Session #43: Vampiric mushrooms
Jan. 14th, 2024 06:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
istainion Day: 10, Time of day: 4 PM+
Location: Close to the bridge from Vallaki to Berez
(Remarks marked by *are written in abyssal, remarks marked by - are written in celestial, the rest of the entry is written in common)
After our short rest, we began to discuss the course of our destination, which I thought was the same as before. With a little help of a map, besides the votes against me for proceeding to chase our original goal, they decided to head to Berez after all. A hag more importantly than the burgomeister? I'll try not to think about it too much. Even if she might be beyond savior, an attempt to save her or to find out what is happening in Berez with the two, that at least share similarities with their height, might be worth investigating. We might discover some links to the past and find out about the mystery necessary to understand the mastermind's intentions. Something about what went wrong in the past that caused him to be this way ... Who knows ...
It's better that I keep my eye on that new companion that they choose to accompany us. That werewolf did refer to her stay in Castle Ravenloft when he mentioned that she should return there. And the fact that she has willingly turned into an undead creature is something worth being suspicious about as well. This woman should better keep her word about explaining to us exactly why she chose to walk this path in life. Even if I must cause conflict for her to speak honestly, or to doubt her actions. She hasn't shown any sign of violence against us thus far which may change if her infliction is connected to the count. They all need to seek residence with him, why would she be different? Why is she hesitant to let us know, I wonder? What if this is all a part of that man's plan? Surely, he can track us throughout Barovia, then what duty would she be burdened with? The first thing an enemy would do is to gain trust. I won't be fooled that easily ...
At least Shevat appreciates that, mentioning that he is glad to have someone (a "devil's advocate") like me to keep us on the righteous path. We shall see what our journey will teach us about these ... Creatures. Sooner or later, her purple pigments are drained, then, what will happen?
Day: 10, Time of day: 6 PM+
Location: East of the ruins of Berez (Down the hill)
Side Note: Transluident mushrooms were located at trees with pulsating “veins”, are of vampiric (undead) nature and tend to feed on what they attach to. The mushrooms can use corpses as their host, similarly to old, dead trees. Corpses with these mushrooms attached to them are able to move like any undead in Barovia. Once a mushroom is cut or a monster carrying it is defeated, a thick, vibrant red liquid escapes from the mushroom, similar to a type of tree sap. Moments later it will spread its (red, vibrant) spores in what looks like an explosion which may cause nearby mushrooms (of the same kind) to do the exact same thing. If cold magic was used during the attack, it would not explode. Once trapped in it, it will transfer a type of parasite inside the body which appears to be weak against the cold, healing a victim of the parasite will inflict damage to the host. It will be absorbed by the parasite. The host may suffer from thickened blood and lose consciousness. Any other symptoms are yet unknown or not yet shared. It is considered a plant type and with limited vocabulary, it is possible to communicate through special magic.
We proceeded to follow our path toward Berez, taking the southern path from the bridge to the hill where the ruins are located. On the hill, we noticed a number of trees with a lot of strange colored fungus to it. It wasn't like anything any of us had seen before, neither Shevat spoke up about it. These mushrooms are translucent, have strange parts visible, that look almost like blood vessels that are pulsating. Pyre referred to something of vampiric nature, and when I used my sight, I did get a signal from each of those, climbing their way up the hill. It didn't increase, the closer their position to the ruins, these appear to be arranged in a natural order. How is it that plants contain such dark energy? When I continued to seek for more, I noticed the concentrated energy not far from us in the grass.
A corpse, with these same, assumingly vampiric mushrooms on them. It wasn't moving ... Yet. A cluster of mushrooms, tightly packed together, are positioned on top of it. The sight was horrific. Never, did I see this before in my life. I recommended we take a distance from it, in case it will.
