Mark of the Fool

Chapter 196: Magic Mushrooms

Doesanyone know about this? Alex asked, dispelling Force Armour and Orb of Air as he checked out Kybas underground garden.

Just you now, Kybas said with a little cough. Well you and Harmless! but Harmless only talks to me so thats okay. you wont tell anyone about this will you?

Iit doesnt look like youre growing monstrous world-ending plants down here or anything, and youre not summoning demons to attack City Hall or campus. Alex looked around. So, I dont see why I shouldwait. Why are you down here in a cave growing mushrooms?

Because potion ingredients cost many coins. Kybas frowned. And I dont have many coins, but Harmless needs many body enhancement potions if hes going to grow and be his biggest and strongest.

Yeah, so this is the solution you found.

Kybas reached down to pet Harmless. Its not a bad solution. There are garden beds that students can rent to grow their own ingredients, but I dont have the coin to rent one. So I did what me and my family did back home: found a place where no animals or big people came too much, and dug a nice big den. It took a long time and a lot of casting of Move Dirt, but I did it.

Yeah, you did alright. Alex couldn't help but admire the little fellows ingenuity. The secret garden was well crafted and very well stocked, and from how healthy the mushrooms looked, it was obvious that Kybas had spent a lot of time and effort caring for them. What do you do for water?

I use Conjure Water mostly. Kybas padded over to a stone bucket hed set beside one of the mushroom beds. And sometimes I bring more water through one of the tunnels-Oop!

Alex paused in the middle of examining two large mushrooms: one that was green with white dots, and a red one with white dots. Two black marks on their stalks made them look like they had little faces. Wait, you have more tunnels?

Kybas squinted at him. Youre sure you wont tell anyone? Cause if you do...I might have to kill you. Kybas started to giggle.

Alex stared at him.

Im only joking, Alex! The goblin-wizards giggling became full laughter.

I figured as much, but seriously, man, I know what its like to keep a secret Alex said. Unless you want me to tell somebody, Im not going to say a word. Butmaybe we should talk about that later.

Hrm. Kybas snorted in suspicion. I have two tunnels that go to other exits. In case someone sneaks inyoure quiet, though. Im surprised I didnt hear you.

Ive had practice Alex said. Where did you get the spores for the mushrooms?

Kybas shrugged. Cut little bits off mushrooms in Magical Botany and brought them down here. Theyre easy to grow if you know what to do, especially with good compost and stuff to grow them in. He wrinkled his nose. If the conditions were better at home we would have had fuller bellies, I think.

That stung.

Alex thought back to the time shortly after his parents died, when he was feeling awful every day and wondering why something so terrible had happened to his family. Those times were darkbut hed never gone hungry.

Mr. and Mrs. Lu had seen to that.

Theurge to share some of his multi-course meals with Kybas quickly grew.

These arent the best ingredients for body enhancement, Kybas said. But theyre better than nothing, and they dont cost anything. They arent missed if you just take a piece of mushroom here and piece there to grow your own.

He crouched down beside Harmless, rubbing the crocodiles snout. The reptiles eyes closed and he leaned into Kybas touch. Itll all be worth it when Harmless is thirty or forty feet long and can eat sharks!

Grimloch probably wouldnt appreciate that idea, Alex thought.

Well, it looks like youre doing a lot for the little guyand jeez, this is some pretty great work, Alex said, scratching his head. You know, this would probably impress my sister a lot: she likes building things, and I can tell this place isreally well builtits just that, Kybas, this is really dangerous.

No danger for me, maybe danger to the moles that come in here sometimes. He grinned wickedly, patting the scales on Harmless side. "Or for anyone that comes down here without me saying they can!

No I mean like Alex winced. I think this probably breaks a bunch of rules. And like Thundar and I heard youI think it was youa couple of times when we were walking along the path. And Khalik and I just heard you.

Mhm! The goblin-wizard nodded. Sometimes I hear people go by and sometimes they stop, but lots of plants in here rustle and move and try to eat you if you let your guard down, so theres lots of noise. Most keep walking most of the time. Youre the first to come down, and Im glad it was a friend that found my garden, and double glad that you had a spell around you so Harmless didnt eat your leg!

Not half as glad as I am about that last part Alex said. But uhlisten, maybe thismaybe this isnt such a good idea now, Kybas. I mean. Look, The Watchers of Roal are really on the lookout for that demon summoner, theyre flying around and Im pretty sure the only reason they havent started cutting down plants and rooting around in here is because these plants have value to a lot of people. And also because the demon summoner only attacked the school once and Baelin took care of it really easily.

He gestured at the ceiling. Look, youre a grown-ass ma-er, goblin. Goblin man. You can make your own decisions, but I bet you theyre going to get desperate enough to send teams searching through the brush around here. Youre going to be in so much trouble if you get caught, and with how jumpy everyone is on account of the demon summoner, I dontif the Watchers come down here and Harmless attacks them...

Its okay, Kybas said, confidently bringing up his little chin. Thats what the extra tunnels are for. The elders in my village taught us young ones how to escape from monsters and fight evil beast-goblins. I just need to do this for a little while longer.

Alex swallowed, thinking back to when hed been secretly analyzing the dungeon core remains, and how that could have completely blown up in his face.

Secrets.

They were like monsters clawing at peoples backs.

