The Bladeweaver [Book 1 Complete]

Kale peered into the barrel, his expression shifting from curiosity to sheer confusion. "What the hell...?"

Rika, now fully alert, glanced over. "What do you mean, 'what the hell?' What's in there?"

Kale shook his head in disbelief. "It's just... cheese. Wheels of cheese." He looked back at the barrel, utterly perplexed. "Why all the secrecy though? I mean, cheese?"

Rika raised an eyebrow, walking over. "Cheese?" She peeked inside, and sure enough, large wheels of cheese were neatly stacked inside. "Huh... that's underwhelming."

Liliana floated closer, her eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Are you serious?" She sighed deeply. "Varrick..."

Kale scratched his head, still not quite believing what he was seeing. "I mean, it's just cheese... What's the big deal?"

He eyed the second barrel, arms crossed. Alright. So the first one was cheese. Just cheese. No traps, no hidden treasures, no ominous curses—just a whole lot of cheese. Which raises an important question:

He tapped the side of the second barrel, thoughtful. What if this one is also cheese? No, that was too obvious. Or… what if it's a different kind of cheese? That would be worse, somehow. What if Varrick is secretly hoarding an entire underground cheese empire? No. No one needs that much cheese.

He sighed, shaking his head. "I should probably check if it's okay."

Varrick had told them not to mess with the barrels. Strongly. But, really, Kale reasoned, wouldn't it be irresponsible not to check? What if this one had gone bad? What if the cheese inside was secretly cursed and Varrick had no idea?

Yes. That was it. This was for Varrick. A selfless act of concern for his well-being.

He placed a hand on the lid. "I'm checking the second barrel."

"Kale, don't—" Liliana warned, but it was too late. He lifted the lid, and an explosion of sound erupted from inside the barrel.

"LAAAAAAAAAA!" came a thunderous, harmonious chorus.

The three of them jerked back in surprise. Rika even let out a startled yelp.

"What the hells is that?!" Liliana shouted.

Kale blinked and stared into the barrel. "You have got to see this."

Both Liliana and Rika cautiously came forward, peeking over the edge of the second barrel. Inside, a group of small mushrooms were standing upright, each with tiny arms and legs, bobbing in perfect unison as they belted out an ear-splitting song. Their voices were high-pitched but coordinated, like a bizarre choir.

"Laaaa la laaaaa laaaa!" they sang, their tiny caps swaying in time with the beat.

Rika blinked, then burst out laughing. "What in the world? Singing mushrooms? This... this is amazing!" She waved her arms, swaying along with the mushrooms, her laughter filling the air.

Liliana was less amused. "Of course it's singing mushrooms... because why not?"

Kale stood there, utterly speechless, as the mushrooms continued their loud, boisterous song. The harmony was almost too perfect, echoing through the quiet night.

"I don't get it," Kale finally said, scratching his head. "What's wrong with Varrick?"

Rika was still giggling, swaying her hips to the beat of the mushrooms' song. "This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen!"

Liliana, on the other hand, looked like she was reconsidering her life choices. "I swear, if this is Varrick's idea of a joke, I'm going to strangle him."

Kale sighed, staring down at the mushrooms, which were now swaying even harder, belting out louder and louder notes. "Well, I guess we know why Varrick didn't want us looking inside."

The mushrooms crescendoed with a final, loud, "LAAAAAAAAAA!" that echoed through the night, leaving the trio staring down at them in dumbfounded silence.

Rika wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "Okay, okay, fun's over. Let's just close the lid and forget this ever happened."

Kale, shaking his head with a mixture of amusement and irritation, placed the lid back on the barrel. "There, problem solved."

But the moment he did, the muffled sound of singing continued from inside the barrel.

"Laaaa laaaa laaa!" the mushrooms chorused, their voices somehow undeterred by the wooden lid. It was as if the barrel barely muffled them at all, their song now a constant background noise, like a broken music box that refused to stop.

Kale stared at the closed barrel, then looked up at Liliana and Rika. "You have got to be kidding me..."

Rika couldn't help but laugh again, covering her mouth as the ridiculousness of the situation fully sank in. "Nope. Looks like we've got ourselves a traveling band."

"This can't be real life. We have to listen to that the entire way to Bjarnholl?" Liliana said.

Kale pressed his hands against the lid, trying in vain to smother the sound. "Maybe they'll get tired?"

But as the moments passed, it became clear that the mushrooms had no intention of quieting down. If anything, their singing seemed to grow even more enthusiastic.

"Laaaa laaa la laaaaaa!"

Rika wiped her eyes again, grinning from ear to ear. "I don't know about you guys, but I think it's kinda catchy."

Liliana shot her a look. "You would."