Between each of the trees, there is not enough space for us to easily move past it without getting close to the vampiric mushrooms. We either cross it, regardless of the situation, or we must find another way up the hill and pray for these things not to be elsewhere, too. Since this is Barovia, I'm assuming that Berez is surrounded by these, as pessimistic as these lands are. Yshvara and Shevat discussed a probability of a large source of the vampiric mushrooms underneath the ruins of Berez. I hope what they say is incorrect, even with their confidence in the theory.
"We need to release the trees from this affliction ... Cleanse this hill.", Shevat said out loud. I caught myself frowning at him. How does he intend to do such a thing? If we need the ground hallowed, we require a relic. The trees are dead, much like the nature surrounding this hill specifically. I suggested that returning the orb of the land to the shrine could possibly make a difference to the state of the land. Shevat agreed that it could make a difference, indeed. However, the shrine is corrupted and we can't be sure if it is caused by the lack of the orb or the state it got in, caused by a different, external source. But heading back to that place will put Ireena at risk, as well as our business with the relic in which the hag is involved ...
Yshvara suggested cutting one of the caps off the mushrooms to see what will happen. So Pyre took her weapon and suggested everyone to cover their faces. I didn't interfere with their train of thoughts and did as I was told when she moved closer to test Yshvara's advice. When she sliced off the mushroom cap, a red liquid began to drip out of the mushroom. A vibrant red, similar to a thick (tree) sap. "Blood? ..."
Not much later, the stem shakes and explodes. Vibrant red spores began to surround the air, soon followed by the remaining mushrooms to do the same. They all began to spread vibrant spores, covering our sight like a thick red fog. I held my breath not to inhale any of it. This hill is cursed ... Burning it down would have been a better method ... And just when I was struggling to find a way out of this fog, Shevat announced that the corpse was gone. Of course ...
Once the spore cloud began to settle, I could recognize some silhouettes in the distance. They were surrounding us. Corpses, all of them, with mushrooms attached to them. Moving closer in our direction. May Ilmater protect us all ...
<Battle start>
One creature moves closer to Arabella to hit her with its long claws, hands covered in the vibrant fungus. Well, this is uncomfortable ... I wish I was of better use in this combat, but the battle took a good turn when Arvirin began to dish out some valuable strikes. Though as soon as they went down, the spores began to spread again. Not knowing what will become of us, we fought our way through them. Like many others, it felt overwhelming, especially when some roots came up like tentacles to restrain our movement. Once the enemies were down that caused us to be restrained, their grip loosened up and we were free to land our strikes onto them. It's a shame that all of us were exhausted from the previous fight. I didn't have enough strength to cast spells to protect us with, without at least keeping some safe for emergencies. Luckily, it didn't pose a threat to our survival when the battle came to an end.
<Battle end>
Once the battle was over, Arvirin to the south of me began to behave strange. Almost as if his body grew heavy until he fell down on the grass. Unconscious ... Before I could interfere with it, I, too, noticed how my vision became darker and everything blacked out entirely before I hit the ground.
. . .
Day: 10, Time of day: 8 PM+
Location: East of the ruins of Berez, close to the river
It felt like I was suffocating. There was a sensation, I couldn't breathe for a moment of time and struggled against a sensation that I felt. Someone was holding me ... When I was pushed out of what felt like water, I caught myself coughing to get the water out of me and when my blurry sight revealed who it was, my eyes met that of Arabella. Was she trying to drown me?! When I asked her "politely" what the hell she believes she thinks that she is doing, the woman responded to me with "Saving your life?" I wasn't shy about admitting that I didn't appreciate her presence so close to me before I recalled what she said. She explained to me that I fell unconscious. I vaguely remember blacking out and seeing Arvirin go down, but to drown me in order to wake me up is rather strange. She explained that it happened because I accidentally inhaled the spores during combat. Sure, but why drowning?
When I looked over to Yshvara who was carrying Pyre who was still unconscious, it became clear why she'd decide to make such a drastic move. There is a risk of dying in it which I didn't exactly appreciate seeing. I kept those words to myself, given that I was at her mercy the entire time where I was unconscious. *I hope she does not expect me to thank her for it ...
