Dug let the party of young creatures disperse, having given them their congratulations and seeding them with healing spores that would serve to strengthen their flesh and bone even as it healed them. Checking on his bond with Obu he found her sleeping in her own way. A quick check using the System allowed him to see that she had indeed grown. Seeing as she was asleep he carried her to where his son was making his own changes and left her there to sleep.

Then, he left his cave, moving to stand atop the bluff looking out at the valley before him. His large eyes had no problem piercing the gloom, particularly with the large moon overhead. The old goblin stretched, feeling younger than he had in years. Letting a grin split his face he leapt from the bluff. Well… he thought about it before deciding some preparations were in order.

First, he breathed outward, the spores that dwelled within his lungs spewing outward in a cloud. Then, he gathered them with a quick gesture before adding a shroom he plucked from his beard. While that was percolating he snagged another for himself, popping it into his mouth like a berry. As he munched he tossed the now enhanced shroom off the edge of the bluff while simultaneously rating the shroom he was munching on.

First things first, it was properly crunchy yet held hints of moistness that gave it a pleasing texture in the mouth. Secondly, it held the right amount of necrosis to give his enhanced body a zing as it tried to degrade it. Thirdly, once the necrosis was finished there was pleasing pop as it exploded in his gut releasing spores that would propagate within the host body until the mycelium reached the brain whereupon the host would finally die and the fruiting bodies would be given leave to sprout.

Dug simply guided them to his stomach walls where they joined the host he had gathered for some time. He did this by attaching them to his Aether conduits which acted like mycelium for the various spores and controlled how and when they would grow or be released. A healer would be appalled at the state of Dug’s body if they ever had a chance to look deep enough. It was the work of a moment for him to summon any particular spore or mushroom he had ever eaten, every specimen carefully contained in its own sections.

That way if he ever lost his beloved garden he would be able to regrow it from scratch, provided he had the right grounds to seed them into. Smacking his lips as the last of the mushroom’s taste left his tongue, Dug determined he had waited long enough. With that, he leapt off the bluff with a low cackle. It took him roughly six seconds to fall the distance and he landed atop a tall stalk of mushroom, the cap catching him and gently lowering him to the ground.

What he had tossed off the bluff was a concoction of his own creation. Take the same Exploding Sporecap and mix it with some Air Attuned Cloudspores from his lungs and voila you now have a shroom with explosive growth and the ability to go with the flow. A proper mage would most likely be grumbling about how such a thing was impossible if they were around to witness it. Dug would ignore them even if they were.

Indeed, even other Sporemeisters would likely grumble and scratch their heads but only perhaps a few handfuls of all Sporemeisters in his old realm could do as he did and only a couple more would have the Waag as well. None of those were Shamaans of any power. It was perhaps safe to say that no other goblin across the realms was quite as strange or as powerful as Dug Shardaal. Not that he cared much about such things.

As he stumped his careful way into the woods toward the sounds of running water, Dug continued perusing his hair and beard for tasty morsels even as he was on the lookout for hidden gems. Finding one such thing he knelt in the soft loam near a fallen tree and with careful hands gathered a mushroom. The last time he had been in the valley, he had paid attention to other things, intent as he was with helping his daughter. Now though, with her asleep and his son recuperating from establishing a new Familiar Bond, Dug was free to engage in his first love.

He brought the mushroom to his nose and sniffed, letting the earthy aroma wash over him and setting his heart alight. He licked it, getting a feel for its taste and any properties it might hold. Like a noble connoisseur tasting fine wine, Dug went through his old habits and when he determined there was nothing left to notice on the outside, he popped the whole thing in his mouth. Exquisite.

Dug hummed happily to himself as he sought to gather more, munching all the while. It wasn’t the spiciest mushroom he had ever had but truly it held a charm all on its own. This world had its own rules after all, so why would the fungi be an exception? Notes of Earth Affinity mixed pleasantly with the natural Necrotic Affinity that all mushrooms naturally possessed in small quantities. Notes of something else tingled on his palate and he paused for a moment to puzzle it out.

