Zombie Fungus (Hermitcraft AU)

Chapter 6

(Warnings: li'l bit of violence, nausea)

(3211 words)

It wasn't long before the rest of the Hermits had left the island, leaving Scar, Xisuma, False, Cub, Keralis, Tango, and Bdubs.

Hoping someone would explain to him what was going on, Bdubs fidgeted anxiously. Why did Scar want him here? Had he done something? He didn't think so. Stuck in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed Scar walk up to him, and nearly jumped out of his skin when the mayor spoke.

"Hey Bdubs. So, I probably should've asked you about this sooner, but there didn't seem to be a good time-"

"Did I do something?"

"What? No." Scar laughed. "Why does everyone think I'm accusing them of something? No, I actually wanted to ask you if you want to join the HEP?"

Bdubs blinked in surprise. "Wait, what? Really?"

"Yup," Scar nodded. "We kind of need all the help we can get, and I've been considering you for a while. You're hard working, and I feel like you'd be a great addition to the team. If you want to, that is."

"Yes, of course!"

"Really?"

"Definitely!"

Scar smiled. "Wonderful, welcome to the team! That has got to be the most casual hiring ever," he added with a hint of a laugh. "Well, we should probably start the meeting now. Plus, I think Tango has something of yours." He pointed across the island to where Tango was waving Bdubs' bandana like a banner. He mentally noted that he would have to get back at Tango for that.

The Hermits made their way to where the large rock was and sat down in a sort of circle in the grass.

"Well, I think we should start off by addressing that Bdubs is now a member of the Hermit Environmental Protection Agency." Scar started.

"Woohoo!" Someone(it sounded like Tango) yelled.

"Yes, thank you, Tango." Knew it. "Now, as for the main reason I called you here. Now that we have a better understanding of what we're dealing with, we can safely do something about it. I've split us all into groups: Tango and False, you two will continue the work of removing mycelium. Cub and Keralis, you'll be in charge of disposing of it. I suggest fire as our best bet, as it leaves nothing behind, and mycelium has been found to be flammable when dry."

"Can we blow it up, too?" Cub interjected.

"Uh, sure. Xisuma, Bdubs, and I will continue researching as well as studying the mycelium to find some way to counter it, in case anyone becomes infected."

While the others began planning things out, Bdubs thought about the jobs Scar had just assigned. Something didn't quite add up. "I'm not sure I would be much help with researching, I hardly know anything about mycelium. And wouldn't you need more people on jobs like digging and burning it? I might be more useful there."

"That's the thing, Bdubs, you don't know much about mycelium, so we'll need to catch you up on everything." Bdubs still felt like there was something missing, but this made enough sense.

Now False spoke up. "How are we gonna do this safely? If we're working with this stuff, aren't we in danger of being infected?"

Xisuma tapped his knuckles on the helmet he was wearing. "I have several more helmets like this one. They all have filters for keeping out pollen, smoke, and anything harmful in the air, so they should work for this too. I was planning on fetching them after the meeting."