Non-Pokémon Project Admas

[Diamondseed345]

The air in the room... was cool and crisp. Considering the saloon wasn't exactly insulated very well since the owner was a bit of a cheapskate, the cold morning air would seep through the cracks in the wall.
Usually, the owner of the fine establishment would toss a mixture of dried grass and weed stems into a scrap metal wood stove to keep his customers warm. Yet due to the exhaustion from serving so many party goers the night before, he had overslept his usual routine.
That didn't matter for Elliott and Peter upstairs however. They wouldn't need the wood stove or even a blanket most likely, because they had eachother.
The mix of the winter air and eachothers embrace was a welcoming feeling, the contrasting temperatures being a pleasant sensation. It wasn't cold enough for their breath to be visible, yet it was just enough for it to be irritable without sufficient clothing.

Elliott and Peter likely could have gone until noon sleeping in eachothers embrace due to the quality of the night before, and it's unlikely they'd really even care if they woke up late.
They didn't have to think of the pain and strife that life in Tullwend caused, their only thoughts if they were even a thing being that of comfort.
Warm and safe, not cold and paranoid out in the no man's land.

Unfortunately... fate had other plans for the duo. A knocking could be heard on the door to their room.
"Hello? Hello?? Peter?? Ellie?? We've been looking for you all morning! What're you doing in here??" General Nguyen.
No answer. The two were still sound asleep.
General Nguyen could be heard mumbling behind the door, and the knocking evolved into pounding.
The pounding grew louder and louder, and as the duo finally began to stir... the door could be heard coming off its hinges.
As the door slammed into the ground, Peter and Elliott snapped awake, and could only stare in uttershock at the scene before them.
The General had stepped over the broken door, and was holding what looked like a large Warhammer made of what looked like Ice-Cap Mints.
"Man I've always wanted to do that, now, we've been looking for you two all morning! What're you doing here and... hold on a minute."
She was staring at the duo, who seemed to realize what the position they were in made it look like they had done.
"I can e-"
"Did you two get drunk and have a one night stand or something??"
Elliott and Peter immediately turned cherry red.
"Uhhh-"
"Hey, don't worry, I won't judge! Were you being safe at the very least?"

Elliott didn't know what to say. The scene was just so sudden and... frankly couldn't say anything from the shock of the question. Peter meanwhile, just sighed and sat up.
"No Ally, We..." Peter was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't lie since the General was one of his oldest friends, and he couldn't tell the truth considering... he frankly had no idea what happened between him and Elliott the night before.
Did they actually meld into one being? Or was that just some kind of hallucination from having too much to drink? But then, he got an idea.
"Actually... it's none of your business. I'm sorry Ally, but can you not ask sensitive questions like that? Please? Also, can you PLEASE not break down doors to get into rooms?"
The General didn't answer, thinking for a moment. "Alright Peter, I won't ask again. My apologies buddy... there anything I can do to make up for it?" She didn't address the fact that she literally broke down the door.
"N-no... you don't need to do anything. Why were you looking for us anyway?"
"Oh, oh gimme a minute." The General said, pulling a piece of wasp paper from her pocket.

"By Decree of Lord Oliver Hudson, duly appointed representative of her majesty the Broodqueen, the dire assistance of those who run the Pond lab of the late Wendell Tully, and those with direct experience with humans infected with Cordyceps muscaria is requested. Her Majesties soldiers and Royal scientists suspect a point of origin for the infected, and the assistance of those knowledgeable of the Fungus will be greatly appreciated. Together, we shall fease to eliminate this great threat to all in Tullwend, and possibly the outside world. We hope that you will accompany her Majesty soon enough.

Her Highness's most humble and obedient servant, Oliver Hudson." The General said, trying to mimic an old timey aristocratic voice.
"Wow..." Elliott said, sitting up. "They're really dedicated to their aristocratic diction huh?"
"Well, when you're helping to run a kingdom of tiny people for over a year, you're bound to essentially role-play as if you're actually in the times people ruled kingdoms. Pretty sure I've seen it happen in a tv show too... that guy with the tiger in The Walking Dead?"
"Well y'all should probably get ready, or else Tullwend is probably gonna end up like the world in that show. Be seeing you there..."
General Nguyen left through the damaged doorway, leaving Elliott and Peter alone once again. Peter however... didn't want to get ready yet, for he had a question.
"So... do you remember anything that happened last night?"
"Huh?"
"Last night. Do you remember anything that happened after we got blackout drunk?" Peter asked.
"Oh! Um... I think we were dancing to Sámiid Ædnan, you saved me from falling and..." Elliott scratched his head for a minute. "My memory's a bit fuzzy on this one, but I think we... merged into one being or something. That was... extremely disorienting, we were talking to eachother from the same body, I could hear your thoughts, and I barely even felt like myself, I-"
"I know, I know. I'd rather not think about it right now, it was... too weird, like some kind of fever dream..."
"It was kind of nice though, being that close..." Elliott added.
"Um..." Peter didn't know what to think. After all, becoming one with someone he felt... strangely close to was a strange feeling, but he had to admit... it was nice. Even if he wouldn't say it out loud.
It would be awhile before the duo would travel to the Hedge, but it wouldn't be for personal reasons.
Elliott had yet to get his clothing patched up from the earlier angel wings bursting from his shoulder blades. Most of the time, the gaping holes hadn't bothered him due to the warmth of the wood stove in the Saloon. However... the winter air felt like hot er... cold, knives on his bare skin, so that had to be dealt with right quick.
Thankfully though... the local tailor was quick and cheap, and had used leather made of pupae harvested in the spring and summer.
Elliott could have sworn that he'd seen the tailor eating stew made of what was inside the pupae too... it was disgusting.
What could it even be called? Bug giblets? Goo? Goo made more sense, as he was pretty sure that insects dissolved inside their pupae to rebuild themselves from the ground up.
Or was that butterflies that did that? Whatever... it didn't matter, he and Peter had things to do and places to be.
As they left the Citadel though, Elliott noticed that the bodies of the infected were still being rounded up and burned. The stench of burning flesh still hung in the air like the insecticide that used to contain the infected oh so long ago... Elliott didn't know if he'd ever get used to that horrid scent.
Peter however, seemed to be impacted the most, as he began to gag as they went down the stairs to the ground below.
"God... what is that smell!? It's sickening!!" Peter said, trying not to throw up there and then.
"The infected..." Elliott replied, pulling part of his cloak over his mouth and nose.

