3. Fungal Cave

Springrise, 9th day.
Day
As you near the Fungal Cave, the oppressive silence of the Whispering Woods is broken only by the soft rustling of leaves and the distant, eerie whispers that seem to come from nowhere and everywhere. The faint glow of bioluminescent fungi begins to light your path, casting strange, shifting shadows among the ancient trees. The entrance looms ahead, shrouded in a dense thicket of oversized mushrooms that pulse with a life of their own. The air thickens, almost suffocating, heavy with the sickly-sweet scent of decay and the omnipresent spores that drift lazily through the dense atmosphere.

---

The Cave Entrance
Faramos tenses as he senses the perversion of nature here, his connection to the earth twisted and tainted by the corruption within. Nindia’s sharp eyes catch the telltale signs of movement amidst the unnatural growths, while Brenda, ever vigilant, tightens her grip on her shield, the weight of your task pressing down on your shoulders.

A low, guttural growl suddenly emanates from the shadows as you take another step forward. Emerging from the fungal thicket are Five Spore Servants, grotesque parodies of life, their emaciated forms barely resembling the humans they once were. Fungi burst violently from their pale, decaying flesh, the glowing blue of their hollow eyes sending chills down your spine. The servants' heads snap towards you in perfect unison, their jerky, unnatural movements betraying the dark magic that controls them.

With a terrifying, mindless hunger, the creatures advance, their bodies twitching and convulsing as they move. Fungal tendrils writhe grotesquely from their limbs, releasing puffs of spores into the air with every step. Their mouths twist into snarls, revealing rotting, jagged teeth, as they prepare to descend upon you with relentless ferocity.



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"There seam to be 5 of those degenerations. We have to end their existence... they make me sick! It's not the way Nature wanted them to be! I think better not get too close to them!" - Faramos says while taking his Staff from his back, then strike the nearest one to him using the length of the weapon.

Let's. Pick. Some. Shroom. Nindia eagerly draw both of her weapons and take attack stance waiting for enemy to approach.

Faramos steps forward, the air thick with spores and the stench of decay. As one of the Spore Servants lunges at him, its decayed fingers stretching out like claws, he swings his staff in a wide arc. The staff connects with a sickening crunch, shattering the creature’s brittle skull. A burst of spores explodes from the wound but a gust of wind dispels the noxious cloud before it can reach him. The first Spore Servant collapses to the ground, its corrupted body convulsing once before lying still, the fungal growths twitching in their final death throes.

Brenda, seeing the threat closing in, raises her shield and draws her longsword, the blade gleaming faintly in the dim light. She positions herself beside Faramos, her stance solid and unyielding. Her eyes narrow as she waits for the remaining Spore Servants to approach, the muscles in her arm tensing as she prepares to strike.

Nindia, moving with the fluid grace of a seasoned rogue, draws her scimitar in one hand and a long, wickedly sharp dagger in the other. She darts to the side, circling around the group to find the best position to strike. Her eyes flick between the advancing enemies, calculating their movements, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The remaining Spore Servants, undeterred by the death of their companion, shamble forward with single-minded determination. Their hollow eyes are fixed on you, their snarls growing louder as they close in.

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Nindia tries to put her scimitar into the open jaws.

As the Spore Servant lunges at Nindia, its decayed jaws snapping open, she reacts with the honed instincts of a rogue who's faced death countless times. Instead of dodging, she raises her scimitar in a fluid motion, meeting the creature’s attack head-on. The sound of metal clashing against rotten teeth echoes through the forest as the blade intercepts the bite. The force of the parry sends the creature stumbling backward, momentarily off balance.

Nindia doesn't waste the opportunity and...

High on adrenaline Nindia slash the other creature with her right arm and try to finish off the one on the ground using her dagger in left putting all her weight into the off-hand attack.

With a swift, deadly strike, she swings her scimitar across the creature’s neck. The blade slices cleanly through the decayed flesh, severing its head in one smooth motion. The head tumbles to the ground, the eerie blue light in its hollow eyes flickering out as the body collapses in a heap, tendrils twitching weakly before going still.

In the same breath, Nindia spins toward the Spore Servant that had fallen near her, its grotesque form struggling to rise from the mossy forest floor. Without hesitation, she drives her long-bladed dagger into its chest with all her strength. The blade plunges deep, tearing through the corrupted flesh and fungal growths, but the resistance is greater than she anticipated. The servant lets out a final, wet gurgle as the life drains from its hollow eyes, but as she withdraws her dagger, Nindia hears a sharp crack. The blade, damaged by the intense force, is now severely bent and chipped, its once-razor edge ruined.