Once everyone was actively there, we started to make a campfire to regain some heat with the discussion going on how to solve it. I'm inexperienced in this field, nature was never the focus of my studies and interests, other than wanting it to be in a healthy state. I read the books and papers about the wildlife in Barovia, mostly about the monsters itself, from the mansion. Nature itself, like these mushrooms, I doubt they were among them. It's difficult to focus on it, in a situation so stressful. It was getting darker.
As soon as Shevat wanted to cast his reliable spirit for healing, the first person who received it, was in pain. It wasn't like the effect it normally would give, immediately did he send it away upon that response. (-6 HP) Their sense of survival started to kick in through a minor panic, wondering if we could sleep off the pain. None of us knew for certain. None of us felt actually sick and none of us had changed much from what I could see. I didn't know how long ago that I hit the ground, it was before I nearly drowned, until now.
For some reason, Pyre began to harm herself with her weapon. I thought she was worried about survival, now, is she eager to die? Blood started to pour from her wound but the blood that came out, had some similarities with the liquid that escaped the mushroom. It was thicker, disgusting ... Don't tell me that we will end up like the enemies we fought ...
"We have something growing inside of us that's absorbing the healing and feeding itself with it." Shevat explained. I raised my brow at him. When did he find that out? Is he a doctor? "That is why it hurts us", he said. "It's growing bigger, inside of us."
I felt myself reach for my forehead and shake it. That wasn't how I intended to end my life. Do all conditions here in Barovia have to be so strange? Before, I needed to be concerned about being considered a fish in order to breathe and now I must be concerned about turning into a living corpse that is carrying some mushroom on his back? If there won't be a cure for it, I might end up doing something recklessly. I refuse to become a minion to some kind of vampiric mushroom!
Shevat requested Pyre to test how the blood would respond to the heat or fire, to which she held the wound above the fire. It wasn't what he meant, but the result remained the same. No response. We had a feeling that we needed to work with temperatures, but the heat didn't do the thing. Next, the cold ... Pyre recalled that the corpses, or well, the mushrooms to them, didn't spread the spores once ice was applied. Then she suggested Arabella try it on her. I saw the pained look in her eyes when she did, but again, I didn't interfere.
The expression worsened when Arabella agreed with hesitation, her entire body began to tremble from the cold. The pain looked very intense from the frown she made. Given her origin, she might not be the right target for this. So, Shevat also made a small cut and requested her to try it on him as well to see if it works. It was similar with him when she did as he requested, but his reaction was a lot more intense than Pyre when suddenly he fainted from the pain. The fool ... Pyre helped him in a better position and not much later he regained himself, to tell us that he is certain that the parasite is weak against the cold. While the others were busy seeking for the alternatives, I made my way to the gnome. I needed her to use that same technique on me. If Shevat is convinced it will help to fight it, then the least I can do to stop me from turning into a minion, is to freeze myself.
"Are you sure you want me to do this, Viiris?" Arabella had asked me. I frowned back at her. "Did I stutter?" She immediately shook her head with a worried expression. "No, but I'd rather have your answer." I narrowed my eyes while I frowned. Should she doubt my intentions? I demanded that her to do it. She needed to know how well I was doing before she would do it, but I felt quite fine for the time being. Not as much as for those thoughts that crossed my mind. Arabella said that she will do it three times in total and that would be the limit. I didn't hesitate and agreed to it.
When the intense pain got to me, my skin burned from the intense cold, it felt terrible ... But nothing I couldn't take. Of course. I hope my external reactions didn't reach the others. That was ... Quite intense, probably the most foolish thing I have ever done ... But I'd rather die trying than give in ... I pulled my way back to where Pyre invited me to sit to regain my body heat while I tried to keep my attention to the interaction of the others. It was difficult. Arabella followed me to my position and apologized for being so close to me, I allowed it, given that this situation is an exception. If she thinks about doing something funny, I'll make sure it's her last time. I didn't know what she was checking but she struggled. I laughed. "If only we took a doctor with us, right? ..."
