Blades & Mushrooms (Peregrine x La Reina)

[Peregrine]

It had been long enough since Persika had taken a bath that she was starting to wonder if mushrooms were going to start growing out of her hair alongside the ground. The idea didn't really bother her all that much, she couldn't help but think that "mushroom bed" would be a better purpose for the mass of curls that normally resided on top of her head than some simple decoration, however it also meant that her scalp was starting to itch like she had bugs crawling around up there. Which, in all honesty, she might.

However, when she paused briefly to lift up loam-covered fingers to scratch among her matted dreads, she froze only a moment later as she made eye contact with the glowering foreman standing on the path that separated her current field from her neighbor's. The man's hand dropped ominously towards the whip strapped to his waist, and Persika immediately lowered both head and fingers, returning to rooting through the rich soil to find the pebble sized blue mushrooms that half-filled the basket seated behind her back.

Persika loved mushrooms. Tiny ones, huge ones, delicate ones, solid ones, laced, ribbed, toothed, curved, colored, camouflaged, tasty, or poisonous, it didn't matter to her. Persika had traveled across large swatches of the known world, and she had never seen anything more graceful or beautiful than a fungal bloom. That meant she could think of few things better than to get both housing and food for nothing greater than spending a day digging through loamy earth to collect pin mushrooms.

What she didn't like was the people. Persika had started working on this mushroom farm a little over a month ago, and it hadn't taken more than a couple of days for her to want to destroy every single building on the property by a sudden mushroom overgrowth, driving every single resident away with the toxic spores they would release. The order of her god was the only thing that had stayed her hand, and led to a situation where Persika, one of the gods' Chosen, suffered abuse and threats at the hands of a common foreman.

Her god was Madach, the God of Mushrooms, and that made him the most wonderful god in the universe in Persika's eyes. But even she could understand that didn't make him the most powerful, and while she could stand toe to toe with the Chosen of any of the other Lower gods, that still left as many as 360 other Chosen out there who could wipe the ground with her in anything that even remotely resembled direct confrontation. Persika had been sent here to protect one of Madach's spores until it had time to sprout into one of the Core Mushrooms, and that protection was absolutely essential. The spores had been released directly by Madach, and were infused with his holy power. And godly power, even if it came from one of the Lower gods, was a valuable thing.

Madach's spore, in particular, was worth a great deal in comparison to holy artifacts created by the other Lower gods. The spore was imbued with a powerful force of life and growth that would allow the mushrooms in the surrounding area to bloom and grow through any potential damage that might try and halt their spread. Madach was only able to gather that much life force once every century, and there were many, many other uses for so much raw power. Uses many Chosen would consider far more important than helping Mushrooms grow. Ultimately, only the Chosen of the Original gods would have no interest in the spore.

For the first five years of its growth, even Persika herself wouldn't have been able to find the spore, it was buried so deep within the earth. But now, as it grew closer to sprouting, it had drawn close enough to the surface that even a plow might be able to strike it. It was Persika's job now to make sure that this particular field kept producing until the time that the spore sprouted, so that the farm owners would not feel any need to turn it over for a new crop. However, if rumors spread that the Chosen of the God of Mushrooms was working on a farm, an equal number of questions would be raised as to why. The first and most obvious answer would be that her God had sent her there to protect something important.

And if that information were to spread, there was no way Persika would be able to protect Madach's spore.

That, and only that, was the reason she endured the humiliation that was cast down upon her. And for that reason only she would silently endure, until such a time as the spore sprouted, and the mushroom forest began to grow around the new Core. However, as life had often shown the young, dirty girl, things didn't always go according to plan. As a matter of fact, change often came when things seemed the most certain.

Change, in this instance, came in the form of a small, golden colored mushroom that sprouted from the ground a few moments after the foreman turned away. It nudged gently at Persika's finger as it grew, and she immediately moved her hand aside, casting eyes glowing with adoration upon the rapidly expanding sprout. As the stem stretched up further, the cap began to grow as well. By rather than being round or fluted like most mushrooms, the cap of this particular mushroom looked like nothing so much as a rolled up, golden scroll of parchment.

Only when the growth of the mushroom came to a complete halt did Persika move, reaching out one hand to pluck the mushroom from deep within the soil and bring it close to her face. Her eyes closed as she inhaled deeply.

For one moment she lingered in that position, eyelids fluttering as information rushed into her head. However, as the first message came to an end, her fingers unconsciously opened in surprise, allowing the mushroom to fall to the ground.

"Leave?" the girl gasped in surprise. "But the spore! It's less than two weeks away from sprouting. How can I possibly leave now? What could be more important?"

As though in answer, Persika swayed slightly on the spot, her fingers and lips twitching compulsively. However, when her eyes opened again, there was a look of resignation in Persika's gaze. "Talia. I understand. I'll go find her. Where is she?"

In the end, it didn't matter that Persika wanted nothing more than to watch the Core Mushroom bloom, and see the forest that would sprout around it in only days. All that mattered was that she had been Chosen by Madach, and the god had a task for her. A task he considered far more important than protecting a spore that had taken him a hundred years to create. How could she not obey his will?

However, when the next burst of communication faded, her look of resigned acceptance had been replaced by shock. "There?! But it'll take me over a month to get there with my foot, at an absolute minimum." In fact, to get there in a month, Persika would need to give herself barely any time to rest and eat. It certainly wouldn't give her any time to stop and care for a group of wild morels, or watch a penny bun sprout in the morning light. The thought made her heart lurch, and a short gasp slipped from between tightly pressed lips. She swallowed once, before shaking her head slightly.

It would be fine. She'd be able to find an hour or two, she was sure. She could eat while she was walking, and if she cut into her sleep just a bit more…

Persika's hand shook once more as a final communication came through.

No delays.

"I… I understand." It sounded like the most painful thing she had ever said. "If I can give up that resting time, I should use it to travel. Even a minute faster will make a difference."

For one moment, Perskia felt like crying. Not only was she expected to give up on Madach's spore and let it be found or killed, sacrificing the glorious mushroom forest that would grow around it, the next month she might as well be in hell. She would be nothing better than a zombie, in a forced march across the country, unable to take even a couple of minutes for her own well-being, driven on by the knowledge that every second counted. However, the lump in her throat dissolved under the sudden flavor of distraction, as she saw the ground between her hands suddenly bulging upwards. She cleared the soil aside, only to see something round and white about the size of a quail's egg. Except, as she picked it up, Persika realized that instead of the smooth, hard shell of an egg, the thing was ever so slightly spongy, and covered in the loose weave of a mushroom's mycelium.

"The spore," she whispered, hand tightening compulsively as she drew it closer to her heart.

This time tears really did cloud her eyes, but they were not tears of sadness. Instead, they came from a deep, heartfelt sense of gratitude, and the knowledge that Madach really did care about her. He cared about her more than a hundred years of his own effort. The spore pulsed in her hand for a moment like a heartbeat, before some of the mycelium unwound from around the spore, reaching up to curl around her neck and reattach to the spore. With careful fingers, Persika tucked the spore under the collar of her shirt.

For one moment Persika dug her fingers and the toes of her good foot into the soil that she'd been working in for the last month, saying goodbye to the nice soil, and the mushrooms that had yet to bloom. And then she tensed, forcing her way to her feet. She staggered for a moment before she was able to balance on her club foot. Then she took a step forward.

It was about at this moment that the foreman caught sight of her movement, and he turned around immediately. This time his hand didn't just drop towards his whip, but instead he removed the tool fully from his waist. However, before he had a chance to take even another step he staggered, gagging. He opened his mouth, attempting to gasp, and a mushroom grew from within his mouth. He only lasted another couple seconds before he collapsed fully to the ground.

Persika didn't even pause to glance at him. Becoming a mushroom bed was a better fate than he deserved, but she was pressed for time and wouldn't have a chance to find someone worthy of the honor. His body would the the one to deliver her mushrooms to this city. It would be nothing compared to the forest that would have grown had the seed sprouted, but a taste of the energy from the spore that hung around her neck ensured that it would still be enough to pay back Persika's wrath.

Already other mushrooms were sprouting from the foreman's body. Within the hour, they would cover her entire field. These people would learn the consequences of offending a Chosen.

Such a shame she wouldn't be here to admire the result.

