Solo A Letter from Home (Solo)

[Iosha]

Time Stamp: 70th of Fall 512AV Sitting on the ground outside of the Infirmary, Iosha stared at the unopened letter in her hand. Iosha was shocked when the courier brought her a letter. He said it been sitting on his desk for two years waiting to be claimed by her when she arrived in Wind Reach. She could tell by the discoloring of the white envelope that the letter has been through a lot during these seven years traveling to Wind Reach. Iosha looked at the her name and noticed the handwriting was her Grandmother's handwriting. Grandmother Sacari always had the flare for dramatics in her handwriting especially when writing people's names. Iosha wanted to write as elegantly as her grandmother as long as she could remember. However, the years of being a professional student never gave her the luxury of elegance in the way she wrote, so most of her journal was filled with pages upon pages of unreadable scrawl written across the parchment. Iosha looked at front of the envelope and saw her name written in Kontinese, Nari, and Common, and on the top left side was the destination of the letter. Iosha knew her Grandmother must have spent a lot of money to courier this single letter from Mura to Wind Reach. Staring at for intensely for a moment, Iosha worked up the courage to open the letter. Before she opened it, she took a deep breath and opened the letter not wanting to read what her grandmother wrote her in Kontinese. Dear Iosha, As you can guess this is your Grandmother Sacari. I hope you didn't wait too long receive this letter, but I can imagine how many hands it passed through to get to Wind Reach. Since the pleasantries are now over, I have to ask you one question. Why Holy Hai did you leave Mura without giving me so much of note telling me your plans?? I could of help you on your journey to your father's homeland! I knew how much you longed to see what your late mother saw in Wind Reach.., and I know you always had a tendency to jump before your looked, but what you did to me was irresponsible, selfish, and childish... I know I am being hard on you right now, but you scared the shyte out of me when you left Mura. Do you know how many dangerous and malicious people are on the main land of Mizahar. Who would love to take advantage of a young naive Konti like yourself, Iosha. I am sorry, Iosha, but I am just angry and hurt. Your the only thing left of my daughter Neia, and I love you too much to lose you senselessly to dangers of our world. I know the time before you left for Wind Reach that you and I weren't seeing eye to eye, but you need to understand. You are not well Iosha. The accident did something to your mind that I don't fully understand. All I know is you changed, and you are different now... I know I should have been less protective and more supportive of your dreams, but you need to be careful when you practice your magic... Well I have decided to take a break from all the committees on Mura, and I am going to visit you in Wind Reach. Since I don't know when you will arrive in your new home, I will visit your aunt in Riverfall, so if you arrive in Wind Reach in the years 504AV to 511AV, send me a letter write away and I will be on a next ship to Kalea. If I don't hear from you in Riverfall, It will give me a chance to check on a old lover of mine too, so it should be like a holiday for me! After Riverfall, I am going to visit another friend in Lhavit, so I should be there from the fall of 511AV to the summer of 513AV, If I haven't heard from you till than... I will be starting my search for you in Wind Reach. Well I just wanted to let you know that I love you with all my heart Little One and remember you are never alone. Always thinking of you, Nana Reading the letter over and over again, Iosha couldn't not stop the silent tears running down her cheeks. The letter from her grandmother was her only link to her life living in her beloved home of Mura. With everything good and bad happened to her in the last eight years, she could scarcely remembered the mystical island of her birth. Iosha looked up and leaned her head against the wall staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, Iosha started to remember the days when her mother Neia preformed music for her daughter and grandmother sitting on the couch. Little Iosha would always snuggled up to her Grandmother listening to her mother's music until she fell asleep. It was her most precious memory about her family, and for the longest time, she thought those happy times were gone forever. Feeling heartbroken and ashamed, Iosha brought her knees up to her chest, laid her head on the top of knees, and started to sob outside of the Infirmary.

[Iosha]

