《Spore Reborn》


 Prologue

    ¡°Damn it, I knew that map was not to be trusted,¡± a lanky, pale man muttered as he ran for his life. Why was he running, one might ask? Well, it was because of the giant, living mushroom chasing him.


    With a crumpled map in hand and panic clouding his thoughts, he frantically tried to make sense of his position. After a few frustrating seconds of failure, he decided that swinging both arms while running was far more valuable than holding onto a useless scrap of paper. With a resigned grunt, he tossed the map aside and pumped his arms furiously, trying to eke out just a little more speed from his gaunt body.


    For five agonizing minutes, he tore through the massive, fungal-infested forest, ducking under oversized mushroom caps and leaping over gnarled roots. But in his blind escape, he failed to see a treacherous rock in his path. His foot caught, and he went sprawling forward¡ªonly to crash through a deceptively thick layer of moss.


    The world flipped as he tumbled down a narrow crevice, his limbs flailing as he fell for what felt like an eternity. When he finally came to a painful halt, groaning, he spent another minute gathering what little remained of his lost pride before standing up and taking stock of his surroundings.


    The cavern he had landed in was circular, its walls lined with strange markings faintly glowing beneath layers of dust. In the center of the room stood a pedestal, its surface smooth and ominous, encircled by runes carved deep into the stone floor.


    Being a man of at least some intelligence, he decided not to mess with the very obviously trapped object before him. ¡°I am not going back up to roll the dice with that decaying, spore-minded monstrosity,¡± he said to himself, quite smugly. ¡°But I¡¯ll be damned if I touch whatever that is.¡±


    Instead, he chose the safer approach¡ªwalking along the edge of the cavern, running his hands along the walls in search of any hidden passages. Now and then, dust crumbled beneath his fingers, revealing more of the mysterious runes beneath. After a full lap of the chamber, he found nothing that remotely resembled an exit. Worse still, the unsettling gurgle of his oversized fungal pursuer echoed from above, reminding him of the alternative.


    Frustrated but not entirely hopeless, he brushed away more dust, revealing a new set of unfamiliar runes. He didn¡¯t recognize them¡ªnone of the standard rune languages he had studied looked remotely like these. But he was running out of options.


    Hoping it might activate a door or at least provide some kind of clue, he carefully injected the smallest sliver of his mana into the carvings.


    It was a mistake.


    The moment his mana touched the rune, it was ripped from him with terrifying force. He barely had time to react before his entire core was drained dry, leaving him gasping and nearly collapsing from mana exhaustion.


    As his vision swam, the cavern erupted with light. Dust cascaded from the walls as every rune flared to life, greedily drinking in the ambient mana that now flooded the room. Whatever he had activated, it was ancient¡ªand very, very hungry.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    A low hum filled the chamber as the pedestal began to shift. With a deep, mechanical groan, a hidden compartment slid open at its center, revealing a small, woven basket that slowly rose into view. The man, still reeling from his near mana-death experience, stared at it in bewilderment. Out of everything he had expected, this was not it.


    Cautiously, he approached, peering inside. Nestled within the basket was a single, red-and-white-capped mushroom, its surface strangely pristine despite its decrepid surroundings. He hesitated, weighing his options. The runes had already drained him of mana, and there was no obvious way out. With no other choice, he reached in and picked up the mushroom.


    The moment his fingers made contact, an unbearable pain shot through his body. He gasped, dropping to his knees as the mushroom dissolved into a mass of writhing filaments that burrowed into his skin. His veins darkened, spreading fungal patterns across his arms as his body seized, his very essence shifting at a fundamental level.


    His breath came in ragged gasps as he clutched his head, feeling his body twist and reshape. His flesh became pliant, his bones altered, his very nature rewritten. The pain eventually dulled, replaced by an eerie awareness¡ªhe was no longer entirely human.


    He staggered to his feet, his breath unsteady, his fingers trembling as he looked down at his hands. No longer merely skin and bone, they now bore the telltale signs of fungal growth, an eerie amalgamation of man and mushroom.


    ¡°What the actual fuck?¡± he muttered as he cautiously stretched out his arms. After clenching and unclenching his hands, he got to his feet and began to pace. ¡°Get it together, Thalor. You¡¯re an apprentice, for gods¡¯ sake. I¡¯m sure the masters can fix this.¡±


    Taking a moment to steady his breath and emotions, he became aware of something new. It wasn¡¯t mana, at least not in the way he had known it for the past two years. It was something alien yet familiar. Instinctively, he reached for it the same way he would pull mana into himself.


    Something clicked.


    Like a limb regaining blood flow after being asleep, the connection felt natural. He realized immediately what it was¡ªspores. He was drawing them into himself, integrating them with his body.


    He felt he could release them, mold them into different forms. Experimenting, he pushed a trickle from his fingertip. The spores clumped together under his will, forming a small brown mushroom. He concentrated, changing its shape, size, density, and texture over and over again. It was effortless.


    After an hour of tests, he concluded that he could alter their structure almost limitlessly. More importantly, he could substitute his mana to generate fungal mass. The efficiency was about what a tier-one apprentice could expect.


    His only offensive spell was a simple force push. He had other freeform uses of mana, such as raw manipulation and infusing objects for inspection. Yet nothing had ever felt as natural as this new ability. It was as if it had always been a part of him, merely waiting to be unlocked.


    Deciding it was time to leave, he climbed out of the hole, confident he could now control the fungal beast. Peering over the edge, he saw the monster still nearby. He reached for the fungus within it, attempting to impose his will.


    Nothing happened.


    After several failed attempts, he changed his approach. Instead of domination, he projected a suggestion¡ªa lack of hostility. To his surprise, the creature responded. Its aggressive stance relaxed, and after a long, contemplative glance at him, it snorted and turned away.


    ¡°I wish I could say it was a pleasure,¡± he joked.


    Ensuring the beast was truly gone, he took in his surroundings. After his mad dash, it was no surprise he had no idea where he was. His original goal lost to chaos, he sighed and picked a direction. The sun was lowering in the west, so west it was.


    With one last glance at the cavern behind him, he set off into the unknown.

 Chapter one

    Thalor walked west, hoping it was the direction of the main road that skirted the forest. The earthy scent of damp leaves and the occasional crack of twigs beneath his feet accompanied him as he moved through the forest. He knew that once he found the road, it would be easy to return to the academy he belonged to.


