The Quest For Revenge

The darkness of the new moon night had long enveloped the land. Flake had fallen asleep in their shared bark sided shelter, before Striking Bear pushed aside the bark sheet acting as a door and proceeded to flop down loudly on his own separate pile of sleeping furs. He had gotten lucky that night and came back late into the night after some time spent with one of the tribe's women. The ruckus stirred Flake from his slumber as Striking Bear exhaustedly and blindly moved about to cover himself with a section of bison hide. Flake tried time and time again to fall back asleep after the Striking Bear’s intrusion was over yet he just couldn't.

All Flake could think about was how the winter snows were starting to melt, and while they still blanketed the ground for now but in a months time they'll have mostly all gone away. Yet he was no closer to convincing Striking Bear to join him in his hunt for revenge. Flake couldn't just give up and join this tribe like Striking Bear advised, he made a promise to the Fungal God. Besides Flake himself still burned with the desire not just for revenge but for vengeance as well, so that nobody else like Striking Bear or himself would suffer a similar horrible loss.

Striking Bear quickly fell into a deep sleep while Flake just sat there in the darkness with his eyes wide open. It was then an evil thought crept into Flake's expanded mind. Could he perhaps influence Striking Bear directly with his powers? Even if he could then should he? Was that his right or would it be manipulating him like how a father may manipulate their children? Flake sat there for what must have been an hour debating back and forth with himself on he should do. Does he need to just respect Striking Bear's decision? Does he just move on and try to find another human with powers to aid him? After all there was that walker shaman Striking Bear mentioned. No, no, it was already pure chance that Flake found Striking Bear to begin with, by the time he found more powerful humans he'd be an old man and the Cave Dwellers would have moved on already. No, logic had to prevail here, cold hard inhuman logic, not emotion. Only with Striking Bear could they find the walker shaman and only then could they set out back South and finally have their promised revenge. It had to be done, Flake had to try and manipulate Striking Bear into coming with him, whether he liked it or not, it was the only real option.

With his mind made up Flake slowly crept his mycelium network across the ground of the shelter underneath the furs. There it slowly and silently inched towards Striking Bear's sleeping form before making contact with it. There Flake simply received the signals from Striking Bear’s sleeping nervous system and read them, visualizing them in his own mind. Striking Bear was dreaming about his original tribe, the one that Flake had only ever seen before as corpses strewn about the ground. He was dreaming of picking flowers with them and sitting by the fire for long hours. It was peaceful, it almost reminded Flake of sitting and watching the rain with Three Fingers.

Which made Flake hate himself for what he was about to do next, for his mycelium network found the neural pathway in which the memories of his tribe's slaughter lay. There Flake ever so subtly fed energy to that neuron which subtly warped the dream. The tents around them began to smoke and smolder, the tribesmen still walked and talked normally yet massive wounds began to slowly open on their form. Striking Bear looked around in fear and disgust. His lip quivered as he grit his teeth, Striking Bear was desperate for this dream not to turn into a nightmare, his mind fought back against the intrusion and the wounds of his tribesmen began to reseal as the smoke ceased to bellow from the tents. Flake decided to cut the flow of energy and retreat his mycelium networks back into himself. For if Striking Bear found out Flake was trying to manipulate his dreams it's likely he'd at best simply and finally refuse to ever help Flake again, and at worst beat him for the intrusion. Flake couldn't take the chance, this aspect of his powers were still a new experiment so he retracted his mycelium network into himself completely and didn't try again for the rest of the night.

Every night a new experiment like that would be conducted, Flake would while Striking Bear was sleeping extend his mycelium network and slowly send energy to certain neurons and neural pathways to influence Striking Bear's dreams. The most fruitful method he discovered wasn't in feeding Striking Bear's memories directly however. The best results were in supplying energy to his inner beast or the spiritual nexus of his powers. The bear still hungered for revenge and conquest, while the man just wanted to move on with his life. If the man was the mind then the bear was its shadow, and Flake supplied the beast with ample energy for it to do his arguing for him. Whenever Striking Bear had dreams of quiet contentment the bear always seemed to roar forth with demands to avenge them. Every night Striking Bear stirred in his sleep as his inner beast hijacked his unconscious mind and rampaged about his dreams.