Iosha was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The pale healer looked up and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. The man who touched her shoulder was the kind older healer named Micquel D'hanna, and over the last few weeks, she had grown quite fond of the old man. Iosha smirked sadly at the old man and teased him, “You better runaway old man... I might go into fits of hysterics soon.” Micquel snorted to himself and looked at the letter dangling between her fingers. He nodded to the letter and said softly, “I take it the letter is the reason for you sadness isn't it?” Iosha glanced at the letter, bit her bottom lip, and said meekly to him, “Yes... it is a letter from my Grandmother in Mura.” Micquel leaned his head against the wall and asked without looking at her, “Normally when a person get a letter from their Grandmother, it is a happy occasion, Iosha.” Ever since she left Mura eight years ago, Iosha could never quite escape the feelings of guilt about how she left her beloved home and everyone she cared about behind. When she left Mura, Iosha was often plagued by bouts of homesickness that lasted for days. She would often stay up at all night thinking of different ways to apologize to her Nana. Iosha glanced at him for a moment and said softly, “I ran away from home, Micquel. I got sick and tired of all the rules and medications that my Grandmother made me take. I felt like a prisoner trapped in my own body. I kind of needed to find my own place in the world.” Micquel turned his head and looked at her when she mentioned medication. He wasn't expecting hearing that from the young konti woman, and he started to wonder the reason for the medication. The Older man asked softly, “I am only asking because I am a doctor, Iosha. What was the medication used to treat your condition? Because if you still need it, I will talk to Aidara, and we could provide you with it.” Iosha ran a hand through her silvery blond hair, shook her head, and said with a warm smile, “You are way to kind to me, Micquel, but no I am fine Old Man. I haven't had the trances for years now.” After her magical accident, Iosha had suffered with periodic episodes where she slipped in and out of trances that could last for matter of minutes to hours, but when Iosha came out of them, her Grandmother would always had a disturbed look on her face like she had seen or heard something that would rattle the elderly Konti woman. Iosha tried to ask her what was the matter, but her Grandmother would quickly change the subject. To this day, Iosha never got a straight answer about what happened during the trances. Micquel raised an eyebrow at the word trances and said gently, “Honestly, I think you should bring this up to Aidara because I know the woman would do anything in her power to help you. However, it is your call Iosha. I trust your judgment to make the right decision, but if I see your condition effecting your work or you personally. I will intervene and talk to Aidara myself. You understand what I am saying my pretty pale girl.” Iosha just stared at the old man, and she smirked to herself and agreed with him, “Alright, I promise to keep you posted on my condition Micquel, and if I see it get worse, you and I will talk to Aidara together.” When Micquel looked at the young konti woman, he saw a potential gifted healer. Over the last few weeks, Micquel noticed certain qualities in the Konti that would help her with her career in medicine. Iosha was good with her dealing with her patients on a personal level. She always seemed to know what to say to her patients to put their mind at ease; however, she never sugar coated the truth either, and to her Inarta patients, they seemed to respect her more for her blunt honestly. Micquel knew his people were prideful people, and sometimes they didn't listen to reason when it was staring at them in the face. Also Iosha had a big heart. He would often find the woman doting over the patients with severe conditions especially if they were children. Micquel often noticed the irritating qualities of the young woman too. Iosha had a tendency to take nothing serious when she got into her moods. Micquel would often find her joking around with her patients, playing games on her co workers, and telling horrible to almost painfully bad jokes to everyone. It was irritating to say the least, but he had to admit the Infirmary was much more lively because her carefree personality. Regardless of the girl's flaws, Micquel always enjoyed spending time with the young konti and knew quickly into their relationship. She would be a lifelong friend to the old man. Micquel smiled warmly at the teenager and said to her softly, “Deal, but I will hold you to your promise, Iosha.” Iosha laughed to herself and quickly responded to him, “Fine...fine you made your point.” She looked at the letter and said to him without looking at him, “I going to send a letter to my Nana, so I can put her mind at ease that I am not dead in a Taldera snow drift. Do you know anyone that would be going to Lhavit in the near future?” Micqual thought about it for a moment, and he frowned to himself when he realized that he did know a man or Symenestra that could help his friend. He was shady merchant and trader in Wind Reach, but he was popular with the women in Wind Reach because he brought in textiles from Kalinor. Foreigner clothes in Wind Reach were a luxury in the isolated city of the north. However, Micqual was hesitant about sending Iosha to the shady textile dealer because he gotten a reputation for his under the counter deals. Also their rumors that he been paying Deks to harvest him certain mushrooms from the Underground Forest to be sold for high price down in the southern regions of Kalea. Micqual bought a few items from him. Mostly trinkets or gifts for his lady friends, and every time, he went to the merchant. Micqual got the bad vibe that he was more than just a common clothing merchant. He didn't want to send the konti girl to man like him, but the way her violet eyes looked at him made him crack, “Alright Iosha...I know getting this letter to your grandmother is important to you, so I will give you the name of...” Iosha eyes brightened and Micqual groaned wishing he could send her to a more honorable merchant, and he said with his hesitation in his voice, “the spider... I mean Symenestra is a man named Nafarus Rosethorn. He should be in the market place today if you hurry. I don't think he will be in the city to much longer with winter on our door step.” Micqual frowned and thought to himself, “I just hope his price isn't too steep for her...” Iosha eyes brighten since she never met a Symenestra before. She heard disturbing rumors about the race and their mating practices, but she never made a active effort to see if they were true or not. Iosha stood up and looked down at the older Inarta and said softy , “I need to head home prepare my letter. I will talk to you later, Micquel.” Iosha walked away, but she turned around and said with a warm smile, “Thank you Micquel.” After thanking him, she continued down to the hall to her apartment.

[Iosha]

