The lodge had long since gone quiet.
Most of the lamps had been dimmed, leaving only the warm glow of the central fire drifting softly through the bridges and platforms outside. Somewhere below, the mudwolves shifted beneath the earth, their distant movements faintly vibrating through the roots of the great trees.
Jemina leaned against the railing outside her room with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
"…You know," she said thoughtfully, staring up at the night sky, "I really thought surviving the Null Forest would involve more screaming."
Rosaline sat beside her quietly.
"…There has been a lot of screaming," she pointed out softly.
"That's true. But I thought there would be more dramatic running." Jemina nodded solemnly. "Less emotional damage. More cardio."
Rosaline giggled faintly.
Good.
Jemina liked hearing that sound.
The poor girl had spent too much of her life frightened.
Tonight, though,
Rosaline looked nervous in a different way.
She kept fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. Glancing down. Then away. Then down again.
Jemina narrowed her eyes immediately.
"…Oh no."
Rosaline blinked.
"What?"
"That is the face of someone thinking about a boy."
Rosaline nearly choked.
"I—I am not—!"
"Uh huh."
"I'm not!"
"Uh huh."
Both uh huh' had different tones.
"…Maybe a little."
"Aha!"
Jemina pointed at her triumphantly before pulling the blanket tighter around herself like an elderly grandmother preparing for gossip.
"I knew it. Excellent. Continue."
Rosaline looked horrified.
"There is nothing to continue!"
"You're blushing."
"Please don't look at me!"
Rosaline buried her face in her hands.
Jemina immediately leaned closer.
"So?"
"So what?"
"So tell me everything."
"There is nothing to tell!"
"There's always something to tell. That's the whole point of feelings. They arrive uninvited and immediately ruin your ability to behave normally."
Rosaline laughed weakly.
Then, slowly, she lowered her hands.
"…I'm worried," she admitted quietly.
Jemina's teasing softened almost instantly.
"About tomorrow?"
Rosaline nodded.
The exchange.
Lucas's plan.
The ridiculous, dangerous, very likely poorly thought-out situation they were all about to participate in.
Rosaline stared down at her lap.
"…What if he gets hurt?"
Jemina tilted her head slightly.
"Lucas?"
Another nod.
"…And," Rosaline whispered, "what if he really does leave afterward?"
Ah.
There it was.
Jemina rested her chin on her knee thoughtfully.
"You like him."
Rosaline immediately looked panicked again.
"I—I don't know if it's like that—"
"Oh, sweetheart." Jemina smiled gently. "You don't look at someone like they have their own personal sunlight shining on them unless it's at least a little like that."
Rosaline turned completely red.
"He was kind to me when we were children," she said softly. "Even when nobody else was."
The night breeze stirred her blonde hair gently.
"He used to sneak pastries from the kitchen for me when my parents punishes me by starvation," she continued. "And once, when I fell into the garden pond…" She laughed quietly. "He jumped in after me even though he couldn't swim very well either."
Jemina gasped dramatically.
"Oh, that's devastatingly adorable."
Rosaline covered her face again.
"He got sick afterward," she mumbled through her fingers.
"Even better. That's commitment."
"He cried more than I did."
"…Alright, now I like him too."
Rosaline laughed despite herself.
But it faded quickly.
"…I thought I would never see him again."
Jemina looked toward the distant darkness beyond the lodge.
"…Life's strange like that."
Rosaline hesitated.
"Do you think…" She swallowed. "Do you think he really meant it?"
Jemina glanced sideways at her.
"Which part?"
"That he was going to come back for me."
A pause.
Then,
"I think Lucas is an idiot," Jemina said honestly.
Rosaline blinked.
"…What?"
"I mean that affectionately." Jemina waved a hand. "His plan was terrible. Deeply terrible. Impressively terrible, honestly."
Rosaline looked conflicted about whether she should defend him.
"But," Jemina continued softly, "people usually don't risk getting eaten by monsters for someone they don't care about."
