What was that? Eshanai thought in wonder as she stared at the spot where the hole had been. She had seen land from high above as if from a bird’s eye view, but nowhere she recognized.

”You let it get away,” the Oni accused. He stood well away from the spot where the hole had opened up, not having lifted a finger to catch the goblin. Eshanai didn’t acknowledge that, though, instead she looked at him with a stunned expression that made the Oni pause. “What?” He asked tentatively, picking up on her astonishment.

“That was the mainland?” She began.

“Yes,” the Oni answered slowly. “Most likely.” A huge grin started to gradually spread across Eshanai’s face as she got up from where she had landed and began to slither towards the Oni.

“If I had known you were my ticket out of here,” she said before embracing him in a crushing hug and started to spin around with him in her arms.

“Huh?” The Oni managed to choke out before Eshanai put him down again.

“Go on, open it again. We can be out of here right now,” she said with enthusiasm.

“I don’t,” the Oni began, but Eshanai was too excited.

“That hole thingy, open it again, and we can get off this island,” she looked at him then, saw the frown on his face, and hesitated. “What’s wrong? You don’t want to come? I had hoped you would. That dick ain’t going to suck itself, you know.”

“It was a portal, and do you think I would still be here if I could tear holes in reality whenever I wanted?” The Oni answered as he struggled free of Eshanai’s grip. She let him.

“But you just-.”

“I know what just happened, but that was not me.” He began to explain as Eshanai’s mood shifted at the revelation. “The goblin’s brew somehow reacted with the fire and tore that hole. I’m not even sure that’s what the goblin intended, or the collective, I guess, but they sure took advantage of the situation.”

“So you can’t open it again?” Eshanai asked, deadpan.

“Afraid not,” the Oni answered in the same tone. Eshanai clenched her fists and shook in frustration. It looked like she wanted to hit something before she sighed heavily, calmed down, and shook her head. She eyed the potion’s left standing on the little table. Still glowing with their multicolored hues, she quickly made her way over to them with new eagerness.

”What about these? Do you know what they do?” She asked but had already started mixing different liquids haphazardly. ”If we can just mimic what the goblin did, then surely it will work.”

”I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the Oni said apprehensively as he too walked up to the table to see what she was doing. But Eshanai wasn’t listening, too busy trying to remember how the potion had been mixed. She was currently choosing between a yellow and a green one. She hesitated before snatching the green one.

”No, you have no idea what you’re doing,” the Oni said and grabbed her arm before she could pour it into the one she had already begun mixing. Eshanai looked at him for a moment. She looked almost startled to see him there and desperate. Her look switched to determination as she slowly brought the two bottles closer together, overpowering the Oni.

They both watched as the liquid was poured in, one with excitement, the other dread. The green mixed in and sparkled, like a thunderstorm trapped in a bottle, Eshanai thought as she stared.

The color suddenly changed to an extremely bright white light. Eshanai had to look away, shielding her eyes from the glare. She could feel the potion being yanked out of her hand and the Oni’s mind powers lifting her off the ground. The table was quickly overturned, spilling hissing liquid all over the floor. The Oni threw both of them behind it, and then something exploded.

After a moment, Eshanai’s eyes cleared, and she looked up from behind the table with excitement. Instead of an open portal like she had hoped for, she was greeted by gold. Everything within the immediate area had turned to gold. The floor, the table, some of the bookshelves, even the liquid eating its way into the floor had turned to gold.

”You moron,” the Oni shouted at her. ”Do you want to get yourself killed?” Eshanai stared at him, a bit stunned at the outburst, then she smirked.

”What got you so up in arms all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you’ve begun to like me and don’t want to see me get hurt,” she said with exaggeration. ”How come we aren’t fucking?” The Oni spluttered at that before huffing derisively.

”Don’t give me that blight,” he said with a quick wave of his hand. ”I don’t have to want to fuck you to not want to see you die.”

”Do you like me?” Eshanai asked with a face-splitting grin.

”What are you talking about?”

”At first, you said I could be tolerated. Now you don’t want me to die. Me, a Naga, the hated enemy, it’s pretty safe to say that you. Like. Me.” She said that last part in a sing-song way, her smile on full blast.

