---
Fizz zipped after him with a sulky hum. "Are you sure this is the right way? Because this is giving me that classic 'you're about to get eaten' vibe."
John tapped the side of his vision. The system didn't lie. The marker was ahead, maybe an hour walk from their current pace.
"We're close," he said. "And something is… off."
Fizz peered around. "Oh yeah. Definitely cursed. You can always tell it's cursed when the mushrooms start watching you."
John glanced down.
They were, in fact, surrounded by clusters of red capped mushrooms. At least two dozen. And several of them had sprouted facing the exact trail they were walking.
"Creepy," he muttered.
Fizz floated low to one. His tiny arms were stretched wide like he was trying to hug a dream he instantly regretted. "Hello, my soft round friends," he whispered, voice dripping with a charm that fooled absolutely no one. "Please do not grow teeth. I like your looks without teeth. Very aesthetic. Very smooth."