Kybas. Alex pushed one more time. Theres gotta be another way. Likeeven if you cant afford to rent one of the plant beds, I meanyoure training to be a wizard, right? When you get out of the university youll have people trying to throw heaps of gold at you to get you to work for them. You could play it safe now and then give Harmless all the potions he wants later. Or you could get a jobmaybe theres a scholarship or something-

I have two jobs, the goblin-wizard grunted, his expression darkening.

Oh shit, uh sorry- Alex said.

I make enough to pay for my room, Kybas said. Not much more than that. Tried for scholarships, but theyre soooo competitive. Didnt get any. Maybe I can get a research position with Professor Salinger if I keep doing well. Butthese are precious years of growth for Harmless. Crocodiles do most of their growing before theyre ten years old and a lot of that is in the first two years. If I dont give him everything he needs now, itll be too late. So Ive got to try.

Alex paused.

He knew what it felt like to take risks when he was trying to do something for someone he cared about. It might not have been a little crocodile, but he knew what it felt like all the same.

In the end, this was Kybas decision. They didnt even really know each other that well, though Alex was becoming pretty intent on changing that. He liked the little wizard, and hed served as an anti-Derek barrier for an entire semester. That alone was worth a lot.

Justbe careful, okay? Alex said. Like, Im not going to tell anyone. ButI heard you, so others might. Listen, next week, Im going to have a dinner. You should come.

Kybas nodded.

Alex looked around the secret garden one more time. And uhbe careful you dont inhale weird fumes.

Tooo late, the goblin grinned. Some of the mushrooms here have very fun side-effects.

Alex decided not to ask too many more questions.

So that is who was down there, Khalik mused as they left the botanical gardens.

Dont tell anyone, Alex said nervously, looking back over his shoulder. Claygon followed dutifully. Im kinda breaking trust by even telling you. But itd be pretty weird if I came back and said, nothing happened.

I appreciate that, and I am no gossiping rooster ready to crow out everything I hear come the dawn, the prince said. Still, I am glad that it did not turn out to be the demon summoner. In a sense.

Yeah, if wed caught them off guard

Ah, no matter, Khalik said. This demon summoner is already at a height of power, while we are growing further into our own strength. Time is on our side.

Yeah, youre right Alex murmured. It would give Theresas parents some peace if the summoner was gone, though. Speaking of that, Im going to try and find her. We should probably talk.

It took Alex some time to find Theresa. She wasnt at home, she wasnt at the beastarium, or at her parents place. On a hunch, he decided to go to The Watchers of Roal to see if she was practicing there. Luckily, hed called it right.

The Watcher hed talked to seemed really tense, and the entire organization seemed to be on high alert. Patrols mounted on their flying disks were constantly coming and going from their headquarters.

After promising to stay out of the way and getting permission, he was allowed to enter their stadium. It was smaller than the arena the students used, and the air was filled with the sounds of battle. Members of The Watchersalong with what looked like new recruitswere practicing below. Theresa was down there, pressing a young woman hard with a series of fierce sword and knife strikes.

Shed gotten faster.

Stronger too.

While the Watcher trainee put up a good fight using body enhancement spells, quick illusions and force blasts to keep Theresa at bay, the young huntress physical ability, experience and skill with her blade proved to be too much and she soon overwhelmed the woman.

Thmp.

She gave her opponent a final sweep of the leg that dropped her to the sand. The young woman raised her hands in surrender just as Theresa levelled her curved sword at her neck.

After she helped her opponent up, they bowed to each other, touched swords, and then she startled when she noticed Alex waving at her from the stands.

She jogged over to where Alex stood waiting.

Im glad you came looking for me,she said. Lets find someplace quiet to talk.

Yeah, you werent at home so I thought you might be here, he said, giving her a hug. You okay? Talk with your folks yet?

Her lips tightened. Yeah. Earlier this morning. After I finished walking Brutus.

Alex winced. Im guessing it didnt go well?

It couldve gone better. She frowned. Theyre still mad that I didnt tell them about the monsters and stuff in my letters. They didnt get into it as much as I think they wanted to because Selina was there, but they were still mad.

do you think they were mad about us? Alex asked, concern filled his voice.

No, no, I asked. They said no. Her frown deepened. They just kept going on about how I shouldve told them everything before they got here. She made a disgusted noise. What do you think? Do you think theyre right?

Naw, I dont think so, he said. I dont think I would have told my family I was fighting monsters in a bunch of letters. Id rather them find out more about my life in person. You cant really explain all this stuff in a letter. Youd need like a book.

He paused. A really long book.

Thats what I was thinking, she sighed. I think Generasis scaring them. I remember how overwhelming it was for me, and that was after- She paused, making sure no one was close. All that stuff in The Cave of the Traveller.

Maybemaybe we could try and show them another side? he said. LookSelinas birthday partys coming up. You know how I wanted to take us all to the Rainbow Tower for it, right?

Yeah.

Maybe thatll show them another side of the city.

Maybeif you can get them to go back into it.

Dont underestimate your parents. He smiled. Theyre brave. Hells, your dad has the blood of Twinblade Lu flowing through his veins just like youand he listens to your mom, so that says something about how strong she is. Well turn things around. Theyve seen some of the horror of magic. Lets show them how wonderful it can be.