Bondsfungi: Chapters 35-36 (The Weirkey Chronicles) (Patreon)

Two pieces of fanart from the subreddit that I forgot to post earlier.

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Chapter 35

Fiyu didn't know what Friend Nauda and Friend Theo had discussed on the first day, but it seemed to have broken down the last barrier between them. The way Friend Nauda carried her pain inside still troubled Fiyu slightly, but she was immensely grateful that Friend Theo was present to help. Slowly but surely, Nauda's injury healed and she began moving more easily, though all her muscles remained oddly stiff.

Meanwhile, Fiyu experienced a renewed desire not to fall behind her companions. She still couldn't bring herself to try to ascend, not when her Corporeal Floor was more concept than reality. But she carefully analyzed all of the Slescan materials that Friend Theo brought along with him, finding several that she hoped would serve well. When Friend Nauda negotiated with the "leafpuller" beetles, Fiyu went along and experimented with the sublime materials they had. She even traded with Acquaintance Kathina to see what she had.

The battle front had been chaotic for several days after her companions managed to pierce through. Now the conflicts gradually declined, but everyone knew that it was only a matter of time. Acquaintance Gethyrue briefly felt well enough to scan for hidden Authorities, and she believed that neither queen had arrived on the battlefield.

As far as Fiyu was concerned, she did not care for Slescan battles. She had reunited with her companions. Her every hour needed to be devoted to protecting them until her relative arrived.

~ ~ ~

With half his time dedicated to pressing Nauda to her limits, Theo wasn't as able to soulcraft as frequently as before. It bothered him at times, especially since he'd yet to solve his grizzleroot or voidflint problems. Yet she was showing real progress, actually pushing the bondsfungi from some regions of her soulhome by will alone.

He told himself that it didn't matter, since he no longer had so much brute work to do. When he had extra time, the majority of it was spent finally smoothing his heart column. Ever since the initial accident that had changed the course of his blueprint, he'd been bothered by the fact that the black surface was irregular, like a carving that conformed to no pattern. The Esoteric Chisel was the first tool he had that was equal to the task of shaping it, so he set about creating perfectly smooth walls to house his singularity. Some of the other rooms with a blackened layer needed touching up too, once he started.

Krikree couldn't leave him alone either, frequently asking questions about her third floor. Apparently her soulcrafting up to that point hadn't been done according to a formal blueprint, instead following instinctual commands. Now she happily built a new floor of oddly placed spheres, and he hoped that she would grasp the basic principles sooner rather than later.

While soulcrafting with her, he had an opportunity to analyze her chambers in greater detail. The design was brutally simple: a string of rooms enhancing strength, speed, and durability. No techniques at all, though one chamber was dedicated to pheromones and he was uncertain as to the purpose of another filled with strange materials. Overall the design didn't appear to distinguish between the first and second floors. If he understood Krikree, she had modified several chambers so she could resist types of acid and fire used by some Slescans, but otherwise her design was similar to others of comparable rank. Building that into a proper blueprint was an interesting challenge.

Distracted by thoughts of everyone he was helping, Theo's hands slipped again. A long fragment of voidflint sliced through his arm, shedding so much spiritual blood onto the ground below that his head spun.

Groaning, Theo forced himself up to clean his hands. He was doing such a bad job of this, he was practically fumbling like Nauda with the poison exercises. It had been a long time since he'd struggled so much with any element of soulcrafting.

Once he'd cleaned his hands in the heavywater, Theo returned to where he'd left the voidflint... and saw that the grizzleroot underneath had expanded. Even as he watched, the roots drank in the last of his blood.

All at once, he understood how blind he had been. For so many years on Earth, soulcrafting had been purely cerebral. Then, upon his return, all of the basic skills were so effortless for him that he'd only needed to exert himself during ascensions. It had all been just an exercise to him, and he'd forgotten the core of the discipline: he was shaping his very soul.

When Theo returned to knapping the voidflint, everything had changed. He cut his hands several more times, not due to an error he could think his way around but because that was the price the material extracted. There was a place for sober drafting of blueprints, but his soulhome needed to be built with his sweat and blood.