When Iosha was finished writing her response to her Grandmother's letter, Iosha made her way down to the market. The Courtyard of the Sky was already bustling with people trying to buy everything they need before the market closed at sundown. Iosha made her way through the crowd, and she was looking for another cloths merchant or tailor to talk to about the where about of the Symenestra Nafarus. The konti walked up to a merchant that was selling fabric by the bolt. He had a beautiful array of colors and designs, but he didn't have any customers. Iosha approached him, and he immediately grabbed for a bolt of white silk, and said in common, “What a sight a konti in Wind Reach. I thought your kind pretty much stayed to your island. Can I offer you in a bolt of fine silk from Alvadas?” Iosha shook head and asked, “I am looking for the Symenestra merchant named Nafarus Rosethorn. Can you direct me towards the man?” The human behind the counter gave her a annoyed look and said with a snort, “Everyone want the textiles from the spider! Why do I even bother to sell my wares in the city with him taking all my customers...” Iosha crossed her arms not wanting or caring to hear the man's business problems. Iosha stuck up her hand to interrupt him and said softly, “I am not going to buy anything from him. I just need to ask him a question...” She back up slowly as he continued to complain to her about his lack of customers, and he finally threw his hands up and said loudly, “Fine! You can find him by the middle of market. You just have to look for the large crowd of young woman!” Iosha nodded to him not bothering to say thank you to the unstable man, so she turned and continued down the makeshift street and started to head to the middle of market. The middle of the market was known for the more high end products, so she had to be careful not to step on the toes of the riders perusing the wares. Iosha decide to stop in the middle of the circle of booth, and she started to look for a clothing merchant. Eventually her violet eyes fell upon a large tent with a small crowd of Inarta woman surrounding the tent. She made her way to the crowd, and she look at the sign, Rosethorn's Fine Clothing and Accessories. It was a simple named for a clothing store, but she looked at the dresses, and she could tell immediately the clothing wasn't Inarta. The ginger humans had simple attire, but the gown of the Symenestra were loosely flowing gowns that seemed to fit naturally around the body, and the color of the gowns were as rich as gem stones. Iosha was tempted to by a dress if she could afford the price. She dropped the price tag, and she looked at the Symenestra male making his rounds through the tent. Iosha must of looked like she saw a ghost, but her eyes were locked on the pale merchant. The first thought in the konti mind was the Symenestra were a creepy looking race since they were a sickly pale race with long limbs and almost transparent skin. As she walked closer, she could see the dark gray veins peeking through the morbidly pale skin. The arms were almost as long as the Symenestra body. Iosha figured the man could easily walked on all fours if he wanted too. However, the creepiest thing she noticed was the way he moved through the tent. When she watched him, it almost seemed he never touched the ground. It made him seem ghostly in appearance. If he didn't look like a spider, he would have been a handsome man with long black hair and red eyes. Iosha walked up to him and waited for him to finish with a customer before asking her question. Iosha watched and listened to Nafarus while he was helping the red haired Endal. The man sound like a clever businessman since he was able to convince the Endal woman that she needed to buy a gem stone hair piece to go along with her red gown. The konti looked at the fabric, and she could tell the material must have been a high end silk because the red almost seem to simmer orange and yellow in the sunlight. Iosha wanted to ask him what the material was made out of, but she needed him for a personal reason. He was the only one going to Lhavit soon, so she needed to convince him to deliver a letter for her. Iosha was amazed at his ability to reach to the ceiling to grab a gown hanging from the top of the tent. Iosha thought they were a amazing race, but they almost seemed alien to her with their nature. When the Endal left, Iosha made her way to the Symenestra, and the man turned and gave her a toothy grin. She stopped for a moment and noticed the large canine teeth of the spider man; however, she relaxed when he started to talk, “I doubt anything in my store could make your any more beautiful than you already are konti; however, I can always try.” Iosha blushed slightly at his compliment, and he seemed to give her his undivided attention. Iosha could tell he was a smooth talker, and it made up for his creepy looking appearance. The blond woman walked over to flowing white blouse, and she ran her hand down the silk fabric. She looked over at him and said softly, “I need your help master merchant. I heard from a friend that you head to Lhavit in the winter.” Iosha picked up the shirt, and she admired the embroidery on the hem of the shirt. She said without looking at him, “I would like you to deliver a letter for me in the city, Lhavit. It is addressed to my Grandmother.” The Symenestra walked closer, and he picked up a white silk shawl, gently wrapped it around her shoulders, and said softly, “I could make you into a princess for the right amount of coin.” He lifted her silver hair above the shawl and let her blond hair fall between his fingers, and said with suave tone to his voice, “I am a merchant not a courier young lady.”

[Iosha]

Iosha shuddered when she felt him touch her hair, and she looked over her shoulder and said softly, “Even a merchant would be a courier for the right price, the shawl is lovely by the way.” She walked away from him to a mirror and started to twirl in front of it looking at the fabric shine in the sunlight. Iosha looked away from the mirror a moment, and she turned back to it noticing the merchant already behind her admiring the beauty woman in the mirror. He unwrapped the shawl from her shoulders and said softly, “You need to work on your negotiation skills young lady since you are way to eager to sell. At this moment, I can easily raise my price, and you would be completely at my mercy...” Iosha frowned to herself knowing the spider had the upper hand in negotiation, and she was clearly a novice at the game. She turned around and said bluntly, “What is your price for delivering my letter to my grandmother in Lhavit? As I said, I should have enough money to pay for the trouble.” Nafarus Rosethorn started to hang the shawl back up onto the ceiling, and he said in Kontinese, “Don't be alarmed, konti. I lived on your island many years ago in my youth.” Iosha was stunned the Symenestra knew Kontinese, but she decided to keep her emotions in check while she was talking to him. The merchant look at her up and down and said softy in Iosha's tongue, “Honestly, I have no interest in money at the moment because my business is booming here in Wind Reach.” The Symenestra crossed his long arms and shook his head and said bluntly, “What you would give me to deliver you letter would be worth very little to me. However, I see by the look in your eyes that you need to deliver the letter to your beloved Grandmother in reasonable haste, so how about we make a deal. First what is your name young lady?” Starting to feel uncomfortable, Iosha hesitantly said softly, “My name is Iosha, and I will listen to your proposal Master Rosethorn.” The Symenestra red eyes studied her face a moment, and he said softy in her language, “One of my associate has been gathering me a certain mushroom in the underground forest, and he hasn't returned in a few days to deliver them to me. The mushrooms are rather valuable to me, so here is my deal Konti, I want you to travel into the Underground Forest and find my associate and retrieve my bag of mushrooms for me. If you do it, I will deliver your letter to your Grandmother in Lhavit. Are you willing to brave the Underground Forest to find my associate?” Iosha watched his red eyes, and she could immediately tell the man didn't want anyone to know the details of the deal because he was using her language to arrange it. She started to wonder why the mushroom were so valuable to the clothing merchant since they were just fungus. However, she started to realize that mushrooms could be used as recreational drugs to some people. She was starting to wonder how legitimate was this man's business. Iosha decided she didn't care what the man was peddling because it wasn't her business in the end, and all she wanted was to contact her Grandmother. Iosha looked at the merchant and said in Kontinese, “Fine, I will find your associate, Nafarus Rosethorn. However, I want my letter delivered promptly.” The Symenestra gave her a bow and said with a laugh, “I always try to please my customers, young lady. OK. Will you find and deliver my mushrooms to me in a timely fashion, Iosha?”

