10,000 Years Too Late

"___," Voss Thane murmured, tilting his head at the morning sun. "All right, time to move."

Riley, Shen, Surya, Angela, and Alexander—still unaccustomed to the quiet hours after dawn—lifted their packs and followed him through a narrow alley behind Moira's shop. Faint traces of ash floated in the stale city air, but the sunlight hinted at a clearer sky somewhere beyond the rooftops.

Shen paused to scribble something in his pocket notebook, glancing up at the surrounding towers.

Surya, noticing, snickered. "Gloom notes again, Shen? You never quit."

"Someone has to document the weirdness," Shen replied, a slight scowl betraying his amusement.

Voss Thane led them east, away from Sveethlad's clogged inner quarters, where ash rained most heavily. As they walked, the group noticed the streets gradually widening, the smog thinning. Instead of soot-stained facades, they began seeing old farmland plots—a rare commodity near the city's edge.

Angela, half-drowsy, perked up at the shift in atmosphere. "The air isn't burning my lungs here," she murmured. "Feels… too good to be normal."

Alexander agreed, nodding in wonder. "It must be expensive to keep the ash at bay."

Voss only shrugged, offering no explanation. A glint in his eyes suggested he found their curiosity entertaining.

They passed under a moss-covered arch, stepping onto a path lined with withered hedges. Surya's gaze flicked around, eager to find something to poke fun at. But even he fell silent when they came into view of a sprawling glass structure—a greenhouse, or perhaps a conservatory, with tall windows glinting in the morning sun. It rose from the rolling fields like a crystalline dome, entirely out of place in the grim reality they knew.

Shen eyed it suspiciously, noting the absence of ash drifting overhead. "This area… must cost a fortune in upkeep," he muttered. "Makes me wonder what Moira and Voss are really running."

Surya smirked. "There you go again, gloom detective. Maybe they just have wealthy backers who like fancy gardens."

Shen grunted but kept his thoughts to himself.

The walkway led them past rows of carefully pruned shrubs to a wide, iron gate. Beyond it, the glasshouse's doors stood propped open, beckoning. Voss gestured for the group to follow, stepping into a space that smelled of damp earth and strange herbs. Soft, filtered sunlight poured through the glass panels above, illuminating a maze of fungal planters and shelves lined with potted flora.

"Welcome to Sporelight Haven," Voss said, voice echoing. "Let's see if our host is around."

A rustle of movement emerged from between towering racks of mushrooms. A lean figure with large, round glasses peered out, pushing up the frames with a nervous habit. They wore stained work gloves and an apron covered in spore dust, giving them a perpetually flustered look.

"H-hello," the newcomer said, voice quiet. "I'm Morgan… caretaker here." Their slight stammer suggested a mix of shyness and intense focus.

Riley (in her Zelion body) offered a warm smile. "Nice place you've got."

Morgan blinked behind the lenses. "Thank you. I, uh… do my best." A fleeting glance landed on Shen, noticing him scribbling in his notebook again. Morgan's lips twitched with wry curiosity but said nothing.

Voss cleared his throat. "Morgan, we need to teach these recruits about the Undawild's fungal hazards—poisons, tonics, the works." He gestured at the group. "They're… special trainees, on Moira's recommendation."

Morgan adjusted their glasses, nodding. "Right. Yes. That's why you're here. I have a station in the back for… demonstrations." They seemed uneasy about so many visitors but dutifully turned, beckoning for them to follow deeper into the greenhouse.

Shen trailed last, eyes roaming over the meticulously maintained walkways. He mentally cataloged the glass panels reinforced with metal frames, the neat irrigation lines, the expensive anti-ash measures. So this is how they keep the city's toxins out… Must be a fortune in purified water. If Moira and Voss were behind this, they must have resources Shen couldn't yet fathom.

Morgan stopped at a wide wooden table set amid rows of mushroom-filled planters. They gestured to various jars and flasks arranged in neat clusters. Each container held a unique color or texture—some glowed faintly, others looked dark and forbidding.

"Some of these samples," Morgan began softly, "are derived from fungi found in the Undawild. Others I cultivate here, cross-breeding with local spores. The city… rarely sees them because it's so dangerous to harvest them."

Morgan lifted a jar containing pale, luminescent caps. "Glowsilk Mushrooms. Mildly restorative if prepared correctly, or a mild hallucinogen if mishandled."

Alexander leaned in, curious. "So it's a gamble, basically?"

Morgan gave a hesitant half-smile. "All fungus is, in a way."

Next came a twisted, blackish growth sealed in a thick glass vial. Surya wrinkled his nose at the sight. "That one looks… hungry."

