A Fungal Dream

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"Father…returned…"

In the face of a beast like this a normal human, no, a normal sentient being would feel different kinds of fears.

The fear of the unknown, the fear of the strange, the fear of holes, the fear of multiple limbs, the fear of something speaking without a mouth.

Yet, I felt none of it. I only felt one thing: curiosity.

What does this mean? When I left, these guys couldn't talk, only using some primitive sign language. Did all of these creatures evolve like him, or is this a solitary mutation?

The many-armed monster moved aside, pointing at the hole with its many arms.

From its shifted position, I noticed that there was a faint green light coming from its head holes.

"… Father go… others…await…"

"… Alright."

Taking a deep breath, I jumped down.

The hole went down a few meters before it was slightly curved, becoming a passage.

The walls were entirely covered in the mold, from which some vines dangled off, and the white flowers covered the ground.

As I went deeper, I noticed something incredible.

Something has grown on the surface of the mold.

They looked like mushrooms, illuminating the cave in a dim green light.

I didn't receive a notification about a new strain of mold appearing.

"These mushrooms, where are they from?"

The monster slowly crawled behind me, barely fitting in the passage.

"Found…cave system…while digging… Grows well…on mother…"

"Mother?"

" Mother…around us…feed us…birth us…gift from… Father."

Did a religious body form while I was away? I was gone for a week; how did things progress so fast?!

Walling deeper into the passage, we arrive at a huge cave.

"… Get out of here."

Before me was a hive.

The entire placer was greenish-black, with flowers covering the ground.

On the walls, several holes were visible, from which the kayeri climbed out and entered, doing god knows what.

In the middle of the field was a primitive-looking house, made from rocks, held together by sheer luck.

"In…here… Igor…awaits…"

The giant pointed at the house.

" Thanks. You may go."

Taking a deep breath, I entered the house.

Unexpectedly, it was bigger than I expected, filled with my stuff which seemed to be properly maintained.

At a table, I saw Igor, reading one of the books I borrowed from the King.

Contrary to the others I met so far, he wore clothes, mine to be exact, which were too big for it.

He also had those green lights coming out from its orifices.

Is it like a sign that they gained reason? Hehe, the green light of reason.

When he noticed me, he put down the book and bowed elegantly.

"Father. We have been awaiting your return."

… How are you talking!?  You were dumb when I left, what the fuck happened while I was away?!

Swallowing my shock, I sat down on a nearby chair and took off my mask.

"I am. Tell me, my son, what happened while I was away, the surface is in a quiet uproar."

Yes, keep calm. Just like you talked to the first batch of accidental monsters, calm and collected.

"Certainly. May I offer some refreshments while I tell the story?"

"You may. If you have anything strong, that would be better."

Igor nodded and, as if he was expecting it, took out a bottle of wine and a glass.

After he poured me a drink, he handed me the glass.

"Thank you."

I took a big sip and exhaled.

"After father left, we kept on working as you ordered. We came across no problem during the excavations, and we gathered all valuable materials in a chamber. But a day later, intruders arrived. They savaged your medicines and stole your belongings."

Thieves? Who were-Wait.

" Was one of the thieves a blond girl, with pointy ears? "

I was suspicious back then, but now it was clear to me.

That girl and probably her gang were drug addicts.

Why else would someone rob a doctor?

She must have used up all her reserves while they came here and when they arrived, she saw me as an easy way for her to refill.

My guess was that when the withdrawal effects became unbearable, she came back, causing all this.

"Yes. We riposted, first binding them as we did in the first time. Then more pointy-eared ones come, becoming aggressive, attacking us. We were losing people, so we fought back. "

As he spoke, the surrounding air became tense.

" While we fought, we started to… remember. Remember how to talk, to fight, to forge, to craft. As we fought, we evolved."

… This reminds me of forced evolution somehow.