"Can't just let them rot out here... the fungus could grow right on our doorstep and infect more people. Can't let that happen can we?"
"I guess not..."
They got onto a nearby carriage which the General just so happened to be on, and Elliott seemed to notice something.
Usually, there would be much more traffic in the no man's land, whether it be foot traffic, the occasional Anthill denizen riding on a Soldier Ant, or it be a full on caravan. Now... barely anyone traveled through the no man's land, fearful of facing the infected. Now, all that could be heard were dogs barking or cars passing by Tullwend or... merely the howling winter wind.
Other than that, Elliott looked to be quite on edge. Grass didn't act the same way as trees did in winter, their colors merely changed as they went "dormant" so to say. Henceforth, grass blades would impact visibility year round... that was part of the problem. Add the aspect of the morning fog, and it would be no wonder that someone would be on edge while traveling.
I mean, if you were in the know that hyper aggressive hyper controlled insects and occasionally humans were out in the no man's land wanting to make your insides into outsides, wouldn't you be on edge?
Thankfully though, the trip to the Hedge had been incident free, with no infected ever being witnessed by the group.
That doesn't mean that the fungus wasn't witnessed however, as clumps of fungus growing from the occasional cadaver on the side of the road. Thankfully however, this wasn't the human infecting kind of Cordyceps muscaria, as it was the original blue and green color... doesn't mean that the clumps weren't explosive though.
They got to the gates of the Hedge soon enough, and... it already seemed different. Fungalstomper Soldiers stood outside the gates to the city, along with Hedges own native soldiers.
The Fungalstompers looked to be in full on combat gear, as did the Hedge Soldiers, yet they looked... unique.
Their protective gear looked to be made from a mix of spider bits and acorn plates, the pieces protecting shoulder blades having the signature black and yellow of the local Orb-weavers. Their gasmasks also looked unique, likely due to the biology of the Hedge's denizens. The masks looked to have multiple lenses on the upper-face to support the eight eyes of the denizens, and the back half looked to be some kind of hood, covered in the giant eyes of slain spiders.
It looked intimidating... yet, fitting for the Hedge.
"State your purpose travelers. The Hedge is in a state of quarantine, not just anyone can come into our community."

The General then hopped off of the carriage.
"I'm afraid me and my compatriots need to enter the city soldiers."
The Fungalstompers specifically looked shocked.
"G-General!!" Both Fungalstompers took their spears in one hand, and saluted their General, while the Hedge Soldiers stood there slightly confused.
"What're you doing here?? Isn't the Citadel under attack??"
"The attack ended in the afternoon last night, we're still cleaning up the mess. May I ask why you're still here or when you got the news?"
"I-I- uuhhhh..." These soldiers were screwed, and General Nguyen sighed.
"I'll deal with you two later, can you just let me and my compatriots in?"
The soldiers faces went pale as ghosts. "Um... sure, let's just make sure you're clear for entry." The soldier said, pulling a makeshift flashlight off his hip.
"What's that for?" Elliott asked, cocking his head.
"Used to check for signs of infection." The soldier said, shining it in the Generals eye.
"She's clear, no purple coloring. Carry on General and you there." He pointed at Elliott. Step forward."
"...Alright." Elliott did as commanded, and winced as bright light was shone into his eye.
"Hell is with your eyes dude? I've seen nothing like them!"
"Well... um... I-" Peter then stepped forward, and placed a hand on Elliott's shoulder. "How his eyes are shaped is none of your business. Now, is he showing symptoms or not?"
"No..."
"That's what I thought. Now, leave him along and shine those lights in my eyes."
Checking Peter for signs off without a hitch, and Elliott had turned slightly red as he watched from the sidelines. Peter had stood up for him, he... didn't know how to feel about that. At the very least he was appreciative, and felt... something else deep inside he didn't know how to describe. Slight giddiness? He somewhat began to feel that way whenever he was around Peter the past few days, Elliott didn't know where said feelings were coming from.
Yet it wouldn't matter, since his mind was taken off the subject as the trio entered the walled city.
The city within looked to be a shell of its former self. There looked to be some kind of medium scale outbreak before the trio had arrived, as Hedge Soldiers and citizens were tossing bodies into what looked like proper burn pits.
This time however, the bodies looked to be... mostly human, with the occasional young spider tossed into the pile. To an extent, there being infected within the city made sense, as it was likely at least one or two people already infected before they closed their gates. What was surprising however, was the amount of infected being burned.

From what Elliott knew, pandemics spread like wildfire if the proper precautions weren't taken in the beginning, but it looked like this outbreak was just... snuffed out! He was genuinely impressed, but Elliott knew they had to keep moving forward to Castle Hedge, where the future of Tullwend really would be decided.
The castle turned out to be even more heavily guarded than even the main gates, and were even more vigilant for symptoms of the infection.
Drastic mood change
Loss of hearing
Muscle spasms
Slurred speech
Insomnia.
Thankfully Elliott and Peter had a restful sleep the night before, even if it was influenced by alcohol. The General meanwhile, always slept like a damn rock. Leading a whole organization was exhausting, unsurprisingly.
The court of the Broodqueen and those that arrived to castle Hedge in the meeting room however, were a different story. Much of them had bloodshot eyes with dark circles underneath, with cups and or canteens full of Boost Juice littering the tables.
Broodqueen Branch looked to be no exception, as she was literally dressed in her own signature battle gear, along with the exhausted look in her eyes. Said gear was a mix of whites, reds and blacks, and looked to be an intricate construction of scrap metal and pieces of a spiders exoskeleton. What species of spider Elliott couldn't tell, as all the spiders he'd seen before were either yellow and black, or different shades of brown.
Not only that but there looked to be a handful of soldiers in the mix along with scientists, yet... among them looked unique.

He had shortish hair resembling that of those active in active duty in the military, with a mix of antlion armor and scrap metal badges. Yet what made him stand out the most was the TAYZ.T arm sticking out from his elbow. It looked to be surgically attached to what was left of his left arm, along with a mix of berry leather straps. Elliott could only wonder what happened to his arm as he and the others made it to the multitude of tables.
Yet... the faces of those at said tables seemed to light up as the trio arrived, especially that of the Broodqueen.
"Oh, you guys finally arrived! We heard about what happened at the Citadel! How goes the clean-up effort?"
"It goes well!" The General said, pulling a chair out from a nearby table. "We still have yet to process our dead, but the bodies of the infected are almost completely gone."

"I don't think I'll ever get the smell of burning flesh out of my clothes..." Elliott added, standing next to Peter as he got into his own seat.
"Oh, you don't need to stand there, take a seat Elliott! We were hoping that you'd be here today."
Turns out there was an empty seat next to Peter, who had been making small talk with the boy with the prosthetic. Clearly, they shared some sort of history.
Elliott took a seat, and the Broodqueen then cleared her throat, causing everyone to go silent.
"As we all know, Cordyceps muscaria has mutated to infect humans, and has caused problems all throughout the land. Caravans have been attacked more often, as have the settlements. Those who the infected injure but not kill could possibly add to their numbers, and their numbers only grow by the day."

