Shadowcroft Year 3 - Chapter Forty

Logan stood with his friends on the balcony. He’d brought out chairs, but Logan was too excited the sit. Darkness had fallen, and the sky glowed from a kind of strange moon/star combo. It wasn’t exactly the night sky but close. Sometimes the stars swirled into a milky flow and ran through heavens like a river.

Marko was back sitting with his hooves propped up on the railing. He adjusted his jaunty beret. “Are we ever going to see your guardian core matrix, bro? I’m just itching to read a bunch of stuff I don’t understand.”

Inga smacked his arm lightly. <Marko, we need to have intimate knowledge of his skills, since we’re so connected.>

<Please avoid the words ‘intimate’ and ‘connection’ while we are bonded,> Treacle sent. <Logan, what new mushrooms are you considering?>

Logan leaned on his fungal staff. Holding it, he felt so powerful and wise. It had been such a great ascension. <So, do I want to be a healer or more of a drug dealer? Do I want lures or minions? And if I have minions, should I go the necromancer route? At this point, I only have a limited amount of proto-spore cultures to choose from. But I’m pretty sure I could design my own eventually. Or at least that’s one theory Scotty A. Morelis had in his book, Mushroom Omelet Exegesis.>

<Can you provide us a list?> Inga asked.

Logan complied, pulling up a list of possible proto-spore cultures for his friends to look over. Well, mostly Inga and Treacle. Marko had produced a trio of live jackalopes and was idly juggling them instead of paying attention. Classic Marko.

<<<>>>

Racial Skill: Domestic Fungi

At A Class

- Ranks 10 – 6:Unlock (1) Level-One Proto-Spore Culture; Unlock (1) Level-Two Proto-Spore Culture; Unlock (1) Level-Three Proto-Spore Culture; Unlock (1) Level-Four Proto-Spore Culture; Unlock (1) Level-Five Proto-Spore Culture.

o Running Total: (7) Level-One; (5) Level-Two; (4) Level-Three; (3) Level-Four; (1) Level-Five

Available Proto-Spore Cultures by Level

Level One:

- Silver Beard (Type, Ingredient – Healers): This is a wispy silver fungus that hangs from trees and other bushes. A good coagulant often sought by healers and clerics. Ground Silver Beard can halt bleeding in its tracks! Rarity: C-Class; Elemental Affinity: Vita, Fulgur

Level Two:

- Owleye Berries (Type, Ingredient – Healers): Not true berries at all, these fungi look like large owl eyes perched on top of spindly white stalks. These can be eaten directly and are often quite sweet—part of the reason for the name—and help cure many types of poison! Rarity: C-Class; Elemental Affinity: Ignis, Toxicus

- Bird Bill Bulbs (Type, Ingredient – Alchemists/Cultivators) – These fungi look like yellow bird bills that grow up from the soil. Though they are highly toxic, they are very valuable. If strained properly, they can be turned into a tincture that rapidly speeds along the elemental affinity purifying process. These fungi are highly prized by alchemists, who use them in a variety of specialized potions. Rarity: C-Class; Elemental Affinity: Vita, Aer

Level Three:

- Demon Fingers (Type, Ingredient/Narcotic – Criminals) – This fungus appears as five curling blue mushrooms protruding from the soil, like the fingers of a demon reaching up from the ground. These are very rare and incredibly valuable as they are highly narcotic and very addictive. They are sometimes called Deadman’s Fingers, because those who use the narcotic substance often find themselves dead not long after. Rarity: B-Class; Elemental Affinity: Morta, Toxicus

- Spindle Wig (Type, Ingredient – Fighters/Warriors) – This odd mushroom secretes a sweet-smelling aroma that attracts insects of all types. It is a delicacy to insectoid dungeoneers and is often given as gifts for Insectoid weddings! Mazel Tov. But it is also sought out by warriors, fighters, and monks alike for its uncanny ability to drastically increase speed and muscle mass and improve overall body cultivation. This stuff is basically steroids but without the side effects! Rarity:B-Class; Elemental Affinity: Vita, Mallus

Level Four:

- Ashvattha Mushrooms (Type, Ingredient - Alchemists/Cultivators)– These mushrooms, golden stems with wavy yellow caps, are chock-full of potent psilocybin that alter perception, provide powerful hallucinations, and entrance with intense emotional experiences. They are valued by magic users and spiritists across the worlds for their mind-expanding effects. Many believe that to advance from A to S class, you must connect to the Tree of Souls, and that the only way to do so is through the Ashvattha Mushroom. Rare and valuable! Rarity: B-Class; Elemental Affinity: Toxicus, Aer

- Deathcap Warriors (Type, Greater Minions) – Deathcaps are the grown-up version of the lesser Skullcap Waddler sentient mushrooms. Deathcap Warriors make up the bulk of a fungal lord’s army. Standing six feet tall, they are thick with spongy muscle and covered in a plated exterior chitin armor, which makes them far more durable than the Waddlers. They can carry a range of improvised weapons and are often equipped with Crimson Coral blades. Rarity:B-Class; Elemental Affinity: Morta, Vita

- Fairy Wings (Ingredient – Alchemists/Cultivators) – These delicate, lacey mushrooms look like fairy wings and grow best in forested areas. They are delicious to eat, but more importantly, they are one of the rarest ingredients necessary for many of the core cultivation pills that high-level dungeoneers often consume. Rarity: B-Class; Elemental Affinity: Vita, Mallus

Level Five:

- Destroying Angels (Type, Greater Minions) – Tall, slender, and clothed in midnight, these mushroom minions channel all of the spores of their mushroom master, from pollinic afflictions like Athlete’s Ailment to psychedelic fungal attacks, like Bad Trip. The fungal angels can also hurl deadly magic missiles made of pure Morta. The destructive ranged attack will devastate raiders from a distance! Rarity: A-Class; Elemental Affinity: Morta, Vita

- Mycotic Shambles (Type, Greater Minions) – These are the top line warriors in any Fungaloid Lords army. Shambling golems, cobbled together from stone, wood, dirt, flesh or anything else that might happen to be lying around, and held together with a goopy and resilient fungus. These golems stand over seven feet tall and can take a serious beating. Most choose not to fight with weapons since their clubbed fist do more than enough damage all on their own. Rarity: A-Class; Elemental Affinity: Morta, Vita

- Ghoul Hair (Type, Greater Minions) – Create your own undead servants! This fungus rapidly spreads through a body, creating a fungi colony which reanimates the corpse for a period of time, while feasting on the remains. Reanimated corpses will degrade, but for a limited duration they keep all of their skills, spells, and abilities! Rarity: A-Class; Elemental Affinity: Morta

- Tuning Fork Mushroom (Type, Trap) – These fungal growths have Y-shaped heads and gunmetal gray skin, which is where they get their namesake from. Although they are physically rather fragile, they can emit a high pitch screech (Sonic Damage) that can rupture eardrums, cause eyes to bleed, and deliver raiders directly to their graves. Very mature Tuning Fork Mushrooms can emit a death shriek, that can cause the heart to explode in less powerful cultivators. Rarity: A-Class; Elemental Affinity: Morta. Aer

- Violet Earthstar (Ingredient – Alchemists/Cultivators) – These star-burst shaped fungi are royal purple color because they are only for the kings and queens of guardian cores. To protect the tree, cultivators need to utilize every bit of Apothos they can. Violet Earthstar is a critical ingredient in the Purple Purity potion, which can only be used by Jade Leaf dungeon guardians. Purple Purity has been rumored to add twice the skills once cultivators reach S-Class! Rarity: A-Class; Elemental Affinity: Vita, Mallus

Level Six: Fungi Locked

<<<>>>

Marko stashed the jackalopes back in his beret, then stood and yawned. “Wow. I’m not used to doing all that much reading on a Sunday night. Normally, it’s my me time, but I was going to head over to the Golden Serpent Hall and just give the bathroom a quick swish. You know, start the week off right with a clean toilet.”