 

[Reina]

The war tent was especially hot when the mid afternoon sun beamed in the sky. The temperature was sweltering inside the woolen tarp and beads of sweat ran down Talia's narrow face as she looked over the map of the realm. "We can take Hightower from the West," she said as she pointed on the map. "Their defenses are weakest there and a surprise attack would devastate their forces. Once we take Hightower we will be in perfect position to conquer Gardendale and take their gold for the treasury." Talia's finger traced over the map as she passed it along the road that led from Hightower to Gardendale.

"Won't Gardendale have a chance to prepare themselves once they hear of our attack on Hightower?" Decimus, Talia's second in command, asked. Talia shook her head. "Hightower protects Gardendale. Once Hightower falls, Gardendale will have no other choice but to surrender and bend the knee to King Titus."

Talia led the armies of King Titus of Morella. She was the only female general in the realm and a force to be reckoned with. King Titus sought to expand his kingdom, his fortune and further his influence and power. He enlisted Talia to complete the task for him. She was an expert strategist and an excellent marksman with her bow and arrow. She never missed a shot and there were very few battles she considered lost. Add on that she was the chosen of Zaiman, god of time, and she was an unstoppable force.

"Decimus, take three bands and take the north wall. Alterion, take the south and Voltan, take the east. I will lead the attack on the West. Once Hightower realizes they are being attacked from the west all their forces will move in that direction. Only then will you begin the attack on the surrounding walls. Understood?" Talia asked as she looked up from the map spread out over the wooden table in the center of the tent. Each of the men inside nodded their heads in agreement. "Good. Get some rest. We attack at dawn."

That night Talia barely slept, choosing instead to sharpen her blade and arrow heads beside a warm fire. The tattoos that littered her body and face glowed in the fire light. As she sharpened her weapons she thought on each tattoo and the significance of each. Most were markings of battles, wars won and cities conquered. Except for the one across the side of her face given to her by Zaiman himself when he had selected her as one of his chosen and infused her with some of his power. It was the most painful tattoo she had ever received but Zaiman insisted his chosen should be known, respected and feared solely by laying eyes on her. It was also one of the ways Zaiman chose to communicate his wishes to Talia.

The dawn came and Talia had more energy than when she prepared for the battle in the hot war tent the night before. Mounted on her black stallion, blade on her hip, dagger in her boot and bow and arrow across her back, Talia looked to the towers that created the landscape of the city of Hightower. They would have been intimidating to any other war general but not Talia. There were very few things she feared and the ways of war was not one of them. She was made to conquer cities and fight battles. It was all she knew how to do.

Kicking her steed with her heel, she propelled him forward as she began to move across the front line of her army. "Men!" she shouted. "Today we fight another battle together! But rest assured that we have already won! Hightower will fall today! The city is ours! For King Titus! For Morella! For Zaiman!" The men roared and shouted as they pulled their blades from their sheaths and pulled their arrows from their quivers. Talia faced Hightower once more, pulled her own blade from its sheath, lifted it into the air and shouted, "Now!" The army mobilized immediately.

Horse hooves and the boots of the men on foot pounded the ground, lifting the dirt with each movement as the attack on Hightower was launched. Wooden ladders were raised and laid against the walls of the city as Talia's men began to escalate the walls to enter the city. Talia removed a bow from her quiver and quickly began to launch them, on after the other over the wall, striking the chest of the man attempting to stop her army from taking the city. Though the west wall of Hightower was the weakest, the men put up quite the fight as they killed quite a few of Talia's men. Still, her army was vast, strong and better equipped.

The west gate was opened and Talia led the men inside Hightower to continue their assault on the city. Sword in hand, Talia weaved it through the air and sliced at the throats of men as she passed them on horseback. "Talia!" shouted one of her men. Talia jerked her head just in time to see an arrow heading in her direction. In an instant, time slowed. The battle continued in slow motion as Tatia looked at the arrow coming in her direction. She shifted her body slightly to the right and time resumed to its regular pace with the arrow just missing Talia.

Grabbing an arrow from her own quiver, Talia quickly loaded it onto the bow and launched the arrow directly into the chest of the man that attempted to take her life. Her victory was short lived as another arrow hit the chest of her horse, knocking the stallion and Talia to the ground. Talia rolled quickly back to her feet, leaving her steed behind, continuing on foot. Sword in hand, Talia continued, taking down one man at a time. Clashes of steel echoed throughout Hightower as more men began to join the attack. It was just as Talia had predicted. Hightower's armies were moving towards the west and were leaving their other walls improperly manned.

Time slowed one more time as Talia used her gift on the battlefield. Being able to now see her enemy's movements before they could strike enabled Talia to choose her counterattack wisely. Her blade sliced through each man in her vicinity, one at a time. Their blood now ran down her arms and covered her armor as they all laid face down on the ground with time resuming as normal. As she had prepared, Hightower fell under the attack of Talia's armies. Whatever man had survived was now a prisoner of war and those that did not were being dragged to a fire pit to dispose of their dead bodies.

Talia scanned the area as she walked around Hightower, the newly conquered city of King Titus. There was enough food in the city to feed her men for a long time. They needed rest before they continued their journey to the next city. The men needed to enjoy their victory and Gardendale needed the time to bend the knee of their own will before Talia conquered it next.

"Decimus," she called to her second in command. "Send a rider to Gardendale and inform them that Hightower has fallen and is now under the jurisdiction of King Titus of Morella. They are to bend the knee and pledge allegiance to Morella or suffer the fate of Hightower." Decimus nodded his head and proceeded to carrying out Talia's orders. She then continued to instruct her men to build camp, feed the horses, feed themselves and rest. They deserved it. They had worked hard.

As the men settled, Talia found a room in one of the towers and made it her own. It was quaint and had just enough to satisfy Talia. She wasn't a woman of opulence anyway. She preferred simplicity. Now alone, Talia used the time to remove her armor and wash away the dirt and the blood of the men she left on the battlefield. She tended to some of her wounds then moved to dress. She scanned the closet and found some men's clothes that fit about right. She would never be caught dead in a dress. After having rested and changed, Talia returned to her men.

"Where is Hyperion? I need a new tattoo." She smirked and a few of her men chuckled. The men joked Talia was going to run out of skin for tattoos at the rate she won battles and wars. She couldn't help but chuckle too.

"What the -"

Talia turned towards the man who made the statement. She cocked a brow as she walked over to him. A small group had begun to gather around him and whatever it was he was looking at. "What is going on?" she asked as she approached and made her way through the group of men. It didn't take her much time to notice what was happening once she made it to the front of the group. The sundial in the center of the courtyard was spinning uncontrollably. It just turned and turned. Talia moved towards it, brows furrowed.

"How are we to tell time now?" asked another man.

It hit Talia instantly. Zaiman. "Decimus!" she called out. The man came to her quickly. "I need to speak to Zaiman. Keep the men away from the sundial." Decimus ushered the men away and Talia approached the spinning sundial. When she was sure none could hear her, she took a finger and pressed it over the spinning dial. Time came to a complete halt. Talia closed her eyes and listened. "You wish for me to remain at Hightower? How long?" The tattoo on her face glowed. "At least a month?! But we are about to conquer Gardendale. There is no time to just sit and wait. Now is the time to strike. There is much to be—" The tattoo glowed brighter and Talia winced in pain. "Yes. I understand. A month. What am I waiting for?"

The sundial stopped spinning. "Persi-what? Persika? Fine. Who's chosen is she?" Talia's eyes opened wide and she looked up to the sky. "The god of mushrooms?! You cannot be serious. I am to halt all I have to do for the god of mushrooms? You are the god of time! Just below The Three! Why should I—" The tattoo on her face began to sear her skin and Talia shut her eyes, yelling out in pain. "Yes! Yes." The searing stop and her tattoo stopped glowing. "I will wait patiently for your next set of instructions."

Time resumed and the sundial returned to telling time as it normally would. Talia rubbed at her sore cheek. The pain was temporary and the skin searing was only in her mind but it didn't stop how painful the experience was. She returned towards her men. Decimus approached her. "Tell the men we are making camp at Hightower for the next month. Zaiman has other plans for us."

What could the god of the time and the god of mushrooms possibly want with each other? Why would they call their chosen together? It didn't make sense but Zaiman was cryptic and insisted Talia remain where she was and not move. He made it painfully clear to her. So the warrioress had no other choice but to stay put and wait for this Persika, whomever she was, to arrive.

As she did not have another choice, Talia made camp with the rest of her men. She sat by the fire with them as Hyperion began to work on her newest tattoo. She had quite a bit of space on her legs still and there was more than enough room for more tattoos. For now she ripped at the chicken leg her men had cooked up as she was inked. Patience was not a strong point of Talia's but she wasn't given any other choice. She had to wait.

