Meet the Mycobeast - RPLOG
Participants
Date
18/5/479
Log
Yegor leads the way down into the deep quarry and to the camp at the mouth of the deep tunnel. Outcroppings of glowing crystals can be seen near and far in the vast, underground space. "See?" the Elephant says cheerfully, wiping the muck of a Crimson Mob-Bonnet from his knuckles, "I am telling you it will be easy work! Already we are knowing how to fight off mushrooms!"
Up ahead, in the light of several lanterns, stands a group of reedy looking researchers from the Academy. "Only three of you?" a skinny ferret in thick spectacles asks, "Oh well, at least you are here! Come along, we haven't got all day!"
Peter drags his feet as he follows after the elephant, his eyes looking longingly to the glowing crystals around them. "Don't scholars know how to fight off mushrooms?" he asks, his hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed sword. He looks over the researchers and wrinkles his nose, giving them a nod. "We're comin," he grumbles, making his way to stand beside the ferret.
Kazel raises an eyebrow. "You are expecting trouble then? Else three would seem more than enough for this." The bat is not wearing her helmet today. Weird. "But even so, rest assured that I should be able to take care of anything we might encounter." She eyes the two strangers with her and shrugs as she follows along.
The leader of the research group frowns at both Peter and Kazel. "We are going into a new part of the cavern today," he says, "We are never sure what to expect. Usually, it is just more of the same, but sometimes there are. . . surprises." He turns and walks away, holding his lantern high and his little group scuttles after. "Just don't let anything get too close," the ferret says, "We'll be trying to collect samples of some of the more unusual fungus species that we have discovered and it will require delacate work."
Peter perks right up at the mention of a new aprt of the cavern. "Well, we'll keep you safe through all manner of surprise and hazards," he says, puffing out his chest and giving them a sage nod. He scuttles along outside the ferret's little group, pulling his sword from it's sheath and grabbing his shield from his back.
Kazel shrugs at the ferret. "Never met a foe I could not beat, and I met a fair amount." She draws her spear and casually walks along the scholars, twitching her ears at the sounds of the cave.
Yegor, the Elephant says nothing, simply trundling along happily at the rear of the group.
Soon, the lead researcher turns the group off of the beaten path and leads the way into a forest of crystals, glowing in soft, almost pastel shades of red and blue that cast strange, purple shadows. "The patch we want to examine is just up here," the ferret says in a pinched sort of way, still frowning at the freeswords, "You just keep the local semi-fauna at bay for a while and let us work and you will earn your pay."
Peter looks in wonder at the crystals around them, clearly quite enthralled by their various shades and colours before returning his focus to the ferret. He nods at his commands, and adds "Cheer up!" as he notices the ferret's frown. He rolls his shoulders and adjusts his grip on his equipment, ready for murder.
Kazel leans on a wall, taking care to do so on a spot with no fungus as to not have to deal with angry scholars, seeing how those tend to be the most annoying kind. "So, anything you already know these might be useful for, or are you just laying the foundation for more research?"
"Shouldn't you be looking out?" the Ferret asks, while his assisstants start pulling out tools and equipment, "I doubt any of those monster mushrooms will be coming from inside the work area." The scholars have set up just past the red and blue crystals and the light of the crystals, combined with their lanterns, reveals a huge patch of round topped, slightly yellow mushrooms. A young rat answers Kazle's question instead of the leader. "We don't know yet," she confesses, "We believe that they might have some medical application, due to their resemblance to other species. That is what we are here to learn."
Yegor has wandered away to the edge of the lantern light, gazing out into the vast, dark cavern.
Peter shrugs. "Now you said that and they're gonna do it," he says, turning to look out in a way the ferret might find a bit more satisfactory. "Don't poison yerselves." He keeps an eye on Yegor, idly testing the weight of his sword in his hand.
Kazel rolls her eyes at the civilians. "Sure. I could peer out into the darkness and not see anything or I could stay here from where I can keep an eye on the entrances and be at them all quickly, instead of sitting at one."
The scholars are soon all at work, using small tools to collect and carefully put bits of the odd mushrooms in containers. Most of them are wearing little cloth masks, just as a precaution, of course.
From where she leans on the edge of a great, glowing crystal, Kazel can see, as can Peter, the slow moving shapes of Mob Bonnets waddling along toward Peter's chosen post, probably drawn by the light of the lamps. Yegor, on the other side of the group does not seem to have noticed the large, fungal predators.
Peter peers into the dark and sighs as he spots the bonnets approaching, bracing his shield and lifting his sword up in preparation. "Some here," he warns, waiting for them to arrive before he sweeps his sword into them.
