《A Fungal Dream》Chapter 28. Underground Life.
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Where I was right now was the kayeri training grounds built directly under the normal training grounds, where my soldiers could train to their heart's content.
This place was mostly used by the Hecaton who had the most fights of the bunch.
As I descended, I took off my mask, breathed in the spore-filled air, then walked to the area dedicated to long-range training.
Once I drank some mana replenishing potions, I tried out all my new prayers, after each use, I wrote down the incantation and what it did into my book, adding it into my arsenal.
After an hour and a couple of mana potions, I wrote every prayer into my book.
“Ugh, feel sick. Need to vomit… at least I have some more, UGH…toys…Need a bucket!”
Once my stomach was empty, I breathed in deeply, thinking about my future.
“Who am I kidding? What I did to the prince will have repercussions. I should prepare for it mentally…and stall a little bit.”
Not wanting to be shouted at, I went deeper into the tunnels, humming a song to myself.
“
-
I can barely tell what's real.
How am I supposed to feel
When my heart is shattered in my chest?
Everyday is a tragedy.
I don't wanna be this way.
I just want to find a way to rest.
I can rest in peace.
Oh-oh-oh!
When I fall to pieces in my sleep.
I can rest in peace.
Oh-oh-oh!
When I fall to pieces in my sleep.
Tell me where I'm safe.
I am better in a grave, I won't bother, I'm a waste of help.
I can run away, but trying as I may, I am not gonna escape myself.-
(RIP by 8 Graves.)
-“And I forgot the rest of the lines! I wonder, with my current skills, can I write my own songs? That would be nice.”
Going through the moldy tunnels I arrived at the part that I referred to as the main area.
This is where most of the houses were built from stones and clay. Wood was used too, but it was quickly eaten by the mold, so the habitats were a little spartan, which didn’t seem to bother the residents.
There were even stone roads, stretching through the fields of white flowers giving the place a civilized look.
As I walked on the road, the residents bowed down before me and welcomed me as if I were a king or something. At first, it bothered me greatly but I soon got used to it.
“Father…We found…something.”
Towering over me was one of the Hecaton. He was also wearing the same leather clothing as the other residents did, its arms the only thing exposed.
“What did you find?”
“Hard to…explain…Igor will tell….Follow. “
Nodding I walked behind the giant, leading me to the biggest house in the village.
The inside was just an expansive room, with a huge table as the only furniture, which had a rough map on it.
At the opposite side of the table was Igor, wearing clothes almost identical to that I used to when we met, brown pants, a white shirt, with a lab coat.
The creature slightly bowed when he saw me.
“Father, I am happy that you came. I was about to send a messenger. There are several matters I want to discuss with you.”
“Well, I am here now, so let’s hear it.”
Igor nodded and placed his finger on a point of a map.
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“ The most important one is this. While mining for resources several kilometers away from here, we meet with a nest of giant ants. We sealed the entrance of the cave, but we saw various valuable resources in the nest. My opinion is that we should go there and retrieve anything we found, but we will obey your orders.”
“…Alright. You have my permission to go. BUT I want you to capture the queen alive. If we could domesticate her and the offspring, they would greatly help us.”
Ants are famous diggers, and they are well known to work together as if they were a single organism. Add my mold to it, and they can become potential Wilds.
Ants and mold, what a nice combo.
“As you wish, the other thing we need to discuss is the facility you asked us to make.”
One of my requests from them which I kept hidden from the king was the construction of a secret research facility. With the help of technology that I acquired from that steam world, naturally modified to suit this world.
Why would we use steam when we have stones capable of creating a miniature sun?
Thanks to the teaching of the dwarfs, we could now build our own forges and cast our own iron.
“Did you finish it already?”
“Not quite. We finished the frame, but as for the… ‘pipe’ system you designed for us, there has been a great problem.”
That pipe system came from the [Steam Engineering] skill. Even with the modifications I made to it, to work in this world, it should function properly.
“What happened? Is it the pump?”
“No, well in a way yes. We managed to get water running through it the way the schematics described. It’s the liquid mana which causes us problems.”
The stuff from the dungeon which I collected when I was down there. I would be mad if I weren’t planning to get more of it. I specially planned the pipe system to extract it from the walls of the dungeon.
“What sort of problems?”
“The dungeon…it resists. When we reached the walls, it started to send out goblins at us. At first, it was easy kills, but the numbers increased and now they set up camp at the cleared area, with a Goblin Champion leading them.”
I haven’t heard about this goblin champion, but it can’t be worse than a king.
“Why not take care of them yourselves?”
“We tried, but we noticed that by sending more and more soldiers there, the dungeon would spit out even more goblins. We have nobody who’s capable of dealing with it alone, so…”
“Sigh, I will deal with the goblins now. Is there anything else I should know?”
“There is just one thing.” Igor snapped his fingers, making two other Kayeri enter with a heavy wooden chest.” Please, take it away!”
“That…is the chest I received from the dungeon.”
When I returned from there, the chest appeared next to me. Since I didn’t have any reason or energy to open it, I just bought it here and…forgot about it.
“Yes. It started to… talk, driving the guards crazy. It wants you to open it.”
“…You want me to open a cursed box?... Sure.”
This thing was gifted to me after the gods have turned the goblin king into dust. Surely they would have taken it away if it were dangerous.
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I walked over to the chest, and with one of my hands on my sword, I flipped the chest open.
From the chest, a blinding light shootout, wrapping around my left wrist.
[Congratulation]
[ You received unique weapon: [Green Blood Bow] ]
[Alert.]
[A curse been placed onto the item.]
[User is no longer able to take it off.]
Once the light finally faded away, the box also disappeared, leaving me with the thing attached to me.
It looked like a small, green bow gun with an apple-sized hole on its back.
