.
His father's face as he sat on the floor, staring at his hands in abject horror, was so engraved in Cal's psyche that he would never be able to forget it. The window behind him was thrust open, curtains whipping about in a frenzy of wind that was so unusual for such a time. Though the afternoon sun was dipping low, the light it shed was somehow 'less', like a lamp with its shutters closed. To his left, in her bed, lay his mother who weakly turned her head toward him upon his entry. Her eyes were like slits, barely enough to see from, though she still raised her hand directly towards him. The half-elf rushed over, clutching his mother's hands in both of his own.
"Mother? Are you okay? What's wrong!?" It was then that he noticed the flurry of fleshy-pink butterfly-looking welts scattered around her neck. They were so bizarre, and looked painful and raw, and yet they seemed perfectly ingrained in her skin that they seemed as if she had been born with them. Cal, distracted by the strangeness of her throat, did not at first notice that she was saying something. Her muttering was entirely too soft and unintelligible. It was like this every time, a common signifier that alerted him to his dreaming status. As always, he leaned in close, thinking that perhaps this time he could hear something, anything! He could almost make out the words, they danced upon the tip of his understanding, teetering upon the edge. If he could only get a little closer...
"Hey sleepyHEAD! Wake up!" Cal was awoken rather rudely by a painful pinching of his cheeks. He was startled to find a wild-eyed human girl within inches of his face, staring at him with no regards to his personal space. A terrible, maniacal grin crept further up her cheeks and she turned to face someone he couldn't see, just over her shoulder. "Should I slap him? I'm gonna slap him!" A man's voice dismissed her question almost immediately, causing her to stick her tongue out as she turned back. "Yeah, well, what do you know, birdbrain?" He arm reeled back and thrust forward, palm open and ready to slap his face. She squealed in delight the whole time.
DC 10 Reflex to dodge
”What is it Mother? Please, what are you trying to tell me? Cal’aray mumbled groggily as he began regaining his senses. As his eyes forced themselves open they met those of a manic woman standing much too close to him. Now wide awake Cal saw the woman’s hand come racing towards him and reached out to grab it…
With a speed that may have even surprised himself, Cal jolted backwards, snapping his hand up to wrap around the back of the girl's wrist and then used her momentum to pull her down into the chair he had just stood up out of. She squealed and went sprawling, smacking her face on the floor as the chair fell backward, purple pony-tail whipping about.
"Impressive. I didn't take you for the fighting type." Leaning against the wall, arms, err, wings folded, stood a male Tengu - the voice from before. Though he measured no taller than five foot, he held a dangerous air about him that left him seeming to be the tallest in the room. His feathers were mostly black, with a few dashes of navy-blue marking. He was dressed in a more modern looking dark-grey shinobi shozoku, and he was loaded head to toe in an arsenal of weapons ranging from swords to nunchaku to shurikens. His beak was covered by cloth, though the rest of his face was clear.
"OW!!!"
Cal’aray took in everything of importance of the Tengu watching him in a matter of seconds. A part of his brain niggled at him trying to get him to remember what he had read about the avian race. Letting some synapses fire to recover any pertinent information, Cal's main focus fell on making the most of his advantage over the other intruder.
Without taking his eyes off the Tengu, Cal pulled a dagger from his boot and slowly went to the woman now face down on the floor. ”Please miss, let me help you up.” the Half-Elf mocked leaning down and putting the edge of his blade to her throat. Pulling the woman to her feet by her ridiculously coloured pony-tail, Cal positioned himself to have his back to the wall behind them and the girl between him and the alarmingly armed Tengu. ”So Sir Tengu, Madam Madwoman. May I ask as to why you’ve ruined my nap?"
Perhaps her crazy blue hair was in the way, or perhaps it was the strange, excitable way in which she moved her body, either way the girl managed to maneuver her mouth to Cal's wrist and chomp down on it. Though he only released his hold for a second, it was enough for her to wriggle out of his grasp with a surprising display of slipperiness. The only foil to her daring escape, however, was the fact that she stood with her back turned to him once free, completely non-threatening in posture, making a gesture at the tengu.
"Wow, he tastes more like chicken than you do, Chicken!" The man shook his head.
"How would you even know what I taste li-... you know what, don't answer that." He shifted position from the wall, now looking at the confused Cal, though for now he raised his han- err, wings? in a sign of non-aggression. "Look, if I meant you any harm you'd be dead already. From what I've surmised you, I, and that... girl there must have been kidnapped or something of the like." His brow furrows, obviously unhappy with that fact that he could have been taken so easily. "I don't remember how I got here, and neither does she, I think. Do you recall anything? I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible."
