A Fairy's Fungus Fiasco

After enjoying their meal, Roy and the others walked around the village, gathering all the Mana Hearts they could find.

"That should be the last one!" Roy picked up a bloody sphere from the body of the goblin in front of him.

Setting it in his bag, Roy took a peek. Inside, there was sixteen new Mana Hearts! Seeing the multiple shiny spheres of different colors put a smile on Roy's face.

Pulling the cover over the top of his bag, Roy stood up and walked over to Solus and Terren, who were waiting at the village entrance.

"All set, lets go!" Roy exclaimed, as he walked forward without pause.

"Mhm!" Solus nodded her head and followed behind.

"Wait for me!" Terren jogged to catch up, after snapping out of her daydream.

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"General Ampharn, I hear you and your subordinates are prepared?" Aslan looked down upon the kneeling general before him.

"Indeed, my king. All forces are prepared to move out this instant, we are just awaiting your command." Ampharn resolutely responded.

"Fantastic, I grant permission to General Ampharn, and his tier two second evolution subordinates to move out immediately! Crush whatever it was that killed our people!" King Aslan's speech roused the crowd of goblins within the hall; the sound of cheers spreading far and wide.

...

Heading out of the hall, cheers echoing behind him, Aslan entered his chambers.

Closing the doors, noise cancelling magic took its effect, drenching the room in complete silence.

*Sigh*

'I've made almost no progress on my Mana Heart... Why must goblin kind be suppressed to such an extent?'

Sighing once more, the saddened king stepped forward, swinging the balcony doors open.

Embracing the cool morning wind, Aslan's expression slowly eased. "Tier three isn't enough to fight those deeper in the forest. Even with [Horde Enhancement], those monsters could easily crush me and my army." Aslan murmured, as he enjoyed the view from the top of the castle.

'The forest looks so small from up here...' Aslan slowly reached out, pretending to grip the land between his fingers.

'Patience, one day soon, this whole continent will bow before me.'

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Sleeping within the dirt, the small fairy was stirred awake by an itching on her legs.

"Uwa?" Groggily, the white eyes of the fairy gazed down to the source of the itch. Her hand moving to scrape the dirt covering the spot away.

'Please don't be a bug...' The fairy worried, knowing that any normal bug would be about half her size. The hideous creatures terrified her, their beady eyes, sharp claws on long legs, feelers, and mandibles. Everything about them creeped her out.

'Ugh, why is this dirt so hard to move?!' Complaining, the fairy continued digging at the dirt. Snapping and tearing sounds echoed within the small hole.

Finally reaching her bare leg, the fairy was absolutely horrified by what she saw.

"MMMMM!" She nearly screamed out, but managed to cover her mouth in time to muffle it. Her eyes now covered in tears, looked down at her legs. They were covered in fungus. The mycorrhizae were piercing her skin, and entering her body.

She desperately clawed at the fungus, though to her dismay, the second she touched the entry point, a deep pain radiated through her.

Collapsing back on the ground, nearly convulsing from the pain, the young fairy began weeping.

'Why me! What did I do to deserve all of this?! Why can't I just live peacefully with mommy and big bro!' The small fairy, nearly ready to give up, took her hands off her mouth. As she was about to release a scream of desperation and sadness, a message popped into her vision.

[Fusion Complete]

[Mycelium Symbiosis has reached the necessary requirements and has been acquired]

[Received Mycelium Symbiosis Lv. 1]

"?!" Shock spread through her mind, as she read the information the system provided her.

'It... wasn't trying to... kill me..?' The small fairy sat up once again, wiping the tears from her eyes. Looking down at her legs once more, she could see that the fungus had fully fused with them.

Bright white, fuzzy veins were covering her legs, giving a distinct contrast to her black hair and wings. As she reached down to feel them, she no longer felt the excruciating pain. Instead, it was almost as if they were always a part of her. She could feel through the fungus, as it sent touch signals to the brain.

'What, how though?' The fairy was incredibly confused. She had no idea how such a symbiosis was even possible, nor did she have anyone to ask about it.

'I'm sure mommy would know something. She knew everything!' Feeling the tears rise again, she quickly changed her train of thought. 'I wonder what happens if I use the skill?'

Activating the skill, the small fairy grasped her head. A huge influx of information rushed in, as she felt a connection to the entire forest. She could feel the trees, shrubs, grass... Every plant was connected to her, as was she to them.

'Are they... talking to each other?' The small fairy, confused began to 'listen' in on the conversations the trees were having.

One was telling its offspring to grow slower, so that it wouldn't be too weak. Another was informing nearby trees that it was being attacked by a foreign fungus.

Thousands of these conversations were happening all at once, causing the small fairy to nearly faint after just a moment of listening in.

'Got... to... stop... skill...' The small fairy struggled to even think for herself in the muddled confusion.

Managing to stop the skill, the small fairy was gasping for air, her head pounding like a drum. 'What the heck was that?!' She was awed by the amount of information she had tapped into.

The most important one being, the forest was connected, and it communicated.

Wanting to explore her newfound ability, but also not wanting to feel the pain again, the small fairy decided to take a break and sleep.