[SYNOPSIS: Finally, after an eternity of waiting, Among Us has launched its fifth map: The Fungle! With new mechanics and new tasks to figure out, it'll prove to be an engaging challenge for the crew. Will the crew figure out how to thrive in this new environment, or will the Impostors take advantage of the situation and have some...fun, guys?]

[Location: THE FUNGLE!!]

TW: SrQueso is in this one.

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Captain spawned into the lobby with an excited spring in his step. Usually he and the gang didn't play on Tuesdays, but today was a special occasion; the fifth map, the Fungle, just released, and boy howdy they were gonna hop right to it! So he posted the room code to the GC and waited patiently...

To his delight, the lobby was almost completely full within just seconds! They must've been looking forward to this day as much as he had, given there were now only two empty spots left.

"Okay, let's see who's here so far!" he announced. "Player, Veteran...Always good to see you two here! And Dum! You made it too!"

"Yeah, I know, isn't it great!?" she gushed. "I can't believe the new map is finally here!"

"We're gonna make the most of it today!" he smiled. "Alright...Ah, yes. Everyone's favorite double quarter-hatter with cheese, served up with a side of eggs!"

"T'is a marvelous day for a new map, isn't it though?" TheGentleman remarked.

"I'll say," MrCheese nodded. "You got no fweakin' idea how hyped I've been over the past week!"

"As have I," MrEgg chimed in. "Why as a matter of fact, Ria and I are celebrating tonight with a delicious mushroom casserole!"

"Ooh, that sounds delectable!" the black crewmate remarked. "Erm, speaking of which, where is your better half?"

"I'm afraid she won't make it on today," he admitted, deflating a bit. "Work's gotten her a bit bogged down, so she's spending the evening at a local spa right now! Saturday though, the both of us should be present."

"Well, on the bright side you'll be able to give her some pointers after today!" Captain replied. "Alright, who else? Gnome, Engineer!"

"Hii~!"

"Evening, Captain. I'm eager to see what this new map will bring to the table, aren't you?"

"As eager as one can be!" the host replied. "Let's see who else...Ooh, Mother! It's been a hot minute since you've joined us for a game. How's everything been?"

"O, y'know, life. It has its ups and downs. Franklin's going through potty training right now."

"Is he, now?" MrEgg asked. "Quite the milestone, I must say!"

"Yes, absolutely. But it would be a lot less hectic if he'd not recently gotten into the habit of...flushing bath bombs down the toilet."

"Hey. A fizzy potty is a fun potty," Franklin insisted.

"Not when it costs Mommy a hefty plumbing bill, it's not..."

"Let's see who else..." Captain continued. "...Sheriff! Good to see you again."

"Well, it's good to be back," he nodded, tipping his hat.

"And...Rookie, is that you? How's it been?"

"Pretty good. Sorry it's been so long; I like to hop lobbies a lot and explore places...Glad I came back here for the Fungle, though!"

"Awwwww, yeah dude," a familiar green figure drawled. "I've been waitin' for this day since...like...the trailer came out for it."

"Ghee, I can't imagine why..." Player retorted. "...But enough gab. Are we ready to start, Captain?"

"Ready and set, my crimson compadre! Now listen up fellas; there are only four tasks this round. One common, one long and two short. Figured it'd be good to start off with only a few given this is a new map. Kill cooldown is 20 seconds, and there will be one engineer and one scientist present!"

"Sounds like my kind of gig," Engineer smirked.

"Knowing you, that's not farfetched! Now, let's get in there and have some fun...gle..."

The screen darkened, and the roles were revealed...Player was a crewmate this round, but he was content with that; he wanted to see what sorts of new tasks would be available to him.

"Whoa...! Uh...Wasn't expecting to spawn right in front of a giant campfire!"

"Hey, I remember seeing this thing in the trailer," Veteran remarked. "And it looks like our first task is go find a stick on the beach somewhere."

"Lemme take a look at the map."

As the rest of the crew disperse to do some exploring, Player and Veteran stayed behind to look over the Fungle's map and their task locations.

"I'm guessing the pick up stick task is the one just off to the west of our location," the red bean figured.

"I've got that one, too."

"As do I!"

MrEgg came back from where he'd wandered with a stick in hand approaching the campfire and reaching into a bag of marshmallows sitting in between two of the chairs circling it.

"It takes some searching; I think there are multiple spots your sticks can be," he said to them, sticking a crewmate-shaped marshmallow on his stick and positioning it over the fire.

"Think this is the common task we're supposed to have?" Veteran asked.

"Wouldn't surprise me," the red crewmate shrugged. "Welp, let's go over there and find our sticks."

They approached the shore, and just as MrEgg had said their sticks were located in different spots, slightly buried in the golden sand. They returned to the campfire to find that MrEgg was now gone, his prints in the sand suggesting that he'd headed north.

"Not a bad way to start out," Veteran remarked. "Roasting a marshmallow over an open flame? It's sort of like a nice celebratory introduction to our new digs."

"I'm sure Captain agrees...Shame it brings back bad memories of being bit on the leg by Cheddar."

