Hollow Knight (AU): A Vast New World of Wonder

Chapter 6 [New Places]

"I have an idea," Ghost said.

"What's the idea?" The Hollow Knight asked.

"I was thinking we could do some exploring in Fungal Wastes later, it's a pretty nice place that we haven't shown you yet. Plus there's mushrooms we can jump on!" Ghost continued adding strokes to their painting.

"Sounds nice." The Hollow Knight said, adding a doodle of them, Ghost, and Hornet onto their canvas for doodles. "Can add more doodles then."

"Yup!"

The two continued painting for a while, Ghost adding more details to their painting of Dirtmouth. Ghost set their painting aside to dry. They gestured to Hornet.

"We're taking a short trip to Fungal Wastes, we'll be back!"

Hornet nodded, still working on a craft in a corner. The Hollow Knight set down their painting and walked out with Ghost. The two walked towards the old well in Dirtmouth.

"Be careful not to stray to far in Fungal Wastes, the Mantis Village is very close to it." Ghost warned.

The Hollow Knight nodded, "Mantises are hostile.."

"While they're not hostile to me, I still wouldn't want you getting hurt or lost!"

The Hollow Knight nodded again, "Mhm, and respect for the mantises."

"Yup, that too."

The two went down the well in Dirtmouth.

"Pebbly path time.." The Hollow Knight mumbled.

Ghost nodded. "It's pebbly path time."

And the two trekked through Forgotten Crossroads on the pebbly paths. They glanced at the dark caves with stalactite hanging from the ceiling, encountering the occasional white grass or few. They entered Fungal Wastes, a place covered with round fungi with glowing dots everywhere. These round fungi covered practically every surface, there were fungi coming from the ground and on the walls, some fungi with long stems branching from the floor, and fungi with pink specks.

"Woah.. fungi are everywhere.." The Hollow Knight seemed awed by the sheer amount of fungi covering the place. So much fungi.. kind of like the plants in Greenpath.. They thought. In Greenpath, plants are everywhere..

"I know right? There's just so much fungi. You see those shiny-looking mushrooms on the ground?" Ghost gestured to some round purple-pinkish fungi emitting pink particles.

"Yup."

"Those are bouncy fungi, that we can jump on. If you bounce on them with your nail, you can jump really high!" Ghost jumped on top of one of the shorter purple fungi, bouncing on its cap.

The Hollow Knight jumped on, jumping around. "Fun fungi," They tried bouncing on the mushroom with their nail, jumping up even higher. "Ack!" They said, landing wobbly.

"Funky fungi, aren't they?"

"Yup, very funky fungi." The Hollow Knight sat on their mushroom, looking upwards. They pointed to some Fungoons above. "Are those.. Fungoons..?" They asked.

"Mhm, you remember them right?"

The Hollow Knight nodded, "Yup, very round. Roundest creature that they'd ever seen, the journal writer said."

Ghost nodded. The two vessels stood and sat on the bouncy purple mushrooms quietly, looking at the floating Fungoons above. Ghost jumped a little on their mushroom, doing tricks and spinning around.