[Iosha]

Iosha crossed her arms and thought about his proposal. He needed her to risk her life in the depths of Skyinarta to uncover a satchel of mushrooms. Iosha looked at the Spider, and she wondered if she was just a fly in his web. For a moment, she could only shake her head at situation, but she needed to talk to her Grandmother in person, so if she needed to jump through the spider's web to do it, she would through the web with a smile on her face. Iosha stuck out her white scaled hand and said softly, “We have a deal? I will retrieve your mushrooms if you deliver my letter.” The spider stuck out his hand and shook hers sealing the deal, but Iosha didn't let go at first. With all her strength, she pulled him close to her and said in a harsh whisper, “If I find out you don't honor our deal, I promise; I will hunt you down, Spider.” She knew it wasn't much of a threat, but she didn't enjoy being double crossed by smooth talking bastards like him. Nafarus stared into her violet eyes, and Iosha could tell the Symenestra was shocked at the uncharacteristic threat from a konti. Konti had a reputation for being meek and passive creatures, but the Spider just saw the exception to the norm, and he decided to take the best course of action, “I...am a businessman, Iosha. If you bring me what I want from the caves than I will deliver your to your Grandmother.” Iosha let go of the man's hand, and she turned and walked out of the tent. She started to get the feeling that she might regret ever making the deal, but she needed to get the letter to her Grandmother. Iosha quickly made her way to her apartment, and she quickly grabbed all the equipment needed for a overnight trip into the Underground forest. She went over to her mirror, tied back her hair, and looked at herself and wondered if her Grandmother would be proud of her at the moment. It was a silly thought, but she had been thinking of family a lot since she arrived in Wind Reach. She wanted to reunite herself with her long lost daughter, but she needed her Grandmother's help in locating her daughter. The eight year old konti could be anywhere on Mizahar, so Iosha knew she had to do everything in her power to find her child. Iosha grabbed her sword from the wall, and she made her way to the warrens. Life underground was difficult for Iosha because she enjoyed the sights and sounds of the outdoors. In the warrens, the air was often heavy with stale humidity in the dimly light halls. The Konti could tell the warrens closer to the surface were kept in better condition than the warrens deeper into the volcano because the walls of the warren closer to the surface with lined with smoothly cut rock. Iosha hated walking alone in the warren because she sometimes had the urge to explore deeper into the warrens. Iosha heard stories of the Inarta reimancers wandering to the doom in the deep warrens. Iosha came to a four way split in the corridor. Iosha looked left to right, and she could tell those two warrens were well traveled because the corridor was well lite and free of debris. She looked down the warren directly in front of her, and she could tell the hallway was the entrance to the deep warrens by the flickering lights from the dying lamps to the debris that littered the floor. Almost in a trance, Iosha could feel a growing desire to venture down into the dimly lite hall. The desire the explore deeper was strong, and she heard the hallow voice in the back of her head, “I wish to explore the deep warrens further, Iosha, but we need to get the mushrooms for the Spider first.” Iosha eyes seemed to have glazed over, and she respond out loud to the hallow voice, “Yes, you are right, Io. I just wish I had the time to explore further too.” Still in her trance, Iosha didn't hear the foot steps approaching her from behind. Suddenly the Konti was snapped back into reality by the sound of man's gruff voice, “Honestly, if the Endals in charge had any sense in their tiny brains, they should have walled up this hallway centuries ago.” Iosha whirled around with a hand on her sword hilt, and she was immediately taken back by the sight of the by the hideously deformed man. The konti took a hand off her sword when she realized the large mass of tissue on his back and shoulders hindered his ability to move quick enough to overpower her. Also the tumorous grow seemed to cover the left side of his face including his eye, so the hunchback could only see from the right side of his face. The man's long crimson hair and beard was matted together matted and gnarled by dirt. Iosha had to put a hand in front of her nose not to gag at the smell coming from the man. It smelled like he hadn't bathed in years. Iosha watched the man limped closer to her and he said in a soft gruff voice, “People say the walls in the deeper warren's talk to them. Tell them to venture deeper and deeper into the rock. Honestly, I think it a bunch a eagle shyke, but everyone even the dek need their ghost stories.” The konti looked at the man, and she could tell he had many bruises and cut all over his body, and she wondered if the man was victim to abuse from the upper castes. Iosha looked down the hall and said without looking at him, “Even if we are long dead, the stories of our existence will withstand the test of time.” The gnarled man looked up at her and snorted, “You sound like some kind of damn prophet, konti. What brings you down to the warrens?” Iosha eyes still locked on the dimly lite said softly, “I need to find somebody who had gone missing in the Underground Forest. The Spider.” The konti stopped and rephrases, “I mean Nafarus needs the mushrooms the man was retrieving.” The ugly man spat on the ground and said with a hint of anger in his voice, “Spider is a good nickname for that bastard. I have know many of my friends fall victim to his “magic mushrooms”. The man shook his head and said bluntly, “The Symenestra is black market through and through and a notorious drug dealer to the cities out side of Wind Reach. I heard those mushrooms sell for one hundred times the amount outside of Wind Reach. However, the human cost to his bottom line is way to high for me to stomach.” Iosha listened to the man, and she started to feel guilty for helping a despicable individual like Nafarus Rosethorn. At the moment, Iosha wished she could walk away from the deal all together, but she had to get the letter to her Grandmother, so she asked softly, “I need to get the mushrooms to Nafarus, but I don't know my way around the Underground Forest. Can your help me? My name is Avora Iosha Moonchaser.” The deformed man started to rub his dirty beard and he said softly, “Down here in the deep, Konti. Caste doesn't mean shyke, so why don't we drop the caste if you want me to help your pretty butt.” The hunchback looked her up and down and asked softly, “What can you give Curgan as compensation for his troubles?” Starting to get irritated, Iosha just shook her head and said out loud in Kontinese to herself, “Why does everyone want to make a deal with me today?”

