Published at 16th of February 2024 2:25 pm

Chapter 2.59 Fuelled By Fire

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

The chaos was much greater and more magnificent than Nox anticipated. It wasn’t a small fraction of guests that reacted with magic to quell the supposed threat. Instead, it was closer to half. Fireballs, lightning bolts, icicles, chunks of stone, and miscellaneous arcane projectiles struck the still-growing mass of fungi.

The mushrooms burned, froze, cracked, and turned to dust. Then, more of the same replaced it. Summons joined the fray, attacking the swelling flesh, but had little impact. The growth accelerated with every passing second. Before long, the mushrooms were spreading before the mages could destroy them.

Meanwhile, panicked guests ran in every direction. Many spilled out of the ballroom and side doors, looking worse for wear. Their clothes and hair appeared disheveled. Many had food or some beverage spilled down their front. Nox guessed the fungus had grown along the corridors and side rooms before it found the windows. Despite the distance, Nox could see thick tendrils of myconid flesh growing along the ballroom’s ceiling.

Things got even more chaotic when Harin’s uncle tried to help. He conjured giant flasks of luminous orange sludge out of thin air and threw them at the fungus. The glass shattered, releasing swarms of slime infused with fire essence. Instead of assaulting the myconid flesh, they dissolved into it and further accelerated growth. Fungi covered the entire wall above the garden shed within seconds. Then, it consumed the shed, too.

The chaos made it easy for Nox to watch and relish the damage. He especially looked out for the Singhs. It was challenging to keep an eye on them among the rushing bodies and flying spells.

All three of them appeared horrified. Harin and his father busied themselves more to keep mages from damaging their property than to contain myconid flesh. Only their uncle tried to fight it, but his alchemical bombs and the fireballs only made things worse. Nox was sure there were other Singhs in attendance, too. The younger members of the family likely fled with their mothers and nursemaids. Nox knew none of their faces, and he wouldn't recognize them if they were among the chaos. He almost felt bad for the innocent in their ranks. The fungus nearly made their homes unlivable. Then the mages trying to help completed the job Nox started.

Swati guided the half-brothers out of the Singh estate through a side exit. Guests and service staff crowded the streets around the Round Table. The quantity of city guardsmen among them grew as they distanced themselves from the property. Panicked citizens added to the chaos. The ever-growing myconid flesh hadn’t stopped at the Singh’s estate. The mages feeding it had made it grow onto the streets and toward neighboring buildings. It was like a monstrous fungal blob with meaty tendrils growing out of it.

Aria had instructions to leave following her scene. The Woodsons knew to go once the screaming began, too. Nox hoped Annabelle hadn’t stuck around either. People were more likely to die because of the panicking mages than the myconid flesh. He hadn’t seen any major injuries on the balcony or the gardens and hoped it was the same inside the building. He expected nothing worse than people getting trapped. The altered myconid would grow toward water and soil. Only stupid people who tried blocking the fungus with their bodies would risk death through suffocation.

Or so Nox hoped.

The trio headed further from the Round Table, away from Market Ring’s most affluent neighborhood. They passed jewelers and gem cutters Nox hadn’t seen before. Swati stopped outside a giant shop with spices, dried flowers, cured meats, and alien fabrics in the window. Swati took them down the side of the building and up a flight of stairs.

The woman pressed a finger to her lips as soon as they entered her home. She checked every room and corner before relaxing.

“What in Niddhogg’s vile taint was that?” She demanded. “An explosion or fire would’ve been better. You revived the damn myconids.”

“I did no such thing,” Nox replied. “Everything that’s happening now is their fault. The Singh’s mole stole incorrect spellforms and formulae with hidden purposes. Our gracious hosts overlooked the faults and used them anyway. To be fair, only my magic could’ve caused what happened. I only provided the correct stimuli.”

“You changed the fungus to grow exponentially when exposed to fire,” Louis commented. “That’s genius.” He burst out laughing but stopped when Swati glared at him. “Or mad. I can’t really tell.”

“In all fairness, the guests and Harin’s uncle made everything immeasurably worse. If only they remained calm.”

“You intended to manufacture chaos,” Swati said. “That was the point of all of this, wasn’t it? Do you know how much of a disaster this is going to cause?”

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“Relax. The fungus has limited growth potential. It won’t infinitely expand. My math suggests it’ll expand to the estate’s border and stop.”

“The fungi had moved well past the Round Table, Nox. It didn’t look like it was going to slow down. What about the spores?”

“Perhaps my math was wrong.” Nox shrugged. “The damage to them shouldn’t be too bad, and the spore sacs were inert. This was just life essence rampaging when exposed to heat. Tell you what. Removal might be a challenge, but I’ll be benevolent and do it free of charge. More importantly, this exposes House Singh’s activities. Harin’s uncle showed everyone they had my flame slime concoction—or a version of it, at least. And they just caused enough damage to make their property unlivable and unwanted. The locals will fear and hate them now. I doubt the guard or city council will be happy with the panic and alarm that’ll follow.”