The wild child stood with her hands on her hips, seemingly quite pleased with herself that she had unnerved the normally stoic tengu as she had. Now with the time to study her without being afraid for his safety, Cal found her to be not a human as he had first thought, but a tiefling. Though her demonic features weren't as obvious as some tiefling's could be, they were certainly there. Her ears were longer than a regular human's, and curved backwards into pointed tips, and indeed were covered in a mixture of red scales and pink flesh. Similarly, some portions of her neck, arms, and upper breast were covered in that same mix of crimson scales that melded into a bright, reddish-pink skin. Elsewhere her skin was a common, supple white that made it easy for her to be taken as human, and though her thigh-length blue ponytail was odd, it wasn't supernatural in any way. The only other obvious mark of demonic heritage was the sparkling crimson eyes, though it would not be uncommon to mistake those as simply a mark of her madness.
”OWWWW”
The pain from this insane girl’s bite was short but intense and instinctively Cal pulled his hand into his side. To compensate he bared his teeth and held his dagger out horizontally in front of him, trying to look as intimidating as possible.
As this woman now stood before him, Cal realised that she was a Tiefling! Any other time Cal’aray would be consumed with a need to ask this mad-woman every question he could think of about her race. Right now the poor Half-Elf’s mind was fighting with his survival instinct but he filed the request away in a corner of his brain for later. ”This is madness. God I need a drink!”
Ignoring her comments on his chicken-like taste, Cal’aray focused on the Tengu’s words. Unsure whether this was some trick it was true that he was having trouble remembering the night before. ”It can’t be true. How could I be kidnapped?”. Pushing his brain as hard as he could, Cal attempted to keep the intruders in his vision while simultaneously examining the room around him for anything of importance and racking his brain for any memories of the day before.
Thinking back, all Cal could really remember of the night before... (he hoped it was only the night before... actually, come to think of it he hadn't a clue what time of day it may have been right now)... was that he'd been on some errand or another for the Rogue's Guild, just business as usual. Perhaps he'd stopped to have a drink in a cafe or something of the like.
Perhaps most alarmingly was the lack of windows, doors, or indeed any sort of entrance or exit. How did they get in here in the first place? Making another parse around the room, one bookcase in particular caught his eye. It stood off by itself against the west wall, where as the others lined the north. It seemed slightly TOO centered compared to the others.
"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. Do you have a name at least?"
"It's Jean! Wait, no... Janette? Jax? Oh, Jinx! It's Jinx!"
"Not you, idiot." The Tengu shook his head in frustration.
Unable to find anything of use in his memory to suggest how he ended up in this craziness, Cal focused on his surroundings. The irregularly positioned bookcase and oddly off-putting painting instantly caught his attention. ”If there isn’t a secret passage behind either of these I’ll eat my hat.”
”Well I have no idea how I got here. So next item on the agenda; getting the hell out of here. So Sir Tengu and uhhh… Jinx? Start looking around for a hidden passage or something.” Cal ordered, slowly moving closer to the bookcase. ”Oh and yes I have a name. If we get out of here, I may tell you it.”
Reaching the bookcase, Cal’aray made sure to keep both of his intriguing roommates in sight with his dagger ready if any of them made a move. Definitely, a difficult position to maintain while intently scanning every inch of the bookcase. The Half-Elf’s free hand began to run over the bookcase itself, searching for some give that could suggest a switch. His eyes held on each and every book on every shelf looking for anything from disturbed dust on their spines to a hint in their titles…
The Tengu stared at Cal with an expression so devoid of emotion it would not be a poor assumption to think he saw right through him. He merely returned to his position leaning against the wall, thinking. Jinx scurried around, lifting things up, tossing them around, but otherwise not really helping in any useful way, so it seemed up to Cal to do anything here.
He passed his thumb over many books, some simple stories of heroes, encyclopedias of various knowledge, and some ledgers pertaining to warehouse stock and merchant movements. However, as his thumb trailed past, it got caught on one book in particular. A golden-filigreed spine that contained the words: "Lord of the Ocean: The adventures of the greatest pirate to ever sail the eight seas; The Monkey King."
As he came to the edge of the book case, Cal's fingers brushed the corner where the shelf met the wall behind it and felt, if only for a second, the slightest of breezes. Before he could do much else, however, he was distracted by a voice.
