After another day of running around the tunnel system, killing ants and avoiding being grabbed by roots, Caen had healed their wounds and applied the sleep abeyance spell. They'd been forcing themselves to manage their rations and water far more severely because they were almost out. Their collective water and food were all but depleted. Without Guinevere's supply, they'd have been out already.

  “Alright, let's do it,” Zeris said. “Actually, wait. Just give me a moment more to make sure I have everything ready.”

  They'd recovered some of their mana reserves—though Caen always had to Mimic Zeris's Spirit-healing to attune as fast as they could—and were as healed up as Caen could manage. They stood around the root-portal as Zeris did something with spatial acuity.

  Caen was currently connected to the dark green roots of the root-portal. The roots belonged to one of those colossal trees that sat a great distance above ground and far away from here. In its soul structure was a Spatial magic affinity cluster, along with the more common two. Caen had Mimicked the colossal tree's Blood-healing affinity in preparation for their experiment.

  “It’s really interesting that these portals are forming on solid objects,” Guinevere mused. “I didn't know that was possible.”

  “That actually happens very often,” Zeris said. “All spatial openings require a surface. And according to some planologists, these openings appear in various orientations relative to their surfaces, regardless of whether it seems that way or not. There's a Redshadow aperture on a waterfall in Spova. Planes are weird.”

  "Oh wow," Guinevere said. "Somehow I'm not surprised. Redshadow has too many crazy things going on with it. And why is it even called 'Red' shadow?"

  "Thank you!" Zeris said. "It's such a ridiculous name. I say this all the time."

  [People don't even cast shadows there,] Caen added.

  Guinevere whipped her head to him. [Wait, what? That can't be right.]

  Zeris turned away from the root-portal to glare at Guinevere. “Don't encourage him. We can talk out loud.”

  “I didn't even realize,” Guinevere said. “Force of habit. But wait, the grass in Redshadow is black—the sand is black as well.”

  [It's terribly dim too,] Caen added.

  “Did you read an encyclopedia I haven't heard of?” Guinevere asked.

  [Come to think of it, there must be several encyclopedias with details about Redshadow. But, well, you know what Drenlin's like. We just tested it out for ourselves. Used a lamp.]

  [You're both really weird,] Guinevere said. [We'll get along just fine.]

  “If we don't die, that is,” Zeris muttered, backing away. “Alright, Caen. Do it now.”

  With Guinevere standing to his side, ready to intercept with her sword. Caen used a calming breathing sequence and placed his hand on a portion of the root-portal.

  He was touching the dark green roots. He'd cast diagnostic spells on it earlier in preparation for this. With only a few slight differences, their anatomy resembled that of the other awakened trees in this Plane. Caen had a stronger feel for the trees, a firmer grasp of their internal structure. He was eager to cast a proper spell on one of them, though he'd had little opportunity for that.

  He let out a breath and cast the paralysis spell. The spell imprint indicated that the spell had worked. The chamber trembled oh so slightly. The roots of the root-portal didn't move, but the other roots around the caverns began to writhe and squirm. The spatial affinity cluster in the tree's soul structure grew prominent.

  [Zeris!]

  “I see it; it's active! Let's go!”

  They moved through the root-portal with all alacrity. Caen's connection to the colossal tree was unraveling very quickly. He turned back to face the root-portal in this new chamber, and his connection immediately stabilized.

  It's the same tree, he realized. But what did that mean? Had they just teleported to a chamber in the same tunnel system or to a tunnel system nearby?

  Zeris was already casting a spell. Fingers flitted through gestures as Caen and Guinevere waited with their weapons drawn. If anything came through the root-portal, he'd drop his connection to it.

  As Caen watched, the Spatial affinity cluster in the tree's soul structure grew less prominent.

  “Yes!” Zeris said. “I've deactivated it.”

  “Congratulations,” Caen told her, smiling. This was the first time she'd been able to influence the root-portals directly. “You've worked very hard.”

  “I have!”

  With this, they might be able to survive long enough for Sh'kteiro and Hshnol to find them. They could reliably escape broad ants and swarms of regular-sized ants.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Good job, Zeris!” Guinevere said. “So… again?”

  “Again,” Zeris said, nodding.

  After quickly marking the chamber with a number, Caen placed a hand on the root portal and cast the paralysis spell again. The tree's Spatial affinity cluster grew prominent immediately.

  “Now!” Zeris called.

  They all rushed through it, stepping into another empty but identical chamber. Caen connected to the colossal tree so he could watch its soul structure.

  Zeris focused as her fingers moved. She completed her task much faster than she had the previous time. “Done!”

  “Whoop!” Guinevere exclaimed, slapping her own breastplate.

  Caen held Zeris's shoulder and shook it, laughing.

  “Don't butter me up yet. I still have to try doing the reverse.”