 

[Peregrine]

The creature that finally managed to stumble her way in through the gates of the city of Hightower looked like something that had clawed its way up from underground. The people at the gate unconsciously took a half step back, some averting their eyes from the pathetic display, others muttering insults under their breath at the 'filthy beggar'.

Persika truly was a pitiable sight. Her clothes were ragged, nearly in tatters, and caked in layers of dirt, grime, and many other questionable substances that had come from the side of the road where she had spent the last night. Or, perhaps more accurately, collapsed after she was unable to walk a step further. Her skin and hair were equally as filthy, but there was a resigned sort of limpness in her arms hanging to her sides and the tilt of her head that showed she was no longer in a position to care about her dismal state. In that respect, it truly did seem like Persika had become a zombie. She hobbled along, swinging forward her good left leg before dragging her right before her in a painful, jerking motion, and then repeating the process again.

Her eyes, heavily lidded from a desperate weariness and dark with sorrow, glanced up at the walls without any seeming flicker of recognition. But the information her god had given her three weeks ago matched up. She had finally reached her destination. All that was left was to find this Talia.

If there was one point in this entire journey that Persika could take pride in, it was how quickly she had made this journey. Her original assessment of how long it would take for her to complete this journey had been well over four weeks. However, it was clear that the young woman had taken Madach's declaration of no delays incredibly seriously. This was due to the fact that this morning would mark the 22nd dawn she had witnessed since leaving behind the mushroom farm where she had been working.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Persika did not have enough energy left to take even a sliver of pride in her accomplishment.

After being occupied by the forces of King Titus of Morella for the past twenty days, the security had lightened somewhat. There were still guards posted on every other street corner, but the people who lived within the city had begun to return to their everyday life. This meant that the four gates that allowed entry and exit from the city were no longer sealed off, and a flood of people left in the morning to tend the fields that had not been damaged by the soldier's rampage, before returning for the evening, and merchants came and left on a regular basis, providing the basic necessities that the city was otherwise unable to attain for itself.

This meant that, even with her filthy appearance, Persika did not have any problems entering the city. She marched slowly but stubbornly ahead, and her bedraggled appearance, smell, and clear lack of anything even remotely valuable ensured that the guards had absolutely no interest in harassing her.

Idly, Persika supposed there was one benefit to the state her journey had left her in. The normal people of this city had no interest in even so much as brushing against her, let alone fully colliding with her, so when she continued to walk forward with a slow, stubborn, crawling gait, those around her had no choice but to part before her like water flowing around a boulder, because even a single glance was enough for them to tell that Perskia certainly wouldn't be getting out of their way. In this instance, she was perhaps lucky that Talia's capture of the city had included a purge of the nobility, for it was doubtful that they would have stood for such an insult in the same way that the common folk would.

However, once Pesika made it a little ways through the gates, she found herself reluctantly forced to slow her pace due to one glaring problem. She did not know where she was going. Due to the scale of the distance she'd had to cover, Madach's initial communication had not covered more than the location of the city she was to reach. Now, she had no idea where to go to actually meet up with Talia.

It could be a sign of exactly how much this journey had damaged Persika that she walked right past the first two little purple mushrooms that sprouted from cracks in the sidewalk without even spotting them. They withered behind her as soon as she passed, seeming almost sorrowful. The third one she spotted, and her eyes blinked once before she forced her head to turn away from the sight. Eyes looking vaguely moist, she continued to plod forward.

The fourth mushroom finally brought her to a halt, its presence finally managing to pierce through the haze in her mind and realize that there was absolutely no way that a purple pouch mushroom should have been growing in this heat, let alone in the middle of a city. Not when they required damp, rotting ground to bloom. She took a step towards it.

Finally acknowledged, the little purple mushroom seemed to wiggle in delight, before a little ways away another purple mushroom grew out of someone's windowsill. A faint smile flickered across Persika's lips as her hand twitched towards her chest, where Madach's spore still hung around her neck. Her god was guiding her. She felt a momentary burst of shame for ignoring the first mushroom, before it faded away and she set off down the path her god had laid out.

Following the breadcrumb trail of mushrooms, it didn't take Persika long to wind her way into the very heart of the city, where the towers that gave the city of Hightower its name resided. Here, however, Persika's smooth progress through the city was abruptly impeded as it drew nearly to a close.

The courtyard between the towers had been transformed from the heart of the city into a bustling military encampment. Everywhere she looked soldiers met her gaze, and it didn't take them more than a couple moments to notice the 'beggar' making her way into their territory.

Many of them were content to ignore her, aside from a rude comment or disgruntled glance. However, a few of them seemed to consider her very presence some sort of affront to their respectability. A few of them made eye contact, before three young men abruptly stood up. They nudged their way through their fellows, before lining up to block Persika's progress.

"You're not welcome here, beggar," one of them stated, a frown on his face and one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Leave."

Persika didn't slow. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that the laws of reality dictated it must be otherwise, it might have almost seemed as though she didn't see the three soldiers.

One thing was for sure, they didn't like being ignored. All three men reacted instantly, two of them dropping into positions that would allow them to easily act, the third even going so far as to start to pull out his sword. Tension seemed to veritably hum in the air, and conversation around the group immediately died, all eyes turning in their direction like a ripple.

"Are you blind, beggar?" one of the soldiers snapped. His finger lifted, pointing out towards the edge of camp, and he slowly articulated the next several words. "You. Need. To. Leave."

They waited a couple of moments for Persika to react, to stop moving and turn around. She did not, her eyes glued to the purple mushroom past the next row of tents. She didn't notice the men turn to look at each other once more, their eyes seeming to confirm that they needed to take further action. One pulled his sword out further, before another put a hand on his shoulder and forced the blade back into its sheath.

Nor did she notice as the man stepped out from among his fellows and began to walk towards her, clearly intending to guide her, willing or unwilling, out of the camp.

What she did finally notice was when his hand began to reach out, aiming to grab onto her arm. For the first time Persika seemed to notice him, as her blank, staring eyes snapped in his direction. The man only had half a second before Persika's hand suddenly slammed into his chin. The blow did not seem hard, but the man still crumpled over double, his hands clawing at his nose and mouth. As the other soldiers stared in panic, they saw something that looked a bit like a spiderweb growing over his entire face. From particularly dense patches in the white weave, little orbs were starting to grow.

Now the expressions of everyone looking at her had gone from disgust to fear and panic. They now realized their mistake in who they had chosen to impede. Had she wanted to, Persika could have killed everyone here. If she were to use the power stored in Madach's spore, she could do it without even breaking a sweat.

Luckily for everyone there, Persika did not seem to care in the least. As soon as the man had fallen away she turned back to her former path, eyes as vacant as they had been when she first entered the camp. The other two men blocking her path quickly scampered out of the way, while a couple others calmed the panicking man and worked together to claw the growing mycelium off of his face.

Word of Persika's arrival spread through the camp like wildfire, and no one else dared to get in her way as she made a beeline through the camp towards one of the towers. The men watched her with narrowed eyes.

"Do you think she's here to see General Talia?" one man asked to another.

One word of that caught Persika's attention. Talia. It seemed she was in the right place. But, of course she was. Wasn't it her god who had led her here?

She entered the unlocked door of the tower, before the mushrooms finally led her to a heavy door within the building. Without hesitating or even so much as knocking, Persika pushed her way through the door.

 

[Reina]

Though Talia was the chosen of Zaiman, god of time, patience was not her strongest suit. She could live in trenches, survive on little food and take blows like no other but sit idly by and simply wait? No, it was not something Talia appreciated but she had little choice. She had been instructed by the god to remain at Hightower until Persika arrived. Three weeks had passed since the day Zaiman seared his instructions into Talia's skin and the warrioress was growing weary. She didn't want her men growing fat and lazy. She needed to keep their minds occupied and their bodies fit. As soon as Persika arrived, she was going to Gardendale.

So Talia drilled her men incessantly with the goal of keeping their minds on the battle and to keep a constant presence in Hightower. She didn't want the people of the city they had just conquered attempting an uprising. "Find a sparing partner and keep your weapons sharp!" she instructed as she moved about the camp. Her second in command had set up certain areas for sparing and archery, as well as instructed the city blacksmith to keep the weapons in top shape. "Decimus," she called to her second in command, "ensure a rotation of the guards at the gates. I do not want lazy men. They are either training, guarding the city or tending the camp, the armor and the weapons. Understood?"