"My apologies, I did not mean to keep you waiting. If you could please sit down, we may begin." The voice seemed to be everywhere and no where in such a way that it was difficult to tell whether it was mundane in nature or if it was in fact speaking directly to his consciousness. Though it was difficult to pinpoint an origin, Cal felt compelled to assume that it came from the painting that stood alone on the wall, if only because there was no better place to look.
A grin spread wide across Cal’aray’s face. Recently whenever Cal would approach a book case there would be a small hope within him that it would hold the slightest bit of information on the Monkey King. More specifically something that could help him find the pirate’s lost treasure. This find could be everything he needed. ”Hope this is a good read.”
The disembodied voice that seemed to be speaking into his mind soured the moment. The grin wiped from his face, Cal turned his head towards the creepy painting. At the same time he attempted to slip the book from its home on the shelf and conceal it within his coat.
With his treasure secured, Cal felt more determined than ever to get out of here. ”Mae govannen, Charlie. What can we do for you today?” Cal asked the room with a well-practiced false smile while making no move to sit down. Instead the Half-Elf moved to the side of the bookcase and put as much force as he could into shifting it.
Though some may have struggled to swipe such a large, pompous object stealthily, Cal, fueled by his eagerness, pocketed the book so quickly that not even the normally observant Tengu seemed to notice.
"Vedui'" responded the voice somewhat condescendingly, as if to say that Cal'aray's recalcitrant behaviour could not be hidden just because he spoke elvish. The half-elf moved to the side of the bookcase and pushed hard against it, though unfortunately it did not seem to budge.
After a few more moments, the voice seemed to realize that no one in the room was going to sit down any time soon, so it began:
"Very well. I know you must have many questions, and alas, in time, you will receive answers to them. But for now, it is more pertinent that we come to amicable terms with each other as soon as possible. Each of you, as you know, has been working for the Rogue's Guild in your own different ways for quite some time now. Do not be alarmed, we are not here to punish you. In fact, we are here to recruit you. I am a representative of The Red Hand, or for those of you who may not know, the Assassin's Guild. The Rogue's Guild is a subsidiary of ours, and so, really, you have been working for us already." The voice paused to cough and clear his throat (for it was a male voice), before continuing.
"Many respect us, even more fear us, but regardless of what people think about us we serve a very important role in the city of Daggermark, and indeed even further inland. Now, I realize that the word Assassin holds certain... connotations, but I urge you to listen on. Death is as much a part of life as the morning sun, and in places where many people come together such as this, it also becomes a service. It is a service we offer, among many other services, and to join us is to accept a grim duty. However, if it might please your immortal souls to know, good people are far less likely to be wanted dead than those with ill intentions. Daggermark is full of scum, and we are its cleansers. You three have been chosen for your various... skills." The last sentence was spoken in such a way that it was impossible to think he had not been looking at the girl who was lying underneath the centre table as he said it.
"And, should you survive the induction test, will be joined as a small team among which you will be given various solo and group assignments. Greatness awaits should you agree to work with us; wealth, power, and even more, should you seek it. However, if you choose to pass upon this generous offer, we will of course let you go free... after we have cleansed your mind thoroughly of today's meeting. Do be warned, though, that some are naturally resistant to mind-altering affects and as such will be destroyed instead. I'm sure there is plenty more you'd like to know. We have some time left for questions, but do be quick about it."
Cal’s eyes were wide and he struggled to keep the false smile on his face. The Red Hand. Cal had heard the name only twice before. Both times had been when visiting the Rogue’s Guild. Both times the person who spoke it did so as quietly as they could (a very rude thing to do when certain Half-Elves are trying to eavesdrop) and would constantly look over their shoulders, expecting a dagger to slide into their backs. Naturally this intrigued Cal’aray and he would clandestinely investigate the dark guild whenever he wasn’t busy looking for buried treasure. What he found explained the fear he had seen in the eyes of those two who uttered The Red Hand. Hopefully he could call on some of that knowledge now…
As he once again dove into his mind palace to find anything juicy on these Red Hand fellows, Cal attempted to keep them busy. ”Well you Red Hand folks sound like a laugh to work with, but let’s discuss the nitty gritty. First off benefits. Do we get any?” Cal punctuated the question with a laugh that he hoped didn’t sound as obviously forced from nervousness as he thought it did. As he spoke he began to move away from the bookcase and towards the creepy picture, glancing at his fellow Red Hand hopefuls. ”I mean look at this one!” Cal exclaimed trying to inject some audible sympathy in his voice as he motioned towards Jinx who seemed to be trying to do a handstand in one of the chairs. ”She may be dead within the week if her medical bills aren’t covered.” Cal laid his hand on his heart really getting into the acting. Finally he reached the painting and subtly attempted to look behind it for any secrets…
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"Benefits? Well, with what we offer any benefit we confer unto you is entirely up to your own performance. Upon completion... Or non-completion of assignments, you will be given a briefing report, which will grade you upon various points, and your reward will be scaled depending on how experty the mission was accomplished."