Kazel is quickly next to Peter, her shield next to his and the tip of her spear between the two. She rolls her shoulders in anticipation of the first strike of the enemy.
"Well!" the Ferret says, "Take care of it! Just don't let them get close." He continues to work, along with the other researchers.
Meanwhile, it seems that Yegor has his hands full as another pair of carnivorous fungi appear from his direction and he hurries to engage them. Looks like Kazel and Peter will need to take care of the four Mob-Bonnets that are closing the distance. The first finally comes fully into the light of the lamps, suddenly hurling itself forward at Kazel! The others are close behind.
Peter grits his teeth, glaring back at the ferret for a moment. With a grunt, he takes the opportunity to strike at the most aggressive mob bonnet, pulling his shield aside to thrust his blade at the one that's attacked his companion.
Kazel shrugs off the attack and retaliates quickly, making sure she is far enough from Peter, the bat spins 480 degrees, bringing down her spear as she faces the shroom the second time to rip open its...flesh? Body.
The attacking mushroom monsters are easily driven back by the determined duo. Kazel's shieldwork rebuffs one Mob-Bonnet, allowing Peter's strike to cut brutally through its spongy flesh as Kazel's retaliating blow slashes deeply into another. Two down, two to go!
Though the monsters before them keep the pair from checking up on their compatriot, he sounds like he is doing alright, laughing as he pummels mad mushrooms.
Peter pulls his sword free from the mob bonnet with style, lifting it high into the air before charging forth to bring his wrath down upon the next closest monster with a brutal (and perhaps clumsy) downward strike. "Whew!" he says excitedly, in hopes of being heard by their laughing elephant companion.
Kazel smirks at the falling and shrooms and eyes the last one that went unattacked so far on their side, she takes a step back and then a couple quick ones forward, aiming to pierce the fungal monster's body with the pointed spear.
This is honestly laughable. The Mob-Bonnets fall easily under the combined might of Kazel and Peter. If there is just an hour or so of this, it will be easy money! The flayed. . . corpses? Remains, perhaps, is a better word, of the monstrous mushrooms lie still on the ground. Then, with a sudden hiss, they release a cloud of spores! Aren't those supposed to be poisonous?
Peter opens his eyes wide at the sight of spraying spores, jumping back to hide beside the researchers as they fill the air. The boy quickly has his sword sheathed and is digging in one of his belt bag, pulling out a rag and pressing it over his muzzle fearfully. "Can we breathe that?!" he asks, muffled by the hand over his face.
Kazel takes a quick step back as well, bringing a hankerchief to her mouth with one arm and waving her spear a bit through the air with the other as she focuses on some rather simple maths to make the moisture from the air fall to the ground and take the spores with it.
"I wouldn't recommend it," the Ferret says waspishly, looking up from his work, "It probably won't kill you, since they only take root in the dead, but it can make you sick. Just keep it up. We will be done in a few minutes."
Yegor seems to be having the time of his life! It looks like the mushroom monsters were a little thicker over on his side and he is just mopping up the last of six mob-bonnets. The elephant takes a rather astounding leap into the air and comes crashing down on top of the fungal mass, splatting it hard to the ground and even causing a mild tremor with his weight. And probably a little earth magic. "You see!" he cheers at Peter, "I told you is great fun!"
Suddenly, there is another tremor. It doesn't look like the elephant caused it, because his expression suddenly becomes wary.
Peter wipes his face with the rag as Kazel clears the air, tossing the cloth away to the ground before drawing his sword from his sheath again. "It's pretty fun-" he starts to call out to Yegor, before the munk stiffens up, paralyzed by the unexpected tremor. He quickly returns to Kazel's side and gets into a fighting stance, peering into the dark for the tremor's source.
Peering is not necessary. The ground trembles once more as a huge patch of the mushroom covered plain heaves itself up from the ground! A massive, yellow eye cracks open and the suddenly revealed behemoth lets out a roar of rage!
Peter trembled a bit as the gargantuan monster let out it's roar, though he suddenly snapped himself into his fighting stance again, narrowing his eyes at this new challenger. Though the behemoth before him was a threat, it was preferable for this one to smash him, rather than disappoint the elephantine behemoth that was behind him. With that in mind, he let out a frenzied battle cry, charging forth in a perhaps ill-advised attempt to jam the pointy end of his sword inside the new enemy.
The Squirrel's wild attack hits home, but it does not penetrate very far into the beasts horny, fungal hide! The beast shakes itself, dislodging its attacker and a cloud of suddenly glowing, yellow spores that fill the air! Then the creature lumbers toward the scrambling researchers!
