Shroomseid Forest

¶XIII. As they traveled further into the chamber there seemed to grow in abundance patches of molds in all manners of consistency. There were those that were white and downy as like a froth; those that were as pappy spherules of yellow, gold, orange, or red; those that were oily and hued in blacks and livid greens; those that looked as polished tan kernels; those that were as clumping, white powders; and those that formed circles of white filled with pastel greens, mauves, azures, sallows, pinks, and many other pale shades. And all of these types mingled together in each other’s patches, some dense and others spread.

¶XIV. As they walked, not only did these patches grow thicker and more plentiful, but they began to cover the stalagmites and cave walls as well. And among these patches the Dryads began to see many other varieties of fungus. There were puffballs; some slender and heightwise oblong, while others were round and spiny in appearance, and still others were of some middle twixt the two. There were agarics of all colors, most of them white, but some of stunning vibrancy and a scarce few that glowed as fireflies. There were also many morels and truffles, as well as a great number of sacred mushrooms.

¶XV. “Between the smoke from your torches and the breaths of these fungi, I fear we shall suffocate if we continue any further,” said Serenity.

¶XVI. “Thou needn’t worry,” said Regale. “There shall be plenteous fresh air where we’re going.”

¶XVII. And so ahead the Lampads and the Dryads forged, as all around them the fungi grew more robust. Many of the puffballs now appeared almost as great white conifers, and the walls and ceiling of the tunnel, even the stalactites, were covered in mottled molds.

¶XVIII. Not much time had passed fore it seemed they’d come unto a great jungle of all these fungi, most of them so large they rivaled the trees and underbrush of the forests above.

¶XIX. The cave’s ceiling there was hundreds of feet high, and a fog of spores cloaked much of the jungle’s floor. Ahead of them was small, stone bridge that arched over a gurgling, underground brooklet that marked the border of an even larger and lusher jungle beyond.

¶XX. “What is this place?” asked Liberty.

¶XXI. “Thou art in Shroomseid, the land of our tribe,” said Carnality. “We’ll letup here for a few hours. The path ahead isn’t for the weary.” And to this Serenity, Faith, and Liberty agreed.

¶XXII. And so the Torch Nymphs and the Wood Nymphs crossed over the small, stone bridge and into the greater jungle, and walked through the mushroom forest and into a clearing.

¶XXIII. “Be careful where ye Dryads sit,” warned Ribaldry. “Ye do not want to become afflicted with butt-rot.” And the Dryads feigned laughter at the horrid pun.

¶XXIV. The Lampads stacked their torches in the center of the clearing, and built there a campfire.

¶XXV. And the Lampads and the Dryads lay around the campfire as from the forest surrounding them came Agarians bearing gifts.

¶XXVI. Each Agarian had the appearance of a plump mushroom or toadstool, and was nearly four feet in height. Each had two gangling arms that protruded from the stipe just below the ring, and two stout legs at the stipe’s bottom. Upon the thickest part of the stipe, between the ring and the gills, were on each of them two dark eyespots facing forward, and below the two eyespots each of them had a single, small mouth that was so featureless as to appear but a mere crease.

¶XXVII. The gifts that the Agarians bore were mushroom caps; some were as large baskets filled with sacred mushrooms, and others were small and filled with some kind of tea. The Agarians set the gifts down near the Nymphs and then retreated back slowly into the jungle.

¶XXVIII. The Lampads began to eat of the sacred mushrooms and drink of the tea, and offered some unto the Dryads, who eagerly accepted and ate of the psilocybes and imbibed the brew.

¶XXIX. Now those fungi that twinkled and glowed in the darkness beyond the light cast by the campfire began to arouse attention from the Nymphs, who by then were tripping out. It seemed that the fungi were flickering in tally with the sounds of the bats, which in turn seemed to be squeaking in musical rhythm.

¶XXX. Next the Nymphs’ skin began to tingle, and they all began to massage one another, and groomed each other’s hair. Then after only a short time they began to kiss one another’s shoulders, necks, and cheeks as they kneaded at one another’s skin. And then the kneading turned not to lighthearted fondling, but to passionate caressing, and they began to make love. But this was not the frolicsome, jovial lovemaking the Dryads were accustomed to; this was rather an impassioned, ruttish frenzy of sweltering flesh.

¶XXXI. For hours they made love in this manner, until at end all were left gasping desperately for breath as limply their limbs lay atop each other.

¶XXXII. After their strength came back to them, and their minds no longer were clouded by the sacred mushrooms or the tea, the Nymphs readied themselves to leave Shroomseid.

¶XXXIII. The Lampads fashioned torches from the large, dry stipes that they gathered, and gave torches also to the Dryads, who held them far in front of themselves (for Dryads are leery of fire). And the Lampads led the Dryads through the Shroomseid to its other end, to the mouth of yet another tunnel.