No one could have foreseen this coming. If they had, then maybe this could've been avoided. Inside an abandoned mine shaft, part of the wall had collapsed, revealing a natural tunnel. Unlike the mine, the stone seemed to have a lighter texture, though it was hard to see in darkness. That was solved as glowing blue moss littered most of the floor with purple glowing mushrooms.
An urban explorer walked into this newly discovered tunnel they found. After walking a distance they found themselves in an underground pond. the explorer then saw crystals littering the caverns ceiling, walls and jutting from the water. However, at first glance, none were close enough to touch, and then they saw some fallen rocks that made a bit of a path. The person carefully jumped across them. They stumbled a bit when one of the rocks shifted but regained their balance. They hopped onto a small piece of solid ground before a crystal twice as big as them. When their flashlight was shown on it the gem looked ordinary like a cloudy diamond. Though when there was no light it shifted to every color imaginable like a lava lamp being pushed by a wave. For a moment the explorer thought they shouldn't mess with it. Then their curiosity got the better of them. They decided to chip off a tiny piece to take with them and find out if the crystal was truly valuable. After grabbing their pick they chipped a decent-sized chunk. However, as they were hoping over the rocks a low hum could be heard. Turning to the source they were shocked to see the peaceful colors on the gem now being violently moved across it. The explorer glanced around as the phenomenon spread to every gem in the cave. Even the one in his bag seemed to react. The hum grew louder as the water began to get choppy. Sense danger the explorer hopped across the remaining stones and ran. The moss and mushrooms started to lose their glow and life as the tunnel cracked. The explorer soon rushed out of the mine. Once he was back at his car he looked at the mine. Cracks had formed across the side of the tunnel. The explorer covered his eyes when the color burst into the sky. Once the light died down a bit they saw every color from the crystal being blasted into the sky. They then felt their pack shake. Realizing they had a crystal they tried to take the pack off. However, it was too late and the pack exploded. The explorer thought they were dead but found they weren't even harmed. They felt the wind brush against them. Looking down they not only saw they were naked but they weren't even human. They would later find out it wasn't just them.
Several more people across the globe were affected by this. Each one claimed to see a color or colors rush into them before their changes. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the changes or those affected. Sometimes it can be one person another was an entire party. It could be as simple as a change in music tastes or as drastic as a mass of flesh that barely resembled the person. Reports were even coming in of animals and inanimate objects getting affected. With such a chaotic situation unfolding the governments of the world tasked their top scientists and engineers to find out more about this.
In a lab just a few miles from the initial reports, a man was finishing a program. "Cynthia, I need that frequency at three two seven," scientist John Avery called out to his assistant. The brunette readjusted her glasses as she turned the dial. Doctor Avery then saw his program come to life. On the large screen above them was a simulated map of the area. "wow it works" Cynthia said. John looked a little shocked she would doubt his work. "of course it works. Now then if we can isolate the energy trails from the earliest reports we can locate the source" he said. It took a bit of refining but the doctor found the spots where the trails seemed to converge. "call the army and tell them we have a possible lock on ground zero. Cynthia did as she was told.
A few hours passed before a group of men and women went to where it all started. "Samuel any information about where we're heading," Kent said. The African American pulled up a tablet and began reading. "The Orten mines, six miles of twisting interconnected mine shafts which were abandoned in 1865 when the mine dried up," he said. "well I don't think it's dry now," Abigail said after abruptly stopping the truck. Sam looked between the seats and saw a strange sight. Where there was once a desert and ghost town now grew a lush tropical forest. In what looked to be the center was a volcano spewing out the energy. Stepping out Kent and his four soldiers began to investigate. Abigail was instructed to stay with the tuck in case things went south. Sam scanned the area in case the energy spiked, in which case they would need to vacate the area or risk being changed. Thomas and Sally were tasked with scouting and neutralizing any dangers. One of these became apparent when Thomas stepped on a mushroom.
Immediately spores were realized. Sam's machine beeped but before he could warn the man Thomas began to change. His shoes were eaten away by the spores as his feet shrank. He was left with only two toes as a hard exoskeleton covered them. It raced up his legs as the spores ate most of his pants. There were breaks at the joints to allow movement. His body kept shrinking as his body changed. Fuzz covered his arms and legs after the shell washed over them. His pants broke apart due to a giant abdomen growing behind him. he let out a moan as his scrotum separated allowing a moist vagina to appear. His body lost all his male attributes leaving him looking neither male nor female. From the corners of his mouth, mandibles grew as his lips vanished. His eyes became large and black as Antennae grew. He lost his hair and ears making his head look identical to a red ant. "holy shit! Thomas you still there" Sally said. However, the creature didn't acknowledge her words, instead, it dropped its gun and removed its remaining clothing. Sally tried to approach what had been Thomas but the ant anthro ran into the wood with unexpected agility. The four remaining soldiers looked at each other before Kent called the base. Meanwhile, Sam was analyzing the mushroom from a safe distance. "Sam, what the hell happened?" Sally said.
Looking up at her he rose "It seems the proximity of the chaotic energy has transformed the entire area. The spores are filled with a highly concentrated toxin. From what Thomas just went through it seems to turn anyone who comes in contact with them into feral creatures" he then saw Kent come over to them. "the base wants us back for a debrief of what happened." After Kent said this he noticed the road at the edge cracking. More unnatural plant life grew from the cracks as vines swept over Thomas's gun and torn clothing. The group saw the gun become some kind of a large bug with a rat's head and tail before it too went into the forest. By this sight, it told the group that this forest was slowly spreading. If they didn't find a way to stop it this chaotic wilderness would spread worldwide. The group then left for their base. Unbeknownst to them a figure emerged from the shadows and picked up a shred of clothing before the forest could claim it. It was all that remained of the explorer. A mostly white shell covered its body with a black endoskeleton visible at its joints, neck, and abdomen. It had panels covered in yellow paint. Rabbit-like ears and tail made it look a little animalistic. A visor with two bright yellow circles made up its vision. It had no mouth or voice box. Looking at the road it realized it had found a path out of the wilderness and took its first step out. What it used for its heart started to fluctuate at the realization that it could meet someone who could help it. It then locked on the vehicle as it drove away and followed it, though it could not run due to its right leg being damaged earlier. So it limped slowly towards where the van went.