Tallak scoffs. "Bargaining with cave slime for power is beneath an Ulfen Ranger. You keep what you earn forever, but what is given can be taken." He stands up and rolls his shoulders. "Come to think of it, Sylgja," he says, turning to the woman, "Was Finagarth always this tall? It has been a long time since I've met a human taller than me."
Though naturally skeptic, William has acquired some tendency to trust Naajy in matters mystic. He tries to appraise the man's condition.
"It would appear benign, but I'd study its effects on you beforehand, since you went ahead and exposed yourself to it. Would you allow me to poison you to check your claim?"
"Just a mild poison, sure. As I say, I'm not totally sure how effective it would be. So, no cyanide please :-). But something?"
"This is nasty as hell. I'm not touching him!"
Pretty much everybody believes that Naajy has taken the poison and that the symbiotic moss heals him of it :-)
Sylgja replies, "Yes, Finngarth is mountain of a man. What can have made this happen? I must have mistook him for the troll. He was not moving like himself, hunched and dragging his feet."
The silver nitrate should have given him nausea, at least. I guess that symbiont actually is useful?
"Well, if this thing actually is useful, perhaps he got lost and took shelter here?"
William passes one finger over the bizarre mold, willing to try out its effects by himself before they wake up the giant human.
"Lost? This might as well be his front lawn for the distance it is from his home," Tallak says, shaking his head. "He ought to be able to find his way home half-blind, deaf, and falling-down drunk."
Walter looked lost. He did not especially understand what they were doing, or why people were taking mold and poison. "I think adding something to myself is rather more than I'm comfortable with, old boy. I think I shall remain a plain old human for now, wot?"
The old beggars at home were grumpy enough after his other...unusual activities. Going back green was rather more than they would be able to cope with.
William feels a burning sensation in his fingers as spores from the mold coat his finger, but he notices no ill effects.
Sylgja agrees, "Yes, there is no reason for him to be here. Let us try to wake him. And if we cannot, we should take him home. Whatever is affecting him, I will be able to take care of him there."
By way of answer, Tallak nudges the mountainous man by shaking him through the furs, still not willing to touch the mold. In Skald, he says, "Come on, lazy bones. You can't sleep here, your wife misses you."
Relaxing not at all, Walter waited for the plant-covered man to either awaken - which seemed unlikely, given the noise they'd already made - or to attack them. Or, perhaps worst of all, for him to simply lay there and for his wife to begin panicking.
A magic symbiote? Never thought I'd hear similar words.
Whatever exhaustion took Finngarth, there were two men far stronger than William in the room to carry him back if needed, and it didn't seem like the large guy was in any danger. William instead kept examining the mold as it reproduces preternaturally fast.
At Tallak's nudge, the massive man shifts and then rolls over. He reaches out to Tallak's arm. His wide hand wraps around Tallaks forearm in a grip like bands of steel.
William's knowledge of botanics is rather extensive, although mostly focused on poisonous and/or medicinal plants. As for this one...
As the large man attacks, he tries to catch his attention. "Sir! Sir, it's all right! You are safe, your wife is here with us! Please release our companion!"
Tallak attempts to pull his arm free with a jerking motion, but Finagarth has him outclassed in the musculature department, and Tallak had let himself be caught by surprise.
"I do not appreciate this, Finagarth," The Ulfen grumbles, straining to pull himself free.
William isn't sure what constitutes nature here, but this creature is beyond anything science has categorized. He has read some ideas about ancient plants that were more, shall we say, active, than the plants of the modern world. Perhaps it is something like that?
In any case, it seems to be intrusive, sinking itself into your skin like a parasite, and the area where it is touching you is somewhat numb, as though you are losing control of those nerves.
"This is feeling more and more like an unwise move," Walter grunted. He was starting to wonder if this plant was less...friendly than Naajy had believed.
Fingarth's grip on Tallak only tightens when the ranger tells him to let go.