    The academy he attended was one of hundreds of low-tier mage colleges within the empire. Thalor was proud to have been accepted into one, though he wished it wasn¡¯t ranked among the bottom hundred. The college itself sat on the edge of a small city, its stone halls more weathered than grand, with professors who taught fundamentals more than breakthroughs.


    As he walked past towering trees and tangled roots, Thalor drifted into thought, attuning himself to the spores carried by the wind. Unlike before, he didn¡¯t try to manipulate them but simply immersed himself in their presence, feeling each spore¡¯s unique essence¡ªwhat they came from and what they would become. Some spores sought to nurture plant life, others aimed to decompose the dead, and some had more mysterious purposes. Each one felt like an old friend he had known for years.


    Lost in his musings, Thalor failed to notice the thin, ragged wolf emerging from behind a scraggly bush. Its ribs were painfully visible beneath matted fur, and its hollow eyes reflected desperation. It moved with a predatory grace, placing each paw with eerie precision.


    The wolf, driven by hunger, crept toward him silently. Thalor, oblivious to his surroundings, moved forward at a leisurely pace, unaware that danger lurked mere steps away.


    It wasn¡¯t the sight or sound of the wolf that finally alerted him¡ªit was the sharp pain of teeth sinking into his calf. Thalor screamed in pain and surprise, spinning around to confront the creature he was sure had torn his calf apart.


    ¡°Aghhh! What the hell?!¡± he shouted, turning and staring at the skeletal beast before him.


    The wolf gave him no time to recover, lunging forward for another attack. Thalor stumbled backward, only to be stopped by a tree that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. As the wolf leaped again, Thalor sidestepped and swung at its face. He dodged the attack, but the wolf caught his fist in its jaws.


    Panic clouded Thalor¡¯s mind. He didn¡¯t think to use his newfound fungal powers. Instead, he resorted to his only offensive spell¡ªa simple force push. The spell, though weak, was enough to disorient the malnourished wolf. The shockwave vibrated through the wolf''s skull, causing momentary brain damage. Seizing the opportunity, Thalor yanked his hand free and repeatedly slammed his fist into the wolf¡¯s head.


    After what felt like an eternity of blows, the wolf finally lay still. Exhausted and breathing heavily, Thalor collapsed against a nearby tree, his gaze shifting between his trembling hands and the lifeless body before him. To his surprise, upon closer inspection his hand was free of blood. White fungal filaments stretched across the wounds where the wolf''s teeth had pierced.


    He rolled up his pant leg to inspect the damage but found none. Even his pants remained intact. With a sardonic chuckle, he thought, ¡°At least I don¡¯t have to worry about paper cuts anymore.¡±


    Then, a new sensation washed over him¡ªhunger. It was an unfamiliar craving, primal and insistent, directed at the wolf''s corpse.


    Reluctantly, Thalor approached the dead wolf. As he stood over it, he saw not a fearsome predator but a pitiful, starving creature. With a sigh, he placed his hand on its ribs. Instinctively, he channeled the fungus within him into the lifeless body.


    The fungus rapidly consumed the wolf, spreading until nothing remained but fungal mass. Slowly, the mass retracted, flowing back into Thalor¡¯s hand.


    Staring at his hand in shock, he whispered, ¡°Well, that just happened.¡± A forced chuckle escaped him as he felt a sense of calm settle over his body, the strange hunger now gone.


    Not knowing what to make of the mass that just merged with him, or knowing where it went exactly, Thalor stood up slowly and brushed himself off.


    Taking one last look at where his ¡®epic¡¯ battle had taken place, he went back to forging his path, this time paying the attention that these woods deserved.


    After another hour of walking, Thalor finally made it to the edge of the forest. Brushing some unruly branches aside, he stepped into an open field where, in the distance, he could spot a well-used road.


    Just as Thalor took his first couple of steps, he froze. He remembered what he should have thought about the moment he saw the changes to his skin. He no longer looked like any race he knew of.


    Usually, that wouldn''t be a problem, as someone would know of a race no matter how exotic. But in his case, he must look completely unique. Looking closely at his limbs, he saw an almost bark-like texture.


    He knew it wasn¡¯t bark but some type of fungus, yet it was the closest comparison he could think of. ¡°If my arms look this weird, what must my face look like?¡± he thought. Not having the answer, he decided to find out.


    Not having a mirror, he checked the area for some water or maybe some metal. Luckily after some searching, there was a small pond not too far away. With a quick stride, he made his way to the water''s edge.


    Pushing aside some tall reeds, he peered into the pond. What greeted him was not the face he knew. It was similar but warped. The general shape remained close enough, but his actual face looked as if it had been smoothed out with that same fungal texture as his arms. His mouth and nose were still there, just less defined.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Horrified by his reflection, Thalor fell to his knees. ¡°If I just had different skin, maybe I could talk my way in. But now... now they''ll think I''m probably a body-snatching monster.¡± he half cried to himself.


    With great effort, he stood and faced a hard choice. He could try his luck at the gate of the city and risk being killed, or he could head back into the woods and hide until he found a way to correct his appearance. He chose the latter.


    ¡°With some time, maybe I can control a mass into the shape of my old face. Then I can get some help becoming human again.¡± He tried to convince himself it was a solid plan. It was the best he could come up with, but it still left him stuck in the forest.


    Sighing in resignation, he turned back toward the wilderness he''d be calling home for the foreseeable future.


    As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Thalor wandered until he found a dying tree covered in mushrooms. It felt safe, familiar even. Climbing up, he settled on a sturdy branch about fifteen feet off the ground and closed his eyes.


    Sleep didn''t come quickly. Frustrated, he tapped into his fungal senses, letting his awareness drift through the spores around him. The sensation soothed him, and he finally drifted into unconsciousness.


    The next morning surprised him. He didn''t ache, despite the hard surface. He felt refreshed. Part of him worried about the calmness he felt in the face of his transformation, but he chalked it up to his new physiology and put the thought aside.


    Climbing down, he considered his next move.


    ¡°I need shelter. But out of what?¡± His eyes landed on the mushrooms surrounding the tree. A grin spread across his face.


    ¡°Mushrooms,¡± he said with a chuckle.


    Focusing, he pushed his fungal mass outward to consume the dead matter nearby. A white layer spread from him, slowly at first, then rapidly as it fed. Within fifteen minutes, the nearest tree had vanished into the mass.


