The trees around them had grown taller and thicker, and the gaps between them were widening.
For more than half his journey, Ruger had been following that call.
Their meeting here suggested that he was not the only wizard doing so.
Was there some criterion for this?
Ruger looked at the Mushroom Person, then at the female wizard, and finally at the old wizard who longed to find a miracle. Including himself, they were a decidedly odd assortment, each different from the others.
"Why don't the three of you sit down with me, have some tea, and take a rest?" Ruger suggested.
They exchanged glances, none of them rushing to refuse. With such a mysterious call, having a few more traveling companions might be a good choice.
Ruger returned to the campfire and put on a pot of fruit tea. The only blemish was that the Otherworld Invader's aura had yet to dissipate completely.
They briefly introduced themselves.
The Mushroom Person was called Gubo. The full name was much longer; this was only an abbreviation. The human old wizard with the stiff neck was named Usman, though whether that was true was anyone's guess.
Even after sitting down, the old fellow kept stealing glances at him.
Without standing on ceremony, Ruger probed him with his senses. The fellow was actually a Three-Ring Wizard too.
"Are you really going?" the Mushroom Person Gubo asked softly and slowly.
"You can speak?" Ruger asked in surprise.
The dwindling campfire flared up again.
The Mushroom Person shook, shedding some emotional spores.
"Yes. Just... this way... is easier," Gubo said again.
Ruger raised his eyebrows in agreement.
"I have something to do on commission from my academy, but I still want to take a look while I'm here," the female wizard Dati said, sitting beside