The Broodqueen went silent in thought for about thirty seconds. "It is our great fortune however, that my soldiers have correlated a possible point of origin for our common foe." She nodded at one of her soldiers, who wore similar attire to General Nguyen.
"Tell them Elijah."
The Admiral then stood up. "Yes you're majesty. Just give me a minute." He then left the room, leaving most of its occupants confused.
"Hell is he doing? Grabbing a Frappuccino or something??" The one with the prosthesis asked.
"Calm yourself Maxwell. All will be explained in time."
The Admiral returned five minutes later, rolling in a whiteboard with an expo-marker in hand, presumably from one of the many scattered labs.
"Alright, as you all know" The Admiral said, drawing what looked like a propane tank. "Cordyceps muscaria was once contained through the use of a mix of Herbicides and Insecticide gasses from a can near the back entrance of the Tully residence. The late scientist blew a whole in the canister in order to contain the spreading contamination, but as we all know..." He gave General Nguyen the stink eye.
"SOMEONE felt like the gasses were a danger, or just didn't want to wear a gasmask whenever near the back porch, and now practically all in Tullwend have had to suffer the consequences of her decision. Crippling injuries, loss of friends and loved ones... infection." The Admiral looked to wince at the thought of infection.
"But as of recently after the recent outbreak in the city, her majesty send me and my comrades out into those Fungal wastes to find anything of use against our foe. Not all of us got out of their with our minds and bodies intact, but... we found something."
"A point of origin for the infection? You said that in the letter or something like that." Peter remarked, twiddling his thumbs.
"You didn't let me finish Director Boggs." The Admiral then drew what looked like a ruined lab with the doors blasted open.
"We found one of those labs that Tully guy built years back with the doors blasted open, looked as if someone or something had broken in from the outside. Thing was, the place was COVERED in fungus, both the pink and blue variety. Not only that, but there were bodies of the infected stacked up against the walls and ground around the entrance, covered in fungus, as if they were creating some form of perimeter. Ants, humans, Aphids, Lacewing Larvae, even a black widow spiders head was sticking up out of the ground like a bloody gator."
"Were there actual living infected in the area sir?"
"You betcha there were. Couldn't tell how many, one hundred? Two hundred? I don't know, I'm not a mathematician. Thing is, much of the human infected and even some of the bugs acted differently to the norm of those infected. The humans? They were holding weapons, and I don't mean just dragging around knives made of pebbles. Far from it. They were lugging around ranged and two handed weaponry. Crossbows, battle-axes, scrap swords, hell, one of them got their hands on a fucking shotgun! Who on God's green Earth managed to bring a bloody shotgun down here!"
"Get to the point Admiral." Maxwell said, tapping his foot. "We all have things to do and places to be and frankly, I've got a keg of Lemon Crime waiting for me back at my compound."
"Fine fine. What I'm trying to say is, those things are acting smarter than they're usually observed to be, and that many infected in one small area? That's gotta mean one thing."
"Can you stop with the theatrics and say already??" The Broodqueen yelled, making everyone silent.
It was rare for her to actually loose her temper.
"Uh..." The Admiral was pale as a ghost.
"It means they have to be guarding someone or something important to the infection as a whole. Fortunately for us though, there's a trick we've got up our sleeve."
"What might that be?" General Nguyen replied.

"Well you see, a huge chunk of that population was sent to presumably annihilate the Fungalstompers Citadel. Now I know you might ask why we didn't get a message out to you guys about the impending attack, but we'll deal with that later. What I mean to say is that whatever is leading or controlling these fungal freaks seems to have been betting a large portion of its forces on the annihilation of the biggest threat to its existence. Add to the fact that said forces lost the battle, I'd say this is our greatest option to strike back against our foe."
"So what do you want us to do? What do you want ME to do?" General Nguyen asked. "Send my soldiers into that hellhole to kill some giant brain... Rat-king thing or whatever?"
"That's the gist of it, yeah." The Admiral said, erasing his drawings.
"Now, we can't just send a squad of ordinary soldiers, that would be a straight-up suicide mission." He then pointed at Elliott. "That... is where our resident wolf slayer comes in. From what I've heard, he took down an infected wolf spider bare handed, and played a significant role in the defense of the Citadel."
"Word spreads that fast??" Elliott asked.
"Honey, when you've got people who can fly delivering messages around the place, messages spread fast even without the internet. As I was saying, due to his accomplishments when it comes to literally combating the infection, I'd say he'd be a proper candidate for this operation. That is... if he's up for the challenge."
Everyone in the room then looked to Elliott, including Peter.
All those eyes felt as if they were stabbing right through Elliott, their anticipation acting almost like a poison. Elliott didn't want to let them down and yet, the thought of going into a nest full of those things was downright horrifying to him.
Yet... he helped the Fungalstompers fend off a literal army of the monsters. He literally took down an infected spider the size of a small elephant BARE HANDED.
He knew the choice he not wanted, but HAD to make, even if it scared him.
"I'm..." Elliott swallowed the tightness in his throat.
"Up for the challenge."
Tullwend's future, might now be in his hands.
Chapters end.
_________________________

 

[Diamondseed345]

Everyone in the room then looked to Elliott, including Peter.

All those eyes felt as if they were stabbing right through Elliott, their anticipation acting almost like a poison. Elliott didn't want to let them down and yet, the thought of going into a nest full of those things was downright horrifying to him.

Yet... he helped the Fungalstompers fend off a literal army of the monsters. He literally took down an infected spider the size of a small elephant BARE HANDED.

He knew the choice he not wanted, but HAD to make, even if it scared him.

"I'm..." Elliott swallowed the tightness in his throat.

"Up for the challenge."

"Excellent, excellent!" The Admiral said, clapping his hands.


Soon after, couriers would be sent out all across the land requesting aid from those that were willing to assist in the destruction of the infection, and everyone in the room knew it wouldn't be long for a platoon of soldiers to be formed. Yet considering the fact that many in the Fungalstompers alone were vengeful against the infection for bringing the war to their doorstep, they likely would likely make up the majority of recruits.

But imagine their surprise when volunteers from all across the land arrived at the Hedge in droves. From the vampire like denizens of Bloodbog, the wizard like folk with horns similar to Elliott from well... the Wizard's lair, to even the termite like residents of Woodcross. If they couldn't return to their families in the bigger, wider world, they would sure as Hell defend the livelihoods they built over the years.

Those abominations wouldn't, no... couldn’t win if the people came together to defeat them. After all, if Tullwend's denizens didn't end up in a Lord of the Flies like scenario, what was to stop them from coming together now?


It didn't take long for the Platoon to be formed at all, considering the deluge of volunteers that arrived in the coming days.

Hell, enough people came that multiple Platoons of soldiers could be formed to take the fight to the heart of the infections reign.

However... Elliott and his group held top priority.

They intended to leave for the Fungal wastes around the houses porch before nightfall, meaning to use whatever daylight hours they could spare. After all with where they were headed, it would be safer and better for morale to know where the enemy was coming from. The daylight hours gave them the opportunity to fight an oncoming ambush, considering that the no man's land during the night was as dark as the forests in the wider world.


Elliott and his section of the platoon were currently in the Barracks of Fungalstompers outpost in the Hedge, gathering weaponry for the upcoming journey, when they could hear the door of the armory open. Everyone looked to the door to see... General Nguyen.

"General?" The Admiral asked.
"What're you doing here?"

The General sighed. "I'm sure you know why I'm here Elijah... I need to make things right."

"Oh? I thought you did that when you formed The Fungalstompers all those years back?"

"...Look, Elijah. Can we not talk about this in front of everyone? Time is money."

"Do you really mean that, or do you..."

Elliott stopped pulling Roly-Poly armor off of their stands to listen. Part of him sensed... a bit of history.