    He let it clear a twenty-by-twenty-foot space before halting the growth. With a deep breath, he shaped the fungus into walls seven feet high, hardening it until it felt like oak. The surface shifted and solidified like thousands of small strings being pulled together into a facsimile of polished wood.


    For an entrance, he left the surface malleable, allowing himself to open a doorway anywhere along the wall. With his remaining biomass, he formed a simple roof supported by four posts.


    Satisfied, he created a soft fungal mat to sleep on later.


    Standing in the center of his new home, he smiled.


    ¡°Maybe this won''t be so bad after all.¡± He gazed at his simple shelter and considered what came next. Finding a reliable food source, maybe some better defenses, and eventually figuring out a way for him to become normal once more.¡±


    Usually, after building a shelter, the next step would be to find food and water. But since he had absorbed all the life in the area, he hadn''t felt hungry or thirsty. He guessed that he could substitute food and water with fungal mass.


    With no need for food or water, he pondered his next move. ¡°I could go around and take some trees down to get more fungal mass. Or maybe I should go and find some different kinds of fungus. Hopefully, find some I haven''t sensed yet.¡± Pondering these two choices, he decided to do both.


    After settling on his goal, he set out from his compound. Walking through the forest, staying alert, he tried to sense any new fungi. It was hard for him to scan his environment and walk safely, but by taking it slow, he managed to avoid another ambush.


    On his walk through the woods, he occasionally converted decaying matter into fungal mass, absorbing it so there were no remnants left behind. After a while, with no luck finding new fungi, he shifted his focus to absorbing decaying matter. He mostly turned fallen sticks and other discarded wood that wouldn''t leave an obvious trail of his walk, just in case.


    After a while of absorbing matter, he got a feeling of fullness, like his body hit a limit of what it could take in. Sighing and looking into the sky, he saw the sun was setting and decided to return home. He didn''t want to navigate this maze of a forest in the dark when daylight was already challenging enough.


    On his way home, he took a different path than the one he''d followed when leaving. As he walked, he sensed something before he saw it. The sensation felt similar to the mushroom monster that had chased him. Taking cover behind a tree, he focused on what he was feeling.


    It wasn''t nearly as large as the monster from yesterday and didn''t have nearly as much fungus in it. Taking a deep breath, he crept toward the source of the sensation. Doing his best to stay hidden, he came upon the creature. It looked like another wolf, though this one appeared much healthier.


    The only unusual thing about the wolf was the green mushroom sitting atop its head. Being closer to the source allowed him to get a better sense of the mushroom''s purpose. Even without his fungal sense, it was clear the mushroom was controlling the wolf.


    Thalor guessed the wolf had eaten something with enough spores to allow the fungus to grow. Focusing more closely, he could sense the strands of mycelium digging into the wolf''s brain. While this disturbed him somewhat, he was mostly amazed that a mushroom could control an animal. He knew the mushroom wasn''t intelligent and was just acting on instinct, which helped ease his discomfort.


    Knowing there was no real danger, he stepped out from his hiding spot behind a fallen log. The wolf immediately locked onto him. Without hesitation, it charged forward, its movements driven entirely by the fungus with no sense of self-preservation.


    When the wolf was about fifteen feet away, Thalor said, ¡°Stop.¡±


    Immediately, the wolf froze, its limbs seizing mid-motion. Its momentum carried it forward in a tumbling, uncontrolled roll. The wolf hadn''t stopped because of the word itself but because Thalor had used his will on the fungus controlling the animal.


    "A fine first addition to my collection," he chuckled as he reached down and touched the mushroom on the now-still wolf. Pushing his senses into the fungus, he added it to his internal library of fungi.


    He felt a flicker of satisfaction but quickly realized the wolf wasn''t breathing. Its chest was still. When he''d willed the fungus to stop, it had stopped everything¡ªincluding the wolf''s heart.


    With a sigh, he commanded the fungus to try to restart the wolf''s heart. He sensed the mushroom''s frantic efforts, but it failed. The wolf was dead.


    Shaking his head, he turned away. He could replicate the mushroom now, so he had no need for this one. As for the corpse, he hoped that any scavenger that tried to eat it might also become infected.


    The walk back home was quiet and uneventful. When he arrived, he collapsed onto his mushroom mat, which, to his delight, felt like lying on clouds. Sighing in relief, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, wondering what tomorrow might bring.

 chapter 2

    Thalor was never a morning person. Waking up with the sun in his eyes, he felt none of his usual grogginess. He was able to just get up without wallowing in his bed.


    Getting up and off of his mat, Thalor didn''t know what to do today. He could go out and try his new body-controlling mushroom, but he felt that before he went too far with something new, he should take some time to get familiar with what he already had.


    Thalor was already able to make crude structures, but he wanted to eventually be able to hide his face, and the only way he could think of to get to that goal was to first start making more intricate things with his fungus.


    Thalor was, of course, able to do more with his fungus than just shape it, but he felt that, at least for a while, he wanted to try shaping in a more refined manner. With his goal in mind, he looked at his walls.


    There was nothing inherently wrong with his defensive structure; it did keep any roaming animals out. After looking at how some of the wall sagged and some spots were thinner than others, he wanted to make everything more uniform and proper.


    Still having most of the fungal mass somewhere in his body, he pushed most of it out, only leaving a tenth remaining in reserve. Pushing his senses into the wall and the fungal mass he just produced, he felt all over the wall, sensing spots that were not level and th spots that had uneven thickness in the wall.


    Taking a deep breath and mentally marking all the spots that needed work, he used his will to push segments of the fungal mass to gather at the spots that needed work. Not able to do every spot at once, he gave every imperfection his entire attention.


    After a couple of hours of work, the entire wall was level and shared the same thickness. "Now for the hard part," he thought to himself as he looked at his house. It wasn''t hard because of the volume; no, it would be hard because he would try to detail it as much as possible in order to practice.


    Not having enough fungal mass left, he quickly went out and converted a tree that was about three hundred yards away, not wanting to disturb the forest directly near his base. Getting back with his fungus secure, he walked over to his home; it was little more than four posts and a roof at the moment. He wasn''t mad at himself for his work the other day, but he did think he could have at least put up some walls as well.