Decimus nodded and Talia continued, "What of Gardendale? Will they bend the knee to King Titus?" Decimus shook his head. "Gardendale is fearful but they wish to negotiate with you." Talia grew angry, "This is not a negotiation. They bend the knee or we take their city. Its an ultimatum." Decimus agreed. "They want to speak with you Talia, before they bend the knee and King Titus has already sent messengers asking for a status report. If you would just come with me. Together we cou-".

"I cannot!" she shouted, drawing the attention of the men closest to her. Not wishing to make a scene, she lowered her voice and continued to address Decimus. "I do not care what King Titus wants or what Gardendale wants. I cannot disobey direct orders from Zaiman. He said one month. We wait the month." Decimus nodded his head, pressed a fist to his chest and dismissed himself from Talia's presence. Talia could only sigh as her eyes looked up to the sky. "What are you planning?" Of course Zaiman did not answer. He only spoke when he wished and on his terms. He had not spoken to her since he first told her of Persika's arrival and Talia doubted he would speak again until she did.

Unable to do much of anything else, Talia attempted to distract her mind by honing her skils. She moved towards the archery range. The ground was covered with hay and the targets were a significant enough distance away. Decimus had done a good job. She grabbed a bow and a quiver full of arrows and stood as far back as possible. Removing an arrow from the quiver, Talia placed it against the string of her bow. She pulled back tight, hearing the strain of the wood against the string. Her eyes focused on the bullseye. She felt the wind on her cheek, measuring its speed before launching the arrow directly into the red bullseye. The arrow pierced the stack, centered on the red. Talia rarely ever missed a shot.

Alterion, one of the leaders of her army, approached her then, "That was too easy." Talia turned to him and smiled before returning her eyes to the targets before her. "I can shoot a man from over a tower wall while riding on horseback. Of course this is too easy."

"Perhaps you need a challenge," Alterion said as he watched Talia drop her bow and arrows to the ground.

The man pulled a blade from behind his back and attempted to place it against Talia's throat but Talia leaned back and away from the blade. Shifting her position, she grabbed Alterion's arm and kneed him in the stomach causing him to buckle over. She jammed her elbow into his shoulder and Alterion dropped the daggar. Talia quickly swooped down, grabbed the daggar and held it tightly against Alterion's throat. "I'm still waiting for that challenge," she said with a smile and Alterion yielded. The men that had gathered began to applaud. It had become almost like a game to attempt to one up Talia and every man that tried, failed. She handed the daggar back and began to walk back to her tower. "Get back to work. There is nothing more to see here."

Talia ascended the tower steps and entered her new quarters. She didn't bother bolting the door. The men knew better than to attempt to enter her chambers. She walked over to the bedroom window and looked out over the camp. If only she could use her gift to speed up time, to force Persika's arrival but Zaiman had never infused that much power into Talia. It was limited. She could alter time but only for a few seconds. She would have to be patient. Perhaps that was Zaiman's lesson all along?

Suddenly, ruckus echoed throughout the camp. She noticed the men gathered and one screaming. She leaned out the window, hands pressed hard against the stone to steady herself as she looked out. Her eyes focused upon the screaming soldier. There was a web of some sort growing on his face? What the fu-?

Talia didn't have a moment to react, her door suddenly opened and in entered a short, dirty, ragged woman. Talia cocked a brow, unsure what to make of the woman but instantly felt threatened. She pulled a daggar from the side of her boot and twirled it quickly in her hand. "You have exactly three seconds to tell me who you are and why you're here or I throw this daggar directly into the center of your forehead. And I never miss."

The tattoo on Talia's face began to glow and sear into her skin again. Talia winced but continued to stare at the woman. Why would Zaiman chose now to speak?

Persika.

Talia's gaze softened and she lowered the daggar. "Persika, is it?" The tattoo stopped glowing and searing her skin and Talia returned the daggar to her boot. "Took you long enough." Now that she knew who the woman was, she had a chance to truly look her over. The woman was unimpressive, someone Talia would walk right passed on a normal day. Why would Zaiman want Talia to waste her time with her?

"Well, you're here and you've apparently made quite the entrance. Though if you ever bring harm to any of my men again, I will personally ensure you regret that." Talia moved closer to Persika, her eyes never leaving her own. Though she knew Zaiman had a plan with this woman, it didn't stop Talia from failing to trust her. She stood just in front of Persika, arms crossed in front of her chest. "Speak. Why are you here? What does your god want with my god?"

 

[Peregrine]

Took you long enough. Took. You. Long. Enough.

These thoughtlessly cruel and heartless words instantly and potentially irrevocably cemented Persika's opinion of Talia. That opinion? One of pure, simple disgust. Persika had never had good experiences with the Chosen of the Physical gods. What possible improvement could the Chosen of one of the Powers offer then? But she had been prepared to set aside her grievances, because Madach had asked her to work with the woman.

But she'd had no way of knowing that Talia would be so arrogant and cold-blooded when she made that decision. Now Persika knew that Talia was just like all the other Chosen, except worse. Unsympathetic, indifferent to the suffering her behavior caused, even downright cruel. Well, Persika wasn't going to…

Around her neck, Madach's spore twitched slightly, and Persika carefully swallowed the words that rose up in her throat like a cup of bile. Her eyes dropped respectfully, and she relaxed the tenseness in her jaw and the tightening of her lips.

If she were to offend Talia… Madach would be able to do nothing to protect her, should Zaiman even allow his interference.

"You must be mistaken, Lady Talia," Persika replied, her words smooth. She'd spent the last several months acting as nothing more than a common slave, groveling before every peasant that came before her. She could play that role near flawlessly. "Zaiman is one of the Powers, and I am simply the Chosen of one of the Lower gods. I was sent here to assist you, not the other way around."

Despite the seeming subservience of Persika's words, rage boiled inside of her. Madach had been forced to give up on a hundred years of effort to help this uppity little harlot, and she didn't even have the grace or consideration to be remotely grateful about it.

Well, Persika might not be able to scold Talia directly for her behavior, but she'd make sure to it that the woman paid. Hadn't she, after all, already told Persika exactly how to get back at her? If you ever bring harm to my men again…, was it? Ask, and thou shalt receive.

 

[Reina]

"You were sent to assist me? I wasn't aware I needed assisting." Talia eyed Persika for a moment before scuffing and turning to walk away from her. What did Zaiman and Madach want? To put two complete opposites together and tell them to work with another made no sense especially when Talia had no idea what the two gods even wanted. Talia walked over to the window she had been peering out from earlier and turned her eyes up to the sky. She placed the palm of her hand over Zaiman's mark on her face and attempted to call upon him. She shut her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could. Nothing. Zaiman only spoke when he wished and there wasn't anything Talia could do about it.

"Fine," she muttered as she turned her attention back to Persika. The woman was disheveled, dirty and Talia could not be seen with her. "There is a spare room down the hall from me. I will not be seen with you in this condition. Clean up. Immediately. I have work to do. Meet me in the courtyard when you're done." She moved passed Persika, pumping into her shoulder as she walked passed her and continued down the steps of the tower and towards her men that were in the field. The men were still muttering about Persika and the guard that had been attacked was still peeling some weird ooze from his face. They were all still upset over what they had experienced.

The men immediately began to move towards Talia once they noticed her. She raised her hand to shut them though she understood why they were so perturbed. "You," she said as she pointed to the man with the broken arm. "Get that arm attended to in the medical tent." She then pointed to the man with the ooze on his face. She grimaced, "And you. Follow him as well. The rest of you need to calm down! I have everything under control." At least she hoped she did.

Her second in command, Decimus, quickly approached. "Talia. That woman. She-the things she did-." He was stuttering and Talia could barely stand it. "Calm down Decimus," she ordered. "I have the woman under control." Again, she hoped. "Zaiman has sent her here and I am waiting for him to reveal the reason. For now, we head to Gardensdale and order their immediate surrender." Decimus hesitated and Talia practically yelled. "Now! Get a hold of yourself. All of you! I am still the commander of this army! Move!" The men immediately began to scatter and move to get into their positions and gather their weapons.

Talia grabbed some armor, blades and her trusty bow and arrow and moved towards the courtyard where she had instructed Persika to meet her. What was taking that woman so long?! What was her name again?

Persika.

"Oh now you chose to speak to me?!" she yelled into the sky. The tattoo in her face immediately glowed red and began to sear her skin. "Yes. Yes. I know. I will never address you in such a way again." The tattoo stopped glowing and Talia rubbed her cheek. She shook off the pain and looked back towards the tower.

