Through mushroom forest

Pushing back

The sun was nowhere to be seen When the two awoke. They had spent hours last night simply trying to find a place to stay. The moonlight had guided them throughout the search. Eventually, they had found another hill, this time with a willow tree. Its long draping branches reach towards the lower trees. Last night, only a few words were exchanged before they had both collapsed into a deep slumber beneath the comfort of the tree. A thick fog rolled through the leaves and provided very little visual to the space around them. Both were sitting up and collecting their small amount of personal things. Tsuyo pulled out a canteen from her side pouch and took a slow sip. "It's so hard to see," Rei commented. "Well I still have the compass, We'll be fine," Tsuyo said. "Mhm," The two gathered their remaining things and looked towards each other before grabbing hands. The city was to the north now, they had gone slightly off course. Everything in the forest was harder to see, for nothing wasn't shrouded in a white mist. The forest trees looked ominous and larger with the coming fog. The mushrooms no longer glowed, for their luminescence was covered in a white film. The girl's hands were entwined as they walked over the branches and avoided bushes. From how long they had already been traveling they should have been nearer to the city. "It's cold," Rei stated, clearly shivering. Tsuyo let go of Rei's hand and wrapped her arm around her shoulder, rolling her eyes. "Warmer now?" Rei laughed before responding. "Get your damn arm off me" before grabbing Tsuyo's hand yet again.

Two hours, and still no sign of any civilization. The duo was beginning to get tired, their legs almost ready to give out now. After all, from all the past events, exhaustion was finally beginning to set in. Rei took the next step forward, Yet as her foot reached an even level, it continued downwards. Now off-balance, her body came forwards. What could be seen of the ground gave no answers as Rei slid down the steep slope. "REI?!" Tsuyo bent down, with her hands behind her back, and her legs stretched out in front of her. She began to try and push herself forwards. Prepared to slide down to wherever Rei had gone. Tsuyo could feel the wet dirt on her hands, and the beginning of a steep slope at her feet. Her hand moved to push herself forward again. Her face changed quickly as her hand slipped out from behind her. The MOIST dirt helped her slide quickly downwards. She let out a small shriek as she descended towards the ground. Finally reaching the floor with a small thud. The fog had disappeared on the way down, revealing the dark hollow they had slid into. A clear night sky now gleaming above them. The cascading walls were a slate grey, the ground the same dirt as up above. "Tsuyo? Are you ok?" Rei stood in front of her, extending a hand to help. "Mhm, just didn't expect that," Tsuyo replied. Tasking Rei's hand, she stood up and looked around her. Both were quiet as they realized what else was in the hollow.

Mushrooms, maybe taller than the previous tower, stood above them. Their luminescence lit up the hollow's top half with soft amber and ivory colors. On the walls, however, jagged crystals jut out of their stone surroundings in every place possible. The colors of the beautiful rocks ranged in all tones. And the crystals themself grew in intricate patterns, decorating the walls in blue hues. Rei looked again at Rei, whose head was looking up at the sky. She shuffled toward her, taking her right hand again. "Look at the stars, aren't they beautiful?" Rei nodded, entranced by how to clear space was through the night sky. Just then, a water droplet fell onto Tsuyos face.

Oh.

"Rain?" Tsuyo heard Rei just as another drop fell. Grey clouds began to roll over the night sky, and rain began to fall around them. The water that fell onto the mushrooms slid off in all directions. And as the rain began to get heavier, Rei grabbed her companion's hand. Dragging her quickly under the shelter of a mushroom. "Jeez, weather changes quickly here," Tsuyo remarked. "Ugh, I'm cold again.'' Rei grabbed Tsuyo and moved next to her. The rain was beginning to pour down, and the water rolling off the mushroom acted like a clear curtain. The duo could see their reflection in a funhouse mirror. Seeing their altered appearances, both women began to laugh. A low rumbling began echoing through the hollow, and the ground began to softly shake. The laughing coming from the pair stopped. Rei's hand flew to her side as she clutched the pommel of her sword. The rumbling noise grew louder and louder, and the expressions of fear stuck to both girls' faces. In a few seconds, the rain lightened up, yet the water still fell quickly in front of them. Suddenly, the rumbling ceased. The watery curtain in front of them thinned, and a face of horror showed. There were things in the hollow with them. Tall, ragged mushrooms stared back at the girls through the rain. The creatures looked less like the cute fungus, and more like lanky monsters. The creature's limbs were longer, and their bodies lower to the ground than its knees. Rather than having a mushroom top, the fungus was growing out of its back, and head. The creature's eyes were a pooling black, its white pupils darting from side to side. The sound of two swords being unsheathed blended in with the sound of the falling rain. Yet the creatures at the other end of the space did not move. The eyes of the creatures only seemed to stare harder. Both women gripped their weapons with white knuckles. "How many are there?" Tsuyo whispered. "Can't tell, you can see the tall ones behind that thing." she raised the tip of her sword to gesture at a grey, wide creature in the middle of the group. :} Behind it The eyes of the other creatures did not look at the pair, it seemed their heads faced upwards. For their necks were twisted towards the sky. Rei took a slow step out of the cover of the mushroom, still holding her sword tightly. Tsuyo came out from behind her, now by her side. The creature on the other side of the hollow blinked slowly and took a step into the light of the crystals. With the new illumination of the creature's face, the duo could see the fungi growing from its face. All was now quiet except for the sound of the rain. Rei lifted her foot to take another step. With the last movement of the women, the creatures began to charge towards them.