"Ooh-hoooo, yeah, yikes. I remember that...Oop, looks like they're done."

They each removed their now crisp, golden brown marshmallows from the fire and stuck them into the air.

"A toast...literally...to the Fungle."

"Cheers, Vet. I'll eat to that!"

They munched on their gooey treats from right off the stick once they were lowered.

"Welp, I better get to tasking," Player said, getting up from his seat. "Looks like I have to...extract fuel? I'll have to see where that is on the map."

"Yeah, and I have to go down to the Splash Zone...wherever that is. Guess I'll find out."

"See you 'round, then!"

They split up, and Player looked down at his map as he tried to follow it to the location of his task, making his way northeast until he came to what looked like the ruins of the Skeld's Storage unit, crudely reassembled and restocked, and now featuring...a zipline?"

"Whoa. That's new," he marveled. "Looks like it might take me where I need to go, though."

So he hopped on board one of the handles, and he gripped it tighter as the line took him higher and higher over the ground below.

"Jeez...I wish this thing had some kind of harness. I don't wanna take a fall from THIS height."

Fortunately, he made it to the very top without any trouble, and he headed through the open gateway...To his delight, another one of his tasks was right inside: the crooked antenna! So he picked up the mallet lying next to the system and climbed the short ladder leading to the satellite dish.

"Oh, I see. It's like how you fix the shower on the Airship!" he recalled, lifting his hammer and giving it a good swing to the right. He left a pretty visible dent in the dish, but it was straightened and functioning again, so he could cross that off his list.

"Okay! Wow, I'm halfway done already," he realized, looking up at the task bar. The crew was making good progress, the bar already almost a third of the way full! Of course there weren't many tasks to begin with, but it was still nice to see.

Player felt slightly  more at ease as he made his way down the ladders leaned up against the rugged cliffside, knowing he was just a little closer to the ground with each one he took.

"There's the Upper Engine! Uh, well...at least what's left of it," he recognized, making his way over to the fuel canister. "Man, this is going pretty well so far-"

POOF

"AGH!"

A purple haze suddenly shrouded his vision and invaded his nostrils, making him cough and sputter.

"Aw, yegh, bleugh! Oh, man, what...? What's this supposed to be!?"

He tried to swat whatever it was away, opening his eyes cautiously...only to see that his hand...didn't really look like his own hand anymore.

"Huh...what?"

He felt a little loopy all of a sudden, and he caught a reflection of himself in one of the broken monitors nearby...He looked pink instead of red, and a cowboy hat appeared in place of his beanie in his warped appearance.

"What the...? What IS this?" he drawled, reaching up for his hat. Despite looking very different in the monitor, he could tell that was still his beanie by its wooly feel.

As he backed away from the engine ruins, he saw someone else coming up the ladder leading down into the Jungle...A lime figure wearing Rookie's blue winter cap? Okay, this was getting REALLY weird.

"Uh...Who is that?" he asked the mysterious being.

"What, who...Izzat you, Player? What're you doin' with my hat?"

"Sheriff? You look...weird."

"You're lookin' a little pinker than I remember yourself," he remarked. "You got any idea what in tarnation's goin' on here?"

POOF

That was when another cloud of purple shrouded them...But this time when the two beans opened their eyes, they looked completely normal again as though nothing had happened.

"Ohhh, jeez..." Player groaned, holding his suddenly light head in his hands. "What on earth...?"

"I don't know, partner. It's like...that stuff messed with my head. What do you s'pose-?"

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DEAD BODY REPORTED

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Before Sheriff could finish his sentence, he and Player were teleported to the makeshift meeting room with the rest of the crewmates...MrEgg had called them over, and Captain was the unlucky victim. To the red crewmate's surprise, his vision had instantly returned to normal upon entering the meeting.

"Captain is dead, everyone," he announced. "I found him in the Greenhouse. He's been there for a while, according to my monitor; roughly 20 seconds from the kill until now."

"So you're the scientist?" Engineer asked.

"Yes indeed."

"Guys!" Player spoke up. "Something really weird just happened. There was this puff of purple haze, and it made my vision go all wacky and my head feel weird!"

"I know, right?" Stoner acknowledged. "Heh heh, that's what strange spores will do to you when you're not careful..."

"Spores?" Player echoed. "You mean...that stuff came from the fungus on this island?"

"I happened to get a look at our task list while this occurred," TheGentleman spoke up. "Apparently, this strange outbreak of spores is referred to as 'Mushroom Mixup.' I'm unsure if it is meant to be a random occurrence or some type of Impostor sabotage, but should it happen again I suggest you keep an eye on who appears as who during this...unfortunately mind-bending event. In the case that someone decided to take the opportunity to strike while we are under its influence."

"Oh, well THAT'S just wonderful," Mother grumbled. "So that was basically a shroom trip? I don't want my kids exposed to that! Just look at them!"

It was true. Timmy and Franklin were currently sprawled out on the meeting table with eyes staring into the depths of space above.

"I...is this real life?" Franklin asked. "Okay, now I...I have two fingers..."