"Persika!" she yelled. "Now! I'm leaving to Gardensdale. You either follow or you get left behind!"

She moved towards her horse hoping that she could escape Persika. She had to finish her quest. Gardensdale would bend the knee today or risk the complete annihilation of their city. "Men! Be ready! If Gardensdale does not bend the knee, we take the city by storm! Ransack the place if you must. Gardensdale is ours today!"

 

[Peregrine]

Persika stepped to the side as Talia swept past, head still partially bowed and her eyes lowered towards the woman's feet. Only after the door closed behind the warrior did Persika's hand rise, clasping around her shoulder. If anyone had glanced into the room at that moment, they might have thought the dirty young woman was shaking from either pain or fear.

Persika was furious. For several long moments all she could do was stand there and squeeze on hand on the shoulder that Talia had bumped, or else she was certain she would scream. It took her a couple of minutes before she was certain she had her emotions under control, but there were still tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she gazed hopelessly around the room. A small, purple mushroom sprouted from the door.

Persika stumbled her way listlessly down the hall, and into the room a short ways away from the one Talia had chosen. It must have been servants quarters at one point, although it looked as though it hadn't been occupied in the past three weeks. For one moment she stood in the middle of the room, before she finally slumped, striking one dirty hand against the bed.

"What am I doing here?!" she demanded of the empty room. "Madach! This is unfair." When she lifted her head again, two clean streaks ran down her face from the corners of her eyes. "Madach…"

There was no verbal reply, but the spore around her neck twitched, before a large mushroom with a bowl-shaped cap grew from the bed in front of her. Water pooled in its cup, dripping down from the top.

Clean yourself up. Wasn't that what the harlot had told her to do? Another tear leaked out of the corner of one eye, but she cupped some of the water in her hands anyways, splashing it across her face and rubbing off the dirt, before washing her hands. There was little she could do for her tattered clothes, and even less for the tangled nest that had once been her hair. It had been like this for so long now and gotten so matted that she was probably going to end up having to cut it all off and let it regrow.

All the same, she carefully made sure her face and arms were clean, scraped the mud off the hem of her clothes as best as she could, and tried to pick some of the plant matter out from within her hair.

She was working her fingers through one of the snarls when she suddenly heard her name being bellowed from the courtyard. For a moment she froze, wondering if she had misheard. How long had it been since Talia had gone storming out of the room? Fifteen minutes? Twenty? It surely hadn't been as long as half an hour. How on earth did the woman expect…

The mushroom in front of her tipped suddenly, dousing her in a wave of dirty water, and rinsing some of the dirt off the front of her shirt in the process. Persika yelped in surprise, but hurried out the door anyways, trying to wring some of the water out of her shirt. She supposed it would have to do, although she doubted Talia would be satisfied. Let's see what the harlot could do to clean herself up in a quarter of an hour if she hadn't bathed in months.

Grumbling to herself, Persika followed the trail of purple mushrooms that led her out to the courtyard, moving as quickly as she could while dragging her twisted foot behind her. It wasn't quick enough. In the yard outside, Persika could hear Talia shouting, and the roar that came from the army in response. There was the sound of a horse's whinny.

 

[Reina]

Persika was taking much too long and Talia had much to do. The people of Gardensdale would bend the knee or see their city overcome and taken like Hightower. Talia had little patience and with her men awaiting her signal she could no longer wait. She knew she should wait. She knew that Zaiman would not be pleased but she refused to halt her life and her duties. She would deal with Persika, and whatever reason she was there, later. Talia had a task and she had to complete it. She was being paid very well by King Titus and she intended on receiving her spoils when she returned to the city of Morella. She unfortunately would have to lug around with Persika but she hoped she would learn of the reason for her arrival soon and shake her off quickly. She cared little for the god of mushrooms.

Talia turned towards her army and yelled "Move out!" The horses immediately huffed as their riders kicked their sides and the padding of hooves over the ground signaled the army was in motion. Talia adjusted her quiver on her back and did the same, kicking her steed and signaling it forward. They wouldn't ride hard or fast. They would move slow. Without Hightower to defend it, Gardensdale would be forced to watch her army arrive and be unable to stop it. She wanted fear to enter their hearts. She wanted them to cower before her and know they were nothing but sitting ducks and she was the hunter.

Talia ensured to leave behind a remnant of men to continue her hold over Hightower. She didn't want them getting any ideas. Morella's presence would be strong among these kingdoms and she was certain they would all fall in line.

The horses moved quickly through the gate. Talia didn't even look behind her to see if Persika was close. She did not care. She kicked her horse again to make it go faster and that was when time suddenly halted. Talia could hear the hum of slowed sounds as the horses sounded more like they were dragging then galloping. Their whinnies were drawn out and barely over a whisper. She looked down and her steed was barely moving. Her eyes moved towards her army and they were moving just as slow. Only she could move in real time.

The tattoo on her face glowed a bright red and Talia knew then that it was Zaiman's doing. Leaving Persika behind was, apparently, not an option. Talia dismounted her horse. She turned back and still everything was moving painfully slow. She grunted and headed back towards the tower were she saw Persika moving towards her. The stout woman was out of breath and still disheveled. Talia rolled her eyes and let out a deep breath through her nostrils. She would have to face the leaders of Gardensdale with this by her side?

"Hurry and get on the back of the slow moving horse with no rider. That is my steed. Move!" She yelled at Persika as she stomped back over to her horse and mounted it in one quick leap. She extended her arm for Persika and assisted her in mounting. As soon as the women were settled, time resumed as normal and Talia was jolted forward at the sudden movement. No one was aware of the time difference and Talia feigned ignorance as well though she could see some of the men looking at her curiously. They knew Talia had left Persika behind yet suddenly there she was on the back of her horse. Some even had a hint of caution in their eyes from what Persika did earlier. Talia ignored them. She continued the procession and moved her steed to the head of the line, continuing on the way to the city of Gardensdale.

"Make yourself scarce once we arrive in the city. I do not need you interrupting my plans."

 

[Peregrine]

Watching the world slow to a crawl around her was an alarming but also fascinating experience. Persika had once had the ill fortune to watch the rampage of one of the Chosen of the Lower Powers, and the magnitude of destruction that Chosen had wreaked upon the world still sent a chill up Persika's spine.

This, though, was on a whole other magnitude. She was being spared from the effect, there was no doubt of that, and given a chance to witness the extent of Zaiman's majesty. Persika couldn't help but gulp slightly.

What have I gotten myself into?

Her thought was abruptly interrupted by the bellow of a familiar and very unwelcome voice. Persika dropped her eyes almost immediately, tugging at the hem of her wet shirt in an attempt to hide the infuriated trembling of her fingers.

Persika was certain that Talia had gone galloping off without her, determined to leave her behind despite the fact that Persika had dropped everything and come running at the call of her god. And yet, adding further contradiction upon contradiction, here she was, yelling at Persika, ordering her to hurry up. Was this entire thing just a stunt? A chance for Talia to boast of the world-shaking powers Zaiman had granted her, and try and cow Persika into submission?

Well, if that was the goal, it had certainly backfired. Persika could see the way the dust moved so slowly through the air it might as well have been suspended. She now had all the time in the world, and the simple fact of the matter was that her foot meant that no yelling in the world could get her to move at more than a quick shuffle.

And that was how the little Chosen of one of the Lesser Gods managed to keep the mighty Chosen of one of the Powers waiting for her. The victory, such as it was, allowed Persika to smile as she reached up for Talia's hand, and found herself unceremoniously hauled into the saddle.

If the transition back to normal time was startling for Talia, it was objectively brutal for Persika. The jerk of her suddenly changing momentum nearly sent her flying, and compounded with the fact that she had never experienced such a transition before, and the fact that this was her first time on the back of a horse, it was nearly enough to send the brown-haired girl tumbling unceremoniously back to the ground, to be trampled to death by the racing horses.

The only way she spared herself from this fate was by flinging her arms forward, wrapping them around Talia's chest and pressing herself tight against the woman's back. It was entirely unceremonious and undignified, but at that moment, Persika couldn't think about anything else. She was too busy trying not to get bounced off the back of the bouncing horse. She didn't even dare open her mouth to respond to Talia's declaration, certain that she would bite off her tongue if she tried. All she could do was nod against the woman's back, and hope that the motion wouldn't get swallowed by the bouncing of the horse, and give the irate woman another reason to be infuriated with her.