The discussion continued and I began to wonder about external help. Asking if it would be wise to return to Vallaki. The message is far away. Pyre reached for the box and began writing a message to put inside. I looked over her shoulder and saw what she wrote. It's better than nothing. Asking what the owner knows about plant parasites ... I wonder if they feel urged to respond. "If any time, now is a good time for your God complex to work, box ..." I heard her mumble. Then we came up with the next idea to use a spell to message important people who could potentially aid us. I couldn't tell what Yshvara said to them but she let us know that she messaged the Stockyard lady, Urwin. The stockyard lady would like to study it, but inside Vallaki. Urwin could tell us that he heard that we won't die for the next few days, it might resolve itself naturally. His father knows more. Then she also wants to message Father Donavich. I do not know why or what she'd expect from the man.
If we can trust Urwin, then we won't die overnight. I took out my bedroll and prepared myself to rest up. I caught Shevat and Arvirin walk over to the river where Shevat turned into a fish. Assumingly to clean his lungs, but when he changed back it didn't seem to have change anything. Then he mentioned something about wanting to speak to the parasite. It's ridiculous, but I kept those remarks to myself as well. The cold is a great distraction.
"It's definitely a plant." Shevat said when he turned to us. "I am able to speak with it." The ability to speak with it seems limited, but I doubt it will even cooperate. As if it will just get out. He believes that the parasite isn't bright enough to be transferred into something, then again, I wonder, does it really want to? Its primal instinct is to survive and it has the perfect vessel. I couldn't hold back some teasing, but Shevat isn't responsive to it, as usual. He prefers to keep it alive, he said, but wishes to transfer it to a different host. "A different host? Such as?" I wondered.
"I'm sorry to say this, but we need a sacrifice." His gaze is fixated on the (living) trees in the environment. I needed to confirm what he meant and asked if he intended to give it to a person, luckily he confirmed to me that it has to be living, but not a person. I dropped my suspicions and let out a sigh. "How do you intend to get it out?" I asked him. He is able to give minor commands to plants, he said, with the magic he uses. Will it work? Hopefully, it will ... Arvirin suggested to be the main host for all of the parasites, to live with them. It's a situation that I believe is unacceptable. Good for everyone that did they agree.
I am you, you are me ... Hmm?
They actually believe that we can climb up the hill and walk through Berez to make our way to the vineyard. Foolish, to think that whatever is in Berez will let us pass so easily. As if the count, if he was the one spotted, would visit these ruins because nothing is here ... We'll die at Berez in this state before we find a cure. I hope Urwin is right and it will simply resolve on its own but we'll have to see. Urwin's father at the vineyard would know. Well, we'll see if we make it there alive. Some rest will help me with regaining my ability to cast properly. They'll just "run away" from everything at Berez. *Hahah ... Yeah, I'll save the laughing for later.
Shevat asked Yshvara if she also contacted Muriel, she answered him honestly and told him that it would be possible with her last effort. She is the most reliable after all. With the message sent, we received back that she will visit Urwin's father at the Vineyard to support us, while she is informed about the parasite. - I guess I'll be praying another round this night and morning ... Without a wealthy sacrifice, I am not in the position to ask for guidance ...
. . .
We decided to call it a night. Promising ourselves that if the fungus will grow back, that we'll burn it away. It was a nice thought before closing my eyes. When I was woken up by the two women to take my position to watch over the others sleeping, I noticed there was something different about their behavior. They didn't tell me what it was about and neither did I bother with it. I felt better than before, the rest did help me. Both me and Arvirin took the final watch. I asked the boy how he is feeling, now that everyone is asleep. "I guess I'm feeling okay?" He responded. I let out a sigh. "I hope this nonsense will be over soon ..." He feels the same way, hoping that he could do more. I felt similarly. I haven't been very helpful. "We'll see what the morning brings ..." Arvirin looked over to me and returned a nod. "I'm hoping for the best ..."