Flake meanwhile questioned if what he was doing was right, yet every time he went to stop it was as if some inhuman feeling, sold cold alien logic would swarm his mind and dash the thoughts of morality away. With thoughts about the greater good, preventing future tragedy, or some thought about how Striking Bear was actually lying to himself and how he's just letting him see the real truth of himself. Flake wondered if these were his thoughts or if he too had some sort of inner beast as it were, same as Striking Bear. Or was it something new inside him? It was plainly obvious even to Flake himself that his mind before and after he partook of the fungal god's flesh were two very different things. The whole implication and scenario really made Flake ponder in a way his original mind never had the capacity for, this whole situation really; Flake had no means of even imagining this in his past life.

For weeks this went on every night, and while not every day did Striking Bear actually remember his dreams, the stirring he did in his sleep told Flake that his plans were at least having an effect on Striking Bear. As well as his animal urges slowly growing ever more prescient, ever more all consuming and feral. Just like when Striking Bear had to retreat away from the village to let his inner beast out, his behavior changed. He tore food, especially meat to shreds as he ate it, he was short tempered and hostile to his fellow tribesmen, often getting into fights and shouting matches with the other men of the tribe, as well as his libido going into overdrive with the women of the tribe. All this until as the lowland snow lay melting into puddles of slush and mud did Striking Bear come to Flake as he was throwing wood onto the fire to keep it sustained in this wet and soggy time of year.

Flake felt a massive hand lay out across his shoulder and grab it before picking him up from his kneeling position beside the fire ring. “The beast calls early this time, I'm going to the mountains again and you're coming with me.” Striking exclaimed in his usual deep and imposing tone as well as signalled through Flake's powers. “I always have since I started staying here, no reason to make demands.” Flake signalled through his fungal powers via the connection of his shoulder and Striking Bear's arm. “Apologies, the inner beast always seems to make me like this. Hard to control myself when a bear is roaring in my skull.” Striking Bear signalled in return before letting go of Flake's shoulder and he started walking off. Flake soon followed behind him, after grabbing a bite of dried bison to eat. Striking Bear didn't even wait until he had left the camp before he reassumed his bear form and began to run up into mountains Flake had never scaled before during his time here.

Flake likewise assumed his fungal mimicry form of a Death Jaw once he was out of eyeshot of the village and had to slink his way through the now marshy wilderness, following Striking Bear's massive paw prints in the mud and snow until he eventually caught up with Striking Bear feasting on the remains of a freshly killed wild boar. Flake didn't even have a chance to partake of the meat himself as all he could do was watch Striking Bear's massive bear form gorge on the carcass in its entirety. Striking Bear barely even gave Flake a passing glance as he ate, and when he was finished he simply began walking up the mountain again, only being slow enough for Flake to follow because of his full stomach.

“Does he know? Is he acting wild and angry because he somehow found out I was tampering with his dreams? Is he just dragging me up the mountain to kill me?” Flake thought to himself inside his fungal construct as it marched alongside Striking Bear. He'd never seen Striking Bear this, this voracious, and this savage before. Through the entirety of their time together beyond their initial battle, Striking Bear had always made a point to reserve and control himself as much as he could. This new bestial behavior worried Flake deeply at it's implications and his expanded mind quickly flooded with paranoia and panic. Flake had to fight to keep himself from flinching every time Striking Bear came near, if he was right he didn't want to let Striking Bear know that he knew. If they had to battle again Flake's only chance at survival was in Striking Bear underestimating him, and Flake catching him off guard for it. For while Flake’s fungal construct was formidable in hunts, it could never truly compare to Striking Bear's true bear form in power and durability. It was nothing but a cheap imitation in most every way.