As he hewed out a spike of voidflint, his blood sank into the soil and his soul's foundation glowed red and black.

~ ~ ~

At first Nauda had just gone along with the exercises because Theo had forced her, but he was absolutely relentless. She had endured hours of pain struggling to soulcraft poison that wanted to dissolve her soul. After all of that, working with the bondsfungi wasn't exactly easily, but it certainly didn't feel as impossible as before.

Instead of viewing it as an infection, she reached out to it as another resource within her soulhome. Unlike all of Grekig's coaxing advice, Theo's harrowing lessons tested her, and she responded to the challenge. One small patch at a time, she convinced the bondsfungi to retreat from her other materials.

Eventually she pushed it to the exterior of her soulhome, where it actually seemed to thrive. The bondsfungi converted corpses into stone, but when attached to her walls, they reinforced the blasted stone. It covered the legs of her statue like a second skin, and though she hadn't planned on glowing blue, at times she almost liked the effect.

Moving in real life still felt a bit unnaturally stiff, but she no longer believed that the bondsfungi were an irredeemable enemy. Even if they didn't help her, they could coexist, and that was more than she had believed possible in her moments of despair.

Nauda reached her absolute limit just as the sun began to set, as planned. As she eased her aching body into a comfortable position, she heard the beetles begin their usual humming music. It had become a welcome part of her day and she thought the others agreed, even the Crimson soulcrafters staying quiet while the notes began to harmonize.

"Do they know it's music?" Nauda asked aloud, not entirely meaning to. Fiyu looked up from her own work and considered the question seriously.

"Do you mean that it might be an instinct?" she asked. "Or that it serves a purpose such as calling for kin?"

"It doesn't seem to have a clear function, but I thought I might not understand. I'd like to believe that they just enjoy the music, but I wondered..."

"We might have an answer," Theo said. He caught the attention of Krikree, then pointed toward the mound. "What?"

Krikree dropped into her reporting position and spoke rapidly. "Work beetles make sounds. Unnecessary activity. No utility. Common in all hives. Work poorly if not allowed."

"Then it is music." Nauda smiled, happier than she had expected. She almost wished that she could join them, though she knew that the beetles at best tolerated her presence. Whenever they traded, they always reacted cautiously as if she represented an enemy colony.

After the music concluded, Nauda tried to draw that peaceful sensation into her soulhome. She had more work to do, but first walked a slow circle, attuning herself to everything within. The bondsfungi seemed to respond, but they only soaked up her cantae instead of helping. Still, in that moment while humming the leafpullers' tune under her breath, Nauda didn't care.

She decided to keep walking and took a broader circle around her shielding wall... and spotted another picture of Tythes. It was much smaller than the first, but made from the same red paint. This one was sticking its tongue out.

It should have annoyed her, yet Nauda found herself more disturbed. If Tythes had marked her again, then he should know exactly where she was. Even if Fiyu's technique could block his tracking mark, Nauda was frequently outside of it. The egg she had stolen still sat among the other supplies, kept warm and fiercely guarded by Krikree after she learned about it. She couldn't think of a good reason that Tythes would rush her to steal the egg, then simply abandon it for so long.

Could his schemes finally have outpaced his strength? As much as he annoyed her, Nauda didn't want to think of him dead or captured. She decided that she would help if she could, but since he had vanished, all she could do was hope that he wasn't too miserable.

~ ~ ~

Tythes sat back, let out a huge sigh, and patted his stomach. In case that wasn't clear enough, he smacked his lips and licked the remainder of the food off his fingers. "Delicious," he declared, "simply delicious. You have outdone yourselves." He waved grandly over the remnants of the feast, then leaned closer to the Slescans on the other side of the table and spoke in a lower voice.

"Now, I believe we have business to discuss?"

~ ~ ~

Issak sat on his throne atop the mound. At last, he had the kingdom he wanted. Several months ago he had been just another member of the tribes, struggling to find food while the city dwelling cowards teamed up against him. Now, in this savage world, his strength could give him everything he was due.