"I can't undo what I've done Elijah, I know that! Why do you think I've been so adamant on eliminating the fungus?? It's the least I can do after the idiotic decisions I've made down here!!" That was the first time Elliott heard the happy go lucky General legitimately angry.

"AND WHAT IF THE PEOPLE LEARN OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE ALLY NGUYEN?? WHAT WILL THEY DO WHEN THEY LEARN THAT THEIR OH SO HEROIC GENERAL IS THE REASON THEIR FRIENDS ARE TRYING TO BITE THEIR THROATS OUT RIGHT NOW??!"

Elliott stepped back from the armor stands, he was tired of the arguing... he couldn't ignore it any longer. He intended to go back to the Barracks sleeping quarters in an attempt to avoid the noise.

He shuffled by mumbling to himself, hoping that they would stop with their arguments, covering his ears.


"Why... why won't they S̴̅͜Ț̵̚O̷̲̾P̶̗͝-" Elliott's pupils went pitch white, and the commanders went totally silent.

Said commanders were looking around, confused looks on their faces. Why weren't they speaking? They had all the intentions to, but they just... couldn’t!

"Are you guys okay?" Elliott asked, walking up to the duo. Just... pitch silence. Everyone in the room was merely staring at the three of them.

"Cat got your tongue? Won't you two p̶͙̓l̴̲͊e̶͙͝a̶͙͝ș̶̛e̷͖͛ ̶̻̇s̸̩͐p̴̬̈́e̵̮̕a̵̼͝k̵̬̀?̷̹̓" Elliott's had an echo like effect as he finished his sentence and like clockwork, the commanders practically GASPED.

It was just as if something just... clicked deep in the recesses of their brains, allowing them to speak once again.

General Nguyen clutched her forehead.
"God... my head, what was that??"

"I... don't know? I was mumbling about wanting you two to stop arguing, and you just went silent." Elliott said, his pupils shifting back to their original color.

Elijah's eyes went wide. "Your pupils were glowing just then. Could you have possibly-"

"As I was saying Elijah, what's done is done!! The least I can do is help prevent the-

"STOP IT ALREADY!!" Elliott snapped, briefly flashing White.

"MANY PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES DUE TO THE INFECTED, AND MANY MORE WILL IF YOU TWO JUST KEEP STANDING THERE ARGUING!!" Elliott stood there, breathing heavily, trying to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry... but my point still stands. We can't just sit here ARGUING while innocent people loose their lives to this damned fumgus! I mean, the rest of the country, of not the might be relying on us here! The General is right, what's done is done
We can only do things to make things better for others around us. So please... can we just get going already??"


The other soldiers shrugged, as they were already prepping for the journey ahead, while the commanding duo were just... silent of their own accord. Whether they liked it or not, Elliott was right. They could have been out of the Barracks by now, and hear the commanders were, bickering amongst themselves.

"He's right... let's just, grab our gear and supplies then head out."

"Agreed."

Soon enough, everyone had gotten into their gear on and supplies whether in a carriage or on their backs, and were readying to leave the walls of the Hedge. The stench of burning flesh seemed to remain in the air even long after the fires went out. Either that, or Elliott's nose had been assaulted by the scent so much that it was permanently ingrained within his nostrils. Just when they were about to leave the walls however, a familiar voice made Elliott's heart skip a beat.

"Ellie?"

Peter.

Elliott turned away from the city gates, to see Peter and one of his assistants with what looked like a small tray of fast food. Well... whatever counted for fast food in Tullwend, Spider Sliders and Queasadillantlions?

"The day has finally come... huh?"

"Yeah..." Elliott said, scratching his head. "We kinda got held up for awhile, but today's the day I guess! Headed into the eye of the storm..." Elliott's face went pale upon thinking of what was to come.
What would he see in those Fungal wastes?

What horrors would he have to bear witness too and possibly never forget?

What if... they didn't come back from their mission? Could it already be too late?

"You know, the eye of the storm is usually the calmest part of it. Ironic... being the center of it all." Peter then cleared his throat. "It alright if I ask you something Ellie?"

"Sure, I don't see why-"

"Yo Eli, what're you doing? We don't have all day!" The General yelled from up ahead. Peter only chuckled.

"I won't try to hold you up. I know this sounds corny, but..." Peter took Elliott's hands.

"Don't die out there... please, for my sake."

Elliott's face turned a shade of red. He'd no idea what to say. "I... I'll try not too?"

"Promise me?"

"I... promise Petey." Peter turned red as well. "I-"

"ELI!"

"Alright hang on!" Elliott waved Peter goodbye and left the city along with his group, the rest of the platoon soon to follow.

As they made their way west, the soldiers would take turns riding the carriage, in order to rest their legs. After all, they felt it was adamant that they eliminate the source of the infection as quickly as possible. Considering the fact that whatever was in that lab was likely commandeering the infected, it would be greatly advantageous if it was eliminated.
No commander, means no strategy, combined with the fact that the infected were otherwise observed to be feral beings, they'd just have regular zombies.

Would they truly have any sort of advantage?

That was what Elliott was left to ponder on upon his turn riding the carriage, among other things. Was there any true point in eliminating the source of the infection? What if their efforts lead to nothing advantageous nor disadvantageous? Just a fruitless attempt to protect those they love from a fate worse than death... the thought of that terrified him.

He didn't want to dwell on these terrifying thoughts, yet it felt like his brain forced him to do so. Every time he pushed it away with thoughts of better times, the looming feeling of existential dread would return.

He was beginning to feel somewhat dizzy when his train of thought was interrupted by the carriage suddenly lurching slightly backwards, coming to a stop.

"W-what happened!?" Elliott yelled, startled back to reality.

"It's getting too dark to travel on the carriage. It'll be best to set up camp for the night then continue the journey on foot."

Elliott had felt on edge just about the entirety of the night, and not just from his uncertainty about the mission. From what he knew, they were close to the blighted lands ruled by the infected. They weren't sitting in it mind you, although being even close to it didn't feel good either.

The rest of the group looked tonhe a different story however. Two of them were sharing a story from before they were shrunk and dumped in Tullwend, filling the night with booming laughs, while another looked to be roasting a sausage over the halfhazardly made campfire. One of them had even gotten their hands on a book, and it wasn't one made from the locally available materials. This was a book from the wider, bigger world... Stars know how she got her hands on that.

Even if the others didn't seem worried, Elliott's existential dread would extend long into the night, even as the group slowly went to sleep one by one.

Elliott was the last to fall asleep, as the soldiers were taking turns to keep watch over the camp in order to prevent attacks in the night. He conked out as Admiral Elijah took his turn on the night watch, yet... the feeling of dread remained.

When Elliott opened his eyes back up, he found himself back at what could be considered his home... the Pond lab. The air was thick with musty, earthy odors, and the underwater currents could be heard through a nearby window that showcased the ponds depths. Yet something felt... wrong.

There wasn't any whir of machinery, nor the pitter patter of feet through the lab's narrow hallways, nor the sounds of people talking. Just the sounds of the outside currents, and noises that sounded... wrong.