She curses under her breath, glancing at the ruined weapon in her hand, but there’s no time to dwell on it. The fight isn’t over yet.

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Continues in my next post.

As Brenda sees the Spore Servant struggling to rise near her, she wastes no time. With a determined glare, she raises her shield to protect herself from any sudden lunge and steps forward, her longsword gripped tightly in her other hand. The creature, its hollow eyes flickering with the last vestiges of corrupted life, claws feebly at the ground, trying to pull itself up.

With a fierce battle cry, Brenda thrusts her longsword downward, the tip of the blade plunging straight into the creature's chest. The steel slices through decayed flesh and fungal growths with a sickening squelch, driving deep into the ground beneath. The Spore Servant writhes in a final, desperate spasm, its limbs flailing as the corrupted life force is extinguished. The eerie blue light in its eyes fades, leaving the body to collapse in a lifeless heap at her feet.

Brenda yanks her sword free, the blade slick with dark ichor, and takes a step back, breathing heavily but standing tall. She quickly scans the area, her shield raised, ready for any further threats.

Faramos seeing how wicked and unnatural even their movement patterns are... contorts his face in disgust and swings his staff above his head, putting all his strength into the act of ending the existence of... a thing - lying at his feet - that he believes should never have come into being..."DIE! Monster! You are an insult to all the works of Nature!" - he shouts, a little too loudly, bringing his staff down with the righteous fury of cleansing fire in his eyes.

Then rises his staff... and hit's again... and again... and again... as he would like to not only kill the creature, but also to grind it and drive it into the ground, breaking it into so many and such small pieces that it would have no chance to arise again and ever continue to exist.

That was unexpected! Nindia look at her dagger and curses Brenda, have you ever repaired a dagger?

"Of course. Unfortunately, I don't have any hammers or other tools here, so I might break it while I try to fix it. Should I try?"

"Those nasty creatures had hurt you, Nindia?!?" - it was not clear whether Faramos was asking, stating the matter of fact or even the thought of something like this happening was infuriating him even more. But the one thing was for sure: he was still full of rage and disgust towards strange beings that have just attacked them. He looked around not in fear of potential approach of more enemies, but rather looking for some "more Nature's fruit to cleans by the might of his staff". But realizing that nothing more is coming their way he calmed down a little and looked back at Nindia seeing that indeed she was hurt.

"Did those... PHU!" - he spat on the ground - "things bite you? We have to fall back and definitely check it out. I would really prefer you to stay with this bright color of your skin... I must admit..." - with these words he began to carefully retreat back to the part of the forest they had become somewhat familiar with on their original journey to this strange place.

Deciding it’s best to rest and regroup before venturing deeper into the Fungal Cave, they retreat a short distance to a small clearing, partially shielded by thick trees. The air here is still heavy with the scent of decay, but it feels safer than the cave entrance where the corruption lingers strongest.



Springrise, 9th day.
Evening
Back to the relative safety of the Whispering Woods, Brenda retrieves a whetstone from her pack and begins to examine Nindia's damaged dagger. She grimaces at the deep nicks and the bent blade, waiting for Nindia's authorization to try to fix it. Meanwhile, she busies herself with preparing a meal. She gives it to Nindia.

---

Nindia, increase your food die by one, them roll for food and water.

Faramos, please roll your food and water dice as well.

Brenda will eat the last meat, before it spoils, so she just rolls for water.

---

I've never done it myself. Samantha would... she stop talking to stop tears. She just give the knife to Brenda and prepare for sleep. I just need to rest and will be fine. Everything will be fine.

Springrise, 9th day.
Evening
Brenda settles by the fire and begins the slow, methodical work of repairing the dagger. Her hands move with the practiced ease of someone who’s mended countless weapons. The rhythmic scraping of metal on stone becomes a soothing backdrop to the night, blending with the soft crackling of the fire.

As the night falls fully, Brenda finishes her work on the dagger, waking Nindia up and handing it back with a nod. "It’s not perfect," she says, "but it’ll hold for now."Nindia takes the blade, inspecting the edge. It’s still scarred, but much sharper and straighter than before. She nods in thanks, her sharp eyes reflecting the glow of the fire.

Examining Nindia from some distance:
"Hmm... looks like you weren't bitten after all. Good! Very good! As you should be aware... that I wouldn't allow you to exist as one of those things... nothing and no-one should exist like that!" - Faramos passion about subject ignited once more. Apparently he really treated Nature subjects very seriously.

"Now... please rest, we are definitely getting back there - to annihilate the source of those abominations - and we will need all your strength and cunning to achieve this! I will prepare the right place for the night."