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He could practically feel the System buzz around him as if he would cave in and ask what it was. He blew a raspberry in derision. The day he couldn’t figure out what went into a mushroom would be the day he’d get integrated. It took a few moments but it came to him. It was Wood Affinity or perhaps more appropriately Plant Affinity.

While commonly regarded as a subsection of the Life Affinity it was a little more nuanced than that. For one thing it contained hints of Solar Affinity which was essential for its makeup. That would explain the current shrooms' zest. With the mystery now solved he indulged in using his administrator powers to ascertain the name of what he had just picked.

Leeward Woodcap E(7) - Level 32

Maybe it was just his imagination but Dug imagined the System was subdued in giving out its information. Letting out a little cackle at its expense he attached his new shrooms onto his Aetheric Mycelium hidden within his beard before moving on. Nothing accosted him on his journey despite his external appearance of weakness for which he was grateful.

While he was more than comfortable enough slaying creatures so that his daughter had defenders, he had no desire to kill more than he had to. He would much rather play pranks, grow his mushrooms, and now see his children grow. Well, all of that and exploring this new world he had been dumped into. Such was his mindset now as he got closer and closer to the sound of running water. The importance of such a thing could not be understated and so he had determined to explore it himself.

It wasn’t long before he broke through the foliage to reveal a scene of wild and untamed beauty. Water gushed forth from a chasm high above, as though a giant spear had pierced the rock clean through to the source of water. The water thundered as it hit the pool at the bottom some 200 goblin feet below before it made its way to a river that continued down the forest slope of the mountain.

Dug took a moment to admire the view. This was nice. If all of this world were like this then things would be good. Most tall-folk back on his home plane would have said that goblins were evil and hated all life. Complete and utter rubbish. While it was true that some goblins turned out bad, the majority loved nature and the savage ways of the world. Their magic reflected those natural tendencies.

Civilization, on the other hand, was a tall-folk invention for those too big to see the world around them. The tall-folk, be they Humans, Khasar, Indeluci, or any other, rarely took the time to bend down and look around. Some of them did and tried to guide the others but it didn’t do much in the long run. That's why the Waag was given. To show them all that the small folk could bite back if given the chance.

That was a long time ago though, the first Shamaans long dead and gone. Dug called forth a finger of green flame. The Waag had remained, sustaining itself upon the bloodlines of thousands upon thousands of goblins. Perhaps only one in a thousand could call forth the flame and of those only one in ten thousand could be called a true Shamaan. Those would be commanded to breed so that the spark could be passed on.

Dug had never done so. He had remained committed to the flame and his spore work for decades only to wind up here, far from anything he could reasonably call a goblinoid. His daughter’s creations were getting closer but they would always be integrated and connected as such to this world, not the one he came from. He let himself indulge for a moment in reveries of the past. Of the Dum-Dums in the forest, the earthen drums ringing forth, and green bonfires that spat their flames high. Of the cavorting dances and the fullness of freedom.

But his eyes opened eventually and his ears were still greeted by the roar of water rather than flames. Sighing he stumped forward and dipped a hand in the pool before bringing it to his mouth. It tasted sweet, refreshing, and cold. “Good ‘nuff dis is, isapose.” He said in a mutter that couldn’t fully conceal his delight. That and a smacking of the lips was all he allowed himself. There was still so much to do before he could truly feel like his new family was safe.

Controlling the water source nearby was the first step. He didn’t want to mess with it too badly but he needed eyes and ears down the valley and everything needed water at some point. Walking into the water he began to hack and cough before shooting a wad of phlegm into the pool. He quickly reached out and took control of the spore-rich mucus before it could run amuck. Finding a rock he sat down and began to concentrate.

It took time, guiding the spores to different areas all the way down the river. Areas where he felt that creatures might stop for a drink. The spores took root immediately as he had designed them to do and would sprout in due time. Even hidden as they were he doubted all of them would make it but those that did he would be able to connect to as long as he touched the same running water they did.

He made that easier by growing a control shroom at the edge of the pool. Bigger and larger than the rest it would allow him to connect to others down the river easier. With his mission finished the old goblin decided to indulge himself. Slipping his warty feet into the cold water of the pool he rested them for a long moment, content to drink in the dark moonlit beauty of the area before eventually making his way back to his cave and his resting children.