Chapter 165 - 161: A Mushroom Meeting

Chapter 165: Chapter 161: A Mushroom Meeting

My eyes flutter open.

I’m in the suite in the beast housing, sleeping next to Lightning and the cubs. Yet I am also awake. Dream? Astral projection?

The Mushroom Man perches in front of me, with a beatific smile. [Shall you wake up your brother? And your mate?]

I blink. [Don’t they need their rest for tomorrow?]

No one else seems to detect him. His outline looks like a hologram, all shimmery. I’m betting that only people who know about System’s true nature can sense him.

[Oh, I promise, you’ll all have more than enough energy in the morning for the final contest. Do wake them up, if you please.]

Since I trust him, I nudge Lightning awake. Blinking, Lightning slowly comes awake, her eyes adjusting to the sight of the fungi-smelling apparition in the room. [Oh. Am I dreaming?]

[No. And we’re about to have a nice late-night chat. Hang on.]

I message Lobo privately, and he is able to come to us within minutes. He’s able to slip out of Minette’s and Lamant’s room and into our room without Minette and Lamant wake up.

[Well, look who’s back. I didn’t know if we’d see you again before the final battle.] Lobo gazes at Mushroom Man respectfully. [I thought you had gone underground.]

[Underground but ever-present, like water or dirt or the roots of a tree.] Mushroom Man winks. [I am everywhere. Older than System, as I hinted. I am eternal. My, that sounds grandiose, doesn’t it? But I am eternal.]

Lightning purrs. [It is grandiose, and good for you. If you are eternal, then own it.]

Lobo’s eyes sharpen. [But you didn’t come here just for a chat.]

Mushroom man’s elfin ears wiggle. [Nothing gets past you. On the other hand, a friendly chat with no pressure is just what the three of you need. Tomorrow...well, I needn’t remind you about what happens tomorrow.]

[No.] I wiggle my ears. [We know. That’s why we’re certain you didn’t just come here for a cozy visit. So, tell us. What’s on your mind?]

Mushroom Man floats, sitting on a holographic and slightly trippy mushroom, reminiscent of the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland. [The fate of both worlds rests on you three. And your helpers as well.]

[Both worlds?] I’m suddenly interested.

This may be a video game world, but it is also a parallel universe. It’s a real place in its own right. I haven’t thought much about what will happen to it once we leave (and delete/block the game from our devices.)

Mushroom Man hovers. [This world existed before System, as you know. Oh, in its current form, it is very much a System creation, but it is its own dimension.]

Lightning offers a "mrrrp," slightly underwhelmed. [I don’t care about that! I just want to be back in our world.]

Lobo woofs. [Me, too. However, if this world still thrives after we win, I’m happy for them.]

[It will thrive because your world will thrive. The two need each other. The two are connected.] Mushroom Man has that wise mentor wizard energy. [You all may not wish to visit here anymore, to play the game on your devices, but others will. Especially after this tournament has gained so much fame from your streams.]

I’m amused by the modern words coming from him. He’s definitely an ancient being from another world. [Streaming. It’s called streaming. And yes, I imagine this world has just become more popular with our people.]

Lightning licks her paw, bathing herself. [System likes to think it engineered the public tournament live-streamed online, that’s a sort of technology, but you planted the idea in its brain, didn’t you?]

Mushroom Man reaches out. [May I scratch behind your ears?]

Lightning bumps his hand with her nose. [Be my guest.]

Scratching her ears, Mushroom Man looks genuinely happy. I vastly prefer him to System, naturally. [Yes, I had a hand in arranging the public defeat of this cunning adversary. This villain that has grossly overestimated its own cleverness.]

I’m antsy. [Should we be underestimating System?]

Suddenly serious, Mushroom Man hovers over us. [No. You ask an excellent question. We should NEVER underestimate the enemy. It is insidious and knows your weaknesses. But remember, you are stronger precisely because you are vulnerable!]

[That’s not a new concept.] Lightning sits up now. [Our vulnerability as our strength? People have been talking about that for centuries. Even more so in the modern era.]

I twitch my ears. [My vulnerability would have saved me from a heart attack, maybe.]