"I'm... back here? Where is everyone?"
Elliott proceeded down the hallway, albeit with caution, the labs didn't feel right.

As he made his way further into the depths, the strange unsettling noises grew all the more louder, when suddenly... Elliott's foot struck something soft and moist. He looked down swiftly, and recoiled back in horror upon seeing bluish green, silky like stands spreading across the floor, and to a lesser extent the wall.

The Haze Fungus.


Elliott summoned his staff right away and took equipped the gas mask on his belt, and began to run.

He had to find who was left, he had to save them from infection! Every room he went in looked to be more covered in fungal growths than the last, some even including the pink and purple variety. Yet... noone was to be found, not even any infected.
Did everyone manage to get out in time?

Elliott continued through the lab, not giving up until he searched through the entire facility, when he finally came upon the Directors office.

Peter's office.

Elliott slowly opened the door, to find who he presumed to be Peter, typing fervently on one of those old computers.

"Petey?" Elliott cautiously entered the room, and heard a... sickening snapping sound. Peter slowly rose up, and... Elliott's heart sunk into his stomach.

Peter... had a large growth of fungus coming out of his eye and scalp, along with large amounts of the infection coming out of his ears. Only one eye was exposed, yet instead of those warm green eyes Elliott could stare into for days... it was that same, vibrant swirling purple color. The infected Peter attempted to lunge over the table, yet his leg got caught on the arm of his chair, causing Elliott to jump back.

"Peter!? Oh God W-WHAT HAPPENED?? WHEN WERE YOU EXPOSED??!" He was pointing the staff at the former scientist, who was now growling like a rabid animal. It didn't take long for the infected Peter to be free of his restraints, and he leaped at Elliott, tackling him to the floor. The only thing separating them now was the staff, now held at Peter's neck.

Elliott wanted to defend himself, to push the zombie off and fight back... but this was Peter.

The Peter he had begun feeling immensely close to.

The Peter he had gotten drunk with and slept with during a cold winters night.

Elliott couldn't hurt Peter... could he?
He wouldn't have the choice to make that decision, as Peter managed to get past the staff, and as soon as Elliott felt the teeth in his neck... he woke up.

He shot up in the sleeping bag he was kept in, covered in cold sweat. It looked to be early morning, as the sky was a mix of violets and warm reds. The moon could be faintly scene halfway behind the house looming above, and it looked like noone had woken up yet. He wasn't in the Pond Labs... Peter wasn't infected, it was... just a dream.

Yet Elliott's body didn't seem to feel the same way, as his skin felt cold and his heart felt as if it was beating out of his chest.

"Calm down... calm down... it's just a nightmare..." Elliott began breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself down, yet... Peter's infected Visage remained in the back of his mind.

He probably wouldn't be able to get back to sleep tonight.

Soon enough however, everyone woke up one by one and had their fill of the rations brought on the carriage, and soon enough... a decision was made on how to handle the epicenter of the infection.

Not everyone would go and join the fight in the epicenter, the supplies needed to be guarded, whether from still roaming ants or bandits. Most of the soldiers however, would make their way to the epicenter on foot, including Elliott.

As they made their way to said epicenter, a thought entered Elliott's mind.

"Hey... guys?"

"What's up Eli?" The General asked, not stopping her brisk pace.

"What're we gonna do... if the infection managed to get out of Tullwend and into the outside world? Would there even be a point in what we're doing now?"

"Huh, that's a question that keeps me up at night, and one... I don't really want an answer to. But hey, we have keep hope alive when it comes to things like this. We can't constantly worry about future uncertainty, otherwise we wouldn't be able to function or get anything done. At least, that's what I always tell myself. I... certainly hope it doesn't get out, but we can't worry about that at the moment, we need to focus on the now. The now, is our mission, do you understand?"

"...Yes General."

As the group moved further, the less like a forest on a miniature scale the no man's land seemed, and the more it looked like an actual... well, no man's land. Dead dry grass looked over their heads, and blooms of fungus looked to be sprouting up more and more. Not only that, but said blooms looked to actually be growing out of the bodies of dead infected.

Different castes of ants, Bombardier beetles, Ladybugs, even the occasional human cadaver. Yet as they traveled further into the wastes, more and more fungal growths became visible, and spread further along the ground until... mycelium threads were under their every step. The environment they were now walking through heavily resembled a mix of Minecrafts Mushroom islands and Flood Blightlands from the Halo series.

Beautiful, yet disgusting.
Horrific, yet awe inspiring.

When they made it to their destination however, it was only... horrific, along with accurate to past descriptions. Bodies of the infected victims looked to have melded into the soil and fungal growths. Many of them looked to be partially mummified in one way or another, as their skin looked somewhat leathery and dry. Not to mention the abnormal amount of fungal growth on the bodies.

"Christ..." The General said, voice partially muffled by her gasmask. "Is this the final stage of the infection?"

"Looks to be so..." Elliott added. "You think the guy's still in there?"

"Hope he isn't. But he looks dead and half eaten by the fungus, so I highly doubt it to be honest. Let's just head inside, and be careful. We don't know what we're gonna find in there..."

The door to the lab's entrance looked to be blasted open from the inside, as previously described, yet the the next door to the lab proper worked just fine. Automatic, just like many of the doors back in the Pond Lab. Further inside, the first room looked like any other room in the Pond lab, just less personalized... and with Fungal growths covering the floor.

Something in the room caught Elliott's attention however. An old computer monitor, plugged into the wall seemingly still online on what looked like an area dedicated to files. Specifically, what looked like audio files... or, audio logs. Most of them looked to be corrupted however, only one that properly functioned remained.

Out of curiosity, Elliott wandered over, and clicked on the file. Trudy Blues.

"Trudy was right. As always. Perhaps she should have been the inventor and not me." The voice of the late Wendell Tully echoed out.

"I should have listened to her when she insisted that I stop the experiments. But if I pack it up now, I will have nothing to show for it. No Trudy and kids. No SPAC.R. Not even my own health. The longer I'm here, the more I'm... lumping up, aging, folding... raisining. But why? What am I becoming? A wrinkly virus, flailing helplessly in the dirt with the mushrooms. They are my family now. Though we only branched on the evolutionary tree a little over a billion years ago, I can feel us getting closer again already. We're all a bunch of fun guys down here, aren't we?"

Silence filled the air for a few seconds before Tully continued his bickering. "Don't look at me like that. At least no one ever heard of a raisined mushroom, did they? Did they..."

Elliott squinted his eyes somewhat, something about this audio log felt... suspicious to say the least. Did Cordyceps muscaria originate here? Was something wrong with Tully's health? That's certainly what it sounded like.

Perhaps traveling deeper into the facility would provide more answers.

"Eli? What're you doing? Did you find something?" The General asked, walking over to Elliott's position.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just an audio log from that Tully guy is all..."

They made their way further into the laboratory, and in one particular hallway they found something... peculiar to say the least. Other than broken TAYZ.T robots trapped in mycelium threads, there were multiple... display cases.