Morgan's lips twitched. "Marrowspore. A truly nasty infection. Latches onto living tissue, eventually turning victims into… well, 'zombies' is the folk term. The spore devours rational thought, leaving only violent hunger." A cold shudder ran through the group.

Angela frowned in concern. "Wait, that's… out there in the Undawild?"

Morgan nodded. "In pockets where unburned remains piled up. The spore thrives on decaying flesh." They set the vial down carefully, as if afraid it might break free on its own.

Voss chimed in, pointing to a spindly, shelf-like fungus with a dusty top. "And that's Ash-Cap Shelf. Very common near entrances where ashes drift. Low-level boosters can be brewed from it—like a shot of energy for fatigued raiders."

Morgan nodded, setting aside another container—a murky fluid swirling with flecks of something red. "Blightfoot Mush extract… rumored to have originated from Terminal Society meddling. People who ingest it become… unpredictably aggressive." They gestured at a small note reading "DANGER." "It's part of what's fueling some of those monstrous behaviors in the deeper layers."

The group exchanged uneasy looks. Spectrals were bad enough, Shen thought. But now zombies, mind-hacking spores, and aggression extracts?

Morgan proceeded to lay out short explanations on how certain healing tonics require precise blends of fungus, ash, purified water, and sometimes blood—depending on the effect needed.

"If we balance the ratio carefully," Morgan explained, "it can become a potent antidote for spore infections. But too much, or too little, tips it into poison territory. The line is fine."

Voss watched them all intently. "This is only the start. If you can't grasp the basics of fungal threat, you won't last in the Undawild." His gaze swept the group: Riley's Zelion stance, Surya's cocky grin, Shen's scribbling, Angela's half-lidded calm, Alexander's quiet curiosity.

"And if you master it," he continued, "you'll have an edge over standard raiders. An edge the city desperately needs."

He motioned for Morgan to present small, labeled samples for them to examine. "We'll do a bit of mixing next," he said. "Consider it a crash course. Just… try not to blow yourselves up."

Surya saluted in an exaggerated manner. "Yessir. I'll do my best not to unleash the zombie apocalypse prematurely."

A faint snort of amusement rippled among them. Even Morgan cracked a shy smile. For a moment, the tension lifted—despite the grim subject matter of rotting corpses and lethal spores.

Morgan set out small bowls of powder and flasks of odd-smelling liquid on the long worktable. "We'll do some basic combinations now," they explained, pushing up their glasses. "Carefully. Each of you can try mixing a low-level salve or potion, using purified water and a fungus sample."

Riley (Reveen) eyed the containers warily, while Listik (Kayode), arms folded, offered a skeptical grunt. "I'm no apothecary. You sure we won't poison ourselves?"

Morgan nodded gravely. "That's the main risk, yes." Their deadpan response caught Listik off guard, earning a chuckle from Surya.

Shen flipped a page in his notebook. "Just follow instructions, Kay—uh, Listik. And don't start the 'zombie apocalypse' that Surya keeps joking about."

Listik smirked. "Hey, no promises."

Voss Thane rapped his knuckles lightly on the table to get their attention. "Focus, all of you. If a random spore-laced cut in the Undawild can turn someone into a mindless ghoul, you'll want to master at least one protective blend."

He gestured to a pile of Ash-Cap Shelf fungus, a small measure of blood-ash mixture, and a vial of purified water. "In the correct ratio, this becomes a mild antifungal salve. If you lose track of proportions…" He gave Surya a pointed look. "You might create a hallucinogenic or a slow-acting poison."

They divided into pairs: Riley with Alexander, Surya with Angela, and Shen with Listik. Morgan hovered between them, ready to correct any near-disasters.

The greenhouse air felt thick with the smell of spores and metallic tang of blood-ash. Candle-like glow fungus on the wall gave the whole scene a surreal vibe.

Riley (Reveen) & Alexander carefully measured purified water into a bowl containing ground Ash-Cap Shelf. Alexander's steady hand kept the mixture from bubbling over, while Riley stirred with surprising delicacy. Their Axis terminals (invisible to others) gave small pings of "+1 Alchemy XP" or "+1 Poison Resist."Surya & Angela bickered about the correct ratio of water to fungus. Angela, half-drowsy, insisted she "felt" the correct synergy, whereas Surya wanted to strictly follow Morgan's instructions. They ended up with a pale-green paste. Surya sniffed it, coughed, and Morgan quickly added a drop of diluted water to tame it. "Next time, watch the vapor," Morgan sighed. Shen & Kayode tackled a more advanced mix. Shen read the instructions with methodical detail, while Kayode used a mortar to crush the ash-fungus lumps. Shen's notes helped them avoid a toxic reaction. At one point, Kayode quipped, "Surya's over there messing up again, see?" Shen only half-listened, verifying the solution was stable. A faint glow indicated mild healing properties.