I said to him that I had hoped for my death to be a little more heroic than this but he told me not to talk like that, nobody is dying. I hope he's right, truly, I do. "Fine then," I said. "I'll keep it to myself then." I felt myself smiling at him. He better be alright, the fool.
Location: Close to the bridge from Vallaki to Berez
(Remarks marked by *
After our short rest, we began to discuss the course of our destination, which I thought was the same as before. With a little help of a map, besides the votes against me for proceeding to chase our original goal, they decided to head to Berez after all. A hag more importantly than the burgomeister? I'll try not to think about it too much. Even if she might be beyond savior, an attempt to save her or to find out what is happening in Berez with the two, that at least share similarities with their height, might be worth investigating. We might discover some links to the past and find out about the mystery necessary to understand the mastermind's intentions. Something about what went wrong in the past that caused him to be this way ... Who knows ...
It's better that I keep my eye on that new companion that they choose to accompany us. That werewolf did refer to her stay in Castle Ravenloft when he mentioned that she should return there. And the fact that she has willingly turned into an undead creature is something worth being suspicious about as well. This woman should better keep her word about explaining to us exactly why she chose to walk this path in life. Even if I must cause conflict for her to speak honestly, or to doubt her actions. She hasn't shown any sign of violence against us thus far which may change if her infliction is connected to the count. They all need to seek residence with him, why would she be different? Why is she hesitant to let us know, I wonder? What if this is all a part of that man's plan? Surely, he can track us throughout Barovia, then what duty would she be burdened with? The first thing an enemy would do is to gain trust. I won't be fooled that easily ...
At least Shevat appreciates that, mentioning that he is glad to have someone (a "devil's advocate") like me to keep us on the righteous path. We shall see what our journey will teach us about these ... Creatures. Sooner or later, her purple pigments are drained, then, what will happen?
Day: 10, Time of day: 6 PM+
Location: East of the ruins of Berez (Down the hill)
Side Note: Transluident mushrooms were located at trees with pulsating “veins”, are of vampiric (undead) nature and tend to feed on what they attach to. The mushrooms can use corpses as their host, similarly to old, dead trees. Corpses with these mushrooms attached to them are able to move like any undead in Barovia. Once a mushroom is cut or a monster carrying it is defeated, a thick, vibrant red liquid escapes from the mushroom, similar to a type of tree sap. Moments later it will spread its (red, vibrant) spores in what looks like an explosion which may cause nearby mushrooms (of the same kind) to do the exact same thing. If cold magic was used during the attack, it would not explode. Once trapped in it, it will transfer a type of parasite inside the body which appears to be weak against the cold, healing a victim of the parasite will inflict damage to the host. It will be absorbed by the parasite. The host may suffer from thickened blood and lose consciousness. Any other symptoms are yet unknown or not yet shared. It is considered a plant type and with limited vocabulary, it is possible to communicate through special magic.
We proceeded to follow our path toward Berez, taking the southern path from the bridge to the hill where the ruins are located. On the hill, we noticed a number of trees with a lot of strange colored fungus to it. It wasn't like anything any of us had seen before, neither Shevat spoke up about it. These mushrooms are translucent, have strange parts visible, that look almost like blood vessels that are pulsating. Pyre referred to something of vampiric nature, and when I used my sight, I did get a signal from each of those, climbing their way up the hill. It didn't increase, the closer their position to the ruins, these appear to be arranged in a natural order. How is it that plants contain such dark energy? When I continued to seek for more, I noticed the concentrated energy not far from us in the grass.
A corpse, with these same, assumingly vampiric mushrooms on them. It wasn't moving ... Yet. A cluster of mushrooms, tightly packed together, are positioned on top of it. The sight was horrific. Never, did I see this before in my life. I recommended we take a distance from it, in case it will.
Between each of the trees, there is not enough space for us to easily move past it without getting close to the vampiric mushrooms. We either cross it, regardless of the situation, or we must find another way up the hill and pray for these things not to be elsewhere, too. Since this is Barovia, I'm assuming that Berez is surrounded by these, as pessimistic as these lands are. Yshvara and Shevat discussed a probability of a large source of the vampiric mushrooms underneath the ruins of Berez. I hope what they say is incorrect, even with their confidence in the theory.