Rika shrugged, tapping her foot to the beat. "Hey, it could be worse. At least they're not terrible."

Kale sighed, rubbing his temples as the singing continued to echo in the background. "We can't deliver this without going insane first, and we definitely won't be able to get any more sleep now."

Liliana floated closer, glaring at the barrel as if she could silence it with sheer willpower. "I swear, if we don't find a way to make them stop, I'll—"

Suddenly, the singing took a turn, the mushrooms changing tempo and launching into a new melody, even louder than before.

"LAAAAAAAAAA!"

Rika, ever the optimist, chuckled. "Guess they've got range."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kale shook his head in defeat. "What have I done?"

Liliana rolled her eyes, floating higher in the air, clearly wanting to be anywhere else but there. "Next time, Kale, you don't open the barrels. Stop being so… You."

"I'll work on that." Kale said.

***

With the mushrooms still belting out their persistent tune, the group found themselves back on the wagon, heading toward their next destination. Rika kept glancing back at the barrels, chuckling to herself every time the mushrooms changed melody.

Kale sat in the driver's seat, his head throbbing from the endless singing. "Please tell me we're close to Bjarnholl."

Rika, still grinning, leaned back. "A day or two at most, Kaley. Try not to lose your mind before then."

"If we don't find a way to shut them up, we're going to attract every bandit and wild animal for miles. This constant racket is unbearable," Liliana said.

Kale sighed, shaking his head. "Next time, I'm not touching anything. Never again."

The wagon trundled along the path, the singing mushrooms growing louder with every bump in the road. The cheerful melody seemed wildly out of place given the tension that had built up over the last few days.

Rika let out a laugh as she stretched her arms. "At least they're in a good mood. Could be worse. They could be singing something depressing."

Liliana's patience was clearly thinning, and she floated in front of the wagon. "What have I done to deserve this? What has my life become?"

"This might be worse than fighting cultists… And with this noise, we might have to soon," Kale said.

Rika flashed him a smile. "No sweat. We'll handle whatever comes our way. Besides..." She pointed a thumb back at the barrels. "We've got the power of song on our side."

Kale sighed, burying his head in his hands, too exhausted to respond.

***

The road ahead was uneventful, save for the relentless singing of the mushrooms. Hours passed, the odd melodies never stopping, much to Kale and Liliana's annoyance. The trees slowly gave way to open terrain, and soon, a sprawling city appeared on the horizon.

Bjarnholl.

Kale's eyes widened as they approached the city gates. Towering stone walls stretched high into the sky, and at the entrance stood an enormous statue of an intimidating bear, its eyes fierce, carved with such lifelike detail that it almost seemed to be watching the road. Its powerful paws rested on a boulder, and its mouth was set in a snarl, as though warning anyone who dared approach.

Rika caught Kale staring at the statue and grinned. "That's Uthrak, one of the first great bears who helped found the city. His descendants still live around here. The people of Bjarnholl respect them."

"Bears just… live here? Like, with the people?" Kale asked.

"Yup," Rika said. "They're smart, strong, and helpful. The people help the bears, and the bears help them. It's a partnership."

As they passed through the gates, the city unfolded before them. Mighty stone buildings loomed on either side, each one adorned with carvings that depicted scenes of nature and strength. The streets were wide, and despite the large amount of people, everything felt orderly and clean. Earthborn of all shapes and sizes moved through the streets, their skin tones ranging from pale white to dark browns, their hair vibrant with hues of blue and green.

What caught Kale's attention even more, though, were the bears. Massive bears roamed the city freely, some brown, others dark gray or white. They moved through the streets, towering over the citizens, yet no one seemed to mind. People walked alongside them, even pausing to pet them as they passed, or asking them to move aside to get through. It was as though the bears were as much a part of the city as the people were.

As the trio rolled further into the city, Kale noticed the occasional outsider, though they were clearly less common than the earthborn citizens. The sight of the wagon, however, drew more attention than anything else, not because of the group itself, but because of the constant singing of the mushrooms from within the barrel. Passersby shot curious glances their way, some raising eyebrows, others chuckling as they heard the odd songs floating through the air.

The barrels still echoed with the incessant singing of the little fungi, and the curious looks only grew as they neared the center of town.

"I think we're drawing attention," Liliana said, floating beside Kale.

"Yeah, well, we're hard to ignore with the singing mushroom band in tow," Rika said.

They pulled up to a large stone building near the heart of the city, where Rika spotted a familiar face standing outside. The earthborn man was tall and broad, his skin a dark, rich brown, and his long hair braided back. His expression was stern, but as soon as he saw Rika, it softened into a warm smile.

"Rika!" he shouted.

Rika grinned wide and leapt from the wagon, running up to the man and jumping into his arms. He caught her easily, spinning her around in a hug.

