“That woman is so…” Ugh! I don't get what her deal is. Chrysanthemum is so frustrating. She didn’t ask for anything other than what we were going to do anyways, but now we were getting paid for it. Something is going on. There is not even an inkling of a possibility she isn’t planning something. I can't fathom why she is helping us. I know she has his best interest in mind, so if I think from that angle, I could possibly deduce what Sam is scheming. Who am I kidding, I should just focus on the mission. Sam is a beast that is out of my league. The little creep.

“Are you talking about Sam Colon? She is so pretty! I wonder who does her hair. It screams business, but you can tell she cares about her looks. She was so interesting! I had heard a lot about her since she went AWOL, I’m glad I got to finally meet her,” Meagan said from my side; the three adventurers were walking in front of us. I ignored Meagan and returned to my thoughts. A mistake I had not made in quite some time.

The tanned gentleman, attractive in a boy-next-door sort of way, turned ever so slightly in our direction. He was not the best at being discreet. I believe his name was Khalid? Khalil? It was something with a kha sound. That meeting was a haze. After Chrysanthemum debriefed us, and we all accepted, we decided to skip the meal. Meagan says the adventurers stayed and had an interesting discussion about us. Oh well, it is no concern of mine, they are but children. I have never thought of it before, but I guess there was bound to be a few generations born after Start.

We had two days to prepare before our two parties regrouped, and then departed. Our group left earlier than the allotted time. We had a map of the general area we were to investigate. We were looking for the whereabouts of two multi-system users. I have theories of who they are, my leading one being a Figment who somehow escaped. Maybe they trapped the Warden’s mind, somehow using it to escape. I am unsure what that would entail, but it is a possibility.

I returned to my original train of thought. Since we already had the information on the quest, our two parties decided to get a head start. Meagan and I had obvious reasons, the adventurers were clearly after the finders bonus. There was also the benefit of avoiding travelling with more strangers. I would already hate to silence the three adventurers if they discover anything… untoward. A group of people would be far less pleasant.

So here I find myself, following the whims of that vixen. I remember when she was adorable, but no, now she’s a conniving little bi—

“Hey Justine, is your name really Justinia?”

“Meagan.”

“Yes, Justinia?”

“How much do you love your life?”

“That girl is so…” Yuclaus mumbled to himself over a clouded pond. How is it possible she can just eat? Like yes, people can eat, but without having ever eaten before? Here I was, preparing to be supporting, helpful, getting some Sen credits. But instead, she not only eats with perfect poise and cleanliness, but is a natural chef. Life is truly bright for the gifted.

“Sorry Yu, I think I heard grumbling over there? I can send more Salamanders if you are too bored. I’m sure with the added pressure, you will be able to focus better. Maybe you can do that lightning thing again,” Isencia said from above him, vines travelling from her to nearby trees. It seemed she somehow controlled the environment like a puppeteer. He was excited for their discussion after the training. It would be nice to understand Isencia’s abilities, and for her to help him with his own. They could even improve their mindscapes, gaining even more of an advantage. If they were being hunted for it, they might as well use it.

It was a challenge for Yuclaus to continue to treat this as reality. The ephemeral and illusory qualities it had was a constant challenge on his psyche. One thing kept him serious however: whether Sen was real or not is unknown, but if he eventually left a real person in a real world in a horrible situation, he would not forgive himself. It caused no harm to himself if he treated this as a real world, but all the harm if he were to do otherwise and be proven wrong.

“Sen, go back to the old you, I miss the quiet nymph,” Yuclaus grumbled to himself. He regretted it immediately after.

“I can do that, but the odds of you surviving these waves without my help would not be high. I don’t even get what you're complaining about, this is easy.” For once, the nymph was right. After Yuclaus had returned to Gourami —who was left in the pond overnight— he had regained his lofty position, and conducted the symphony of death once more, with Isencia leading the tune. Since then, the sun had risen halfway to Overcast —what Isencia called the midday siesta. The plan was to go either until Overcast or “until I say so” as Isencia put it.

They had started with testing the capabilities of the lightning. Yuclaus had a vague suspicion of how it had become electricity instead of fire. Mainly, that he gave his Soul Spore an absurd amount of electrical equipment. A choice he mildly regretted as he probably could have charged his phone now. That raised another possibility Cause forgot: he never checked if his phone got service. He was about to complain loudly about it, but realized he was in a fantasy world. What was the use of the five saved songs on his phone, the empty contact list, and a depressing amount of phone games, when he could literally control a massive electric tumbleweed. A fair trade in his eyes.

He had discussed his theory with Isencia, and cemented it with the concept of a tesla lighter. He believed that the electric components merged with the first addition, creating a tumbleweed with the capabilities of an electric lighter. When hearing this, Sen told him that it was a high possibility. She said the lighter was already interesting and she would love him to describe the tesla one in their future discussions. The same went for the possible evolutions of his Spore. Yuclaus was getting antsy constantly putting off these important topics.