"We need to release the trees from this affliction ... Cleanse this hill.", Shevat said out loud. I caught myself frowning at him. How does he intend to do such a thing? If we need the ground hallowed, we require a relic. The trees are dead, much like the nature surrounding this hill specifically. I suggested that returning the orb of the land to the shrine could possibly make a difference to the state of the land. Shevat agreed that it could make a difference, indeed. However, the shrine is corrupted and we can't be sure if it is caused by the lack of the orb or the state it got in, caused by a different, external source. But heading back to that place will put Ireena at risk, as well as our business with the relic in which the hag is involved ...
Yshvara suggested cutting one of the caps off the mushrooms to see what will happen. So Pyre took her weapon and suggested everyone to cover their faces. I didn't interfere with their train of thoughts and did as I was told when she moved closer to test Yshvara's advice. When she sliced off the mushroom cap, a red liquid began to drip out of the mushroom. A vibrant red, similar to a thick (tree) sap. "Blood? ..."
Not much later, the stem shakes and explodes. Vibrant red spores began to surround the air, soon followed by the remaining mushrooms to do the same. They all began to spread vibrant spores, covering our sight like a thick red fog. I held my breath not to inhale any of it. This hill is cursed ... Burning it down would have been a better method ... And just when I was struggling to find a way out of this fog, Shevat announced that the corpse was gone. Of course ...
Once the spore cloud began to settle, I could recognize some silhouettes in the distance. They were surrounding us. Corpses, all of them, with mushrooms attached to them. Moving closer in our direction. May Ilmater protect us all ...
<Battle start>
One creature moves closer to Arabella to hit her with its long claws, hands covered in the vibrant fungus. Well, this is uncomfortable ... I wish I was of better use in this combat, but the battle took a good turn when Arvirin began to dish out some valuable strikes. Though as soon as they went down, the spores began to spread again. Not knowing what will become of us, we fought our way through them. Like many others, it felt overwhelming, especially when some roots came up like tentacles to restrain our movement. Once the enemies were down that caused us to be restrained, their grip loosened up and we were free to land our strikes onto them. It's a shame that all of us were exhausted from the previous fight. I didn't have enough strength to cast spells to protect us with, without at least keeping some safe for emergencies. Luckily, it didn't pose a threat to our survival when the battle came to an end.
<Battle end>
Once the battle was over, Arvirin to the south of me began to behave strange. Almost as if his body grew heavy until he fell down on the grass. Unconscious ... Before I could interfere with it, I, too, noticed how my vision became darker and everything blacked out entirely before I hit the ground.
. . .
Day: 10, Time of day: 8 PM+
Location: East of the ruins of Berez, close to the river
It felt like I was suffocating. There was a sensation, I couldn't breathe for a moment of time and struggled against a sensation that I felt. Someone was holding me ... When I was pushed out of what felt like water, I caught myself coughing to get the water out of me and when my blurry sight revealed who it was, my eyes met that of Arabella. Was she trying to drown me?! When I asked her "politely" what the hell she believes she thinks that she is doing, the woman responded to me with "Saving your life?" I wasn't shy about admitting that I didn't appreciate her presence so close to me before I recalled what she said. She explained to me that I fell unconscious. I vaguely remember blacking out and seeing Arvirin go down, but to drown me in order to wake me up is rather strange. She explained that it happened because I accidentally inhaled the spores during combat. Sure, but why drowning?
When I looked over to Yshvara who was carrying Pyre who was still unconscious, it became clear why she'd decide to make such a drastic move. There is a risk of dying in it which I didn't exactly appreciate seeing. I kept those words to myself, given that I was at her mercy the entire time where I was unconscious. *
Once everyone was actively there, we started to make a campfire to regain some heat with the discussion going on how to solve it. I'm inexperienced in this field, nature was never the focus of my studies and interests, other than wanting it to be in a healthy state. I read the books and papers about the wildlife in Barovia, mostly about the monsters itself, from the mansion. Nature itself, like these mushrooms, I doubt they were among them. It's difficult to focus on it, in a situation so stressful. It was getting darker.