Slipping his fingers behind the painting to lift it up, Cal' found himself disappointed to reveal only a plain, blank wall behind it. Perhaps the feeling he had gotten had been simply that; a feeling.
"How did we get here? Why the secrecy and rough treatment? Why should I trust you?" The tengu looked agitated, as if he was on the verge of erupting into combat, and yet frustrated at the lake of a target.
"You were taken here whilst unconscious for reasons we will not tell you. As you know, when dealing with such situations a certain... Tact must be maintained. It was simply the easiest way to get where we are right now. You are correct, though. You shouldn't trust me, but I believe the situation means you do not have many other options. Be content with the fact that we have not chosen to dispose of you already. This is a compliment to your abilities."
Jinx raised her hand as she sat cross-legged on the center table. She coughed suggestively, sticking her hand up even higher until the voice finally acquiesced.
"Yes?"
"Will I be able to use my potions however I think would be best?"
The voice paused for a moment.
"Erm, as long as nothing important is damaged, it should be okay." Jinx pumped her fist in a pose of victory, mind already full of swirling vortex of crazy ideas.
"Well, our time runs short. If you have any last questions, make them prompt."
Seeing the agitation growing in the Tengu, Cal caught his attention and motioned to him in a way that could be read as ”Calm Down.”. Luckily the woman, Jinx, didn’t seem quite as perturbed by being kidnapped and held in a sealed off room. Her talk of potions was worrying to Cal yet equally intriguing. A feeling that Cal had quickly become accustomed to from his short time in this room. Perhaps they could discuss recipes after all this.
”Well Charlie I do have some questions. Firstly, you say that we’re free to leave after a simple mind scrubbing? How accurate is the scrub? Would I be assured that just this little get together would be the only thing forgotten? Or would I walk out of it forgetting I’m a lefty and only use my right hand for the rest of my life?* Because I won’t live that lie. And to the whole destroying the person if they’re resistant to being forgetful. Is that completely necessary? And finally how much wealth are we talking here?”
"Yes, only a simple mind scrubbing. It has a... hmm, thirty percent accuracy? Honestly, we may just dispose of the brain even if it was a success. Can never be too sure. And as to what you would remember, well... I wouldn't know. We've never had anyone stupid enough to take that option so far. As to wealth? Well... Have you ever seen those grand Imperial ships that sail by from time to time? Some of those were commissioned because of us. It could be yours, too, in time. Well, that's enough for questions today. Kayden, Jinx, Cal'aray, I know you three and I will get along very well. Best of wishes in the induction ceremony, hopefully you come through it with all limbs intact. Oh, and before I go; a parting gift. Please, feel free to use them."
From the ceiling descended three thick ropes, each fastened to some structure inside the roof.
"Good luck."
The voice disappeared and an eerie silence descended over them. Cal'aray had enough time to look across the room to see the tengu, who must have been Kayden, look back at him. Then the floor gave out.
Bookshelves, tables, and chairs alike all tumble down immediately into the watery abyss that opened up below them. Though the walls of the room remain in tact, the cavern below it expands further out in either direction, though it was difficult to tell due to the intense darkness.
The Tengu lurches forwards as he feels the ground give way, latching onto the closest rope with both hand and talon. Jinx, however, does not bother with the rope, though she doesn't seem to mind. Instead, the table that she had been sitting on previously simply floated in the luke-warm seawater, and so it made a suitable raft for someone of her stature.
Enough money that he could own an Imperial class ship. Being free to go treasure hunting with his own ship. These thoughts swirled through Cal’s mind a few hundred times in the few seconds that they had come to life. Unfortunately he didn’t have time to spend on thinking about the idea of his brain being destroyed. A rope had fallen down in front of his face and the floor had begun to open out into an uninviting abyss. Cal immediately grabbed hold of the rope.
Cal clutched onto the rope in the nick of time, saving himself from a rather terrible fall into unknowable waters. Holding on tight, Cal found himself beginning to move down. The rope he was clinging to was descending down and down until he had cleared what was previously the floor he had been standing on. Once low enough, the floor slid black into place, clipping dangerously close to his head and leaving him in a pitch black cavern.