[Iosha]

Iosha knew there was nothing in it for him if she got the mushroom for Nafurus, so it was understandable if he wanted something for his trouble. The konti just wish they would take money because she had plenty of it, but everyone seemed to want more. Iosha stared at the ugly man for a few ticks and said in a stern voice, “I will give you twenty pinions for your “troubles.” The konti was doing her best to control her temper because she was already anger with the raw deal with Nafarus. All she wanted was to have her letter delivered to her Grandmother in Lhavit, and now she had to brave the mushroom forest to find a wayward forager. Iosha violet eyes burned a hole into the enlarged forehead of the Dek, and she said in almost hiss, “If you don't want to accept it, you can step aside and let me pass.” Iosha was wasting valuable time talking to him, so she was trying to speed up negotiations. The Avora knew the amount she was paying him would set him up a few months, so it wasn't like she was taking advantage of his lower station. Iosha waited for for his reply, and she could tell the ugly man was pondering over her offer, and he said with a yellow smile, “It is a deal, Princess. Follow me.” Leaving the entrance to the deep warrens, Iosha followed the hunchback down the well lite corridor. On more than one occasion, the foul mouth man tried to talk to her, but his response was always silence since the konti wasn't in the mood to talk. Iosha mind was on the Underground Forest because the woman heard many different stories of the forest, but she thought they were exaggerating with tales about mushrooms the size of fully grown oak trees. The most unbelievable tale was the fact the mushroom seemed emit a soft glow that illuminates the caverns of the forest. While Iosha followed the Inarta, the konti could tell he knew where he was going. Eventually they turned right down another corridor, and she was starting to see light separate from the light of the magical lanterns. The konti went farther down the hall, and she could see tiny red mushrooms glowing on the ceiling of the corridor. When they walked into the chamber of the main cave, Iosha was awe struck at the magnificent mushroom spires that stretched the ceiling. The konti slowly wandered further into the clearing, and her eyes never left a tree like mushroom about the size of a large ash tree. The konti almost wanted to cry at the beauty when she saw the mushroom tree start to shift colors. In the span of five chimes, the mushroom tree must have changed from white, yellow, red, and blue. It was one of those sights; she will never forget the rest of her life. The hunchback walked over to her, glanced at her sword, and asked, “Do you know how to use that sword of yours because the farther into the cave we get this beauty will be just a distraction and try to kill you, Princess.” Iosha tapped the pommel of the sword with her finger, and she walked further into the chamber and said softly, “I am a novice with my sword, but I know enough to defend myself.” Suddenly, Iosha eyes caught moment crawling up the side of one of the mushroom pillars. Iosha squinted her eyes at the animal, and she thought she saw a centipede the size of large dog crawl up the side of the giant fungus. Iosha asked softly, “What kind of dangers are in the forest?” The Dek waved her to follow, and he said quietly, “For starters most of the mushroom in the forest are toxic, there are a vermin of unusual size, and the terror of the Underground Forest is the giant bats about the size of a man. If they bite you, you will be dead in a day or two.” Iosha seen some pretty strange things in Mizahar, but she had a hard believing in bats the size as humans; however, she just saw a insect the size of large dog, so Curgan might be telling the truth. Iosha followed him through the spires of mushrooms and the forest for about a bell. The Konti followed Curgan every move, but the Inarta was acting strange because he constantly kept looking up at the ceiling. She didn't think to much into it until she saw a large winged creature fly from the ceiling to the top of a mushrooms. Curgan grabbed her hand and pulled her under large mushroom. The deformed man put a finger to his chapped lips and said quietly, “We need to become the shadows, Konti. The bats can't see us, but they have keen hearing, so you need to make as little sound as possible. Now follow me.”

[Iosha]

