Kaelen felt trapped. The strange fungus person was walking towards him. Breaking the link to the fungus network now felt wrong, like shouting in a quiet room – it might cause more trouble. Fighting seemed like a bad idea too; he didn't know what this thing could do.
He had to try something else. Maybe… talk? Not with his voice, but through the strange connection he felt using his [Spore Resonance (Tier 1)] skill. He focused his mind, trying to push a simple feeling across the link: 'No harm.' 'Just passing through.'
At the same time, he readied his [Adhesive Slime Generation], just in case. He also activated his new skill, [Mycelial Camouflage (Trace)]. His skin tingled as its color and texture shifted slightly, trying to match the fungus patch he was touching behind the rock pillar. It wasn't perfect, but maybe it would help him blend in a little better.
The approaching figure stopped. It paused about ten feet away. Through the resonance link, Kaelen felt its sharp awareness soften slightly, replaced by… confusion? Maybe interest? It was hard to tell. The feeling was alien, like trying to understand the thoughts of an insect or a plant.
The figure didn't attack. It stood silently for a moment. Then, it made a low humming sound, not from a mouth, but from deep within its chest, a sound that vibrated through the fungus network. Kaelen felt the hum through his hand pressed against the mycelium wall.
Using the [Spore Resonance], Kaelen got a clearer sense of the figure. It wasn't angry or aggressive. It felt… watchful. Calm. Deeply connected to the fungus all around them. It sensed Kaelen clearly – his non-fungus body, his strange 'Abyssal' energy from the System – and saw him as something different, an outsider.
Kaelen decided to try sending another simple thought. He focused on his need. 'Water?' he pushed into the link. 'Danger?'
The response was slow, unclear. Not words, but feelings and faint images. He got a sense of the network's main job: 'Cleaning bad air.' 'Eating ground poison.' (Was that the Gene Pollution Dr. Thorne wrote about?). He also felt a strong feeling of 'Dislike' or 'Warning' connected to 'Metal smell' / 'Fast hunter' (the Chrome Hound!). So, the network didn't like the Hound either. That was useful information.
Communication was slow and strange, like guessing meanings in a dream. While this 'talk' happened, Kaelen kept observing the figure with his [Avian Vision]. It looked strong in a quiet way. He saw how the fungus seemed to be part of its body, maybe even healing small scratches on its pale skin. These weren't just people covered in fungus; they were truly living with it, a new kind of life form.
But this strange first contact couldn't last. Kaelen's [Chemoreception] suddenly picked up a stronger trace of that hated metallic, oily scent. The Chrome Hound. It wasn't super close, but the signal was definitely stronger than before. Was it circling back? Had it sensed his link to the network?
He couldn't risk staying here, linked and exposed, with that mechanical killer possibly getting closer. He had to break the connection and move.
He sent one last feeling through the resonance: 'Leaving now. No harm.' Then, carefully, he pulled his hand away from the warm, pulsing fungus wall.
The link snapped. The feeling of the vast network vanished from his mind, leaving him feeling suddenly alone and half-blind in that unique sensory way. It was jarring.
The fungus figure watched him silently as he pulled back behind the pillar. Its feelings were hidden again, unreadable. Kaelen didn't wait to see what it would do. He quickly and quietly moved away from the cavern entrance, choosing a different tunnel, deeper into the unknown darkness.
His mind raced. He had touched a strange new form of life, learned a little, and survived the contact. But the Chrome Hound was still out there, and these fungus people were a complete mystery. He needed a safe place, a real hiding spot, to think about what he'd learned and figure out his next move in this world that grew more dangerous and complex with every step.