She shifted the blanket around herself more securely.
"He could've refused the job the moment he learned he had to enter the Null Forest for a wonderful blonde girl. That alone was reckless, stupid, and completely against the image he was trying so hard to maintain."
Rosaline fell quiet.
Jemina looked up at the stars again.
"…The annoying thing about feelings," she muttered, "is that sometimes they exist before people realize they're there."
Rosaline looked at her carefully.
"…Did that happen to you?"
Jemina smiled faintly.
"…Something like that."
A brief silence settled between them.
Comfortable.
Warm.
"Do you think he likes me?" Rosaline whispered suddenly.
Jemina gasped so loudly that one of the nearby Ghastlies startled awake.
"Oh, we've progressed to direct questions!" she whispered excitedly.
"Jemina!"
"I'm thinking!"
Rosaline looked moments away from joining the mudwolves at digging a hole.
Jemina narrowed her eyes thoughtfully like a scholar contemplating ancient philosophy.
"Hm…"
Rosaline waited anxiously.
"…I think," Jemina declared at last, "Lucas currently has the emotional awareness of an overworked potato."
Rosaline stared at her.
"But," Jemina added, raising a finger dramatically, "he has potential."
"…Potential?"
"Yes. The foundation is there." She nodded wisely. "Protectiveness. Concern. Poor decision-making motivated by emotions. Classic symptoms."
Rosaline laughed helplessly.
"And," Jemina added smugly, "he looked genuinely offended when Raisa implied he wouldn't come back for you."
Rosaline's cheeks turned pink again.
"…Really?"
"Oh, absolutely." Jemina grinned. "That boy looked one accusation away from writing poetry without realizing it."
Rosaline covered her face once more.
"You're teasing me…"
"I am," Jemina admitted happily. "But only because you're cute."
Rosaline peeked at her through her fingers.
"…Were you always like this?"
"Like what?"
"…So cheerful."
Jemina paused.
Then smiled softly.
"Yes. I should be the most cheerful person you know. And if there's another one, please let me know so I can challenge them to a cheerfulness competition."
Rosaline smiled.
Then slowly rested her head against Jemina's shoulder.
Tentatively.
As though asking permission without words.
Jemina immediately gasped in delight and wrapped the blanket around both of them dramatically.
"Oh no," she whispered emotionally. "I've become emotionally attached again."
Rosaline laughed softly.
And for a little while,
neither of them spoke.
They simply sat beneath the stars together.
Waiting for tomorrow.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Rosaline had only met the baron once.
That had been more than enough.
The meeting lasted less than five minutes.
He arrived at her family estate sweating despite the cold weather, rings digging into swollen fingers as servants struggled to help him down from the carriage.
Rosaline remembered the smell first.
Heavy perfume.
Wine.
Something sour beneath it.
Then,
his eyes.
They had traveled slowly over her from head to toe while a smile spread across his face.
Not warm.
Not kind.
Hungry.
She remembered stepping backward instinctively.
And him laughing softly when she did.
The rumors about him had spread long before the proposal arrived.
Young wives.
Pretty girls.
Daughters of struggling noble families.
Always beautiful.
Always quiet.
And afterward,
rarely seen again.
Some claimed he kept them hidden away in distant estates.
Others spoke more quietly.
Rosaline never learned which rumors were true.
She only knew one thing:
The moment the baron looked at her,
she understood she needed to run.
Unfortunately,
she now had to stand near him again.
Even hidden beneath a hood, Rosaline trembled slightly beside Lucas.
The edge of the Null Forest was unnaturally quiet.
Lucas had been the one to contact the baron.
After agreeing to Jemina's ridiculous plan, he left the forest briefly with two of his men.
Not because anyone trusted him completely.
But because Raisa had threatened him so thoroughly that betrayal no longer seemed worth the effort.
The nearest town sat several hours from the forest, a trading settlement where travelers, hunters, mercenaries, and very questionable businessmen crossed paths regularly.
