Unchosen Champion

Coop should have expected more minions. He had zeroed in on the manipulation of experience conducted by the Cult of Chakyum, but after he realized the leader of the Cult, the Lich, was a necromancer, he could have recontextualized the relationship between the members and their Master. The link between the Oathsworn and the Binder of Souls went beyond simple experience sharing.

Coop summoned a fresh volatile spear, giving it the weight necessary to overcome the pressure of the additional obstacles scattered among the Elite Void Queen’s stellar field. He identified the newcomers to the arena, feeling a bit anxious about discovering the truth of some of his previous thought exercises regarding just how many High Priests he could fight at once. On the brightside, he wasn’t facing anything completely unfamiliar. They had all faced him in life and were found lacking. He was the one that currently held the champion’s belt. They were merely contenders.

[Mystic Cultivator (Level 76)]

[Minion of the Unspeakable]

[Symbol of Decay (Level 317)]

[Lesser Minion of the Unspeakable]

The first pair he spotted to the north were impossible to miss, even with the stellar field orbiting across the top of the temple. The towering presence of the undead Mushroom King explained the unexpected fleshy lance that had shot through the Fracture Hivemind’s swarm.

Death hadn’t treated the fungal monster kindly. The drooping mushroom caps were torn and discolored and its leg stumps couldn’t maintain their rigidity, causing the creature to seem soft and lopsided, like a soggy parade float after a heavy rain. It dripped with decay, glistening as reflections were caught on its wet surface. Coop shifted his feet as he observed the mushroom tendrils that had embedded themselves into the stone pyramid, expecting more ambush attempts. He’d make sure to stay light on his feet as he anticipated their tactics.

The decaying Mushroom King and the undead Fey Cultivator utilized the cover of the Swarm Priest to repeat their distinctive strategy of ambushing from behind shifting clouds of flying insects. Without the gray moths of the Butterfly Cave, the pair had to improvise. They had hoped to recapture the element of surprise by utilizing the High Priest as a distraction herself. With the swarm’s defeat, their optimal strategy wouldn’t work again.

The undead Mystic Cultivator was far too low level to be a threat herself, but she had been wrapped by the mycelia of the mushroom, calling into question who was leading who. She was held in the air like a skeletal effigy, limbs dangling lifelessly as the giant mushroom adjusted its bulk. Coop would focus on the black mushroom instead. It appeared to be the solitary consciousness between the two.

[Unliving Flame (Level 417)]

[Minion of the Unspeakable]