    The first thing he did was unharden and remove what was currently there. He wanted to start fresh with what he had in mind. Spreading out a layer of his fungal mass, he made the foundation of the building and shaped it into a simple square.


    With the foundation done, next came the frame. That was the tricky part, as he was not a builder, so it took him a while, but eventually, he was left with a bunch of thinner filament poles where there would usually be wood in a normal material house. He left room so he could add some type of insulation later.


    Next were the exterior walls. He shaped them into a stone brick design. He had left room for a door, but other than that, he had no other entrance. The walls did  look like stone from a distance, but if you looked closer, one could see filament lines showing that it wasnt actually stone.


    Next, he made his roof, which he left flat as he wanted access to it for later scouting if he decided to build a tower structure. Making a drainage system for rain took some mental gymnastics, but after everything was done, he was happy with how the exterior looked.


    The interior had a bedroom, and everything else was open. First, he made insulation and filled in the walls, then added a layer to the frame. The interior came together nicely. Lastly, he made himself a storage area where he created some chests as well as some shelves.


    The next thing he did was general furnishing. He made a proper-looking bed in his room and even experimented with making some clothing, which didn''t turn out great but was still good practice. Then he made a dining area where he just put a table and some simple chairs.


    Not needing to eat or drink was nice, but he still wanted his home to feel normal.


    With a content sigh and half the day gone, he appreciated his own work. "This won''t win any awards, but I like it," he chuckled.


    Not wanting to go exploring again, he just stayed home and practiced his fungus creation. Building was good practice, but he also wanted to pick up where he left off the other day and see what he was capable of.


    Sitting down and closing his eyes, he looked inward. Looking past his small core to find his mental library, he combed through what fungus he had access to.


    The different fungi he had access to at the moment consisted of decomposition-based ones, and there were even a couple that he felt were there to help nurture plants. When he found one that could release spores to induce hallucinations, he tried to replicate it.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Opening his eyes and lifting his hand, pointing his palm away from him, he pushed. Nothing happened at first, but just as he felt something was wrong in his thought process, a breeze pushed out of his hand, and he felt thousands of spores being released in the direction he pointed.


    Doing some more experiments, he found the delay was due to his palm sucking in some air before adding the spores and compressing then releasing them. This all felt so natural to him that he hadn''t even noticed it.


    "Maybe I''m more changed than I initially thought," he grumbled as he looked at his hand. It was still the same as it was the other day, but after comparing the sensation from when he first changed to now, he felt that now he was more deeply connected with fungus. Like it was more than a part of him¡ªit was him.


    Sitting there, stupefied at the thought, he shook his head, not wanting to believe it. Thinking that he could prove he was still mostly flesh and blood, he made a small blade out of condensed filaments. He took the edge and cut his thigh to prove he was still made of blood.


    After enduring the pain from the cut, he looked down, hoping to see blood. That is not what he found. Instead, it was as if he cut open a mushroom. Sure, it was moist, but there was no blood. Looking at the wound and how the edges tried to come back together, it really dawned on him that he had been irrevocably changed.


    Doing his best to calm down, he used his fungal sense, not outward but inward. What he felt horrified him. He was fungus. There were no bones or blood; instead, the bones were just condensed fungus, much like his walls. Instead of tendons, there were just thick filaments that pretended to be tendons.


    Scared, he looked at his brain. And in his head, there was no brain but dense mycelium. He could sense how everything he was and had been was stored in that mycelium. With an extreme shudder, he turned off his sense and just sat there.


    Not even an hour ago, he had been happily working on his home. Now he felt as if all hope had been snuffed out by a god of wind. Trying to think rationally, he now knew that looking normal again wouldn''t be as hard as he initially thought, as he could probably dicectly shape his face. That wasn''t what he worried about, though¡ªit was the fact that he knew he could never be human again, as there would be no way to turn his brain back to normal without effectively killing him.


    He had no idea how the mushroom in that ruin managed to change him so fast without making him black out, but there was no way he could replicate it backward.


    It was then that he thought of something. "If I''m a form of fungus and I''ve been able to replicate any fungus I have come into contact with, doesn''t that mean I can replicate myself?"


    With a new line of thought to distract himself, he quickly ran and converted as much material as he could in an hour, not caring that he was right outside his walls.


    After gathering his absurd amount of mass¡ªwhich would have been enough for him to make his base four or five times over¡ªhe focused.


    What he couldn''t absorb into himself, he just condensed next to himself as he tried to figure out his next step.


    "I just need to be able to reconstruct my brain; then everything else should be easy," he quickly thought. Taking a deep breath, he looked inward once more, this time going straight to his head. Looking at the mycelium in his skull, he realized he needed to make a skull first, then put the mycelium in it.


    Doing just that, it took a while, but eventually, he recreated his skull. It was surprising how easy it was to replicate his skull, but he knew the next part would be harder.


    He focused entirely on the mycelium that was his brain. Copying it exactly as it was in his own skull into this new one. He didn''t stop even after the sun set; he kept going all the way until morning.


    When the mycelium was exactly like it was in his own head, he felt a connection so deep that he couldn''t tell which side he was on.


    The moment that connection was made, there was a flood of information from himself into the new consciousness. It didn''t speak¡ªhell, it couldn''t speak¡ªbut he and it knew exactly what happened.


    It was him on the other end; that''s why he couldn''t tell which side he was on as both sides were him. Quickly, he began replicating the rest of his body onto the new him. The more he added, the more the other him was able to help. This went on for hours; it didn''t stop even as the sun rose and set again until it was morning once more and he opened his eyes only to see a naked version of himself doing the same.


    At the same time, they spoke: "Hello." Looking at each other, then laughing, they took some time to calm down. The original Thalor spoke first. "So you''re me, huh? Well, you can''t be, as I wear clothes when I have company over."


    With a cheeky grin, the other Thalor responded. "Company? The only thing I see here is me and myself. Why would I need to get dressed in front of myself?"


    "So, how do you feel?" the original asked with a serious tone. With an equally serious face, his copy responded, "I feel completely fine. The only thing I know is that one moment I was making myself as you, then bam, I was me trying to help you finish my body."


    "So no feelings of wanting to kill me and be the only Thalor?" the original asked.


    "Who would want to be a tier-one apprentice? I could kill someone and take their place. That way i could be way better than you," the clone joked.