Lucas went straight to an inn known for handling discreet jobs and dirtier messages.
Not officially, of course.
Officially, it was a respectable establishment.
Unofficially,
if someone needed to contact smugglers, slavers, bounty hunters, or corrupt nobles without attracting attention, this was where they went.
Lucas handed over a sealed note.
The innkeeper took one look at the crest stamped onto the wax seal and immediately looked uncomfortable.
"…The baron again?"
Lucas grimaced.
"Unfortunately."
The innkeeper accepted the letter without another question.
Money changed hands.
Fast.
Because nobody liked being associated with Baron Sludge longer than necessary.
________________________________________
Dense roots twisted through the earth like veins beneath dead leaves. Mist clung low against the ground while towering trees loomed overhead, their branches swallowing most of the sunlight.
Jemina and Raisa crouched behind a massive stone several yards away.
"He really came. At the edge of the Null Forest." Jemina whispered. Impressed by the baron's audacity.
"Lucas ' description of him also included arrogance and stupidity," Raisa whispered back.
The sound reached them first.
Heavy breathing.
Then the carriage.
The baron climbed out with visible effort while ten armored men spread around him cautiously.
Rosaline's description truly had not done him justice.
He was not simply fat.
He looked...
moist.
Like someone had poured expensive clothing over a sack of sweating dough.
His cheeks trembled every time he moved. Rings disappeared into swollen fingers. His lips glistened constantly as his small eyes locked onto Rosaline beneath her hood.
Jemina physically recoiled.
"…Oh dear goddess."
"I brought her," Lucas said flatly.
The baron's gaze shifted lazily toward him.
"Don't play tricks with me, boy," he said. "Where are your men?"
"Monsters took them."
"Hmph."
The baron waddled closer.
Rosaline stiffened.
Then he grabbed her arm.
Her hood slipped.
Golden hair spilled free.
The baron inhaled sharply.
His lips slowly curled as his gaze crawled over her face.
Then lower.
Rosaline visibly fought the urge to recoil.
Behind the stone,
Jemina's eye twitched.
"Oh, I hate him," she whispered.
Raisa immediately wrapped her tail around Jemina's waist.
Preventatively.
"My money," Lucas said.
The baron snorted and tossed a coin pouch toward him carelessly.
Lucas caught it.
Then frowned.
"This is less than promised."
"Only one man finished the task," the baron said smugly. "The reward is only for one."
Silence.
Lucas stared at the pouch.
Then at the baron.
Then back at the pouch.
Jemina slowly turned toward Raisa.
"…He's about to do something stupid."
"He absolutely is."
Lucas's jaw tightened.
"You said the payment was fixed."
"And?" the baron sneered.
Oh no.
Jemina recognized that expression immediately.
That was the exact face people made right before terrible decisions.
Lucas took one step forward.
Raisa tightened her grip on Jemina instantly.
"He's going to stab him," she muttered.
"He is definitely going to stab him."
Jemina inhaled sharply.
"…Should we maybe stop—"
CRAAAAAAASH!!!
The forest exploded.
Trees shattered apart as something enormous burst through the canopy.
Everyone froze.
The ground shook violently.
And then it appeared.
The creature's body gleamed like polished opal beneath the fractured sunlight, translucent armor reflecting shifting rainbows across the forest floor. Its massive mantis-like limbs carved through trees effortlessly while a pale parasite worm dangled grotesquely from the base of its abdomen, writhing independently like a living tail.
The clicking sounds it made echoed horribly through the forest.
One of the armored men screamed first.
"RUN!!!"
Chaos erupted instantly.
The mantis moved.
Far too fast.
One moment it stood several yards away,
the next,
a guard vanished.
Its bladed forelimb snapped shut with a wet crunch.
"Oh dear GODDESS—" Jemina shrieked.
Lucas reacted immediately.
He kicked the stunned baron directly in the stomach, grabbed Rosaline's wrist, and ran.
