Who: Felix Weissman and Derry Ackerly What: Reports have come in about a different problem on the grounds...but is it really different? When: Wednesday, July 10, 2019 | around 6 pm Where: Brightstar Reserve, near the dragon enclosure Warnings: Plot, language
"It's supposed to be through there," Felix said, gesturing toward the almost nonexistent path between the trees directly in front of them. It probably wouldn't have been visible, except that the sunlight was hitting the trees at just the right angle to highlight the slight opening. "Thanks again for coming out with me. I know it's late, but after what happened with you and JJ, I don't like to take chances." And he wasn't going to leave this task to anyone else, either.
He sighed a little as he pushed his way through the brush, glad that he'd brought a pair of good gloves with him to keep the scratches from his hands. He couldn't help thinking that the worst part about getting married the previous weekend was that it had been impossible for him and Njall to take the time for a traditional sort of honeymoon—and that meant getting home late on a work night was that much more frustrating. They'd carved out the evenings for each other as much as had been possible, with promises of something special as soon as Njall's appeal had been settled...and, for now, it had to be enough.
Felix had expected the strange patches of soil that had been reported by one of the keepers to be something difficult to find, but he'd only just reached the edge of a tiny clearing when he froze. "What the fuck…" he muttered under his breath and held out a hand to stop Derry from progressing into the clearing. Scattered throughout the area were giant patches of inky black soil, easily visible despite the increasingly shadowy sky. They didn't quite glow, but there was a presence to them, like they wanted to be seen, even in darkness. It was probably the creepiness of it all, but it was almost like he could feel them. "Full protective charms before we go any closer. I'm not taking any chances." He pulled his wand and did his own spells.
“I’d rather go with you than you go by yourself,” Derry assured Felix that he didn’t mind coming out to get the reports of the rotten soil. If it was anything like the toxic plants that made JJ sick, he wanted to help Felix find it and get to the bottom of this.
He’d been stopped short when Felix froze, and he looked ahead with shock at the giant patch of blackness that lie ahead of them. The soil was so black that it stood out in the dying light of the day. Derry nodded in agreement. He took out his own wand and applied the protective spells before they could investigate any further.
He already had his gloves on, and Derry went closer used his wand to transfigure a jar around a sample of the soil. Derry stayed closer though as he could imagine it closer. “It reminds me of Coprinopsis lagopus… how the mushrooms decay into a black inky substance that returns to the soil. But there is so much of it.”
Felix nodded, agreeing with the comparison. "Except...." He knelt down next to one of the patches and held his hand over it, not toward the ground, but in the air above it. Gooseflesh erupted across his arm. "Do you feel that?" He pulled his arm back and flexed his fingers a few times, trying to shake off the sensation. "It's like...I feel like it's pulling at me. Except that's not really an adequate description. But it's magic, not just biological."
He stood again and walked to the edge of the patch. Barely a few feet farther in was another one. It wasn't quite as large, but it ran the length of that side of the clearing, just under the overhang of the brush. "There's more," he said as he walked its length...and then there was another. He cursed under his breath, though why he bothered to keep it quiet, he wasn't sure. If anything deserved cursing, it was something like this. "Whatever this is, we need to get it quarantined until we can learn more."
It was possible there was a magical creature who'd caused this. He'd seen stranger things in the jungles. But with everything that had happened the last few months, he wasn't taking any chances. "Check that side." Felix pointed. "Let's see if we can find where it ends."
Derry watched as Felix went to reach for the soil and held his hand out over it. He was surprised at the explanation that the soil was… pulling at Felix. He held out his own hand over but shook his head when Derry felt nothing. “I don’t feel a pull at all,” he explained. Normally he did have some connection to the trees or plants… it was the Dryad in him, but not in this case. “If it’s pulling you in, I suggest you don’t touch it at all. Even with gloves,” he suggested as Derry moved to stand again.
He looked to where Felix had walked and saw that they were dealing with so much more. He nodded at Felix’s instructions, and Derry walked in the opposite direction to find the edge of the rotting patch. He continued walking for several feet until Derry was just short of the tree line. “It looks like it ends here,” he said looking at the healthier grass on the other side.
"I most definitely do not plan on it," Felix said. It was still possible that he was letting the atmosphere get to him, blowing it out of proportion, but he didn't think so. History had proven that the worst case scenario around here was more likely than imagination.
He was listening for the other's call as he walked the line of infected earth along his side of the meadow. He had to wind through some trees along an unbroken path, and when he saw where it came out, he cursed again, and this time he didn't hold it back. "Put up a shield charm starting at your end, and meet me on the south side," he called. "I'm a bit farther in. Watch the brambles."
Once again Felix squatted and held out his hand, and once again he felt that strange tugging sensation. That part didn't surprise him. What did was the place a few feet away where the earth had obviously been upturned recently enough that it was obvious, despite the layers of accumulated dead brush. He waited until Derry had joined him and then pointed to it. "See that? Charlie Weasley and I found a single Twisted Windroot plant right there."
“Got it,” Derry agreed as he stared the shield charm on his end and started walking around the large black ominous patch. It seemed to be working, but he didn’t go quickly. He wanted to do it right so everything was contained.
He got back to Felix, and saw that he was waiting for him, and looked to where Felix pointed out to the turned up earth. “So, someone came and removed it?” Derry asked looking at the spot. Using his wand, he looked to turn the earth up more, and looked to see if there were any roots that remained. “Someone who was able to touch this stuff.”
"I removed it," Felix corrected. "Because it had no business being here in the first place, like all of the rest of the suspicious things we dug up. The one you and I found included. This wasn't here before." He gestured to the black patches, which weren't exactly in a direct path from this area, but were far too close for his comfort. "We need to check the other spots. Now."
Derry nodded, understanding now. “So… does that mean that there are going to be patches of this rotten soil where you and I have found bad plantings?” he asked looking concerned at Felix. It was too coincidental for it to not be connected.
"We're going to find out. Though I'm sorry to say there are far more than you've seen." Felix pulled out his phone and shot a quick text to Njall, letting him know that he'd be later even than expected. He pulled his wand again and cast a shield charm—except nothing happened. If anything, that sucking feeling was more pronounced, even though he wasn't standing directly over the patch. "What the hell?"
“What’s wrong?” Derry asked when he saw that Felix’s shield charm didn’t work. When it was clear there was something even stranger going on, Derry continued performing his shield charm until all the black patches were quarantined properly. “Are you alright?” he asked, turning back to Felix.
Felix tried the spell again. Nothing. On a whim, he tried a simple Lumos. Still nothing. "None of my spells are working," he said, confirming what Derry had probably already figured out from watching. He gestured toward the shield charm the other wizard had just erected. "But yours…." He took a couple of steps back from the black patch and tried again. The magic rolled through his body so forcefully that he staggered backwards, catching himself on the trunk of a nearby tree. "Bloody—" He leaned over and tried to catch his breath. Once he could speak clearly again, he said wryly, "Well, at least I know I'm not broken." He held up his wand in illustration, and the tip glowed brightly.