Journal Entry #3

[Month: Rootwane. Day: Stillday, 20. Year: 2250]

We’re making our way to a different cocoa-like grove now. Spohr says it should be about a two-day journey. But that isn’t the big thing that happened today. In fact—

[Do you wish to continue the journal entry you made on Stillday, 20, in the month of Rootwane?]

Yes.

[Continuing journal documentation. Today’s date: Rootday, 21, in the month of Rootwane in the year of 2250]

So...I have a moss pixie now. And a Crocan bodyguard. Just another normal day in Muragu, I guess.

Let's back up. Yesterday, while we were walking, I felt this weird humming in the jungle. Not like insects or ambient noise, but something deeper—like the it was trying to get my attention. I've been hearing it faintly since I arrived in this place, but this time it was impossible to ignore.

It led me to this ancient, gnarled tree with a massive knot in its trunk—the bark weathered and etched with patterns that seemed almost deliberate. When my fingers brushed against the rough surface, something strange and extraordinary happened. White magic—yes, actual magic—sparked from my fingertips like miniature lightning bolts dancing across my skin. I still can't fully process that this is something I can apparently do now??? The energy crackled and pulsed, and the knot in the tree responded, spiraling open like a door would for the right key.

Inside was a tiny fairy-like creature no bigger than my thumb. She had the most remarkable mushroom cap on her head, a vibrant red with delicate white speckles that glows. Glowing mushroom caps seems to be a theme here. First it was Spohr, then it was (hopefully) ordinary mushrooms, and now my pixie. Under the cap, she has wisps of moss-like hair that kind of curls. Her translucent dragonfly wings fluttered nervously as she regarded me with enormous brown eyes.

When she touched my nose, I apparently became bonded to her. So now she's my familiar. I decided to name her Cottonmoss. Its kind of a mouthful, but I honestly like it.

[System Note: Familiar acquisition complete. Cottonmoss has been registered to your Companion Affinity Web. Perhaps you could use some moss self-control with the magical experiments?]

If that was supposed to be a pun, it was terrible, Verdant Path. You know that I didn't exactly plan any of this.

[That is an accurate statement. I shall work on my puns.]

Please don't, Verdant Path…..You know what, Verdant Path is a really long thing to say. Can I call you Verda?

[There is nothing against my programming for you to change my name to better suit your tastes.]

Sweet!!! Anyway, Kaji says moss pixies are just Simari myths, which makes her existence even more confusing. She's about the size of my thumb and communicates through these musical chirps and trills. I can't understand her words exactly, but somehow I get the general meaning. Kind of like talking to a Pokémon. She's been helping heal my headache today with these glowing spores.

[System Note: Spore healing activated. Healing rate: 0.5% per minute. Not exactly emergency room speed, but it beats your human world's insurance paperwork.]

Okay….now that was funny! Can I put a laughing emoji in here? No? Dang it.

As for the Crocan bodyguard situation... that's even more complicated. Yesterday, after finding Cottonmoss, I heard this horrific roar in the middle of the night. Without thinking, I ran toward it (which I realize now was incredibly stupid, but hey, medical training).

[Medical training does not excuse reckless behavior.]

You're right. It doesn't, but it does help those in trouble.

I found a female Crocan—Ssyn—pinned under a fallen tree with some kind of predator about to make her dinner. Again, without thinking (noticing a pattern?), I charged in. Somehow I channeled that same white magic into my taekwondo moves and managed to kill the creature. Then I apparently lifted a TREE with magic-enhanced strength.

And promptly passed out. Med student diagnosis: magical overexertion with a side of what-the-hell-was-I-thinking.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

[System Note: Magical reserves depleted by 98.7%. Recommended recovery time: 36-48 hours of rest. You weren't thinking. Perhaps next time consider not attempting feats worthy of mythological deities on your first week in a new dimension?]

Really!?! Dang! Don't let Ssyn know, please. She won't let me leave the bedroll already as it is. If she finds out I won't be at full health for another 24 hours, she might skin me tomorrow.

[System to system communication is not possible until emotional synchronization between users is met. However, there is no guarantee that she won't notice.]

Was that a little bit of reassurance? I'll take whatever I can get!