  This time, she focused on activating the root-portal. It took several long minutes. Caen and Guinevere backed her, watching the exits. He passed the time Mimicking the roots of the surrounding trees a few times.

  He’d considerably brought down the time it took him to Mimic. He could reliably conform his affinity to that of another's in under a minute now. If he weren't in these conditions, he would absolutely be brimming with joy.

  “Active! Let's go!”

  They pushed through the portal, and Caen was greeted by the familiar scent of his chymical solution right before he saw the Thermish glyph he'd etched on the floor days ago.

  An antenna ant and three regular ants rushed at them. Guinevere tossed a lamp to the side.

  [Zeris, close the portal,] Caen sent as he met an ant with a slash. [We'll handle these.]

  “It's not closing—something’s coming through!”

  Guinevere had already put down the other two, but the antenna ant had escaped into a passageway. They both backed away, bracing their weapons.

  Zeris too scrambled to stand beside them, pulling up her rifle.

  [Ardor,] she sent, conjuring a large fireball above her head. Caen immediately began Mimicking her affinity. He pulled out his revolver.

  A broad ant flowed out of the root-portal along with four other ants. Guinevere's lightning bolts fell upon all five ants, filling the chamber with blinding light and their loud chittering.

  Caen couldn't flicker Soul-sense at them, but he and Zeris pelted the ants’ faces with bullets.

  With a boosted Fire affinity, Caen Impassioned Zeris's fireball, his spirit already moving in the requisite patterns. He cast the exact spell she had, further stabilizing the spell imprint that had been imposed on his mind. Zeris immediately rattled off modifiers to him through the telepathic link, and Caen applied them simultaneously to their shared spell.

  The fireball, flashing with swirling streaks of purple, pink, and red, swelled as it spun. They wouldn't have been able to manage this individually, but with the burden shared, the spell was within their ability to cast.

  When they hurled the fireball at the broad ant, it couldn't dodge in time. The fireball engulfed the creature in Passionfire, quickly spreading to embrace every inch of carapace.

  The ear-piercing shriek was the loudest Caen had ever heard as it called for more ants. Zeris hadn't stopped shooting at the creature, but it whirled about and hurtled towards them; a giant mass of colourful fire.

  [Uh oh.]

  Caen and Zeris jumped to either side of the broad ant, and it slammed into the wall of dense roots behind them. Immediately, Passionfire licked at the roots, latched onto them, and began spreading slowly.

  Together, Caen and Zeris extinguished all of the fire, leaving Guinevere to finish off the smoldering broad ant. The roots were already reaching for it with vehement speed.

  Through their soul structures, Caen could see that the surrounding trees were calling for more ants.

  The chittering of approaching ants was loud from the exit behind them. The root-portal was active again.

  [Something’s coming through!] Zeris announced. [This way!]

  All three of them rushed into the passageway she'd signaled, even as another broad ant burst out of the root-portal.

  They hustled down the passageway, sprinting with consideration. Guinevere was much, much faster than either of them. And Zeris was in turn faster than Caen. But they needed to move together.

  Guinevere pulled out three small lamps of placid reshent, she tossed two to the side and held on to the last.

  Up ahead, they could hear more ants approaching. They took a turn into another passageway. [That chamber with two dead ends is close by,] Zeris sent.

  Caen caught her meaning immediately. It was defensible: they would only need to worry about one entrance instead of the typical three.

  As soon as they reached the chamber, Zeris moved quickly to the root-portal, trying to activate it. Some roots above were writhing. He and Guinevere stood by the wide entrance, a loud swarm of ants rushing down the passageway at them. Many were crawling along the walls.

  [Zeris?]

  “Working on it!”

  Guinevere cast a lightning spell, sending a jagged bolt of energy at the swarm. Several ants twitched to a stop, but the swarm behind moved right over them.

  Then followed a vicious clash of steel and carapace. Caen flickered Soul-sense every quarter second. The edges of his sword had grown dull over the long days without service, but momentum, even partly hindered, lent great force to his swings. He was stronger now, and he relied on the few iterations of Body-enhancement that didn't collapse. Unempowered carapaces crumpled under his blows. The chittering of ants was deafening. Gore spilled on him, acid burned, and ants tore at what little exposed flesh he had. Caen had to wipe his helmet several times just so he could see through his speculon.

  A broad ant tunneled through space and smacked heavily into Caen with enough force to break bones.

  He was thrown violently into a wall, losing his sword. Immediately, roots grabbed onto his limbs, his neck. He switched to a breathing sequence that would make better use of the little air he was breathing in.

  Caen quickly pulled a dagger and fought to free himself, but the roots were too strong. At the same time, a group of ants jumped on him. He hacked at them, viciously flickering Soul-sense. One ant sprayed his face and helmet with burning acid, partly blinding him. The roots hindered his mobility. He tore through the head of an ant, coating his entire face with its blood. A root arrested his free arm. He was blind. The remaining roots tightened around his neck, choking him.