Iosha raised an eyebrow at the human's comment about bad being able to see, and being a smart ass, Iosha responded to the ugly man with smirk, “I thought bats were blind. Why are we hiding from them?” The konti knew she was not helping the situation, but she couldn't help herself from asking such a obvious question. The ugly man shook his head and said softly, “That misunderstanding will get you killed, Konti.” The Dek pointed his gnarled finger out at a large slimy creature slithering into the clearing. Curgan looked and her and just mouthed, “Watch.” Iosha turned to look at the large black cave slug, and suddenly, she heard a flap of many wings and three large bats swooped down on the unsuspecting slug. The slow moving invertebrate immediately contracted on itself as it curled into a ball. The bats were relentless as they keep gnawing pieces of slimy flesh away from the helpless slug. The konti knew the scene was nature, so she watch in quiet curiosity and horror as the bats slowly tear apart the slug. Iosha looked at the Dek for a moment, but suddenly a fourth bat lands near the fresh kill and immediately, her attention was turned to new bat. The bat awkward on all fours over to take a bite out of the kill, but the largest bat immediately chased new bat away from their prey. Iosha sucked in her breath when the bat turned to face them. The large creature started to sniff the air, and Iosha wondered if the predator picked up on their scent. The bat large eyes looked at them, and it slowly started crawled towards them. Looking for something to distract the beast, Iosha looked at the ground and found a rock the size of her fist lying on the ground. When the bat got closer to them, Iosha picked up the rock. The konti motioned for the Dek to move , and she threw the rocked at the far wall. When the rock struck the floor right before the wall, all the bats lifted their heads from the slug and three of them flew to investigate the sound. The bat crawling toward them wasn't phased at the sudden sound, so he quickened his pace and kept crawling towards them. She saw the dek fleeing to safety, and the bat turned his head to the Inarta running to safety. Iosha unsheathed her sword, and the sound of metal leaving the sheathe caught the attention of the bat. It bared it's fangs at the konti and shrieked at her. Iosha held the sword with both hands, she brought her left foot forward and her right foot back, and she brought her sword up, so the hilt of the blade was right by her right ear. The bat lunged for her baring his teeth, and Iosha moved slightly out of the way, so the bat flew past her. She was now on the side of the bat, so in one motion, Iosha stepped forward with her back foot and swung her sword down on the back of the bat. To Iosha dismay, the sword missed it's target, so Iosha brought sword up on her left shoulder, and she waited for the reaction of the bat. The bat shrieked at her once again, and it charged her. The konti knew she needed to stand her ground if she was going to best the creature. The bat mouth was aimed for her neck, so the konti stepped forward with all her strength and cut across her body at neck level. The momentum of the bat's charge brought it's opened mouth into the blade of the long sword. There bat crumbled to the ground, but the bat was still trying to get up off the ground. Iosha could see the jaw was severely broken by the blow, so Iosha being a healer knew she needed to end it quickly for the animal. As the bat tried to crawl away, Iosha brought the hilt of the sword over her head, and she plunged the sword point into the back of the fearsome predator. The sword quickly slid through the creatures body as she impaled it to the ground. The large creature twitched for a moment than it went still, and suddenly, Iosha felt her heart plunge into her stomach at the realization she just killed a living creature. The konti stared at the body mess in horror, and she heard the strange hallow voice in her head say, “I am proud of you, Iosha. Now you know how to kill for the sake of your goals.” Suddenly, Iosha head jarred from her trance by the sound of the Dek's voice, “Come on, Princess!” Iosha forgot about the rest of the bats, and she looked up at them. They already turned to investigate the sound of the dying animal. As Iosha was wiggling her sword free of the carcass, Iosha saw the two of the bats stand up and out stretch their wings. Once the sword was free, Iosha knew a single bat was hard enough to fight, so she started to run towards Curgan. Curgan waved her over to him, but he suddenly pointed and yelled in Nari at something behind her. Iosha turned around to see a bat lunging at her, so she turned about with the tip of the sword pointing at the chest of the beast. The momentum of the beast crashing into her caused her to fall on her back. She felt the weight of the monster on top of her, and she was amazed the creature was still alive with a sword sticking out of it's chest. The bat bit down at her head, but she moved her head quickly enough to dodge it's attack. Iosha used all her might to push the bat off her, and she stood up quickly unsheathed her dagger. The bat looked like it was loosing the fight within itself as it tried to crawl to her, but it stumbled as it's strength was failing, so Iosha stepped forward thrusting the dagger into it's back by the spinal cord. The blade easily went through it's frail body, and when the beast finally died, she yanked it out. She wiped the small blade on the fur of the beast and sheathed the blade. Iosha rolled the bat to the side, and she put her hand on the body hilt and yanked it from the body. Iosha stood up, and she was exhausted emotional and physically from the battle with the bats. Curgan quickly limped over to her, and he grabbed her hand and said with haste, “I told you the forest would try to kill you eventually, Princess. Come on we need to clean you up unless you want to be a beacon for every beast in the cavern.” Iosha looked at the Dek and said softly with a nod, “I think your right, Curgan. I was wrong about the bats not able to see because they seemed to know where I was the whole time.” As he pulled her along, the Dek shook his head and said softly, “I am always right, Konti, so you best learn to accept it.”

[Iosha]

Without looking back, Iosha followed Curgan deeper into the mushroom forest. After about half a bell, the large mushroom pillars gave way to cavern of complete darkness except for the high ceiling that looked like stars in the night sky. Iosha heard Curgan in the darkness say, “We will follow the star mushrooms towards the lake, and their you will clean up before we head into the Green Tree Cave. I don't want you smelling like a bat because there are creatures in the deep that hunt the giant bats. I fear if you smell like a bat than.. they will swarm on you and me.” Iosha looked around the vast cavern, and she could a faint green glow on the far side of the cavern. The konti looked at the silhouette of the deformed man and asked softly, “I take it our mushroom harvester is in the Green Glowing Cave?” Curgan said after he spat on the ground “Yep. The mushrooms the Spider needs only grows in the Green Tree Cave. The only problem is the spiders that hunt the bats live in the caves too, so you can see why these mushrooms are hard to come by.” Iosha raised an eyebrow at a spider that can hunt a giant bat, and she hesitantly asked the deformed man, “How big are the spiders? If they are too big, we might have to go back and get you a larger table leg.” Curgan laughed out loud and said with a yellow grin, “They are about the size of large dog with thick hairy legs, and they are quick if they land on the ground.” Iosha imagination went wild for a moment thinking of the possibility of a giant spider. She eventually shuddered at the thought and said with a hint of sarcasm, “It sounds like a fun time...” Iosha followed Curgan's silhouette through the darkness, and she felt a sense of calm as she watched the bluish white light emitting down from the ceiling. The konti thought if it were for the giant bats or spiders the cave would be a pleasant place to spend your time. The trip through the tunnel was long and uncomfortable because the blood from the bat was starting to dry and smell. Eventually, the tunnel ceiling got narrower until they were both crawling on the floor. Iosha watch Curgan struggle through the narrow passage because of his disproportionate shape hindered his moments. The konti didn't say anything to him because he seemed like a proud man like all Inarta in Wind Reach. Eventually they made it through the cavern, and Iosha stood up brushed herself off and gazed into one of the most breathtaking sight. The vast glass like lake was surround by large multicolored glowing mushrooms ranging from scrub size to mushrooms the size of fully grown trees. The glow of the star mushrooms covered the ceiling of this cavern, and it made the vast lake shine in majestic blue glow. Iosha looked at the ground, and she was surprised at the grass-like moss growing on the ground. The konti looked closer and saw the moss was the same color as the blue mushrooms on the ceiling. The Konti just smiled to herself wishing she wasn't her to recover anything. Curgan looked at her and said softly, “I will let you clean up, Princess, so you will have your privacy while I forage something to eat.” Iosha nodded to him, and she waited for him to leave before she undressed and stepped into the ice cold waters on the cavern. Normally, the konti would be weary of jumping into water under the ground, but their was the sound of a rushing water at the other side of the lake, so her anxiety waned, and she started to bathe in the cool water. When Curgan returned, he was carrying a hand full of green mushrooms. Iosha finished drying her hair and said to him, “I don't think. I would have survived here if it weren't for you. Thank you Curgan.” The deformed man handed her half the mushrooms and said with a snort, “You shouldn't be thanking me to early girl. We still haven't found your mushrooms yet.” Iosha picked one up and nibbled the sides of it. Curgan raised an eyebrow and said softly, “You think I would try to drug in a place that could kill us both? They are fine and safe, so eat up or give them to me.” Iosha bite into it, and she smiled to herself when they have a sweet flavor to them. The konti finished all of them in a few chimes, and she asked Curgan, “Why don't you like the Spider? It seem like you have a personal grudge against him.” The deformed laid back in the soft moss and started to tell his story, “I had a son a few years back. He was a good lad, and he looked like every normal Inarta in Wind Reach because the gods never cursed him with the same deformity as me or the mental challenges of his mother. I watched him throughout the years as a yasi. Eventually, he was made into a Avora hunter. You should have seen him princess he ambitious young man. He was smart and handsome, and he was training to be a Endal if a Wind Eagle choose him.” Iosha heard the man take a deep breath and continue with a hint of anger in his breath, “One day, I found him laying in the street besides the Inclement Weather. The boy was coming down from his disillusion caused by ingesting mushrooms. My son asked me if I seen his wind eagle, and I told him no. He said he was in the club with him the whole time, but when the music stopped the wind eagle left.” Curgan stopped and wiped his eyes, “My son left me in the street that day, and for every night for a season, I would find him in the street asking if I seen his wind eagle. I could tell he was coming down from his high, and I am sure the mushrooms were causing his disillusions.” Curgan stopped again took a deep breath and continued his story, “In the first day of fall a few years back, I heard my son leaped from the fighting pits to his death. He said he was tired of looking for his eagle, he gave up on his life, and he jumped off the mountain. Later, I found out a foreign merchant was selling mushrooms to him under the table and the merchant name was Nafarus Rosethorn.”