”I never said I hated you, just the elders. And besides, how do you think they would react when they find out that you have been turned into a golden statue?”

“Hm, I see your point,” Eshanai acquiesced. They would certainly not react well, even if it was her own fault. Probably jumping to conclusions about the Oni.

“So, what’s the big deal?”

”No big deal,” Eshanai said with a shrug. ”It’s just one step closer to pound town,” she did a little dance, pumping both of her fists in the air. The Oni only stared for a moment, dumbfounded, then he snorted.

”That’s so stupid. Who would even say something like that?”

”The humans,” Eshanai said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

”Humans?” The Oni asked in contrast as if he had eaten something foul and it wanted back out.

“Yes, well,” Eshanai began to explain, sounding a bit unsure. “In the stories, they say stuff like that all the time.” The silence stretched out for a long moment between them before the Oni burst out laughing. He had to sit down. He was laughing so hard.

“I have a feeling,” he exclaimed between fits of giggles. “That your people had something to do with that.”

”What’s that supposed to mean?” Eshanai said, offended.

”Oh, just that some of your ancestors might have,” he paused, considering his next words. ”Interpreted some of those stories to suit their tastes better. Go on, give me an example,” the Oni had stopped laughing now, but his eyes were filled with mirth.

”Well,” Eshanai began reluctantly. ”They say it all the time in The Game Of Bones. Like when the dragon king rescues the lady of blue roses from the tall tower, he says it.” Eshanai said with some enthusiasm creeping back, but the Oni only started laughing again.

”I don’t get what’s so funny,” Eshanai said with confusion. ”Why wouldn’t they fuck? He was the greatest knight in all the land as the story goes.” Eshanai sounded truly baffled, like the whole idea of two people abstaining from intercourse was anathema to her. ”She was nothing to sneeze at either, with tits the size of her head and an ass to die for.” She held her hand above her own chest as if cupping a pair several sizes larger than her own not inconsiderable assets.

”The greatest knight indeed,” the Oni sneered derisively. ”And how would you even know what an ass is, let alone crave it sexually. Naga aren’t exactly gifted in that department.” He gestured at where her tail began, well above where a human's hips were located.

”Don’t be ridiculous. I know what an ass is,” Eshanai scoffed with a laugh. She moved around to point at the Oni’s backside, “that’s an ass and a mighty fine one at that.” The Oni sputtered and coughed as Eshanai practically raked her eyes over him. He tried to hide his embarrassment with a fierce glare directed at her.

”I didn’t- That is- I’m not,” he stammered out before throwing his hands up in frustration. ”Bah, you’re impossible. Let’s just get out of here before this stench burns away my sense of smell entirely.”

”I hadn’t noticed it honestly,” Eshanai said with feigned ignorance.

”Oh, the source might be gone, but it still lingers, trust me.” So they started making their way out of the little room and up the stairs, with Eshanai clutching her book tightly to her chest. They still had to be careful of traps, but could speak freely as all of the walking corpses seemed to have collapsed on the spot with the amalgamation of mushrooms downstairs having gone away.

“So they weren’t spirits then?” Eshanai contemplated as they passed through the hole the Oni had burned through the side of a burial chamber to get around the collapsed rubble. They had run into the remains of the water trap earlier, but lifting the remaining wall had been straightforward with their combined efforts. “Just infected like I was by spores and the goblin, I guess.”

Eshanai was very grateful to what she could only assume was a little tree living in her stomach. She did not relish the idea of having her will subsumed by another, and the spirit in her stomach apparently didn’t either. Having a passenger was a small price to pay for its occasional help. Hopefully, that was all it wanted and not to drive her around like a flesh puppet.

“I suppose not. It’s too bad about the goblin. I had hoped it had grown smart on its own, but I guess it was the collective controlling it all along.” The Oni sighed in disappointment.

”Are you sure no other goblin was infected?” Eshanai suddenly asked, which made the Oni look at her.

