Gerald ascended above the brush with the weakly struggling bug in hand. The creature squirmed in his grip, but was ultimately unable to do anything with how he held at the base of one of its leg joints.

Its forearms that seemed to be more dexterous than its other limbs but just a soft as the rest of its paper-thin exoskeleton proved to be just as useless in fending him off. The creature was unable to reach sideways displaying how it did not have very much in regards to the range of movement in whatever constituted as it’s shoulder joint for its forelimbs.

But having some sort of dexterous and utility-based workable limb is still better than just having claws or hooves in his opinion.

Plus Gerald wasn’t worried about the wee arms that ended in a three finger joint of which seemed too weak to even give him a soft pinch. He was more concerned with finding his way back.

Well maybe he was slightly concerned now he thought about it, his jewels had recently been on the receiving end of some abuse after all.

So instead of holding it by his side, he lifted it up and away at arm’s length.

The creature could only respond by hissing whilst opening and closing its mandibles weakly in protest as the fairy turned around in the air to get his bearings.

“Now which way did’ah come from?” he mumbled to himself whilst scanning the cave wall nearest to him.

Soon enough he found what he was looking for as spotted the obvious little nook up by the ceiling that was emanating a plethora of colours. It wasn’t really small considering the entrance could’ve fit three men side by side and the glowing colours concerned Gerald a bit.

For if it seemed like a beacon to him, then it would sure as shit look just the same for unwanted visitors.

Better tell ta kiddo to tone down on ta pinks and greens and stick to ta blue and purples, Gerald thought as he started flying towards the entrance to Silky’s dungeon.

As he was about to fly into the mouth of the alcove, he couldn’t help but notice a certain little shape in the darkness below with a few fronds waving about. Little black wavy tentacles that seemed even longer than before.

You lucky little shite.

But all thoughts were quickly pushed aside as Gerald gasped in shock as he fly closer.

It was as if he lived his whole life in the desert and now he had just smacked his wet lips and taken in his first cool breath after a refreshing cold drink.

He could literally taste the mana density inside Silky compared to weaker ambient levels outside.

This isnae good at all, if I can feel it this much then I ken that this is literally blood in the water for things that can sense it.

In his hands the grub started twitching as pale blue and black spots started to appear below its shell before fading away. The creature’s mouth also started to foam as it displayed the usual signs of acute mana poisoning. It was too underleveled and too weak to be saturated in such a area of such higher mana density. A problem that wouldn’t concern Gerald at all the slightest. Not by a long shot yet anyways.

Well if it dies its dies, I’ve got more things to worry about, thought Gerald before flying in to look for Silky who was situated somewhere in the back of the cave.

The mushrooms that were slightly bigger than him and seemed large before, now absolutely dwarfed the Fairy as if they had been growing for years rather than the hour he had been away for. The caps of each were of different shapes and sizes with some wide-rimmed squat looking toadstools and thin towering funguses. But all of them sharped common ground in how they were giving off lights that glowed in different colours. One in particular mushroom-tree even having a band of flashing black along its pink stem.

He wasn’t sure if these were just mutated and jacked-up normal mushrooms or mutated mana-shrooms. But at the end of the day the origins of these things didn’t really bother him.

What did bother him slightly was how it was akin to being in a psychedelic trip just coming into the cave, but Gerald knew better. He had just refruited recently and was free of all poisons and toxins after all.

He flew for a few moments whilst swerving between looming shrooms before a sense of displacement kicked in.

It wasna this big in here before was it? He wondered even as he avoided some frilling overhang from the cap of a mushroom that looked like vines.

Oh hey mister Gerald, look what I made! Silky greeted him as soon as he saw the floating little green gem that was tucked away right in deepest corner.

Beside the gem was still his bush just like he had left it but something was definitely up.

It had taken him not even a minute to walk across the length of whole cave before, yet now it took him nearly the same time whilst flying.

But Gerald put the thoughts of dungeon fuckery aside for more important matters.

“Kiddo we’ve got a problem, you’ve got to stop whatever it is you’re doing,” he stated bluntly before chucking the bug forwards. The creature thumping upon the floor a few paces away from Silky.

