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In a small cave under The Barge, a culture of mycelium grows, wrapping its tendrils around everything it can get its hands on.
In this cave sits a table and chairs, slowly getting swallowed by the fungus it sits on top of, and on those chairs sit the members of the Mycelium Resistance. With Grian at the head of the table, the first plans are made. They’re simple plans but their tactic isn’t to go big.
Each of the five members has their own ideas as to how to put the plans into action. Spreading the mycelium is key. Reclaim the island for the fungus and animals that can’t speak for themselves. It’s about the principle.
As soon as the meeting is dismissed and the members scattered to the winds to start their parts of the plans Grian realizes that this won’t last for long.
The base he means. The base won’t last long if he leaves it under his own shop, where the mycelium first appeared, where H.E.P agent’s footsteps can be heard just a couple feet above, where if word got out eyes would be on him.
Grian shakes out his wings of fungus, dirt, and fear. He takes a deep breath and pulls his shovel out. It needs to be cleared but it can be put in a more secure place. What kind of leader would Grian be if he just left his secret resistance base in a spot where it could be easily found? He had the final say on things and in this case, his thoughts were the first and last. The others would understand.
As Grian began to clear the cave, protecting the mycelium and his fellow Resistance members an idea hit him.
He was just doing this to have fun. Why was he putting so much thought into it? Why was he so serious about it?
He figured he may just enjoy the ultimately harmless tension the situation brought. Ren tended to get into character as well maybe Grian was just subconsciously taking a page from his book? Grian shrugged it off and continued clearing the base, making sure during a break to privately alert the Resistance members that the HQ would be moving with details to come.
Taking in the design flaws of this HQ Grian figured mycelium on the floor may not be the best idea. The way it just coated everything with a thin layer of webbing was infinitely interesting but it was clingy. The mycelium stuck to any piece of fabric or skin it could get at with strength and stubbornness that wasn’t common in any of the fungi Grian had seen.
Eventually, the base was cleared, signs taken down or altered, mycelium safely in his inventory in shulkers, furniture cleared out, and he’d get rid of the chest and entrance on his way out to make sure no one could get back in. He couldn’t right now with H.E.P still containing and studying mycelium outside of his shop.
After a quick meeting in the area that was going to become the new Resistance HQ and his new title of Mother Spore Grian got to work on what he does best. Building and decorating. Grian remembered how the mycelium clung to his and his friend's clothes, making it hard to go around normally and being hard to wash off. So with that in mind, Grian made the new HQ feel more like a lab. Hopefully, the mycelium would have a harder time spreading on the quartz floors and lead to fewer resistance members having to change midday and arousing suspicion.
As Grian worked building walls, setting up furniture, and detailing he left one wall blank. He just couldn’t figure out what to do with it. Grian was drawing a blank on what would fit in the wall next to the new meeting table since the old one was too damaged from the mycelium. Poor planning on his part he’ll admit.
A symbol of your loyalty would fit perfectly.
Looking around Grian tried to see where the voice came from. It didn’t sound like his thoughts but there was no one around. Who could it have been? Grian shook it off, it could be dealt with another day but that weird voice was onto something. What was a lab without something to study? Not to mention that Grian still had the mycelium he had originally found in its own shulker box with him. That could be good.
Grian got on with building what he and everyone else in the Resistance would call the Source Block. It just felt right for the one dubbed Mother Spore to create the source and home for the fungus. Everything about this just felt right. Soon the Resistance would make the shopping district right again as well. It was just a matter of time.
With the final touches of the pipes to secure and study the Source in place and other rooms underway, Grian brushed the sweat off of his brow with the sleeve of his sweater, noticing the amount of grey-purple dust (for lack of a better word) all over himself. It was time to call it quits for the day and clean up. A hot shower did sound really good now after all of this work. It’d also give him time to think up the plans for the next step for the Resistance.
Landing in front of his unfinished mansion Grian shook himself out he felt weird and sticky and the idea of a shower became more and more appealing. As he absent-mindedly preened his wings, waiting for the water to heat up he noticed something on his lower back out of the corner of his eye. Trying to get a better look in the mirror he found a blob almost of grey-purple web-like… stuff on his tailbone. Grian’s first thought was to try and pull, scrape, pick it off, just touch it in general. Giving the thing an experimental poke it proved to be warm and fuzzy. Strange it felt kinda like the my-
Oh no.
Ohh noooo.
Ohhhhhh noooooooooo.
Of course, it would be Grian’s luck to end up with a glob of fungus on his back. Gently pinching the edge of the patch between his index finger and thumb he made the gentle attempt to pull and-
Pain. Grian was met with searing pain from the spot he barely touched. He quickly let go of the mycelium (? He wasn’t entirely sure but he couldn’t go to anyone about this. It’s not like the Resistance had a doctor. Now that he was in this situation the Resistance should get a doctor.) and used his hand to fan it, desperately trying to cool the spot on his back that felt like someone had branded him. To no avail fanning, it didn’t work but soon it did calm down on its own. Grian didn’t know how he was supposed to shower with this, hopefully, water didn’t make it hurt- plants like water right? Grian wouldn’t know he didn’t pay attention in class given circumstances he did not want to think about right now.
As Grian stepped into the shower he quickly realized it wasn’t as hot as he’d like it but it didn’t agitate the mold on his back which was good at least.
Oh, gods how was he going to get himself out of this one?