"Ha haaa, yeah. Little dude gets it; just go with the flow...You don't see me gripin', do ya?" Stoner asked him.

"Well of course YOU'RE not gripin'," MrCheese remarked. "But that doesn't mean the rest of us are fond of bein' dosed."

"Let's get back on topic, everyone," Dum spoke up. "MrEgg. Didja see anyone near the body?"

"No. But seeing how long Captain has been deceased, they were given plenty of time to escape being caught."

"Veteran hasn't said much this meeting," Rookie pointed out. "Where were you at, Veteran?"

"Me? I was in the Splash Zone lifting weights."

"Wait...what?" Player asked, not sure he heard that correctly. "You were lifting weights??"

"Heck yeah, there's a bench press by the beach. It's one of my tasks. Gotta admit, I was hyped when I saw they had something like that; I've never been to an actual gym before, so getting to pump some iron was pretty sweet."

"Well, I...guess that's a good thing," Dum shrugged. "So, uh...do we skip then?"

"That's probably the best course of action right now," Engineer agreed. "Fortunately for us, Captain is our only man down do far and the tasks are coming along well, so we can afford a skip without having to worry about the crew's numbers."

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Player:
Veteran:
Dum:
TheGentleman:
MrCheese:
MrEgg
Stoner:
Mother:
Rookie:
Sheriff:
Engineer:
Gnome:

Skip: ************

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No one was ejected. (Skipped)
3 Impostors remain.

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The crew dispersed again, And Player looked back at his task list...He hadn't managed to extract fuel before the meeting when he was up there with Sheriff, so he decided to go back. According to his map, he could also reach the location by going through the Jungle and scaling the longest ladder, so he turned south.

...Only to be met with what was the FREAKIEST looking jungle he'd EVER seen, full of countless other types of dubious mushrooms and gnarly-looking plants.

"Yikes..."

Engineer didn't seem phased, though. He went right past him and headed straight into the wilderness, beckoning for the red bean to follow him with a finger.

"Hey Player, come here! I wanna show you something real quick."

Hesitantly, the crimson crewmate followed him in, hoping he wasn't planning on luring him deeper into these dark woods to be killed in cold blood...But that didn't happen. Engineer stopped just deep enough into the Jungle so that the exit was still visible from behind him, then stooped down in front of one of the strange plants.

"Uh...what's up with that thing, Engineer?"

"These carnivorous plants serve as the vent system for this map," he explained. "I took a couple minutes to study the specimen in the Kitchen before the first meeting. They're like buds popping up all over the island, all connected to the same root system."

"So all of these things are a part of the same plant?"

"Effectively! If you're an engineer, all you have to do is pop inside and let the trap do the work; a pushing motion similar to how an esophagus pushes food down to the stomach enters you into the main network. Rest assured you're safe, though; this plant is specialized for catching and processing invertebrates like insects and crustaceans, so it doesn't see us as food. Rather, it sees us as foreign objects in its system and will get rid of us when given the chance, so you'll have no trouble popping up in another bud located in a different part of the island."

"Wow...I guess that's cool," Player replied, looking back towards the Jungle's exit again. "Uh...wh-what are you gonna call these things? Considering you did the research."

"I have yet to configure a proper scientific name. But for now, why don't we just refer to them as 'Ventus flytraps?' Given their convenient biology."

"Ventus flytrap, huh? Yeah, that is pretty fitting."

"I thought it might be...Welp, I'm off to find a signal in Comms. Catch you later!"

With that, Engineer hopped right into the bud and got snapped right up, just like he said it would do...The moment he was gone, Player high-tailed it out of there."

"Okay, nope, nope. I don't wanna go in there again!" he decided, making his way back up to the beach. "Ugh, but I have to in order to get to the lab...Maybe save it for the last one."

As Player made his way west and towards the shore, he caught a whiff of something. For a moment he thought it might be those spores returning, so he covered his nose and mouth...but when a puff of purple didn't make itself present, he decided to risk it and better analyze the smell.

...The warm, savory, delicious smell.

"Mmmm...Is something cooking?"

Player's nose lead him into the makeshift kitchen, where he saw MrEgg cooking up some fish fillets on the stovetop. The maroon crewmate turned and saw him.

"Oh! Oh, thank heavens, it's only you," he gasped. "I thought I was going to get sniped for a moment there."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," Player replied. "Uh...are you cooking up some fish?"

"Fresh from the ocean, my crimson comrade. I'm not sure what kind, exactly...But they're apparently edible, given that this is one of my tasks."

"This is a task?"

"It certainly is! Quite a relaxing one, I must say."

"I'd like to taste some when it's done," Player remarked. "Y'know, something I noticed is that a lot of these so-called 'tasks?' They're just...fun stuff to do. Toast a marshmallow? Build a sand castle? It's less like some weird creepy castaway place and more like...y'know...a summer camp. A home away from home."

"Granted there is some work to do. Like prepping food, and trying to fix the dropship...I think what this map is meant to be is simply the crew making the most out of their situation."