 

[Reina]

Talia cringed as Persika held tightly to her. Had the woman never ridden a horse before?! No matter. She had more important things to worry about than the chosen of the mushroom god. It was time to take Gardensdale and secure the territory for King Titus but more importantly to secure her coin. Talia had a big pay day coming and she had promised her men a just reward for all their hard work during the takeovers. She was anxious to complete her task and head back to Morella. "Ya!" she called out as she kicked the sides of her mount and pressed forward a little faster. It was almost as if Talia wanted Persika to fall right off the horse but the more she pressed the steed the harder the grip against her and Talia didn't want to be touched more than she had to be.

Once the walls of the city came into view Talia slowed down. Perfect. By now the watchers would have noticed the army approaching and would be cowering in fear. She had them right where she wanted them. Suddenly, Talia noticed that her army had advanced in front of her but she was no longer moving. She kicked the sides of her mount again but it did not move. They were perfectly halted in place. There was only one explanation for it. Zaiman. Talia looked up to the heavens and yelled out into the sky. "Just allow me to take the city. I am so close! Just allow me and I will devote whatever time you need to whatever it is that you need!"

Talia's mount abruptly jolted knocking both Talia and Persika from it. Talia landed first breaking Persika's fall. The warrioress grunted, attempting to catch her breath but quickly moved Persika off of her. "Get. Off. Of Me." She scurried to her feet and looked around her. The army hadn't even noticed that she wasn't on the horse and the horse had continued forward without her.

His voice came swiftly and without notice. It was like thunder in her ears as he called to her. He had never spoken to her in such a way before, it brought Talia down to her knees. Another voice, quite unfamiliar to Talia, joined in almost immediately and called out to Persika. The woman appeared to recognize the voice. The two voices were speaking together and to both women at once. "Madach?" Talia asked. But how? Only the chosen of the god could hear the god's voice. How could she hear both Zaiman and Madach?

Their intentions became clear immediately. "You want me to abandon my mission? But why? Zaiman, my lord, I am so close to..." His voice rang loudly in her head again causing Talia to stop and cringe from the volume. "I understand," was all she could say after that. Her eyes looked over to Persika. "We are to embark on a mission. Together?" The mere thought made Talia want to hurl her lunch but she wouldn't dare question Zaiman now, especially not while he had her prostrate on her knees. "Where are we going and for what purpose?"

 

[Peregrine]

Eyes squeezed tightly shut and the pounding of horse hooves still ringing in her ears, Persika did not notice that anything was wrong until she suddenly heard Talia's shout. Her eyes jolted open in surprise, but she barely had a chance to notice the world seeming to stampede past them before there was a sudden jolt in her chest, finally sending her toppling off the horse. She yelped slightly, trying to roll to mitigate the force of her fall, which ultimately only served to drive her shoulder into Talia's chest as she toppled on top of the woman. However, even before Talia could shove her off Persika tumbled onward, landing with an ungraceful thump on the hard ground.

She cowered for a moment, waiting for the stampede of hundreds of hooves to crush her, until she suddenly felt a warm presence in the middle of her chest. Her hand lifted up to touch the spore, still tucked away under her shirt despite the tumble she'd just taken. "Madach?" Persika whispered, her voice unknowingly echoing Talia's own. The warmth spread up her chest, across her neck, and finally settled somewhere in the center of her head. It was only then that she heard the second voice, loud and domineering, and Persika clutched her head, whimpering slightly in pain.

All the same, Madach's urging forced her to listen carefully to the demanding voice, and her eyes drifted upwards to glance at Talia's crumpled form. A moment of empathy flashed in her eyes, as Talia's words seemed to echo in her ears. Abandon my mission. I am so close. Had those not been her own words, only a few months ago? She might not like this woman, might not know anything about this mission, but, in that moment, Persika imagined she knew the pain of the Chosen of Zaiman. It was a strange thought.

Persika struggled her way into a better sitting position, whimpering slightly as the awkward motion put extra pressure on her bad leg. However, her movement did not stop her from listening attentively to the words of the two gods.

"Regain the attention of the other gods?" Persika repeated, when the brief explanation came to an end. But why? And, far more importantly, how? She could not imagine what this had to do with either her or Talia, or why they, of all people, needed to do it. Of course, that did not mean she did not intend to obey. But nor could she deny the building uncertainty inside of her. Madach? she asked, silently.

There was no response from her god other than a sense of steely determination.

 

[Reina]

The voices were gone suddenly and time had resumed just as quickly. Horse hooves pounded against the ground lifting dirt into the air as Talia's army continued forward. Talia's steed, however, realized it was without its rider and galloped softly back to her. The horse huffed and shook its head as it stood beside a still prostrate Talia.

Time had resumed but Talia was frozen in place. Emerald eyes stared down at the soft earth as Talia contemplated the suddenness of her new situation. She rubbed at her knees, mulling over the most recent events. Zaiman had not spoken to her in such a way before. He was always a firm god but there was a steeliness in his voice that meant Talia had no other options. The most surprising was that for the first time in her life, she had heard the voice of another god, a god that was not her own. She didn't think such a thing was even possible yet there they were.

Finally, Talia's eyes rose up to Persika. "At least now we know what the god of mushrooms and the god of time have in common.... A goal." She rose to her feet and petted the side of her horse just as her second in command found his way back to her. "Talia, did you fall from your horse?" His eyebrow perked up. It wasn't like Talia to fall from her horse. She never did. Talia nodded her head. "No. Decimus, you must continue on to Gardensdale in my sted. I cannot continue."

The man looked to Talia in confusion. "Why? We are so close. Are you hurt?"

Again, Talia shook her head. "Zaiman needs me. I must journey somewhere else immediately. You must continue and complete our mission." She stepped up towards the man and his horse, "And Decimus," she continued firmly as she looked up to him, "Collect our coin."

Decimus did not argue. He knew better. Firstly, because it was Talia and she would never allow such a thing and secondly, he knew that if a chosen had a mission from their god, they could not ignore it. The man nodded his head, looked to Persika once and continued back towards the army. Talia watched him until the army had disappeared over the horizon. What had she gotten herself into? Her eyes shifted back to Persika before moving back to her horse and mounting it in one quick sweep.

"The temple of the powers is too long of a journey but the temple of the lowers is closer. We need to further consult with our gods. Perhaps Madach would be more forthcoming with what exactly they'd like us to do to.....regain the attention of the others gods..." Even repeating it made little sense to her. How were two human women supposed to garner the attention of the gods and why did they even have to do so in the first place? Talia extended her hand to Persika, "Come on. We cannot waste time."

 

[Peregrine]

It took Persika much longer to struggle her way to her feet, huffing and panting, than it did for Talia. As a matter of fact, by the time she managed to straighten herself up and dust off the front of her shirt, Talia had already finished speaking to Decimus, and the man had wheeled his horse away, riding back off to the front of the army.

Persika glanced up at Talia, almost immediately dropping her eyes again as she met the woman's irritated gaze, before nodding her head. For good measure, she added in an "Alright," only a moment later. She could not deny a burning desire to know more. Zaiman's intense voice had explained very little on what exactly the two women were supposed to be doing, and she desperately wanted to speak with Madach about what this strange mission was going to entail. Only a nagging fear that the Lower God might not know much more than she did kept the young woman from trying to beg for more answers right now.

There were countless temples to the gods scattered across the countryside. Most of them were dedicated to only a single god, built by local worshipers who had set up residency within the area. However, churches in larger cities tended to be maintained by a larger organization, and they would combine temples between agreeable gods to save on space. This was especially true for the lower gods. With over 700 of them, and worshipers of potentially hundreds of different lower gods present in any one city, any large temple would absolutely need to be shared by multiple of the smaller gods.

As the God of Mushrooms, Madach was often put into the category of "plant" or "growing things" among the lower gods, even though mushrooms weren't plants. Madach had never really minded the lack of distinction, because it allowed his mushroom to grow bright and visible in sunlit temples, rather than being placed among "cave dwellers" or "underground things" which might have been a more appropriate designation, but wouldn't have been so pleasant an environment. It allowed him to show off the mushrooms like they were flowers or fruits, rather than having them trapped in dark spaces where people couldn't see their beauty.

Madach's nearest alter was located in a temple dedicated to the Harvest Goddess of the Lower Powers, several days' walk from here. It would also be possible to find altars to various physical gods, such as the Goddess of Fruit or the God of Seed, there as well, but as far as Persika was concerned, her god more than deserved his placement in the temple. Unless they happened upon a truly magnificent patch of wild mushrooms on their journey and Persika had time to set up an alter herself, that would be the quickest way to enter into deep communication with her god.

