Unchosen Champion

Chapter 178: Fungal Folly

Even though Coop had avoided wandering into a dead end by employing Fog of War and Presence of Mind to map his route, he still found himself at an impasse. The final chamber was large enough to have confused his makeshift mini-map, tricking his distracted mind into believing that it continued further underground. Every other route was a proper dead-end, filled with nothing by mushrooms and moths. This one was more of the same, but rather than a simple damp cave it was a palatial reliquary of stone. The thin mists of Fog of War failed to saturate the empty space much like when his domain had discovered the open ravine that connected to the surface at the start of his cave exploration.

Coop had already hopped back to his feet, after blocking the surprise attack, and was twirling on his heels as he

Coop twisted the shaft in his hands, watching both of the curved edges gleam in the dim light, then he flipped the head so that it was on his left, then back to his right before he held it in front of his body and nodded in satisfaction. His first experience with Inheritance of the Mists had given him a broader idea of the limitations of his abilities. It wasn’t exactly historical accuracy that was limiting his choices, though it still had to remain within human imagination while not exceeding the technological limitations inherent in mana. This was a weapon he believed was pure fantasy unless ancient humans were cleaving dragons or dinosaurs: a proper barbarian’s weapon.

“The Battle Axe.” Coop announced with a slight grin slipping onto his face. He presented it to himself as the Sporeguards picked up speed to assault him. The voices in his head laughed even harder, transforming from the giggles of madness to shrieks of insanity.

He finally stepped forward to retry his assault, casting Legacy of the Mists as he went, summoning an ally to lead the way. The Sporeguards were deceptively fast despite their awkward stature. Their limbs were misshapen, lacking proper structure without any internal skeleton, but they were rigid and moved with quick lurches. They propelled themselves with stumbling steps as their leathery exteriors pulsated, manipulating their bodies in a manner that was completely alien to Coop’s eyes.

His first phantasmal barbarian burst out of the mists with a battle axe that was stained black by fire and blood. The phantasm was dressed in a weaved loincloth and a small iron breastplate strapped by leather that only amounted to ornamental decoration for his bulging muscles rather than providing protection. It was exceedingly light armor with an extraordinarily heavy weapon. When he came out of the mists, he carried the axe cocked over one shoulder. As he appeared, he heaved it up in order to let gravity help bring the edge straight down onto the head of the first Sporeguard.

The mushroom man got a limb up to block, but the curved edge of the axe cut straight through, tearing the protective arm off as the head of the weapon continued down into the cap of the monster. The axe smashed into the rock below without slowing down, carving a new gouge in the cave. The monster collapsed in two halves on either side of the weapon, being split like it was an empty costume that didn’t provide any resistance at all.

The Sporeguard exploded into motes of dust. The tiny spores lit up the gloom of the cave, being swept into the mists that the phantasm carried. The spores clung to the phantasmal warrior and his axe, lighting them up in a dim gray illumination that gave the phantasm a truly ghostly appearance. The ghost continued forward, unheeding the afflictions he undoubtedly sustained, heaving the weapon back over his shoulder and marching forward three steps to repeat the attack on a second monster.