"Well, I certainly am," Player nodded. "I just hope those weird spores don't make us start seeing things again-"

POOF

The very moment he said it, another puff of those blasted purple spores spread across the entire island.

"Aw shoot, I jinxed it...!" he uttered. "Ugh...uh...MrEgg...why do you look like...Rookie?"

"Huh...So I do...And you look like TheGentleman all of a sudden."

Player shook his head and rubbed his eyes, but the hallucinogens in whatever kind of fungal spores these were refused to wear off so easily. So when what looked like Sheriff came into the room, the red-turned-black crewmate had to refrain from greeting him and decided to ask their identity.

"Uh...Who's that who just came in-AH!"

They didn't say anything. They just whipped out a knife and used it to slice MrEgg's head clean off.

"AGH! No! Rook...! I-I mean MrEgg! IDENTIFY YOURSELF, IMPOSTOR!"

The perpetrator turned tail, and Player made the bold decision to give chase. The spores began to wear off, and Player knew he had them now! The kill cooldown was twenty seconds long!

But as he chased after the mystery impostor, he passed someone else heading in the direction he came from. The effects of the spores wore off just in time for him to identify them as Dum.

She entered the room. Player turned his head forward again to see who'd done it...

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DEAD BODY REPORTED

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Too late. He missed whoever it was by just a split second...And he made his frustration known at the meeting table.

"Oh COME ON, DUM! I was after the guy who did it, you called it before I could tell who it was!"

"Uh, you sure about that?" she asked him. "From what I  saw, it looked more like you and said someone else were trying to...flee the scene."

"What? No, I didn't kill MrEgg! And I especially wouldn't have killed him while he was cooking!"

He sighed, slumping back into his seat.

"He was making fish...It smelled delicious, and that shmuck sliced him in one swipe. I don't know who it was. Dum reported too soon and the spores wore off too late."

"Hmm...I, for one, believe Mr. Player," TheGentleman remarked. "In fact, I thought I smelled something good wafting from that direction."

"Who did the Impostor look like before the spores started to fade?" Engineer inquired.

"It looked like Sheriff. I know it wasn't, though; this whole thing is a lot different from the shapeshifter gimmick."

"Darn tootin'," the tan crewmate in question nodded in agreement. "Imma be honest with you fellers; I ain't so sure I like this map. I may like a little wilderness exploration, but I find this wasteland all kinds of bleak and hopeless. Not to mention these...mind-altering shroom spores messin' with our heads. I doubt any of us appreciate that...Except Stoner, of course."

"Well, that doesn't come as much of a surprise," Engineer remarked. "I say we skip this vote for now. But Player, I advise you to be especially careful this round; if what you say is true, then the actual impostor you attempted to uncover will probably be coming after you."

"Oh, jeez...Thanks for the tip, Engineer."

"It's my pleasure...Say Gnome, is there anything you'd like to add? You haven't said much in the meetings so far this round."

"I'm just listening and trying to piece things together," she replied. "Rookie hasn't said much either, so..."

"True, true," Engineer nodded. "And the kills are happening slowly. Should we skip for now, then?"

"Seems like our best bet," MrCheese replied. "More evidence needed before we move on. Keep up the tasks, fellas."

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Player: **
Veteran:
Dum:
TheGentleman:
MrCheese:
Stoner:
Mother:
Rookie:
Sheriff:
Engineer:
Gnome:

Skip: ********

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No one was ejected. (Skipped)
3 Impostors remain.

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"Well, the good news is people aren't exactly dying quickly," Veteran remarked as the crowd dispersed, opting to side with player for now. "So if we don't get 'em then we should at least be able to finish our tasks."

"True," the red crewmate nodded. "Speaking of which, what's next on your list?"

"Lemme see...Ooh, great! I get to go back over to the splash zone to build a sand castle! And since I'll be over there, that's a good opportunity to pump some more iron."

"Hey no way, I have the sand castle task too!"

"Whadaya say we combine forces, then?" the yellow crewmate said to him. "Let's head on over there before the Impostors can get down to killing again!"

They made their way back over to the beach, eyes on a particularly large mound of sand not far from the shore. It was just damp enough that it stuck to itself when molded; the perfect consistency for making a castle.

"You start working on the towers, Vet," Player said to him. "I'll build up some walls to attach them!"

"Now we're gettin' somewhere!"

With the two buckets he had on hand, Veteran built up a tall column while Player scooped up and patted down a wall extending from it, using a nearby stick to carve a brick pattern into its side. They repeated the process three more times and formed a square, then topped their creation off with a small makeshift flag made from a twig and a napkin from the Kitchen nearby.

"Now THAT'S a sand castle," Veteran nodded. "Not like those dinky little ones we used to make with just  the buckets, right?"

"Our craft has definitely improved...Guess that's one more reason to play Minecraft, though."

"As if I already had enough excuses...Welp, that was my last task."

"Really? You got yours done that quickly?"

"Well we only had four this round," the yellow crewmate pointed out. "Now that they're all finished, I can hit the bench press."

And so he did just that, situating himself on the platform and grabbing the dumbbell.