[Perhaps. But as one of your Earth sayings would have it, "No pain, no gain."] Mushroom Man is earnest. [My friends, you are cheering me on the eve of battle.]

Lobo woofs. [Glad to help. Can you reassure us that we’re going to win?]

Lightning flicks her tail at him. [We just talked about not underestimating System!]

Lobo gnashes his teeth. [Saying that we’ll win is not the same thing! Otherwise, football and soccer teams that say "Team" and talk about victory could be called overconfident. I’m asking for a boost to our confidence.]

[You will win.]

At Mushroom Man’s words, we fall silent, full of gratitude and awe.

[Thank you.] Lobo nuzzles the holographic cloud.

Lightning licks it. [You’ve cheered us up.]

I rub up against Mushroom Man. [Yes, we can sleep better tonight.]

Mushroom Man sighs happily. [Oh, this is incredible. I haven’t gotten hugs and cuddles in centuries. I’m chuffed. I will miss you when you depart this realm.]

We all share a moment of affection. Mushroom Man is proof that this realm can be good. Actually, I have proof already. Kaline and her family, Elandior and Hans, Maartenwitz, Tomas, Kasz, Dag, and others are all good. They are NPCs in the game, but they are real people in this realm. They deserve better than to be controlled by System.

Lightning’s tail waves in the air. [Any final warnings? Information? Helpful hints? Sage advice?]

In answer, a shimmering scroll appears in a flash of light in front of Mushroom Man. Of course, it looks like one of the in-game scrolls. We read it with intense concentration.

[THE SEVEN SECRETS OF A FINAL TOURNAMENT WIN]

1. Trust your teammates.

2. Remember hippogriff weaknesses.

3. Don’t be afraid of self-sacrifice.

4. Conserve your power until the right time.

5. Remember unity and coming together.

6. Keep the best of the human and the beast within you.

7. Watch out for System’s ultimate surprise in the tournament.]

I utter a quizzical "mrrp" in response. [Ultimate surprise? Is that its final trap? Is System the Final Boss and will it show up at a critical moment?]

[As they say in your world, Eureka!] Mushroom Man smiles brilliantly. [I cannot say what System will do because it’s unpredictable, but it will make itself known during the battle. So, be prepared. Again, I can’t say how it will try to trap you...]

Lobo wags his tail reassuringly. [You’ve given us all that we need.]

I can’t resist a joke. [Everything except sleep.]

The scroll neatly goes into my Arsenal. [Won’t System see?] I ask.

Mushroom Man is unperturbed. [Yes. But you should all have the scroll in your Arsenals. Secrecy is finished.]

Mollified, Lightning and Lobo accept the scroll, which becomes part of each of their Arsenals.

[Well done, my friends. And now, I leave you with one final gift on the eve of battle.] Mushroom Man lays his hands on each of our heads, offering a blessing. The warm shot of affection and energy from his touch makes me drowsy again, and I purr goodnight.

Slowly, Mushroom Man’s holographic form dissolves into mushroom-colored mist and fog, then vanishes altogether. After his departure, my eyelids droop and I curl up beside Lobo, Lightning, and the cubs.

Lobo yawns. [As a pep talk, and spiritual counseling, that did the trick. I need some shut-eye.] He slips out of the room.

Lightning closes her eyes. [Mushroom Man...I wish we’d met him earlier.]

I’m too tired to do more than offer a purr of agreement. Now, I can sleep. In the quiet, with Kaline and Hans snoring in Kaline’s room, and with Lightning and the cubs snuggled against me, I can finally rest.

Tomorrow will bring the final reckoning. Tomorrow, we’ll learn what hidden surprise System has been holding in reserve. Tomorrow, maybe all of Tanglewood will rise up. Mushroom Man’s scroll did say, "Remember unity and coming together." That may be the key.

If System threatens us and our lives and our souls, maybe we can rally everyone in Tanglewood to our cause, and all their players too. Yes. This is more than a game. More than a realm. It’s about the connections between the two universes. Save one and you save the other. Now, i have my mission. That is, Amber, Damon, and I have our mission.

Working all this out is tiring. I definitely need sleep now. At peace with tomorrow, I slowly drift into a peaceful sleep.