Anyways…when I woke up, I discovered Ssyn had carried me back to camp and now considers herself honor-bound to me through something called a "Radix Vow of Loyalty." According to Nyzekka (her Krenka companion who thankfully speaks English), I saved Ssyn's life, so now she's sworn to protect mine. Forever. No returns or exchanges. I wish I was kidding!

Kaji thinks this is hilarious and keeps making jokes about me being "engaged" to a seven-foot reptilian warrior woman. I'm too exhausted to even snap back at him.

Oh, and I should mention Ssyn comes with a complete entourage. Nyzekka is the Krenka (Kaji's "leetle creebles" he mentioned Crocans having) interpreter. She barely reaches my knee when standing to her full height. Tharn is a swampgator mount so massive he could possibly swallow a school bus whole. And some peculiar bird whose wings have leafy looking feathers. The creature perches on Ssyn's shoulder occasionally, watching me with unnervingly intelligent eyes that seem to evaluate my every move. I really should have asked for the bird's name, but between magical exhaustion and adjusting to my new reptilian bodyguard, proper introductions slipped my mind.

What's really concerning me though is this magic. I don't understand where it's coming from or how to control it. One minute I'm just a broke med student living in my car, and the next I'm shooting white sparks from my hands and lifting trees? It doesn't make sense.

Spohr seems deeply troubled as well. He's brought up a name several times now - Yaghan-Ko. According to him, this mysterious figure is some form of gifted seer who might possess crucial insights about what he keeps referring to as my "unexpected burst of power." The way Spohr's cap gently pulsed with bioluminescence when mentioning this name suggests there's something significant about this connection, perhaps even reverence. Ssyn and Nyzekka also speak about Yaghan-Ko much the same way. They even know where he is since I guess he's a traveler. We're heading there starting tomorrow. Hopefully, I'm recovered enough to travel.

[System Note: Magic analysis incomplete. Source: unknown. Pattern: emotional response triggers. Control level: minimal. Recommendation: Don't get emotional. Which, based on your psychological profile, is like asking water not to be wet.]

That sounded very reassuring, Verda.

In the meantime, I'm stuck here under Ssyn's watchful eye. She won't even let me sit up without glaring me back down. It's both touching and infuriating. I haven't had anyone taking care of me or telling me what to do since I was 15. But I have to admit, the medicine she gave me earlier has helped my body feel a little better.

Nyzekka is out foraging with Kaji and Spohr right now, leaving me with Ssyn and Cottonmoss. Yes, Nyzekka took the swampgator and bird with them. Thank goodness! I don't think I could possibly rest very easily (the way I'm sure Ssyn wants me to) knowing that swampgator is hanging out near camp.

So to recap my growing collection of strange beings:

1. Spohr: Sentient mushroom man who communes with the "Deep Spore"

2. Kaji: Trickster monkey-boy obsessed with chocolate

3. Cottonmoss: Thumb-sized fairy who is my new familiar and heals with spores

4. Ssyn: Seven-foot Crocan warrior who's appointed herself my personal bodyguard for life

5. Nyzekka: Ssyn's Krenka companion who thankfully translates

6. Tharn: Giant swampgator (still processing this one)

7. A leafy bird whose name I have yet to learn

That's not to include Yaghan-Ko. I'm not sure if he'll travel with us, but his elephant features will definitely put him on the list.

Let's face it. At this rate, I'll have my own fantasy menagerie before the month is out. All I need now is a dragon.

[System Note: Dragons inhabit the northern mountain territories. Please do NOT actively seek one out. Your survival probability is already concerning enough.]

Wait, DRAGONS ARE REAL HERE?

[System Note: Journal function is not designed for existential crises. Perhaps focus on your immediate recovery instead of collecting more potentially lethal companions?]

Technically, journals are meant to record all sorts of thoughts. That also includes existential crises.

[…That is true. Very well. Existential crises shall be recorded.]

Thank you. But we're totally coming back to the dragon thing later.

For now, I should rest before Ssyn notices I've been "active" too long. The last thing I need is an angry Crocan confiscating my system access. Something tells me she'd find a way, vow of loyalty or not.

[While Ssyn taking away system access is theoretically impossible, it is perhaps a good idea to stop writing and drawing in your journal. Your body needs adequate rest in order to recover.]

Yeah, yeah. I'm working on that.

—Crystal Andrews, Med Student & Accidental Dimensional Traveler