The Astralaceaes

Chapter 16: Basin Racin

Haledon watched as the viscous stream of amber sap flowed over Witch-Hazel's wooden face. As it did, it began to spill over to their thick, bramble shoulders. The crowd of Earth Druids in the surrounding glade cheered wildly as the liquid absorbed in.

"Go!" Witch-Hazel gargled past the alcohol that soaked through their wooden mouth.

Haledon panicked and thrust his stein into the sap, where three large air bubbles erupted from beneath the surface's slow waves. The world around him seemed to slow as he felt his heart thudding against his chest. He withdrew the mug and lifted it to his face.

The Astralaceaes Druids in the crowd cheered an echoing chorus of encouragement as they watched Haledon represent the ship. He could hear the familiar screams and cries of friends he had known for a lifetime. It drilled confidence into his pith, exciting him to drink.

With a sizeable first gulp, he gagged against the burn. His confidence quickly faded, and he knew he was in trouble. With an instinctive flinch that caused him to nearly drop his mug, he gripped tighter and swallowed another burning gulp of sap.

Haledon grumbled through the alcohol as he managed a third and fourth gulp. Growling loudly, he finished the drink and slammed his hands to the table.

Spark pushed past Haledon without hesitation and drove her stein into the Basin. Through his heavy breathing, he watched her down her large drink with a quick swig.

"Go, Gaz, go!" Spark yelled.

"What?" A surprised and panicked Gazeas replied.

Taking her hand, Spark helped dunk Gazeas' mug into the fluid.

Gazeas withdrew it, looked at it momentarily, and then across the table. Haledon followed her eyes and noticed the other team was on their last Druid. The woman had already begun drinking her stein and was nearly finished.

"What are you—hrm-glug—" Gazeas' protested and coughed.

Haledon swung his head around in time to watch Spark as she tipped the stein to Gazeas' face.

"Spark, what are you doing?" Haledon yelled.

"Havinggg—" She paused as Gazeas struggled through the last of the sap. "Fun?" Removing the drink, she yelled out to Witch-Hazel. "Go!"

Witch-Hazel dipped their drink and thrust it up and over their face. They immediately drove the second stein into the sap and pulled it up. Pausing, Witch-Hazel raised their head to look over the table.

"Vastum." They cursed before throwing the second drink back.

"Go—go—go—go." Witch-Hazel insisted as Haledon reluctantly dragged his mug along the Basin's base, revealing a thin band of red-tinted wood.

"That's the finish, come on—"

Haledon lifted the mug and took a large gulp. The taste of the sap flooded his senses before escaping down his throat. His face shifted into a frown as he took a second, smaller gulp. Beads of sweat formed on his temples, where they raced to join the sap already hanging on his chin.

"Nope—" He mumbled through the liquid as he lowered the mug.

A tangle of roots pushed the drink back to his lips and tilted it up. In a panic, Haledon continued to drink through his grumbles of frustrated disagreement.

He felt his gaze loosen for a second as the vision of the Shaman Tree rushed through his mind. Reaching his hands behind his head, he instinctively gripped at non-existent vines.

Haledon frantically directed his eyes towards Witch-Hazel, who smiled reassuringly. Beyond them, a figure stepped into view. A pale, bramble face stared through the crowd with its hollow wells for eyes locking on Haledon. The head cracked to the side, and he felt a stabbing pain in his stomach.