Quiet enveloped the group, and soon enough all that could be heard was the gentle swinging of ropes and a humming tiefling girl.
Holding onto his rope with what little strength he had, Cal steadied himself and calmed his mile-a-minute brain to observe his surroundings as best he could. In the near pitch black his eyes would be of no help. Fortunately his ears were as keen as his eyes and they caught the sound of ripples in the water. It was a worrying thought that something could be living down there just waiting for the dinner bell to ring, but Cal could not be sure that the ripples weren’t from Jinx crashing down in her makeshift ship. ”Miss Jinx. Sir Kayden.” Cal spoke calmly out into the abyss careful not to speak too loudly, for no clear reason to him but fear of disturbing the hypothetical creature resting beneath the water’s face. ”Can either of you see anything? Any crevices or openings in the wall? Maybe even something that could open the ceiling again?”
"I... can't see a thing." Kayden sounded disappointed in himself.
"Can I see anything? Sure I can! I got eyes, don't I? Hmm... You wanna get down I guess, huh? Well I guess I can help ya, but you gotta trust me! I dunno if you can see each other, but if you guys can swing towards each other, close enough to be touchin' hands, there's a big ol' mushroom you guys can drop down on. There should be enough room for ya both, I think... Just don't fall in the water, you might not like the fishies that are in it."
”A big ol’ mushroom huh. Well alright then.” A little disbelieving, Cal reached into his gold pouch. Pulling out a single gold piece, Cal kissed it and muttered quietly ”Your sacrifice will not be in vain.” Calculating the approximate position of this mushroom, Cal flipped his gold piece out into the darkness. With no plink to tell him that his precious gold had been swallowed by the water below, Cal chose to believe that there actually was a mushroom.
”Ok Kayden, it’s time to test the strength of our relationship. Swing towards my voice and don’t leave me hanging!” Cal said in the direction he remembered seeing Kayden’s rope. Hoping that the Tengu would cooperate, Cal began to swing his body back and forth, holding his hand out at the end of each swing waiting to take hold of the Tengu's talon.
"...Just don't hold my hand for too long."
Kayden began swinging, just as Cal was. It took a few tries, but eventually they managed to get their hands brushing.
"Okay, on three. Three... two... on-" The rope that held Cal snapped, sending him colliding into the avian in mid-air. Both men tumbled down into the darkness in a tangle of feathers and limbs. Fortunately the fall was short, and they both landed on a soft, spongey substance with a thud. As he landed, Cal rolled and felt his hand brush along something small, round, and suspiciously gold-like. He reached out and...
Cal rose to his feet holding the gold piece before him. ”I knew we’d find each other again one day.” Cal laughed and returned the piece to its pouch. He then turned to Kayden, taking his hand and bringing him to his feet. ”Now that we have our feet under us…” Cal reached into his pack. ”Let’s shed some light on the situation.” With that he lit his torch letting its flame push back the looming darkness around them.
After detangling himself from the rope that fell with him, Cal stood up and lit his torch. With the benefit of a source of light, Cal'aray found himself in a rather peculiar situation. He and Kayden stood upon what seemed to be, sure enough, a giant, spotted mushroom. Looking out, a row of similar mushroom spread off to the north, all of different shapes, sizes, and colours. Immediately in front of him stood a red mushroom, a smaller yellow mushroom, and a slightly larger blue mushroom.
Behind him, just over the edge and another ten or so feet down Jinx sat upon the floating desk. Alarmingly, around her a ring of ripples in the dark water formed, punctuated every now and then by the dull-grey flesh of a fin. Jinx looked on, decidedly unalarmed, perhaps unaware of her imminent danger.
"Not that I'm worried or anything, but have you got any rum? Whiskey? Something like that? You owe me, remember!"
Picking up the rope that had been his life saver, Cal looked down behind him to address Jinx. ”Lady, I understand that this is a stressful situation but let’s save the drinking for later. So we can get really smashed and forget all this dreadfulness!” Cal then put down his torch, tied one end of the rope around his hand, and threw the other end down towards Jinx. Looking over his shoulder at Kayden, Cal said with a sly smirk ”Sir Kayden let us get our friend up here so we can be reunited once again. Then we can deal with the mushroom patch over there.”
"Y'know, you're a real bastard. I hope you like the taste of love potion, 'cause your gonna have a dash of it in your whiskey one day!"
Jinx reached out tentatively, but her movement caused the Knarks to become agitated. She pulled her hand back and took a deep breath.