"Looks awful heavy," Player remarked, watching him start to strain. "Do you need, like, a spotter or something?"

"What...? Oh, no no, I'm good man...Besides, I don't know whether or not YOUR tasks are done yet, so you might wanna finish 'em."

"Oh, right. Let me see...Yep, one left. I just have to assemble an artifact in the Lab...which is in the Jungle. Ugh, that place is creepy."

"Well at least it's your last one. Just try to be as...fast as you can...!" Veteran grunted. "In and out, real quick, then you're done...!"

"Guess that's the best I can do...See ya later, Veteran!"

He turned tail and left, slowing to a stop just outside of the Jungle...He decided that, just to steel himself, that he would make his way through it to get a better idea of its layout, AND to face his fears.

"Okay...Ready, set, GO!"

He sprinted in, the light of the sun above being blocked out by the upper canopy as soon as he stepped foot inside. He ran through the eerie wilds as quickly as he could, trying to locate the ladder. East? No, that was a dead end. Up some more? There was the reactor...THERE! There was the base of the ladder! And...Mother was there, too?

What's she doing bent down like that? he wondered, deciding to approach.

"Uh...Hey, Mother."

"Hm? Oh, hey there Player~! How are the tasks coming along?"

"Halfway done...What's that in your hands?"

"Take a look and see..."

She opened her cupped hands to reveal a tiny, mottled orange egg in them.

"One of my tasks is to help this little fella. I've gotta take him to the Lab and teach the boys a lesson on responsibility and taking care of animals. Y'know, for when in the future one of them pesters me for a dog..."

"But Mommy, I don't want a dog," Franklin insisted. "...I want a Komodo dragon instead!"

"I'm afraid bearded  is the best you're ever going to get, hon'," she said to her youngest. "Well, I've gotta take this egg off to the Lab and stick it in the incubator. You finish up those tasks, Player. The crew's on a roll with this new map today!"

"Well that's always good news. Good luck with that egg, Mother!"

As she departed for the Lab, Player finally scaled the ladder and poked out from underneath the upper canopy of giant mushroom caps, being greeted by the sun once more. He went back to the Upper Engine, extracted the fuel necessary, then took it with him to the zipline.

"Shoot. I need one hand to carry this thing..." he realized, looking at the drop below. "...Come on Player, you've been on playground ziplines before with one hand, you can manage this."

So he did, hanging from the handlebars with one hand while the other lugged the canister down, hoping that one of these days Engineer could help install some sort of harness on this thing...He made it down safely, though, and he extracted fuel one more time from the canister in Storage just around the corner. The task bar went up another notch, now surpassing 3/4 of the way full.

"Okay, last task...Assemble artifact. Ugh...guess I have to go back in there," he muttered. "...Just a quick in and out, then you're done."

So he made his way back into the wilderness for his final task...He glanced up as he made his way down the beaten path, finding it surreal to look up and see the gilled bottoms of fruiting fungus instead of leafy trees. Mushrooms weren't supposed to be this big...It made him feel tiny. Like he was shrunken down to the size of an ant.

"This is like some weird fantasy world," he figured as he made his way into the Lab. "Like with fairies, and elves and-"

"AHH!"

He looked to where the scream had come from to see a lime coming out from the direction of the Lab.

"Oh yeah, and gnomes! Speaking of which."

"Uh...Hey, Player! Sorry 'bout that, you just startled me for a sec there."

"Whoops, sorry...Yeah, this place is kinda spooky isn't it?"

"I'll say. Mother's not too keen on it anymore either."

"Yeah, she's not big on the whole 'Mushroom Mixup' thing...Is she still in there?"

"Yeah, her egg just hatched before I left! At least she was able to get some education value out of THAT, right?"

"What'd it hatch into?"

"Uh...what're they called...? A squig? Yeah, it was a squig! You know, those little puffballs with the tentacles?"

"Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about! You can get those as pets in the shop."

"Uh-huh. Welp, I'm gonna go hit up the lookout," Gnome said to him. "The task bar is getting pretty full, so might as well check up and see if anything's up."

"Alright Gnome, I'll see you around. Don't get killed in this place, okay? It's already a maze even with the maps."

"Yeah. Same to you, Player. Later!"

She went on her merry way into the dark mushroom forest, and Player continued up the narrowing path and turned into the lab.

...He was not at ALL prepared for the sight he was met with.

"WHAT THE-!?"

Mother's lifeless body lay limp on the floor, Timmy, Franklin and the squig they'd all hatched huddled up beside it. The squig, despite whatever face it might have being hidden behind its fluff, was obviously traumatized by whatever it saw.

...And Player had an inkling of who it might've been. He'd just SPOKEN to her, of course!

However, before he pulled out his megaphone, the red crewmate spied something moving on the floor across from the incubator...There was a Ventus flytrap in here? Not only that, but someone was about to pop out of it!

A green head poked out of the plant's jaws, looked at Player, then Mother's corpse, then back at Player again.

"Hey, bruh...I think I just...like...caught you red-handed."

"No, no no no! I didn't do this, I think it was-!"

