The ship was a bright spot against the backdrop of the more saturated, lively island. She stumbled a couple of times climbing the gangplank and walking across the ship’s deck.

  “You were willing to let us remain as pigs just as long as you got to conduct your precious assessment?! And you are going to just write it off as ‘trainees need lessons,’ letting her get away with it!! What the absolute burning seven pits of the abyss!! Do you know what it feels like to want to eat everything and roll around in your own shit? Cuse I do!” Demetra bellowed angrily from behind her.

  Keylynn sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She was expecting this reaction. “I had no intentions of letting her get away with it. I lied.” She felt the mushroom that she left behind tugging at her. She had so few to begin with. She needs to meditate with her hands buried deep in soft loamy soil.

  She looked up and saw an empty expanse overhead. She looked out to the sea and saw another void. “Has the ship departed yet?”

  “Not yet. Why?” She answered, stepping closer to her.

  Keylynn saw her face clearer; the anger that she imagined on Demetra’s face had been replaced with apprehension and concern. “We should depart before she has the thought to change her mind.” The last person she was going to put her trust in right now was Serce.

  “You don’t look well,” she stated as her eyes ran over Keylynn. “What did she do to you?”

  “I gave her one of my colonies in exchange for returning you to your original form, and I underestimated the impact of that loss.” Keylynn frowned at her. “I will be fine. I simply need some soft loamy soil.”

  Demetra looked around, biting her lip. “You’re not going back to that island, are you?”

  “That soil will not do at all. Can I ask you to ensure the ship departs quickly? And unless you wish to fight, the sirens fill your ears. I was informed that if we cannot hear the sirens, the ship won’t stop,” she explained before she forgot the small piece of advice that Serce gave her. Keylynn was surprised that she was willing to give them a small hint about the next quest, and she didn’t want it to go to waste.

  “I— yes, I can do that,” Demetra replied, her voice filled with hesitation. Keylynn hated putting her in this position, but she was short of options. “I’ll call a meeting about what the team wants to do next. For now all you have to do is rest and find your soil or whatever.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded and carefully navigated the ship to her room. It was harder to discern one structure from the other with everything so bright, but she made do.

  Once inside her room, she set the stack of files on her desk and saw her matrix tablet. Her time with loamy soil will have to wait until she updates Dauven about everything that occurred. If she waited until later, the details wouldn’t be fresh in her mind. She typed up an email with as much detail as she could muster about everything that occurred on Holy Moly Island. She included her time collecting samples just in case it became relevant later. It was best to be open about detours than to have them brought up later. Mentioning it also allowed her to explain how it was beneficial for herself and Inferno and that it gave her an idea to further his education in the future. She finished her email asking for any assistance that he can provide. She wasn’t sure how long her remaining fungal colonies would survive. The thought of being stranded in the middle of a quest without her fungal colonies was scary enough to offer sending her back to the office as a failure.

  She hit send on the email before she changed her mind about asking for help. She needed it, pride be damned. Serce scared her. She hasn’t encountered anyone who has worked with RADWC with her power. She turned her team into pigs with a simple wave of her hand. There was very little that Keylynn could do with such casualness, and most were probably considered parlour tricks. It was terrifying to think about what could have happened if she had joined her team for piggie time. Keylynn wasn’t adept at casting spells while in a different form, and she doubted it was a skill she would ever master.

  The large stack of paperwork will have to wait until later. She stood up and stretched before summoning a large mound of soft, fresh, loamy soil on the floor of her room. She stripped off her clothes, as they were another barrier between herself and the soil. If she had a vibrant forest that she could connect to, her clothes wouldn’t have been a problem. She nestled herself in the soil, covering her lap and gently rubbing it along her shoulders and arms. The more she connected to it, the better for her fungal colonies. She closed her eyes and focused her mind and magic on the connection between herself and her fungal colonies and nature itself.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  A soft, gentle knock attempted to pull her attention away from her fungal friends. She ignored it. The knock returned a little louder. Again she ignored it. She felt at peace and one with her fungal colonies. She felt the glimmer of her slime moulds.

  “Oh… You’re… naked,” Zukyov said, staring down at her from her doorway. In his hands was a wooden tray with a bowl in the middle of it and a cup to the side.

  Keylynn blinked her eyes several times before she could see him clearly. His cheeks were tinged pink, and he was looking anywhere but at her. “I am. My apologies, I was reconnecting with nature.”

