Misery loves company

If one was being generous, today’s weather could be considered to be utterly miserable. The heavy clouds and driving rain made walking an impossible task. Thunder rumbling overhead as rivers and lakes filled to bursting point and flooded the surrounding land. Luckily her crops were planted on high ground, but that meant her crops were not ready to harvest, which meant that she carried her Mush Gun for defence and a bag stuffed with spare netting. Not that she ever caught anything large enough to justify the effort. The feline was used to being unlucky. She was born without the buffs of other classes.  

Mushroom trudged away from the safety of her boat/train that she called home and onwards through the tall grass towards a raging river instead of hibernating safely inside like everyone else. Mushroom liked fishing, finding treasures and she was not afraid of being weak. The feline had been weak and powerless her entire life. She might have given up on her dreams a long time ago, but she knew how to find food and survive.

The feline sat on the bank of the river, patching her fishing net. Her two-toned hair was blown in every direction by the wind. The rain felt cool and refreshing against her fur. Today she was wary. She had heard reports of a beast destroying houses. Mushroom was sure that she had seen the beast in the distance, shrouded in mist, making it difficult to confirm what the large, oddly shaped figure was. She hoped that she would still have her train/boat she built from scrap metal to return to and that it would not kill her if they happened to cross paths. Anything was possible out here in the wild lands.

Every twig snap, splash and rustle of grass made her jump and whirl around expecting to see whatever the creature was leering at her with an open maw and gleaming claws.

Unbeknownst to Mushroom, the beast was watching her. Lighthouse watched the Artificer often. Wondering why the feline was not hibernating like everybody else. Luckily for her, Mushroom was not damaging the environment with stupid powers. She might have been the Demigoddess of rain and crops, but she did not control the rain at all times, but she could stop the rain and start the rain whenever she liked. Lighthouse preferred creeping around despite her monstrous size scaring unsuspecting people. Lighthouse watched Mushroom diligently collect the meager earnings into a bucket. Some tadpoles, small fish and some junk that did not belong in the catchment. Especially alone, it was an arduous hike up into the wild lands for such a pitiful catch. To the perceptive Demigoddess, the feline with mushrooms sprinkled through her hair seemed like a spark smothered overtime so it did not shine as brightly as it used to.

***

Lighthouse powered through the water with her long fluked tail. Snatching a fish between her jaws, With a single bite, she stopped its heart. She popped the tip of her head above the water and cruised towards the unsuspecting feline.

Mushroom did not notice that she was not alone until Lighthouse had gotten close enough to launch herself up out of the water and pounce on the smaller female. Mushroom screamed and scrambled out of the water where she had been collecting small fish and junk out of her net. She slipped in the mud and came down hard on her side. The creature loomed over her, pinning Mushroom beneath her.

This is the end. I’m going to be eaten alive!

At least she was not going to see it happen with the monster’s hot breath fogging her glasses. Something cold, wet and slimy pressed against Mushroom’s chest. A...fish?

Mushroom blinked, trying to calm down. She could not hear herself think over the pounding of her heart. She reached out to push the fish off her chest. She did not want the fish juices staining her dress. The beast growled, nudging the fish with her nose. Luckily, Mushroom always looked scared or else she would have been in real trouble.

“Um...th-thank you?” What else was she supposed to say? She wanted to beg not to be eaten, but the feral Demigoddess seemed happy to stand here looking absolutely terrifying. Dripping wet as Mushroom tried to think about what to do with the oarfish. Mushroom sat up, but she was pounced on by the beast from behind. She was sprawled out on the mud again. Protecting her glasses by covering her face with her arms to cushion the blow. Mushroom tried to pick herself up, but the Demigoddess nipped at her neck. As if she were a large dog playing with a smaller dog. She did not recognize what Lighthouse was, as she did not see the other interspecies couples.  

“Is this about the fish?”

Lighthouse said nothing, but she did make a purring noise that did not sound ferocious. Lighthouse wagged her tail as Mushroom sat up with the fish tucked under one arm.

“Hey wait! What are you doing?”

Mushroom’s question was ignored. Lighthouse started the chant, raising her paws.

A cabin raised up out of the ground. The cabin needed repairs. Lighthouse’s eldritch chanting hurt Mushroom’s head. The feline clutched at her head. What was the creature saying? Was it her words causing this headache? Was this creature suggesting that she moved house? Mushroom was not expecting this when she woke up this morning.

“You don’t destroy carelessly...I like you.” The Demigoddess snorted, turning to leave. Mushroom might have blacked out, because the last thing she saw was Lighthouse diving back into the river and swimming away. Mushroom finally drifted back to reality with the fish and cabin, feeling soaked to the bone. She had to get her stuff from the boat/train and think about what just happened. Mushroom picked herself up and checked the ghost in the pocket of her jacket. The ghost could not be knocked out, but it was powerless, just like her. She touched the back of her neck and sighed with relief. There was no open wound that she could feel. The feline gathered up her net and Mush Gun. Would the ice spores have protected her if the creature wanted to eat her or swipe at her with those enormous paws? There were countless abominations living out here in the wild lands that would respawn more powerful and skilled heroes and adventurers.

The Artificer could not blink away the image of Lighthouse’s face. It was unforgettable. She had never seen eyes like those. As pale blue and silver as gemstones. Those blue and golden canines and that long, twisting, pink tongue. Meanwhile, Lighthouse lumbered away into the mist, knowing that she marked Mushroom as her soulmate and she would return to court her. Courtship would come later, once Mushroom fixed up the cabin for both of them. Not that Mushroom knew that cabin would signify the start of the rest of their lives together.