Nonetheless, they tested the duration of the electric current being discharged into the pond at the maximum voltage. They discovered at this point, the sparks would start jumping visibly about, like the night prior. Sen would then send more amphibians once the current and electrolysis had ceased. Yuclaus would then play tower defense until Gourami was done charging. They went on to test various voltages and root control methods. Isencia didn’t understand voltage at first, but that was short lived. You know, as I watched this all play out, I became quite insecure. Like c’mon! Leave some skill for the rest of us!

As they were experimenting, Isencia mentioned that she believed the duration of his electrical discharge was increasing. Yuclaus didn’t notice a difference, but it was best not to question the nymph. She was still a little annoyed at him after all. Other than understanding the electrical output, Yuclaus enjoyed controlling the roots.

Their control at first was subconscious, but as he was recharging Gourami, Cause further dove into their manipulation. The more he commanded the three-hundred and five roots —yes that was the exact number— the more they felt like additional limbs. Limbs that could smell and feel. The roots allowed Yuclaus to take advantage of their two natural senses. The first was an olfactory sense that reminded Yuclaus of sharks. The roots intrinsically knew when there was an animal in the water, causing them to rush to devour it. That was without control; with control, Yuclaus could pinpoint any creature in the pond. At least, he should be able to.

Yuclaus and Isencia had realized that the reason Gourami wouldn’t attack without clear direction, was because the half-plant makeup of the salamanders disguised their scent. Their disguise made them seem like fellow roots guarding the water. It was hard to manage so many limbs; it was only understandable Gourami got confused. It is not its fault. Gourami is a good mangrove.

That was where control and the second sense shored up the weakness of the first. The roots could sense currents in the water, in both senses of the word. The leaves they covered themselves with, flowed ever so slightly due to currents. They also managed to detect the flow of the electric current during the discharges. Using these senses, Yuclaus decided to test himself as his connection with Gourami furthered. He closed his eyes, and using the roots tried to find the salamanders as they approached.

It was like a game of Polo Marco. When you got close enough to someone in the pool, you could feel a slight swish of water. They would quietly, or not so quietly try to swim away. You would follow that movement, changing course whenever it got stronger or weaker. In this way, Yuclaus would attempt to find the… creatures. He forgot what Isencia called them. The real challenge came in managing the limbs in a coherent way so that he was chasing the enemies rather than himself. If only there was a convenient way he could program various general commands into Gourami, allowing him to treat the roots like a top down RTS. That would be nice.

So their training continued. Soon the sun started to cross behind the center planet named Overcast, after the Overcast —these naming schemes were frustrating— Isencia decided it was time.

“Great job Yu. That is all the salamanders in the forest,” she said, descending to stand next to him. Yuclaus couldn’t help but notice every time how short she was. Luckily, the talented, powerful, forest-controlling nymph did not hear his thoughts.

“Wait. Did you say ‘all’ the salamanders?” Yuclaus must’ve heard wrong. The Environ who stopped him in anger from killing the last of the monkeys would not stoop to the same level. Impossible.

“Mhm. All of the ones in this forest at least. I'm sure there are more somewhere in the world.”

“Sen… I don't even know how to respond. So, let me get this straight. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

“Go on,” Isencia narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. Unfortunately, regrettably, woefully, Yuclaus did not notice.

“So you got mad at me for killing off almost all the Earthen Primates, yet you can just go butchering plant amphibians? That’s double standards.”

“No, Yuclaus,” the very same gentleman was clued into Isencia’s wrath at the mention of his full name, “I was mad because you not only destroyed my brother’s experiment, you chose a disgusting abomination of a Soul Spore, went on an insane killing spree, ignored my wishes notifying all the Stolon of your existence, and laughed maniacally at me as Mother was watching.”

“...”

“...”

“Touché.” Rome was not built in a day, neither was Yuclaus’ new self. Luckily, Isencia, the saint she is, had the discernment of a psychologist. She knew Yuclaus understood. She was not going to get upset. There were other ways to help him understand how stupid he was. Cause may not have known all of this, but he knew his response was likely not beneficial to himself. Yuclaus looked for a distraction, and behold, one arrived.

“Hey Sen,” he said to the irate Environ who somehow looked down at him, though she was significantly smaller, “do you see that haze over there?” Yuclaus pointed at the corpse of a salamander that was resting on the network of branches right above the water. There was a gentle shimmering just like during the slau—assault on the Earthen Primates. Isencia dropped the subject. They both knew she was in the right. They moved on.

“What haze?”

“If you would be so kind as to lower us to that body, I want to test something,” and so vines carried the two downwards. They alighted next to it, and the distortion became even more obvious to Yuclaus. The same occurrence happened with Isencia.

