Her antennae shrank. “But if you knew about me, if you knew how often I fail, you wouldn’t want me in your team. Besides, I’m so ugly now.” That crease between her eyebrows deepened.
Logan tried to soothe her. “You’re not ugly, and even if you were, I’d make you look good in comparison. I’m a yellow mushroom guy with a skin condition. Granted, the skin condition gives me armor, but it still isn’t all that easy on the eyes. Bottom line, we’re partners. I want us to take the Winnowing exam together. If you’re willing.”
Inga searched his face to see if he was serious. When she saw he was, she nodded, and her demeanor changed. “Of course we’ll take the Winnowing exam together. And you were right with all your talk of the law of diminishing returns. Now, let’s go watch Marko dance. I find it both amusing and slightly disconcerting.” A small smile crept across her face when she talked about the satyr. It was a far tamer version of the look she usually reserved for Professor Nekhbet.
Interesting.
Logan put on one of Marko’s Azure Dragon robes, and they made the trek to the Golden Serpent Hall. The place had been transformed, with tall trees of every kind growing straight out of the floor. Candles were attached to their branches, giving the place a nice, Christmas-tree light. Not Christmas-y? A strange band of slug people played music on the raised platform at the front of the room.
Treacle stood in a corner, disgruntled as ever, while there in the middle, Marko cut a fearsome rug. He was both funny looking, not caring at all what people thought, and strangely graceful, keeping time, working his arms, bobbing his head, and having the time of his life. The Gelatinous Knight danced near him. He was an awkward, gooey affair.
As Logan and Inga made their way over to Treacle, Ed the Rot Troll came up to him. The huge green thing nodded. “Mushroom. Yellow. Flouncy.” He flicked Logan’s cap, sending wobbles across his head.
“Me like.” Ed kept on walking.
The First Cohort stood across the room with Professor Rockheart. Ned and Zed had done a good job of putting Jimi Magmarty back together. The earth elemental towered over the rest, and it was comical how the gargoyle professor and his favorite band of butt-kissers kept their eyes off Logan and his friends. As if Logan cared. Tet-Akhat stood with a bored look on her face. She caught Logan’s eye and nodded at him.
He nodded back. They both smiled, sharing a little moment.
Inga convinced Treacle to dance with her, and they left their corner. Treacle figured he’d be equally miserable dancing as standing, so it didn’t matter. And it would make Inga happy. They joined Marko, and the satyr let out an elated yell. Alphonse the Spice Mummy and Yellsa the Lady Ice Dragon joined them. They all danced in a big group, swaying and spinning in ways no human could ever move.
Logan was left alone, tapping his three-toed feet.
Shadowcroft was going around talking with professors and students, making sure everyone was having a good time, though the treelike headmaster would sometimes blend in too well with the various types of trees.
The old tree man happily let out a hoot and spread his arms when he saw Logan. “Yes! You have reached Iron Trunk and a new evolutionary form, Mr. Murray. And my, how yellow you are. Remind me again the name of an Iron Trunk fungaloid.”
“Shroomian Acolyte,” Logan said.
Shadowcroft circled him. “Yes, I see your Harden skill has improved, and I’m sure that’s not all. We haven’t spoken, but I wanted to congratulate you on your many achievements. What you are doing with Inga Thosa Therian is remarkable. Really, truly remarkable. You two have all the professors talking, you know. How wrong I was about fungaloid. But of course, I thought you were a normal core. You are not. You are so much more.” He tapped the side of his gnarled crooked nose conspiratorially.
Logan offered him a lopsided shrug. “That’s what people keep telling me. I like working with Inga. And I love my friends. Honestly, I’m just happy to be here.”
“Friends.” The smile on Shadowcroft’s face dimmed. “Yes, friendship can be a blessing in this world.” A few flowers on his grassy skull withered. “It can also be a curse. I wish you luck in your friendships, the field trip, and the Winnowing. We’re halfway to the end of the school year, Mr. Murray. Halfway to the Winnowing.” Shadowcroft patted his back. “You’ve come along away. You’re not dead, and so you can continue to do wonderful things!”
With that, the headmaster moved on, robes swishing around him as he vanished into the crowd.
Logan wondered at the strange encounter. The headmaster had wished Logan luck with his upcoming field trip. It was just a trip to Eritreus to see a real dungeon core in action. That couldn’t be that dangerous, right? Logan wasn’t sure, but he liked Shadowcroft, so he chalked it up to the headmaster’s eccentric nature.
Marko came over with a cup of old coffee. “Did someone order coffee? Extra bacteria?”
Logan laughed and took the mug. He sipped and enjoyed the bitter spoils of percolator warfare.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder watching the party unfold in all its monstrous, otherworldly glory.
Marko sighed. “I love a party. Love those slug guys. They can keep a beat like no one’s business.”
Logan nodded. “I feel bad I didn’t get you guys any Forevergreen gifts.”
Marko knocked him playfully with an elbow. “Don’t worry. You surviving your guardian form evolution is a gift enough. You might not see it, but you’re giving Treacle hope, and you’ve given Inga focus. Remember how scattered she used to be?”
Logan laughed. “Yeah, I guess.”
The two fell into an awkward silence. Logan sipped his bacteria coffee. Marko gulped wine from his goblet.
Finally, the satyr chuckled nervously. “Okay, so, you were awake last night when I got all mushy, huh?”
Logan nodded. “Yep. Totally awake. Heard every word.”
Another beat of even more awkwardness.
Marko didn’t know how to move forward, but Logan did. He leaned against his satyr friend. “It’s cool, Marko. We’re friends. I don’t need to know about your past. We’re in this together, and in the end, we’ll have each other’s backs.”
The satyr turned deadly serious. “This time, yeah, Logan, I’ll have your back. As long as I’m here, as long as I’m alive, you and me, man. You and me.”
They clinked their cups together.
“Esprit de corps,” Logan said with a happy sigh.
“What’s that?” Marko asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Inga and Treacle were dancing their way over, and Logan knew what that meant. He was going to have to shake his fungal groove thing. “The Terrible Twelfth. That’s esprit de corps.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
LOGAN ENJOYED HIS VICTORY for three days, until the next Core Calisthenics class. Chadrigoth hacked off his left arm with a broadsword while Magmarty watched, quietly chuckling with satisfaction. The earth elemental’s trash talk was subdued because Logan had reduced him to a rocky mound of mushrooms. Chadrigoth, on the other hand, seemed bound and determined to prove that Logan was just as worthless as ever. And unlike Magmarty, who was about as dumb as the rocks he was made from, the Abyss Lord was whip smart.