There were still threats out there, to be sure. They'd journeyed a long way, but it was possible that one of the murderous city dwellers might pursue. By the time they arrived, he would be ready. Even as he watched, bugs moved piles of mud and stones to complete the large fortification around his kingdom. That type had refused to cooperate until Rebkha doused herself in some of their scents, then somehow she had managed to make them obey her.

He'd need to deal with threats from within as well, of course. Rebkha played along for now but could challenge him if he didn't pay her proper respect. Essan was an entirely different kind of problem: he'd found three more tribesmen on his excursions and promptly begun making them loyal to him alone. Eventually Issak would have to put him in his place or in a grave.

His thoughts were interrupted by one of the round bugs, approaching with a plate of honey on its back. Issak eagerly picked it up and savored the intense flavor. It had been unpalatable at first, and the bugs had just left it lying around in blobs. But after he'd started killing those who served poorly, they'd shaped up. There were always more bugs, so they could just find more of the round ones later.

"Issak! There's a bug line!"

Throwing aside the rest of the honey, Issak burst to his feet. They had only been attacked by one line of the warrior bugs, and his leadership of that battle had stabilized his control. If he wanted to stay in control, he needed to prove that he could crush every errant line of bugs that came their way. It was just the same as in the tribes: prove that you could kill your enemy by the score and they would bow to you.

Only one part of his wall was incomplete, giving the enemy an obvious entrance... and a choke point. Issak walked to it, gathering his cantae. Sure enough, there was another line of the warrior bugs headed in his direction. It looked like they might have one of their flying bugs as well, but none of those had a fraction of his power.

"Stop wasting your time!" Issak waved his hand and released a basic cantae bolt that tore through three different bugs. The rest began running toward him, jaws gaping, but he easily crushed them. "You have no chance against us. Submit to our strength!"

All of the bugs continued advancing, charging as if they didn't even notice they were being killed, crawling over their dead comrades. That line really did stretch out a long way... Issak forced a mocking laugh and gestured for the others to join him.

With their combined might, they annihilated the attackers as they came, no doubt wiping out entire generations of the bugs. Essan pushed to the front, making a grand show of impaling multiple bugs on his spear. Issak was trying to decide if he needed to step in to keep him from hogging too much glory when one of the bugs latched onto his leg.

Essan let out a bellow and stabbed the bug, killing it instantly. Another reared up, biting into his back. Issak should have saved him, but he pretended to be distracted as the bugs swarmed over his rival. Each could barely draw a little blood, but his injuries widened and his body began to tear apart, his screams seeming to go on and on...

"Issak!" The cry from behind him made him whirl, and suddenly Issak realized that there were screams coming from within the mound.

More bugs were pouring over the walls, climbing as easily as over flat ground. He briefly thought that he needed to change his plans before he saw who had called him. Rebkha had found a defensive position beside one of their buildings and generated a wall of flame, burning alive every bug that got anywhere close to her. Yet they kept coming, and their sheer indifference to their own survival made Issak hesitate.

Then part of the ground gave way and bugs exploded from below. By the time Issak realized that they had tunneled underneath, they had already killed Rebkha. At least it had been quick, since so many had torn into her at once.

Everywhere Issak looked, he saw his tribe falling to the vermin. Each of them was far superior, killing ten times their number. Any group of city dwellers would have been shocked at their strength and retreated, but the bugs threw their lives away by the dozens. Isolated and fighting for themselves, his tribesmen fell one by one.

They wouldn't take him so easily. Issak drew his cantae into one of his lesser used chambers and then brought it down around him like a hammer, crushing every bug in a vast circle. It didn't matter if he lost a few allies. A few miserable bugs would never take him. Surviving this challenge would only make him stronger, then he could start up a new kingdom.

"Are you the leader?"

The voice from above made Issak jump. When he looked up, he wasn't sure what he was seeing: the floating being looked like some sort of cross between a beautiful woman and a bug. She floated like an Authority but made no move to attack him, two pairs of arms folded across her chest. Her face was human enough, except for glittering gemstone eyes.

"I am Issak of th-"

"I don't care," she interrupted. "I am the queen of Blue-Red-Blue colony. You have reduced my lower castes and consumed resources. Previously, I ignored this because I was concerned with important priorities. But now it is time for war, so you must be removed."