Returning to the deep snows of winter as they scaled the mountain, Flake found himself as usual practically slithering through Striking Bear's trail just so his fungal construct could make it through the snows a true Death Jaw would never see. Before once they reached one of the lower peaks Flake would split away from Striking Bear in order to search for something to hunt. At least that could be the assumed excuse for in reality Flake had no interest in sparring with Striking Bear with his construct as they usually did during these retreats. It'd be all too easy for Striking Bear to kill Flake just by suddenly ramping up the force of his attacks from a light spar to a true lethal blow. So Flake instead spent the day avoiding Striking Bear, and gaining his only meal of the day via digging out a hibernating hare from its burrow.

Only when the night began to fall did Flake find his way back to Striking Bear in the usual sort of burrow in the snow he digs out for the both of them. In truth Flake had no real option otherwise, he'd have froze up here in the mountains on his own. He had no sparking rocks on him, and even if he did all the wood was so wet and frozen up here it wouldn't light anyways. Yet upon following Striking Bear's tracks into the snow den he Flake wouldn't find the massive bear he expected, instead he found Striking Bear the man sitting in the den and patiently waiting for Flake. Striking Bear then waved Flake on to sit next to him, likely as to talk. Flake as a sign of good will would shed his fungal construct shell and sit next to Striking Bear before expanding his mycelium network so they could communicate mentally.

“Bad luck hunting I see. I apologize for eating all of that boar, the inner beast has just been unrelentingly ravenous lately.” Striking Bear signalled as he looked out at the husk that was Flake's fungal construct. “It's fine, I found a hare to eat today so I won't go hungry. It usually takes you longer for your inner beast to take over, do you know why it's acting up so much?” Flake signalled in return just wanting to get any potential reveals over with now. “I've been thinking about it actually. I don't know if it's because of how you look, how you keep trying to recruit me for your revenge hunt, or whatever else but something has been awoken in my mind again. For countless nights on end all my dreams have been the beast making twisted demands to hunt for vengeance once again. No matter how I try to put the beast down it roars out demanding satisfaction. I'm hoping an early outing might satisfy it.” Striking Bear signalled as he pondered the answer over.

“How did you get your powers anyways? I remember I showed you my encounter with the fungal god, but you never told me how you gained your strange powers.” Flake asked in turn trying to steer the conversation in a way where Striking Bear wouldn't potentially start to accuse him of something. “It was the hardest battle of my life. After my tribe had been slayed I wandered aimlessly for years, I found other tribes but I was consumed by the madness of rage of grief I never sought to join them. One day I stumbled upon an odd patch of forest, the trees were knotted and twisted, covered in thorns longer than my thumb. Out of the forest came the largest bear I ever saw. It then told me how it was an ancient and powerful thing, and how it had grown tired of living. It then demanded we duel to the death because I as a great predator who had killed before chose to come into its territory. I had no choice, and we ended up fighting across its territory for six days. The bear had ripped my to shreds time and time again yet I finally came out the victor when I trapped it in a pit I dug and bashed his head in with a rock. After I ate its flesh it changed me, like it clawed its way into my mind and stayed there. The wounds I had taken in our battle healed completely, if they hadn't I would have bled out and died in the forest from my wounds. Ever since then I've had this inner beast, and the ability to let it out and transform into a great bear.” Striking Bear explained in full.

“Why was it tired of living? My spirit had been killed by the Cave Dwellers and hated them for it, so much so it was willing to die again just for a chance at revenge.” Flaked asked in genuine confusion. “It just said that it was so old and powerful that life had become mundane, that nothing could challenge it anymore, and that all it wanted was either another challenge or to stop existing without anything to strive for.” Striking Bear answered in turn. “That might be why it's demanding you take revenge, it sees you doing the same thing it got so sick of it challenged you to kill it for. Your bear changed you just like my mushroom changed myself. Maybe us being around awoke what it wanted again?” Flake exclaimed elated to have been provided with such an angle of explanation and exploitation. “Hmmm, maybe, you might have a point my friend.” Striking Bear responded and he laid back and put his arms behind his head as a pillow.