    Both knew instinctively that they were both equally him, just that one was older. Deep within them, there was no confusion about what they were. It was like when a fungus reproduces asexually; they were connected, and they knew that if they extended a strand of themselves to the other, they would sync minds. So there was no chance of deviation¡ªwhy would he kill himself?


    Both looking around their surroundings for the first time, they really took in how much fungal mass was used to create the clone. About half of it was gone, turned into the clone.


    Looking at the remaining mass, they turned toward each other at the same time and smiled. "What do you say we make this a party and add a third?"

 Chapter 3

    The second clone did not take nearly as much time as the first had. It only took a few hours with Thalor and his copy working together to make the clone. It sped up even more when the clone gained conciseness and was able to help create the rest of the body.


    With an upbeat tone, the two greeted the third. ¡®¡¯Pretty trippy how it¡¯s seamless, right? Like just one moment you''re him, then you are separate.¡¯¡¯ The first clone joked. ¡®¡¯Ya, I mean I was building myself as both of you, which was trippy, but then all of a sudden I¡¯m one again. Gotta say, guys, it felt weird.¡¯¡¯ He chuckled.


    Thalor, looking at his two naked clones, said, ¡®¡¯So no pants either, huh? I never thought of myself as a nudist, but here you are.¡¯¡¯ He chuckled as he began to try and make some clothing for his naked copies.


    It took a bit, but eventually, they were able to put together a set of plain grey clothes for the both of them.


    ¡®¡¯So what should we do now?¡¯¡¯ the second clone asked Thalor.


    ¡®¡¯Well, let¡¯s hold off on making more for now until we know more about what exactly the difference between us is. Also, check to see if both of you have a mana core. I think you should, as the mind is what makes mana, but who knows.¡¯¡¯


    Both checked their cores only to see that, yes, they did have cores; it was just as if neither had practiced magic.


    ¡®¡¯I was hoping that you would get a tier one core.¡¯¡¯ Thalor sighed with disappointment. ¡®¡¯It¡¯s not a big issue; you are only tier one, so it should only take a month or so of practice to get back to tier one for us.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Ya, that should be fine, as we¡¯re not really going anywhere.¡¯¡¯ The second clone said. Looking at his clones, Thalor said, ¡®¡¯You may not have my core, but you can still use fungal manipulation, so you two should try altering your bodies to be more melee capable. I mean, I don¡¯t really know any martial arts, but I¡¯m sure we can manage to sling the sharp end in most enemies'' direction.¡¯¡¯


    With that, both of the clones gathered half of the fungal mass that remained and tried to alter their bodies. The first thing they focused on was to harden their skin; it worked, but the harder they made their skin, the less they could move. Next, they tried to form plates of hardened fungus on top of their skin. They left their joints flexible by not covering them, and after a bit of experimenting, their grey skin now had darker plates covering their bodies.


    Next, they were able to elongate their fingers and make claw-like appendages that they could sharpen as needed. Thalor watched as his two clones altered their bodies and thought that they might be able to change others'' faces as they could look at what they were doing. Reverting back to normal did not take long, and they were able to go back to that state if needed without much effort.


    Tapping the clones on the shoulder, Thalor synced his thought with the clones. It was easier for him to do it this way than explain. All three smiling at the thought, Thalor had his doubles alter his face to look as it had before his change. It wasn¡¯t a perfect copy, but it was as close as he could get. His jaw was a little sharper than before, and he had a less bloated face. Noticeable, but he would just play it off as weight loss if asked.


    Sighing as he felt he would be able to return to his normal life sooner than he had initially thought, he began to cry. Having the same mind, the other two joined in on the tears.


    After emptying his emotional burden with his two clones, Thalor decided that he would have one of them join as a student as well. He decided to do this so he could learn multiple things at once. Thalor originally decided to specialize in force magic because it had no real natural counters, but with his clones, he could focus on other things and not lose focus.


    ¡®¡¯What do you think that we should get you to specialize in?¡¯¡¯ Thalor asked his first clone.


    ¡®¡¯Well, you took force magic as your main area of study because of versatility and the no natural counters. So I should specialize in something, offense maybe, no force is ok at that. Maybe something to supplement our fungal nature. How about plant-based magic? We could grow plants to turn into fungi.¡¯¡¯ The first explained.


    Thalor agreed with his copy and went to work making his copies'' faces more human. They also did seconds while they were at it.


    At the academy Thalor attended, one needed to be either a tier one mage or better in order to be accepted. So with their faces normal and starting first''s mana training, Thalor and second discussed how they could speed up the process of making it to a tier one mage.


    ¡®¡¯I never took an alchemy class, but I did see that there were herbs that could help improve the speed of getting through tiers in my general magics class.¡¯¡¯ Even though they both knew this, Thalor explained anyway.


    ¡®¡¯I bet there is at least a few in this forest.¡¯¡¯ Second said.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Mutually agreeing that this was the best course of action for them to try and find one of these plants, the two set out. They walked through the forest in what they thought was the core of the forest. It didn¡¯t take too long for them to find a beast.


    Pushing some branches aside and walking through a small gap in the tree, the two were immediately spotted by a giant stag beetle who had previously been munching on a mushy log.


    Both Thalor and second quickly changed into their armored state and sharpened their fingers. The beetle didn¡¯t move at the sight of the two of them; it just stared at them, clearly not overly concerned with the two.


    Thinking that they might be able to just walk around it, they tried and failed. After they took a couple of steps, the beetle charged at the two of them with its pincers open. Half expecting this, the two split one to the left and to the right. The beetle followed second, narrowly missing crushing him with its two giant pincers.


    Taking advantage of the beetle facing away, Thalor tried to jump onto the back of the beast, only being able to stay on because he managed to stick a claw through part of the shell. Pulling himself up and onto the back of the beetle while the thing was still chasing second. Once he was where he hoped the brain was under, he cut a small hole in the shell and flooded it with spores from the mind mushroom.


    The mushroom formed and spread tendrils through its skin and into its brain. It didn¡¯t happen instantly, but after a couple of minutes, the beetle came to a stop as Thalor was able to control the mushroom controlling it.


    Hopping off the beetle, he joked to his clone, ¡®¡¯I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re out of breath, I did all the work.¡¯¡¯ Chuckling, they looked at their new mount. ¡®¡¯This should make for a good shield at the very least.¡¯¡¯ Second said as they both climbed onto its back and set off in their original direction.