Fingarth draws Tallak toward him, completely entangling him in his massive arms.
A section of the mold slides from Fingarth's shoulder, dripping onto Tallak's face in three thick plops.
"Bother!" Walter muttered as he watched the strange man leak...whatever this stuff was...onto there newly acquired companion. "One moment, I have an idea." Pulling one of his spare clothes from his pack, Walter covered his hands before trying to pull the big man off.
Numbing sensations, a likely feeling of omnipotence, parasitical tendencies on animals rather than its own kind-
Horror dawns on William as he connects the dots, hoping it's not too late.
"Hallucinogen!" he screams, drawing the rapier and going for an impossibly clumsy pommel strike against Finngarth. "Knock them out!"
Tallak attempts to break Finagarth's hold by falling against his hands, in an attempt to overpower the larger Ulfen by targeting weaker joints.
Finngarth continues to drip mold onto Tallak, and Tallak finds a numbness spreading through him.
Sylgja screams in frustration, "I don't know what has taken him, but this thing does not act with the mind of my Fingarth."
Muttering curses, Walter pulled out a length of fishing wire from one of his pockets, wrapping the thread around his leather-gloved hands before trying to use it as a garrote.
"The hell is going on?!"
"GET HIM OFF ME!"
"Knock him out! He's too strong to overpower, aim to disable! Sylgja, anything you can do!" screams the doctor, aiming for a blow to the temple of the large man.
Dr. Johnson connects with a solid hit that causes the massive man to sag a bit before he recovers.
Tallak releases a shout of exertion as he tries to break Finagarth's hold.
Sylgja reaches within her cloak and withdraws something. She flicks her wrist upward while opening her hand. Sparkling sand flies from her grasp and floats more lazily than it should, settling over Fingarth and Tallak.
"Sleep, husband. Stop this needless quarrel."
As the large man slumps onto Tallak, Tallak is able to roll him off, finally free.
"He will sleep for a few minutes. I cannot imagine what has made him act this way, or what is this mold?"
Muttering about poor luck, Walter stepped back. "This does not seem as friendly as you suggested, Naajy. Do you have an explanation?"
William points his rapier towards Naajy. "I think I have an idea. This substance seems to have a psychotropic effect, and it convinced Mister Singh here that it was helpful. We should see if the sun will disable it as it would in our world. Mind stepping outside and prove our working theory, dear chap?"
"Yeah, Doc. I concur. The weird magic mold on him is a problem. Even if we weren't off to slay a moss monster."
"I don't know what you're talking about. You ATTACKED the symbiote (you brutes!!!!!) and it defended itself. Haamid, come protect me"
Haamid positions himself between the group and Naajy
"Look, I'm NOT leaving the cave. If you all don't want to take advantage of what the symbiote has to offer that is fine. Just go and leave me alone!"
With that, Naajy draws his gun and trains it on the others, while standing behind Haamid
"Very well, then. Sir Walter, Tallak, can you carry Finngarth outside and see how we can help him?"
"One target at a time." he whispers to the others. "If we free this giant from the hallucinogen, he can help us knock some sense into Singh."
"As sound a plan as any," Sir Walter said cheerfully. He grabbed the giant beneath the arms and began to move him towards the mouth of the cave. He took some pains to put some canvas between himself and the mould, or whatever the hell this was.
As you drag Finngarth from the cave, he shudders at the cold. The mold, on the other hand, grows more lustrous and small polyps extrude from it, waving in a wind you do not feel.
Walter looked down at the shivering man. "Is this...correct? It looks like it enjoys the breeze." The bulky man tried to block as much of the wind as he could.
"It appears to be a, uhm, reverse thermophile? Cryophile should be appropriate, if such a thing exists. The sun is harming it, but slowly. Madam Sylgja, do you know some, well, weird as may be, some fire magic? Otherwise we could try to scrape the moss from his body, if we keep him pinned to the ground."