[Iosha]

Feeling a sense of anger and guilt take hold of her, Iosha stood up and held out a hand to him, “One day, I will make the merchant pay. I promise you, Curgan“ Curgan gnarled hand took hers, and she helped him to his feet. She said with a smile, “After you.” Curgan lend her back into the starlight cavern, and he led her to glowing green part of the cave. When they came to the wide opening, Iosha mouth dropped when she saw the petrified trees that must have existed before the Valterrian. She was amazed that even the leafs harden into rocks too over the years, but the most breathtaking part about it was the bright green glowing moss that seemed to cover the trees completely from roots to the highest leaf. It was nothing short of amazing, and she just smiled at the deformed man. He shook his head and said softly, “Welcome to the Green Tree Cave. It might be beautiful from the outside, but do not let the beauty full you because the only person who lives in the forest is Dira.” Iosha turned to face the Dek, and she said with a snort, “You have the uncanny way of turning everything beautiful into a pit of despair.” Curgan smirked at her and laughed out loud, “I am a realist Iosha.” Iosha threw up her hands and said out loud, “You are a pessimist, Curgan, and I am the optimist.” Curgan shook his head and laughed, “Well, I guess if you enjoy lying to yourself than I won't try to stop you. Shall we continued?” Iosha followed Curgan deeper into the forest, and she was still awe struck by the bright glowing spores floating in the wind. To the konti, they seemed peaceful as they glided aimless through the cavern. Iosha asked Curgan as she poked one of the spores floating in front of her, “If you ingest or inhaled one of these spores, are they harmful?” Curgan looked at her, shrugged to himself, and said softly, “I am not sure, but you can always try and see what happens.” Iosha glared at him for a moment and said softly, “I am going to choose to ignore that last comment.” The deeper they went into the petrified forest. The konti was starting to see that it wasn't just the trees that petrified underground forest. The Valterrian somehow made even the bushes and the underbrush petrified as well. It made their trek through the forest even more difficult than Iosha ever imagined, and with the pyshical handicap of her traveling companion the journey was slowed to almost a crawl. Iosha never complained about the pace because he seemed to know away around the forest much better them her. When they made it to a fallen tree, Iosha stopped at the base of the tree, looked at the Dek, and said with a smile, “The underbrush seemed to be thick here, so I don't see anyway around the tree unless we climb over it.” The konti walked to the truck, and she put a hand on the rock. It was cold and soft because of the moss. Iosha looked up and saw the truck was about six feet thick. There was a broken branch about three feet off the ground. Iosha looked over at Curgan and wondered if he could get up with his physical deformities in his shoulders, so Iosha said softly, “I will lift myself up, and when I am up on the top of the trunk, I want you to take my hand, and I will try pulling you up, Curgan.” Iosha could see the pride in his eyes, but he just nodded to her. Iosha secured all her equipment, put her hands on the broken branch, pulled herself up onto the branch. She stood up, but she started to wobble, so she spread her hands out to her sides to regain her balance. It didn't help much, so she leaned up against the trunk. She reached up and looked for a hand hold. It took a few chimes, but she her webbed hand found a knot in the tree, and she pulled herself up onto the trunk. She looked to the other side, and she saw that she needed to navigate herself through a series of fallen trees. Iosha looked at the Dek, and she said with a s frown, “Curgan, we might need to part ways here. I don't think we will be able to navigate the debris with your..condition.” The Dek stared at her a moment, and he said with a smile, “I will wait here till you come back with the mushrooms. You just need to travel about a mile or two in the same direction till you get to a glade with crimson mushrooms.” He licked his crapped lips and warned her, “When you get to the glade, you need to cover your face, so you don't breath in the glowing red spores. I heard they are a death sentence for anyone who inhales them.” Iosha looked at the deformed man a moment, and she said with a smile, “My reason for getting these mushrooms for Rosethorn will be payment for taking a letter to Lhavit. The letter means more to me than anything else in the world at the moment because it might be the only way for me to rescue my daughter from slavery. If I don't returned in five bells, assume I am dead, Curgan.” Curgan looked at her for a moment and understood. He said with a yellow smile, “Well, I am glad you will do anything for your child. She is a lucky girl to have a mother like you.” Curgan looked around and said softly, “Rosethorn isn't the only foreign merchant who looks for these mushrooms, girl, so I suggest you watch you back at the glade.” Iosha stared at him a moment, nodded slowly, and said with smirk, “Nothing you want badly ever comes easy.” After asking the question, Iosha swung her leg over the side and jumped to the ground. Navigating the fallen canopy was like maze, and she climbed, ducked, and jumped over branches, but eventually she made it past the fallen trees. She looked around at her surrounding, and her heart sank into her stomach when she saw the massive spider webs woven into the petrified tree line. Iosha took out her short bow and a hunting arrow as she slowly made her way through the forest. As she walked deeper into the forest, the konti looked around and saw woven strands of spider web dangling from the trees. The konti was about to touch one of them, but she decided to pull back her finger when she heard the voice in the back of her head yell at her, “Don't be a idiot, Iosha!”