Peter draws back away from the flood of yellow spores, rushing to the defense of the researchers and bracing against his shield, dedicated to their defense. "Can ya get those spors again?!" he asks Kazel, gripping his sword tightly.
Kazel nods at Peter and waves her hand once more to make the air heavy with moisture to disable the spores once more. Seeing the first signs of her spell manifesting, the bat charges the behemoth of a fungus with her spear, jumping as she gets close enough, aiming to embed the weapon into the creature and then pull down the spear with her own weight for as big a wound as possible.
A sudden heavy moisture in the air causes the glowing spores to sink quickly to the ground. Then Kazel's flying leap has its desired effect, sinking deep into the massive fungal monstrosity's spongy hide and tearing a ragged hole low on the creature's flank. The beast roars and suddenly rolls to it's side, trying to crush Kazel!
Peter opens his eyes wide, seeing that the creature is not targeting their academic friends, but instead about to retaliate against Kazel! Although she is likely out of the way by the time he reaches it, he moves in for yet another opportunistic attack on the creature, going in for another stab while it is busy with her.
Kazel rolls too, but out of the way, leaving her spear in the creature to cause more damage through its movement and potentially harming it without her having to do anything. She draws her sword and slices at the shoomy with a grin on her face.
The sword wielding squirrel manages to slash into the beast's exposed underbelly while it is rolled up onto its side. The monster bellows in rage and pain, its yellow eyes shifting to Peter! The behemoth lurches back to its feet, shaking another cloud of glowing yellow spores into the air even as Kazel slices into a stumpy, elephantine leg. The creature bellows again and spins wildly in place, its heavy tail lashing out to crush everything nearby!
Peter pulls the sword from the beasts belly and cowers away from the flying spores. The flying tail sends him stumbling around the cave, smacking his back off the ground with a thud as he hits the ground. He shakes the dizziness from his head and gets up to his feet again with a groan, adjusting his grip before charging back in in a rage, shield raised defensively as he moves forward - after the creature has stopped his spinning of course.
Kazel casually steps in a half circle around the beast, keeping behind it and looking for a good place to strike, though her eyes wander to the flying chipmunk for a moment. The bat drops her shield in favor of holding her hankerchief to her mouth and nose once more and stabs the mushroom with her broadsword.
The mycobeast (Yes, that is what I am calling it) rears back as Kazel shoves her sword deep into the spongy flesh of the monster's neck. It comes thundering down toward the bat with both elephantine front legs.
Meanwhile, the researchers have managed to gather up their equipment and are hurrying toward the crystal forest. "Come on!" the ferret shouts, chasing after the others.
Peter watches as the others start to flee, eyes wide as the beast rears up for a strike. "Let's run!" he suggests, glancing between the researchers and Kazel anxiously.
Kazel blocks the blow of the best with her crossed arms, grunting as the impact makes her dig her boots into the ground. As the beast retracts its arm she circles it to retrieve her shield and pull the spear free, before heading after the others with a quick step.
The wounded mycobeast stomps and flails around, enraged, but it can't seem to follow through the crystal forest, leaving the group to flee to safety.
"That could have gone better!" shouts the Ferret, "But I guess you got the job done. What happened to that Elephant friend of yours?"
Peter chases after Kazel, panting as he catches up with her and takes a moment in their safety to catch his breath. However, at the mention of the elephant, he shoots up straight, taking a few steps back into the direction they had come from. "Yegor?!" he shouts into the cave, perhaps a bit too loud.
Kazel peers into the darkness behind them. "Pretty sure he can take care of himself, did not sound like he was in need of help." She turns to Peter. "We could check if you are up for it?"
Yegor is nowhere to be seen. Or heard. But everyone else seems to be alright. The Ferret and his group slow back to a walk once it is apparent they are out danger. "Do what you like," he says, "We'll have your pay back at camp.
Peter frowns, nodding to Kazel and starting to tentatively tiptoe his way back into the cave. "I want to check," he says, lifting his sword and shield up defensively. "Yegor?!" He frowns and rolls his shoulders, venturing deeper.
Kazel sighs and follows Peter. She does neither yell, nor does she stop the chipmunk from doing it. She has her sword in her left hand and rubs with her right hand at her right shoulder.
Beyond the clump of crystal formations, the mycobeast continues to stomp and rage, Kazel's spear still jutting from its side. Yegor is nowhere to be seen.
Peter pauses to watch the mycobeast raging, wrinkling up his nose and starting to walk backwards down the path he had taken. "He ain't here," he says with a shrug, turning around on his heel to follow the researchers out to camp for his reward.
Kazel returns the shrug. "Probably ran for it." She slowly strolls to the camp, matching Peter's pace.