____________________________________________________________

DEAD BODY REPORTED

____________________________________________________________

Upon the report, it was revealed that Engineer was dead as well. Luckily for Player, Stoner was slow to speak. So right when they were all gathered he started spilling what he said.

"Guys! The body was in the Lab! I think it was Gnome, she just came from that area!"

"Whoa, whoa whoa. Mother was still alive when I left her there," the lime crewmate defended. "Stoner, you're the one who actually reported the body. What'd you see?"

"Player standing over the body right when I, the engineer, decided to pop on in and see what was up. So, uh...Maybe stop the cap, my guy."

"What? NO! I didn't do it, she was dead when I went in!"

"I dunno, Player," Dum remarked. "This is the second time in a row you've been involved in someone's death. That's kinda...y'know..."

"Sus," Gnome finished. "What were you, taking up my time talking outside while you waited for your kill cooldown to empty?"

"I dunno. I beg to differ," Veteran argued, looking slightly more...robust  than usual. "Player had a perfect chance to kill me while we were making sand castles in the Splash Zone, and we were there for WAY longer than 20 seconds, plus by ourselves the entire time. He's not past killing me if he gets the chance as an Impostor, so the fact I'm still standing speaks in his favor."

"If I may act as a middle man in this troubling situation," TheGentleman stepped in. "Stoner. You said that you emerged from a Ventus flytrap which was in the Lab?"

"True that, Gentledude."

"Perhaps such is the case that whilst Player and Gnome spoke with one another outside, a FOURTH unknown party came out through the flytrap, killed Mother, and then jumped back in to evade detection."

"I guess that's possible," Player acknowledged. "Hey come on, if it were me don't you think I'd have vented out of there myself then tried to blame Stoner when he reported?"

"Yeah, I guess that does make more sense," MrCheese shrugged. "Gotta say though, the crew's getting a little too small for my liking, heh heh. I uhh, think if anyone else bites the dust we'll have to vote someone off by then."

"Given the evidence at hand, I believe it safe to remove Veteran from our suspect list," TheGentleman suggested. "Not only did he not kill Player when given the opportunity when they were alone, but it appears as though he's been...busy  with other endeavors this round."

"Yep. I've been hittin' up the gym, so to speak."

"Dude, the only thing there is a bench press."

"Exactly!"

"Well at least he ain't hoggin' all the marshmallows; that's option #2," MrCheese shrugged. "Task bar's almost full; just one more segment to complete and we should be home free, so let's get this meeting over with and get back to the grind!"

____________________________________________________________

Player: ***
Veteran:
Dum:
TheGentleman:
MrCheese:
Stoner:
Rookie:
Sheriff
Gnome: *

Skip: *****

____________________________________________________________

No one was ejected. (Skipped)
3 Impostors remain.

____________________________________________________________

"Oof. Looks like the Impostors have it out for you this round!" Rookie remarked. "Kinda wish Captain didn't turn on anonymous votes..."

"Save it, Rookie. I'm not so sure I trust you anymore."

"Oh...uh...Okay, then...Guess I'll leave."

They all dispersed, Player making doubly sure that the blue bean didn't try to follow him on the sly. But when he saw him go into the wreckage of the Dropship, he stole back into the Jungle and made his way back up to the Lab...The assemble artifact task was exactly the same as the one on MIRA HQ, so he had no difficulty getting it done.

"Ho-kay. Just like Veteran said; in and out real quick," he told himself. "Hmm...Maybe I'll hit up the lookout now that I'm done."

Still stealing a glance at his map every few seconds as not to get lost in the mushroom maze, Player made his way back through the Jungle until he made it to the first ladder leading to the lookout. He scaled it quickly, emerging from the upper canopy of caps and back into the sunlight before turning left and approaching the binoculars at the end of the turns.

And hey, if I stay up here that should help prove my location in another meeting, he figured, peering into the looking holes and scanning over the ground below...He could see Veteran STILL pumping iron in the Splash Zone, and he looked...a lot different now, so to speak.

I ought to give that thing a try myself... he said to himself.

Shaking the distracting thoughts from his head, the red bean continued to look over the lower level...Rookie was heading into the Dropship with a toolbox full of replacement parts, TheGentleman and MrCheese were in the Kitchen making sure the last meal MrEgg cooked didn't go to waste and Mother's two sons were heading back into the Jungle alongside their squig friend, marching vigilantly into the wilds...They seemed to be on patrol, looking out for anything suspicious just as he was.

"At this point, I kind of doubt it's TheGentleman and MrCheese," he figured, seeing that they were spending their time eating and not so much lurking around. "And I guess it can't be Rookie since I saw him go in there with the toolbox. And...Sheriff had a chance to kill me during that first Mushroom Mixup. but didn't, so that leaves-"

That was when he realized. That was when he remembered. Dum and Gnome's accusatory tones. The latter's presence near Mother's death...Stoner having claimed to be the engineer, when Engineer himself had vented and was now killed.

"...Wait a minute. But then that means-!?"

"Not bad, Player!"