“Now that we are closer, I do notice a...shimmering. What is that?”

“Were you watching me the whole time during the monkey fiasco?”

“Mhm. In a sense.”

“Do you remember me taking something from a corpse?”

“Mhm.”

“I am fairly certain we can somehow harvest memories from dead creatures.”

“Hm. I am hesitant to try it Yu. It would be a risk. The way it was told to me, I am unsure if this is included in the warning. It felt more like the act of you ripping them out was more important than the memories themselves.”

“Sen, according to you, they already know we are in the forest, worst case it would help us, and lead them away from your family.”

“Ok, we can try. How did you get the memory?”

“I just kind of grabbed at the air.” Isencia walked over to the haze, and grabbed at it. Nothing happened.

“Are you sure Yu? You aren’t being petty are you?”

“Sen. What do I look like to you—nevermind. No, I’m not.” The nymph continued to claw at the air a few more times, before she decided to try something else. She put her hand on the salamander’s head, the source of the haze, then closed her eyes. In a few moments, the haze was gone. Isencia stood up before looking at him. The slightest notion of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense Sen,” in response, a circular gem appeared in Isencia’s hand. It was small, maybe the size of a marble. It shimmered with the warmth of a forest, an emerald swaying in the wind. The gem was different from those that normally occupied the mindscape. Typically, Yuclaus noticed his memories were more like rough crystals, similar to amethyst or the inside of geodes. The only other circular one was that strange purple one that was significantly larger. He should show it to Isencia tonight.

“Instead of grabbing at the air, I tried to recreate the intake of memories that happens when you crush a gem. Rather than crushing the fragment, I imagined the head was a source of memories. I arrived in my mindscape with this circular gem in hand. I think I can put it in one of the slots, but we should wait until we get back to camp before we test.” Yuclaus, deep down, was a little happy that she couldn’t acquire the memory gem at first. That self-satisfaction was soon wiped away by Sen’s overwhelming competence and ingenuity. What Isencia said did remind Yuclaus that he never checked the memories he stole from the primates. Sen started to wrap Yuclaus in vines —their preferred transport method— when Cause stopped her.

“Wait, I want to try something,” Isencia looked at him, expressionless, before setting him down. “Is there another salamander that you killed?”

“Yeah, over by the shore, I thought it was a little too big.”

“Can you take us there?” Isencia nodded once, before carrying the two over the body of water. They were leaving Gourami in the pond at Isencia’s request. As they disembarked upon the shore, both saw a significantly larger amphibian laying a fair distance from the water. Yuclaus could probably stop it. On a good day. With a few hundred more roots. Imagine a mystical dragon, but instead of a dragon it was a massive salamander with thousands of thorns adorning its back. Once again there was a haze that they both noticed.

“I'm wondering if I can withdraw the memory from something you’ve killed.” Sen looked at him, confused by his reasoning.

“Why would who killed it change anything?”

“Sen, humor my weirdness.” He took her lack of response as an assent, and walked towards the corpse with trepidation. Isencia definitely killed it. I am fine. Grab the air Yuclaus, grab the air. Grab he did, and immediately a golf ball sized, circular gem adorned his palm. If the one Isencia got was iridescent, his was lustrous. It gave off a light that illuminated his palm, the shadows of thorny vines weaving across it. He crushed it, feeling an unfamiliar surge flow into his mind. It felt… practical for lack of a better word.

The sense he got from his and Isencia’s memories were far more artistic than this one. While those screamed of life, and told a story, this memory felt straight to the point. It was like comparing fiction to a scientific report. Yuclaus got a vague sense of attributes, talents, skills, a description of the properties of the gem. The life it once held. Yet there were no memories gained. He withdrew it from his mindscape, before offering it to the nymph alongside a question.

“Sen, when you absorbed that first circular gem, did you get any of the salamander's memories?”

“Hm? I did why? Did you not? How fun,” hearing Sen say energetic phrases with a lack of animation was always an interesting experience. She held out her left hand, and Yuclaus dropped the new fragment into her grasp.

“Squeeze it, I’m curious if it reacts the same with you.” Sen looked at Yuclaus, face expressionless, but he got the vague sense of a shrug. Don’t ask how, it makes sense if you don't think about it. Magic.

Sen crushed the gem. She withdrew it. She crushed once more. Withdrew it a second time. At the seventh repetition, she paused.

“You’re right, it feels… emptier. I didn’t get any memories or emotions. I can still get a vague sense of the gem but it is far more… professional.” The two went deep in thought. They would have stood there for hours, bouncing ideas back and forth, but Yuclaus remembered his whole point of investigating this body.

“Well, at least we know there is no loot distribution. It is kind of broken but I guess it is good for us.”

Isencia looked at the man with pity. Then again, Isencia never expressed emotions on her face. Yuclaus must have seen wrong.