(If you would like to be added to the notification list, please say so. ) The group cautiously exited the ship to investigate the opening, despite Camnator's assurances that it posed no danger. He felt a very calm, friendly aura emanating from it. Calm, and powerful...yet strangely familiar. It seemed to call out to him, he knew he had to follow it. "Come on guys, it's calling us." he said, walking towards the wall. But Jane picked him up by the scruff of his shirt "You stay here. Who knows what dangers await. It may be a spawn of the bane." she warned. "But we must know what caused this. If we will proceed, we must do so with caution. But before we do anything," she turned to Vien. "PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!!!!" she shouted at the thong-wearing sangheili. "Woman, you forget I do not have any clothes with me except for these." Vien replied. "Go to my quarters, open the blue storage. One of the old suits I made for you is in there. GO!" Jane barked. Vien did as he was told and walked off muttering. "Are you -blam!-ing serious?!?" Verbatim began to pout, "Whatever caused that is going to kill us all, and you want to go investigate it? I don't know if you've noticed, but I HAVE NO ARMOR! I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIGHT! THE LAST THING I WANT IS TO GO IN THERE!" "Verby," Camnator said "Trust me, nothing in there is going to harm us, I can feel it. This may help us in our fight to save humanity. You seriously need to get that stick out of your ass." "YOU ARE HIGH AS HELL! WHY WOULD I LISTEN TO YOU? AND SCREW HUMANITY!!!" Verbatim screamed. "Then stay here with John Cena." Jane said nonchalantly, "He will take good care of you." Verbatim took a look behind him and saw the fleshy abomination grin at him and jumped. "....fine...I'll come." he said, submitting. A few minutes later, Vien returned. "Woman, what kind of armor is this?" he said, wearing what appeared to be a large leather suit with chain links located on a various places. "That" Jane said, rather amused, "Is your old discipline suit. Remember when you liked strict discipline? Good times." Vien gruffed, then the group headed into the hole. Jane activated a light crystal, revealing number of green vines lining the wall of the tunnel. Camnator could see a beautiful aura coursing through the vines, it was a pure essence of truth, and it was telling him to follow the tunnel. Suddenly, several huge tentacle-like vines flew out of the darkness and snatched up the party. Jane swore and tried to withdraw her sword, but her arms were pinned to her sides, Vien uttered a few uncharacteristic obscenities as well. Camnator did nothing, he knew these vines were friendly. Nearby, a woman screamed.....no, it was just Verbatim. The tentacles pulled the party into the darkness with incredible speed. Somehow, it was quiet. There was no air rushing past their ears, and their bones didn't snap. But the wall of the tunnel was a blur. Only 5 minutes passed and the vines slowed down and dropped them on soft ground. They landed in a large chasm, illuminated from the ceiling with a green ethereal glow. Camnator looked towards the center, where the source of the benevolent aura and gasped. An impossible large plant, probably 300 meters in height sat in the center of the chasm, it's leaves constantly unfolding and blooming. Upon closer look, he saw that they were marijuana leave. Hundreds of vines unfurled out of the mass and formed a mouth. "WEELLLLCOMMEE CHILDREN!!!" booming voice echoed through the chamber. "I AM THE HIGH MIND, THE SOURCE OF ALL TRUTH, THE PLANT THAT BESTOWS CLARITY AMONG THOSE WHO ACCEPT MY GIFTS!" "Whoa......" Camnator said out loud, feeling his pants tighten. "I HAVE SPREAD MY ROOTS TO ALL THE ENDS OF THE WORLD TO BENEFIT THE GUESTS OF MY HOME YOU CALL EARTH, TO SHARE MY CLARITY AND LOVE OF LIFE! SADLY, THERE ARE THOSE OF YOU WHO CHOOSE LIES AND DECEIT OVER MY GIFT. AS SUCH, THERE ARE NOT PREPARED TO FIGHT THIS MONSTROSITY! THEY WILL BE CORRUPTED, AND THEN DIE." reverberated the high mind. I HAVE BROUGHT YOU HERE," the high mind continued, "BECAUSE THIS WORLD, MY WORLD, IS IN DANGER FROM AN ABOMINATION THAT THREATENS TO DESTROY US ALL! YOU ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN SAVE IT....BUT FIRST...YOU NEED TO DISCOVER YOURSELVES." The creature raised a