The concept is that by applying a set number of conditions to a pathogen to receive a predetermined result. For example, if you want to get a creature that is resistant to cold, you will apply a set number of conditions to it which will force it to become more resistant to cold temperatures.

But this isn't like that. This is as if locked up information were… opened.

Can it be caused by the skills they received? Maybe they received more than that, perhaps even fragments of my memories.

If one of them has a recollection of my online activity, I will have to kill it. It's a question of dignity and honor!

"Did the pointed eared ones survive? Those who started the whole… ordeal?"

" The intruders? Yes, we bound them with ropes and locked them up in an unclaimed chamber. They do not deserve the blessing of Mother."

"Mother, right. Where did the name come from? I don't remember calling it like that."

"Right, some of us became… zealots, I think that's the word. They started calling it like that and spreading some nonsense about the mold being sacred and all that. It got stuck on us. When Father has some free time, this issue should be addressed before becoming more severe."

Great, another thing to worry about.

" I will. But before that,  I will have to take the prisoners up there, to be punished and dealt with accordingly. If all things go smoothly, we might even be considered the subject of this kingdom."

"Subjects? Is that what we are? Subjects?"

…Don't like how he says it. I should add something to it.

"Don't worry, my plans don't stop just there. Once we learn everything we can, we will separate from this place, and establish our kingdom, where we can live safely. "

"… Alright. Father, follow me, I will bring you to the prisoners."

Nodding, I drank the rest of the wine from my glass and followed behind Igor.

He led me out of the house, into the tunnels.

There was no mold at all or shining mushrooms, so it was quite dark, but it didn't bother either of us. 

"They are here."

In a hole, which was barred with metal bars, several people were bound by ropes and their heads were covered up with sacks.

"Are they harmed?"

"We healed them with healing potions, they are just unconscious."

"… Alright, call a giant and bring them to the surface. I will prepare the grounds for negotiations."

"As you wish, Father."

Leaving Igor to it, I climbed out of the hole and looked at my old lab.

"Fuck… This is happening too fast."

I didn't expect them to develop consciousness. I only told them to dig tunnels so that I could have a place to store them, as tools.

Now, they have a society, religion and went to war with my boss.

"I -I need to get out of here. Rub away, start a new… I will open a bar! It's all man's dream to have one, this is the perfect opor…tunity."

As I was forming the plan in my head, something crawled out into the deepest parts of my mind.

Repentance.

I will run away… like that time… Leaving the body of the girl and the plague to someone else…causing the fate of these elves.

If I had thought about it carefully, I could have made some sort of deal with the humans, which might have profited both of us and this could have been avoided.

It's my fault that the plague started. It's my fault that the humans weaponized the mold. It's my fault that 45 elves and those used as a catalyst died.

For once, I need to take responsibility for my actions.

"I... I'm the father of these creatures. As such… I will lead them on the right path."

I will make this pointless cease-fire end. Not only that, but I will make these…my children the citizens of this kingdom while working on our own place underground.

With the rich minerals and probable monsters down there, we surely can develop into a strong village, maybe even a kingdom, where they can live peacefully!

"Father… I bought…the intruders."

Behind me, one of the giants crawled out, holding a prisoner in each of its arms.

Seeing the creature in a whole other light, I nodded.

"Come, my child, it's time to make peace."

Determined, I put my mask back on, and exited the room., humming my favorite song."

*****

To say the least, the king was shocked.

It expected that the physician would bring the prisoners back, saying that he took care of it and all the monsters he brought here were dead.

Instead, he was coming to us accompanied by one of the monsters, carrying the prisoners with their many arms. 

When the elves saw them coming, they tensed up, preparing their bows, ready to shoot them down.

When he was a few meters away from me, he raised his hand, making the giant drop the prisoners.

"My King, I have returned. We have a lot of disgust; may we have a place to sit down?"

… Something is wrong.

It wasn't his appearance or way of speaking.

The thing which was different now was… the air.