"You want to take me down yourself?" Issak summoned an even larger hammer of cantae and slammed it around him hard enough to form a crater. "Do it, then! Or you'll watch me build a mountain of your bugs until I reach you!"

"I will not be fighting."

Issak stared at her, unable to read anything from her face. He was nearly taken off guard when a tunnel opened up nearby, but his combat instincts were too well-honed for the ambush. A single lance thrown down the tunnel killed dozens of the bugs, and the others wouldn't get close.

The queen still floated above, watching indifferently. Issak raised a fist in her direction and shouted, "If you're not going to fight me, why are you even here?"

"Queens do not fight drones. I am here to watch."

She did just that, her gemstone eyes taking in the battlefield as Issak struggled against the horde. He fought better than he ever had before, finding new reserves of strength he had never known. First one bite, then the second. When he finally went down under the waves of skittering legs, the last thing he saw was the queen watching without expression.

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Chapter 36

In the early morning light, Nauda stepped out alone and forced herself through exercises that she hadn't done in years. Once she had completed her physical training and begun enhancing herself as a soulcrafter, they had been less necessary, but she needed the familiar routine. Both to calm her mind and to test her current condition.

Her movements were slow and her flesh still felt too much like stone, but if she concentrated, she could complete the physical routine. She wasn't sure if the bondsfungi were still fighting her, or if this was simply what she would have to live with now. For all the changes in her soulhome or Theo's approval, part of her couldn't believe that it could truly work.

Normally, only Theo and Fiyu were awake by the time Nauda finished her entire routine of exercise and soulcrafting. She always looked forward to those hours, but that day when she turned back to the camp, she knew it wasn't to be. Everyone was awake now, even Gethyrue sitting up and listening, and an argument had already begun.

"This isn't just another movement!" one of the Crimson soulcrafters shouted. "You've seen how many bugs there are, they're preparing for war!"

"They might be," Theo said, "but they're telling each other to wait, not to attack. We shouldn't retreat when we don't know which direction they'll be moving."

"You really expect us to make decisions based on voices only you can hear?"

Unwilling to get involved in the argument, Nauda instead slipped in beside Fiyu and asked, "What's going on?"

"There have been shifts in the Slescan forces," Fiyu whispered. "Now there is disagreement about whether we need to retreat from this position."

"Any idea what caused it?"

"Some claim that they felt Authority-tier soulcrafters arrive on the battlefield, but there is disagreement regarding exactly how many and when."

Nauda listened to the argument for a while longer, picking up some more of the details. Theo seemed to be arguing reasonably based on the information they had, but she wasn't sure that was enough. When she glanced over the group, she wondered if Krikree had any insider knowledge, but the Slescan only sat and looked between the speakers in confusion. Looking past her, Nauda realized that their lone Authority had been silent so far.

"Gethyrue, what have you seen?" Nauda broke into the first available pause, loud enough to cut off further argument. "You must have been paying attention for other Authorities."

"My eyesight is unclear, and most have shielded themselves." Gethyrue shook her head as if hoping to ward away attention, but many of the others turned to her. After another ragged cough, she continued. "I agree that a Slescan Authority arrived to the north, but it may not be their queen. I also felt a powerful source of cantae to the south. Someone moved at Authority speeds to the east as well, then vanished entirely."

"So they're hemming us in," one of the Crimson soulcrafters said. "Can we flee to the w-"

"That's presuming that they've noticed us at all," Theo interrupted. "Given the number of Authorities involved, rushing in any direction could be falling directly into a trap."

While the argument continued, Nauda ate her breakfast and checked her equipment. Her staff had weathered the conditions perfectly and her glove now felt comfortable on her left hand. No matter how events turned, she had a feeling the day wouldn't end without violence. Then again, it might result in more scattering, so she checked on her ordinary supplies in her soulhome as well.

Before they could come to any conclusion, an Authority impacted the battlefield. The Slescans chittered loud enough to be heard from a distance and the camp began scrambling, but Nauda instead focused on Krikree.

"Ahyona-queen." She began to tremble and shrank to the ground.