“Some sort of…wrist bow gun? How do I even use this thing? Guess I will figure it out while I am dealing with those ants.”
While I was muttering to myself, I pulled the string of the weapon activating it.
With a quick stabbing sensation, the hole got filled up with a blackish liquid, from which a black arrow emerged and magically placed itself into the weapon, ready to be shot at.
“…I think I will love this thing.”
As I cleansed my fingers, the arrow got released embedding itself into the wall.
As it made contact with the arrow, mold started to grow on the stone walls, quickly covering the entire thing.
As soon as it was released, another arrow appeared and got placed into the weapon.
“Definitely going to love this. Igor, if there are any vials of potions left, bring them to me.”
As I spoke, I took off my mask, exhaling a thick cloud of spores.”
“It’s been so long this Life Father fought seriously.”
*****
In the depths of the tunnels right next to the exposed walls of the dungeon, a small settlement of goblins was feasting.
Since these monsters were built outside of the dungeon, their bodies were made out of real flesh and blood, so it needed to provide them with food and shelter.
it required some energy, but it was worth it, compared to having its energy sucked.
Many people didn’t know this, but dungeons were sentient organisms, capable of thoughts.
They created treasures as lures, to attract creatures in, to be killed and digested.
As the dungeon ate its victims, it grew stronger and bigger, capable of making bigger monsters to help them grow further.
And when they feel threatened, they would react.
No living organism likes being targeted by parasites, especially if the thing the parasite fed on was something indispensable for its survival.
The mana liquid they wanted to take away from it was more than blood, it was part of the dungeon’s soul.
At first, it allowed them to take some since it was just a small amount, but now, since they built a metal monstrosity to suck it dry, it had no choice but to retaliate.
Creating these monsters required a lot of energy, not to mention the goblin champion.
The monster was sitting on a wooden throne before a campfire eating the meat provided by the dungeon, surrounded by his twenty or so comrades.
Its head was the exact ugly copy of a Goblin King, but the rest seemed to belong to that of a green bodybuilder.
No fat, only muscles, instead of a six-pack, this creature had a ten pack, with arms and legs, thicker than a tree.
Next to his thorn, a double-edged battle axe was laid on the ground, a red gem embedded in its middle.
As the goblin champion ate, he heard something.
Coming from the tunnel footsteps were approaching slowly, paired with whistling.
It was rhythmic with the echoes giving it an extra eerie feeling.
As the steps got closer, the noise stopped accompanied by somebody singing.
“
-
Looking by the window I can see
The raging crowd coming for you and me.
Footsteps are getting louder in the streets
The ground is shaking under my feets
I hope it's not too late to say how sorry I am
Oh, I can feel the rope around your neck.
Looking by the window I can see
The raging crowd coming for you and me
Hear the whistle of revenge my dear
We are the ones to die in pain and fear.
“
Ting!
Next to the head of the champion, an arrow embedded into his throne, slowly spreading mold around it.
“AAAAAArrrrghhh!”
Shouting in anger, grabbed his weapon and stood up, facing the upcoming enemy.
As the singing continued more arrows flew in their direction, some missing their targets, others hitting the goblins.
“
The gates are fallen, there's nowhere to run
I can hear the blade behind the door
I'll face my fate but please have mercy
Please have mercy on my family.
”
With each step, a new feeling appeared in the young champion’s heart.
Fear.
Fear of the thing coming to it.
Slowly a figure could be seen in the lights cast by the torches near the camp.
It was a tall human-shaped monster, wearing a white coat, with a mask made from a filthy sack, with a smiling face sewn onto it with red string.
As it approached, the figure slowly faded away from their sight, yet his footsteps could still be heard, accompanied by his singing and whistling.
“
Looking by the window I can see
The raging crowd coming for you and me.
Hear the whistle of revenge my dear
You are the ones to die in pain and fear.
(Window by Bonefield)
”
At the last sentence, the goblin champion felt something pressing against his throat.
It was a short sword dripping in a black liquid, held by the masked stranger.
“ Die in pain and fear.”
Slash.
Evading the attack a few inches, by bending backward, the goblin champion swung his weapon, but the enemy disappeared before his eyes, only to reappear before the entrance of the camp, his sword embedded in the ground as it lifted a brown leathered book.
“ Nobody is getting out of here alive. Not in one piece anyway.”
*
*
*
[
Name: Phil Smith 'Plague Father'
Race: [Molded High Elf] Lv: 1/100 (0/100)
Main Class: [Life Father]
Sub Class: [Rouge]
HP(Health Points): 240/240
SP(Stamina Points): 26
MP(Magic Points): 160/160
TMN (Tamed Monster Numbers): [231.810]
Blessings: [Blessing of Nergal] [Blessing of Airmed]
Active Skills: [Basic Steady Hand] [[Hive control] [Hive Absorption] [Hive Repulsion] [Mold Field] [Basic Spirit Voice] [Aether Vision] [Steam Engineering] [Dagger Arts][Presence Concealment] [Lock Picking]
Passive Skills: [Body Knowledge] [ Plant Knowledge] [Medicine Knowledge] [Stamina Enhancement] [ Movement Enhancement] [ Reflex Enhancement.] [Basic Sponge Mind] [Perfect Stomach] [Hive Mind] [Music Instrument Knowledge[Healing Hands][Medical Senses] [Medical Mind] [Surgical Precision]
Affinities: [Basic Farming Affinity] [Basic War Affinity] [Basic Pestilence Affinity][ Basic Fire Affinity.] [Basic Life Affinity] [Basic Death Affinity]
Titles: [The One Who Saw A Thousand Worlds] [Knowledge Driven] [Chosen by Flies] [Medicine Pioneer] [Hive Master] [Giver of Life]
]
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