The Turf War Twisted

Delicate Skull of Shrooms

A burning sensation seemed to dig into Grian's head as he sat in his cell. It was like he had a headache in a halo shape, not hovering like one, but pounding into his head. As if things couldn't get worse. But now he had to deal with the constant throbbing in his head.

He almost wanted to bash his head into the wall, but he knew that could only make things worse. Grian didn't want to have to go through any more. He wanted to be at his base, be anywhere but where he was. Maybe the headache was from the constant isolation. Maybe they'd done something to his food or water that made his head pulse so intensely. Whatever it was, Grian was fed up with it.

Grian hissed out in pain when his head felt hammered again. He leaned down onto his elbows, putting his hands up to his hair. He scratched his head until it felt raw. He watched dry flakes of his scalp drift down onto the floor, but he kept going. Grian wouldn't stop until the pain did, but running his hands through his hair in that way was pointless. It just made his head feel hot and more numb than before.

He couldn't even be bothered to cry. Suddenly, his biggest concern hadn't become that he was locked up, but rather, that he needed distractions from the burning on his head. In a mostly empty room, though, distractions weren't a very prominent thing. All Grian really had was his living accommodations and the textures of the walls, the floors, and the large mirror that always reflected his pathetic state.

---

Beep! Beep!

Scar groaned, lazily looking at his messages. The more he read on, the more his eyes widened, and the more awake he became. Keralis had been on a night shift to watch over Grian, and messaged him about all the things Grian had been doing. Scar could only imagine his cries of pain, clenched fists, the light in his eyes fading more than it already had.

He quickly sat up, still wearing his light purple pyjamas. He threw his blanket off himself, tossing it aside. Scar didn't hesitate to stand up quickly, even though it set him off balance from the sudden movement. Even with dark circles clouding his darkened vision, he kept moving, quickly equipping his elytra to fly. His heart seemed to be beating out of his chest as he sleepily flew to the Shopping District, his robe flying behind him with the wind.

Upon arrival, he stomped into the room, throwing the door open. Keralis didn't have to be told twice, or even at all. He knew that an entrance like that from Scar meant that he needed to leave him be. Keralis trusted Scar, and knew it'd be better to give him space. Besides, he knew why Scar hadn't hesitated to get there so quickly.

"What do you propose to happen with the Mother Spore?"

"Yeah, it's not like we have a clear sense of what to do about it. Nothing like this has really happened before."

Scar's stern voice overpowered the rest, overtaking the mumbles and whispers. "We're humane people and I still have all my morals intact. There will be no forms of torture or sabatoge towards Grian while he's locked up. In my opinion, the conditions of the isolation are already pretty harsh, so nothing else needs to be done." There was a pause where Scar stood up, scanning around the room. "If intentional harm comes to Grian, then we may as well lose the war."

That kind of passion was what Keralis could see so clearly. No one messes with someone who has that kind of passion. No one would dare. Scar's devotion was what made him such a great leader, he just hadn't realised it. It was so natural to him that it wasn't a life-changing trait to him.

The clicking of the lock, Grian dreaded it every time. For a third, tiresome time, it was Scar. He was nearly doubled over panting, standing in the doorway unevenly. If Grian pushed Scar hard enough, he might've been able to escape then and there. His excruciating pain did make it difficult to think, though, so it didn't even cross his mind to do so. When Scar lifted his head slightly to look at Grian, a slow look of horror creeped onto his face. The atmosphere of the room was even more tense, like the air was thick and looming around them eerily.

"Grian-" Neither of the two could really process what was happening. Scar closed the door behind him and the click of the lock sounded again. Tears started swelling in his eyes and he rushed up to Grian. Grian didn't even bother to move, he just sat there as Scar wrapped his arms around him. His gaze was focused at the wall and he felt as if he couldn't move or speak. "Please, please be okay."

Those words confused Grian. Of course he wasn't okay with that aching headache he had, but how could Scar know? Sure, it was the most painful headache he ever had, but could Scar really just tell? No, there was no way. When Scar pushed slightly away from the sudden embrace, Grian looked at him dully, no expression to his face.

"When did this start happening?" Scar asked, his voice quiet and shaky. It shook along with his body, mostly his arms and legs. Grian tilted his head in confusion, raising an eyebrow. Scar squinted his eyes in a return of confusion, but then responded, "Have you not looked in the mirror?"

Grian blinked hard with confusion, turning his head hesitantly. He hadn't wanted to look in the mirror and pretty much did everything he could to avoid it. But when he saw the reflection that stared back at him, he thought his heart might stop.

Small fungi and mushrooms sprouted up from Grian head, making a loose outline around it. The ring of mushrooms on his head was enough for him to start panicking and reach for his head. It started to suddenly make sense with why his skin felt so raw, there were literal fungi growing out from his skin.

"Scar, what did you do?!" Grian exclaimed, tears starting to form in his eyes as he gripped his head tightly.

Why do people keep asking that...? "How would I have been able to do that? Or anything remotely close?! It's news to me that shrooms can start growing out of your head!"

"What is this anyways? What kind of potion got put into the food and water you guys have been giving me?!"

Scar tripped over his words, panic settling over him like a weight. "I gave them specific orders to not physically hurt you. There's no way they'd go against that."

Grian's breathing picked up to the point where he was hyperventilating, staring down blurrily into the ground with his arms covering his head. "You- you must be lying. There's no way this just happened out of nowhere!"

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Grian! How am I supposed to help you with something like this? With something I've never seen before?!"

Tears streamed down Grian's face and he made terrifying eye contact with Scar. "You were a wizard, weren't you?" he asked, his voice as shaky as his body was. "Surely you have something to heal me or magically make this all go away."

Scar looked down with a frown, trying to keep his breaths deep and slow. "I- I wouldn't even know where to start. I want to help you, Grian, but I can't risk making things worse."

Grian lifted his arm to his face, wiping his tears messily with one big sweep. He sniffled, glaring up at Scar. "I should've known you wouldn't be able to do anything. Like you'd even really want to."

Scar looked side to side slowly, trying to think of what to say next. No matter what he said, Grian never believed him. And could he blame him? Scar was past the point where Grian could trust him so easily again, so something crazy had to happen for Grian's metaphorical walls to break down. Something crazy...

"Grian." Suddenly, Scar's face was lit up and he stared right into Grian's glossy eyes. There was not really a response from Grian besides a few quick blinks. "I have an idea."

(word count: 1384 words)