——— POV Shift ———
Reports of goblin activity, and travelers going missing has increased recently. That meant one thing to Bod Keeneye, another scouting trip.
As one of the members of the local ranger conclave, this task usually fell on his shoulders. He could theoretically delegate someone else to do the task of scoping out the goblin population, but then he would have to be stuck in that office pretending to be doing paperwork again.
Checking his bow and recounting his remaining arrows, Bod made his way through the forest. He always felt better amongst the trees than amongst his fellow humans. Trees were steady. They didn't ask questions, didn't interrupt his thoughts, and most importantly never yelled at you for taking a nap.
Up ahead was the small hill mentioned in the report. Supposedly, a passing merchant convoy had spotted a good 20 goblins scurrying down that hill and into the forest. That's not something anyone wanted to hear about or see.
Bod carefully examined the area. Sure enough, there were footprints. Looks like they went west. There would be a need to track those goblins but that could be done later... by someone else. These goblins weren't trying to hide their tracks so even the greenhorns back at the office would be fine.
As Bod made his way through the forest, he noticed some changes around him. The forest seemed a little darker than before, a little quieter too, like it was no longer welcoming him.
Looking up, he noticed large webs filling the branches. Here and there large anthills were built up against the base of some trees. Then he spotted the biggest change.
Mushrooms... Everywhere...
Several trees had a rather common type of shelf mushroom working their way up the trunk. Clusters of toadstools littered the forest floor. Those weren't too odd, it was the others that bothered him.
A few blue mushrooms with pale glowing caps could be seen here and there. This was an undocumented specimen, and they looked really beautiful.
The worst were these tiny little mushrooms. They grew fast enough for him to see one go through its entire life cycle. A thin stalk with a bluish blob at the end. When reaching its full size the blob would puff out spores for a while before wilting and rotting.
Bod watched in fascination as the mini mushrooms spread in front of him, then in horror as a new generation, more numerous than the one before grew and spread again.
This... could be trouble.
Bod quickly popped into what was obviously the goblins' old hideout to finish his task. It was clear to him that it was currently uninhabited. The smell of goblin had reduced, and a few mushrooms were growing on the walls. Picking one, it started bleeding from where it was broken off.
Another weird mushroom... Bod furrowed his brows. Smells good though.
Taking out a small pouch, he plucked another bunch of the bleeding mushrooms to bring back to be studied, before exiting the cave.
Bud was surprised to see a snake watching him lazily from a distance. A few small blue birds perched on a tree nearby to watch as well. A mouse paused to stare at him as it chewed on a berry. Bod noticed his silent observers. Even the ants stopped their scurrying and faced him.
Weird. Even the forest creatures are behaving strangely.
He quickly collected samples of the other 2 kinds of new mushrooms, keeping them all in separate pouches. Then he hurried back to report his findings.
The forest creatures followed him until he returned to the road, before stopping to stare at him. There was something really disconcerting about being watched in silence. That's right, ever since the cave, no animals made any noise.
Bod shivered involuntarily as he tightened his cloak. Maybe paperwork was better after all. He was getting old, perhaps it was time to let those greenhorns deal with things for a change. Yes, the office had never appealed to him more.
*******
Three reports soon found their way to the desk of the head of the rangers conclave. Skimming through their titles the experienced ranger looked up at her secretary quizzically.
"Goblins abandoned hideout moving west."
"Three new species of mushrooms, their cultivation and economic potential"
"The potential impact on local ecosystems by new invasive fungal species."
"Bod wrote all these?" The head ranger asked again to make sure. "I thought he was illiterate!"
"Yes mam, that appears to just have been an excuse" The secretary gave a short nod before pushing up his glasses with his finger. He was just as surprised this morning when the notorious slacker dropped them into his hands with a weary smile.
"Invasive mushrooms?" Reading through the report, the chief learned of the rapidly propagating tiny mushrooms that were spreading through Dimwood forest.
Putting down the report and leaning back in her chair, she brushed her short hair to the side before pinching her glabella in frustration. "The title is misleading! I thought we were dealing with a Myconid invasion."
After reading the other reports she wrote out a few tasks to be pinned on the board downstairs. Any ranger who met the requirements could volunteer to complete a task and claim the reward.
-)Track and locate the remnants of the Blue-Fang goblins, last seen moving west from Dimwood forest.
-) Forage additional samples of new mushroom species. Deliver to alchemists' guild.
"What about the invasive species?" The secretary noticed a lack of tasks related to that report.
"Not likely to be a problem. They are so small, and die off really quick. The first snow should be coming soon and I doubt they will survive the winter." Pausing for a second, she added, "just in case, post a description of the mushroom on the board along with a notice to report any sightings of it outside of Dimwood forest, destroy them on sight."
The secretary respectfully nodded and went to post the task notices.
"Oh! and Sebastian, bring me a plate of those meatshrooms. I need to run some tests on them personally."