Bedded down in rows on rows, in gardens where nobody hoes. /
The sap of life spreads underground, like a weed it knows no bounds. /
The sickly light of underneath, grows a flourishing harvest, one that's brief. /
Submerged inside their sticky sap, your womb will grow the perfect trap, /
A bumper crop of eager blooms, the perfect yield to seal your doom. /
Away from people's prying eyes, another flower shall soon rise. /
If you are caught within their grasp, it might just be your epitaph.
***
Maria hummed as she pulled her cart down the golden brick road, being careful to avoid the overgrown twisting vines that were beginning to infiltrate the pathway. She wasn't always successful, the wheels of her cart hopping over the top of them, threatening to spill the precious cargo of bundled plant material.
The fourth floor wasn't a particularly dangerous place to be at most times, but there had been several reports of young women going missing down here as of late. Maria didn't have much choice, however, as specific vegetables she needed to run her restaurant only grew down here, and it was cost prohibitive to hire an adventurer to gather them for her.
Her best friend, Sam, warned her against coming down here every time the larder started to become empty, but they both knew she had no choice. Besides, she was quite familiar with this area, and had been on the fourth level several times before. Danger only existed down here for the unwary.
Besides, this floor was actually quite well tended, if a little overgrown. The original ancient civilization that had lived here had remodeled every inch into their personal empire, covering the walls with golden bricks and the ceilings with bioluminescent vines. The walls had even been labeled with signs.
Their language had mostly been lost, now, but the endless parties of adventurers had figured out what most of the signs meant and provided helpful labels to prevent others from getting lost. Not that she needed them - she was quite familiar with the path she was trodding, and could easily navigate it with her eyes closed.
Passing through an arch to the next area, she smiled as her eyes were drawn to her favorite garden patch. This area had been cultivated for centuries, with small brick channels built beside the pathway and into the fields, carrying water that welled up from below.
There was very little one had to do to grow plants in the ground of
these
fields - the soil was loamy, and unnaturally fertile. Unlike above, plants didn't need to be rotated here to ensure sufficient nutrients for proper growth. Anything planted was guaranteed to become huge.
This was only made possible by the unique skylights that had been built into the ceiling. She didn't quite understand how they worked, but somehow they channeled and enhanced the light of the natural sun coming from the mountain above, spreading the rays evenly over the scattered fields.
It was daytime now, the brightness of the sun making it difficult to look at the ceiling at all. The small amount of warmth that filtered through was enough to increase the temperature of the floor significantly, making it possible to grow all varieties of vegetables and legumes.
Researchers were still trying to figure out how the skylights worked, but the ancient technology was impenetrable. Perhaps in a few years they would have a better idea of how to duplicate it, but, for now, the fourth floor was the only place it could be taken advantage of - for those who dared.
Stopping her cart, she stepped over the irrigation channel, the trickle of water like music to her ears. Kneeling, she pressed a trowel into the soft dirt, wiggling it down far enough to get underneath the roots of the lettuce.
She popped the trowel upwards, a spray of dirt spattering around her. The plant squealed a little, but she ignored it. This variety was known for making unsettling sounds, but the taste was incomparable. Grabbing the loosened head, she wrapped a rubber band around the base, pushing it up until the leaves were bound together. This would keep the leaves tight around the top of the head, closing off the mouth tube so it would make less noise while being processed.
Tossing it into her cart, she set to work on the next one, her hummed tune changing as she toiled. "
Working in the soil
" was a peppy, jaunty tune, and helped her to pass the time.
Popping the rubber band around the next head of lettuce, she increased the volume of her humming to drown out the disturbing cries. This was the part that bothered her the most, but it was the same for everyone. There was no getting around the hard work required to feed the adventurers delving into the lowest levels of the dungeon. The dangers
they
faced were far beyond the paltry problems she dealt with in the fields or in the kitchen.
She was grateful, truly, that she was able to pursue her passions. If only their screams didn't tear at her mind and enter her dreams! Their cries were proof that they were alive, just as she was. They had to give up their lives so that others might live. Nature was a harsh mistress.
Turning her attention back to the soil, she was surprised to find a dark shadow leaning over her. The bright light from above should have kept any darkness away, and if there
was
one, that meant...?
Looking up, she gasped. It wasn't a monster, as she had feared, but a large plant she had never seen before. This was unusual in and of itself, as she had seen everything that lived in these fields during her gardening runs. This must be a new, invasive species.
Worse, there were so
many
of them, a dozen at least, infiltrating her field of lettuce. Their large heads tilted upwards, pointed towards the sun, enormous black flowers with yellow petals.
Bulbous necks fed down into pot bellied bases, large leaves spreading out over the ground to hide their roots. Spreading outward from the stalk of their necks were several vine-like protrusions that could be mistaken for arms. Two of them were tipped with silvery white flowers that hung towards the floor, in the shape of upside down cups. They shivered, although there was no wind.
Some of the ones in the rear appeared to be disfigured as if they had grown with mutations. Their pot bellies were distended, their necks fat, filled to the brim with what she assumed were juices. A large bulbous growth was just below the flower head, as if they had
eaten
something.
At first, she thought they were harmless, but the one in front of her definitely appeared to be
looking
at her. She backed away, crying out in surprise as a pressurized mist exploded from its center.
She was too late, her head caught in a cloud of purple gas. She tried to hold her breath, but she had been taken completely by surprise, already having breathed in a little by reflex.
She got up on her feet, wanting to flee, but she suddenly felt incredibly dizzy, unable to put one foot in front of the other. Twisting her ankle, she fell on her ass, a burst of pain tingling up her spine as her butt dipped into the water of the canal.