Inga gave him a dirty look. <Logan hasn’t chosen his next collection of mushrooms yet. I think he wants our help.>

Marko grimaced. “I’m the comic side-kick. You’re the smart one. Treacle is the depressed—”

<Not so much anymore,> the pink minotaur sent. <Steve the Mannequin was so negative. I didn’t want to be like him. I have a new, sunnier disposition and outlook. Not as optimistic as Logan, not as pessimistic as Steve. The cosmic balance, I say.>

Marko rolled his eyes. “My point is, you don’t need me. I think we’re good. So, I’m going to go…”

Logan went over to him. <We can wait to do my other abilities. Let’s just choose my new mushrooms.>

“You have more?” Marko exploded in disbelief. He then remembered. “Oh, right, A-Class. Rare cultivator. Jade Butt, right? Is that right? Do you have a literal green butt?”

“Jade Leaf,” Logan said out loud. “And yes. Under my robes, I have a green butt.”

<Fine!> Marko plopped down and again and his hooves went to the railing as he leaned back in the chair. <Since I’m here, I don’t want you coming anywhere close to those Demon Fingers. I’ve seen what they do. Not pretty. Major addiction. Families shattered. Think of the children, Logan. Think of the children!>

“I agree,” Logan spoke. The switched to their telepathy. < I’m basically kind of the healer in our group. So I was going to choose the healing fungi, from Level One and Level Two. I’m also thinking of turning one of my Kurrybooboos into a floor boss. Like the Mariah Carey of healers. Then she can use the healing mushrooms to patch people up.>

Marko nodded. <I approve.>

So did Inga and Treacle.

Logan went on, working through his thought process. <For level three and level four, I was going to go with the Spindle Wigs and Ashvattha Mushrooms. Steroids for our minions sounds like a great idea. And we all are fighting more, so we can also use them to bulk up.>

Marko raised his hand. <I for one am definitely going to fight more now that I have my cool cleaner weapons. And I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m getting pretty ripped from cleaning bathrooms.>

<You look exactly the same,> Treacle sent.

Marko didn’t comment. Instead he lifted his arm and flexed, using his poofy shirt to mime an enormous bicep.

<Great, so we can all agree that Spindle Wigs are on the list,” Logan continued, “and so are the Ashvattha Mushrooms. We’ve seen how powerful the Blue Divine Philter was for Marko and Treacle. I think with the Ashvattha Mushrooms, I can work on some potions that will help you three reach A-Class quicker—and it might even help bump me to S-Class over time. As a side benefit, I think I can also use the Ashvattha Mushrooms to create a toxic cloud that can give raiders hallucinations. That would help amplify my psychedelic spore ability.>

Marko shot to his feet. <So many abilities. We’re done, right? I hear a toilet calling my name.>

Inga grimaced. <Disgusting. Even the word ‘toilet’ is disgusting. I’m very curious about your one fifth level fungus, Logan. It’s interesting that you have so many minions to choose from.>

<It is,> Logan agreed. <But I’m tempted by the Violet Earthstar. I think they work with A-Class cultivators like the Blue Divine Philter worked with C-Classers. I’ve been going back and forth. We don’t have a lot of ranged attacks with our minions. But I read up a ton on the Mycotic Shambles. They are like these huge, fearsome beasts, total tanks. But the Destroying Angels would give us some better ranged options.>

Treacle looked pensive from his chair. He waved a sheaf of wheat at Logan. <You saw my jawbreaker machine gunner in Marko’s circus. I’ve considered adding various bows and crossbows for our minions to use. Really, anything you choose will be fine. The Ghoul’s Hair is an intriguing option. Having an undead army could certainly come in useful.>

Logan was completely torn. The Ghoul’s Hair was a powerful ability, but unlike the other minions, it required a physical component to work, namely dead bodies.

Marko saw it. “The telepathy is fun, don’t get me wrong, but I kind of like just talking. Can we talk most of the time? I mean, since we’re going to be permanently bound.”

Logan winced. They hadn’t actually talked about the implications of being permanently bonded, and though Logan had assumed that was what everyone else would want, maybe he’d been wrong. Despite his joking, Marko really did have commitment issues and it seemed like this choice was weighing on him, even if he wasn’t directly saying so.

“I guess we didn’t really talk about the nature of the bond,” Logan said. “Are you guys okay with us being permanently attached?”

“What’s the difference?” Treacle asked. “We’ve spent most every minute of every day together anyway. I trust you three with my life.”

“Even me?” Marko asked.

“Especially you,” Treacle said, nodding solemnly.