The intuition the king got from the physician was that of somebody who wasn't interested in anything other than his own comfort and research.

Now, the person before it had the air of a leader.

"… Bring us a table and a chair."

Some of my nearby servants quickly acted, putting a table before us.

As we took our place, the giant kneeled behind the physician, looking at us ominously.

The prisoners were lying unconsciously next to it, but the elves didn't dare to approach it.

… What happened there? What caused this change?

"Before we start speaking, I suppose speaking eye to eye is more. Respectable, considering your majesty's position."

"As it spoke, Phil took off his mask.

The king saw his face several times already, but this was the first to seen it with his eyes.

They were entirely bright green, slightly shining as if green flames were burning behind them.

Peering into those eyes, the King received a telepathic message from one of his wives.

'My king, I just had a new prophecy.'

'Not now, I am busy.'

'It's urgent, please as soon as you can!'

'… I will.'

Breathing sharply, the king gathered his thoughts.

"So, may you explain to me what happened?"

The physician noted, looking straight into the eyes of the king.

"It's quite simple, your royalty. While I was away, helping the elves with their villages, some elves snuck into my lab. Like before my security system activated, apprehending the thieves. This time, the elves saw this and tried to help them, causing this whole situation."

As he spoke, he made a sign with his hand, which made the giant behind it grab one of the prisoners and bring it close to him.

With a swift movement, he took the bag off the prisoner's head, revealing it to us.

"! RINA!"

The elder shouted as he saw the unconscious face of his daughter.

"Your daughter is a drug addict, Taranath. That's the only reason why somebody would go stealing from a doctor. This all could have been avoided if you paid more attention to her."

Looking straight at the elf chief, the monster behind him made a strange groaning sound.

"… What do you want, Phil."

"Simple really."

He lent back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Due to this little war, several of my monsters awoke sentience. I want them to be accepted into your kingdom, as citizens. The cavern system under my lab will be considered as their village. In exchange, we will provide manpower and protect the kingdom against any attack that may come. We are even ready to give 40% of the materials we dig out from the ground."

Various scenarios ran through the head of the king, with the skill, [Parallel Thinking].

I need to accept this. Having an enemy in the middle of my home can't be good. If we act friendly to these creatures, we can deal with them if they turn hostile against us.

Plus, that 40% sounds tempting.

" Alright. I accept. What should we call the creatures behind you?"

The physician smiled at me, giving the king a strange feeling.

" Call us The Kayeri."

*

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[

Name: Phil Smith 'Plague Father'

Race: [Molded High Elf] Lv: 1/100 (0/100)

Main Class: [Life Father

Sub Class: [Rouge]

HP(Health Points): 240/24

SP(Stamina Points): 26

MP(Magic Points): 160/160

TMN (Tamed Monster Numbers): [231.810

Blessings: [Blessing of Nergal] [Blessing of Airmed]

Active Skills: [Basic Steady Hand] [[Hive control] [Hive Absorption] [Hive Repulsion] [Mold Field] [Basic Spirit Voice] [Aether Vision] [Steam Engineering] [Dagger Arts][Presence Concealment] [Lock Picking]

Passive Skills: [Body Knowledge] [ Plant Knowledge] [Medicine Knowledge] [Stamina Enhancement] [ Movement Enhancement] [ Reflex Enhancement.] [Basic Sponge Mind] [Perfect Stomach] [Hive Mind] [Music Instrument Knowledge] [Prayer Knowledge] [Healing Hands][Medical Senses] [Medical Mind] [Surgical Precision]

Affinities: [Basic Farming Affinity] [Basic War Affinity] [Basic Pestilence Affinity][ Basic Fire Affinity.] [Basic Life Affinity] [Basic Death Affinity]

Titles: [The One Who Saw A Thousand Worlds] [Knowledge Driven] [Chosen by Flies] [Medicine Pioneer] [Hive Master] [Giver of Life]

]