With some hesitation, Persika extended her own hand, uncertain if the woman actually wanted to grab her hand and drag her along, or if she was simply beckoning the frizzy-haired girl forward. "I'm sorry," she mumbled softly, even as she started hobbling her way forward. "I was dragged away from my mission as well. I... I know how bad it feels. At least you've got someone to finish it for you." Almost unconsciously, her hand reached up to touch the spore hidden under her clothes, before it dropped back to her side.

 

[Reina]

Talia didn't say much of anything else. She didn't want to. She didn't care about Persika's mission. Talia was sure it paled in comparison to her own. Talia was in the middle of conquering nations and collecting serious coin. What could the chosen of the god of mushrooms be concerned about that would even compare to how she felt? She didn't dwell on the question. Once Persika was safely secured on the horse, Talia kicked the beast's side and took off in the opposite direction of her army. Her heart was gripped with the anger she felt. How she wished to disobey Zaiman and continue her original task but she had paid much too high of a price to achieve her status and to become one of his chosen. She couldn't turn her back on him, even if she wanted to.

They rode back to Hightower to stock up on supplies and prepare for their journey. Talia quickly dismounted and, with annoyance clear on her expression, helped get Persika down as well. "Pack what you can. Hightower belongs to my army so feel free to take what you believe would assist you in the journey. I have to secure some things before we take off." She didn't give Persika a chance to answer her. Instead she proceeded back to the tower where she had her quarters and proceeded to gather as many of her belongings as she could. It wasn't as if she had much but she still needed clothes and food for their journey.

Once she was packed, she found a small cart and had it attached to her horse. She had some blankets tossed into the back and made a sort of seat for Persika. There was no way she was travelling for days with Persika holding onto her on the back of her horse. It was bad enough she had to travel with her. She wasn't about to add physical discomfort. As she finished preparing the cart, one of her men approached her, quickly saluting the leader. "Talia. I thought the army left to Gardensdale. I thought-"

"They did. I have a mission from Zaiman that takes precedence. Decimus is in charge. You are to obey him as you would me." The soldier nodded his head and was about to continue on his way when Talia stopped him. "Midian. When Decimus returns, have the army return to King Titus and collect the coin and wait for me in Morella. Celebrate our victory but Decimus is not to take my army on his own. Do you understand?" The soldier nodded and left just as Persika reappeared. The woman still made some of the men shudder. Talia made note that she would have to train that out of them as soon as she returned.

She returned her attention back to the woman, "Good. You're here." She gestured to the cart. "I'll be more comfortable if you stay in the cart rather than behind me. Its a long journey and I hope your god has some answers."

 

[Peregrine]

As Persika found herself grabbed and unceremoniously dragged back on the four-legged hellspawn, she found her sympathy for Talia vanishing just as quickly as the rest of the army was disappearing towards the horizon. She should have known better than to express anything resembling sympathy or understanding to one of the strongest chosen in the world. Persika had never actually met one before, but she was certain they were all like Talia. Self-centered, and believing everything about them was the most important thing in the world. Persika longed to comfort herself by reaching up to rest one hand on the spore that dangled around her neck, but she didn't actually dare let go of Talia enough to complete the motion.

Soon enough, though, their short journey came to an end, and Persika ungracefully stumbled her way back to the ground, tripping and wincing slightly as her foot struck the ground improperly. Wincing and trying to find a way to stand that didn't hurt her, Persika didn't notice that Talia had said something until the woman was walking away. What had she wanted?

After digging around in her memory, Persika was finally able to get the gist of what Talia had said to her. She sighed, shaking her head slightly. She supposed it was just like the woman to not remember that Persika had just shown up in the city less than an hour ago, and she hadn't arrived with anything other than the clothes on her back. Throughout her journey, she had lived on what she could scavenge from the road, and if she'd gone too long without food or water Madach would provide for her. What was she supposed to pack?

A change of clothes, she supposed. Maybe that would get Talia to stop looking at her as though she'd just crawled out from the mud like a drowning earthworm. Maybe some soap, too. As many containers of water as she could find. Madach could grow mushrooms anywhere, but it was easier for him if the soil was moist. Rope, so she could make a few snares. Flint, for starting a fire, and a pot, to cook mushrooms over the fire. Once Persika started looking, the list built up quickly enough, leaving the girl shuffling around from building to building, ignoring the glances or outright stares of Talia's men.

Halfway through her search, she suddenly took fancy to a dagger strapped to a teenage boy's waist, and demanded he hand it over. The kid resisted her order for only a moment, until he suddenly saw the fibers growing between his fingers and slowly crawling its way up his arms. Then he handed it over readily, before racing off.

Persika returned to where she had separated from Talia with a bag slung over her shoulder, filled with belongings, big containers of water dangling from each hand, and her new dagger strapped to her waist, a self-satisfied smile on her face. Unlike Talia, she didn't find it odd that the army men were giving her a wide berth. She was, after all, the Chosen of a god, and that didn't make her someone to be trifled with, no matter what god she was a Chosen of.

She unloaded her belongings in the wagon, before suddenly catching sight of the pile of blankets Talia was arranging. Her eyebrows flew up in surprise as she heard the woman saying they were for her. "Thank... you." Persika said, utterly baffled at Talia's generosity. She wouldn't have to ride on the horse anymore! If her foot wasn't clubbed, she might have done a little jig on the spot. Instead, she bounced up and down slightly by bending her knees, before crawling into the cart and wiggling down among the blankets.

"He'll know something, I'm sure," Persika replied, sounding more confident than she felt. Madach had to know something, didn't he? He wouldn't have dragged her into this if he didn't have some sort of stake in what was happening. Uncertain thoughts swirling in her head, Persika turned around slightly so that she could watch where they were going as the horse set off.

 

[Reina]

ignore me

Once Persika was safely in the cart, Talia kicked the sides of her horse and took off. She kept her head up and her face stern but deep down she hated leaving. She hated Zaiman. She hated this mission that made no sense to her. How were two completely different women supposed to get some elusive gods to pay attention to mankind again? She was breaking her head thinking as she continued out of the city she had conquered. It took everything inside Talia not to turn and look behind her at Hightower. She didn't want her men seeing her and thinking she was being pushed to do something against her will. She was. But they didn't need to know that. They had to continue to revere her, especially as a chosen of the god of time.

The journey to the temple of the lower gods would take at least two days if she hurried but with Persika in tow, she knew it would be more like three. She had enough supplies to last her and they could always restock once they arrived. The path to the temple was pretty clear. There wouldn't be much action on the road other than the wildlife and perhaps a few traders they might encounter. Plus the tattoo on Talia's face was a indicator that was a chosen of Zaiman and that was usually enough to keep any unwanted attention away from her.

The hoofs of Talia's horse was all that could be heard for hours as it pressed along the soft earth and crunched a few dried leaves. The birds chirped peacefully and some wild life scurried throughout the trees. Talia was perfectly content without saying a word but a part of her knew she had to check on Persika, especially when Zaiman wouldn't let her discard her and continue the journey on her own. She looked at the stout woman from over her shoulder. "There's bread in one of the pouches and some wine should you need it. There's a riverbank coming up ahead. We will catch some fish while there then rest so my horse can feed and drink water before moving on and finding a suitable place to sleep for the night."

The horse and cart continued forward as Talia continued to address Persika. "I brought some thick blankets as well which should serve for good bedding on the ground. The sun's descent is the indicator for us to find shelter. I'll start a fire and begin to roast the fish so we could eat. Hopefully you have some skills that can assist us with getting any one of those tasks done."

 

[Peregrine]

The wagon wasn't of the highest quality, certainly not compared to some that Persika had ridden in her lifetime. It jolted along as it followed the road, the short space between the wheels causing her to feel every bump and lump in the road. If it wasn't for the slight padding that the blankets provided her, Persika might have almost preferred to ride on the four-legged hellspawn.

Almost.

If she was being fully honest with herself, this was the most comfortable journey Persika had taken in some months. Especially in comparison to the forced deathmarch she'd been walking on to make it to Talia as quickly as possible, this was the height of luxury. Once they were fully underway, and Persika got tired of twisting herself around to watch the road around Talia and the horse's rump, she nestled down into the blankets, scooping up a couple of handfuls of water and dribbling it onto the edge of the blankets, creating a damp spot. Within the hour, the tiny heads of fairy inkcap mushrooms began to sprout all along the edge of the wetted blanket. Persika stroked them lightly with a finger, relishing the way their soft fuzz felt against her skin.