Dum's head poked out of the Ventus flytrap beside the binoculars, and Player started badly when he saw her.

"Not bad at all...Shame my kill cooldown just ended. I guess-"

He. BOLTED. No scream, no plea for mercy, no hesitation. He was GONE around the corner before Dum even realized it.

"Hey!"

She fully emerged and ran after him, but by the time she finally caught him around the Comms corner he was going down the zipline, giving him a headstart. Nonetheless she continued to pursue him; surely either Gnome or Stoner would be there to nab him somewhere.

Player reached the bottom and kicked up sand as he made his way to the emergency conch, and his outstretched hand grabbed it as soon as he could reach it. He tried to blow into it...

POOF

The purple spore clouds puffed out again, and Player suddenly found himself looking very yellow. He made his way back into the Jungle in an attempt to hide himself.

"Gotcha!"

Gnome's voice was easily recognized from behind her orange, leaf-sprouted disguise. Player turned back, seeing another figure headed in his direction from Storage that HAD to be Dum.

Another burst of purple spores indicated that the mixup was about to wear off, and he tried to lose any pursuers by weaving around the beach and going down into the Splash Zone, hiding himself in the Kitchen and crouching down behind the counter...He heard footsteps approach, then grow faint again as his sister and her lime accomplice went to look for him somewhere else.

"Agh...phew...Now I can call a meeting-"

"Bonjour."

"AHH!"

Stoner popped out of the Kitchen flytrap just to Player's right, grabbing a large knife off of the counter.

"Man. And to think you almost had us," he remarked. "Welp, better luck next round-HYUGH!"

Stoner was suddenly interrupted by a grip stronger than steel clenching around him, squeezing the breath right out of his lungs. Player himself staggered back when he saw the MASSIVE figure behind the green Impostor pick him up as though he weighed nothing.

"Hey, man..." the figure bellowed. "Step off my buddy."

It only took Stoner a moment to recognize the mass of muscle when it brought him up to look him in the eye.

"...Veteran?"

"Believe it or not," the yellow hulk replied. "...Nothing personal, Stoner."

With a mighty swing of his...now existent arm, he flung Stoner into the outreaches of the sunset sky above like he was the frisbee lying on the beach, and he disappeared with a twinkle into the far distance.

"Whoa...Uh, looks like Team Impostor's blasting off again," Player remarked, turning to face the yellow crewmate behind him. "...Dude, that was crazy!"

"Yeah. I usually don't get the opportunity to do something like that...or the muscle. But anyways, what's up with you? I heard you run in here and I saw you hide."

"Right...It's Dum and Gnome. They came after me from the Lookout and tried to corner me here on the beach!"

"Well, Stoner's gone now. Try to make it to the button; if they couldn't find you maybe they've gone after someone else by now. It's just a quick sprint down the beach."

"Right...Well, better take my chance now before they decide to show up again."

The red bean sprinted out from the Kitchen, turned south and made his way back to the conch on the table. The MOMENT he grabbed it, he could see Gnome approaching again from the Jungle, pulling her knife back out once she locked eyes with him.

Player picked up the shell and blew into it the very moment the lime Impostor pounced, knife just inches away from his visor.

____________________________________________________________

EMERGENCY MEETING

____________________________________________________________

He expected to be killed at the last second...But before he heard the splat of his own blood gushing from him, he heard the stinger that indicated someone else had died before the meeting was called. He opened his visor to see Sheriff's deceased icon pop up, but not his own.

"Ha...I'm alive...!? Yes! I MADE IT!!"

"You made what, Player? A big goofy sand castle with your beach buddy Veteran? Heh heh," MrCheese teased lightly.

"You talkin' about me, Cheese boy?"

"WHOA, holy mother of Gouda! Cheese fweakin' Louise, Veteran, since when were you SWOLE??"

"Since I found out there was a bench press in the Splash Zone."

"Well! My my...!" TheGentleman remarked. "Erm...it seems as though you've...really turned yourself around, Veteran! To the point at which you even have...arms?"

"Guys, GUYS! I called the meeting! I've got news!" Player exclaimed.

"Yeah...FAKE news," Gnome accused. "Dum and I caught Player VENTING in the Lookout earlier, and Stoner is our engineer for this round."

"Uh-huh! And now he's gonna try to take it out on US, since he beat us to the meeting button!" Dum further claimed.

"No, no, NO! It's actually Dum and Gnome!" Player defended. "They all chased me down to the beach from the Lookout, and I hid from them in the Kitchen until the coast was clear!"

"Wait a minute..." Gnome realized. "Where IS Stoner??"

"Ohh, jeez. His game must've crashed," Rookie theorized. "Remember when the Airship map first came out, and the game would just randomly close out of itself sometimes due to how buggy it started out?"

"Yes, I do recall," TheGentleman nodded.

"Hey, at least someone has a decent memory," Veteran remarked. "But anyways, Player's telling the truth here; I saw him hide in the Kitchen before calling the meeting, and he looked pretty shaken up."

"How do you know Player wasn't just trying to gain your trust, Veteran?" Gnome inquired.