”None of them showed such improvement,” he said after a moment of thought. “But we don’t have to worry about that now with the collective gone.” That sure was a relief, not only about the goblins, but now Eshanai didn’t have to worry about the mushrooms spreading their influence all over the island. Through the hole she had made.

That would have put a dampener on her plans, but now her wanderlust burned brighter than ever. She had seen it, the mainland. Eshanai had gotten an actual glimpse of another landmass out there. She had been convinced there must have been something beyond the ocean, but no one had known. Or else where did all the stories come from? They couldn’t all have taken place here on this island, could they? Now she had confirmation.

Oh, there was so much to do. Eshanai could barely contain herself. She needed to plan, gather supplies, and build. She needed to… learn to read. The book clutched tight to her chest was the key. Much of her plan hinged on whatever was written inside. Eshanai’s eyes lingered on the Oni’s back as he walked in front of her. He would have to be her teacher. First though, they had to get out of here.

”You don’t want to go to the top? Try to figure out how the goblin got in,” Eshanai said as they made it to the hole they had gotten in through. The Oni stared up at it, light pouring down on him from the outside, and Eshanai stared at him.

”No,” he said simply. ”Unless you felt anything other than smooth rock up there?” He glanced at her and sighed when she shook her head. ”Then I expect the result will be the same.”

”So you have no ideas, not even a guess as to how it did it?” Eshanai asked, trying to tease an answer out of him.

”At first I thought there must have been some hidden door or mechanism somewhere, but…” he paused as his eyes flicked to her and back again. ”Well, it obviously had the collective's help, but other than that, no, not a clue.”

“You don’t think it could have used one of those portal things to get in?” That would certainly explain it nicely and serve to strengthen Eshanai’s hope that creating portals was a repeatable act.

“Forget about that already,” the Oni sneered. “That portal was entirely accidental, as I’ve already said.”

“How can you be so certain? You said yourself that you had no idea about how it got in. How can you know it didn’t use portals?” Eshanai was grasping at straws, looking for the slightest possibility.

“Fine, you know what, you're right,” the Oni sighed after glaring at her. “I know you want to get off this island, but that doesn’t change the fact that none of us know how to make portals.” Eshanai’s mood soured at that, then she suddenly brightened.

“The collective, or whatever those mushrooms called themselves, were spirits, right?”

“Yes,” the Oni answered slowly, unsure where this was going.

“So I just need to ask another spirit. They might know something about portals. Maybe some of them even saw the goblin entering the ziggurat.” Eshanai said with enthusiasm. The Oni looked like he wanted to argue but closed his mouth as he seemed to think it over.

“That is not a terrible idea,” his eyes lingered on Eshanai’s stomach for a moment. “Although your interactions with spirits have not gone swimmingly in the past, at least you’ve made contact.”

“You’ve had trouble talking to spirits before?” Eshanai asked, not all that surprised. Any spirit wouldn’t be thrilled about being forced to serve anyone.

“My people have never had your gifts,” he answered derisively. “Forget it,” the Oni said suddenly as he shook himself. “Whatever you are planning, just leave me out of it.” He started hovering quickly up towards the hole.

“Oh, come on,” Eshanai said and jumped after him. “I thought you wanted to know how the goblin got in here?” She caught him midair and wrapped him up tight in her coils. They wobbled for a moment as the Oni struggled against her but soon continued to rise up and out of the hole. I guess he can carry us both, Eshanai thought as they ascended into the dampened light of the jungle.

“I’ve had quite enough of spirits,” the Oni exclaimed as Eshanai held on. ”Let me go, you insufferable woman,” he grunted as he made his flame vanish, and Eshanai was forced away ever so slowly. It was like an invisible ball was expanding out from his body. Eshanai squeezed it lightly to test its strength, and she found that she could stop its expansion with a moderate amount of effort. She didn’t want to try any harder, or she might accidentally crush the poor Oni, at least judging by the strain on his face.

In either case, Eshanai let the Oni slip free of her coils and was left to fall to the stone steps below. Landing softly, her tail absorbing the impact, she looked up to see the Oni grinning smugly at her. He looked pretty good hovering there, muscular arms crossed over a broad chest, and with his unruly hair blowing in the slight breeze. He must have noticed her admiration, for he grew suddenly flustered, fidgeting with his hands.