Nauda bent down beside her. "Krikree, you don't need to obey her anymore. Come with us, we'll help you."

"Yes, Nauda-queen!" Krikree hopped up and rushed to Theo's side, only partially fearful. Nauda supposed that it was a slight improvement.

Everyone scrambled for the sleigh, but fortunately Theo kept control of the situation and took the helm, with Krikree guarding him aggressively. Fiyu helped ease Gethyrue into the middle seat, supporting her carefully. Nauda started to get into the back at the same time as Kathina, so they exchanged a nod before taking opposite sides. Between the two of them, hopefully they could fend off ranged attacks.

Theo angled their path southwest as the flat region became a battlefield. Even from a distance, Nauda could feel the cantae flashing from all sides as the Slescans hurled themselves into war. She realized that Theo had been right: everything up to this point had been mere skirmishes.

Then specks appeared in the sky ahead of them and the Crimson soulcrafters let out cries of despair. Nauda shielded her eyes to look further and saw what they feared: there were flying beetles approaching. Much larger than the ordinary scouts, with large baskets filled with troops.

Clearly hoping that they were just headed to the war, Theo turned further west to try to evade the army. But then a golden beetle outpaced the others, flashing across the sky directly toward them. Much faster than the maximum speed of the sleigh, so even though some yelled at Theo to run, Nauda saw him grimly begin preparing to fight.

As it caught up to them, Nauda realized that it wasn't a true beetle at all: it was a large metal ship fashioned to look similar to the flying beetles. She wasn't sure if it was actually made of gold, but it flashed grandly in the sun. Only an Authority could move such a heavy vessel so quickly, so Nauda accepted that they were about to face one of the queens.

Cantae erupted from beneath the sleigh, binding it in place and hurling some of the inhabitants to the ground. Fiyu was jolted from her seat and Nauda caught her with one hand before instinctively pulling back. Even though Fiyu smiled at her and didn't seem upset, Nauda could barely pay attention to her. They were trapped in a spiderweb of cantae and the golden beetle had caught up to them. It didn't blast them out of the sky, instead landing not far away.

The beetle's ornate mandibles split apart, widening until they revealed a door. The queen that floated out was less human-looking than Krikree, standing upright but with a body formed of smooth red lobes. She had vicious mandibles instead of a human mouth and large eyes partially on the side of her head that regarded them somberly.

"You see, they're here!" Tythes swaggered out of the golden beetle and put an arm around the waist of the queen. "I told you, Queen Yeshir, my underlings would come through."

"Where is the egg?" The queen's voice buzzed more than the others and her eyes flickered over the group.

Suddenly Nauda was stricken with a fear that she had somehow just left the egg behind. Tythes met her gaze with a flat smile, staring daggers, and she wondered what would happen if they had lost it. Fortunately, Fiyu lifted the egg from its carefully wrapped position beneath her seat and raised it overhead. The pearly surface glinted in the sun and drew everyone's attention.

Tythes moved first, sweeping up the egg and presenting it to Yeshir with a grand bow. She immediately ignored the rest of them and carried the egg back into the beetle, clicking to herself and stroking it with all four arms. While the others stared, some just beginning to understand that they were spared, Tythes flew down to the sleigh just beside Gethyrue.

"Is it too late?" he asked quietly. Gethyrue gave him a weak smile and touched his cheek, entirely different from the stern role she'd played in their previous encounters.

"It seems not." She leaned back and closed her eyes. "But it would have been worth it, nephew."

"Hush, Gethyrue. Let me help you." Tythes gently lifted her from the sleigh and floated her some distance away, his cantae flowing into her.

Nauda just watched him, trying to decide if he had been faking the emotions she'd seen on his face. It could have been a performance, especially with two House Crimson soulcrafters watching, but she thought he'd betrayed some real emotion. Hopefully Gethyrue would tell him about their help so that he wouldn't sacrifice them all for whatever his new plan was.

At the front of the sleigh, Theo stepped out and stretched. He glanced back at her, but Nauda could only shrug back. The cantae webs had faded, but they were clearly embroiled in a larger scheme now. She could still feel the battle in the north, and it felt like there might be two Authorities fighting. Probably Queen Ahyona and her consort, if Nauda understood the Slescan conflict correctly.