As soon as Shevat wanted to cast his reliable spirit for healing, the first person who received it, was in pain. It wasn't like the effect it normally would give, immediately did he send it away upon that response. (-6 HP) Their sense of survival started to kick in through a minor panic, wondering if we could sleep off the pain. None of us knew for certain. None of us felt actually sick and none of us had changed much from what I could see. I didn't know how long ago that I hit the ground, it was before I nearly drowned, until now.
For some reason, Pyre began to harm herself with her weapon. I thought she was worried about survival, now, is she eager to die? Blood started to pour from her wound but the blood that came out, had some similarities with the liquid that escaped the mushroom. It was thicker, disgusting ... Don't tell me that we will end up like the enemies we fought ...
"We have something growing inside of us that's absorbing the healing and feeding itself with it." Shevat explained. I raised my brow at him. When did he find that out? Is he a doctor? "That is why it hurts us", he said. "It's growing bigger, inside of us."
I felt myself reach for my forehead and shake it. That wasn't how I intended to end my life. Do all conditions here in Barovia have to be so strange? Before, I needed to be concerned about being considered a fish in order to breathe and now I must be concerned about turning into a living corpse that is carrying some mushroom on his back? If there won't be a cure for it, I might end up doing something recklessly. I refuse to become a minion to some kind of vampiric mushroom!
Shevat requested Pyre to test how the blood would respond to the heat or fire, to which she held the wound above the fire. It wasn't what he meant, but the result remained the same. No response. We had a feeling that we needed to work with temperatures, but the heat didn't do the thing. Next, the cold ... Pyre recalled that the corpses, or well, the mushrooms to them, didn't spread the spores once ice was applied. Then she suggested Arabella try it on her. I saw the pained look in her eyes when she did, but again, I didn't interfere.
The expression worsened when Arabella agreed with hesitation, her entire body began to tremble from the cold. The pain looked very intense from the frown she made. Given her origin, she might not be the right target for this. So, Shevat also made a small cut and requested her to try it on him as well to see if it works. It was similar with him when she did as he requested, but his reaction was a lot more intense than Pyre when suddenly he fainted from the pain. The fool ... Pyre helped him in a better position and not much later he regained himself, to tell us that he is certain that the parasite is weak against the cold. While the others were busy seeking for the alternatives, I made my way to the gnome. I needed her to use that same technique on me. If Shevat is convinced it will help to fight it, then the least I can do to stop me from turning into a minion, is to freeze myself.
"Are you sure you want me to do this, Viiris?" Arabella had asked me. I frowned back at her. "Did I stutter?" She immediately shook her head with a worried expression. "No, but I'd rather have your answer." I narrowed my eyes while I frowned. Should she doubt my intentions? I demanded that her to do it. She needed to know how well I was doing before she would do it, but I felt quite fine for the time being. Not as much as for those thoughts that crossed my mind. Arabella said that she will do it three times in total and that would be the limit. I didn't hesitate and agreed to it.
When the intense pain got to me, my skin burned from the intense cold, it felt terrible ... But nothing I couldn't take. Of course. I hope my external reactions didn't reach the others. That was ... Quite intense, probably the most foolish thing I have ever done ... But I'd rather die trying than give in ... I pulled my way back to where Pyre invited me to sit to regain my body heat while I tried to keep my attention to the interaction of the others. It was difficult. Arabella followed me to my position and apologized for being so close to me, I allowed it, given that this situation is an exception. If she thinks about doing something funny, I'll make sure it's her last time. I didn't know what she was checking but she struggled. I laughed. "If only we took a doctor with us, right? ..."