After the mushrooms bloomed, she didn't bother with watching the road anymore. Persika didn't really know where they were to begin with, and Talia was driving anyways and certainly wouldn't take any input from her, so it didn't make any difference to her which way they went. Instead, she devoted almost the entirety of her attention to watching the little white mushrooms break free of their bulb, feeling her heart and soul healed as she slowly watched their soft, delicate caps slowly spread open under the combined attention of Persika and her god. When some of the blooms reached full maturity, she plucked them gently, before popping them into her mouth. Others she left to darken and shrivel upon the blanket.

She was so content laying there that the sound of Talia's voice took her quite by surprise. She blinked, twitching slightly, before pushing herself into a slightly more upright position, turning to look for the stream. She couldn't see it yet, but in the brief lulls between Talia's words, she thought she could make out the quiet burble of water over stone.

However, she was distracted from her listening by the actual content of Talia's words. Especially the end part. The smallest of frowns crossed her lips. "You sound like you have it all covered, Lady Talia," Persika replied, the quip in her voice all but buried behind sweet flattery. Persika didn't need her bread, or her wine, or her fish, or her fire, or her shelter, or her horse. See if she'd do anything to help if Talia was going to do nothing but insult her while asking for her assistance.

 

[Reina]

ignore me

The sun was beginning to make its descent in the sky signaling to Talia that they would need to rest for the night. She found a good spot near some trees that would act as shelter throughout the night and pulled the horse and cart over to the side. Talia quickly dismounted her horse, taking the reins and tying it securely to the nearby tree. She didn't need the horse wondering off in the middle of the night though her steed knew better than that. She paid little mind to Persika. Her thoughts were set on getting shelter and food as soon as possible. Once her steed was secured, she took a small pail from her belongings and walked over to the stream, gathering some water and bringing it back to her horse. She patted the side of its neck as it bent down to drink and began pulling at the blankets she had in the back with Persika.

She bent down upon the ground and began to set the sheets out, laying them a top of one another and doing her best to make two comfortable small beds. It wasn't much but it would do. Talia was used to sleeping anywhere. Next on Talia's list was getting a fire going. They would need it to cook and to stay warm throughout the night. She searched throughout the side of the stream and gathered as many stones as she could carry. She placed them in a circle in front of their beds then went out in search of leaves, branches and wood to make the fire. Talia moved with intention. A solider at heart, she could do nothing other than complete the task set before her.

After setting the small pyre and igniting the flames with two stones. She moved over to the nearest tree and snapped one of the branches off. She pulled a small knife from her side and began to sharpen the edges, successfully making a sort of spear to catch the fish. Finally her eyes set back on Persika. Right...she wasn't alone. Thoughts of throwing the spear at the woman and ending her crossed her mind but she knew better. Plus she wasn't a murderer. She killed on a battlefield. That was it. "I'm going to get some fish to start cooking."

Come on, Talia. You can be at least some what hospitable.

"You're the chosen of the god of mushrooms..." she began to say to Persika. "...you can locate some mushrooms for us to have along with the fish."

Talia didn't wait for her response. It was more an order than a question. Talia was a leader after all. She was used to giving orders and expecting them to be carried out. So much for hospitality. She moved on towards the stream, kicking her boots off and entering the water. She waded in the water patiently. The fish swam close as Talia stood absolutely still. She waited...waited. She threw the spear hard and it pierced through a fish. She smiled to herself and continued fishing. After some time she made her way back to the camp with two large fish and a resolve to begin cooking. She wondered what Persika had done in her absence.

 

[Peregrine]

In truth, Talia's instructions were unnecessary for the young woman. Persika hadn't moved quickly after the carriage had come to a stop, her foot stopping her from jumping about the same way as the other Chosen, but she had begun to move. She'd worked her way out of the carriage while Talia tied and watered her horse, getting out of the way in time for Talia to grab the thick blankets in the back of the wagon and spread them on the ground. For her part, Persika would have preferred to continue sleeping in the wagon, it wouldn't be as cold or damp as the ground, but she wasn't about to suggest that to the other woman. She was certain it would get her nothing but a scolding.

Once Talia moved out of the way of the wagon Persika moved forwards, hauling out one of the jugs of water she'd brought with them from the camp. While Talia hauled the rocks, set up the ring, and gathered the materials to get the fire going, Persika walked a slow loop around the fire, sprinkling handfuls of water onto the grass. For the first minute or so, Persika was worried that the other woman was going to interrupt her, force her to do something "useful" instead of "wasting water". However, after another minute passed and Talia didn't even spare a glance for her, Persika found herself relaxing somewhat. It was obvious that the other woman either hadn't noticed or didn't care what she was doing, and that was more than good enough for Persika.

Coincidentally, they both finished their tasks at about the same time. Just as Talia finished sharpening a straight stick into a spear, Persika finished emptying the jug of water in a ring around the fire. She'd refill it in the morning from the river, setting it on the other side of the wagon so that she wouldn't mix it up with the other jugs of clean drinking water, but for now she simply brought it with her over to the edge of the fire and sat down next to one of the rocks. The heat from the flames tingled against her face, and she couldn't help but close her eyes slightly in a contented smile.

Even Talia's barking voice couldn't upset her happiness in that moment. She was the Chosen of the God of Mushrooms, and while Talia might be ignorant about her actions, she'd already taken that very much into account. She hadn't just been sprinkling that water around for the hell of it, after all. The water had soaked into the ground, forming a ring of damp soil. It was the perfect ground for her to grow a fairy ring, which would serve both to protect them for the night, and provide a broad variety of edible mushrooms for their consumption.

As Talia marched away, Persika stood up with a sigh, casting one, longing glance back towards the fire. It only hindered her for a second, though, before she began to hobble back towards the damp soil, eventually kneeling on the ground next to the mud. She reached out, before gently burying her fingers in the wet earth. Unconsciously, her other hand reached up towards her neck, where the spore still rested on its cord, but her hand dropped a second later. This was something she was more than capable of doing by herself, even with her limited power.

Her eyes closed, and she pictured the weave of mycelium coming from her fingers, digging into the damp ground and slowly spreading in a ring. Every strand in her mind's eye was entagled with the ideals of protection and nurturing. Gradually, a faint glow began to come from the ground, such a pale shade that it was easily possible to miss the light under the brightness of the sun and fire.

By the time Talia returned from the river with her fish in hand, a ring of mushrooms had grown around their fire. Like the soil they were planted in, they glowed with the faintest of warm light. Even Talia, when she stepped over their border, would be able to feel the faint pressure that tried to prevent her entrance, although it would break mere moments after the sensation, granting her entry to the camp. Persika had already picked a couple of the mushrooms, no longer glowing once they were removed from the soil, and set them next to the fire to dry out on the heated stones.

 

[Reina]

ignore me

Immediately upon arriving at the camp, Talia noticed the ring of mushrooms around the fire. It was a curious sight to see. The mushrooms were not there when she had left and suddenly an entire ring of them had sprouted around her fire. And dare she say that they were actually glowing? A part of her wanted to thank Persika and say it was a job well done. It was nice to have something to compliment the fish. She didn't however. She nodded her head and simply said, "Good."

Talia set the fish down beside the fire and took a seat on the ground so she could begin gutting and filleting the fish. She sliced each fish down the middle and removed whatever she didn't intend on consuming. She then took the same spear that had captured the fish and pierced the center of each one as she kabobed them onto the wood. She held them over the fire and turned the stick slightly every so often to cook the fish on both sides.

Persika had already picked some mushrooms that were now drying by the fire and Talia's stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten since her men had first arrived in Hightower. It wasn't much but Talia had survived on a lot less.

She remained silent as the fish cooked, concentrating solely on the task at hand and not on who was with her. Once they fish had seared enough, Talia removed them from the fire and set down down on some plates she had taken with her from Hightower. She took one for herself and handed the other to Persika as she took a few mushrooms and added them to her plate. Immediately, she took a bite into the fish and was most pleased with the taste. She took a few more bites before turning to Persika.

She should probably say something to the other woman. Perhaps even get to know her. Who knew how long their mission would last and if she was stuck with her then she might as well know something about her.

"How did you become the chosen of the god of mushrooms? Seems like an odd god to want to become the chosen of. How long has it been?" she asked Persika as she took another bite of her fish and waited for her answer.