    With a mount, they covered ground much faster and eventually came upon a cave. It wasn¡¯t their eyes that noticed the cave first, but their fungal sense. After they hopped off the beetle, they found that the new fungus they sensed was a glowing mushroom a few feet within.


    The cave was dark besides the occasional glowing mushroom that let off a soft glowing light. Deciding to check the cave for any kind of herb, they went in. Walking was not an issue, as the two could walk side by side; the beetle even fit.


    On the way down, they found white flakes. Not knowing what it was, they continued deeper until the cave eventually opened up into a big circular chamber that had glowing mushrooms lining the walls.


    In the center of the room was a truly giant serpent. The snake¡¯s scales were brown with a slight grey. Not being noticed yet, they stepped back out of the room and pushed their senses in. Unfortunately for them, they felt both with their mana and fungal sense that whatever was in there with the snake was both mana-rich and a fungus.


    ¡®¡¯Looks like we have to kill it; we can¡¯t leave that here. It¡¯s perfect for us.¡¯¡¯ Second whispered to Thalor. Nodding his head, he ordered for the beetle to go in first and try to distract the snake.


    The beetle, not nearly as silent as the two, was immediately heard and detected by the snake. Seeing the beetle, the snake was enraged that something would dare barge in its home. Hissing, the snake struck out, only to be caught by the pincers. The strike didn¡¯t connect, but the momentum still pushed the beetle back. Not letting this go to waste, they both ran to opposite sides of the snake. The first one to attack was second; he managed to get a deep gash behind the skull. Thalor wasn¡¯t so lucky, as the snake had shifted its head away and tried to squish him with its tail.


    Being struck and sent back, Thalor decided on a different approach. He cast force push on the top of the head of the snake in order to try and disorient the snake. It worked and allowed second to get another strike in, this time going even deeper and causing a flood of blood to start to gush out.


    Realizing that it was running out of time before it died, the snake started just throwing its body all over to try and crush the small figures. It was then the beetle was no longer able to hold on and was sent skittering back. Now free, the snake glared at second. Knowing it would die soon, it tried to strike him before it died, but was stopped when a wave of force sent its head into the stone mid-strike.


    Out of momentum, the snake¡¯s body slowly stopped as its eyes became lifeless. Both Thalor and the clone took a deep breath. Looking at his beetle, he had it push the corpse of the snake as he and the clone recovered themselves.


    After the snake was moved, they found the source of what they sensed. It was a white mushroom that glowed slightly. Approaching the mushroom, Thalor reached out and touched the cap in order to sense it more closely. Sensing what he hoped, he smiled. ¡®¡¯This mushroom gathers ambient mana and stores it. This should be enough for our purposes.¡¯¡¯ He said with joy.


    Taking the mushroom, they filled the cave with decomposing spores to get rid of the snake corpse. After that, they left the cave and headed back home on top of the beetle.


    Making it home after dealing with a couple of wolves, they went inside to share the good news with first. ¡®¡¯We got one, and as a bonus, we will be able to grow them as well.¡¯¡¯ He said as he walked in. ¡®¡¯I thought it would take a couple of days at least. How did you manage to find one?¡¯¡¯ He said while extending his arm to sync their minds.


    Laughing at how lucky they were, he grabbed the mushroom and popped it into his mouth. ¡®¡¯Spicy¡¯¡¯ he joked as he sat down to digest the mana.


    Looking at his focused clone, he went about and made some copies of the mushroom in the four corners of the base so that they could absorb ambient mana so hopefully they could get second to tier one and have all three of them learn magic.


    After an hour of meditating, first was able to reach tier one with the help of the mushroom. ¡®¡¯Now all we need to do is wait for the others to absorb enough mana to get you to tier one.¡¯¡¯ Thalor said to second. ¡®¡¯I think I¡¯ll go for the earth class when I join. Also, we¡¯ve got to come up with names for ourselves as we all can¡¯t be Thalor at the school.¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯Now that I think about it, that makes total sense.¡¯¡¯ He chuckled. ¡®¡¯Well, you can be Vaelin, and he can be Orin. Both simple and easy.¡¯¡¯ Thalor said.


    ¡®¡¯I didn¡¯t know I was so bad with names.¡¯¡¯ Second, now Vaelin, joked. After making fun of Thalor more for his naming sense, neither one of the clones really cared about the names, as to them, they were still Thalor.

 Chapter 4

    ¡®¡¯I think we should make another of us.¡¯¡¯ Orin said to the other two. ¡®¡¯Oh, why do you think so? I mean there''s already three of us going, and that is already a lot. And i don''t think having another of us at the academy would be to big of a help.¡¯¡¯ Thalor said to Orin. ¡®¡¯Well we haven''t really got everything out of this forest, I think that we should make another so that they can continue to explore everything and squeeze everything we can that''s our hero. I''m sure there are different fungi here we haven''t gotten to yet. Not to mention having a secret base would be bad ass¡¯¡¯ Orin explained


    ¡®¡¯I''m not saying it''s a bad idea, it''s just that I don''t want to feel like we''re abandoning it here. While we go and live lifes and are able to learn and interact with people. I mean you remember i felt before i made you two.¡¯¡¯ Thalor said. Interjecting Vaelin chimed in ¡®¡¯he¡¯s got a point about the whole not getting everything possible from here. And why would the third have to be lonely? I mean it could just make more of us. What''s stopping us from non stop production of us.¡¯¡¯


    Not having really considered how being alone felt Orin agreed with Thalor but Vaelin was rite. They could just make even more clones to not feel lonely, there was also nothing stopping them from just making hundreds of themselves to explore as well.


    Thalor stopped walking as he truly thought of just how many of themselves they could make. ¡®¡¯I''m not saying no, but we can''t just flood the academy with clones as that would be too suspicious. The schools first years start in a month and between now and then they will get a lot of new students showing up but they definitely would think something was up if there were tens of new students coming. They probably wouldn''t guess clones but they would get suspicious. We can make a more clones to explore but i don''t think any more should come with us to the academy.¡¯¡¯


    Both clones agreed, They would make more clones in order to get as much out of this forest as possible, as well establish a base for themselves. They just couldn''t flood the school with unaccounted for students. The only question now was how many clones to make?


    After some more discussion and back and forth with his clones Thalor didn''t think it mattered how many clones were made as long as they remained hidden. The biggest issue wasn''t if they could make more of themselves. It was what would happen when they were noticed.