Striking Bear closed his eyes initially in thought and then in sleep. Likewise Flake laid in his own section of the snow burrow. Yet tonight the human in Flake won out of the fungus. He would not extend his mycelium networks to manipulate Striking Bear's dreams in his sleep, this last push, this final acceptance of his call to action, he had to decide himself. Otherwise the whole plan could just fall apart in an instant was that manipulation wears off or is discovered. Striking Bear joining Flake had to be his decision, even if Flake helped him make that decision beforehand. The night passed without incident as the last of the howling winter winds roared past the opening of their snow den, its white walls providing ample enough insulation for both to survive the night without a fire. With the rising of the morning sun Flake and Striking Bear arose as well, cold and stiff, but without frostbite and still able of body.

Flake would put a hand on Striking Bear's broad shoulder as to mentally communicate to him. “How were your dreams tonight? Did this outing calm you like you hoped it would?” Flake asked mentally. “It was a nice dream, one where I tore those Cave Dwellers limb from limb before they could ever beset my original tribe.” Striking Bear answered. “So what do you think about my hunt for revenge now?” Flake asked in turn, if Striking was going to agree at any point, it was now or never. “Your hunt for revenge is your own. However, I think the beast has made it obvious that I must hunt as well. Not for revenge, but for vengeance. So that nobody else may fall victim to this strange plague of killer men.” Striking Bear answered as he stretched and popped his back. “So will you join me on my hunt, even if it's for a different cause now?” Flake asked once again. “Yes, but we must return to the tribe’s camp once again. I don't wish to just abandon them without notice. After that we can hunt down my old traveling companion. A Walker with strange powers like us, the one I told you about before.” Striking Bear answered before finally breaking the connection and leaving the den. Flake soon followed and the pair made their way back down the mountain, with Flake riding upon the back of Striking Bear's bear form so they could travel faster.

By noon of that day they were down the mountain and back at the camp where Striking Bear gathered the tribe and spoke aloud in the language Flake still had no real understanding of. After his speech was made many of the men nodded in solidarity, some of the women and children cried, and others just seemed not to care one way or another. For the rest of that day the two gathered their things and prepared to set out for the quest tomorrow in the morning. Flake packed supplies into his now mixed outfit of Walker and Mountain Dweller design: sparking rocks, obsidian cobbles to knap with, a small bone hafted knife, and some water skins made from the stomachs of bison. Striking Bear meanwhile packed food like smoked fish, and sun dried berries, before he gathered flint knapping equipment and finally rehafted Flake's spear that he broke during their first battle.

That night in their bark sided tent Flake thought about these people and this tribe, he was thankful to them yet couldn't picture them as family like the last two tribes. Time was the factor Flake ultimately decided, he only stayed with this tribe for one winter, meanwhile he grew up in his original tribe and lived with the walker tribe for three years before their deaths. Yet these people in this short time treated him as a man in spite of his size and stature. For the first time in this land he wasn't reduced to being a child in the eyes of others, even if he never learned their language. After that was a feeling of deep dread and sorrow, even disgust at himself. These people have treated him with nothing but kindness, and in return he mutilates the dreams of their great man and drags him away from their tribe on a quest he had long abandoned. Flake didn't even feel like a human that night, he felt more like some sort of wretched slug, contaminating the fine produce of this village for his own gain. Yet once again Flake's sorrow and pity was overwritten from deep within by something other than himself. Telling how he had to do it, that really he saved Striking Bear and the village because one day Striking Bear may have lost control of his inner beast, or some other nonsense lie made to convince himself that he wasn't a monster.

The next morning the tribe gathered to see Striking Bear and Flake off on their journey. All the while they cheered and waved them on as they walked Northwards with Flake following Striking Bear through the mud and slush of early spring. Their quest had just begun, for Flake it was a quest for revenge, and for Striking Bear it was a quest for vengeance. Flake vowed to himself mentally that once their quest was complete he would tell Striking Bear the truth of what he did, no matter the consequences. Until then the death of the Cave Dwellers was their top priority, and to help them achieve that they marched North to the last known territory of The Shaman.