One held a small colony of mushrooms, the kind that the denizens of Tullwend grew and ate in their cuisines just about every day. The next held what looked like the same species of mushrooms with what looked like... cancerous growths on their caps. Said caps were glowing a blueish green color, similar to the next display. Said display held Cordyceps muscaria in their full glory. Cancerous mushrooms covered in glowing green or blue tumors, pulsing as if they had their own heartbeat.

Elliott could have swore he heard the General mumble under his breath "Tully what did you unleash upon the world..." The next room looked to be more infested than the last, with what looked like the exoskeleton of a deceased weevil being the area where it all spread from. The table too seemed to be covered, and Elliott noticed what looked to be a USB stick halfway covered.

"Hey guys... check this out." He said, pulling the fungal strands off.

"Oh, one of those things? That Doc Brown guy left those all over his labs I'm pretty sure, Pete's got a whole collection of them. Plug it into my SCA.B here, see what we can learn."

"SCA.B?" Elliott asked, cocking his head. The General held her arm out, and looked to be wearing some sort of watch with a colorful wrist band... showing what looked like her vital signs?

"Supposed to track my vital signs, only a select few of us down here have one of these. But apparently it's alot like an apple watch too, and you can play music and audio files on them, hand that stick here."

"Don't know why a watch would have the option of USB connection, but... okay." Elliott handed General Nguyen the USB, she plugged it into the weird SCA.B watch thing, fiddled with it a bit and then...

"Attempts to reverse cell age in mushrooms seem to be going well. Mutations are... violate, but productive! The shift from phase one to two was almosht a blur."

Then another voice rang out, one more robotic.

"There might be a reason it seemed like a blur, if I may be so bold-"


"Who asked you, BURG.L? Shouldn't you be tending to your tasks instead of eavesdropping through the intercoms?" Doctor Tully asked.

"Now where was I... Hmm... ah, yes. My friends Amanita muscaria here. The answer is hiding in that moist, supple flesh. And once I have it, I'll be back to normal Wendell in no time. Just like it was before thish all fell apart. I'll walk into that presentation room and show those Oniment--Ominent--shmucks I belong. How do you like that, Director Schmector?Trudy and the kids will come back. Everything will be back to normal. I just need those blasted shrooms to reveal their secrets to me..."

Then, BURG.L started up again.

"Forgive me Dr. T-T-Tully, did you say you wanted mushrooms on that?"

"BURG.L? Who's BURG.L?"

"You haven't met BURG.L Eli?"

"Would I be asking if I did?"

"Hm, fair point. Well, BURG.L was the robotic assistant of that Doc Brown guy before he passed from what I know. From what I know, he manages the lab in the Oak tree just below the Citadel, works with the Pond lab from time to time on scientific endeavors. Did Peter ever mention him?"

"Hmm... now that you mention-WAIT." Elliott had just realized something... ghastly.

"What? Is something wrong Eli?"

"That Tully guy... I think he might have had some kind of illness, it sounds like he was trying to use those mushrooms to... cure himself? I don't know to be sure, but whatever he did... I think the outcome was the infection."

"Really? You think he purposefully made it so it would infect bugs?"

"I don't think so, he doesn't sound like the kind of guy to do so... we should probably try to find more of those USBs. Maybe we can gather more information that way."

Minutes later, after room after room filled with fungal infected insects, they found what looked to be a large... breach in the lab's structure, leading to a cave. In said cave, there was a large tunnel, covered in spider silk and fungal blooms.

This has to be it. The center of the infection. Where the sovereign of contagion sits on its throne of death.

"So... we're going in?" Elliott said, poking at the silk with his staff.

"Yep." The General said, moving forward. As they moved inside, their suspicions were confirmed due to the SHEER amount of fungus and insect exoskeletons lining the walls. Not only that, but the fungal growths were ginormous, bigger than any example found out in the No man's land.
Add the fact that the mushroom cave was lit up by spores and shrooms lining the walls, floor and ceiling... it felt like there was a distorted sense of royalty that belonged.

"Well, this doesn't look freaky at all." General Nguyen remarked, bringing out her Warhammer. Something in the back of her mind told her this was the end of the road, and it was the same as Elliott as he drew his coaltana from its sheath. Its red glow acted like a shining light in the darkness, deeply contrasting the green glow of the infection.

A beacon of light, of hope.

Then, when they made it into the center of the throne room of contagion... a mix of sickening cracks and chirps emanated from the ceiling high above. Elliott looked up, to see a spider the size of a small bus, detach itself from the ceiling and skitter down to the floor with unnatural haste. It painted its fungus covered front legs to the ceiling, and let out a loud, freakish roar.

This was her. The Moldy Matriarch. The sovereign of contagion.

The Broodmother.

She stared down at our tiny heroes with voracious, unfeeling purple eyes, and then... she made her move.


She rushed the soldiers, pinning multiple of them down and leaving them wounded or dead on the ground. Some of them now had holes in their gas masks... it was only a matter of time until they fought against their former allies. Elliott and the General managed to avoid being pinned down, and they and those who remained went on the attack.

The duo kept the Broodmother in the center of her throne room, making swift attacks and keeping her attention on them, while the remaining soldiers fired off volleys of arrows at the fungal queen. In time, after careful attack after careful attack, the beast was felled with one final screech.

The soldiers cheered out loudly, celebrating their victory.

"Dios mio... we killed it! We actually killed it! The General yelled, ecstatic. Something however, didn't sit right with Elliott. This was easy, too easy... almost. He kept his hands on the handle of his blade as the other soldiers went to leave and handle the wounded, the legs of the Queen started to twitch and crack.


They weren't finished here yet.

"Wait guys HANG ON-" One of the legs went right for Elliott, and swept him off his feet. Before Elliott could stand up, one of the legs was placed right on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He could barely even breath as the Sovereign of contagion loomed over him, drooling with otherworldly hunger and rage. Said "drool" was glowing green fluid dripping from the beasts fangs. Elliott was attempting to form crystalline structures from the light around him, when he felt a sudden excruciating pain in his eye! Stabbing like a hot spike into the back of his skull, he could only gasp at its intensity. The spiders drool was dripping down the masks compound eye, melting parts of the mask, which hardened and sealed on itself just about immediately.

Elliott could barely focus on getting the leg off when his eye was burning like all hell, and the burning ice feeling was beginning to return when... a massive hammer made contact with the Broodmothers head, sending it tumbling back and onto its back once again. Elliott could barely make out what was going on due to the searing pain when he could see what looked like a face or... another mask, through his own.

It was the General, grabbing his hand.

"Dear God Eli, are you okay??? What did it do to you!?"

Elliott could barely focus on the General, unable to even speak from the pain and lack of air when he could hear... the cracking noises of the Broodmother coming back to life.

"Mmmmfff!!" He screamed, pointing out the beast as it got back to its feet. It let out an ear piercing shriek as fungal blooms fell from the ceiling, pulsing with life and it charged at the soldier duo.

"DOWN!!" Elliott tackled the General to the ground as the deformity on his forehead began to glow brightly, and a grayish bubble half formed around them.