    As that would be a disaster to Thalors fungal secrets.


    Thalors first step in not gaining suspicion of clones was to of course change all the clones'' faces so they were not obviously clones. Next was to give names to each clone so they wouldn''t get caught by something as silly as calling each other Thalor.


    Thalor wasn''t really worried about them developing different personalities as there was no way it would happen except in extreme outside intervention. He and all his clones felt at a core level they were all him. Even the discussion they had just moments ago was just his clones trying to think differently then he usually did to give outside perspective.


    With the future decided and some general plans made they went into the forest in different directions together with enough fungal mass to produce five clones to start with. The amount of mass needed was truly huge. Thalor thought the reason it took so much mass to make a clone was because it needed to transform into a higher form of fungus.


    They mostly avoided healthy and alive plants in order to preserve the forest. That might not be an issue now but they all knew that their need for all forms of fungus would grow exponentially later, and this would cause more and more of the forest to become empty if all they did was convert everything and not come up with a more permanent solution later.


    It took the better part of three hours of careful culling to gather enough mass.


    The hardest part of making a clone was the brain, not just because it took the most mass even though it was relatively small but because of how intricate it was. One mistake would either kill the clone or make something that wasn''t him. So each brain was made with extreme care, and effort. Thalor and his first two clones all sat inside the house as they all put together one brain at a time. After one was done they would set it aside as the new consciousness inside finished the rest of the body while the first three continued with the brains.


    When the fifth and last brain was made there were already two new Thalors fully together and two more in different stages of completion. All of the complete clones then helped the rest of the forming bodies finish.


    When it was all done another day had passed and there were now eight Thalors. With all of the clones in the house and how cramped it felt they all thought of how much space they will need in the future ¡®¡®well expanding up is out of the question and we shouldnt expand past the wall to not grab attention of any one flying over. It leaves us going down.¡¯¡¯The original Thalor said.


    All of the clones agreed with him but they did not immediately start construction instead they modified each other''s appearance and gave names to each other.


    With that out of the way the only thing left for Thalor, Vaelin and Orin to do before returning to the academy was to wait for some of the mana mushrooms to collect enough mana to get Origin to Tier one. While Thalor would have liked to get to tier two before leaving, he didn''t want to stand out.


    At the rate of the four mushrooms, Thalor and the others guessed that it would take about five days for enough mana to gather inside to get Vaelin to tier one. In that time frame all but two of them planned to take a deep dive into the forest just to see if they could find anything new, or at the very least get a better picture of the landscape of this forest.


    With the six of them leaving only two would be left to take care of the base. While most of them were gone the two clones planned on completely redoing the base. They planned to remove everything from above ground and make an underground base.


    The clones jokingly said they were going to make an evil lair for dark magic, so by the time the others returned they would already have summoned a horrible evil creature.


    Thalor moved through the forest with the five others. None of them had any particular ability in stealth as Thalor had never learned, as the city orphanage he had called him all his life had never taught them any adventuring skills. As they walked they made enough noise to scare away any low level creature they might have encountered. Having more numbers gave them all a sense of security, not to say they didn''t look out for possible danger but because they all had each other''s back.


    They hadn''t taken the beetle with them and they all regretted it after walking for almost half a day straight. Thalor didn''t think that walking would ever be tiring but that was before he and the others walked twenty miles. They swore the first beetle they found would be the victim of a mind mushroom.


    It was closing in on dusk when they heard a loud roar. As soon as they heard the noise they all tensed as they couched. Whatever had made that noise was either big, or was able to infuse mana into that roar. Either case they were note eager to find out.


    After they all stood there motionless for the better part of five minutes they all got up and headed in a different direction. The new direction they faced had some small mountains covered in trees, and was in the opposite direction of whatever that noise was.


    Along the way to the mountains they found a decent sized pond. The water was murky so none of them really wanted to get close and tempt whatever may or may not be in there. ¡®¡¯I''m gonna throw a rock in.¡¯¡¯ one of the clones said and did just that. The rock hit with a plop the ball sized rock hit and promptly went into the water. At first nothing happened but just when they were about to keep heading towards the mountains a few bubbles popped out of the water. The speed of the bubbles kept increasing until the entire pond looked as if it was boiling.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    After a minute the ¡®boiling¡¯ stopped. A giant head the size of a carriage slowly made its way out of the water. The head looked broad and flat, it also had some wrinkles. Definitely reptilian in shape but not quite.


    Not knowing what it was or what to do the six of them stared at the head as it stared back. Its nostrils flared, then it spoke in a deep voice that did not match its jaw movement. ¡®¡¯ that was rude, that rock landed perfectly between my shell as i was sleeping and hit my head.¡¯¡¯


    Dumbstruck all Thalor could do was stutter out and apology. ¡®¡¯ sensory we didn''t mean to wake you we were just chch checking to see if the water was safe.¡¯¡¯ he stumbled out.


    ¡®¡¯With a rock? That doesn''t even make sense, the only reason i came up was because i was mad that it woke me up. Most monsters wouldn''t even notice the rock.¡¯¡¯ the turtle spoke once more.


    This time it was a clone that spoke up ¡®¡¯makes sense that they wouldn''t have noticed. So what now?¡¯¡¯


    ¡®¡¯What do you mean now I never hurt something over a small rock? If I did , I''d just be another monster. You are free to leave, but word of advice one monster to another don''t throw rocks in places you have no clue what''s in there.¡¯¡¯ the turtle chided, as it looked glanced to the side.


    Confused Thalor spoke ¡®¡¯Why did you call us monsters, were not monsters.¡¯¡¯


    The turtle chuckled as it spoke. ¡®¡¯Haha not a monster look at you all, you all have the same soul, i may be old but my sight hasn''t left. Only a monster can split like you have. I do admit I don''t know what you are, but I have never seen one of the two legs split like you. Ok im done im going back to sleep this has lasted far to long anyway.¡¯¡¯ the turtle spoke one last time leaving Thalor and the clones to look at each other in confusion.


    After having that strange interaction with a talking giant turtle they decided to find a spot to camp for the night.


    Under the water the turtle shook its massive head. ¡®Friggin weirdos always seem to make their way over to me. First that drake, now some kind of hive. Maybe I should move somewhere more peaceful?¡¯ The turtle thought to itself as it sank to the bottom of the pond this time making a magic formation to keep out pests.


