Dust? Silver Mist? – am I seriously trying to think of a marketable drug name? – he reviews his stat window. He finds the monotonous task lends itself well to reviewing his newly acquired knowledge.
Let’s see if I remember this correctly. Strength (11) determines the physical strength your muscles can put out. Constitution (13) shows your body’s resilience to physical stress, damage, and poisons. Then there is Maegic (14), indicating how well you can perform magic. And Resistance (10) is how well you can withstand magical attacks. Agility (12) dictates the flexibility, balance, and control of the body, while Dexterity (13) is all about how good you are at learning and mastering new movements. Intelligence (13) is all about learning new things and applying that knowledge. Perception (12) is how good the senses are at picking up sensory inputs and making sense of them. And then there is Charisma (8). How good you are in social interactions. Figures I got a low score there.
I wonder what the scale is, though.
When the sun has finally risen enough that Julien can distinguish roots from moss at the foot of the tree, he is just about laying the final hand on his last package. He yawns mightily and accesses the Fool’s Knapsack. He takes a few Rabest nuts and one Qami fruit out for breakfast and stores his packages.
Now what? Climb down and look for my sword, I suppose. Julien stares down while chewing on half a Qami fruit. The castle is still his goal, but moving on without his sword is unthinkable. Maybe I can spot it from up here?
Taking his time to navigate the branches and enduring the occasional dizzy spell, Julien looks all over. Turns out his tree stands at the edge of a hedge maze. Scanning through the branches, he spots sunlight reflecting off something shiny on a path between two tall hedges. It leads deeper into the maze and, of course, away from the castle.
How on earth did it end up over there? It’s nearly fifty paces from the tree. I don’t like this. Still, I can’t afford to leave my best weapon behind now, can I?
Using the tree’s limbs as though they are the steps of a giant’s staircase, Julien descends, dagger in hand. Nothing will surprise him this time.
At the entrance to the green maze, Julien hesitates. There’s just something about the situation that makes him uncomfortable. His sword lies, partially unsheathed, about thirty paces into the corridor. The thick, green hedges on either side seem completely safe. No buzzing. No flapping. No sounds of anything scurrying around underneath or behind the hedges. It’s quiet.
Julien’s first step crunches on the gravelly path. No reaction.
Is there not a quieter way of approaching? He sees none. A sudden burst of inspiration leads Julien to inspect the hedges through the Fool’s Lens. After a thorough inspection of his status, it pushes his magical energy to slightly below half, but he considers it a necessary precaution.
“A common bougainvillea out of blooming season.”
So, it should be safe, right?
Tense as a drawn bowstring, Julien stalks forward, ears pricked to pick up the slightest sound. Crunch, crunch. Nothing else. Only ten more steps. He casts his eyes left and right and back to the centre. No movement.
He flies forward, grasps the sword, and pulls it from its sheath. Julien whips it left and right, expecting to be jumped from every angle. His sword passes through nothing but air.
Okay…?
Julien shrugs. Refusing to let go of the sword, he drops the bone dagger and awkwardly ties the scabbard to his belt. Then he sheathes his preferred weapon and bends at the waist to retrieve his backup.
That’s when he notices rows upon rows of red flowers atop purple bulbs emerging from the hedges. Their large stamens erupt without the slightest warning. A multicolored haze spreads over the hedges. The sunlight behind it creates a wispy ceiling in all hues of the rainbow.
Julien holds his breath and turns around.
Time to skip the scene. I prefer bees. Besides, the castle should not be too far.
But the mist has already begun to steadily descend at the entrance of the hedge-flanked corridor. Not willing to be trapped, Julien takes off. Or rather, he tries to.
He is rooted to the spot. One look down reveals his ankles and calves are ensnared by vines.
“You?” says a sultry voice. “You’re the one responsible for slaying half of my lancer bee swarm?”
Julien turns his head to behold the most beautiful woman he has seen in his life thus far. Approaching him. Her exotic, green complexion is of a light, mossy hue. Flowers are interwoven with her raven hair, giving it a scarlet sheen. High cheekbones and delicate eyebrows emphasize her glowing, golden eyes, luscious lips, and a straight nose. And then her figure… If Mother Nature were a curvy lingerie model, she now stood before him, demanding his full attention.
He takes a sharp breath. One breath too many.
“Let me get a good look at you.” Her interest sounds genuine. She waves a hand, and the vines turn him around. She holds a quizzical expression. “Who are you?”
Julien is tongue-tied.
“You are not one of the locals.” Her intense eyes seem to pierce cloth and flesh.
Locals?
This is all he can think of, even as the colorful, wispy ceiling gets lower and lower.
Suddenly, she recoils. “A Fool? How?”
The vines shoot up, pinning Julien’s arms to his sides. He hardly reacts. Taking a few careful steps forward, she studies him. As if seeing his wide and adoring eyes for the first time, she relaxes.
“This is a pleasant surprise. You are not that advanced in your development. You can’t have started traveling the path more than a fortnight ago. And I was worried you would be a threat.”
The vines release Julien, who remains standing in place, slightly swaying on his feet. Dumbstruck.
“So, the cycle has begun anew. I’m curious as to how you got here so quickly, though. And how you got into my Garden.” Lacing Julien’s arm into her own, the nymphlike woman starts walking. “Why don’t you tell me all about it while we walk to a more comfortable location?”
Why am I moving forward? The castle is not that way.
“Castle. Go to castle,” Julien can just about force his mouth to spit out.
“You have seen it? Impressive. And yet you are quite malleable. What an interesting puzzle. Well, we can see the castle later. Let’s have a nice picnic first.”
Screaming inside, Julien can’t stop himself from placing one foot in front of the other.