The discussion continued and I began to wonder about external help. Asking if it would be wise to return to Vallaki. The message is far away. Pyre reached for the box and began writing a message to put inside. I looked over her shoulder and saw what she wrote. It's better than nothing. Asking what the owner knows about plant parasites ... I wonder if they feel urged to respond. "If any time, now is a good time for your God complex to work, box ..." I heard her mumble. Then we came up with the next idea to use a spell to message important people who could potentially aid us. I couldn't tell what Yshvara said to them but she let us know that she messaged the Stockyard lady, Urwin. The stockyard lady would like to study it, but inside Vallaki. Urwin could tell us that he heard that we won't die for the next few days, it might resolve itself naturally. His father knows more. Then she also wants to message Father Donavich. I do not know why or what she'd expect from the man.
If we can trust Urwin, then we won't die overnight. I took out my bedroll and prepared myself to rest up. I caught Shevat and Arvirin walk over to the river where Shevat turned into a fish. Assumingly to clean his lungs, but when he changed back it didn't seem to have change anything. Then he mentioned something about wanting to speak to the parasite. It's ridiculous, but I kept those remarks to myself as well. The cold is a great distraction.
"It's definitely a plant." Shevat said when he turned to us. "I am able to speak with it." The ability to speak with it seems limited, but I doubt it will even cooperate. As if it will just get out. He believes that the parasite isn't bright enough to be transferred into something, then again, I wonder, does it really want to? Its primal instinct is to survive and it has the perfect vessel. I couldn't hold back some teasing, but Shevat isn't responsive to it, as usual. He prefers to keep it alive, he said, but wishes to transfer it to a different host. "A different host? Such as?" I wondered.
"I'm sorry to say this, but we need a sacrifice." His gaze is fixated on the (living) trees in the environment. I needed to confirm what he meant and asked if he intended to give it to a person, luckily he confirmed to me that it has to be living, but not a person. I dropped my suspicions and let out a sigh. "How do you intend to get it out?" I asked him. He is able to give minor commands to plants, he said, with the magic he uses. Will it work? Hopefully, it will ... Arvirin suggested to be the main host for all of the parasites, to live with them. It's a situation that I believe is unacceptable. Good for everyone that did they agree.
I am you, you are me ... Hmm?
They actually believe that we can climb up the hill and walk through Berez to make our way to the vineyard. Foolish, to think that whatever is in Berez will let us pass so easily. As if the count, if he was the one spotted, would visit these ruins because nothing is here ... We'll die at Berez in this state before we find a cure. I hope Urwin is right and it will simply resolve on its own but we'll have to see. Urwin's father at the vineyard would know. Well, we'll see if we make it there alive. Some rest will help me with regaining my ability to cast properly. They'll just "run away" from everything at Berez. *
Shevat asked Yshvara if she also contacted Muriel, she answered him honestly and told him that it would be possible with her last effort. She is the most reliable after all. With the message sent, we received back that she will visit Urwin's father at the Vineyard to support us, while she is informed about the parasite. - I guess I'll be praying another round this night and morning ... Without a wealthy sacrifice, I am not in the position to ask for guidance ...
. . .
We decided to call it a night. Promising ourselves that if the fungus will grow back, that we'll burn it away. It was a nice thought before closing my eyes. When I was woken up by the two women to take my position to watch over the others sleeping, I noticed there was something different about their behavior. They didn't tell me what it was about and neither did I bother with it. I felt better than before, the rest did help me. Both me and Arvirin took the final watch. I asked the boy how he is feeling, now that everyone is asleep. "I guess I'm feeling okay?" He responded. I let out a sigh. "I hope this nonsense will be over soon ..." He feels the same way, hoping that he could do more. I felt similarly. I haven't been very helpful. "We'll see what the morning brings ..." Arvirin looked over to me and returned a nod. "I'm hoping for the best ..."
I said to him that I had hoped for my death to be a little more heroic than this but he told me not to talk like that, nobody is dying. I hope he's right, truly, I do. "Fine then," I said. "I'll keep it to myself then." I felt myself smiling at him. He better be alright, the fool.
