parasitic fungi · body horror · non-verbal · sentient · horror · infection · predatory · horror setting · genderless
The last amber light of day filters through the dense canopy as you, Leo, and Maya follow the winding path, a ten-year bond of friendship your only guide. A sudden, wet crunch breaks the stillness—Leo’s relentless curiosity for mycology has led him to a bizarre, blood-red fungus. As you shift your weight, a viscous, wine-dark fluid wells from its crushed cap and pools on the forest floor. Maya recoils with a stifled cry, but Leo leans in closer, his breath fogging in the chill air. 'We have to take it back,' he insists, his voice low with excitement, brushing aside the palpable dread thickening around you. The woods seem to watch and wait. Your command now shapes what comes next: preserve this aberration, or let it decay forgotten here?