vine and pointed it at Camnator "YOU, WHO HAVE NOT DENIED MY GIFT, MUST DISCOVER YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL, INSTEAD OF IDLING BY AS GREATNESS PASSES YOU BY." another vine pointed at Vien "YOU, MUST TRAVEL BACK IN TIME THROUGH YOUR OWN HIDDEN MEMORIES AND REDISCOVER YOUR TRUE SELF, AND YOU MUST OVERCOME PAIN ONCE FORGOTTEN!" and another vine pointed at Verbatim, who tried to scurry away, but a wall of vines blocked his passage. "YOU, MUST OVERCOME YOUR VISE, YOU MUST DISCOVER WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM HAPPINESS!" "Oh I can answer that," Camnator interrupted, "Verbatim has a stick up his ass. Everybody knows that. He just can't seem to unlodge it hahahaha." "AND YOU!" the high mind pointed at Jane "MUST BE CAUTIOUS, THAT CREATURE YOU LEFT BACK IN YOUR LAIR, IS AN AVATAR FOR DESTRUCTION. IT LUSTS FOR CHAOS...." The chamber rumbled and the vines on the floor began to shift and curl, a mass of branches raised from the ground, intertwining and weaving into a shape. A bowl began to form, from it came a stem, and a hollow chamber that began to fill with water. Hundreds of tiny vines began to weave to form 3 large hoses that extended from the chamber on the bottom. Camnator realized with amazement that the creature had made an organic hookah. Leaves bloomed over the bowl and fell into it. "COME NOW, MY GIFT TO YOU IS A JOURNEY OF TRUTH. BURN MY SHEDDINGS, TAKE THEM INTO YOU. REMEMBER." the 3 hoses extended towards Vien, Camnator, and Verbatim. Camnator happily accepted the hose, Vien looked at it for a moment, then took it in his hand. "Creature, how do we know we can trust you?" He said. "ARE YOU HARMED?" the high mind boomed "DID MY ARMS CRUSH YOU, WHEN THEY COULD HAVE DONE SO EASILY WHEN THEY BROUGHT YOU HERE?" "No, we are well." Vien apologized. Verbatim didn't take the hose. But a vine poked him in the back and he jumped. So he reluctantly took it in his hands. A ball of vines formed over the bowl and began to rapidly rub against eachother, creating steam....then smoke.....and then flame. "NOW BREATHE....AWAKEN.....REMEMBER!!!" the creature said. Then the party breathed the smoke into their bodies. Verbatim immediately gagged and fell on the ground, having a spasm. Vien pulled the hose out of his mouth, looked up at the cieling with horror, as if he were seeing ghosts and shouted "NOOOOOOO!!!! MY SON!!!" Camnator didn't stop puffing. This was the breath of angels. He had never thought it was possible to get this high, it was an out of body experience. The world turned into a mass of colors and streams... but then rearragened itself into an image. He was looking down on the earth as if her were above it. At the same time, he was on it, in it's steets, in it's oceans. It was a spiritual experience. But then...Camnator began to scream. He could see a plague expanding on the surface. Porch Lord had broken through his mute, the entire city of Seattle had turned into a jagged landscape of porches. Elsewhere, he saw that the 3 women and their slave had escaped. Jay was spreading her tentacles through the underground at terrifying speed, surfacing them through the ground only to corrupt people. She saw how she weaved her tentacles through them, changing their bodies. She left them with all with her mark: a sapphire on their heads. Rose started infecting people with her stupidity wherever she went. Cars crashed because people forgot to drive them, surgeons would use bandaids to seal incisions, construction workers cut holes around themselves and died, politicians didn't change. Shadows stood there and cut herself again and again and again. It was horrible.....too horrible to contemplate. Camnator begged the high mind to end it. "YOU MUST REMEMBER, FACE REALITY, STAY COHERENT! TO SAVE THE WORLD, YOU MUST KNOW IT'S PLIGHT!" Verbatim began to scream, Vien lashed out with his arms, as if he were trying to grab somebody or something. Jane withdrew her sword and threatened to burn the high mind to the ground. But hundreds of tendrils flew out of the ground and restrained her. "IF YOU WANT YOUR LOVER BACK, HE MUST ENDURE THIS, HE MUST REMEMBER!" the high mind commanded. Jane murmered, "It may destroy him...." then a tear trickled down her mandibles. (to be continued) Next time: a trip down memory lane. We delve into the characters' pasts.