Jemina gasped.
Then smiled emotionally.
"Look at him go."
"THIS IS NOT THE TIME," Raisa yelled, dragging her backward as another tree exploded beside them.
The parasite worm suddenly lunged downward.
SCHLK.
Something disappeared.
The worm retracted lazily.
Chewing.
Jemina blinked.
"…Was that the baron?"
The worm spat out half a jeweled shoe.
"…That was definitely the baron."
"WHY ARE YOU COMMENTING ON IT? RUN!"
The mantis screeched.
Mud erupted beneath it as the mudwolves attacked.
Massive jaws clamped onto its legs while others burst from underground, dragging violently downward.
For one glorious second,
it worked.
Then the mantis leapt.
Not upward.
Sideways.
Directly onto a tree trunk.
The mudwolves lost their grip as bark exploded everywhere.
"WHY DOES IT MOVE LIKE THAT?!" Jemina screamed.
The creature darted through the trees with terrifying speed while the parasite worm whipped around independently, smashing branches apart.
A Ghastly launched itself at the worm.
The worm immediately flung the rabbit away like an insult.
"GHASTLY NUMBER FOURTEEN!" Jemina cried dramatically.
The rabbit landed face-first in a bush.
Then gave a furious squeak.
"…Okay, good. He's alive."
"OVER HERE!" Raisa shouted.
Lucas and Rosaline sprinted toward them while armored soldiers scattered blindly through the forest.
One was immediately dragged underground screaming.
Another tried climbing a tree.
The mantis ate him almost politely.
Jemina physically pointed.
"IT EVEN HAD TIME TO GRAB A SNACK!"
"STOP DESCRIBING THINGS!"
The mantis suddenly turned.
Toward Lucas and Rosaline.
Its wings unfolded.
Huge.
Shimmering.
Horrifying.
"Oh no," Lucas muttered.
The parasite worm lunged.
Lucas shoved Rosaline aside and threw a knife instinctively.
The blade struck the worm directly.
The worm screamed.
The mantis screamed.
Everything screamed.
"THAT MADE IT ANGRIER!" Jemina yelled.
"YES, I NOTICED!"
"RAISA!"
"I KNOW!"
Mudwolves erupted again, grabbing the mantis's legs and pulling downward with all their strength.
The forest floor collapsed beneath the creature as roots snapped violently.
"RUN!" Raisa shouted.
Lucas grabbed Rosaline again.
But Jemina stopped moving.
Raisa immediately noticed.
"…Jemina."
"They can't hold it long."
"We need to leave."
"Lucas!" Jemina yelled. "Take Rosaline and run!"
"What are YOU doing?!" Lucas shouted back.
"Making a terrible decision!"
"…WHAT?!"
Jemina turned toward Raisa.
"I need your help."
Raisa already looked exhausted.
"We practiced for this!"
"We practiced for TEN SECONDS!"
"It only needs to work once!"
The mantis burst free.
Trees exploded outward.
Its wings opened again.
It was preparing to fly.
"NOW!" Jemina shouted.
Raisa's eyes flashed.
The scales along her neck brightened violently as her gaze locked onto the mantis.
For one impossible moment,
stone spread across its body.
The creature froze mid-motion.
"JEMINA!" Raisa screamed.
Jemina reached for the connection immediately.
She pushed her will toward the mantis with everything she had.
For one breath,
she thought it might actually work.
Then the petrification shattered.
The mantis screeched.
And flew.
Straight upward.
But the parasite worm dangling from its abdomen suddenly coiled around Jemina.
"…Oh."
Wind exploded past her as the forest dropped away beneath them.
Far below,
Raisa's horrified scream echoed through the trees.
"JEMINAAAAAAA!!!"
The trees shrank beneath her.
The lodge became distant lights far below the canopy.
Cold wind slammed against her face hard enough to steal her breath.
Jemina looked down once.
Immediately regretted it.
"RAISA!!! SAVE ME!!!"