Khloros' magic certainly had an effect on the mushrooms; in the near vicinity of the horse, they began to wither before the very eyes, shriveling and crumpling like leaves shriveling under an autumn breeze. The spores hanging around them slowly cleared, and the air in the hollow gradually became more breathable.
But spores still seeped out of the remaining mushrooms in potentially dangerous quantities, pooling around them as a low-lying but choking mist. More still had to be done to destroy or close off the remaining fungal growths for good, or who knows what would happen?
60% of mushrooms remain.
Kin-Kin reached the top of the gulley and looked back at the ragtag group of Gembounds who had assembled there. Some appeared to still be under the grip of the fungal spores, whilst others appeared to be trying to tackle them, to some degree. Safely out of the way, she took the time to ponder the vision she'd had, or... was it a hallucination? There seemed to be little difference between the two, at that moment.
It had felt so real, and Kin-Kin remembered the feeling coursing through her veins at that moment, an almost alien power that was akin to the day she'd mastered earth magic, so different to her own element. Had she really caught a glimpse into an unknown element? And if so, did that power yet remain?
Kin-Kin shook her head. It was something she could think about later.
For now, there was these mushrooms to worry about. Kin-Kin stood on the lip of the gulley, looking down. Then, she poured her magic into the earth, her glow dulling. Crystalline spikes formed beneath the clusters of mushrooms closest to her, piercing them through, and tearing a couple apart where they grew. But there were so many more...!
Envy was vaguely aware of the taste of bile in their mouth, and the uncooperation of their limbs as spores gradually settled on their twitching form, not helping the matter. Their vision spun, and they could barely move, but spores floated on their breaths, filling their lungs. Soon, their twitching stopped, and they simply lay there in petrified motionless, their vision swimming and thoughts spinning as they considered how stupid the entire situation had become.
They fumed with all the lucidity they clung onto, fur along their sides managing to bristle, as their small legs kicked feebly. At the corner of their eye, they caught sight of a familiar streak of blue, and although it was hazy, they recognized the tone. Their heart leaped, as much with humiliation as hope.
"Amras..."
they muttered, tongue falling thick in their mouth, and the words slurred in their ears.
Rift watched a golden wolf with a cape start to destroy more of the mushrooms as the other gembounds struggled with freeing themselves from spores and destroying the fungus in their turn. He had to do something too. He glared at the mist that was rolling through the forest. It would choke the plants and the creatures that called this place home. He had declared himself their guardian. He would not allow this to happen.
He stomped a foot on the ground and projected his magic into the earth, willing the plants to help him destroy what he could. But he was still weak from his hallucination and the effort could not bring up any kind of spell and he was left panting and tired. He needed to recharge before he would be able to cast anything.
___________________________________________________________
"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.
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notes:
Khloros turned his long, thin head to peer at Envy. For a moment he considered making his way to the creature, to pluck it up in his teeth and toss it bodily out of the fungal spores--but then they might gain a hold over even him, and the tenuous victory they faced might be pulled away from them entirely.
He turned his attention back to the mushrooms. No; he would finish here, and then, perhaps, they could recover the wounded.
The diseased horse continued to stride long-legged into the bed of fungus, keeping his head high and focusing once more on his magic. He felt calm, confident--detached, even; the power the life below was feeding into him further empowered him. He did not weaken; he only grew stronger.
Your deaths empower me. Fail, and fade.
His hoofbeats were unhurried, his skeletal form drifting quietly and steadily, deeper and deeper into the thick of the fungal forest--where he would take their life, and add it to his own.
________________
BRING OUT YOUR DEAD
The she-wolf's crystals certainly had a profound effect; tearing up quite a number of the mushrooms nearest to her, but also having the effect of sending tendrils of spores floating into the air.
Khloros' efforts, on the other hand, had a much quieter effect- yet equally effective, as many of the mushrooms around him quietly shrivelled and died, the spores they held remaining within, for good.
The yellowish mist continued to settle, hanging low to the ground.
40% of mushrooms remain.
Kin-Kin looked on with a pleased expression, her glow falling bright on the world around her as she admired her work in destroying the mushrooms. But they weren't done yet. A lot of them still remained. Kin-Kin sucked in her breath and paced around the rim of the hollow as she began to pour energy once again into the ground.
This time, though, it seemed that her magic was drained from her previous attempt, and she frowned in frustration as it failed to physically manifest. She sat down next to a patch of mushrooms as she waited for her magic to recuperate, looking around to further plan her next move and take in the sights of the other gembounds milling around nearby, all locked in the same struggles, or similarly trying to manifest their energy destroying the same mushrooms.
Finally, sides heaving and gasping breaths emerging, Envy was finally able to regain their senses enough to awake, the bitter taste of bile in their mouth and head resting in a vile-smelling-puddle. Glancing around, they backed away from the sight at hand, hoping that they hadn't been noticed by any of the others. It was a bedraggled weasel that staggered their way away and clawed themselves up the mossy bank out of reach of the spores. This time they were careful to avoid the odd mushrooms bulging out of every nook and cranny, keeping themselves low and occasionally glancing back nervously.
They didn't quite understand what had happened here, and their vision was still fuzzy at the edges. their heart hammered erratically. They tasted metal in their mouth, and longed desperately for a drink around the awful lump in their throat. Their stomach heaved, and they almost threw up again. Staggering even on all four paws, the little weasel lurched hurriedly and desperately into the trees for the barest sign of water, where they'd soon collapse again into a deep and fitful sleep; with only the vaguest of visions remaining.
-exit envy-
After a few moments, in which Rift watched as the others attacked the mushrooms, he felt ready to cast his spells again. He noticed that there where now all kinds of gems sticking out from the ground, which had apparently cast even more pollen into the air. He glared at it with horror. How was he going to clean this up? What a mess! And how would this affect the forest? Hopefully it wouldn't do too much damage in the long run. And hopefully it wouldn't be as hard as he imagined to heal this area of the forest.
He smashed his foot into the ground angrily, calling out loud to boost his magic. "Come now, trees! Destroy the mushrooms! They threaten you, they threaten the flowers and the leaves and the grass! Smash them! Grate them into dust!" As he yelled, roots began to pull themselves out of the ground and reaching over the mushroom field. At Rift's command, they smashed down, attempting to destroy any and all mushrooms that were unfortunate enough to be in their path.
___________________________________________________________
"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.
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notes:
After climbing to the side of the gully Amras sat down, watching the other gembound below who went about destroying the mushrooms. As expected they seemed to be kicking up a lot of spores, but aside from that their effort was not in vain; over half of the mushrooms were gone now. Beyond that even with the cloud the ones present didn't seem to be having too much difficulty beyond momentary disorientation. The rats, it seemed, had been the real danger after all.
Not wanting to sit idly by forever Amras slid down once again and tapped into his magic, building up a large blunt wave of force in his right arm. There was a sizable patch nearby, a perfect target to begin with.
"We're making progress, keep attacking and we can clear this place!" he encouraged as he shot his arm forward and unleashed a massive wave of kinetic force at the patch before him.
Pouch 1:
Baubled talc rods
x12 |
Pouch 2:
Charcoal dust
(50 in3) |
Pouch 3:
Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms
(25 in3) |
Pouch 4:
Charcoal chunks x7
(medium) |
Back bag:
Empty |
Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags:
notes: None