"Kulgar!" she laughed. "It's been too long!"

Kulgar, clearly one of the elders in the city, hugged her tightly before setting her down. "You're still as strong as ever, I see. I was worried, but here you are."

Rika smiled up at him. "You know me. Hard to keep me down."

Kulgar's expression shifted slightly, one brow raising as he looked past Rika to the barrels on the wagon. He pointed at them. "Rika… please tell me you didn't."

Rika's grin faltered for a second, and she quickly pointed at Kale. "He did it!"

Kale, suddenly caught in the spotlight, scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh… yeah, that one's on me."

Kulgar walked over, his eyebrow still raised. He listened to the sound of the mushrooms singing from within the barrel, his expression hard to read. After a moment, he let out a deep chuckle. "Varrick didn't tell you not to open it?"

"Oh, he told us," Liliana said, shooting daggers at Kale.

"Sorry," Kale said.

Kulgar burst into loud, boisterous laughter. "Must have been a fun ride."

Kale and Liliana sighed, causing him to laugh even louder.

"Let me take care of that," Kulgar said as he walked towards the mushroom barrel. "Hey, little guys, could you please stop singing?"

And right on command, they stopped.

"It was... we could have just asked them to stop?" Kale stammered.

Kulgar burst into laughter again. "Of course!"

***

Kulgar led them to a large, sturdy stone building near the center of town, its walls adorned with carvings of Earthborn warriors and animals. He pushed open the heavy door, leading them into a warm, inviting hall.

"Well then," Kulgar said, turning to face them. "You're safe here. Take a load off, rest. We'll talk business later." He gave Rika another big smile. "It's good to have you back, kid."

Rika smiled back at him. "It's good to be back."

As Kulgar turned to leave, Rika called after him. "Hey, what about the barrels?"

"Don't worry, I'll have them taken care of. You've done enough."

With that, he disappeared out the door, leaving the group alone in the hall, surrounded by the warmth of the fire crackling in the hearth.

Liliana floated closer to the fire, her eyes glowing as the flickering flames danced in their reflection. The warmth of the hearth contrasted with the ever-present chill of the mountain air that seeped through the stone walls of the hall. "This city… it's different from the others," she said.

Rika, seated on a sturdy stone bench near the fire, nodded with a fond smile. "It's home." Her golden eyes sparkled as she glanced around the hall, admiring the high stone arches above them.

Kale leaned back, his muscles finally relaxing after days of tension, uncertainty… and singing mushrooms. He took a deep breath, the scent of burning wood and the faint hint of the earthborn city's minerals filling his lungs. The warmth of the fire spread through him, easing the aches of their long journey. The chaos of their travels seemed like a distant memory in this moment, Bjarnholl a sanctuary of calm amidst the storm.

"It feels... safe here," Kale said, his eyes drifting to the carvings on the walls and the massive stone beams that held the hall together. The whole city had an air of resilience, like it had stood against time itself. There was strength in the way the earthborn lived, a kind of quiet harmony between the people and the land.

Rika chuckled softly, her eyes never leaving the fire. "It is. The earth itself guards this place. Bjarnholl isn't like the cities you've been to, Kale. We're not just living here, we're part of it." She gestured around her. "The stone, the mountains, the bears that roam the streets... It's all connected. This city's been here for centuries, and it'll be here long after we're gone."

Liliana's gaze remained fixed on the fire, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. "I can feel it," she said. "There's an energy here... something ancient. The magic in the stones... it's alive. It's watching us."

Kale looked up. "The stones?"

She nodded. "You might not feel it, but I can. This city was built with something more than just stone and mortar. There's magic woven into every corner of this place. It's subtle, but it's there."

"You're not wrong, Lili," Rika said. "The earthborn have always had a connection to the land. The mountains are our guardians, and we respect them in return. It's why the bears live among us. They know, just like we do, that we're all a part of the same thing."

Kale took another deep breath, letting the atmosphere of the city wash over him. For the first time in a long while, he felt at ease. The warmth of the fire, the steady presence of the earthborn around him, and the protective aura of the city itself seemed to promise that, for now at least, they were safe.

"Feels like we've earned this," he muttered, letting the tension ease from his shoulders.

Rika smiled, leaning back against the bench. "Yeah. Enjoy it while it lasts, Kale. Bjarnholl's a good place to rest... but out there?" She gestured vaguely toward the door. "Out there, the world's still waiting for us. And it's not getting any kinder."

"We'll need our strength for what's coming," Liliana said.

The three of them fell into a companionable silence, the warmth of the fire and the comfort of the hall offering a brief but much-needed respite from the dangers that lurked beyond the city's ancient stone walls.