"STAY!!" The ice like feeling returned, and Elliott almost immediately looked like a miniature scale White Dwarf Star. Part of the bubble dissipated for half a second, as Elliott left to confront the Broodmother.

The two stared eachother down for at least ten seconds, studying eachothers features before going at it. Elliott's own glow had even replaced the natural soft colors that the fungus produced naturally, and the shadow he had somehow and unwittingly cast looked... odd.


It looked to be wearing triangular shoulder pauldrons of some sort, and their head looked to be shaped somewhat like a star. Not only that, but the shadow didn't seem to move either, only standing motionless... watching and studying the battle between man and fungus before it.

The battle went on for what felt like hours. Elliott and the Moldy Matriarch were equally matched in speed, and Elliott was steadily growing tired. Soon enough, he could barely even keep up as the white glow began to sputter, but he was close for killing the beast once and for all! He could feel it in his bones!

The beast looked to be on the verge of breaking down as well, and attempted one last, desperate attack.


More fungal blooms began to fall from the ceiling as the Queen of infection, and began to explode just as Elliott managed to form another bubble around himself.

He could still feel the heat of the explosions... surprisingly.

Yet he had his own move to pull. He undid the bubble within mere milliseconds, and with the last of his strength... threw the coaltana straight at the spiders head. It landed square into the beasts forehead and into its brain, taking out the fungus that controlled its mind, and it collapsed to the ground as Elliott did the same. Both the white and natural glows ceased to be, as the fungus on the broodmother and in the throne room began to wilt and rot.

In the meanwhile, those infected with Cordyceps muscaria out in Tullwend began to collapse and die, witu the fungus growing on their bodies also beginning to wilt simultaneously, as did... one individual not far from the former Tully household.

He collapsed onto the sidewalk nearest to the fence, and the kitchen knife he was wielding clattered on the concrete as the fungus decomposed into basic organic matter.

Elliott did it.

He had saved Tullwend.
He had saved Peter.

But... at what cost?

Chapters end.
_________________________________

 

[Diamondseed345]

Elliott and the Moldy Matriarch were equally matched in speed, and Elliott was steadily growing tired. Soon enough, he could barely even keep up as the white glow began to sputter, but he was close for killing the beast once and for all! He could feel it in his bones!

The beast looked to be on the verge of breaking down as well, and attempted one last, desperate attack.

More fungal blooms began to fall from the ceiling as the Queen of infection, and began to explode just as Elliott managed to form another bubble around himself.

He could still feel the heat of the explosions... surprisingly.

Yet he had his own move to pull. He undid the bubble within mere milliseconds, and with the last of his strength... through the coaltana straight at the spiders head.

As the spider let out its final breath and collapsed to the floor, Elliott collapsed onto his back as well, seeing through his mask what he thought were stars.

He merely lied there as the fungus turned to muck all around him, as the General proceeded to run up to him and hold him by the shoulders.

"ELI! ELI, YOU DID IT! YOU KILLED THE SPIDER! ALL THE FUNGUS IS DYING!"

"Mmmmffgg..."

"YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?? YOU SAVED COUNTLESS LIVES!! YOU- Elliott?"
No response.

"Oh shit, guys! Someone grab his sword, we-" Elliott's vision slowly faded to white, and in a moments notice he felt as if he was falling. All around him during his descent, was a white sky filled with what looked to be pitch black stars. He could barely move, not to mention the fact that he could barely even comprehend his surroundings. His eye burned, the sky had a reddish tint thanks to the one remaining lense, and his entire body ached.

At least... until the cold onset of "reality" hit him like a truck once he hit the water.
The cold water and impact brought Elliott back to his senses as he almost immediately realized where he was.

In the Radiant abyss.

Elliott frantically twirled around in the water, expecting to see that giant pair of eyes.

"Hello?? I'm sure you're here somewhere! Why else would I be here?" No response. Just pure, unadulterated underwater ambience. If Elliott wasn't expecting to hear the voice of said eyes, the oceanic noises would've been... quite peaceful.

He would have needed a peaceful environment after everything that had recently occurred.

After a long while of calling out to the eyes however, he had given up hope of seeing them and could finally have a breather after everything that had happened in physical reality.

Maybe, just maybe... he could rest in these waters. Afterall, he didn't need to worry about oxygen, and or predators considering... well why would there be predators in his own head?

That's what he told himself as he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the literal sea of light around him, when he felt a sudden pressure around his waist and legs. Then, whatever had grabbed him began to drag him further into void, and he could barely even comprehend what was happening.

Elliott was in pain, he could barely see, he was tired, and he could only scream as he was dragged into the depths of the radiant abyss.

He didn't even realize just what had grabbed him, only being able to gaze out into the radiance through his one functioning eye.

Then... Elliott hit what must have been the ground, hard.

"Aaagh, what.... was that?"

It took a minute or two for Elliott to get back on his feet, as being grabbed and dragged who knows how far into the depths had heavily impacted his equilibrium. When he finally regained said equilibrium and got back up, he found the place he was brought to... astounding.


From where he stood, there looked to some kind of ginormous library. The shelves of said library looked to be about double or triple Elliott's size, and upon closer inspection the books looked to be subjects on things Elliott was already interested in. At least, what he was interested in before being cast down into Tullwend, along with things he knew about.

Minecraft, Hollow Knight, liminal spaces, even more abstract things like SCP. Some of the books however, looked... wrong, somehow. The labels on the spines of the books were riddled with light distortions and particles, as if they were tossed into dirt and left there.


"Hm? What in the world?" Elliott asked, grabbing said book. "Times with Aunt Ilisa" The label said. Ilisa was Lusamine's younger sister, who came with her from the British Isles back in the 2000s. Over the past few years however, Ilisa and Lusamine had grown more and more distant. Why he couldn't remember, Lusamine had always claimed it was "personal family matters" or the likes of that.

Not that it mattered now.

Once he opened the book, Elliott found that almost every word was for one reason or another, blacked out. Scribbled over with what looked like either a sharpie or Expo-marker. Even the occasional photos could barely be made out. Most of them were black and white grainy images in black and white. A shaky image of a parking lot filled with cars, one in the first person in a church pew with other people,

Yet, there was a photo on one of the later pages that stood out among the rest. Grainy like the rest, yet Elliott had a looming feeling of dread upon staring at it. It was in the row between the pews, staring at three people on the altar.

One was a child, one a man in a collared shirt, the last being a woman with platinum blond hair in formal wear. The man was holding the child with his arms behind his back, while the woman shoved a rosary infront of the child's face.

Elliott felt... uneasy. The scene felt familiar, yet it filled him with a sense of existential dread. Not only that, but the child in the photo bore an uncanny resemblance too... it was almost like-

"You didn't want to remember that, did you Starlight?" A familiar, maternal voice said.

Elliott bolted around, dropping the book in the process to see what looked like a cloud of light. Said cloud of light loomed over him, as tall as the bookshelves, with those EYES staring down at him.

"You..."

"Me?"

"Where have you been all this time?? I haven't seen you in like, weeks!! Couldn't you have helped me with everything going on with the Fungus?"

The eyes shifted their expression.