"Because your Impostor buddy Stoner popped out of the vent and tried to kill him before...disconnecting, so to speak. I saw it, too."

"Hmm...Well, lifting weights is a task this round. And Veteran was...obviously doing that," Rookie pointed out. "Which means Veteran HAS to be a crewmate."

"Yeah, but like Dum said, he could've just been being chummy with him. I dunno."

"Wow, MrCheese. And I was going to defend you and TheGentleman..." the red bean deflated.

"I believe Mr. Player speaks the truth about this ordeal," the charcoal crewmate decided. "All those in favor of voting out Gnome first, say-!"

TheGentleman left the game due to error.

"What!?" Player screeched.

"Aw, shoot. Rookie was right about this happenin'," MrCheese moped.

"Ugh...L-let's just vote Gnome out like he was about to say!" Player said to them, casting his ballot. "It's only her and my sister left."

"No it's not..." Dum insisted. "It's YOU."

"Oh, we'll see about that...If we don't manage to get her out, then whoever has tasks left, FINISH THEM! There are only two left to complete!"

____________________________________________________________

Player: ***
Veteran:
Dum:
MrCheese:
Rookie:
Gnome: ***

Skip:

____________________________________________________________

No one was ejected. (Tie)

3 Impostors remain.

____________________________________________________________

"Which one of you voted for me!?"

"Hey, I'm sorry man," MrCheese admitted. "But, like, I do all the same things myself when it's me, I can't help but think that!"

"You better hope the ghosts or the crewmates or WHOEVER can get their tasks done fast enough! If they double kill, we're DONE!"

"D-don't worry, I got one left! It's up in Comms, I'll get it done, just don't follow me because that's heckin' sus!"

"Fine, then! I'll stay here! But HURRY!"

MrCheese disappeared around the corner, and Dum and Gnome disappeared into the Jungle...The three primary-colored crewmates stood by one another.

"They're going after him. I know it." Player acknowledged. "And they think we're going to come looking for him when he doesn't come back."

"So what do we do, then?" Rookie asked.

"We're gonna stay here and wait it out...Are your tasks finished, Rookie."

"Yeah, my last one was in the Dropship, so...Oh, hey look! The task bar just went up another notch!"

They all looked up, and it had indeed.

"Think that was MrCheese or one of our departed fellow crewmembers?" Veteran asked.

"I don't know. But I guess we'll find out in a minute."

They all continued to stand there past the point of the kill cooldown dropping to zero...Not much was happening just yet.

"...So let me get this straight, Veteran," Rookie spoke up. "If I use that bench press for as long as you did, I'll get arms?"

"Apparently."

"Wow. That's...weird, kind of...actually..."

"A little, yeah."

"Guys, my sister's coming back through the Jungle!"

They all looked into the mushroom brush to see the pink Impostor emerge and reach for her pistol.

"MAKE A RUN FOR THE ZIPLINE!!"

They turned to make a dash for it.

The sound of Dum's firearm went off.

...And the last tiny portion of the task bar filled up.

The world faded to black.

"Huh...? Did...did we win...?"

Player was answered just a moment later.

____________________________________________________________

Victory

____________________________________________________________

"We did it...We made it, WOO-HOO, YES!"

They all spawned back into the Dropship, and MrCheese looked especially traumatized.

"They, uh...sliced my head off then pulled my apart together at the top of the mountain," he recalled. "...Player, I'll never doubt you again...unless I think it's you, heh heh...eh..."

"Well, all's well that ends well, I suppose," Captain remarked. "Good first game on the Fungle, everyone! but, uh...Stoner and TheGentleman aren't here."

"Oh yeah, TheGentleman disconnected," the orange crewmate replied. "He should be getting back on now that we're in the lobby again."

"Looks like that's him right now!" Rookie exclaimed, pointing to a black flash materializing in one of the seats.

...It wasn't who they were expecting at all, though.

"'Ello, ladies and gents! Glad to be returnin' today, I am! New map, new fun! Hey, maybe I'll find some wild potion ingredients in this Fungle place if I get lucky."

Not TheGentleman, but rather WIZARD suddenly spawned into the Dropship and donned the color black, an excited spring in his step.

"Aw, dude! You stole TheGentleman's color!" MrCheese exclaimed. "Now he's gonna get all huffy when he comes back!"

"Oh. Well, I'll just change to blue then-"

"Taken," Rookie interrupted him.

"Cyan?"

"'Fraid not, Wizard," Mother shook her head, holding Franklin in one hand and their new squig in the other.

"Oh...uh...Well, I s'pose I'd look nice in grey," he figured, selecting said color...It was no sooner than the moment he'd chosen his new suit shade that he saw Veteran's towering form casting a shadow over him.

"...'Sup, dude? Long time, no see."

"Whoa, VETERAN! What've YOU been liftin' lately!?"

"There's a bench press on the beach in this map," Player explained. "Yeah, I know; he looks a lot like Arn-"

"He looks like somebody I used to know!"

"Wizard..." Player replied flatly. "...You didn't have to cut me off..."