"When I grab on you better bloody pull fast! Or I'm gonna pull you down with me! Ready?" Without waiting for a response the tiefling girl sprung forward and wrapped herself around the rope.
Two of the knarks immediately lunged out of the water, jaws gnashing ferociously...
One managed to score a hit, chomping down on her calf.
But thankfully its nose collided with the other equally hungry Knark, resulting in only a shallow wound. Nonetheless, the tiefling yelped in pain before being rescued by her two new companions.
As soon as she was safe and unafraid, she turned to smack Cal right on the noggin'.
"You jerk! It's only some grog! You can get some whenever you'd like." She turns away with a harrumph, throwing her ponytail over her shoulder.
”Please forgive me Miss Jinx. I'm sorry that you were hurt, but the important thing is we are all still breathing. Hopefully it stays that way when we get through this so I can buy us all a round. Until then, would a swig from my flask be a sufficient apology?” Cal said, his voice devoid of its usual good humour, holding the flask of whiskey out towards Jinx. He really didn’t mean for her to be hurt. They would all need to work together to get out of here he was sure. Having Jinx against him would be bad for them all.
The tiefling gave him an suspicious, scrutinizing look. She reached out to snatch the flask, gave it a sniff, then gave a good swig. Her eyes bugged out and she coughed and spluttered before handing it back.
"So... what now?" Kayden butt in to the friendly moment, clearly eager to move on.
"The jumps aren't that difficult. Is there any reason we shouldn't continue?"
”Not at all Kayden.” Cal turned to the armed avian, his lips forming a smile once again. ”But just to be safe, I’m going to hold onto one end of the rope with you two holding the other. I’ll then jump to the blue mushroom. If I fall or it gives out it will be up to you two to keep me from becoming food for our friends down there.” Cal locked eyes with both of them as he spoke ”I trust that you will try your best, for if I perish the chance of you getting out of here becomes even slimmer.” Cal’aray began tying the rope around his hand. ”When I get over there safely I’ll release my end and one of you can take it. Then either of you can make the jump. Are we all ok with this?
Kayden nods, taking his end of the rope in both hands, though he frowns at the thought of needing someone else to escape. Jinx doesn't seem to be paying any attention anyway.
"Go on then. I've got you."
”Good man. Jinx please pay attention.” Still not sure if he could trust his mysterious new companions, Cal put his faith in their need to survive forcing them to do what was needed. Cal then asked the Tengu and the woman to join him at the edge of the mushroom. Walking back from it as much as the rope connecting him and Kayden would allow, Cal then ran forward. Launching off from the edge of the mushroom, Cal aimed himself down towards the big, blue, hopefully stable mushroom.
Landing safely, Cal untied the rope from his hand. ”Well I seem to still be alive. So it’s safe for the next one to jump!” Cal yelled up to his allies. ”You can pull the rope up now. And don’t forget the torch!” As he waited for a new guest to his mushroom island, Cal looked out beyond the next trio of mushrooms to see what he could see in the dim light from the torch above.
Cal landed on the blue mushroom relatively easily. It seemed to sag slightly when he landed on it, and immediately slimed up with a a strange fluid that seeped from its pores. The liquid drooled out over the edges and made a mess of his shoes, but otherwise did nothing of import. He looked out and could see at least one more row of mushrooms in front of those that were already next to him, though he could not see their colours from here without the torch in hand.
Jinx was next over, with a little boost from Kayden. She landed on her rump, exclaiming over the gross mess it left. The Tengu was next, sailing across the gap with ease and landing on his talons, as if he hadn't just jumped over Knark infested waters.
"I-"
The mushroom shuddered, gently at first, but then with increasing violence. The mushroom started to shrink, at the sound of gnashing teeth and splashing water came to them. A choice had to be made, and quickly.
Cal let out a sigh. ”Man we could have some fun with this mushroom. Alas those knarks want it more than us. Everyone jump!” With that Cal took hold of the torch and leapt forward, onto the next mushroom. Waiting for his allies to join him, Cal took the time to once again observe his surroundings. Now with the flame of the torch to shed its light before him.
The group landed on the next blue mushroom as easily as the first, though with perhaps a bit more urgency. Once there, they realized that this one was shorter than the last by default, and so the time they had to make a decision was even less than before. The rumbling started, and the shroom started falling as the Knarks presumably chomped on the alcohol-soaked stem.
Looking in front of him, Cal saw a yellow mushroom, and to the left of that a red one.