When Yeshir emerged from the golden beetle again, Tythes finally left his aunt to float beside her. The queen placed her hands on his face and tapped her antennae against his forehead. "When a strange outsider arrived making promises, I did not truly believe. You have protected my sister egg, and I have incurred a debt I can never repay."

"It was my pleasure, Queen Yeshir." Tythes gently took one of her hands and kissed it, which made the queen shift in what Nauda thought was pleasure. She started to glare at Tythes, but had to swallow the expression when they both turned in her direction.

"But how did your underlings know that the egg had been stolen?" she asked.

"You there, underling!" Tythes stared at Nauda, his false smile promising endless pain if she didn't play along. "How did you retrieve the egg from those Blue-Red-Blue thieves?"

"I was following your orders when I saw them steal it." Nauda forced herself to smile and bowed to Yeshir. "We have done our best to care for your sister egg."

"It was sufficient," Yeshir said, "but now the battle is at hand. The egg must be taken to a safe location while I take my stand against Ahyona. All of you must prepare yourselves."

She turned away sharply to return to the golden beetle, chittering commands to unseen guards. Most of the others dispersed once she departed, discussing the events or making preparations. That left Nauda standing with Tythes, so she grabbed his robes and pulled him closer.

"Ahyona never actually took the egg from Yeshir, did she? You sent me to steal it." Nauda tried to hurl the terse accusation at him, but it slid off Tythes's lazy smile.

"The details aren't so important, are they? Thanks to your actions, the queen of Gray-Blue-Gold is grateful for your help, instead of commanding her soldiers to eat you alive." Tythes brushed her hand off his robes. "I suppose you could tell her, if you really have a death wish. But isn't it all so much better this way? Yeshir may not have a weirkey to Fithe, but if we help with her war, she can get us home."

"And what's all this kissing her hand?"

"Sadly, the majestic Queen Yeshir is without a consort and very lonely indeed."

Nauda did her best to glare through his smile. "If this was your plan from the beginning, I am going to do my level best to punch you."

"Of course it wasn't the original plan." Tythes shrugged. "In some contexts, 'improvise' means 'seduce the nearest head of state'."

They stared at one another for several seconds as Nauda struggled to accept the new situation. She might not like it, but Tythes had taken them much closer to a real solution. Before she could decide whether it was worth punching him anyway, Krikree scuttled up beside them, staring at Tythes.

"Tythes is prince?" she asked. He immediately turned to her and put his hands on his hips.

"Yes, yes I am!"

"Tythes is Yeshir mate?"

"Not exactly, but I still feel that I deserve to be called a prince." He stroked his chin theatrically. "Actually, how does Tythes-emperor sound?"

Three more golden beetle vessels landed nearby and Nauda briefly wondered just how much power this Gray-Blue-Gold colony had. But the others didn't contain new soulcrafters, they appeared to be decoys to protect the egg. Once all four flew to the south, Yeshir emerged from the last vessel and spoke over all other conversations.

"Your outsider hive has done me a service, but a great battle has begun against my rival. Your injured will be cared for, and your worker caste may retreat. But I require all soldier caste in order to kill Ahyona."

"You see," Tythes said, sliding up beside her, "Ahyona has an Authority-tier consort. Even if Yeshir and I work together, she also has her royal guard, so the outcome of the fight is truly in question. But help us fight one itsy bitsy little death feud, then we can all go home!"

"Stealth is more important than power. I require this one."

The queen floated directly to Fiyu, reaching out as if to physically take her. Nauda acted before she could think, stepping in and thrusting the tines of her staff around the queen's arm. Fiyu flinched back as Yeshir turned to Nauda.

"I do not kill you now only because of the great service you have performed." Yeshir twisted her arm and easily reversed Nauda's technique, slamming her into the ground. "But I will not tolerate interference. All useful warrior caste soldiers must fight."

"She is not yours to take."

Nauda pushed to her feet just in time to see an Ichili man emerge from the shadows, standing between Fiyu and the Slescan queen.