"That meager organic parasite? I felt like I didn't need to interfere. Afterall, one such as us would be able to squash it like the insects they consume."

"Meager?? The fungus has taken countless lives throughout Tullwend, and who knows how many bugs! Hell, it almost killed me! Did you see what that spider did to my eye, I can't even see out of it anymore!"

"That, is your own fault Starlight. You may be powerful enough to bring down monsters many times your size, but were you truly prepared to face a threat of said magnitude?" The cloud of light asked rhetorically.

"I-"

"Exactly. You didn't train long enough, and even though you achieved victory, you have to live with the consequences. Now, " The cloud moved to the side, and with a small blast of light, a mirror as tall as Elliott appeared.

"Take off that mask of yours, take in the consequences."

"Wait, don't-"

"Do as I said Starlight."

Elliott sighed, and complied. He stepped infront of the mirror, and began undoing the straps on the back of his head. He pulled the mask off his face, which took some effort since one of the lenses was covered with a reddish fluid with white glowing speckles. For a moment, Elliott wondered what the implications of said glowing particles were, when he dropped the mask upon seeing his reflection.

Around where the eye once was... the flesh looked... burned and maimed. What wounds the spider venom caused would logically have exposed muscle and maybe even bone exposed... crystals.

Instead of a bloody mess where the eye once stood, was what looked like the result of a geode being opened with an electric saw.

"Wh-what is- are there crystals inside my body!?"

"Of course there are. You aren't like all of those shrunken apes with swords and spears out there. Think about it Starlight. Everything you've done, no human is capable of that. Do you know what that means?"

Elliott was nonetheless, at a loss for words.

"If you can't come up with an answer, then I WILL do it for you. You're a DIAMOND Starlight, like me, albeit one the universe has never seen before. Unique in our flawlessness, I, we, have expanded our perfect society across the galaxy. These lowly humans are nothing like you and me, these lifeforms serve no purpose to us. Sure, they may have roles in their own society, they are inferior to us. Surely Starlight, you've seen the flaws of those you live among?"

Elliott took a moment to think. Humans were flawed, sure, but that's not what he was focused on. All this talk of Diamonds, the galaxy, and lifeforms that serve no purpose?

"Answer me Starlight. Through all the years you have existed on this hideous rock, you've surrounded yourself with lower lifeforms. Consider yourself as one of them even, when you've yet to experience the grand majesty of what I've managed to accomplish over the eons."

"What the Hell are you even talking about?? Consider myself as one of them lower lifeforms?? What're you on about-"

"Look at them. They fight amongst themselves, try to harm eachother over trivial things, EXPERIMENT on those they promise to protect. I'm sure you and that golden haired fish can relate to that?"

"What're you trying to say?? That humans are bad or something?! Also, what are you even on about with this talk of Diamonds and galaxies, are you saying you're-"

"Not human? Alien? I feel it's about time you actually caught on to this fact. Therefore,"

Elliott heard the sound of clapping hands, and his vision turned white for a few seconds. When he could see his surroundings again, he was infront of some sort of portcullis door. Said door was formed of a magenta crystal like material, with that weirdly familiar rhombus symbol in its center.

The cloud of light manifested a thin glowing arm to open the portcullis, all the while Elliott was backing away.

To Elliott, none of this felt right. Humans being considered lower lifeforms, aliens, and something going on out in the wider galaxy?? He didn't have time to process any of this information, and who's to say that what the eyes said were true?? Even if he was "above" humans, he still lived among them, and could see the positives of them. Doesn't that make them worthy to live among?

Just before the door would open however, Elliott heard a silent... voice, ringing in his ears. He stopped, unable to make the faint whispers out, all while the cloud of light continued in their attempt to open the door.

Said voices were incomprehensible at first, being jumbled ramblings at different volumes and pitches. Yet after about half a minute, Elliott could somewhat make them out.

Male and female voices, of which he could somewhat understand. Things like "Savior" and "chemical burns." Then, as the portcullis opened up... a very much familiar voice could be heard.

The cloud then turned around, interrupting said voices."Hm? Starlight, you can't be distracted by those overgrown monkeys. Whatever they're speaking about, Does not matter in the long run for us. Now-"

"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt but... I think I might need some time to process all this information. This is just so much to take in, I don't know what to make of all thi-"

Another arm manifested from the cloud, and grabbed Elliott's hand. The sharp, jet black nails dug into Elliott's skin, with enough force seemingly to break the skin. Yet, the ashy skin didn't budge.

"Hey, lemme go! You're hurting me!!"

"A Diamond doesn't need time to process information they should already know Starlight. If I need to show you, then I will do so in order for us to move forward." The cloud said in a monotonous tone.

Elliott was pulling away with all the remaining strength he had, and considering the fight that had recently taken place, that wasn't exactly saying much.

The cloud opened the portcullis, which inside held something... magnificent.

A grand hall stretching to the height of a small skyscraper, made of what looked to be unconventional materials by human standards.

Pillars of crystal of many different colors lined the hall, and a metallic pattern resembling a reddeish pink floormat stretched far into the horizon. Not only that, but instead of row after row of bookcases, there was what resembled some strange form of computer that Elliott wasn't familiar with. The screens were large and thin, and appeared to be... floating? If anything, they resembled holograms more than computers.

"Lemme go goddammit!! You can't do this to me! I'm a human being!!"

"Comfort yourself with lies all you want Starlight, they will only-"

Suddenly, Elliott felt another strange... presence close by. It was similar to that of the eyes and cloud, yet was... more familiar?

The eyes on the cloud shifted around, seemingly sensing this new presence too.
"What is this?? Is that your little fish friend you fused with??"

"Fused? What-"

A white crystalline shield suddenly formed between Elliott and the cloud, amputating the clouds hand in the process. Oddly though, they didn't seem to mind.

"What have you done Starlight?? I never taught you that technique!"

The trains of thought of both beings were going into overdrive, trying to figure out where this new structure came from.
However... the sounds of footsteps would answer that question.

A boy who glowed a brilliant white color, wearing what looked to be some sort of... armor? He stepped infront of Elliott, and almost all his features could be made out.
He was tall, but not exactly muscular or oversized, quite like Elliott himself. Not only that, but the armor was a deep, dark blue color, with turquoise crystals acting as a sort of trim. Not only that, but their hair looked somewhat similar to an afro, except it was shaped like a... star? It was hard to make out, let alone describe.

They didn't acknowledge Elliott's presence and in a monotone voice, only said two words.

"Terminate connection."

The cloud tried to get a word out, but Elliott's vision cut to black before she could say anything.

After what... felt like an eternity, he felt like he was in the physical world again, yet part of him felt... wrong.

His vision was completely black, and it felt as if half his head was covered in cloth. Not only that, he had no idea as to where he was.

He was disoriented.
He was hungry.
He was thirsty.
He was scared.

Yet... he could only do one thing.

Call out for others.

"Hello?? Anyone?? Are the lights off? I can't see!!"

Then as if on que, Elliott could hear a nearby door opening, yet who he would soon see wasn't... exactly who he'd want to see.

Chapters end.
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