The Astralaceaes

Chapter 36: Cosmophyllon

Haledon stepped through the veil into a field of tall grass. He paused momentarily, inspecting the space around him before Birchbark interrupted his thoughts.

"Taking you to the Hilum, now." She announced before Haledon felt his body tugged forward through the field and, after a few moments, emerged through the grass of the Hilum.

"Well, that's convenient," Mek-Tek remarked and looked around the room. "When did your Astra design that feature?"

"Today, I'm pretty sure," Haledon mumbled. "I think...I'm on day eight of today..."

"Huh?" Mek-Tek replied, his face briefly twisted in confusion. "Right, your journey into the Shaman Tree—how was that?"

"I spent a week below freezing, broke a hand and dislocated a shoulder."

Mek-Tek looked at him briefly, giving a slow blink before taking a puff from the straw of his orb.

"So," Mek-Tek finally replied as vapour flowed from his mouth. "That's a...good?"

"Compared to everything after I woke back up, I guess."

"Hey," The voice of Witch-Hazel interrupted as their body grew from the walls. "How did you two get here so fast?"

"Birchbark sent us through the nutrient lines," Haledon said, turning to face the arbornaut. "What took you?" He teased.

"Grabbed a drink," They replied with a shrug. "I thought it was better than sitting here and twiddling my twig until you showed up."

"I—" Haledon thought for a second. "What?"

"Nothing—you both ready?"

"Yeah." Mek-Tek and Haledon replied.

"One moment," Birchbark interrupted as her bramble form emerged from the wall behind Witch-Hazel. "I would like to enhance your SOILs with my indigenous microorganisms. It will help you outside my protective hull, as it did with Haledon."

"Yeah, okay," Witch-Hazel said as they stepped back and opened their arms. "Touch me, Birchy—one more time."

Haledon watched Birchbark place her hands on Witch-Hazel's chest. Slowly, white aspen branches grew beneath the thick bramble of yellow flowers and thorns. Peaking through the foliage, Haledon could see white-barked limbs begin to replace Witch-Hazel's hardwood skeleton.

"Birchbark?" Haledon asked as he watched the transformation. "How is what you're doing different than the Cosmophyllon foliage?"

"Different biomes," Birchbark replied, turning to face Mek-Tek. "May I genetically modify your—"

"Yeah yeah," Mek-Tek replied. He twisted a piece of his small helmet, sending roots and vines crawling across his body.

Birchbark approached the now fully covered body of Mek-Tek and placed a finger on the Druid's chest piece.

"The foliage of a Cosmophyllon Druid," She continued. "Is meant to remain connected to my hull at all times, where I feed them nutrients and heat to prevent them from dying quickly. Your SOIL modifications retain nutrients and cycle heat more efficiently. In addition, they can be detached from my hull for quite a while before needing a nutrient supplement."

"How long?" Haledon asked, watching Mek-Tek's hands, chest piece, and helmet slowly drain of chlorophyll.

"Long enough to get you to the other end of the Megacolides," Birchbark said reassuringly. "I estimate."

"You estimate?" Mek-Tek followed up as he examined his pale, rooted palms.

"I cannot see into the Megacolides, so I extrapolated based on what my sisters have told me from their observations."