Morgan observed each team, nodding in relief whenever someone avoided catastrophe. "You're all quite… quick learners," they admitted softly.

Once the group finished, Voss had them line up with their newly made salves or tonics. He examined each concoction, swirling the liquid or smelling the paste. His eyebrows rose higher each time.

"Riley," he said in a low voice. "This salve isn't just stable—it's potent enough to neutralize moderate fungal infections. You sure you've never done this before?"

Riley shrugged, a slight flush coloring her cheeks. "Beginner's luck?"

Voss chuckled dryly. "Luck or not, it'll serve you well." He turned to the others. "Same goes for the rest of you—these are decent for novices. I've trained plenty of would-be raiders, but never seen progress like this."

Listik crossed his arms, still playing it cool. "Guess we're naturals." Yet Shen noticed the faint swirl of Axis data at the corner of his vision: each success awarding them incremental experience. We're leveling up even from these small tasks, Shen thought. No wonder Voss is surprised.

Surya grinned. "So, we're official fungus experts now, right?"

Morgan snorted, adjusting their glasses. "Hardly. You've only learned the bare minimum. But… it's more than many achieve in weeks of training." Their eyes flicked to Voss, a silent question about these recruits' uncanny abilities.

To cap the lesson, Voss guided them outside into a small fenced courtyard behind the greenhouse, away from delicate planters. "Let's see if your brains aren't the only things improving," he said, tossing wooden practice weapons to each. "We can't forget muscle memory if you're to survive the Undawild."

They formed a loose ring. Surya tested his wooden blade with flamboyant swipes, while Angela stood calmly, as if half-asleep but ready. Shen clutched a staff, feeling awkward. Listik rolled his shoulders, adopting a fighting stance with surprising fluidity.

Riley, in her Zelion form, towered with raw power. She stepped forward with the wooden sword, and in a flash, Voss lunged at her. She parried—and even countered—so swiftly that Voss almost lost his footing.

"Incredible," he breathed, half-laughing. "You're far beyond what I expected."

The next few minutes saw each of them spar in turn:

Surya and Listik exchanged playful (though intense) blows, scoring light hits.Angela dodged with languid grace, using minimal energy to avoid strikes.Shen tried to record mental notes even while blocking overhead swings. They keep improving faster, he mused, feeling the Axis terminal's faint hum.

Watching them, Voss's grin widened. He realized these recruits could become unstoppable raiders if guided properly—and he wanted them for a deeper Undawild venture. Yes, he thought, with their speed of growth, we could claim the best ash—relics that fortune rarely grants.

By late afternoon, the sky's light had shifted, casting elongated shadows across the glass domes. Morgan called them back inside, offering each a small satchel of sample potions as a reward. "Treat them carefully," Morgan warned. "Remember, a single miscalculation can turn these from cure to poison."

Kayode shouldered his pack, hiding a faint grin. Surya joked he'd find a "cool use" for the potions—Shen muttered about potential accidents, prompting more banter.

Voss guided them outside to the main walkway. "We'll continue tomorrow," he announced. "But you're moving faster than any novices I've trained. Mark my words: you'll be ready for a real Undawild test soon. And that means bigger prizes… and bigger risks."

He exchanged a meaningful look with Morgan, who nodded, cheeks reddening slightly. Shen caught that glance—another quiet note in his mental ledger of suspicious alliances.

As they set off, the evening air felt oddly refreshing, free of the city's usual ash stench. Each step echoed with renewed confidence—and mild apprehension. The day's fungal lessons were just the beginning, and they sensed the real dangers lurking belowground were far beyond a greenhouse demonstration.

A final ping from their Axis terminals flickered in the corner of their vision: "Training XP gained. Fungal Knowledge +1, Combat Drills +1, Overall Level Up nearing…"

Riley (Reveen) clenched her fists, excitement stirring. Surya and Angela bantered about who'd top the next spar, while Shen's thoughts were filled with half a dozen theories. Listik (Kayode) just smirked, silent satisfaction at how easily he'd handled the wooden blade.

They disappeared down the path, leaving the greenhouse's glass dome shimmering behind them, the knowledge of lethal spores and lifesaving tonics swirling in their minds. Soon, they would face the Undawild's real fungi—where a single misstep meant a fate worse than death. Yet as the day's training proved, they were far from ordinary recruits.