"God"

Working small, working subtly, as it had learned to do from the beginning, it copied the plants and it produced seeds.  Too small to host life, to be spawn, the seeds would nonetheless grow.

The creature knew what came next.  It had learned that in the beginning too.  Pieces were cut away, and then given to fire.

But maybe with enough seeds, some would survive the fire.  Those seeds would plant themselves in human flesh, they would cause pain, agony, hurt, and they would be a bitter, stubborn thing, more tenacious than any weed, more efficient than any plant.  Undying hatred given form.

Others would settle into the human flesh that couldn’t rub or scour them free.  They would flower, and they would scatter more seeds to the wind and the water.

Red, the creature decided, to match the hair of the man it hated most.

Enemy Arc 9

He dropped his voice so that others wouldn’t easily hear.  “The warbeasts that came back from Lugh?  They had some skin problems.  The skin problems became growths, and the growths flowered.  We think that it spreads by air once it flowers.  But we’re not sure.  We can’t know yet.  It’s still early, understand?  You need to stay, until they know.”

Cut to the chase 11.5

I nodded.  “Minimize contact with me, just to be safe.  I think it spreads through the air after it flowers, and by contact before then, and the rain is helping a lot with keeping that down, but…”

“I’ve got gloves.”

“I think it forms spines that stick out.  I’ve seen the grown form, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the early stage has microscopic spines that transfer?  It feels like it would make sense.”

Quick 11.14