Passing through two sets of doors that slid open at their approach, they stepped into an underground jungle. Strange fibrous plants, their shapes reminiscent of trees, dominated the landscape. Around them were countless varieties of succulents and mosses. It was like nothing Kano had ever seen before. Where had they gotten all these plants? She hadn’t thought there were any left alive on the planet—no natural ones, at least. These didn’t look nearly so unnatural as the flower Yon had shown her. Then again, maybe she was just forgetting.

“Nove, do you remember seeing anything like this? Any natural plants that are still alive?”

“Huh?” Nove looked away from the jungle around them to Kano. “Uh, no, not really. Nothing of this scale. I have seen a plant or two around. And there are still plenty of molds and such out there.”

It might very well be her own faulty memory, then, but either way, Kano was tired of thinking about it. They weren’t here for plants. The air was warm and heavy with a strong aroma of decaying plant matter. Nothing like the village’s still, sterile air. Kano turned back to her guide. “What on earth is this place?”

“This is the conservatory. We come here to gather plants for the master.”

“Why?”

Thirty-Six blinked. “Because he wishes it to be so. Once he deems someone to have gathered enough, he whisks them away to live in his palace beneath the ground.”

“What’s his palace like?” Nove asked from the back.

“No one knows,” Thirty-Six said. “Those he takes never return. But it is said they live out the rest of their days in blissful service to the master himself. It is the greatest wish of all the children.”

Children? Kano felt like she’d heard the word before, but she couldn’t recall what it meant. “What’re these children?”

Thirty-Six put their hand to their chest. “We are the children of the master, his precious creations. Made in his own image.”

It seemed only further evidence of misdeeds. To spread such ugliness… He must want his creations to be as miserable as he was. That or he was so delusional that he wasn’t even aware of how hideous he was.

“How far is it to the other side?” Kano asked.

“It’s a long walk,” Thirty-Six said, “but we should be able to make it there before the other children start work.”

They followed their diminutive guide through the dense formation of false trees. Due to the narrow confines of the tunnel, it was impossible to get lost, but Thirty-Six took them along the easiest route. After they’d left the entrance far behind, Thirty-Six stopped.

“Strange…” they muttered.

Kano looked around. There didn’t seem to be anything unusual about their surroundings. At least, no more so than the rest of the jungle. Was there something she wasn’t seeing? “What is?”

“Normally when we go this far in, we get attacked by monsters. They took at least two of us last shift. But traveling with you… we haven’t even heard one.”

“Why do you come this far if there’re these terrible monsters around?” Nove asked.

Thirty-Six shrugged. “There’s more of the plants we gather farther in. And the ones near the entrance get picked pretty quickly, so there’s not much choice if you want to meet your quota.”

It didn’t matter much to Kano; she wasn’t the slightest bit worried about whatever creatures hunted these children, but something seemed odd to her. “Shouldn’t you have told us about these things before we came here?”

“Why?”

“You or Urick could have been hurt if they attacked us by surprise. Maybe even Nove.”

“I don’t understand.”

Kano was wondering how best to break it down so that even a moron could understand when she realized what Thirty-Six meant. They saw no reason to warn her or the others of danger even if it meant putting their own life at risk. Kano resolved to keep an eye on Thirty-Six. They may not be as harmless as she’d assumed. They continued onward.

Struggling their way through a thicket, where Nove had all but torn off the fibrous plants out of the ground, the surrounding vegetation thinned. They emerged from the jungle in full view of a man dressed in khaki and sitting on a folding chair. Despite his considerable paunch, he leapt to his feet with the grace of a younger man. Stammering, he seemed at a loss for words as he took in the odd collection of individuals before him.

Kano leaned over to Thirty-Six. “Who’s this, then? I’m guessing he isn’t the master.”

Thirty-Six shook their head. “I don’t know who he is… but he’s definitely not the master.”

“And who exactly are you people?” he demanded, having heard every word.

Standing up straighter, Kano puffed out her chest. “I am the savior of… this place, and these are my followers. We have come seeking the master so we might put an end to his evil.”

“Oh.” Backing away, he licked his lips.

“Uhh… as you were, then. Don’t mind me.”

Wasn’t he one of necromancer’s minions? “Aren’t you going to stop us?” Kano asked.

“No, no, it’s fine. Go right on ahead. I don’t have any problem with it.”

Giving them a nod and a feeble attempt at a smile, the man sat back down.

“Are we seriously just going to ignore this guy?” Urick asked.

Kano shrugged. “Why not? If he’s not going to stop us, then he can sit there forever for all I care.”

After leaving him behind, they arrived at the edge of the jungle, and Kano heard a long, high-pitched whistle. The way it pierced through her was enough to give Kano a headache. She spun around and glimpsed the fat man through the not-trees. He was sprinting back the way they’d come. What was he trying to pull?

A throaty bellow erupted from beyond the jungle ahead of them. The call was echoed by a multitude of unseen creatures until the air practically shook with the intensity of the sound. Even with her hands over her ears, the sound reverberated throughout her body. Then, just as abruptly as it had begun, the sound died away to be replaced by the sound of large bodies pushing their way through the foliage.

“I’m guessing these are the monsters you mentioned,” Kano said, unimpressed. It didn’t matter how loud they were, they’d die all the same.

“Yes. It sounds like there’s quite a lot of them.”

Loosening her shoulders, Kano said, “Then let me give you a demonstration of how amazing I am. Whatever these things are, they’re nothing compared to me.”

The creatures stomped their way through the moss toward the group. Stout, muscular bodies with brown hides emerged from among the plants. There looked to be at least a dozen, each sporting a wide, tooth-filled maw. Spotting Kano, they charged. The sound of it echoed through the tunnel, a wave of noise preceding the surging tide of beasts. Mouth stretched wide as if it meant to swallow her whole, the first of them bore down on Kano.

She held her ground and waited until the last second, when the jaws were snapping shut on her. The sharp teeth met her force-field-covered hand, and she cut through most of its head, leaving a bleeding stump. Running at either side of her, two more tried to circumvent her. They dropped to the ground twitching as she dug into their backs and sheared through their spinal cords.

For all that it mattered, the creatures may as well have been standing still rather than running as she scythed through their ranks with her bare hands. When the last of them lay torn and bloodied on the ground, she dropped her field and walked back to Thirty-Six. “Now do you see how amazing I am?”

Mouth open, they tore their eyes away from the carnage and looked up at Kano. “You’re very strong. But… the guardians will… still stop you…”

There was still some doubt in them, but Kano could see that they were coming around. Once she’d dealt with these guardians, whatever they were, Thirty-Six would be hers. The actual usefulness of another follower, particularly one like Thirty-Six, was minimal, but it was more the principle of the thing. All should recognize her greatness. Happy to be free of the jungle at last, Kano entered the set of identical doors that marked the end.