Chapter 2: Birdsong in Hollow Valley

Iko wanders through the strange woodlands, feeling the soft breeze on his skin and listening to the bird's sing their listless melody. A small smile creeps on to his face. There were so many simple joys away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and it pained him that it had been so long since he had gotten to enjoy them. Taking in a deep breath, he could feel a strong connection to the Spirits and the Other Side.
He felt like there was something he was meant to do, that he was in charge of, but for some reason, the serenity of the glen made it seem not so important. He took a moment, finding a soft patch of grass and moss to rest in under the shade of a peach tree. Odd, to find one so beautiful and in bloom at this time of year. His smile widened as he removed his hat and sat down. The bird song grew quieter, but sweeter, more content.
Iko turned his head toward the sound of footsteps, expecting to see one of his companions, coming to share in his serenity, but saw instead a bird of exquisite beauty. It languidly walked toward him, its eyes gleaming with pure emeralds and its feathers burning with ethereal fire. For any mortal man, the sight would have convinced them of their madness, but Iko had seen the Other Side, and the realms of the Spirit Kings. He knew he had slipped into that place, or into a pocket between the two worlds.
The two spoke as if old friends. Iko shared tales of his travels, and the folly of men. The spirit spoke of the sights of its home, and the strange politics of its kin. For hours they conversed, until the sun seemed to be tiring, and heading to its place of rest beyond the horizon. Iko began to rise, speaking of the necessity of returning to his people, and to his mission. The spirit looked at him with sad eyes, reminding him that, no matter what he did, no matter who he convinced of his righteous cause, he would not be able to make his world as beautiful as the Spirit's.
He looked down sadly, and retrieved his hat. When he looked back, the bird was gone, replaced by his companions shaking him awake. "Sorry... I could have sworn it was time to rest..." He says, confused, with his usual sad smile on his face.

Wu Meng moved without too much difficulty in the forest, and as he entered the glen, its rare beauty put him in a contemplative mood, although Iko's strange tale made him cautious again. When he checked himself he found that some of the ginseng tea left to him by his shifu was missing. This troubled him, as he has saved it for a more ceremonial occasion to share and consume.

He closed his eyes, to see if he could get a true sense of the valley.

Iko shakes his head as the ginseng thief runs off. "I bet it doesn't even know how to make tea." With a sigh, he looks to his companions, "We need to keep moving. If I was here for hours, and you all found me in a few minutes, we could easily waste too much time here while that beast continues to rampage through the city." While the valley had taken him back to his days of studying the spirits, and the teachings of his order, being with people grounded him, and made him remember his task.

Wu Meng found his inner spirit recharged. It was as if the serenity filled him with more life than was possible. He focussed his thoughts once more, as if to project a sense of gratitude towards that which surrounded him, before opening his eyes again, and spotting the little figure who pilfered his sachet.

"Who are you, little one? What is it that you want?" The monk asked out of respect than genuinely expecting an actual answer. He turned to Iko and nodded at the priest's suggestion. "Yes we had best move on."

Feng quite likes this place, finding the vivd colors relaxing her very soul. If the ghost is trying to give her a sign she wouldn't be able to understand, feeling herself slowly slip into a trance while she simply admires the scenery. Even Iko's concerns -something she would normally heed- don't seem all that important at the moment. "Come now Iko, there is no reason to give excuses, we are still on our...mission."

Kalam looked around, the calm taking him. Not noticing what was happening really. He had never visited the spirit world. He lived his life in the sky but his mind was well grounded, normally. One needed a strict mental discipline to perform his skills and technique. So he was unfamiliar with the spirits but knew of the spirit world from Shifu Qian's teachings, though not it's workings.

Orengi snarled at the little thieving spirit, as he noticed that not only did it stole his only friend's belonging, but that the spirit's nature is a mischievous one.
Mimi noticed that her companion is getting fiercely defensive against the creature. "It's okay, it's okay... We don't have to fight the spirit..."

As for Mimi's attitude of the forest, she has become used to the dreamy nature of the spirit-touched forests, and has become instinctively cautious, but unafraid.

Despite the beauty that surrounds him, Wei finds himself thinking to his last conversation with the spirits.

Do you trust them...Yes, I do trust my friends. We've fought side by side in battle. That's how I acquired this ring.

These newcomers?Yes, I've met Mimi previously when I was moving through the forest to get to the city. As for our other new companion, if he's half as honorable as the others then we will be fine.

The Guild?For the moment...yes. We will see how our dealings go.

Your precious woman lying there in an unnatural sleep?Yes, I wish I could find a way to save her.

Yourself?I've traveled my path by myself for a while now. Who else can I trust if not myself.

Kalam looked around drowsily, he sees the forest spirit with the tea packet run into the brush. He lets out a little giggle, finding the act strangely humorous.
"The little one likes your tea Meng."
He then sobers and his brow furrows, "The passage of time is strange here. I can't seem to grasp it, even my own time is altered." he kinda giggles a little again but tries to cover his mouth. Kalam looks to be making an active effort to control himself or something anyway.

Mimi sees that her new companions are being badly affected by the spiritual energies of the place. "Hey guys, keep it together! Despite this forest being relatively peaceful, it can still be able to pull you fully into the spirit realm! I won't be able to find a way to bring you back if you do. So, I advice having something to focus on keep you from being distracted. Such as the yellow fungus we were meant to look for. Stick close to me, I can't keep watch on you always..." Mimi begins to study the present area for clues of fungus growth.

Mimi is an excellent tracker of the forest with Orengi at her side, spirit infused or not.

"Interesting that we all seemed to pierce the veil in different ways." Wu Meng found in disturbing that while the reality was desolation, the illusion was what charged his inner ki.

He turned to the others who first heard of this task. "What were the properties of this fungus? Were you instructed on how best to safely transport this?"

Wei stands there looking at the husk covered in yellow fungus. Still shaken by all the death in the valley, he simply stands there. Thank you ancient ones, your guidance saved my life.

That was disturbing... The forest was dead all along... What happened here? Mimi wondered to herself as she led the group out of the illusion. She decides to focus back on the task instead of the troubling revelation.

She nodded to Wu Meng's question. "Yeah, this is the yellow fungus we are looking for. But, are you sure this is what you want? It looks to be a parasite that manipulates insects to their death. Why would you need this dangerous species?" Mimi asks hesitantly.

The moment Feng is brought out of her haze she doesn't say a word about the experience, and any attempt to discuss the matter is met with her ignoring or walking away from the conversation with an embarrassed look on her face. Luckily the conversation moves on without much fuss, and so does Feng.

"Yao Fei wants to study it. We fought roach-men who were infected by a much nastier "strain" of this crap thanks to the Fan clan. We still need to pay them a visit for such a grievance."

The voices in Wei's head stir at Feng's words.
The Fan? Oho! Anybody named Fan in here? Haha! Hey, watch out for the toad!

You all hear a loud, crunching noise nearby. When you peek through the trees, you see an enormous creature resembling a giant, horned toad, as tall as a man, munching on a fungus-infected cockroach. It doesn't appear to have noticed you. What do you do?