  As she stood up, his face became a brighter shade of pink, and he rapidly turned around. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I thought you were sleeping.” He stammered out.

  She dusted as much soil as she could off of her before starting to don her clothing. “I was feeling the loss of a fungal colony and needed to reconnect with nature.”

  She dressed quickly, noting his discomfort. She was fully dressed, and she tapped on his shoulder lightly. “It’s safe to look.”

  Slowly he turned around with faded pink cheeks. “I made you a fresh mushroom soup and dinner rolls.” He presented the tray to her. There was even a cup of a fragrant, earthy blend of tea.

  She gently took the tray, smiling at it. “Thank you. That was thoughtful of you.” She walked it over to her desk, setting it down before taking a seat herself. “Right, elephants need to be addressed. I have no shame in my naked flesh, and I apologize for making you uncomfortable.”

  “Oh… it’s fine, unexpected but fine.” The tension of his shoulders said it was not fine. Or perhaps they were tense from whatever was making him miserable.

  “My flesh aside, you are miserable, and I don’t know why. At first I thought leaving you alone was what you needed, and when I asked Gwen, I received a confusing email that I’d rather pretend I didn’t. Anyways, it’s clear that your mood hasn't improved by your solitude. So why are you miserable?” She hated the elephant metaphor, but apparently it was one that everyone understood well enough. She doubted she said it in the way Gwen or Dauven would have, but they aren’t here, and having a miserable team member was the opposite of optimal and productive.

  “I—” He paused and then let out a sigh. “I’m fine.”

  “If you were there, there would only be one elephant in the room instead of two.” She eyed the soup he brought. “I’ll eat and you talk. If you like, you can take a seat.”

  Zukyov looked around as if he wanted to be anywhere else before letting out a sigh and sitting on the corner of her bed. “How’s the soup?”

  “Delightful,” she answered, giving him a stern look that emulated her mother’s. If there was one person who could get anyone to spill their secrets with a look, it would be her.

  “I’m not miserable. I’m just… it’s complicated.” He sighed, looking down.

  She said nothing.

  “I don’t hate the job, and I am grateful that you wanted us on the assessment. It’s not a job I chose for myself. It was a compromise… well, not even that really. I took it in an attempt to keep the peace with my family.” He let out another sigh.

  She sipped more of the soup before she said, “I thought your misery was tied to your old magic. But I can see family strife being a significant contributor.”

  “Yeah, that’s part of the problem. My younger sister recently discovered her bear form. Apparently, I’m both contagious and a ‘bad’ influence."

  Keylynn felt the moment that Gwen lectured her about had finally come. It was time for a comforting hug. Hearing that his family treated him like garbage because of something he had no control over filled her with sadness and anger. He didn't choose to have traces of old magic in his veins, nor could he simply will it away. was heartbreaking. It reminded her of the day her mother discovered her connection to fungi. She remained seated, unsure of how he feels about hugs. Hugs were tricky.

  “I’m trying to save up enough so that I can leave my job and open a restaurant,” he continued, sounding both hopeful and defeated at the same time.

  “It sounds like to solve your misery is to find a job that you can live on and save for your dream that allows you to cook,” she stated simply. She can’t help with his family unless he asks. Her solution to his family involves releasing carnivorous bees. “Something has to give. A job is far easier to change than the attitudes of your family.”

  His shoulders sagged as he let out a deep sigh. “I know, but I can’t ask you to help me find a new job.”

  “Helping my team is part of my job. Guiding them to be the best versions of themselves is my job. So, helping you alleviate your misery is my job. Now if you decide you’d rather introduce your parents to my bees, we can always do that instead.” She said with a soft smile.

  He chuckled softly. “As tempting as that sounds, I think I’ll stick to the job. Thanks.”

  “If you change your mind about the bees, let me know. I’ve been wanting to play with carnivorous bees,” she added with a smile.

  “If that’s everything you wanted to talk about, I’m going to return to the kitchen and clean up.” He stood up slowly.

  “Thank you for the soup and being open with me. When we return to the office, we can start finding a way to make your current job less miserable or find you one you enjoy,” she said with a smile. She went too far with the bees.

  He nodded and left her room. If she didn’t know any better, she would say that his shoulders were lighter. Maybe what he really needed was someone to listen and understand and tell him he needs help.