Mission 1.2: Sinister Trail

Nikolai will notice there are something like control panels next to each vat. They are also covered with thin layers of the mold. He can tell some are damaged from the lack of lit up buttons, but some still functions. One of the unbroken vats still contain a dirty looking liquid, and a silhouette of some kind of tall shriveled up plant.

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Meanwhile, Zakk and Matsuki will feel a sense of dread, like something evil is taking a hold of their senses. A sensation of numbness comes over them as the red hallucinations dance and buzzing rings in their ears.
(Zakk 1 will damage, Matsuki 1 dex damage. I will edit now. Zakk Will 6>5, Matsuki Dex 12>11.)

"Haha... ooh, my eyes are seeing something funny now... Wait those things remind me of those weird drawings we found in that cultist Janitor diary... " Zakk comments aloud.

Despite wearing the vacsuits and not breathing the air, the room still seems to cause a strange effect...

As matsuki and Zakk leave the room, the hallucinations start to fade away. The fungus bulbs near the covered doors seem to not be glowing now.

Nikolai does not experience any hallucinations, however, he can still feel that this room possess a presense of something wrong.

A clever decision. Nikolai leads the way from the vat room that seems to be strangely affecting his companions. As they walk back into the corridor, Zakk notices something.
"Hey, um. I have stopped hearing the ringing, but... it might be my mind, but I think I heard something moving behind us."

If anyone were to immediately look behind, they will see nothing is off.

Matsuki keeps watch in the back. She tries her best to shoot at first sign of approaching threat, but also being careful to not be trigger happy at firing at shadows. This place have already done its damage on the senses of what is and is not reality, but what is known is that the danger of the alien fungus is real.

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The fear of threats around the corner exists, but no sign of another creature is found as the team reach the level called -3. When they enter the main room, they will see a similar intensity of the black growth as the earlier one they just left. There are 4 doorways. 1 leads north, straight ahead into a mold-coated corridor lit up with red light. This corridor must lead to the room Matsuki saw through the floor. The other 3 doorways are covered in the thick fungus. There are no bulbs like the ones seen near the vat room. The lights in this room is covered up by the thick growth, and only the flashlights and the red light illuminates this place.

The doorway to the stairs to go further down probably exists here, but it's covered up by the growth.

The party now see that they have only viable place left to explore. As they walk down the corridor, the red glow cast creepy shadows all around as black roots wrap around the surfaces of the immediate area. As everyone enter the room, they will see roots and cables criss cross all over the floors. Along the walls are screens and control panels, each hugged by more growths. At the other end of the room is a large screen displaying a harsh red light. Zakk comments that his filming device is now showing weird red texts again. This time, when pointed at the big screen, the red text are flashing through, like a computer running programs in an alien language.

Before anyone may try anything else, a mass of the fungus in a corner start to writhe. The red lights makes it hard to see well, but the size seems to be like a person cocooned in the black material.
"It has been... a while... for new guests to arrive..." It whispers in a jumble of voices, similar to the faces instead of a zombie.

The cocooned being rises upright. Its head is bloated, making it seem very inhuman. It slowly drifts a little to the group as it listens to Matsuki's demands and threats.

"That is... Very fair!... We are looking to speak too... Forgive... Forgive our rude form. We wish to speak as one... A Human vessel... We have taken a humble and understanding man known as Samuel. He is a son of your people known as The Union. We saw his friend, James, being less than friendly to us. Samuel knew the right thing to do, and he ends the life of this James. Samuel knows us, as he fathers told him he had to do one day. Join as friends or be punished. That is a simple human way to describe it. We offer our presence to the humans, one way or another. James now serves as a skull most useful. We sent him to your people on this world, and he shall be our method of communications.

But... something is wrong now. Our communicator is not with our human ambassador. Instead, a human woman hides it away. Resisting it. We need to do more... Our time is limited too. Our others do not like our close involvement, but your species deserve a second chance. Will you be our new ambassadors? If you choose willingly, we may not need to take your bodies..."

The intelligent monster silently shakes as it listens. It stops moving closer this time.

"Diplomacy... A human concept we are still learning. Forgive us for our... incompatibility. We understand you value this concept of individuality, free will, and natural health. We see such ideas as a joke. But... you humans fear surrendering your consciousness to us, even if it is beneficial. Humanity is delaying the inevitable. We have power and knowledge your species do not have. What foolishness. But we shall entertain your questions, just as you have entertained us.

Why have we attacked you first? We, most honestly, don't have full control over our kind. It is a struggle we have. You probably have seen third party interferers. I sensed them, desired for them to leave. They came because you awakened our organic nodal system. Through our system on the surface, they came attracted to your immature human presence, hungry to know what we are secretly doing here. We can't leave this human construction, and so we used your happy human visage to draw you here. It works, but human communication is still difficult. We do not know how to progress without taking your bodies. Our Others purposely made this difficult, but we succeeded so far.

As for your human outpost, that is the best we could do. You call it brainwash, we see it as persuasion. Our communion with the people there, they see us as gods. If gods mean powerful and intelligent beings, then we are. They see that they have to kill? Maybe, if it works to gain control. They will help us gain control, and save mankind.

And, our goal? We do not trust our collective alliance to keep you humans alone and weak. In our past, we don't care for young species like you. We lived longer, and deserve to make this universe ours. But, you humans have a special weapon. Threatened our old leader. We surrendered and pursue peace. We... we stole your power and potential. We had big problems that you humans will only make worse. The alliance thinks this is enough. We don't think so. If we take your species to join us, you can help. And we will teach and transform mankind for this. At any cost."

Then the cocoon wrapping around the creature is punctured by a pair of badly rotten arms. The arms continued to claw at the material, tearing an opening that reveals inky darkness full of white eyes and wide grins. This sight will badly shake Nikolai.

"Come on... Try to be a willing learner like Samuel... You ignorant babies..."