Inga waved away Logan’s concerns. “I can tell you, Logan and I respect each other’s privacy completely. I think a permanent bond will only benefit us. Now, about your fifth level mushroom. Melee has never been your strength, so I think you should go with Mycotic Shambles. They can be your personal bodyguards or you can possess them via Braincap when you want to take a more hands on approach.”

Marko got excited. “And then, when you become a Mycological Juggernaut, you can be this wall of just brutal mushroom destruction. Yeah, Mycological Shamble. It might not be the best decision, but I don’t believe in making the best decision. I believe in making the awesome decision.”

That settled it.

Logan made his decisions, and then he shared his final matrix with all of his decisions marked.

<<< ۝ >>>

Logan Murray

Guardian Core Matrix

Base Race: Fungaloid

Current Evolution: Morel Sovereign

Cultivator Class: Azure Branch Cultivator; A-Class, Rank 10

Primary Elemental Affinities: Morta/Toxicus

Racial Abilities:

- Digestion

Racial Skill:

- Domestic Fungi

Level-One Proto-Spore Cultures

- Opal Truffles, Mucal Film, Ghoul’s Snare, Blister Wart, God’s Eye Caps, Eyelash Stinkhorn, Silver Beard (NEW!)

Level-Two Proto-Spore Cultures

- Braincaps, Gem-studded Puffballs, Skullcaps, Ashvein, Owleye Berries (NEW!)

Level-Three Proto-Spore Cultures

- Spore Wargs, Crimson Coral Fungus, Sunflower Pods, Spindle Wig (NEW!)

Level-Four Proto-Spore Cultures

- Kurrybooboo, Corpsebomb Fungi, Ashvattha Mushrooms (NEW!)

Level-Five Proto-Spore Cultures (NEW!)

- Mycotic Shamble (NEW!)

- Destroying Angels (Special Staff of Sporing Bonus Minion!)

Fungal Form (Active):

- Exoskeleton

- Pneumacity

- Mycological Rage

- Hyphae Tentacles (NEW!)

Fungal Form (Passive):

- Fungal Vision

- Disease Immunity

- Poison Immunity

- Blindness Immunity

- Deafness Immunity

- Mental Immunity (NEW!)

- Replicate (UPGRADED!)

Spore Halo:

- Pollinic Affliction (UPGRADED!)

- Symbiosis (UPGRADED!)

- Athlete’s Ailment (UPGRADED!)

- Rapid Growth (UPGRADED!)

- Narcotic (UPGRADED!)

<<< ۝ >>>

Logan’s mouth fell open. “Hey, I got a bonus minion! My new staff allowed me to unlock the Destroying Angels after all! Yes! Not only can they hurl Morta blasts, but they have access to all the spores in my Spore Halo!”

Inga clapped her hands in giddy glee. All four of them. “That is wonderful. It seems there is no end to the power of your staff?”

Marko put his hand over his mouth. “I’m not going to make any kind of joke there. Not one. Congrats, man. Couldn’t happen to a nicer mushroom.”

Inga noticed something else. “Wait. Your Replicate ability has been upgraded. As well as all of your Spore Halos. And what in the cosmos are Hyphae Tentacles?”

Marko hugged the mothmancer, high-fived Treacle, and waved a goodbye to Logan. “That’s my cue. I’m gonna go. We’ll totally talk about your zillion other fungal abilities at some point. Later, guys!”

The satyr had totally bailed on them. Something was totally going on with him, though Logan wasn’t sure what exactly it was.

Treacle yawned and fell into a haiku. “So many powers. My exhaustion reigns supreme. Night winds soothe me asleep.” He sighed. “Six syllables again in the third line. I worry about how well I’ll do on my runeic haiku final.”

“You might not have to take it,” Inga said. “If we get called up for the tournament Finals, the professor all have agreed that they’ll use that as our final test. So as long as you use your haikus when we fight Lou Shador, you’ll be fine.”

Logan was fine dropping his skills review. However, Inga was right to bring up the bloodthirsty dungeoneer. “I just wish we know more about him.”

Ironically enough, they’d get a ton of information on the raider and his Glow Brigade the very next day. And it came from the most unexpected of sources.