    Having found a spot to make camp that was a respectful distance away from the pond, the six rapidly made a fortified structure for the night. They may have had walls, but that didn''t stop them from having two at a time to keep watch. Each of them took a watch with a partner.


    Nothing happened through the night other than what they believed were growls from monsters in the distance. Each of them were completely refreshed and ready to explore by the time the sun came up.


    Taking down their shelter to leave no trace the six of them left and headed back towards the mountains.


    ¡®¡¯What do you think we will find in the mountains?¡¯¡¯ one said. With a chuckle Thalor responded ¡®¡¯your guess is as good as mine. But who knows at the very least it will be a vantage point.¡¯¡¯ He said with a chuckle. All six of them couldn''t help but smile at the dumb joke.


    It took a couple of hours but eventually they found themselves at the base of a mountain. All of them looked at the shear wall that led up and wondered how the trees that stuck out from the stone could grow. Having nowhere to go but up they made a vein of mycelium go up the cliff face. With grunts and lots of sweat they made their way up.


    Whenever they got tired they made platforms to stand on to rest. Which was convenient because even with them having the rope like mycelium helping pull them up it still took almost half the day just to make it half way up.


    Grunting the clone in the lead grabbed the rope and pulled himself up and over a little ledge. After he pulled himself over and collected himself he was greeted with the sight of a truly large bird.


    Quickly looking over the edge and making a shushing motion to the others, he looked back over at the bird. It had dark brown and green feathers, and looked like it could fit one or two people on its back. It took a few moments to realize what kind of bird it was but it was some type of hawk. Waiting for the rest to get up he touched each of them to let them know his thoughts.


    Thalor smiled when their minds synced, they were gonna try and use mind mushrooms to try to dominate it. Everyone had the plan and they all spread out and circled the bird. And at the signal of the clone who found the bird they released as many spores for the mind mushroom in the direction of the bird. The bird was asleep but it woke up as it breathed in the spores and it immediately spotted the intruders to its nest. With a loud screech the bird stood up and fluffed up its feathers and stared at them.


    Seeing the bird get up the six of them did not immediately panic as they felt the mushroom slowly start to grow. The bird who didn''t know it was already too late let out another scratch and bolted into the air.


    Cursing the bird for leaving before they could fully control it they fumed. That was until the hawk swooped in and grabbed Thalor. Being suddenly torn from the earth and  into the sky Thalor was stunned at what was happening. He was just about to panic when he felt the mushroom take hold of its mind.


    He thought he was safe now that he was in control but that was a short lived hope as they began to free fall. Forcing the bird to spread its wings they slowed down but it wasn''t enough. They were still falling, just slightly slower now. Having no other ideas he tried to alter the mushroom to let more of the instincts though. It ate up valuable seconds and Thalor was not sure exactly how he was altering the nature of the mushroom so much but the bird seemed to come too before they hit the ground and it pulled up.


    Thalor got a couple of leaves in his face but other than that he was relatively ok. Spitting leaves out of his mouth he ordered the Hawk to head back towards its perch. Taking a moment to snake a tendril of fungus around the bird he pulled himself up and onto its back. He hugged its neck to not fall off as they rapidly ascended. It only took half a minute but they were already back at the nest and safely on the perch.


    ¡®¡¯That was fucking crazy.¡¯¡¯ Thalor said as he slid off. Seeing this the others burst out laughing. ¡®¡¯Man you had us worried that we would be finding out if we could live without you.¡¯¡¯ Vaelen said in between laughs.


    Shaking his head Thalor stood up and looked over their new mount. ¡®¡¯Dont walk, fly. Or whatever the expression is.¡¯¡¯ he said, taking one last look at the bird before looking at the nest. There were no eggs but they did feel a couple of plants that were slowly gathering mana.


    ¡®¡¯Well it looks like this fellow had a nice stash. Probably waiting for more mana to gather to break into tier two.¡¯¡¯ one clone said as he found the plants that had mana in them, popping one into its mouth it smiled. ¡®¡¯What a lovely snack, scrambled eggs would have been better.¡¯¡¯


    Two more of the clones were able to eat the plants before they ran out. They sat at the ledge looking over the forest as they made their way to tier one.


    There were of course better ways to use magical plants through alchemy, but having no experience in alchemy all they could do was refine the mana and forgo any other possible effects. It was only another hour of waiting before the two clones made their way into tier one.


    ¡®¡¯Let''s take the bird to scout up the mountain to see if it''s even worth climbing.¡¯¡¯ Orin said as he hopped on the back of the bird. One more clone was able to get on the bird comfortably, and was not to put too much weight on the bird. Spreading its wings the bird took off like a released arrow.


    Wind rushed past their faces and tears trailed down their faces as they rapidly ascended up the mountain. It took mere minutes which would have taken them another few hours at the very least to reach the top.


    Circling the peak and using their hands to block the wind they looked at the summit. There were no trees growing on the top and the trees that were on the sides stopped. The ground was a smooth stone with the only thing being out of place was a small pool of water.


    Seeing no danger they landed, Orin had the clone take the bird down to grab more of them while he went to check out the water. Walking on the smooth stone felt weird to him. He had no idea why it was so smooth, as if something had cut it with a scalpel. After an unnerving walk and reaching the center he peered into the water. The water was crystal clear but other than that it was completely normal.


    It was then when the bird landed once more and dropped Thalor off. ¡®¡¯So what''s this?¡¯¡¯ he said not expecting an answer, he didn''t receive one. Thalor extended a tendril of fungi from his hand and into the water ready to break it off any moment. Still nothing happened. Furrowing his brow he bent down and stuck his finger in. there was no rush of power or pain just regular admittedly cold water.


    ¡®¡¯Magic.¡¯¡¯ Orin said sarcastically. It was then that all of the clones had arrived. ¡®¡¯Well this was a waste, my apologies to the bird though you are fantastic.¡¯¡¯ Thalor said and he got a twist of the head in return. ¡®¡¯Well I think I''m all adventured out for now. I will be returning back to base.¡¯¡¯


    No one argued with him as he looked at the water with disappointment. ¡®¡¯You all continue exploring me, Vaelin and Orin are going to return early.¡¯¡¯ no one threw a fuss as they all felt the same disappointment it was just what else would they do other than explore.


    The three of them hopped on the bird and set off in the direction of base.