”You know I never caught your name,” Eshanai said from where she now sprawled. She spoke slowly and looked at the Oni with hooded eyes. That always worked on her sisters. To make matters worse for him, she was practically lounging on the steps, presenting him with an excellent view of her. Like his hands, his eyes didn’t seem to know where to look. When he glanced at her, they quickly flicked away again as if burnt. ”Are you planning to keep your name like you keep your cock?” Eshanai smirked, and the Oni shut his eyes, his hands in tight fists by his sides.

“Jiro, my name is Jiro,” his eyes opened, and he looked almost disappointed in himself before he quickly turned to fly in the direction of the goblin cave.

“Hey, wait. We had a meeting, remember?” Eshanai yelled after him as she stood up, but he didn’t seem to hear her, for he continued until he disappeared among the trees. I guess I’ll find him back at the cave, she thought and started to make her way down the steps.

“Jiro,” Eshanai said softly, testing the name on her tongue. It was a nice name, if one Eshanai had never heard before. That didn’t take away from its niceness though, only added to it and the mystery of the Oni bearing it.

The mushrooms in the grove seemed as dead as ever, and Eshanai breathed a sigh of relief when she finally pushed through them and out of their oppressive embrace. Here the plants behaved normally, shooting away and into the ground when she got too close. The terrain was open but uneven, where massive roots had grown to make mossy hills for her to traverse.

She followed the river back to where she had first lost the sneaky goblin, all the while ignoring the river spirits trying to attract her attention. They moved in intricate patterns through the water, iridescent scales shimmering together in shoals of see-through fish.

She did want to speak to them, to ask if they knew how the goblin got in. Eshanai doubted that a river located so far from the ziggurat would have seen anything. She knew what it wanted though, and that was a powerful advantage. She would let it stew, for now, the flute wasn’t with her anyway.

She only paused to take a drink of water before arriving at the cave. No goblin stood guard, and the Greathorn she had left was gone, brought into the cave to be processed judging by the drag marks. Two green lumps now stood where the goblins had fallen, one by the tree and the other closer to the cave entrance. The forest had claimed them, vegetation growing over their bodies, with beautiful flowers on top, feeding on their flesh. The third who had attacked seemed to have survived, either helped by its fellows or awakened before the forest could get to it.

“Hello!” Eshanai yelled, standing before the cave opening. “You in there, Jiro?” No answer came, but as her tongue flicked through the air, she caught his smell among the stench of goblins and excrement. It seemed he had come straight here after leaving her at the ziggurat, gone to prepare for their meeting perhaps.

The cave was not entirely unguarded after all. Two goblins stood on a lip above the entrance as she slithered inside. Eshanai could feel them shaking in fear as she came into view, so stories of her must be spreading through their tribe already. She didn’t look at them as she slithered further into the darkness, not wanting their poor little hearts to burst from too much fear.

Goblins fled from her in droves as they saw her, practically climbing over themselves as she calmly made her way forward. She enjoyed watching them escape through their numerous tunnels, almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information flooding her senses. But she pushed through, taking care not to show any discomfort on her face. Eshanai didn’t want to show any weakness and ruin the reputation she had carefully begun to cultivate among them.

Eshanai distracted herself by fantasizing about the caves and their myriad pathways. The goblins must get lost down here from time to time, an invader certainly would. She was sure they must use that to their advantage when attacked, or she didn’t understand how they hadn’t gone extinct already. It was just unfortunate for them that she was Naga. Her ability to sense and pick up on the minute vibrations through the earth one of the many reasons she was simply superior.

Their weakness was a strength of its own, strange as it might seem. Eshanai, in all her glory, wouldn’t have to go to such lengths just to survive. But it was more than that. She would never even have thought of using these labyrinthine caves to confuse and trap opponents if, indeed, that is what the goblins did. There did seem to be extensions here and there where they had built their own tunnels. Though perhaps she was giving them too much credit, goblins never showed such ingenuity out in the jungle.