Ohh a present! And what do you mean mister Gerald? Are you not happy with what I done with the place? Silky asked before the little green gem tilted downwards to focus towards the creature on the floor.

“Oh I fucking love what ya did with ta place kiddo, that’s if you plan to gee’ everybody who comes here a fucking headache,” he replied whilst gesturing at some funky mushroom trees. “What I meant was that your growing too fast kid, take the mana down a notch considering ya don’t even have defences yet.”

But I have mister Gerald and Lorry.

“Kid I’m not the sharpest shiv in the yard and I’ve got to sleep sometimes,” Gerald replied. His attention now taken by the bug on the floor.

For the previously blue and black tiny splotches from the mana poisoning that had marred its exoskeleton was now completely replaced by a growing big green carpet that was slowly taking over its shell. It had appeared from nowhere and was now completely engulfing the entirety of the bug.

When it did, the creature’s legs sickeningly bent back into shape with some squelching and cracking noises as the creature lay there still as a corpse.

The green colour then disappeared with a slight “pop” before leaving a slightly metallic smell in Gerald’s nose.

Then as if nothing had happened, the bug stretched out its legs one by one whilst it waved its arms about as if doing its morning routine. It then abruptly stood up and off into the mushroom-trees it trotted before it was quickly out of sight.

“What the fuck was that?” whispered Gerald.

I took it over mister Gerald, now it’s mine I just told it to go off and just be itself and play.

“What the fuck do ya mean.. be itself? Looks like it was off to buy a fucking pint of milk!” Gerald shouted in confusion.

But something started to irk him.

I just fixed everything that was wrong with it and gave it more mana, so I guess it should get even better soon on its own. I just wished it had friends to play with, because Lorry is just to big for them to play together. Replied Silky sadly as if she hadn’t just subsumed a creature, healed all of its injuries before supercharging it mana and sending off on its merry way.

There it is! Who the fuck is Lorry? Gerald thought to himself before asking the very same thing.

“Kid who the fuck is this Lorry ya speak of?”

He’s my friend, I made him. Hee Hee.

“You made a friend?” Gerald asked whilst wondering what the fuck was going on.

“And where is this Lorry?” he asked even as he already knew the answer.

HEHEHe, behind you mister Gerald!

He turned around and sure enough, Lorry was behind him.

It was a creamy-coloured hulking figure of purely juiced up mushroom that loomed over him. Two small downward-drooping folds in its skin serving as eyes, staring down on him from below its wide-brimmed orange cap without any expression he could read. On its side were arms that were like tree trunks of which ended in four stubby fingered hands, which distressingly were somehow stained with a dirt that even more confusing yet, was how it looked awfully like blood. The only thing it had going for it was two stubby feet but even they, were stained with the same dirt.

It looked like it was upset and tired just as it was about to murder you by default.

Gerald wasn’t scared at all, he was actually quite surprised.

“Kiddo you made a fucking ToadShrool? From just spores one someone’s shoes?” he asked in surprise.

You like Lorry? Silky asked with glee.

“Aye I fucking love it, we’ve got something to protect you whilst I’m away now and if ya can whip up some more then that would be great. But we do have a wee problem thou.”

What is it mister Gerald? I thought you liked Lorry?

“I do love it kiddo, but normal Shrools are Silver ranked and near gold but more importantly… is how they’re ten foot tall. You’re Lorry is a two foot midget,” replied Gerald with a giggle that sounded like a wheezing bagpie before walking up to pat the monster by the leg.

To him its flesh was tough as realms yet with a slightly soft texture due to being a fungiloid monster.

“But we can work with this brick shithouse, aye.. realms we can even make it your boss if gets strong enough,” he stated with a satisfied nod whilst walking around Lorry to inspect it.

Jeff.

“Jeff what?” Gerald asked in confusion before coming to a stop beside the hulking Shrool.

Lorry’s new little friend is going to be called Jeff, Silky replied innocently as if it was the most understandable thing in the world.

“Who the fuck is Jeff kid?” Gerald asked as his confusion evolved to contain an extra pinch of befuddlement.

Did you forget already? YOU brought Jeff here mister Gerald, why you are you so silly? Heehee!