[Iosha]

Listening to the voice, Iosha crept lower to the ground, so she doesn't the disturb the silky strands dangling above. The konti felt like she was at the end of the journey because the danger around her started to pile on each other, and the warning from Curgan brought a chill down her spine. The konti thought to herself, “Please Rak'keli. Don't make me have to kill someone.” She knew if her life was in danger. She would have to kill, but the thought left a sour taste in the pit of her stomach. Walking for another bell, he saw a large spider web woven between two tree. Iosha immediately went behind one of the trees, and she peered around the trunk. The konti violet eyes went wide when she saw a large spider on the web. The spider's hairy body was three feet in diameter with eight legs stretching about three feet from the body. When she saw the spiders, Iosha went back into hiding, shuddered to herself, and resting her head back against the trunk with her with her eyes closed. She thought to herself, “Why do these creatures terrify me?” Reluctantly, Iosha kept herself low as she crept behind some underbrush. She lifted her head, peered over the bush like rock at the spider, and thought to herself, “OK, I just need to think of them as targets at the range.” Iosha stood up and picked her first target. Walking the edge of the bush, Iosha set the arrow on the bow string, resting the shaft on the top of her pointer finger, lifted her short bow with her left hand, and lined up the tip of the hunting arrow with the middle of the spider. She widened her stance and bent her knees for better stability. Feeling her grip was to tight on the bow shaft, she loosed her fingers slightly and moved her elbow out, and pulled back the bow string to her cheek. She watched the spider move slightly on the web, so she adjusted her aim to move with the spider. When the spider stopped moving and the shot was aligned with the largest part of the body. She released the bow string and watched the arrow sail towards the target. Iosha frowned to herself when the arrow veered slight above the spider and shattered on a petrified tree behind it. Iosha ducked back under the underbrush and swore under her breath to herself. It was a good stance, but the darn arrow still missed it's target. Iosha moved close staying to behind the brush, and she peeked over the petrified bush and saw the spider moved slightly, but it were still on the web. Trying not to make much sound as she retrieved another arrow from her quiver, Iosha placed it on the bow string and rested the shaft on her pointer finger. The konti stood up, and she repeated everything procedure she did before, but this time, she kept her elbow more level. She aligned her eye and tip of the arrow with the large hairy body of the spider and pulled back the bow string to her cheek. As she kept the tip of the arrow lined up with the body, she took a deep breath and released the hunting arrow. Iosha watched the arrow sail through the air, and it plunged into the body of the beast where the leg closest to the head met with the body. It wasn't a bulls-eye, but it was good enough to knock the spider off the web. Iosha knew it was chance to strike, so she rushed out of her hiding spot, dropped her bow on the ground, and unsheathed her long sword. The spider was writhing on the floor, but it's many eyes were watching her as she approached it. Iosha holding her sword with both hand and keeping the point of the sword at the floor. She felt a great sadness wash over her as she approached the spider, but she knew the deed had to be done if she were to continue. When she got closer the insect tried to bite her with it's fangs, but Iosha side stepped out of the way to her left and swung her sword at uninjured legs on the left side. The targets were easy because the legs never moved because they were trying to stabilized the beast. The weight of the sword and sharpness of the blade cleaved right through the front two hairy legs with ease, and the spider crashed face first on the ground. It was helpless, and Iosha lifted the sword above her head and brought the sword down cleaving the spider's head off. Iosha looked at the giant web, and she saw the silky sticky substance threads stretched always down to the floor. She was curious if he sword would get entangled in the web if she tried to use it against the web. She knelt down, cleaned off the blood from her sword blade on the hairy body of the spider, and sheathed her blade. She went back to her bow, picked it up, and secured it to her back. She took a deep breath and thought for a few chimes about her opinions, and she decided to use magic against the large sticky web. She closed her eyes and pictured a lite candle hovering in complete darkness. She started feeding the tiny flame with all her negative emotions and thoughts to try to clear her mind of distractions Iosha extended both her hands, and she started to focus her inner Djed to create a nearly invisible ball of a milky white substance called res. She needed the ball larger, so she willed her djed to increase the size of ball to the size of a large barrel. Iosha raised the large ball of res over her head and focused her will to flatten the ball of res into a swirling disk. Suddenly, the konti willed the disc of res into water, and she felt some of the water drip onto her white hair. Iosha walked up to the three meters from the web, and she willed the disc to spin faster and faster till she propelled it at the water blade toward the web. Iosha watched the water blade cleave through the silky web with ease, and the web fell fell to the ground.