“Why?” Swati frowned. “Why do all of this? It's a step too far, is it not? Sure, they stole and sabotaged your work, trying to slow you down. Don’t you think you went a step too far with the scale of your destruction?”

“A step too far?” All hint of humor left Nox. Nothing but glacial cold remained. “The Singhs hired thugs to steal my work or, failing that, burn down my home with me, my staff, and my friends in it. The Singhs were ready to murder for a blighted patent. Tell me, Swati. Do I owe them mercy or restraint?”

The Daksinsthani woman’s eyes widened. She stared at him, appearing torn and heartbroken. “No. I’m leaving the party for similar reasons. But it’s hard to just turn your back on people, you know? I grew up with Harin and his family. Our mothers are like sisters. As much as I hate the Singhs, there are a few people in the family I don’t want to see hurt.”

“Does that mean you’re going to tell them about our involvement?” Nox asked. “I’d like to think that we covered all of our bases, and you’re our only loose end.”

“No.” Swati sighed. “Take them for all you can. If the city council forces them out, they’ll have no choice but to return to Daksinsthan or, more likely, try their luck in the Imperium. There are quite a few Singhs running businesses within their borders. However, they have more recording wards than alarm wards. They might still find evidence to confirm what they suspect.”

“The myconid flesh stabilizes itself with mycelium as it expands. They should sufficiently damage the wards to cover us.” Nox grinned. “Either way, the Singhs need to reach the laboratory to study them. They’ll struggle to remove the myconids without damaging or destroying the Round Table.”

“Let me guess.” Swati’s eyes narrowed. “Only you have the means to kill the fungus without collateral damage.”

Louis burst out laughing as he smacked his brother’s shoulder. “Remind me never to get on your bad side again, brother.”

“May this serve as a warning to you and your kin,” Nox joked before returning his attention to Swati. “I need to return home. Mind if Louis stays here?”

“I should get back to campus,” Louis said. “Staying here is probably not a good idea.”

“It’s not safe out there, brother,” Nox said. “I’d take you home, but that’s probably not a good idea after the show we put on.”

“He’s right.” Swati placed a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “We sold a story. Might as well make it convincing for my parents when they get back.” She grinned sheepishly. “It won’t be the first time they’ve chanced on an unfortunate encounter.”

By Nox’s estimates, Swati was perhaps a year or two older than Louis. It would probably be moderately scandalous, given the Daksinsthani community. Hopefully, it made their scene more interesting and the alibi even more convincing. The pair had just started discussing their ruse when Nox departed. They appeared to find deception and pretend especially thrilling.

The streets were abuzz with activity. People ran from or toward the Round Table. Nox maintained a low profile as he jogged with the escapees. Most fled toward campus or Nobles Quarter. Nox followed the main market road to Ratra's Knightly Brews. He found the Woodsons and his staff looking concerned and out on the street, watching the scared people as they ran by.

“Sir Ratra!” Hilda waved as he approached. She appeared tired and terrified. “Is it true? Are there really myconids in the city?”

“It sure looked like it,” Nox replied. “It looks like the Singhs were conducting myconid research. They had an incomplete and faulty version of our flame slime concoction, too. Something went wrong. It's a mess around there.”

“Should we help?” Kishan asked. “I'm sure we have enough in our stores to—”

“No. Everybody get inside. Let's lock all our doors and check all wards.” Nox scanned his staff's faces as he spoke. He had already determined the mole's identity. Nox wanted to ensure that they didn't report to their employers and were alone. “I suspect foul play, and it's for the best if we all keep safe tonight. Alexander, can your squirrels keep watch?”

“Of course,” the younger Woodson siblings replied.

Nox was glad to see him and Caitlin safe. Her dress had ripped down the side, but they appeared unharmed.

“I hope you don't mind, but Joey is sleeping over,” she said. “He strained himself, trying to clear an exit.”

“Of course. I'm glad he got out, too. Things got far too wild and out of control.”

Lillin wasn't home, and she wouldn't be until morning. The mimic-woman had instructions to wait on the roofs across the street. Nox worried the Singhs would jump to conclusions and attack him or send people after him straight away. They probably wouldn't hold back or employ stealth. The contractor Queen Mercer hired for the shop was due to fix the window during the coming week. The plans and temporary wards wouldn't hold against a focused assault. Lillin would need to disable attackers and slow them until the guards arrived. Nox believed it was unlikely Anything would happen. His foes had other concerns for the evening. However, it didn't hurt to be prepared.

Share